Shanna's Adventures: national parks and monuments

Showing posts with label national parks and monuments. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Revolutionary War History at Kings Mountain NMP

We learned some little known Revolutionary War history at this lovely national park. The visitor center is top notch and there is lots of hiking. Family and equestrian camping are available at Kings Mountain State Park a few miles down the road.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Dinosaur National Monument Fossil Bone Quarry

Entrance to the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument is a 200,000 acre park that straddles the Utah/Colorado border. Visitors to the park can raft the Green or Yampa Rivers, see petroglyphs, take a hike, camp or explore the Dinosaur Bone Quarry located on the Utah side.

The Building that Houses the Bone Quarry

Dinosaur bones were discovered here in 1909 by Earl Douglass, a paleontologist representing the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA. This quarry is often described as a "wall of bones" as fossils from several species of Jurassic era dinosaurs are embedded in an steeply tilted rock layer that was once a river bed.

Inside the Bone Quarry

The Wall of Bones in the newly renovated Quarry Exhibit Hall is impressive in size, but it is only a small portion of the whole excavation area originally worked by Earl Douglass who shipped more than 700,000 tons of material to the Carnegie Museum.

The "Wall of Bones" at Diniosaur National Monument

Visitors are invited to touch real fossils in the Dinosaur National Monument Fossil Bone Quarry

Diplodocus leg bone @Dinosaur National Monument

Camarasaurus skull and spine at Dinosaur National Monument Fossil Bone Quarry

The Quarry Exhibit Hall and tram stop overlooks the Green River

Getting ready to hike down the Fossil Discovery Trail from the Quarry Bldg to the Utah side Visitor Ctr

Fossils can be seen at various spots along the Fossil Discovery Trail

Dinosaur National Monument Visitor Center

Sometimes I have to cajole my children into participating in the National Park Junior Ranger Program. Each park has an educational brochure/questionnaire specific to each site. Given the educational focus of this park, no cajoling was needed. My son jumped at the opportunity and really liked the unique, star-shaped paleontology badge.

Related Links:

Acadia National Park Junior Ranger Program (shannafern.com)
Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historic Site (shannafern.com)
Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry (shannafern.com)
A Birthday in the Black HIlls (shannafern.com)
Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point (shannafern.com)

Saturday, June 09, 2018

Grand Teton National Park in Pictures

The Grand Tetons

T. A. Moulton Barn said to be the most photographed barn

Mountain Reflection, Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park

Lake Jackson, Grand Teton National Park

Log Cabin on Mormon Row, near Grand Teton National Park

Mount Moran and Leigh Lake, Grand Teton National Park

Grand Tetons from roadway overlook

Friday, July 07, 2017

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Sunset Crater Volcano

After spending most of the day at the Grand Canyon, we drove south and saw signs for Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Having only lived on the east coast of North America, anything having to do with a volcano seems foreign and intriguing. We were passing right by it. I could not resist so we made u-turn and I'm so glad we did. We stayed long enough to walk through the 900 year old Bonito Lava Flow and sit and ponder the rust-rimmed cone before continuing on toward Meteor Crater.

A walk through lava rock with Sunset Crater in the background

Black ash is everywhere

Lava flow rock formations

Monday, July 03, 2017

Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater or Barringer Crater

Meteor Crater is about a mile in diameter and was formed around 50,000 years ago when a meteor weighing several thousand tons struck the earth. This place is a striking and unforgettable sight. It was featured in the 1984 movie Starman and was used by NASA astronauts to train for the Apollo missions to the moon.

There are viewpoints along one edge of the rim. Meteor Crater is on privately owned property and admission is required. An optional 30 minute tour is included with admission. In the visitor center, there are several interpretive displays that discuss the history of the site as well as a video devoted to how the impact crater was created. A gift shop and Subway restaurant is available.

The visitor center houses the largest meteorite found in the surrounding area and is believed to have been part of the meteor that made the impact crater. One would not think it by just looking at it but this meteorite weighs over 1,406 lbs.

Naturally occurring processes are degrading the impact site but after 50,000 years it is still very impressive and will remain so for centuries to come. We first visited this site nearly 10 years ago with a one year old Jonah. He should remember this most recent visit.

2017

2007

Friday, June 30, 2017

The Grand Canyon Overwhelms the Senses

The Grand Canyon in June 2017

On our first visit to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon 10 years ago, we experienced a vivid landscape near sunset. It was also autumn with cooler temperatures and perhaps a bit clearer air.

This was Elisabeth's first trip to the Grand Canyon. Jonah was barely a year old when Kelly and I first visited. I was freshly impacted by the views but it did seem that it was perhaps a little less striking than in our memory. The difference in the time of day, time of year, and the fact that a prescribed forest fire was taking place meant more haze and less than ideal lighting for clearly distinguishing the rich beauty and magnitude of this grandest of canyons. That being said, it is extremely difficult to comprehend the dimensions and vastness of this space under any circumstance.

While that last visit may have been a more ideal time of day and year, every visit is unique and overwhelms the senses. I am all for making multiple trips of varying lengths to see this iconic landmark it all it's wondrous glory. God willing, the next time perhaps we will hike down into its depths to help actualize the true size and shape of it all.