Day 6 - Vernal City, UT to Heyburn, ID

Day 6 - Oct 13, 2014, Vernal City, UT to Heyburn, ID

483 miles, 3.5 National Parks and 3 states

Utah, Wyoming, Idaho

This day turned out to be one of our best days so far.  The big surprise for Shannon on Dinosaur, to the Flaming Gorge National Rec Area. Which made .5 since we only drove through part of it and didn't get the stamp.  These are the days that we just look at each other in amazement of the beauty and wonders of the world.

 

Fossils are not a big interest for Shannon.  Some are neat but it's not exactly my the most exciting.  This area is known for fossils.  So when planning our day, this was an expected run in, look around for 15min, and get back on the road.  It rather surprised her and Dinosaur NM has became one of the top stops of the trip! The sign below is part of the reason why....

 

 

In the visitors center they tell you to drive 2 miles up to the quarry.  I'm thinking that ok, so we get to go see a lookout over the quarry where they mined bones and artifacts from several billion years ago, right??  So wrong...they built a building AROUND an unearthed area of bones as it was when they started to dig and found them.  You can see in real state the bones and how they are encased - Absolutely awesome preservation.  I prefer this to a museum any day!!  As you see below, the wall was put up right in the middle of some rocks on the outside and then inside.  There are two floors so you can view from different vantage points. 

 

 

 

Actual quarry wall preserved as it was unearthed for all to see.  This is truly one of the best displays I have ever seen!

This one is a must see National Park!

They say that this ancient valley was teeming with dinosaurs when a sudden and severe drought (or other weather type catastrophe) killed off all the life.  Then there was a massive flood that swept all the bones into the canyon walls as a type of bone dam.  When unearthed, that is why you see all the jumbling of mismatched bones in one place.  They even let you touch the bones you can reach. 

 

 

There was an absolutely beautiful area near Utah/Wyoming line...  Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area!  Picture's don't even do it justice.  But we were mesmerized by the beauty.  We didn't have this on our schedule nor did we make it to the visitor center for a passport stamp.  But we are planning to go back for sure.



Interesting green colors in the rock

Some views are really breathtaking!  The time of year for us to be able to catch so much in fall colors was just amazing!

 

 

Whooo Hooo, more fossils! This is seeming like the fossil tour, but in reality, the purpose was to get to some of the obscure parks not always on the gotta go list.  We have found some real gems though! 

Big fish in the middle of Wyoming mountains...  Makes you wonder how there can be so much change in a couple hundred million years... lol

 



We were surprised to find out that not only did we barely make it to Golden Spike in time (30min before closing), but also this was the final day that the trains would be on display before they were taken to the maintenance house for the winter.  And they also had an extensive rebuild planned for the trains this winter.  Golden Spike National Monument is where the last spike was put to merge the first transcontinental railroad.  The Central Pacific from the east and Union Pacific from the west worked to build the railroad - using different types of wood and techniques. Here is where they joined and placed the final golden spike to commemorate.  They have a special ceremony they do every year when the trains are put away that we were able to be a part of.



The fact that we were here this 1 day of 365 at this time was just so lucky.  We were even able to climb up and see each engine while it was 'running'.  Running means stoking the fires to get the steam pressures high enough to operate the trains.  This was some really cool stuff! 

Notice the different types of wood used.

 

 

Before the trains left, we got to chat with them and learn about the winterization and the major rebuild plans for the engines.

NPS tradition - rangers dress up as final train leaves for the winter.

 

Outside of Golden Spike, we see the modern rails and modern trains on the new tracks as they run today.

 

A random NASA plant in the middle of Utah

After the day watching the beautiful sunset, I do appreciate everything we have, but I also reflect on the fact that the trains enabled this country to become the modern world we live in.  I also am sad that it pushed the Native Indians out of their lands.  As we're rolling down the road in this Lexus, it makes you wonder how life would be today if our forefathers had made different decisions.