Dinosaurs!
Western Wyoming Community College, Student dining hall
It was 1999. A Y2K computer project had taken me out to Wyoming the previous fall, after which I endeavored to take my Little Guy, then nine years old, back out there to see the sights.
It wasn’t intended to be a dinosaur trip. We went out there to see Big Mines, Big Electrical Power Plants, and other Big Stuff. We ended up seeing Big Dinosaurs.
It started in a motel room in Salt Lake City. We’d gone swimming in the Great Salt Lake that day, and I casually looked at some tourist brochures that were in the room.
“Hmmm, a dinosaur museum in Price. Not that far out of our way. And we’re a couple of days ahead of schedule. Hmmm.” We detoured to Price, Utah.
The rest of the trip was about dinosaurs.
We did the dinosaur museum in Price, Utah. Then we went north to Vernal and did the dinosaur stuff there. We went over the Uinta Mountains to Rock Springs, Wyoming. On that road are large signs telling you which geological formation you’re going through, and how old it is. At the top of the Uintas, you are in rock that’s a billion years old. Very impressive.
On the way up to the top was a stop with a short hike where you could see actual dinosaur footprints in the red rock. We did the hike, saw the footprints, and hiked out with a thunderstorm brewing above us. We got to Rock Springs, Wyoming and went to see the Big Power Plant 30 miles from there. It was BIIIG. One and a half billion watts. The Little Guy was impressed. And I saw the billboards around town: a permanent dinosaur exhibit at the local Community College.
So we went up the hill. They had five different replicas of dinosaur skeletons that had been dug up nearby (the originals are all in some Eastern museum) in the hallways outside the classrooms. It was summer. There were no students. Except for staff, we had the place to ourselves. We walked through the halls, our footsteps echoing. There were no ropes around any of the skeletons; you could walk up to them; touch them if you wanted. We looked at the stegosaurus. Very impressive. The Triceratops. Very impressive. Even though both were plant-eaters, you wouldn’t want to meet either one in a dark alley! We visited a couple of others that I don’t remember. Only one left to see: the T. Rex in the student dining hall.
We pushed through the large swinging doors and there it was. It took my breath away.
What a stunning sight.
We did other stuff; saw other things. Including going up to the Oregon Trail, which passes near there, and driving my 4WD along it for a few miles. A playful herd of antelope accompanied us, as I thought of my grandmother, who’d traveled that stretch in a covered wagon when she was five years old.
It was an awesome trip.
We stopped for a picnic lunch beside a gas station where a wooden table sat open to travelers.
We gassed up the station wagon ,
Loaded up the food and kids and drove off down the highway . I was looking forward to a nap when a voice from the back said, “ Where’s Kevin”? I saw him get into the car but he was clearly missing. Not under a blanket or pillow… just gone! OMG we all freaked out as the car and camper
Swung around on the road and headed back west to that gas station. Luckily we hadn’t gone many miles but when we arrived, he was gone. The man there said they had turned a 4 year old barefooted kid in jeans and no shirt over to the local police. He knew his name and dad’s first name but nothing more! Holy sh…t ! We found him an hour later riding around in a squad car happily munching on candy and an ice cream cone!
Apparently he got into the car on one side and exited out the other to go to the bathroom. But just forgot to tell anyone else!
Oh good heavens? My memories of Rock Creek , WY are of losing a child there! Who admits that sort of thing?
My little family of five children , husband and I were pulling a pop up camper back east towards to
Ohio.