Travel Articles > Summer 2001 Highlights: Craters of the Moon - Dinosaur National Monument - Idaho Falls - Yellowstone - Grand Tetons - Rock Springs, WY - Raton, NM - Cimarron, NM - Glenwood Springs, CO - Fort Union, NM - Santa Fe Children's Museum
Craters of the Moon Astronauts have trained for moon missions at these lava beds in Utah.
Dinosaur National Monument Dinosaurs still rule in Colorado and Utah, thanks to paleontologist Earl Douglass and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
Summer 2001 Highlights
Craters of the Moon
Ever wonder what it's like to walk on the moon? Then go here-and bring sunscreen. Except for the gravity, this place is exactly like the moon. Astronauts have even trained here. But how did it get this way? Lava. A few volcanoes erupted here and lava seeped out of the earth.
The lava (which has the texture of petrified wood - and makes a metallic ping) has even formed a few caves. Climbing into these caves can provide a lot of relief, as it is hot - and we do mean HOT - up there during the summer! Don't get the impression that it's just one big, black smooth surface, though. This place has rough terrain, dips and pits, mountains, spatter cone hills, cracks, crevasses . . . and some great hiking!! It also offers what you'd least expect . .plants. The real incredible part is how plants grow. When it rains - the water stays in the crevasses. You can even find ferns if you know where to look. And the kind of fern that grows can also be found in shady forests at cool climates . . . the crevasses provide the same condition.
Dinosaur National Monument
Near the border of Colorado and Utah, dinosaurs still rule the earth. The towns of Vernal and Dinosaur sport lifelike statues of the extinct monsters, streets named after them and other attractions commemorating the rich stash of fossils found in the arid hills nearby.
In 1910, paleontologist Earl Douglass was dispatched to the area by Pittsburgh philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to scout for fossils. At the end of his allotted stay, Douglass had found nothing, and would have returned immediately, except that he was invited to dinner that evening, so he delayed his departure one more day.
The following day, he decided to take one last stroll in the hills. It was a very hot day, so he paused for a moment to wipe his brow and lean against a rock to rest. When he happened to glance down at his hand, he was stunned to see that his fingers were resting on a fossilized bone! And searching around the vicinity he found many, many more. Rushing into town, he excitedly telegraphed Carnegie about his find and asked what he should do. Ten minutes later, he received his reply : "Your wife and children are on their way."
Douglass spent several years excavating the prehistoric relics (when Carnegie terminated the project he quit working for Carnegie so he could stay and continue digging on his own) and they continued to be excavated many years after his death. Then in 1990, administrators decided to halt digging so the public could view the fossils as scientists found them.
And that is the main attraction of Dinosaur National Monument. Here you can walk into a building with glass walls and ceilings and see hundreds of petrified bones eerily protruding out of the rock. You can touch them, take your picture next to them, learn about them and be awed by them.
Millions of years ago, a river that flowed through here was a popular watering hole for trendy saurians. Some of them died in the river or on its banks and when the river flooded periodically it would sweep the carcasses into a heap on a sandbar. Voila! A natural burial mound and a bonanza for bone diggers.
The Ranger managed to talk the campers into pulling weeds.
Getting geared up for the River Float
Sinched in tight!
The facility is also home to a number of educational activities including hikes. On one visit, we witnessed a paleontologist working on a cast of the skull of a newly discovered species (yet to be officially named) from the quarry. On another visit, Zephyr was selected as the first contestant ever for "Who Wants to be a Dinosaur?" an informative game modeled after a popular TV show.
A few miles from the monument is a campground beside Green River where we stayed. Hiking along the river affords some beautiful vistas and abundant wildlife. From a trail high atop a bluff, we watched a river otter leisurely work its way downstream. We also spotted a great blue heron, a fox, mule deer, and mountain lion tracks. And Kimberly had a close encounter with a rattlesnake.
