Leaving Vernal found us climbing up to Flaming Gorge and onto the Wyoming Plateau. From up high we could see evidence of an ancient riverbed snaking its way through the valley. We spied our first Pronghorn shortly after crossing into Wyoming. They say you know you’re in Wyoming when you see Pronghorns. Such beautiful creatures, they blend in almost completely in the barren sage brush habitat. Further on we passed a small herd of wild horses. They apparently prefer to travel via the paved roadway and there is no clown following behind with a shovel and wheelbarrow.

Our campground for the next three days is Slate Creek Campground on BLM land adjacent to the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. No facilities other than a couple of outhouses, but we are parked facing the Green River about 100’ from the bank. The only drawbacks are the mosquito and moth populations. The trees seem to breed moths and they manage to find the smallest entrance into the motorhome. Since we have the skylight in the shower they migrate there when the cabin lights are out. At first Rob captured and set them free. As soon as one was freed, several more appeared.  Both of us went on a mission capturing and freeing the moths, but the little buggers just seemed to come in the back door (which we don’t have by the way).  Rob thought they might be getting in through a leak in the slide so he adjusted it, but that wasn’t it and we still don’t know how they came in.  After dinner I checked the shower. “Thousands”, well, not really, but too many to count, were buzzing the skylight. We tried flushing them, but they managed to scurry up under the lip. (Rob had a little surprise in the morning.) The moths had thrown down the gauntlet. Taking up the challenge, I grabbed the bottle of “Clean Shower” and sprayed them over the top of the shower. Most of them dropped to the bottom. The shower was littered with moth carcasses. I counted 51. After cleaning up that mess we turned off all the lights except in the shower. Yep, we drew another horde. Rob did the honors this time and there were more dead bodies than before. That was it. We surrendered. We’re leaving tomorrow, heading for  DuBois. Perhaps the moths knew we were in for some rain and just wanted to get out of it. Lightening and thunder and rain most of the night. We’ll be pulling out in the mud.

Ah well, a little about this location...

    

Seedskadee  comes from the Shoshone name for the river “Sisk-a-dee-agie”, pronounced siskadeezha, meaning “river of the prairie hen”.  The current name developed through mispronunciation of fur trappers. The prairie hen, or Sage Grouse, is common in the area. The river eventually became known as the “Green River” due to it’s color. It really is an ugly color of green. Shoshone began arriving in this area approximately 700 years ago, followed by European fur trappers in the early 1800’s. The Oregon, Mormon, California and Pony Express trails all cross some part of the Refuge. Up and down the river are historical remnants of the early settlers.

Dawn comes early in Wyoming. Our first morning, I was awakened at 3:30 by a cacophony of birds welcoming the day.  I could only recognize the Great Horned Owl and the Mourning Dove. The Cottonwood trees are good cover for the birds, but we were able to identify Yellow Warblers, Robins, Common Grackles, Starlings, Brewer’s Blackbirds, White Pelicans, Common Nighthawk, Eastern and Western Kingbirds, Crow and a few others. Not too bad a start considering bird watching was our goal for this stop.

We drove over to the Refuge Hdqts. And picked up some material. Then drove an auto route glassing the area. Some of what we saw:

 The first picture is part of the Refuge. The white spots in the distance are a pair of Trumpeter Swans. Middle picture is a solitary Trumpeter Swan. The last one is a Tree Swallow on a post.

                                                             

We could also see a Bald Eagle nest through a spotting scope set up in the Refuge center. Right outside the center American Gold Finches were devouring Nyjer from a feeder.

This post is late as there was no internet or cell service in Seedskadee.

We’re now pleasantly ensconced at the Longhorn Ranch RV Park in Dubois, WY. I’d say we’re free of moths, but we managed to carry half a horde with us. Sneaky little devils! They find any little crevice to hide in, but we’ll get em! Maybe our neighbors here in Dubois will help out.

Canada Geese with seven goslings from our campsite.

Park City to Vernal

Saturday 6/21 we pulled into  Park City RV Resort, one of our favorites. It’s easy access from the freeway and close to Rob’s sister’s house.

We had a very nice visit with Laurie and her husband, Ken and also managed to get in a few hours with niece Courtney. Saturday was a kicked back day after the long drive from Littlefield.

