Dinosaur National Monument - Part 1

We've been wanting to go camping this summer and this weekend ended up being the perfect time.  We looked at a few different options of places to go, and settled on Dinosaur National Monument.  The first reason it was appealing was that it doesn't get as cold at night there as it does at the other places we looked.  I was nervous about how well Luke would sleep at night and didn't want near-freezing temperatures to make it any harder for him.  Also, we've been talking about taking the kids there for a year.  It was time.  It's just a three hour drive away (well, if you're able to drive the whole time, instead of getting delayed for construction and potty breaks) near Vernal and we used the 3-day, 2-night trip as an opportunity to unplug from the world.  The kids missed getting to watch movies in the car, but didn't complain too much.  I didn't miss my phone.  In fact, I felt relieved not to be using it.

I'll share more about our camping experiences in my next post.  Today it's all about the DINOSAURS.  Because, that's why you go to Dinosaur National Monument.  And we weren't disappointed.

The first thing we did Friday morning was join a Ranger-led hike on the Fossil Discovery Trail.  We were so glad to be part of Ranger Lisa's group because we wouldn't have spotted all of the fossils on our own.  We loved getting to see vertebrae, leg bones, and other remains in the rocks.  We also heard a lot about the unique geological history of the area.  I couldn't teach any of it to you, but it was quite interesting.

You access the trail from atop a hill.
As we descended, we could see a group (in the bottom center of the picture)
already on the trail.  I believe they're looking at the Stump Formation.

My hiking buddy and me, ready to go.

I Spy Vertebrae.

Leg bone.

Another bone.

I'm beginning to figure out that Jack really enjoys talking to tour guides.
He had lots of questions for the tour guides at Welfare Square, and he kept Ranger
Lisa occupied for quite a while as well.  He kept asking about T-Rex,
a dinosaur that lived 80 million years after the dinosaurs at DNM,
and he talked to her about the movie Cars, telling her that his favorite
character is Frank (the combine harvester).

Got your hat!

We made it to the end.  Very cool.

 In the afternoon we went to the Quarry Exhibit Hall.  This is where an incredible amount of dinosaur bones were found 100 years ago.  Read all about it here, but the short version is that Earl Douglass discovered a treasure trove of fossils in the mountain, including Allosaurus, Apatosaurus (the most complete skeleton ever found), Camarasaurus, Diplodicus, Stegosaurus, and others.  This is "one of the most productive Jurassic era quarries ever found" and, according to Ranger Lisa, the most studied.

The top of the mountain was removed during the excavation of the skeletons shipped elsewhere for display, but the bottom section is still in tact, with about 1500 dinosaur bones visible in the wall.  A building encloses the quarry wall and there are some cool interactive exhibits that help you identify what dinosaur remains you are looking at.  Downstairs there is a section of the wall where visitors may touch several bones still encased in the mountain.

The view of the Quarry Exhibit Hall from the road.

On the upper level of the Exhibit Hall.
I'm pointing out the skull of the Apatosaurus to Jack.
Do you see it?

The Camarasaurus had a really big thigh.

Bones!

Allosaurus skull.

I love how Jack looks like this is just another part of the day.
Yeah.  We touch 149 million year old dinosaur bones all the time.

But wait, there's more!

Check back for Part 2.... probably tomorrow.