Reflections on 2023

Another year comes to an end! Our theme this year has been The Roaring Twenties (for the 21st century). We shook off the dust of COVID-19 (with reasonable caution), and spread our wings to travel and explore further a field than our back yard and San Ramon.

It was a thrill to take some real trips again. Visiting Alaska required getting on a plane for the first time in several years. There we enjoyed seeing beloved family members and fantastic scenery that was just waking up from its winter slumber. Visiting Dinosaur National Monument in Utah and Colorado entailed an 1800-mile road trip across the high desert and back. There we explored dinosaur fossils, petroglyphs (patterns etched in stone) and pictographs (patterns painted with pigment on stone), and the geology, flora, fauna, and history of the region.

Clockwise: Birthday flowers in a pottery vase (by Brad Nebeker)
Travelling and exploring nature, dinosaur bone fossils, and petroglyphs (Utah)
Dyeing fabric with indigo (Indigo tinctoria)
Visiting beautiful gardens in all seasons (Filoli in summer)

Throughout the year we visited gardens, such as the Jensen-Olson Arboretum in spring and Filoli in the heat of summer, and enjoyed nature in all its forms, such as birds, critters, lichen, plants, and trees. Dyeing with indigo was also a thrill - seeing that transformation from emerald green to indigo blue, and trying out resist dyeing techniques from around the world. We also worked with a local landscaping firm and now have a firm plan just waiting to be executed. For fun we learned about the birth flowers of each month and the meaning they convey. Movies, books, and the history of plant hunters in the West added spice to life, along with the pleasure of family and friends!

Christmas in the Bay Area: 2023

The tree is decorated, the wreaths and stockings are hung, the Snow Village is set up, and Christmas music wafts throughout the house. The pantry is filled with ingredients for a feast, and a few goodies have already left the kitchen for parties, potlucks, and cookie exchanges. My Aunt Char and I recently enjoyed Home for the Holidays at the Contra Costa Civic Theatre. The beautiful singing and music was just what we needed! Santa is expected in a few days, and a few presents are already under the tree. 

Each year is a gift!

We're expecting a low-key holiday this year and looking forward to small gatherings, Zoom calls, good eats, and a chance to relax, reflect, and connect. 

Merry Christmas to all!

Birthday Flowers: Holly

All this year we've been celebrating life in the roaring twenties by looking into the birthday flowers that are associated with the month in which a person was born. Birthday flowers have symbolic meanings attached to them that convey traits or sentiments to those born in the month. The message may be in the plant or flower, or in the color of the flower.

For December, birthday plants include holly and Narcissus. I am focusing on holly since it is a wonderful plant for the Christmas season, symbolizing happiness at home. Holly is more a plant than a flower, but the dark leaves and red berries have become a symbol of Christmas.  

Leaves and berries of European holly (Ilex aquifolium)
(Photo by Jürgen Howaldt)

Holly (Ilex aquifolium) is an evergreen tree or shrub that is native to the United Kingdom. Holly has prickly leaves, white flowers, and red berries in winter. The fruit is eaten by deer, squirrels, small animals and birds, but is semi-toxic to humans. Holly is dioecious (two houses), with red berries indicating a female plant. Holly was once viewed as protection against evil spirits and as a symbol of fertility, happiness, good fortune and joy.

Roaring Twenties: Wrap Up

For this year's "The Roaring Twenties" theme, we celebrated the partial return to "normalcy" (if that even exists) and all the good things of life. COVID is still a reality, but the consequences aren't as dire as they were in early days, when we were figuring out how to survive a pandemic (with lots of opposing opinions). It was a pleasure to expand my horizons, range, and scope this year. I've traveled more, visited more gardens, and enjoyed the company of more people. I've also appreciated the simple pleasures of observing nature, dyeing with plants, and learning more about our beautiful world. Definitely cause for celebration in this century's "Roaring Twenties".

 

Adventures in Alaska, Nevada, Utah, and California in the roaring twenties!

