Roar!

Our Spring Break 2012 began with Free Day at the Western Wyoming Community College.  A day of quick classes, information, and fun for children.  Cedar's favorite part was the planetarium.  We crawled through a short tunnel into a grey plastic tarp dome and observed a presentation about constellations.  Ethan says he really enjoyed watching the guy tie flies for fishing.  I had no idea there was a market for the specifically bred chicken feathers used just for fly tying.  Myles' favorite part was winning second place prize for a computer drawing/animation created with Geometer's Sketchpad.  

After Free Day we got ready to go to Vernal, Utah.  It's closer than I thought so it's possible to make a day trip in the future.  I loved the hotel.  Spring Hill Suites Marriott accepted our bid on Priceline and I'm glad they did.  I really enjoyed analyzing the use of space and materials in our room and the lobby.  It was so nice and made it feel like a vacation ... and it wasn't that much more than places advertising their 'clean rooms!' 

After a quick spin in the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum (kids don't have attention spans for most museums, but Kim and I enjoyed what we saw) we headed out to Dinosaur National Monument, where we managed to get a few pictures ... stupid batteries.  We hiked along the Sounds of Silence trail a short drive from the visitor's center.  Most of it was walking in the washout created by rain storms.  The soil and movement of the bending layers of rock are new with every step.  It was in the mid 40s, cloudy, and windy and everyone had warm coats except for me.  So, some time after turning around to return to the car I couldn't take it any longer and I scurried ahead with my chilled self to warm up the car for the others.  Needless to say Kim is very pleased with her $25 Marmot down coat found at Sierra Trading Post a couple months ago.  She was so cozy she thought it might be 60 or 70 out.  Way to rub it in. :-)

the kids being silly while enjoying their second breakfast

Myles and Ethan on the upper level of the Quarry looking at fossils

lots of fossils inside the Quarry

snapshot by Ethan on the upper level of Cedar on the lower level touching a dinosaur fossil at the Quarry

At the end of the road from the visitor's center is Josie Morris' Cabin.  I am amazed at her life experiences and how she lived.

Our last adventure of the day was driving to Dinosaur, Colorado to access Harpers Corner Road.  It's usually closed this time of year, but due to the warm winter there wasn't any snow.  The road eventually takes you into the monument to Harpers Corner, but we only drove a short way up.  I think we got out of the car for maybe 15 seconds at Escalante Overlook, just enough time to snap a picture, because it was so cold and windy.  Back in Vernal, or close enough, we ate at Country Grub, who claims to have the best burgers in the Basin.  I don't know about the entire Basin, but they have great grub.

view from Escalante Overlook along Harpers Corner Road just north of Dinosaur, Colorado

roadside view along Harpers Corner Road on our way back down

 Day 2 - we went back to the visitor's center, completed activities in the Junior Paleontologist book - we are now proud parents of three "certified" Junior Paleontologists, and hiked along the Fossil Discovery Trail.  It was a much nicer day.

observing a lizard along Fossil Discovery Trail 

Ethan's photograph of the lizard

striking a pose with Roary the stuffed bear cub purchased at the visitor's center

For lunch we drove out to Rainbow Park and had a picnic.  Along the way are a couple petroglyph identified areas.  If I understand correctly these markings were created by the Fremont people ... a long time ago.  :-)  I don't remember.  Of course, there is evidence of thoughtless people having passed through more recently.

those are not eyes on the face of the person  - petroglyphs marred by gunshots near Rainbow Park

Green River at Rainbow Park

  I saw several small, intensely blue birds flying around.  It appeared they thought they had to protect their nest in a hole way up high in the cliff.  They were neat to watch.  Certainly they are in the picture below. Look closely.  :-)

hiking around cliff-side looking for petroglyphs near Rainbow Park

Interestingly, I just noticed we didn't get any pictures of the kids in front of any dinosaur, skeleton or otherwise.  Oh well.  We'll have something to look forward to when cousins come to visit.