Hi Gram,
I had a good day yesterday and plan to enjoy every bit of today. I woke just before my alarm and got to cleaning up and doing my morning routine. Once I checked out, I stopped by a gas station for some yogurt and water, then headed into the park. Before I even got to the park, I stopped and saw a bison chewing cud and not giving a damn along the side of the road.

Then I had barely gotten into the park before seeing bighorn sheep off to my right along a dirt road – although they must have been young, because they were medium horns at best.

I headed that way and found a place to park my car, then got out to take some pictures. As I walked away from the road, the land dropped away and exposed a network of ruts and valleys between high spots and buttes. Knowing that I could lose hours exploring nooks and crannies and taking more photos than grains of sand, I just stared off at the scene before me and soaked it in.

I turned around and went back to the paved road so I could explore further. Moments later, I pulled off at a lookout point and stared some more. A trail led off to the right and I found myself walking along a relatively narrow path with both sides dropping off what seemed like hundreds of feet… definitely far enough down to say “ow” when I landed and wonder how I was going to get back up. I could have kept going, but felt isolated and alone out there and worried that if I fell, nobody would hear me scream.

Back at the car, I kept following the main loop road, stopping often to gaze out at the landscape and read the plaques educating us all about the history. There were random trails leading away from many of these lookout points that I tried to follow, but after a few hundred yards, they were still close to the road so I’d turn around and go back to the car.

I stopped at a few more of these, gawked, pondered, felt emotions, then got back on the road before I came to a lookout with a wooden decked loop. Plaques lined the walkway, talking about the fossils and evolution of the animals in the area. When I got back to the pavilion, I saw that it was full of abandoned hornet nests built with the available materials, namely rock and stone.

Across the street, I saw a trailhead with a path leading off across the rugged terrain. This one looked serious with a sign showing distances and warning travelers to carry water and sun protection.

I followed the trail, unsure if I was still on the trail or had wandered off at first as it crossed the bare gravelly ground. The path navigated around lifeless mounds and valleys for a while, a barren landscape, until it turned to grassy plains with a clear path.

I’m not sure if I preferred the obvious path through overgrown grasses and shrubs that whipped at my ankles and calves or the flat lifeless rock that left my legs alone but didn’t advertise a clear route to follow.

I crossed paths with a few other people but mostly had the trail to myself. I love seeing and greeting other people along trails like this. Everyone is always so friendly and often exchange witty comments like what’s ahead, how hot the sun is, or whether there were bears or lions or ravines that would swallow up their kids. I got about a mile in then decided to turn around. The sun was getting higher, my water had run out, and with no shade within miles, I wanted to play it safe.

I should know by now that the path IN doesn’t look like the way OUT. I followed the path through the grass until my GPS told me that I should be close to the trailhead. Off to my left had a clear line of sight – across mounds and deep ravines that looked impassable – to where the car was parked . In front of me, the path looked like it continued off to the right, away from the car. I chose to make a beeline for the car, sure that there must be a way through the uninviting terrain. A couple hundred feet in, I came to a rut that I probably could have climbed down into and crossed if necessary but definitely wasn’t the way I came. I doubled back to the grassy path and continued to follow it, hoping that I was right, until it rounded a curve and led to flatter rocky terrain that looked more traveled and friendly. After a little guessing and trying, I saw the small staircase that marked the trailhead and found my way back to the car.

After chugging some water from my cooler, I left the parking lot and continued down the winding road. I made a couple more stops for pictures and gawking across the miles, then I arrived at the visitor center. I enjoy walking through the visitor center to read the displays and look at the interactive exhibits. This one didn’t disappoint, with lots of fossils and ancient tools, display cases, dioramas, pictures and stories. There was also a lab that tourists could walk into and watch scientists working with newly found fossils and rocks. This area was one of the first places that fossils were discovered where people realized what they might be, helping to launch the field of Paleontology. I love that there are a variety of modes and media to interest kids and feed their curiosity.

With my brain full and swirling with new memories and knowledge, I did a cursory walk though the gift shop then headed to the car, my mind set on getting some lunch! The drive out to the highway showed me a few more trailheads and viewpoints with stunning views that I briefly wished I had known about before tiring myself out, but they were overrun with people and RV’s. I was glad that I’d seen so much of the park in a calm, peaceful manner and was glad to see so many other people enjoying and exploring the park.

I drove for a little bit and chatted with my friend Robert who lives in Iowa. I met him at CampFI a few years ago and we always have a good time when we see each other. He lives a little farther than I want to drive in one day, so I decided to get a hotel somewhere along the way and meet up with him for breakfast or lunch tomorrow. Back on the road, I made some decent progress, stopping for gas a couple times and a nap when I was struggling to keep my eyes open then stopped in Iowa for the night. I found a creepy looking Super 8 that I wasn’t too sure about, but it ended up looking much nicer on the inside than the horror flick motif they had going on the outside. Exhausted, I just went straight to bed when I got in.