June 14, 2009

June 14, 2009

A BYU professor has opened up a new dinosaur fossil dig site across the valley from the original quarry at Dinosaur National Monument. The only way to visit this “active” site is on a ranger-led excursion. So we return to the Visitor Center at 10 AM this morning for the hike. It is well worth it. The paleontologist used dynamite to clear away rock leaving a dozen bones now exposed. The university team plans to return this Fall to extract the bones when cheap student labor for the heavy lifting is readily available. In the meantime I get to see the bones partially exposed.

After the hike we head into the nearby town of Vernal, UT to restock our covered wagon. We spend the afternoon at a private RV park in town where Aimee does laundry while I use the Internet to catch up. Aimee likes having all the luxuries of unlimited electricity, plentiful water, high speed Internet, and cable TV of a private park. “Roughing it” for us is when we only have battery power and a 50-gallon tank of water.