DINOSAUR NATIONAL PARK

AT DINOSAUR NATIONAL PARK WE CAMPED AND HIKED FOR SEVERAL DAYS. WE SPENT TIME GOING THROUGH THE VISITOR CENTER WHICH HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE EXPLAINING HOW THE LARGE DINOSAUR FOSSILS WERE EXCAVATED ONCE THEY WERE FOUND. THEY DEMONSTRATED WITH TOOLS AND PICKS HOW THEY REMOVED SOME OF THE BONES. THEY ALSO HAD DRILLS WHICH WERE USED TO REACH SOME OF THE DINOSAUR BONES AS THEY EXCAVATED. THE PARK IS FILLED WITH HISTORIC SITES AS WELL AS WITH PREHISTORIC SITES, ESPECIALLY PETROGLYPHS.

WE SPENT A DAY HIKING TO ALL THE ATTRACTIONS AND READING ABOUT THE TYPES OF ROCKS ON THE TRAILS. WE ALSO WENT TO AN HISTOPRIC CABIN WHICH HAD A SPRING WITH DRINKABLE WATER. IT WAS IN A VERY NICE WELL SHADED CANYON AND THERE WERE SOME NICE TRAILS THERE. THE VIEWS OF THE DESERT AND INTERESTING BOULDERS AND STRIATED CLIFFS LEAVE A LASTING MEMORY.

OUR OTHER JOURNEY WAS UP TO A TRAIL AGAINST A SANDSTONE CLIFF WHICH HAD MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PETROGLYPHS AS WELL AS SOME PICTOGRAPHS. WE DID NOT NOTICE OTHER ARTIFACTS THERE. THIS AREA HAD A NICE VIEW OF THE OVERLYING VALLEY. WE TOOKMANY PHOTOS HERE.

FINALLY WE DECIDED TO CAMP IN AN ISOLATED PART OF THE PARK CALLED ECHO PARK. IT IS ACCESSABLE BY ABOUT 18 MILES OF RUGGED AND ROCKY TRAILS. UNFORTUNATELY WE HAD PROBLEMS WITH OUR BIKE CARRIER WHICH BROKE WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THIS ROAD. FINALLY WE REACHED THE CAMPGROUND AND IT IS ALONG A HUGE RIVER WHERE RAFTORS STOP FOR A MEAL. WE RODE OUR BIKES A BIT AROUND THE DESOLATED TRAILS THERE AND ENJOYED THE VIEW OF THE NIGHTIME SUNSET AGAINST THE 1000' CLIFFS SURROUNDING THE CAMPGROUND. THUS THE NAME ECHO CAMPGROUND. THE CLIFFS FORM A SEMICIRCLE AROUND THIS FLAT CAMPGROUND AREA. WE NOTICED A HOUSE BUILT NEARBY HERE THAT WAS PROBABLY USED AT ONE TIME BY THE PARK PERSONNEL.