Day 76. July 21, 2019. Flaming Gorge National Recreation Center in Utah

It's Day 76...it's also July 21, 2019...and we're in Utah...at the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area

From our stop at Henry Unit 1....we wouldn't get far... Just past McKinnon Wyoming when I saw a sign for Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area,...and YUP....another Scenic Biway...The Flaming Gorge Uinta's scenic biway......so guess who dropped down into Utah for a look see....

The Flaming Gorge National Recreation area actually begins in Sweetwater county Wyoming....The winding drive, filled with steep inclines....declines...sharp turns crosses into Utah and through some of the countries richest fossil beds, And let me just say....this drive...on a 104 degree July day is not for the faint of heart when traversing it in a 32 foot rig…and towing a car. We would make many stops on this hot July afternoon. both making the climb...and coming back down. Constantly watching temperature gauges and learning the best balance between gearing down vs. breaking....

And.... actually seeing smoke come off your rear breaks can definitely suck the fun out of any drive. Point being...take your time on this one....and once you've had a gander at this scenery....you'll understand that taking your time is not an issue....in fact...it's recommended.

This truly is a breathtakingly beautiful piece of the country. For me...it was nearly overwhelming. See...I'm a west coast guy..born and raised. From the early days in central California....to my time in the pacific northwest....I know what natural beauty is. The raw beauty of staring out into and across the ocean on a summer night....or even a blustery winter day....can be mesmerizing in the Pacific Northwest.....the smell of the fir tree's and cedar on a rainy winter morning....can somehow lure you into most anything....another 30 minutes on that walk....or even pushing another few miles up that logging road to take in just a bit more of what might be around the next bend.....even when it ends with sliding down into muddy ruts, high centering your pickup....and spending an afternoon in the mud getting unstuck....but....that's a story another time!

What is striking to me here is that all of these same sensations are happening....all at once....but in a very different place. Instead of gazing out over the vastness of the pacific ocean I am gazing out over the vastness of billions of years of evolution....and I can see it all.....The ocean buries things....it covers them up....and unless you've dawned a scuba diving suite and gone down for a look yourself.....well...your left to your imagination...and the movies.... as to what those ebbing tides might hold....and how they have dealt with these billion or so years of geological shifts....but here...mother nature and the earth have given us a wide open...unobstructed view....of whats taken place here.....all you have to do....is come look at it....you'll see what I mean

First up....the Flaming Gorge National recreation area itself spans the northeast corner of Utah and the southwest corner of Wyoming. We started just South of I-80, between Green River and Rock Springs in Wyoming...if you drive the scenic byway in it's entirety...which we did...This 150 mile drive will take you through some of the most incredible scenery...I promise...you will ever look at. The 3 or 4 hours we spent trekking through here took us through the expansive high desert of the area....into...up...down...and through fossil beds...it included a drive along the 90 mile long Flaming Gorge Reservoir....the center piece of the recreation area .... and then...some more wide open hight desert before cresting the rugged Uintah Mountains of Utah...and through stunning Alpine forests and ancient native American hunting grounds....all this....before bringing us down the other side and into the Uintah basin and a place Vernal Utah.

And a quick sidenote....anyone out there interested in doing some camping in the area...RV or not...you'll have over 40 campgrounds to choose from... hosting over 700 individual campsites and 27 group sites, all spread over nearly 91 water-miles (with a whopping 360 miles of shore line) and thats just those around the Flaming Gorge Reservoir....then fold in countless mountain retreats. There is plenty of room for everyone up here. There is also the opportunity to set up “primitive” camping for those wishing a more secluded adventure during their river rafting adventures or fishing trips out onto the reservoir. The Flaming Gorge reservoir is known for it's world class fishing opportunities....and if ice fishing is your thing....they've got ya covered there as well.

