There's Gold in Them Thar Hills!!

For our first adventure in the Mt. Rushmore area, we headed to Keystone to investigate the Big Thunder Gold Mine and see if we could find our own gold there.

Matt shows off his hardhat as we prepare to enter the mine with Ross, our tour guide.

Here's a shot of Rob and Matt inside the mine. The entire mine was dug out by two German immigrants. They spent 35 years on it and pulled out about 8 - 10 ounces of gold all together. Gold was approximately $20 per ounce at the time, yielding them the princely sum of approximately $200 for all of their labor. Except that they only received half of that. They were financed by another mine, in exchange for half of the gold that they pulled out. So for 35 years of work, each of them made about $50.

After the tour, we decided to try our hands at panning for gold ourselves. We received a pan, complete with rocks and sand, which they guaranteed we'd find gold in. We also received a wee bottle in which to place our gold after we'd successfully separated it from the sand and gravel. You fill this wee bottle with water and then, once you have a gold flake or nugget, you pick it up with a dry finger and it drops like a rock into the water. Matt found lots of "gold", although some of it was the kind that is meant for fools. He also liked to pick up the mica that shone like gold as well.

After a successful afternoon's panning, Matt shows off his wee bottle of gold and enjoys an ice cream cone. Rob hit just about all the troughs in his panning and has the most pure bottle. I ended up with more gold than he did but I have at least one chunk in mine that I'm pretty sure is fools gold. But it was great fun and I'm sure that if I added it all up, my gold would be worth at least $1.

Wind Cave National Park

On our way to the Rushmore area, we took the scenic drive through Wind Cave National Park. We opted against doing one of the cave tours due to time constraints but we wanted to see if we could spot any of the wildlife that roams the park. The signs that said "Wildlife at large" just cracked us up.

This was our only glimpse of the buffalo that roam the park. They were *very* far away and looked more like black spots against the hillside than anything else.

The prairie dogs, on the other hand, were everywhere. And they were most adorable. Vehicle traffic didn't phase them at all but if you stepped outside the car, they went scampering.

We also saw several pronghorn antelope. This guy had some nice "prongs".

There were also lots of little ones, like this mama and her babies. My being out of the car to take pictures didn't bother them but it set off the prairie dogs like you wouldn't believe. They protested loudly and vociferously the entire time I was out. Then once I got back in, they quieted right down.

Evidently, Matt got a little creative with the camera when I was checking us in to our next campground. I'd turn the other way in a hurry if you encounter this psychotic driver...

More pictures are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/debdistante/WindCaveNationalPark

The Mammoth Site

We had a slight change of plans when we left Estes Park, since we couldn't find a place to stay in Cheyenne, WY due to Frontier Days going on. We therefore decided to just push straight on to South Dakota. We arrived on Saturday the 19th and spent the next 6 days in South Dakota so there will be lots of pictures and posts to come. We decided that since we were in Hot Springs and The Mammoth Site was in Hot Springs, we'd go ahead and do that on Sunday, July 20th before heading towards Mt. Rushmore. Originally, I'd had it on our itinerary on our way out of South Dakota.

This giant Columbian mammoth skeleton greeted us as we entered the Mammoth Site. This place is phenomenol. The site is currently being excavated and the dig is enclosed in the building. So far, 57 mammoth skeletons, both wooly and Columbian, have been excavated here. It's believed that a sinkhole formed when a cave collapsed. An artesian spring then filled itin with warm water and grass grew along the edges even in winter. Mammoths and other mammals would go in to the warm water to eat and drink and then couldn't get back out because the edges were too slick. Eventually, the artesian well was diverted to feed something else and the bones in the sinkhole became covered with silt and sediment. They are *not*, however, petrified and so are very fragile.

Matt demonstrates how strong he is by holding up a mammoth femur. Or so he'd like you to think. This is actually a light-weight cast. The actual femur is much, much heavier.

This skeleton is entirely intact except for the head. It was originally named "Marie Antoinette" but they had to rename it Murray after it was determiend to be male. From this angle you can see his leg and feet bones, ribs, and vertebrae.

