Friday, August 16, 2019

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!

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1cB4qRV-uVataMHBitd6l23twcJcwn0mi

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. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1IwHHyeTtZiAyJLKroov1eBumopt2QMDJ

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. 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1_S5dNYrzTZFhtGFXm8NocuFgToBR4zGW
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1GMrRoQ775IsP5PB7MoEpNkKDUbuZt_9-
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1mK7TMkzvO4dk3oQ8TV5GDGoZBiDoPy7c
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1FJyBYVfOAl6rja5voAAmHsl49u9KDqR9

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.
 https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=16PjocpwIwJmtbmtFklgYqAAEKVcwwiql

Highlights include this allosaurus
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Fs1y3fUg3Or3DyvY4k9ei0ra3vzlwpee
An articulated allosaurus skull
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1T2sv6b8fEDOtUZ6JNFafc_97m3cxY-F5
And this young camarasaurous, still partially encased in rock. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=19vO5do2r3z6R596t6VmZoJ0DNXf1lm6_

After our walk, we did the auto tour and drove around, enjoying the air conditioning in the car. Definitely recommend! 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1hc0M5JfwjMMnTmXnxgCEIQziks46mvgF
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1jRCMfhfxTKQdAlsWEHnbyvX1o7wF_IdC
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1QIUNYzv7Sk-7stqIig2MCatXbsqQJYLG

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

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