Celebrating Gardens and Landscapes

Cause for celebration - we're finally getting back into the habit of visiting beautiful gardens and enjoying nature in more than just the back yard.

Mountain View Cemetery

Chilly Walk on the Iron Horse Trail

Jensen-Olson Arboretum

Summer Heat at Filoli

Bringing Back the Natives: 2023

Landscaping: Site Survey

Celebrating a Return to Travel

More cause for celebration - a trip to Alaska and an 1800-mile road trip to Dinosaur National Monument.

Alaska - the Last Frontier

Dinosaur National Monument

Nevada to the Great Salt Lake

Treasures in Tahoe

Celebrating Birds and Lichen

Wherever we go, nature provides something interesting to watch or learn.

Counting Birds

Finches (video)

New Hummingbird Feeder

Portraits in Lichen

More Portraits in Lichen

Alaskan Portraits in Lichen

Celebrating the Everyday

Find beauty in the everyday.

An Atmospheric River Runs Through It

Shadow Play

Summer Evenings

Fall Light

Dyeing with Plants (a celebration of blue)

Birthday Flowers

Celebrate friends and family with birthday flowers!

January - Carnation

February - Violets

March - Daffodils

April - Sweet Peas

May - Lily of the Valley

June - Roses

July - Water Lily

August - Poppy

September - Aster

October - Cosmos

November - Chrysanthemum

December - Holly

Plant Hunters

On a quest to learn more about plant hunters in the Western United States - then and now!

David Douglas

Lester Rowntree

Amy Patten

Movies

We traveled to exotic places via documentaries and learned more about dyeing with plants.

A World of Indigo

In Search of Lost Colors

Books

We used a few good reference books to learn more about flowers, plants, and gardening. The internet provides similar information, but sometimes you just want to curl up with a good book!

The Color Dictionary of Flowers & Plants

No Fail Flower Garden

Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials 

New Hummingbird Feeder

We have a new hummingbird feeder. The old one gave good service (see Where are the Hummingbirds? and Here are the Hummingbirds). I had chosen the glass and metal design to eliminate plastic and be more sustainable, but over the last year the metal component of the old one had started to rust, which gave the sugar water an alarming rust color. I didn't like the idea of the birds drinking rusty sugar water.

New hummingbird feeder with no metal

The replacement is a Jalan Wang design of glass with a silicone and plastic feeding reservoir. The hummingbirds have found the new feeder and seem to love it! After a long drink, some of them seem to forage for insects among the pittosporum leaves. My husband and I can watch the tiny birds feeding from our offices that overlook the small courtyard. It is a pleasure to see their busy activity.

Thanksgiving 2023

Preparations are in full swing! The turkey is thawing. Pies are partially made and some baked. The two extra turkey drumsticks are roasting and will soon be made into a rich broth for gravy. The table cloth is on the table and ready for decorating and setting. The house is mostly cleaned and straightened, at least in the most visited rooms. I'm looking forward to hosting our Thanksgiving feast!

Fresh cranberry sauce

In the midst of all the preparations, my thoughts go to my far flung family and friends in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Southern California, Arizona, Idaho and beyond, and to all the Thanksgiving feasts of the past. This is a wonderful time of year to reflect on all the many blessings and pleasures of life.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Fall Light

What is it about the golden light of autumn? Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the afternoon sunlight of fall seems to glow. I've celebrated it before (see Golden Hour at Lake Temescal, Fall Colors, and Fall Fun), and it never gets old.

Fall light at Bishop Lake

In the fall, the sun changes its position, from high in the sky during summer to low in winter. Due to the 23.5 degree tilt of the planet, this change in position causes the sunlight to strike the earth at an oblique angle, which changes our perception of the light, from a full beam to a slanted glow.

Colors and textures come alive in the fall light

After the time change (fall back), the golden hour falls earlier and earlier, and finally fades to cold winter light. Celebrate the golden fall light for as long as possible!

Birthday Flowers: Chrysanthemum

This year we're delving into birthday flowers that are associated with the month in which a person was born. Floriography, or communication through flowers, is a fun aspect of birthday flowers. Celebrating birthdays with flowers fits right in with this year's theme of celebrating life in The Roaring Twenties.

