June 1, Maroon Bells, Rifle Falls & Dinosaurs

Friday, June 1, 2018  

We set the alarm for 4:30 this morning so that we can see sunrise out at Maroon Bells.  It is cold and windy and we are the second vehicle to arrive there.  The moon is waning,  just short of full, so we try a few “moon shots” while waiting.

Greg goes back to the Trek for a blanket for me.  I think the temp is 52 degrees but the wind is fierce.

Because of the winds, the water is rather choppy so there is no clear reflection of the mountains. Still it is quite beautiful as the sun first hits the mountain tops.

We weren't the only people there.  It is supposedly one of the most photographed sites in Colorado.

We go back to the campsite about 6:20 and get ready for the day ahead.  We drive to Glenwood Springs and have breakfast.  We call our mechanic Michael and he suggests trying to start the generator from the switch on it, which means crawling under the vehicle, which I do since I fit better.  It still doesn’t work.  He also suggested checking the battery connections, which Greg does and – voila! – we are in business again!

Next stop is Rifle Falls State Park to  our northwest.  A beautiful, well-kept park!

A short walk to the falls, which are beautiful on this nice sunny day.  

 There is a nice lilac bush here too – one of Beth’s favorites that we can’t grow in Houston.    The encrusted moss (lithophyte) is especially pretty. 

We can walk behind one of the falls and discover a few limestone caves with popcorn, flows and a few other formations.

Next we follow a trail past a few more small caves and uphill to a lovely lake where there are a few fisherman.

 ( We saw some trout in the stream below.)

 A little farther and we are overlooking the falls! 

Back at the parking lot, I spot this interesting bird, which I later find out is a male evening grosbeak. 

We have seen a few robins, swallows and many magpies as well.

We are now headed towards the Utah part of Dinosaur National Monument which straddles Colorado and Utah.   Nice countryside, very rocky and dry except for some beautiful reservoirs like Rifle Gap.  We stop briefly at Kenney Reservoir where this osprey nest is nearby.  I think little ones were being fed but we were too low to see. 

We reach the Quarry exhibit of Dinosaur National Monument around 4:15 and catch a shuttle from the visitor’s center to the exhibit. 

 The exhibit hall features a large slab of rock 600’ long by 40’ high which contains remains of many dinosaurs.  The original find was in 1909 and hundreds of bones and skeletons from this find are in museums all over the world.  This remaining section, once 3,000’ below the earth’s surface, was shifted and raised by earth’s movements, and was preserved “as found” for educational purposes.

That's a dinosaur bone, though it looks like poo in this picture.

Nicely done display! There are only a few other people there when we are, although a whole busload arrives as we leave.

We decide to camp here at their Green River campground which is in a copse of trees, mostly big cottonwoods, next to the Green River. 

 The surrounding area is very dry and rocky, so it is easy to see the course of the river by the trees, which grow no where else.  There is a driving trail we will follow tomorrow.

Nice dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes and squash, and pleasant evening as the temps drop to the 50's.