We would end our day at the Fossil Valley RV Park in Vernal. We rolled down out of the mountains....pulled off on the side of the road searching "nearest RV Park" with the google lady in my phone.....and .... thankfully...she pointed us to the folks at the Fossil Valley RV park....an awesome little park tucked in off the main road and under a lush canopy of mature shade tree's.....which were definitely a welcomed site after our hot sweaty afternoon coming down out of Flaming Gorge. Now....finally...fully shaded...plugged in...and the A'C cranked....I would hit the showers for the best hot shower I could remember...then relaxing for the evening looking out over the ball fields of the neighboring school yard....along with...you guessed it...tapping away on the laptop learning about this place we had just trekked through.

So much to unpack here....not even sure where to start...

As mentioned.....we entered the gorge in Wyoming....then crossed into Utah where we would drive through the community of Manila...a quiet little place of just over 300 folks. While there is mining activity in the area....most of the towns revenue these days is generated based on it's strategic location in relation to the Flaming Gorge. Depending on which direction your traveling...Manila is your last stop before trekking into the gorge....or your first stop when coming out of the Gorge. Curious about a name like "Manila...here in Utah....was interesting to learn that the town was settled in 1898...which coincided with the capture of Manila in the Philippines during the Spanish American War. US naval vessels would glide into Manila Bay under cover of darkness....engage with the Spanish Pacific Squadron in the first military engagement of the Spanish American War....and win a decisive victory for the US...this naval victory in the Pacific Ocean inspired the naming of this quiet little community in Utah...some 7500 miles away...on a different continent. Reading this reminded me of the small fishing village in Oregon we had been through... called Garibaldi....named for an Italian officer that fought around the globe....but never even set foot in the United States or a place called Oregon.....and yet the town bears his name. Inspiration...it seems....can come from anywhere.

Oh...and when you see the name "Dutch John" on a sign....and drive through the community of some 200 folks or so....well ..... ya gotta google that right?

Dutch John? His real name was John Honselena...a German immigrant that arrived in the area in the 1850's. I can only imagine the sense of adventure and tenacity this German immigrant must have packed on that boat with him. Having landed on the east coast of the United States with nothing but dreams and ambition....he somehow made his way over 2000 miles west where he would find....and call this northeastern corner of Utah home. He would set up shop and make it his mission to provide quality horses to the emigrants and railway workers passing thru the area. His larger than life personality and thick German accent would eventually lead to his nickname....Dutch John. An affectionate reference to how difficult he could be to understand at times.

Over time...the area in which he operated would become known as Dutch John Flat....or Dutch John Bench. it would be some century later when in 1957 The United States Bureau of Reclamation constructed the Flaming Gorge Dam.... The area known as Dutch John would be used to house workers involved in the dams construction. At it's peak....Dutch John would house over 3500 residents during the construction of the dam.

Upon completion of the dam in 1964, the community continued to be home to dam maintenance and operations personnel, as well as employees of the US Forest Service and the Utah State Division of Wildlife Resources.

Throughout this period the area's land and housing would continue to be owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation......until 1998 when the assets were sold to individual land owners in the area and privatized.

It would not be until 2015 when Utah's State legislature, in an effort to preserve the area's history and legacy, would grant a charter allowing the area to incorporate as the town of Dutch John Utah.

A pretty twisty turny way for a German immigrant in the 1850' to trek some 5 or 6 thousand miles.....find a spot in Utah...and leave his mark as a Dutchman....hehe...seems to me German John would have sounded just as good....but Dutch John....guess... it has a ring to it....

And so what about this place called Flaming Gorge..Well....it was first dubbed Flaming Gorge in 1869 when The Powell expedition made their way down the Green River from Wyoming and into Utah.....Powell was struck by the spectacular red sandstone cliff's that surrounded this part of the river....the explosive red hues illuminated the entire gorge at sunset creating a display that todays cgi technology would be hard pressed to reproduce. No one knew at the time that as Powell uttered the words "flaming gorge"......that some 150 years later....2.5 million people each year would traverse the globe for a look at this incredible landscape....and the peak into history it provides.

those members of the Powell expedition also had not a clue that they had stumbled into one of the North American continents richest fossil beds. Geologists and paleontologists alike have explored and studied this area relentlessly for decades. As recently as 2002....Dinasaur tracks have been uncovered here in the gorge that document the fact that some 150 to 180 million years ago...Jurassic creatures wandered the area.....right here....where I stand today.

