I made my way to Jensen and hit up the Utah Visitors Center – got a lot of useful information there. I do feel like my father with all these different maps and pamphlets though.
The first stop on this side of the park was the dinosaur bone quarry. It really was something to see, to be honest. They found dinosaur bones here in the early 1900s and though most of them have been dug out there is still a section there with the bones. The wall of bones is enclosed in a structure that functions as a museum.
From there I made a few stops. Went to the campsite and it’s right along the river here. Just up the road from the site, you can drive to an area where there are two small hikes into the canyons. There is an abandoned homestead there as well that you can wander around in.
The canyon hikes reminded me a bit of Australia to be honest. It was hard to imagine that I was in the US while I was walking out of there.
When I got back I made another attempt at fly fishing. Definitely better than the first time but still getting the hang of it. The next stop has a lot of great fishing and I’d like to stop by a fly shop and get an idea of what’s going on.
I got into Vernal the next day which is a fairly large town – I mean it has a Wal-Mart and a Lowes.
I’ve been having trouble with my rear right tire. It’s been losing air fairly consistently and I left the campsite early and found the nearest gas station so I could fill-up the tires.
I went to Lowes to pick up a portable 12V air pump – it’s not the best to be fair but it works well enough that I could use it in a pinch which is really all I need it for.
Problem was that when I was testing it in the parking lot I accidentally locked myself out of the car. The van will lock the doors when the engine is running and I didn’t have the windows rolled down enough to be able to get at the lock.
This is the second time this has happened to me. I really wish that the doors would lock once it actually starts moving. I was able to get a locksmith around in 15 minutes or so. The benefits of small-town living I guess.
I played some golf afterward and the course wasn’t so bad honestly. Good price too. I played with these older gentlemen and it was actually a really fun time. Broke 90 but I was all over with my drive. Everything else was on though.
I grabbed a shower at the community center and then drove north of town to BLM land and slept there for the night. Really pretty views outside of the mining quarry across the way.