Dinosaurs!
If you ever get up this way, go. Don't hesitate, just go. It was fantastic.
From the visitor center, it was a short shuttle ride up the hill to the quarry exhibit hall. This was originally an active quarry intil the fossils were discovered by a man working with the Carnegie museum in Pittsburgh.
Since then (early 1900s), they have excavated dozens of major finds out of the rock, including several complete skeletons, and moar skulls (fragile we learned) than anywhere. They had a list of the museums with bones from this site, including Carnigie, the Smithsonian, New York, SF academy of sciences, etc...
The remaining fossils (in red)...
have been half-exposed and protected in the exhibit hall
As a tool to understand how they are dug up and how they got there.
The hall is two floors to allow viewing all parts of the wall...and this was the cool part...from the first floor you can touch them.
These are real actual fossils being used as a teaching and learning tool, not the casts that you usually see in museums. The girls loved it.
Also included some actual fossils on display...again, for touching.
And of course, the obligatory skeletons (casting here, of course...)
And everything is better with matching Arches NP shirts!
The kids finished up their 6th junior ranger badge...where we all learned a lot about stegosaurus...
And we headed into town for a fantastic lunch at a local brew pub (even with Utah's weird liquor laws).
And then headed across the street to the Utah Field House of Natural History museum.
The whole town of Vernal is all about dinosaurs...
So obviously their dinosaur museum was fantastic. For $7 adults, $3.50 kids, it was hands-on, in depth displays of the region, the various time periods, and the fossils, crystals and minerals found locally.
Plus some fun stuff...
Finished the day off sharing s'mores (and guinea pigs) with our neighbors and their sons.
We're off to Grand Teton NP tomorrow, with a likely quick stop at Flaming Gorge NRA (moar stamps). It's a 6+ hour drive, but then we're in that area (only 1.5 hours to Yellowstone) for over a week!
Damn. Guess we need to go there! There's a similar but much smaller place like that in St. George, UT if you ever get down there (SW corner). And an outdoor place with many footprints in Golden, CO.
ReplyDeleteAnd all I remember about Utah's liquor laws was: 1. it's all 3.2 beer if it's on draft? Altho' it tasted fine..., and 2. If you order a drink, you also have to order some food. Fine by me!
See you all soon! Are Jenny & Geo going to Yellowstone with you? Are they camping also?
Thanks, I'll add them to my list. Never know...
DeleteThe laws have changed since 2009, now it's 4 pct (by volume, 3.6 by weight ) beer on draft, but they can sell higher in cans and bottles at restaurants (each has a selection of 4 or so cans for sale) and you just have to have "intent to order food", doesn't have to be simultaneous ordering. Also no more clubs to join either.
Oh, and no, we said goodbye to Jenny and Geo last night. They were in hotels.
DeleteWhat a great place for the girls! Probably a great change for them to do something different. Enjoying reading about your trip!
ReplyDelete