Sunday we ventured downtown to Silly Sunday in Park City. This is a street fair on the main drag with vendors of all sorts, shapes and sizes. Elbow to elbow people, many sporting dogs on leashes. We left Dusty at home with Ken, their dog Joey and Courtney’s dog Roxy. Dusty was in his element. The three dogs played endlessly. By the time we returned from the street fair the dogs couldn’t lift their heads.

Monday we headed east to Vernal, Utah. The drive took us on a beautiful two-lane drive through and over the Uinta Mountains.  Once over the mountains the vast Green Valley spread out before us. All along the drive we were passed, in both directions, by tandem tanker trucks hauling oil from Vernal to Salt Lake. We didn’t count them, but I would guess close to 100.

Our destination was the Fossil Valley RV Park, right in town and easy to miss, if you’re not watching carefully. Once in, the park is wide enough to make it easy for this big rig to maneuver. Lots of big trees providing shade but not good for satellite.  After hooking up and walking Dusty, we headed east to the Dinosaur National Monument, designated a Nat’l Monument by Woodrow Wilson in 1910.

150 million years ago this area was very different from the arid land it is today. It was flat and semi-arid with rivers running through it. Dinosaurs roamed the area and ruled the world. Dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago. The theory is that the climate changed about 149 million years ago and the rivers dried up. Not having any water, the dinosaurs began dying.  When the rains came again the river beds were flooded, drowning remaining dinos and washing everything downstream where a literal logjam occurred. The area was covered in a vast sea and silt was deposited over the area, layer after layer, burying the dinos deep under the earth.

Over geologic time, the Rocky Mountains were born and the area experienced uplifting of the layers, many of which are exposed tilted. There are 23 geologic formations exposed, each of which represents extinct  ecosystems.

This photo shows the tilted layers of rock.

In 1909, Earl Douglass, a paleontologist working for the Carnegie Museum in Pennsylvania discovered eight tail vertebrae of an Apatosaurus, a particularly large dinosaur.  His discovery eventually led to the discovery of remains of ten different species of dinosaurs.

So many great specimens were taken out of the area, the decision was made to stop and create a museum highlighting the fossils as they existed when discovered. The Quarry museum houses a rock façade two stories high on which thousands of fossils are partially exposed. An amazing display!

    

 This is the Quarry Center. The back wall is littered with fossilized dinosaurs.

Just one small section of the wall of fossils.

The Green River as it is today.

On to Ten Sleep and beyond!

Started down the Dusty road yesterday, late morning.  Last minute chores i.e. deadheading roses, adding salt to the pool, running dishwasher, etc. kept us from leaving any earlier. Our first stop, Calico Ghost Town RV Park was only 3 hours away so it was an easy drive. Easier for me to say, since I wasn’t driving. The RV park is pretty spartan,  but had full hookups. We were only staying overnight so we just plugged in.

After organizing the RV we walked the 300 yards uphill to the Ghost Town.  Not too many people wandering around and several of the attractions were closed. The town closes at 5:00 anyway and it was after 4 when we started up the hill. Typical ghost town turned into tourist attraction, but with historical significance.  The town supported silver and borate mines between 1881 and 1902. All around the area are abandoned mines. A leisurely stroll to the far end of the town and back was enough for us. Fortunately, the return to the RV was all downhill.

We left the Ghost Town at 7:30 a.m. beating all prior departure records. The benefit…we made it through Las Vegas without any traffic. Little did we know this is a big weekend in Vegas, but then what weekend isn’t? Being a 42’ vehicle towing a Yukon, our speed is slower than the average traffic. We kept being passed by vehicles sporting paint (or shoe polish) all over their rear windows announcing EDC 2014.  Finally our curiosity prevailed and I pulled out my smartphone. Turns out  EDC stands for “Electric Daisy Carnival”, apparently an annual event. What is it you ask? Sounds like a 3 day rave to me. Runs from dusk to dawn  Friday through Sunday.  So glad we’re not staying in Vegas.

Our destination today is Littlefield, AZ. My guess is the name resulted from someone settled where there was a little field. Not much of a town, in fact, I don’t think there is a town. But there is an RV park and it’s not bad for an overnighter. Over 100 degrees and no shade. Staying in the RV reading a good book. Tomorrow on to Park City.