The Longest Day

On Wednesday, we drove 719 miles from Seibert, CO,to St. Louis. Kansas is absolutely one of the most boring states ever to drive through. It doesn’t help that the flat terrain started in Colorado, so I really felt like I’d been driving through the same place for days by the time we made it through. 

After the oppressive, looming force of the Rockies followed by the soul-crushing nothingness of Eastern Colorado and Kansas, the sight of the trees and lush greenery about forty miles into Missouri brought tears to my eyes. It had been so long since I’d been anywhereso fertile, I was overcome with emotion. I never cry but I almost did then, it was just so beautiful. No photos from that moment, because driving. You’ll have to take my word for it. It was as if nature was giving me a big, warm hug, and saying “welcome home.”

We checked into our hotel (Hyatt Regency, right at the arch) and R was in awe over how luxurious it was. He kept whispering because he was too overwhelmed and couldn’t handle it. Adorable. Our room had a gorgeous view of the arch, for which I paid extra. Worth it. 

We ordered room service for breakfast the next morning and he thought that was just the height of luxury. I love that kid. My French toast came with these adorable little bottles of maple syrup. 

We took the bus Thursday to City Museum. All four kids had an amazing time and I even enjoyed squeezing through all the tiny spaces S and B ran through with ease. Definitely want to return for vacation one day! I think D would love it there as well and I’m bummed he had tomiss out. 

The evening was spent checking out the arch. S and B did another Junior Ranger program here and earned another badge. S is now determined to do them all.That’s not going to happen but I love how passionate he is about it and he’s learning a lot. We did the tram and went up to the top of the arch. Very neat! We could see our room from the arch! The kids were impressed by how high up they were. 

After, S and B played in the water in front of the arch, becoming thoroughly soaked and loving it. We returned to the hotel, cleaned up and ate in the resettlement downstairs for dinner. The food was quite tasty! 

We all crashed hard that night in preparation for the next leg of our trip. 

Colorado

Tuesday morning we woke early to tear down camp and get on the road. Tear-down took longer than I expected and we were about an hour behind schedule when we arrived in Dinosaur, Colorado, stopping for ice. I realized then that my wallet was missing. We searched the car with no luck. I had no cell service but the gas station attendant was nice enough to let me use hers to call the park. They didn’t have it at the main lost and found and weren’t able to reach the camp host. We drove the 30 minutes back, explained at the gate why they should let me enter without ID (luckily she remembered the stickers on my car) and waited while the rangers they’d sent searched the site. No luck finding my wallet. I filled out a form with my number to call should they find it. She wanted an address to mail it to, but that wouldn’t have helped me as we are not returning to Boise, and I’m not sure how I would’ve returned there with no money or ID in any case. I went out to the parking lot, furiously searching my mind for where it could be, determined to go through every bit of gear and clothing we had until I found it. I decided to start with my sleeping bag, and there it was! What arelief! Finally got on the road at 11, now 3 hours behind schedule. 

Our next stop was Rifle Falls for lunch. Admittance is free for military (active duty and vets) this August, so that was a nice surprise! The falls are right near the parking area, which was perfect given how behind schedule we were. We brought our packed lunches up and ate behind the waterfall.

 It is absolutely gorgeous up there and definitely work stopping for! I wish we’d had more time to explore

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The caves reminded my kids of Minecraft, who were sure it was going to be full of creepers and skeletons. Ha!

We continued on to Shady Grove Campground in Seibert, Colorado, arriving after dark. Tents went up, showers were had, ramen was eaten. We crashed hard only to be woken a couple of hours later by a severe thunderstorm directly overhead. I decided ground lightning was a valid concern, woke the boys, and we all fled to the car for the next three hours. The boys electedto sleep in the car while I returned to the tent with B at 4:30. Not much sleep was to be had. 

Our Journey Begins

We departed Boise, Idaho, Sunday morning. No wildfires to deal with and everything was still a lot greener than I was expecting. Deep blue skies, wide open spaces, lovely mountain views through Utah. No traffic anywhere!

We set up camp in the Green River Campground. Oursite wasn’t amazing (sloped, lots of ants, no space fora large tent, no trees), but it had everything we needed. No showers, but the bathroom was nearby, with flush toilets and running water. 

Monday morning we headed back to the isotope center for the educational video and our Junior Ranger booklets. S and B enjoyed completing these together and were very happy to earn their badges. 

We walked the Fossil Discovery Trail from the visitor center to the Quarry. I advise taking the shuttle to the Quarry and walking back down. Our walk was all uphill and it was really hot in the middle of the day. Definitely bring water! 

We saw insects, lizards, and birds on our walk, as well as petroglyphs, interesting rocks, and the myriad layers of Split Mountain. 

The Quarry Exhibition Center was built around a spot where a river used to be. There was a mass die-off during a drought, then there was a flood, washing all of the carcasses downstream, where they formed a dinosaur dam at what is now the Quarry. They’ve preserved the wall with the bones encased for viewers to experience.

 

Highlights include this allosaurus

An articulated allosaurus skull

And this young camarasaurous, still partially encased in rock. 

After our walk, we did the auto tour and drove around, enjoying the air conditioning in the car. Definitely recommend! 

This is a beautiful park! Absolutely worth visiting. The rangers here are incredibly friendly and great with kids!