For November, birthday flowers include Chrysanthemums and Peonies. I'm focusing on chrysanthemums (or mums), since they bloom in late summer and fall and have been bred to produce wonderful fall colors. In general, mums signify life and rebirth, good luck, happiness, joy, longevity, honor and respect. In China, they are a symbol of stateliness.

Different colors of chrysanthemums Chrysanthemum x morifolium.
(Photo by Jebulon)

Flower colors can convey particular meaning:

• White - purity, innocence, truth, and honesty
• Yellow - neglected love and sorrow
• Pink - longevity, attraction, romance
• Purple - care, understanding, get well wishes
• Red - love and deep passion

The Chrysanthemum genus is in the daisy family (Asteraceae). The plants can be one to three feet high with an upright growth habit. Leaves are dark green and deeply lobed. Flowers can be single, semidouble or double, and take many forms, including daisy-like, pompom, button and spidery. Mums originated in China and were later introduced to Japan and Europe.  The original color was golden, but many other colors are now available. Mums are considered an annual, but they dry nicely, so you can enjoy them in arrangements or wreaths long after the plant has died. In China, chrysanthemums were used medicinally for headaches, to lower blood pressure, and to reduce inflammation.

While researching chrysanthemums, I remembered the movie Curse of the Golden Flower (2006),  which is set in the royal court of the late Tang dynasty in ancient China. It is a complex story of court intrigue. Memorable elements includes a courtyard filled with golden mums and the queen's golden army of 10,000 assassins (each of whom wears an embroidered golden chrysanthemum made by the queen herself). Does the golden mum represent neglected love and sorrow?

Treasures in Tahoe

For our recent trip to Dinosaur National Monument, we chose the north shore of Lake Tahoe to book end our travels. Tahoe is about three hours from the San Francisco Bay Area and home, so it is  a comfortable drive to both kick off and bring to an end our first long road trip since 2018. At this stage of life, my husband and I are content with shorter driving days and more time to explore and enjoy both the journey and the destination.

Into the pines
[Note: click on a photo to see a larger image.]

Lake Tahoe (Google maps)

In early afternoon, we packed up the car and headed for Tahoe via Interstate 680 to Interstate 80. Traffic was thick but clipped along, slowed periodically by road construction. Traffic finally cleared after Auburn CA, about the same time we entered the pines. We learned that Jeffrey Pine is dominant around the Lake Tahoe area, and their distinct look and fragrance is wonderful. We took exit 880B to 267, and drove the 10 miles to Kings Beach on the North Shore.

Kings Beach

We checked into the Crown Motel, which is right on the lake. After settling in, we sat out on the deck to watch the water. The sun was bright, but a stiff breeze had kicked up off the lake. I called my folks and enjoyed a nice chat from a deck chair out of the breeze in the warm sun. For dinner, we walked over to Jason's Beachside Grille for prime rib and fish and chips, and split warm apple pie ala mode for dessert. We watched the tail end of the sunset from the shore, and then walked back to the motel.

Room with a view of Lake Tahoe

Choppy water on the lake

Dinner at Jason's Beachside Grille

Sunset on Lake Tahoe

The next day was warm and bright and the breeze had calmed down. We packed up, feeling very rested, checked out, and then enjoyed breakfast at the The Old Post Office Cafe at Carnelian Bay. We stopped at Starbucks to fill up our commuter cups and get a few road treats, and then headed for Elko NV and a full day of driving.

Old Post Office Cafe on Carnelian Bay

Breakfast at The Old Post Office Cafe

Carnelian Bay

On the way back from Dinosaur National Monument, we spent two more days in Tahoe. We checked into our cabin at Cedar Glen Lodge on Carnelian Bay after a full day of driving and just relaxed. Hunger finally drove us to nearby Jiffys Pizza for a delicious dinner. By then it was raining, but very cozy at the restaurant. Back in our cabin, we finished off the day looking at photographs and reflecting back over the day's travels. 

