By the way, for all of you readers, you can double-click on any of the photos to enlarge...
The summer here west of the Rockies has been very dry. We were seeing lots of blowing dust. We were also seeing a lot of pronghorn antelope, not an animal we usually spot as we drive. We stopped at a truck stop for lunch and, as we were leaving, spotted two antelopes trying to cross the entrance road into the truck stop area- very strange given the number of people and large trucks moving around. Suddenly, we realized what was happening- employees had just power washed the sidewalk, and I am sure these two animals had smelled the water. They had to be pretty thirsty to try to come in that close to all the activity. Eventually, a truck blew his horn at them and they ran away. We felt really bad for them- certainly if I lived in that area, there would be a big trough of water in back of my house for them...
We made our way to the western edge of the state- again without benefit of navigational GPS- and arrived at Fossil Butte mid-afternoon. Fossil Butte has been preserved primarily for the quality and number of fossils found here. Fifty-two million years ago, this dry area was a large lake- Fossil Lake, the smallest of three such lakes in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. When the lakes disappeared, they left behind a wealth of perfectly preserved plant and animal life. The lands surrounding the old lake eroded away, leaving the old lake bed elevated above the surrounding plains- the Butte referenced in the name. Some examples of fossils found here include plants, crustaceans, spiders, insects, reptiles, birds, mammals, and fish! There is even a small dog-sized horse and an alligator!
The most interesting part of this monument is in the Visitor Center. The center itself is very modern, with part of the exterior walls underground. It really fits well into the environment of the park. Inside the center are numerous fossils- some actual fossils and some are casts made from fossils. Some are extremely detailed. Apparently, the amount of detail is dependent on how quickly the dead animal is covered with sediment. Those who are not covered right away show signs of decomposition or being eaten. Those covered quickly have extraordinary detail- one fossil of a fish eating a smaller fish showed detail of scales and fins, as well as what was inside the fish! Experts were even able to determine what killed the larger fish-greed! The smaller fish was too large to be swallowed by the larger fish, it compressed his gills, and he suffocated. Science is really amazing!
The National Park Service always does an excellent job on their introductory movies, and this was no exception. It really helped to understand the process of what happened here, and why this spot is so valuable for understanding our past. After seeing the movie and wandering the visitor center looking at the fossils, we spent a few minutes talking to the ranger on duty. This was his first posting, and was making the most of the location, central to many of the other parks. He recommended we drive up to the top of the bluff and take a short hike. We took the drive, but passed on the hike. We did spot another antelope, bringing our total to close to 30.
We spent the night about 40 miles away in Evanston, WY. Great minds think alike- we both woke with the same idea. Dale headed to a nearby Walmart (they are everywhere) to purchase a dashboard Garmin. No more wasting time getting lost! We used it to get to the route for Grand Junction, south and then west through Utah- beautiful country! Even spotted three sand-hill cranes! We arrived at my sisters late in the day, spent the evening chatting, and decided to act on Larry's idea of going to Rifle, where there are several state parks.
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