Prehistoric man, which evidence shows hunted mammoth, used to construct houses out of mammoth bones and skin. Matt checked out the recreation at the site, made from using fossil casts.

Oh, oh! Looks like Matt pushed Rob too far and is about to get pay back! As you might expect, I took *lots* of pictures, which are up at http://picasaweb.google.com/debdistante/TheMammothSite. Enjoy!

Alberta Falls

The hike to Alberta Falls was great. Both uphill and down, it wound through a variety of terrain and provided some beautiful vistas.


As seen from the trail to Alberta Falls.

Matt likes to climb boulders. He also likes to have his picture taken. So we now have lots of pictures of Matt on boulders. :)

He climbed up from the trail to get closer to the top of the falls. Then he made me join him up there. Actually, it wasn't bad and the view was great. I just kept worrying that he was going to back up a few too many steps and fall into the falls.

Who knew that Rob was going to be tall enough to totally obliterate the falls in the background? But they're there, trust me.

A shot of the falls themselves. It was a nice spot to relax for a few minutes before heading back. There are many more pictures from our hiking adventures around Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, and Alberta Falls here: http://picasaweb.google.com/debdistante/AroundBearLakeRockyMountainNationalPark.

Around Bear Lake

After our day off in Estes Park, we had a gorgeous day to go back into Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and used the free shuttle service to go to Bear Lake and do some hiking.

First up was the half mile hike around Bear Lake itself. Yes, I now realize how truly hideous my outfit was. No, I don't know what I was thinking. Please ignore it. A fellow hiker took this picture of the three of us with the lake behind us.

Shortly after we started hiking, we encountered this little guy. He was a most adorable ground squirrel. The fact that he is not striped over his eyes is what lets us know that he is a ground squirrel rather than a chipmunk. Matt got mad at me because evidently after I'd taken this shot and another one, the ground squirrel was practically touching Matt's leg and I didn't get a picture of it.

After we'd finished hiking around Bear Lake, we headed the half mile to Nymph Lake. While it's only a half mile, it's entirely uphill to get there. Still, it was worth it once we'd arrived. The lake was full of lily pads with lots of blooms. I love this shot.

And here's a nice shot of my handsome husband, taken on the edge of Nymph Lake.


The nice thing about climbing a half mile up a mountain is that it's all downhill going back...There was a nice stream on the way down and Matt crossed using the rocks rather than the bridge provided. So naturally he stopped to pose.

After coming down from Nymph Lake, we headed out to hike the mile to Alberta Falls. That get's it's own post, though.

Trail Ridge Road

After leaving Hot Sulphur Springs,we headed for Rocky Mountain National Park. We were headed to Estes Park to stay and the gorgeous Trail Ridge Road drive was right along the way.

One of our first stops along the drive was Farview Curve, which looks down into the Kawuneeche Valley, which you come through when you enter the park from the south. A park volunteer took this picture of us there.

I had to include at least one shot of the mountains here.

We could see snow when we stopped at Milner Pass so we hiked down to it. Matt and Rob contemplated acting out the Robin Hood/Little John fight scene on this bridge but opted to just pose instead.

Matt was thrilled with the snow. Shortly before you get there, there's a sign telling you not to go any further if there are big horn sheep in the area. Sadly, we saw none and so felt safe to proceed to the snow.

Milner Pass also marks the Continental Divide. Rob and Matt had fun being on opposite sides of it. Some other people there liked their pose so much that we saw them doing the same pose for *their* family picture. :)

There are more pictures from Trail Ridge Road up at http://picasaweb.google.com/debdistante/TrailRidgeRoadRockyMountainNationalPark, including lots more mountain views.

Hot Sulphur Springs

After leaving Utah's "Dinosaurland", we headed for Hot Sulphur Springs, CO. It was time for a day off from hiking and exploring. Since there were no RV parks in Hot Sulphur Springs, I booked us a room at the Hot Sulphur Springs Resort & Spa so we could enjoy the numerous hot mineral pools that they had available. We got checked in and suited up and Matt and I headed from our room to the main lodge to access the pools. Rob stayed behind in the room for a bit to work out first.

