[at-l] Trip (Not AT) Report

[Bluetrail@aol.com]

This isn't an AT report, but if you're ever in Colorado & Wyoming, you might 
want to try two less-traveled places we visited on our vacation.

1.  Dinosaur National Monument.  Much bigger park than I envisioned.  
Personally, if I went again, I'd skip the dino bones and head straight for 
Echo Park.  We were car camping, but this would make an even more interesting 
trip if you backpacked it.  We drove about 25 miles from the eastern entrance 
of the park to get to the dirt road that led down (and I do mean DOWN) to 
Echo Park.  The dirt road is one lane, impassble when it's wet, interrupted 
by grazing sheep, and recommended only for vehicles with high clearance.  
(The Mom-mobile Plymouth minivan made it just fine.)  The dirt road hangs 
it's crumbled edges off the side of cliffs most all the way down.  The high 
desert country was a million shades of red and brown and perfumed with 
sagebrush.  After an hour's drive, we ended in a narrow canyon where the 
Green and Yampa Rivers meet.  Absolutely spectacular.  There's a huge cliff, 
Steamboat Rock, in the middle of the river and red sandstone cliffs all 
around.  There are 9 primitive campsites tucked under the cottonwoods on the 
river's edge.  Water was available from spigots.  There are plenty of trails 
to explore, many complete with Indian petroglyphs.  Although it was hot and 
there were plenty of mosquitoes, by about 10:30 p.m. it began to cool off, 
and in the middle of the night we zipped up the screen areas on the tent.  We 
ate breakfast with fleece vests zipped up.  A ranger-led walk   took us (in 
about 45 minutes) to a cave that had been home for a hermit who died in 1911. 
 The cave was both strange and touching, as the man's bed, saddle, clothes, 
even his hat were still hanging where he last left them.  We confined our 
visit to peering in from the edge of the cave, as the ranger cautioned that 
the clothing might crumble at a touch.

2.  Grey's River area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.  Still 
the home of my heart.  Far quieter, less traveled than some of the better 
known areas in Wyoming, but with all the spectacular mountain scenery Wyoming 
is known for.  
I cried coming in, cried when I got there, cried when I left.  Marjorie 
Kinnan Rawlings said that everyone has a place on earth that calls him, where 
his spirit is more at home than anywhere else;  the Greys River is my place.

I thought often of Jim and Ginny, on the flight of the Spirit Eagle.  Our 
trip was the last two weeks of June, and it was my 6th summer trip to the 
Greys River.  I've never before seen snow at such low altitudes.  Even some 
of the campgrounds in Yellowstone still had snow under the trees.  Sure hope 
they are able to keep going.

Because of persistent bear problems, one large Yellowstone campground was 
allowing only "campers" with hard sided trailers or RVs.  However, the 
greatest number of warning signs and handouts in the Yellowstone concerned 
the danger of approaching bison--which seemed to be EVERYWHERE.   

Biggest complaint of the trip--it was way, way too short!

Joan
bluetrail@aol.com
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