09-13-2023 Entry

Long driving day, leaving Mustang Ridge Campground a little earlier than usual. It rained a couple of times in the early morning, and we were worried about getting rained on during breakfast. So we ate cold food and packed up our gear. Out across Flaming Gorge Dam and over to Vernal, which was a surprisingly big town, has some oil and mining money there. We stopped at the Visitor Center of the Dinosaur National Monument and took the shuttle up to the quarry building. First dig was begun by Earl Douglass, and he was instrumental in setting up this viewing area. Part of the original site was left with exposed fossils embedded in the sandstone, and it was quite impressive. Pictures didn't capture how densely packed the fossilized bones were. We then hiked back down to the Visitor Center, the promise of fossils and pictographs along the was was a little underwhelming. Ann was slow, I think her back was bothering her. We then drove on into Colorado, which was a surprise for both of us regarding the route. It went through Dinosaur, which is a forgettable little town. The next driving section took a lot longer than expected, through some serious up and down terrain. It wore me out, so by the time we got back into Utah and onto an interstate, I-70, I was ready for a break. She drove the last hour and a half into Moab, which has a lot of restaurants, bars, outfitters, and tourist services. We camped at the Koa Holiday Campground south of downtown. It's very corporate, with small tent sites, at least they were shaded. Did laundry in the evening, it took longer than expected but we could use the laundry at the campground instead of driving into town. Had some funny flashbacks to our "We Are the World" days and watched the video from almost 40 years ago. Man! Ann's back was bothering her in the evening. Jack fruit Sloppy Joe's were tasty for dinner.