And then there is the jewel....the centerpiece of this National Recreation area....Flaming Gorge Reservior.....The damns construction, completed in 1964 was originally planned for flood control and water reclamation and control in the canyons. But during construction, and in the years following a ton was learned about how this 90 mile long reservoir could serve purposes well beyond those originally intended...including power generation. I am not even going to try and explain how this happens....instead, lets have a look a the Beaurea of Reclamation video explaining all there is to know about the Flaming Gorge dam....and the reservoir it created...

Insert Video...

The area, like so many throughout this part of the country, saw a good deal of bloodshed in wars with the local Native Americans in the early years. Later years brought strong ranching and farming communities. settlers ingeniously figured out irrigation systems that are in use to this day helping them to remain self sufficient in their remote corner of the state. They experienced their first oil boom in 1948 and mining soon followed. You won’t find a ton of folks around here today....some 10,000 or so....but you will find a great spot to stock up with supplies and handle any maintenance or repair needs when headed into....or out of this part of the country. And of course…if your like me…a fast food fix or a good steak dinner doesn’t hurt either.....and it's all within walking distance from our basecamp at the Fossil Valley RV park.

Another thing you will figure out very quickly....is that here in Vernal....and the area in general.....it's all about Dinosaurs. Their everywhere....Starting with the 30ft tall, happy pink Dinosaur welcoming you to vernal...and proclaiming it Utah's Dinosaur land. The town has truly embraced the gold mine of fossils that surround them. The scenic wonder of the Uintah Mountains and that Flaming Gorge just above them......Just a few miles east....you will find Dinasaur National Monument, which spans over 200,000 acres and straddles the border between Utah and Colorado. The monument is home to thousands of fossilized bones and footprints documenting the presence of these prehistoric creatures in the area hundreds of millions of years ago. On the Utah side of the park you can visit the Quarry Visitor Center....which is home to the world famous Wall of Bones. This refurbished ancient rock wall houses over 1500 fossilized bones....and is one of the few places on the planet where you can actually touch the bone of a dinosaur that lived here where you are standing...some 150 million years ago. On the Colorado side...you can visit the Canyon Visitor Center, which offers exhibits of it's own and welcomes you to Colorado's prehistoric area. You can drive through the area and enjoy from your car....or if your more inclined...tons of hiking and biking trails throughout the monument allow and up close look.

In the past 24 hours we've spent the night alongside an historic trail ..... traversed by 10's of thousands that risked everything to trek west in search of a better life.....we've spent a few hours in the shadow of a rock mountainside revealing ....literally....millions of years of geological evolution .....

In the process....creating the natural resources within the planet that humans have spent a couple hundred years figuring out how to tap into and use to move man kind forward in ways far beyond those of any other time in the history of humans on the planet....

and then trekked through a gorge cut in the earth some 150 million years ago and parked alongside ancient hunting grounds of the indigenous people that arrived in this part of the country some 30 thousand years or so before those European ancestors of mine did...

then.....rolled down out of that place and into one where I can plug in...turn on an air conditioner....shower....and then scour the internet learning about all that history that we had just passed through

whew....sitting here this evening....I am realizing that while my perspectives and outlook began a massive shift on that spring day pulling out of that driveway on B Street in Tacoma.....but ....with each mile.....each piece of history we pass through those perspectives continue to shift....to grow...to evolve.

Life is relative. How you live it is relative. It's relative to what we know. Imagining what life was like before a time when I simply pulled a cord out of the rear of the RV....plugged it into an outlet....flipped a switch that magically transforms a 104 degree afternoon into a 65 degree evening....comfortable....cool....and a laptop that allows me to scour the internet teaching me about all that passed before.

It's nutty....it's mind bending....and it's super cool....and I'm grateful.....that I live in a time with these resources and comforts at my fingertips

And with all this in mind.....we are going to get up tomorrow...unplug.....and drive east...again...

What's next....a place called Rangely Colorado....

I wonder what we will learn there?