Jul 20, 2009 - Dinosaur, CO

On the border of Colorado and Utah is two towns that exist because of old bones, Dinosaur, Colorado and Vernal, Utah. The windy high desert is part of the mix being here, hot days cool nights and a place where you can see where the large animals roamed almost before time! Barb and I only stayed the night as scheduled travels were calling. We did find an interesting church name, Dinosaur Baptist Church. Off on the drive across Utah in the morning as we look for campgrounds and chaplain opportunities. Sometimes, going back in excavated time...

Jun 15, 2009 - Green River Valley

Also located on the Dinosaur National Monument are a number of petroglyph sites and the scenic Green River Valley. In this entry, I have compiled pictures of the scenery and other sights. I have seperated out the petroglyphs in case any of you are less interested or getting tired of seeing those (I recognize that there have been a lot owing to my own personal facination). However, this grouping of rock art is very different than the ones previously presented. They show humanoid figures with much more detail and ornation as well as the use...

Jun 15, 2009 - And More Petroglyphs

The Uinta Basin is an area of eastern Utah and western Colorado that includes Dinosaur National Monument. There are some features that create a style of the petroglyphs in this region. Particularly a focus on jewelry, both adorning human figures as well as being represented separately. This includes detailed necklaces, ear rings and headdresses. When the jewelry is depicted by separately, it is often with a vague human (refered to as an "anthropomorph"), sort of how a department store might place a necklace on a vague human manikin as a...

May 13, 2006 - Dinisaur National Monument

May 13, 2006 Today, we traveled to Dinosaur National Monument in Utah and Colorado. We turned onto a road that read Dinosaur National Monument and drove the length of the road expecting to find a visitor's center and museum. Instead, we drove the twenty-two miles one way to the top seeing scenic overlooks along the way. The views were fantastic. We ate lunch when we got to the top and then drove back down. The drive was long and we saw lots of nice scenery and also some antelope. We also saw a dirt road that led to what we thought was the...

Aug 24, 2005 - Day 19 - Dinosaur National Monument

Day 19 Wednesday, Aug 24 After I finished my journal last night I went out to my bike and got to talking with one of the other guests who was sitting outside his room drinking. From him I learned: 1) don't ride through Salt Lake City because the traffic is like Los Angeles, 2) don't ride through Albuquerque because "they're shooting everyone", and 3) the best place to get cheap booze in Mexico is a town just across the border named Copecena or some such (but don't go into the bad section because "they're shooting everyone"). Why do I get...

Jul 7, 2005 - Black Canyon to Dinosaur National Monument

7/7/05 Black Canyon to Dinosaur National Monument We take Colorado 139 across Douglas Pass on the advice of the Grimes. It is a beautiful road. Going up the mountain, the coach had to shift down to first gear on some of the hairpin turns. The road was steep! About 1000 feet from the top, we stopped for about ten minutes to let the engine cool. From then on, I keep it in first or second gear and less than 25 mph, slow and steady. The pictures don't quite do it justice. On the way down from Douglas Pass we passed Cathedral Bluffs. Out here it...

Jul 31, 2004 - Adventures in Dinoland!

Pointing the compass north along the Colorado River, the road swept us up past the Fisher Towers and out of the Red Desert into the vast open plains. Driving just inside the western border of Colorado, I underestimated the density of gas stations per 100 square miles of nothingness, and had a scary coast on vapors into the little village of Rangely. A little further up, we rolled into the sleepy town of Dinosaur, home to Ranger Pete and the lovely Lorna. We were given prime tent space in the front yard and treated to a beautiful dinner of...