Mostly a travel day with several stops to see dinosaur digs and take a lot of back roads and scenic byways.
Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, UT had few exhibits and no park maps available. They explained that to get up into the campgrounds near the Green River we would have to have a "high clearance" vehicle but they couldn't explain what that meant. We argued a bit but finally wandered on down to Dinosaur, CO where they also had no park maps (budget cuts?) and very few exhibits. We started up the 30 mile trail into the Green River but quickly turned back as the road was washboard and not a lot of fun. Not knowing exactly where we would end up and having been to a lot of dinosaur digs last year in Utah, we decided to forge onward. Don't mind not knowing where I'm going but would like some sort of activity at the end.
We hit the back county Roads 61 and 64 towards Meeker, CO. Amazing amount of mining and natural gas trucks use these tiny back roads.
They are tandem so we moved over a lot like we do in Maine for the logging trucks. The White River runs along this valley and it has ranches, hay fields and a lot of orchards right beside the red rocks we associate with desert and high country. Altitude was mostly around 6500 feet all day.
Stopped in Meeker to look at the town park for an overnight. Just not inviting when those high mountains kept calling with the river and elk and birds. Kept going into the Flat Tops Trail National Forest and State of Colorado Scenic Byway (county road 8), going by even bigger ranches, huge log homes up on the sides of the mountains and a lot of elk grazing in the fields and by the roadside.
We're camped in North Fork unit of the NFS. About 35 sites and there is only a tent here other than us. The aspens around us are stark white and the firs make a deep green contrast. No sound except for the birds and leaves rustling. Can sit outside without being drenched in bug spray for a change.
Tomorrow we head on towards Rocky Mountain National Park.
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