Day 4. Today we ventured to the other side of Dinosaurland to see the dino racetrack, so named because there are dozens of dino footprints embedded in now-rock/ then-mud. 149 million years ago these guys were meandering along the soft edge of a stream and left their mark long after they had left the planet. Spring is not a good time to view these fossilized tracks as the reservoir is full of snow-melt and they disappear under water. We did manage to see this 12 inch beauty. It was kind of eerie and brought up all kinds of thoughts..
Thoughts like how does one grasp one's mind around 149 million years? What was it like having bunches of dinos roaming around? Why is life so fleeting, particularly mine? Will I leave a footprint to be seen or felt throughout eons of time? Why do I care?
Travel Tip: Red Fleef State Park off Hgy 191 going north out of Vernal is where you will find the dinosaur race track along with a terrific place to camp and/or launch a small boat onto the reservoir. Keep heading north on 191 toward Montana and the climb to 8,000 feet will bring sweeping vistas and a changing landscape. Keep going to Flaming Gorge and hike the 9 mile round trip for a spectacular sight of this impressive gorge. And when you arrive back at Vernal tired and hungry, The Quarry Restaurant is the place to chow down.
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