Vernal and Flaming Gorge

Shortly after we returned from Moab(as in 2 days after getting back) we loaded up the trailer and headed out for our biggest camping trip of the summer. We started the trip in Vernal. Our plan was to see the Dinosaur National Monument there and any thing else Vernal had to offer. We had done a little bit of research and had a list of 5-6 points of interest in Vernal. The town was fun and had a dinosaur theme to it. Everywhere we went, there were signs and statues and museums featuring dinosaurs. 

The national monument was a bust. Because of COVID-19. the visitor center(where we could see the dinosaur fossils) was not open. Fortunately, we didn't have to pay to get in, either, so that was nice. 

The park ranger pointed us towards a self guided tour map of the park and a trail that we could hike to see some of the dinosaur fossils. The trail had no shade and the fossils were not very visible to our untrained eye. Mostly, we felt like it was a waste of time and energy.

The drive through the park was pretty. We saw this turtle rock along the way.

There was also a short, steep hike to see some petroglyphs. Alyssa hiked up and then pointed them out to us so we could look at them through our binoculars. 

After the dinosaur monument, we were hot, tired, and hungry. So we tried out this pizza place that had received really good reviews. Even thought the menu was hard to read with all of the Italian words,  the kids claimed it was the best pizza they had ever tasted. It was pretty good.

The KOA in Vernal was one of the best we have ever stayed at. It had so many fun amenities, like the pool, games, a playground, and mini golf.

We stayed in Vernal for 2 nights and then we moved on to a KOA near Flaming Gorge. The KOA here wasn't nearly as nice. We hiked the rim trail one of the mornings. The kids weren't too excited about it, but the views were incredible.

We lost Alyssa during the hike and we weren't sure if she had turned around like we did, or continued on down the trail. Danny ended up running ahead to find them. Fortunately, she had turned around like we did, so that was fortunate.

After the hike, we went down near the water. We rented a kayak, Ashley swam, and Alyssa fished with her borrowed poles and tackle.

It was pretty in this little cove. There were some cliffs out in the deeper water that we saw quite a few people cliff jumping off of them. 

We had some crazy wind on the last day we were there so we ended up staying in our trailer most of the day. We checked the forecast and decided to head home when the winds lessened a bit after 6 pm that day. It was a day earlier than we had originally planned, but we enjoyed sleeping in our beds a day early.