They smiled the whole way

 The little town of Dinosaur plays host to the visitor center.   

All Bev needs is to get a dog and then move onto the crosswalk.  

Joe poses in along side this sign just inside the entrance gate.

After a long drive, Andy is all smiles at the Harper's Corner trail-head.  In the background is Steamboat Rock.  This is where the Green and the Yampa rivers converge.  

There are many scenic views from the trail.

The road in the valley is the one we will take later this day.

The point of convergence is hidden behind the cliff.  In order to see it, one must hike.  Oh well, maybe in my next lifetime! 

The strata of the white cliffs and the red cliffs are almost perpendicular.  This indicates major faulting during a geological time long ago.   

I understand the locals call these little green areas parks.  They really are beautiful.  

Joe and Andy blazing the trail for me.  

Steamboat Rock.  Notice the ancient oxbow circle formed by a meandering river millions of years ago.

Telescopic shot of Steamboat Rock.  The Green and the Yampa converge right behind this cliff.

The Yampa just before the convergence behind the rock.

This is one of my favorite photos.  We would soon be on this road.

Harper's Corner Trail.  Yes, they smiled the whole way.

Great picture of Steamboat Rock.

The Green River after the convergence.  

Notice the uplift of the strata.  

View of Steamboat Rock in the background.  This is one of my favorite pics, ever. 

This is the real west

Heading east from Utah, we entered the little town of Dinosaur, Colorado, located right on the border.  Because of my rather unusual interest in older-type places, I fell in love with this quaint town.

On the north side of the road is this lovely creature.  I guess the question is:  Which came first, the town or the dinosaur?  

All of our eyes were trained on Dino as I took this picture, and to our delight, a bird exited from his mouth.  Notice the hole in front of his teeth.  A nest is located inside.  

  

Okay, no desert town is complete without it's old -car refuge.  Actually this is just a part of a very large auto collection, and if one were to look over the collection carefully, he could actually find some older models in pretty good condition.  For the hobbyist interested in restoration, I believe some of these autos could become someones pride and joy.

In some past time , an enterprising person decided to open a restaurant. Obviously the town didn't prosper enough to justify keeping the cafe open. 

As you can tell from the photo below, the tourist business must have dropped to rock bottom.  

On the east end of town is another motel - for sale.  If you think you would like to try to fix this place up, please give the owner a call. Yes, I guess you can call this a free advertisement.  

A couple of cottages adorn the property, but what I really love is the mesa in the background.  For a geologist, this country is a paradise.  

You may think this a funny-kind of post, but really it's just a prelude to my next few postings.  This is big country with fantastic  vistas.  This is the real west, where rivers meet, mountains rise, and winds blow, and it all starts here in the little town of Dinosaur.

I got some great pics, so check back in about a week.  Goodbye for now.