Our cabin at Cedar Glen Lodge (#3 on the left)

Cozy nook

Drive Around Lake Tahoe

The next day we returned The Old Post Office Cafe for a leisurely breakfast, and then bought gas and picked up Starbucks coffee and treats. We had decided to drive around Lake Tahoe, a 72 mile drive. Our mission was to see what other areas we might like to explore on a return trip. We headed down the East side first, through South Lake Tahoe, and then up West Lake Tahoe. We had thought we might stop to snap some pictures, but it was crowded and busy with folks on their Sunday drives. We still got a good feeling of all that Lake Tahoe has to offer, so feel we completed our mission! We decided we prefer North Shore, with more wilderness, less development, and less congestion (at least when there is no snow on the ground)! My husband recalled being in West Lake Tahoe with his Dad and his wife in the 1970s as part of a trip to Reno NV. 

Relaxing by the fire

Fire pit under the pines

Back at the cabin, we lounged around for a while and enjoyed a family phone call with the Alaskan and Oregonian contingents. For dinner we went to Spindleshanks Tahoe Restaurant and had a lovely dinner and shared dessert. Back at the lodge we sat out under the pines by the fire pit and enjoyed a crackling fire.

Home Again

The next day was sunny but quite chilly - definitely a fall feeling in the air. After a brisk walk, we packed up, snapped a few pictures, and then checked out of the cabin. We headed back to Spindleshanks for our last big breakfast of the trip, bought coffee and treats at the nearby Starbucks, and then hit the road for home. We enjoyed our trip so much!

Sunshine over Cedar Glen Lodge (after the rain)

Breakfast at Spindleshanks

The trees of Tahoe

Nevada to the Great Salt Lake

Experiencing grand scenery, listening to audio books, stopping at interesting places, and engaging in unexpected conversations are some of the simple pleasures of road trips. There is always something new to see, something interesting to learn, and new points of view and ideas to ponder. We recently returned from our first long road trip since 2018, travelling to Vernal Utah and Dinosaur National Monument, via Interstate 80, and stopping at Kings Beach CA, Elko NV, and Salt Lake City UT on the way and back.

Nevada in fall colors
[Note: click on a photo to see a larger image.]

I-80 across Nevada to Salt Lake City area
(Google Maps)

The drive across Nevada is long, but I love those sweeping views of the Great Basin. Long stretches of road seemed to be under perpetual construction but the off-season traffic rarely slowed. We saw about five prisons along I-80, and learned how mineral-rich Nevada is (gold, silver, copper, tungsten, and lithium to name a few). The wildlife freeway crossings are inspired. At one rest stop we read signage about the California Trail and pondered how it took wagon trains months to cross the plains, while we traveled through at 80 miles per hour. We listened to a Lawrence Block audio book as we travelled (When the Sacred Ginmill Closes).

California Trail Historic Route from a rest stop in Nevada

Wildlife freeway crossings in Nevada

Elko

We broke up the drive by stopping at Elko for the night. Elko is famous for its National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in January and a large Basque population. I recalled that we had passed through Elko years ago on the California Zephyr on a train trip from Chicago IL to Emeryville CA. We decided that The Coffee Mug is our favorite breakfast spot in Elko. Yellow rabbitbrush flowers lit up the landscape (they remind me of the yellow brittlebush flowers that we encountered in Southern California).

 

Shutters Hotel in Elko

Drifts of rabbitbrush in fall bloom

Bonneville Salt Flats

In Utah we stopped at a desolate looking rest stop on the way to Vernal, and discovered it had a wonderful view of Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah's famed "measured mile and site of world land speed record runs". Heading East, we enjoyed the nice cool breeze off the flats and a viewing tower for seeing the flats from above. Heading West, we could walk on the flats and get a better view. Many people were walking out on the salt flats. The islands out in the lake looked almost like they were floating, because the water and salt flats reflected the sky perfectly.

Bonneville Salt Flats

Elevated view of the salt flats (heading East)

The salt flats (heading West)

Walking on water!

