June 2 From Dinosaurs to Flaming Gorge and into Wyoming

Saturday, June 2

Dawn comes early and it is a cool 52 degrees.  We have breakfast and  leave around 7:00 for  part of the “Tilted Rocks” driving tour here.  It is called Tilted Rocks because it is obvious that massive upheavals have changed what were once horizontal layers to angles.

This is Morrison rock which is the layer that most of the dinosaur fossils and bones were found in.  We have a small guidebook which explains some of the features of this drive.

 This one is called "The Turtle".

 The river has carved deeply into land.

Lots of interesting rock formations,  early shelters and pictographs from the Fremont people who lived here about 2,000 years ago.

We leave Dinosaur National Monument and head west to the town of Vernal.  Obviously the dinosaur theme carries throughout the region.  The Dino Diner etc.

We find an information center and get a map of Flaming Gorge, our next destination, which is due north.   Flaming Gorge is a large red rock area where the water has been dammed, creating a huge recreational area.   As we gain elevation, the land becomes more green, with aspens, douglas fir, and ponderosa and pinyon pine.  The air smells wonderful!

 We've had two recommendations of places to see, so we head to the first, Red Canyon.  A beautiful deep canyon!

 We talk with the folks at the Visitors Center - a retired couple from South Dakota - and Joe tells us that the old Ute Mountain fire tower is open today, so we add that to our route after hiking around the canyon rim.

We are in the Unitah Mountains.  We head to Sheep Creek Geological loop but almost immediately find the rough road to the fire tower.

These pretty yellow flowers appear as we go to higher elevation - they look like yellow bluebonnets - definitely in the lupine family, but I've never seen yellow!

 The tower is a pretty white structure, built by the CCC in the 1930's and run by another volunteer,  Dennis, from Florida.

 Nice views of the surrounding forestland.  Dennis shows us the Osborne Fire Finder that was used to pinpoint locations and he is obviously very involved in this history.

 He and a friend are using their time off to try to locate some of the original weather equipment that was used here and he was excited that he might have a good lead on it.

We head back to the Sheep Creek loop, which after a bit, does pass some spectacular rock formations.  I'm sure a geologist would appreciate it even more.

Flaming Gorge is a miles-long narrow gorge with nothing connecting east and west, so  since we are already on the west, we decide to take that less populated route. Lots of boats on the roads.

We cross into Wyoming and stop at the Green River Visitor's Center for a Wyoming map.  A young man is just leaving for the day (at 3:00?) but happily goes back and retrieves some things for us.  Just across the highway is the entrance to the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Range.

We see two groups of wild horses in the first fifteen minutes of the drive.  They are quite a mix of horses, some going back to the horses introduced by the Spaniards, mixed with others that escaped or were let go wild.   As we have found with the ponies in Chincoteague and the Buffalo in Custer State Park and elsewhere, the wild horses are managed.  They have determined what the land will support and they cull the herds periodically and sell the excess horses to help maintain a healthy population.  It takes many acres here to support one animal, as it is dry with mainly sagebrush. (We've been making good use of chapstick!)  

The rest of the drive, on gravel and dirt road, is long and pretty boring.  We do come across some pretty red flowers

but  are happy to hit a paved road again and begin to head north.  Seeing quite a few antelope along the way.  Sometimes there are cattle and antelope in the same area.  We're told that antelope are skilled jumpers and often go over or under fences. 

 We boondock tonight alongside Big Sandy Reservoir and enjoy a nice sunset.  We wake in the morning to the sight of antelope feeding not too far from our Trek.  But they take off as soon as we make a move.