Naturally, the first thing Matt wanted to check out was the big swimming pool (which was neither heated nor filled with mineral water). He and I spent quite a while there and then headed over to investigate the hot pools that Matt could go in to. While the resort has a number of them, children under 16 can only access the four that are at ground level. The numerous ones that are higher up into the hillside are too hot for kids. All of them are nicely smelly, are at varying temperatures ranging from about 98 up to around 115, and are different colored depending on which minerals are prevalent. I have to admit that my limit is around 103 degrees. Anything hotter than that is just too hot for me.

Rob joined us and wandered around, sampling various pools. By this time, Matt and I had become deeply involved in a game of keep away with another large family in the "cold pool". Eventually Rob joined in and we all played for quite a while. Eventually, we headed for the hot pools to warm up. I left Rob in charge of Matt and explored the levels of the resort that Matt wasn't allowed in. I took dips in a couple of pools, one of which was a deep blue due to magnesium. I really liked that one but the majority of them I deemed to be too hot so I headed down to Rob and Matt once more.

We passed several hours this way and Rob got to soak in the hottest pools to his heart's content. Eventually we decided to pack it in and see what we could find for food. I have to admit, there really isn't much to the town of Hot Sulphur Springs and none of the places that looked like they served food appeared to be open at the terribly late hour of 7:30 pm. Nancy, the GPS, informed us that there was a restaurant in the next town, about 8 miles away, so we headed there. I, for one, felt a whole lot better after I'd had something to eat.

The next morning, Rob went for a run and Matt and I had one last visit with the plethora of chipmunks that ran around the grounds. Then we packed everything up and headed for Rocky Mountain National Park, where we spent the next three days.

Hiking for dinosaurs

Dinosaur National Monument actually has two separate areas, one in Vernal, UT and one in Dinosaur, CO. It's the Utah half that actually has the dinosaur fossils and the dinosaur quarry. Unfortunately, when we arrived we discovered that the dinosaur quarry, which shows a large amount of dinosaur fossils preserved in the cliffside, was closed. There was still the Fossil Discovery Hike, which showcased a select few dinosaur bones in their "natural habitat", if you will, so we grabbed the shuttle to the trailhead and headed off to see what we could find.

Matt hikes up to further investigate the Stump Formation, where there are literally thousands of fossilized tiny sea creatures, such as clams and mussels. Mostly, they look like little bumps all over the rocks until you look at them closely.

Next, the trail took us to the Morrison Formation, which is where the majority of intact dinosaur specimans have come from. Here you see a fossilized femur. The thing was *huge*.

About ten feet above our heads were these intact vertabrae. I really wanted to get up there to get a closer look but that rock wall is sheer and I am *not* part mountain goat.

After we completed the fossil hike, we took the "scenic tour", which included a number of petroglyphs. The one Matt is pointing out here had us a little perplexed. Is it supposed to be a porcupine? A catlike animal that's been speared several times? We have no idea.

There was also lots of gorgeous scenery to behold, like this large balanced rock. This one was actually along the trail we hiked. For more photos, check out our Dinosaur National Monument album at http://picasaweb.google.com/debdistante/DinosaurNationalMonument.

Dinosaurland!

Leaving Provo, we headed for Vernal, UT, also known as Dinosaurland due to the great number of dinosaur fossils located in the vacinity. Our first stop there was the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park, which is actually a museum, rather than a park. There are some wonderful examples of dinosaur fossils here, including many that you can touch.

Here you see a partially preserved skeleton of a stegasaurus. As they are excavated, the bones are "packed" in plaster to preserve them intact for their trip back to the lab. In this case, they've been put on display. At the top of the photo are the plates that run along the back of the stegasaurus, which helped them answer the question of whether these occur in pairs or are offset.

The front half of a stegasaurus skeleton. Notice that the answer to the question about the plates along it's back is that they are offset.

And here is the back half of that same skeleton. There are actually spikes at the end of his tail that aren't visible in this photo.

An allosaurus skeleton. Think of it as kind of a mini T-rex.