Salt Lake City

On our way to Vernal, we stayed in downtown Salt Lake City. We arrived just as a cosplay event was breaking up so we had the fun of seeing all kinds of costumes, food trucks, and people enjoying themselves. From our 10th floor hotel room we had  a great view of downtown SLC, the lights of the city, and Maurice Abravanel Hall (the symphony). We could also see that the Temple and Temple Square were closed for renovations. We ate dinner at Spencer's Steaks & Chops - one of those red-leather-and-dark-wood steakhouses with attentive service and delicious food. The next day we ate breakfast at Soap Stone and then toured the Utah State Capital. After our sightseeing, we headed for Vernal and Dinosaur National Monument.

Sunrise over downtown Salt Lake City

Abravanel Hall (with its red glass Chihuly sculpture) 

Utah State capitol rotunda (can you see the seagulls?)

Utah State capitol building

Great Salt Lake

On our way back from Vernal, we stayed in Tooele UT on the Great Salt Lake. Once settled into our hotel, we headed over to the Great Salt Lake State Park to spend some time at the shore. A few people were swimming, others walking and enjoying the air. We had nice views of the Great Salt Lake and of an imposing smelter nearby. I walked down by the lake and took some pictures, although the lake is so large that it is difficult to capture. I remember swimming in the Great Salt Lake with my family when I was a girl, and both my parents remember swimming in the Great Salt Lake in their childhoods. We all remember the sensation of being buoyed up by the salty water.

I bought some Salt Water Taffy in the Gift Store, The taffy is made in West Jordan near Salt Lake City, and its packaging uses photos of the old Saltair Resort built in 1893. The building is now used as an entertainment venue. We visited the Black Rock Historical Site briefly but the sun was wrong for taking pictures.

The Great Salt Lake

Smelter near the Great Salt Lake State Park

Sunflowers near the Great Salt Lake

Black Rock Heritage Site

The next morning we checked out of our hotel, ate breakfast, and returned to the Great Salt Lake State Park to take pictures of the Black Rock Heritage Site in the morning light. We saw more signs about the California Trail historical route, and the nearby railroad tracks (no doubt the same tracks that the California Zephyr follows from Chicago through Salt Lake City and Elko to Emeryville in the Bay Area). We stopped to take a few pictures of  the former Saltair Resort on Sultan Road.

Black Rock Historic Site

Black Rock

Railroad tracks pass by Black Rock and the Great Salt Lake

California Trail Historic Route from the Great Salt Lake State Park in Utah

Saltair Resort, now used as an entertainment venue

After our brisk walk out to Black Rock we got back on I-80 West, and headed for Elko, NV. We started a new audio book for the return trip, Stephen King's Fairy Tale.

Saltair Resort pictured on the Salt Water Taffy packaging.

Saltair - Try to Sink

Salt air loving plants in Utah

Dinosaur National Monument

Where can you go for dinosaur bone fossils, ancient petroglyphs, fabulous high desert scenery, and a billion years of geology? My husband and I recently returned from a road trip to Vernal Utah, where we found all of the above and more! We followed Interstate 80 from the Bay Area, stopping at Kings Beach CA (north shore of Lake Tahoe), Elko NV (home of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering), and Salt Lake City UT on the way and back. This was our first long road trip since 2018, and we were eager to hit the road! This post covers some of the highlights from our time in Vernal.

Dessert Voices Trail in Dinosaur National Monument
[Note: click on a photo to see a larger image.]

Our route from the Bay Area in California to Vernal Utah on I-80
(Google timeline)

Dinosaurs

The Dinosaur National Monument straddles the border between Utah and Colorado. On the Utah side is the Quarry Visitor Center, which prepares you for dinosaur emersion (and sells maps and postcards); and the Quarry Exhibit Hall, which is a vein of unexcavated dinosaur fossils encased in situ in mudstone and housed in a modern two-story structure. A two-level ramp enables you to experience the fossils from high and low vantage points, just as paleontologists encountered them in the field back in 1908 (except in air conditioned comfort). Interpretative displays provide fascinating information about the climate and ecosystem at the time dinosaurs roamed the area.

