June 9, 2026 (Tue.) - Wall of Bones
The plan today was to visit Dinosaur National Monument (DNM) to check out the famous Wall of Bones—the Quarry Exhibit Hall where hundreds of fossils are still embedded in the rock, and yes, you can actually touch some of them.
Lynn was up early at 5:15 a.m., caught a beautiful sunrise, and headed out for her walk a little after 8:00. Along the way she spotted yet another campground kitty—this one all black and confidently using our outdoor mat as a scratching post. He was adorable, but just like the last one, skittish enough to bolt the moment she got too close. At this point, Lynn really should start carrying cat treats.
Kirk emerged shortly after 9:00, ready to take on what was forecasted to be a warm and windy day. The wind didn’t wait—by 9 a.m. the RV was already rocking with 35‑mph gusts. We had a light breakfast, knocked out a few chores, and then shifted into planning mode. With July 4th approaching fast, Kirk’s mission was to lock in our next stops before we headed out exploring.
What we didn’t expect was how many places were already full. After a morning of research, phone calls, and mild panic, Kirk managed to book us through July 7th—with a stop in Colorado and two in Wyoming. Since it’s peak summer season, we’re saving the big tourist magnets like Yellowstone and Grand Teton for after the crowds thin out.
Once the wind calmed down and our reservations were secured, we headed to Dinosaur National Monument around 2:30 p.m. Entry is $25 for a 7‑day pass. We didn’t plan to drive the full park today—just the Visitor Center and the Wall of Bones as we plan to ride the bike through the park in the next few days. In summer, a shuttle takes you up to the Quarry Exhibit Hall, where an 80‑foot wall of fossils from multiple species is on display. It’s impressive, and the exhibits do a great job explaining how all those bones ended up piled together. The short version: a drought killed the dinosaurs, their bones collected along river channels, a flood swept them downstream, the waters receded, and the bones settled into a massive pile on the riverbed.
During our visit at the Wall of Bones, Kirk found himself in an unexpected battle with his phone’s selfie camera. Every time we tried to take a selfie, the background would blur dramatically while the camera focused only on our faces. Cute, but not what we wanted. We actually liked the scenery behind us. After several attempts and frustration building, Lynn jumped into detective mode. A little research later, she uncovered the culprit: a sneaky setting that automatically focused on people and blurred everything else. Basically, the phone decided it was a portrait photographer now (it had never done that before!). Once that setting was turned off, the world snapped back into focus. Literally. Kirk felt victorious, the selfies finally behaved, and the backgrounds were allowed to exist again. Blood pressure back to normal now!
Back at the RV by 5:30 p.m., Lynn settled in with coffee and blog photos while Kirk grilled pork chops for dinner. We ended the night with a movie and some quiet blogging time—nothing fancy, just a peaceful end to a full day.
Weather – High 84*, Low 57*. Wind 5-24 mph with 38 mph gusts. No rain, no humidity.
Traffic – None.
Food – Nothing to report.
Notable – The Wall of Bones.
Screen Time – A Thousand Cuts (so-so), Absentia (Season 3).
Photos : Wall of Bones
Photos : Around Vernal, campground 6/9/26
June 10, 2026 (Wed.) - Justice and a nap.
Not much on the agenda today. Lynn actually slept in until 7:00 a.m.—a rare event worth noting. She still headed out for her morning walk after 8:00, then spent most of the day blogging and doing chores. Breakfast was simple in the RV, and Kirk made a quick trip to the Ford dealership to sort out some odd maintenance‑scheduling issues.
The weather was beautiful—sunny, breezy, and wonderfully quiet. Lunch was easy (quesadillas in the RV), followed by TV, a nap, and then the return of the afternoon winds. By 1 p.m., gusts were back up to 38 mph, just like yesterday. The wind wasn’t doing Lynn’s allergies any favors, so she took half a Benadryl around 2:30 p.m.
Around 4:00, once Kirk woke up from his nap, we decided to check out Flaming Gorge. But halfway there, we discovered online that it closed at 4:30 p.m.—so that plan was out (in hindsight, it was probably just the Visitors Center that closed, we still could have driven it). So, instead, we headed toward the town of Roosevelt, which Kirk thought was “just on the other side of Vernal.” It wasn’t. It was farther than expected, and the Benadryl knocked Lynn out cold. Car rides + Benadryl = guaranteed nap.
We eventually stopped at the Uinta Ute Justice Center in Duchesne, a striking building we’d passed before. It also serves as a memorial honoring tribal members who served in the military, so we took a moment to explore.
Since Lynn slept through most of the drive, we headed back to the RV, arriving around 5:30 p.m. She continued her nap until 8:30, while Kirk helped himself to leftovers for dinner. We ended the evening outside on the patio, enjoying the sunset, watching the bats swoop in for their nightly bug buffet, and enjoying a cozy fire.
It was a low‑key day—chores, blogging, a little wandering, and a relaxing night by the fire
Weather – High 79*, Low 51*. Winds 2-24 mph with 38 mph gusts. No rain, no humidity.
Traffic – None.
Food – Nothing to report.
Notable – Uinta Ute Justice Center.
Screen Time – Widow’s Bay.
