Hi All,
Located on the Colorado-Utah border, this place is incredible. A huge collection of 149 million year old dinosaur fossils were discovered here in 1909. Much material was removed before the site was fully protected (you can see it at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh) but what remains is astonishing.
A 150 foot long building has been built over this wall of rocks with over 500 bones representing 10 different dinosaur species.
Here Ranger Randy described how the bones of the many Dino's were preserved and fossilized in the river mud then brought to the surface as this part of the Colorado Plateau was thrust upward about 50 million years ago.
It is rare to get such a close look at these palaeological wonders
Here's a spine and clavicle
And here an even more diverse bone collection.
This four inch disk has the fossilized remains of a late Jurassic salamander.
And here is a five inch crocodile.
Why is this woman touching these rare fossils? Should she be arrested?
Thankfully, no. It's OK to touch the real fossils but the resin cast replicas are more fragile.
Here's a full size Allosaurus replica
And here is a resin cast of the skull for sale on the gift shop!
On addition to the fossils, this park has 1,000 year old petroglyphs and pictographs
and magnificent, eroded rock formations.
Tomorrow we head for Arches National Park .
Love,
Sandy & Carl
Sandy & Carl
Living & Traveling in our Motorhome
Volunteering across America
617-435-8502
Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone
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