Stegosaurus at the Quarry Visitor Center

Quarry Exhibit Hall

Top floor of the Quarry Exhibit Hall

1500 fossilized dinosaur bones remain in situ

Disarticulated Stegosaurus bones (I think)

Exhibits with some smaller fossilized bones

Grateful that I won't run into this guy

On the Colorado side is the Canyon Visitor Center with additional perspective (and more postcards - they have become difficult to find). The scenic Harper Corner Road drive provides overlooks of dramatic scenery as well as access to the Green River, where Major John Wesley Powell once explored and modern river rafters now seek adventure. On the day that we visited, we encountered very few fellow travelers (one of the benefits of travelling in the fall)!

Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum (Vernal Utah)

Dinosaur in the lobby

Stegosaurus in peril

Wall of plant fossils

The Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum in Vernal provides additional perspective with assembled dinosaur skeletons, exhibits, paintings and a journey back in geological time. I especially liked the wall of plant fossils and the life-size dinosaur models that seemed to roam inside and outside the museum.

Hollywood raptor for Jurassic Park

We experienced many dinosaur sightings in and around Vernal, which added to the fun. Definitely a kid-friendly environment!

Dinosaur sightings in Vernal Utah

Petroglyphs

I was especially captivated by the many petroglyphs and pictographs in Dinosaur National Monument on the Utah side. We learned that petroglyphs are etched in stone and pictographs are painted with pigment. The images are attributed to the Fremont people, who lived in the area between 200 and 1300 A.D according to the National Park Service.

I'm not going to say that looks like a astronaut ...

Petroglyphs at Swelter Shelter

Petroglyphs and pictograms

The images are so intriguing and many are easily accessed after a short hike from the Cub Creek Road. Seeing the lizards required a hot uphill hike, but was well worth it. Favorites include the people in various garb (possibly ceremonial, but we do not know), mountain goat, man playing a lute, and lizards. Intriguing are some of the shapes such as swirls and sun circles. 

Petroglyph site along Cub Creek Road

Celestial signs? Parachuting human?

Mountain goat and human forms (very chic)

Human forms and a distinct style

Lizard petroglyphs

Hike to the lizard petroglyphs

Beautiful Scenery

When you need a break from fossils and petroglyphs, simply lift your eyes to the breathtaking high-desert scenery that surrounds you. The views are sweeping (you can almost see herds of sauropods roaming the hills and heading for lush grazing by the river). Vast plains, rocky mountains and outcrops, miles of land as far as the eye can see. 

Swelter Shelter

Green indicates water - the Green River!

The Green River snakes throughout Dinosaur National Monument, supporting plants and animals alike. We saw birds and lizards and lovely flowers and plants adapted for the dry climate.

Camp with a view near the Green River

The Green River runs just beyond the clump of trees

The temperature was hot and dry during our stay, but dropped at night. The leaves were on the verge of turning yellow and red, but not quite there.

Juniper berries

Fall flowers near Dinosaur National Monument

We stopped at one of the camps near the river, where river runners start their journey, come ashore to camp and resupply, or end their trip. Vegetation close to water is lush and green, with lots of deep shade. We saw a small monument for Major John Wesley Powell and his expedition, who came through the area in 1869.

Seeing the river rafters and camps near the river reminded me of how Cousin Chris (of Glam Camper fame) led river rafting tours down Westwater Canyon in Utah for Western River Expeditions one summer. My Aunt Charlotte Jean, Uncle Tom and my Grandma Char took one of his tours. According to Chris, Grandma Char was 85 at the time, and was the oldest passenger that Western River Expeditions had taken on a class 5 whitewater trip. Chris reports that she did every hike! It's no wonder that Grandma Char lived to be a month shy of 105!

Geology

Geology plays a big part in the beautiful scenery. Dinosaur National Monument is unique because a billion years of geology is represented - with an ancient inland sea laying down sediment, tectonic plate activity pushing up rock and strata, water wearing down rock, and sand and sediment solidifying. All of these processes are represented in the surroundings.

