Flaming Gorge to Dinosaur

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Sunday, 28 June, 2015



We left Lyman and drove down Hwy 414 and 43 to Manila, UT, and then Hwy 44 to the dam at Flaming Gorge. What a drive! It was wonderful scenery, buy bumpy roads to Manila, then steep, steep ups and downs to the dam. At the Flaming Gorge visitor center they said the road to Vernal, UT, was worse, but it definitely was not. That road (Hwy 191) did have 10 switchbacks (u-turns,) but it was mostly downhill, not those engine-screaming uphills to Flaming Gorge.



Vernal was so pretty. They have placed planters of pink, white and red flowers all through town.



We drove to Dinosaur National Monument, where we first checked out the visitor center while Jenna got her 6th Jr. Ranger badge. We then rode their shuttle to the Quarry Exhibit Hall, which was built around a hillside filled with dinosaur bone fossils. It was fascinating. You are allowed to touch some of the bones, but others are too fragile. They had a complete allisaurus skeleton, Kerry's favorite dinosaur.



When we got to our campground it was 100 degrees and no shade in sight, but by 9:00 it had cooled to the low 80's.



More later...

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Photos

Dinosaur National Monument
Jenna and the allisaurus

Coming down toward Vernal, UT
from overlook between switchbacks

Dinosaur National Monument
part of wall of fossils in Quarry Exhibit Hall

Dinosaur NM
Allisaurus skull

Dinosaur NM
more of wall of fossils

Comments

[Linn Nance]

Ah, the dinosaurs...
Another place I'd like to see. Love those dinosaurs! Again, nice pictures, Charlie?