It was a 4 hour drive from Jackson Lake Lodge to Kemmerer (pronounced Kimmer) Wyoming. We watched the landscape change from lush river basin to high desert. Our first stop was the Fossil Butte National Monument. At 7000 ft above sea level, you wouldn't expect a desert. Lots of rock and sagebrush.
Wyoming landscape around Fossil Butte
The drive up to the visitor center started with signs about 1/2 mile away showing a geological timeline where 9 inches = 1 million years. As we got closer to the visitor center, the timeline got more detailed. By the time we were on teh walk to the center, each 12 inches was marked with geological or evolutionary event.
At the very end...the last 18 inches marked humans. it was awesome!
I loved the visitor center too. Very much a Frank Lloyd Wright style. Check out the triangular pavers
After filling up our water bottles and checking out the inside of the center, we headed 2 miles up the road for lunch at a picnic area at Fossil Butte.
This is the way we have lunches most days. After, we attempted the small 1.5 mile "Nature Trail" near the picnic area. we got about .75 miles in and called "uncle" It was hot, dry, and the air was thin at 7000 ft. We did enjoy the views.
We were all happy to come down the mountain. It is really difficult to show the scale of things out here. It's vast! In the image below you can barely see the "Spaceship" minivan in the middle-right.
The highlight of the day we yet to come. About 1 hour away by car, and the other side of Fossil Butte was a place were you can dig your OWN fossils!!!!!!
Fossil Safari is a quarry that you pay by the hour to dig, pry open, and smash open limestone to find fossilized fish. The entire are of Kemmerer is a fossil lake. Obviously the lake has been gone for several million years.
The drive to the quarry was a little rough (sorry dad). The minivan held it's own.
It was a rock and gravel road or about 6 miles through Wyoming desert and cowboy country. The directions even had you count the number of cattle crossing gates because there were no other landmarks to follow.
It was SO MUCH FUN! After a quick tutorial of how to do it, we were given our own rock hammers and metal wedges and were taken to our dig area.
First, you break out a large slab of rock (12x24 inches at the largest). You use the wedge and hammer to break apart the rock in layers. the limestone flakes apart in sheets. Each time you break one open, there is always teh possibility of a fossil.
It was ADDICTIVE!
We could have stayed for hours. The rocks in teh foreground were discards from the digging.
Look closely at the rock in Kim's hands. You can see the darker brown fish fossils on the rocks. We probably came home with 10-12 fossils.
Kemmerer, WY is known for its fossils. All over town there are reminders of the fossils in the nearby mountains. I loved this bronze plate in the sidewalk. "Wyoming's Aquarium in Stone"
Kemmerer is not only known for fossils. It is also known for on other thing....it is the town of the mother store of J.C. Penny Company. This is store #1. It is still open!
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