Dinosaur's Rock Layers - exhibit in the Quarry Visitor Center
(the lighting isn't great, but you can get an idea of the geological timeline)

 According to signage and park writings, a billion years of geological history is exposed for viewing in this area, making it unique around the world. The Tilted Rocks (Cub Creek) and Journey Through Time (Harper Crossing) driving tours exposed us to many of the layers and formations.

Panoramic view near the Quarry

Split Mountain along Cub Creek Road

Two colors of rock in the same range

Rocky outcrop in the distance

Signs of upheaval

Red and white rock strata in the distance

More than once we wondered how rocks in the landscape were formed, or how a grouping of disparate rocks ended up together, and then scrambled to see what we could learn.

And More

We also enjoyed seeing the Josie Morris cabin, where the rancher lived her whole life. It looked charming and lovely in early fall with the cottonwood trees just starting to turn yellow. Not sure how appealing the isolation would be in the dead of winter, but she loved it.

Josie Morris cabin - Tour of the Tilted Rocks

Dinosaur National Monument is a designated Dark Skies area, so we decided to do some night photography on our last evening in the area. We had spotted a pullout along the Green River that was perfect. My husband wanted to try out night settings on his new camera. Unfortunately, it was also a full moon, so we weren't sure about the outcome. The night was beautiful with the full moon playing on the water, and the air filled with the sounds of Canadian geese honking and a heron fishing in the reeds nearby (bird sounds were identified by the Merlin app). I used my Android's Night Sight setting, and was pleased to capture the scene and possibly the Big Dipper.

Dark Skies night shoot along the Green River

I'm claiming this as a shot of the Big Dipper

Betty's Cafe became our favorite breakfast place. We shared a dinosaur-sized cinnamon roll one morning that was delicious (but we still needed a to-go box)!

Learn More

As you can probably tell, we enjoyed our time in Vernal Utah and Dinosaur National Monument. We love to travel in the fall when the crowds are reduced, foliage starts to turn colors, and temperatures can range from hot during the day to cold at night. I highly recommend Dinosaur National Monument, with or without kids or grandkids in tow!

• Dinosaur National Monument; National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map #220 (Colorado and Utah). I purchased this detailed topographical map from the Dinosaur National Monument Visitor Center, on a recommendation from the authors of Exploring Dinosaur National Monument. The map is is waterproof, tearproof, filled with information, and definitely worth it.

• Exploring Dinosaur National Monument, by Bert Gildart and Jane Gildart (The Globe Pequot Press, 2002). I used this book to plan our trip, and while we were exploring the area. I bought a 20 year-old edition from Thriftbooks and the information still stands up. For current updates about weather and road conditions, we relied on Google and the National Park Service app.

• Indian Uses of Native Plants, by Edith Van Allen Murphey (Meyerbooks, 1990 and earlier). The author was a plant hunter in Mendocino County and the Great Basin, and was a contemporary of Lester Rowntree). She includes common, botanical, and indigenous names for plants, and describes plant usage. I found some information for contemporary indigenous Ute tribes of Utah. I'm always looking for information about dye sources.

• National Park Service publications - available at the visitor centers and the Quarry:
• Harpers Corner Trail Guide (© Intermountain Natural History Association, 2016; published by NPS).
• A Guide to the Fossil Bones at the Quarry Exhibit Hall (© Intermountain Natural History Association, 2016; published by NPS).
• Sound of Silence Trail Guide (© Intermountain Natural History Association, 2017; published by NPS).
• Tour of the Tilted Rocks: Auto Guidebook for the Cub Creek Road (© Intermountain Natural History Association, 2015; published by NPS).

• National Park Service web site. Search for "Dinosaur National Monument". You can also download the NPS app from Google Play or Apple Store to your mobile phone. Lots of maps, information about hikes, activities, and things to do, and alerts about road and weather conditions. You can also use the app to dream ahead for your next national park adventure!