During the summer, one of the park rangers offers a program called "Beat the Heat", which sounded so intriguing we couldn't resist it. It was rather like rafting without the raft. The ranger supplied life jackets for about 20 participants and made certain they were (believe me) quite snug. Then he led us out on an underwater ledge into a treacherous eddy that would be suicidal without the life jacket. We pushed off, and suddenly we were zooming downstream in what felt like hurtling through space.
The ranger would caution us whenever we were entering a shallow pocket, so we wouldn't dangle our feet on the rocky bottom. But that didn't keep me from getting my bottom caught on a boulder a few inches below the surface; and suddenly I found myself sitting midstream with everyone else zipping by.
Our guide also conducted us on a climb, with the help of a sturdy rope secured to a tree, up a bit of a cliff to an isolated little cave that few tourists get to see.
"Beat the Heat" and Dinosaur National Monument itself are rare opportunities that we highly recommend and we intend to return in the near future.
Idaho Falls, Idaho
We happened to be there on the Fourth of July, and saw one of the best fireworks displays we've ever seen. We were able to go so close we could see the launch pad! Oh yeah and the falls which are right in the middle of town are pretty too.
Yellowstone National Park
Not much one could say about this place that could do it justice. You just have to go there. We watched "Old Faithful" erupt three times and there's no manmade special effects spectacle anything like it. We were also quite impressed by gazing down into the bubbling hot geyser pools that seemed to go all the way down into the center of the earth. Yellowstone has the distinction of being the world's first National Park, and it sets quite a precedent. We also learned quite a bit about how the forest animals and plant life benefited from the great fire of 1988.
Rock Springs, Wyoming
After several years of having our vehicle examined by numerous mechanics across the country we finally encountered a female mechanic and she was excellent ("You go girl!" )
Raton, New Mexico
We were disappointed to see that the production company which was instrumental in helping us launch our business is no longer in operation. But the historic Shuler Theatre is still functioning on a limited scale. If you are ever in the town, try to arrange a tour of this grand landmark, which has hosted acts ranging from the Kingston Trio to us. And it's said to be haunted.
Cimarron, New Mexico
You want haunted? Take a tour of the St. James Hotel, which houses more spooks than the local cemetery. It was even featured on a segment of the TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" which documents unexplained phenomena. At least 26 people were killed here in gunfights and you still can see some of the bullet holes in the ceiling of the dining room. The establishment still looks pretty much the same as it did when Jesse James stayed in his favorite room - which on another occasion was occupied by his killer, Bob Ford. A few miles outside town is Philmont Ranch, a camp for Boy Scouts and their leaders. We toured the facility at the end of a summer session and were able to catch an evening campfire program.
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
How about a refreshing swim in warm pools of mineral water? Dennis had been wanting to take a winter dip in these pools for years, but even on a warm summer day it was quite invigorating.
The town has been a health resort for well over a century, attracting quite a number of famous bathers. Gunslinger Doc Holliday, stricken with consumption, visited here frequently in hopes of rejuvenating his health. Evidently it was not entirely effective; he's buried nearby. (More about hot springs)
Fort Union National Monument
Not much remains of this once bustling military mini-city (actually the last of 3 such installations on this site) except foundations, fireplaces and an occasional section of wall. Bit it's still fascinating to tour the ruins besides the Santa Fe Trail, especially in conjunction with the little museum of military artifacts. Some interesting questions arise. What was life inside the fort really like? What did the soldiers do for recreation? How did they survive the summers without air conditioning? Why did they place the ammunition facility next to the mountains, where it might be vulnerable to a sneak attack? And above all, why did they build the latrine next to the bakery?
Santa Fe Children's Museum
We've been to many children's museums across the U.S. but this one had some unique features worth mentioning -- namely the garden area and arboretum. When you walk into the arboretum you are greeted by birds flying freely around your head and warning you off if you get too close to their tiny nests. There is also a worm bin where you may dig to unearth the wiggly creatures. We also met axolotols at the museum and were fascinated by the creatures, which live in water, have opposable thumbs on their front feet, yet feed themselves with their rear legs. And their breathing gills make them otherworldly. If they are removed from water they evolve into salamanders. Go figure!