In addition to specimans inside from a number of geographic time periods, they have a sculpture garden outside with life-sized specimans of dinosaurs and other prehistoric mammals such as this wooly mammoth. This one was our favorite, due to the sheer size of it. Adult mammoths grew to around 14 foot at the shoulder. Evidently, they have to replace the "fur" of this regularly due to birds stealing it for their nests.

Matt poses by the tusks to give you some indication of the sheer size of it.


Rob had an entirely different take as he posed by the back end. Somehow, I have a feeling that it would have smelled no matter what end of it you were at.

A stop in Provo

After leaving Delta, we headed for Provo and the Earth Science Museum at Brigham Young University. This museum showcases many fossils from the Jurassic Period, which spans a period from approximately 210-140 million years ago. The museum houses one of the top five collections from the Jurassic Period in the world and has been featured in magazines, newspapers, and on television throughout the world. Unfortunately for us, it's not open on Saturday, which is when we were there. Additionally, there was a sign on the door saying that they were closed for field work so we probably would have been out of luck no matter when we'd gotten there.

We didn't let it deter us and just headed to our RV park, looking forward to a little time to relax. This campground, Lakeside RV Campground, was gorgeous and located right next to the river. There were tons of cottonwood trees and the whole place almost looked blanketed with snow as the fluff was so thick everywhere. After a walk along the river, we changed and headed to the pool for some recreation time. This was where Matt really started to take off with his swimming and started to get a lot more confident in the water. A little more practice and he'll be swimming like a fish!

I think Provo has been one of Rob's favorite stops so far. He ran along a bike/hiking path called the Provo River Parkway (among other names) and loved it. This path was 34 miles of uninterrupted path - no roads, traffic, cars, etc. that ran along the river and up to Provo Canyon. He ran a total of about 13 miles, taking in the local wildlife. He kept talking about "birds with doodads on their head", which we later identified as quail.

You can see how thick the cottonwood fluff was on the path along the river.

The trees actually looked like they were covered with snow, they were so white.


A close-up of fluff on a pine tree.

Leaving the campground, heading for Vernal, we drove along the Provo River in Provo Canyon. We pulled over to admire Bridal Veil Falls (evidently a common name for falls as Yosemite also has one and I saw another one on a map in another state) in the canyon.

A closeup of the falls, showing it's likeness to a bridal veil, hence it's name.

(As you can tell, I'm taking advantage of having a decent connection and posting while I can!)

Digging for Trilobites

After leaving the Great Basin National Park area, we headed for Delta, UT, arriving on July 10. Our reason for this visit was to dig for trilobites at U-Dig Fossils, something we'd been looking forward to since we saw a program on them on the Discovery Channel 4 - 5 years ago. They provide you with a rock hammer and a bucket and guarantee that you'll find trilobites. Turns out, this is a fairly easy guarantee for them to make as it would be hard to not find them in this huge treasure chest of fossils.

We paid for two hours, figuring that would be plenty under the hot Utah sun. Turns out, it was more than enough for Matt, who packed it in just short of an hour and a half after the sun got to him. As you can see below, he refused to listen to us about wearing his hat.

The basic mode of operation was to find or split off a chunk of rock and then split it with your rock hammer. Matt's hard at work here, looking for fossils.

Look at that smile! As you can tell, he was successful. He had a knack for finding little trilobites, although I hold the record for finding the tiniest, as you'll see below. It popped out for me, tiny as can be.
Rob was actually breaking pieces of rock off of the side here and had fabulous luck finding some nice trilobites.

Here are some of the specimans that popped right out of the rock for us. Believe it or not, this picture is zoomed in and my tiny one, on the far right, is actually smaller than it looks in this picture.

A few more of the nice specimans that we found. We also have many that are still in the rock. Evidently, if they're face up in the rock it's better to leave them in "the matrix" rather than to try and pop them out.

It was a hot two hours of work but very worthwhile. I feel compelled to note, however, that there really is nothing else in Delta to do besides hunt for fossils, topaz, and geodes. It's known as a rockhounders paradise and that's about it.