Dinosaurs were the Hot Topic with our stop in Vernal, Utah

Driving the federal highway roads through the Rocky Mountains can be one of those “thrill every minute” types of rides. The route between Dubois, WY and Vernal, UT included the very scenic US Route 191.  I guess a brief explanation of the US roads system is needed. The Federal Highway System predates the Interstate Highway System and therefore doesn’t meet the same road building criteria. Frequently these roads are single lane with dashed lines for passing lanes, and sometimes a climbing lane for slower trucks. 

These highways can have steep hills, tight corners, traffic lights, and speed limits of 50 to 65 MPH. More importantly, these roads often have steep grades with slopes as much as 9%. Truck drivers and people who pull trailers that weigh 4-ton, much like our house on wheels, must pay close attention to these grades, and the downhill descent, for fear of going too fast, overheating the truck brakes, and losing control of the rig. It does happen. Let’s also admit that doing 60 MPH on a single lane road whilst overlooking a ledge which drops 300 feet into the canyon is both amazing and terrifying all at the same time. This was a challenging drive, especially across the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, where US Route 191 seemed to be literally cut into the canyon wall, where there were also a number of falling rock zones, and it was clear that rocks do fall into the roadway. For most of the 300-mile journey it felt like we were either going uphill over mountain passes, or downhill into canyons. The last 20 miles of the ride into Vernal, which is located in the Uintah Valley, included no less than 8 mountain road switchbacks that descend approximately 2,700 vertical feet. I’d like to tell you I saw the most amazing scenery as we passed over the mountains and through the canyons, but the truth is, I spent a ton of time and energy concentrating on the driving and not so much looking out the window. 

But once in Vernal, UT it was a smooth and comfortable ride to our campground in the heart of the small city of just over 10,000 people. Vernal is the county seat and largest city in Uintah County, and the city mascot must be the dinosaur. It has to be! As soon as we entered the city center, they were everywhere. On sidewalks, by driveways, they even have a “Dinah” dinosaur which is a 40-foot-tall pink fiberglass Brontosaurus with long lashes. She was built in 1958 for a motel, and when the motel was demolished, the statue was moved to the east entrance of town. Here are just a few of the sidewalk-type dinosaurs that we encountered on our many walking trips into town.

Dinosaur on Kid's Swim Canal in Vernal, UT

The 7-11 Ranch Restaurant, Oldest in Town

With dinosaurs as the theme for the week, it made sense to start our sightseeing excursions at Dinosaur National Monument, which is located just 24 miles southeast of our campsite and includes one of world’s richest known dinosaur fossil beds. These remains are from the Jurassic Period, some 150 million years ago. During a drought, many dinosaurs died near the river’s edge.  When the rain returned, floodwaters carried the jumbled bones of over 500 dinosaurs, representing 10 species, to this area. River sediment buried the bones, entombing them in the Morrison Formation sandstone until erosion exposed the fossils. These fossils were eventually discovered in 1909, when paleontologist Earl Douglass arrived on a mission from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to find intact dinosaur bones and send them back to the museum for display. This national monument is a big place, so we started our tour at the Visitor’s Center, and walked the 1 ¹/₄-mile-long Fossil Discovery Trail up to the amazing Quarry Exhibition Hall. Here you can see dinosaur bones of all shapes, sizes, and configurations, still intact and only partially excavated from the sandstone in which they were entombed millions of years ago. After 15 years of excavating, Douglass proposed that the remains of the quarry be preserved as a site where "people can see the place where these ancient monsters have been entombed for ages.”  

Entrance to Dinosaur National Monument

Steven goofing around @ Quarry Exhibition Hall, Dinosaur National Monument

One of the benefits of traveling like we do is the ability to create our own agenda. Want to stay local and walk around the town, do some errands and have lunch at a local restaurant? We can do that.  Want to spend the day walking in a park to find a natural sandstone arch? We can do that as well.  Here is a short list of some of the “we did that” things we did:

• We ate lunch at the 7-11 Ranch Restaurant, the oldest existing restaurant in Vernal, established in 1933 by Warren Belcher. Warren and his wife, Daisy, operated the restaurant for their entire lives, and it is still owned by their youngest daughter, Connie.

• We hiked a 1 ¼ -mile long trail called Moonshine Arch Trail to Moonshine Arch. Supposedly a “hidden gem” of Vernal, Moonshine Arch is a naturally occurring sandstone formation that spans a length of 85 feet and rises to a height of 40 feet. It is tucked among the hills and buttes at the base of Red Mountain. Great out and back hike, and very popular, so I’m not sure the “gem” is really that “hidden”.

Under Moonshine Arch, Vernal, UT

• We hiked among the cliffs of Dry Forks Canyon at the McConkie Ranch and viewed the ancient Native American rock wall pictures called Petroglyphs. These beautifully preserved petroglyphs cover 200 feet along a cliff face in the Navajo formation. It’s believed the petroglyphs were crafted somewhere between 1-1200 CE.

McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs in Dry Forks Canyon

Vernal, UT was a great stop. Our campsite was comfortable and conveniently located. We did a lot of walking into town for shopping and errands. After traveling across the country for a bit over 8 weeks, we even got well needed haircuts. Eventually, our stay in Vernal came to an end, and we packed up Neil the Northpoint (our camper) for a trip further on down the road to our next destination in Silt, Colorado. We have two stops in Colorado scheduled on this trip; the town of Silt is located a short drive from Glenwood Springs and about 60 miles from Aspen. We will be heading due east. Our westward drive is formally over, and the predominant compass setting will be east for the remainder of our summer trip. But there’s still another 7 weeks of travel in front of us, so check on back for the next blog post as we tell… the Rest of the Story.