My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

For the first several hundred feet of the caves floor it was covered in these smallish ice formations.....



I was loving this cave.....



Further into the cave they would disappear and then it was just the dark colored rock.....





One thing I always will do once I get deeper into a cave and the entrance has disappeared.....turn off my lights and just stand there in that darkness.....it's priceless.....



I'm not certain how far I went into that cave.....but I did see enough to know that I loved this place.....





Big Brushy Creek Cave is Utah's second longest cave at 4.92 miles and 858 feet deep.....I read that the entire length of this cave is yet to be mapped due to gasses that are emitted.....



I made my way out and back to the truck where the dogs anxiously awaited my arrival.....



Still in four wheel drive we began our exit.....looked in my side mirror and saw a white Tesla sedan tailgating me on that slippery road.....

 

[Foy]

Recalling the various formation names is pretty much a sixth sense for a field geologist. And, under this usage, "formation" has a very specific and exact meaning--principally that a stratigraphic formation can be readily identified and mapped at the surface and in the subsurface. So it's to be expected that a field geologist who has spent much time within a region will recall the more remarkable stratigraphic horizons within the region's sedimentary basins. Climbers back this way all know the 'Gunks in NY/NJ, right? Just the same, field geologists from Eastern geology schools all recognize the Tuscarora/Clinch Formations as the Shawangunk Mountains are known down through PA, MD, VA, and on into East TN and northeastern AL. While in Dillon, MT for Field School just a few weeks in 1978, Day One's field time was an all day exercise, in and out of a caravan of trucks, hitting outcrops of the primary sedimentary formations we'd be mapping over the ensuing several weeks. We call it "learning the section", where "the section" is the totality of the stratigraphy exposed in outcrop within the region. To a great degree, what are now the Northern and Central Rockies were within the same or closely interconnected oceanic basins through much of the Paleozoic. Folding and faulting caused by plate collisions much later jumbled the originally flat-lying rocks into huge mostly linear ridges and valleys and crustal thinning (extension) well into the Cenozoic spread 'em back out in the regionally significant Basin and Range topography we know and love today. So "the section" in much of the Central and Northern Rockies is Flathead Sandstone down at the bottom, lapped up against much older (like 1.2 to 1.4 billion years older) metamorphic "basement" rocks, a series of sandstones, shales, and carbonates in the middle, thick sequences of carbonates of Mississippian age (the Madison limestone horizon) towards the top, and a hard quartz sandstone at the very top. Once you learn the sequence, identification of what's what in the field allows you to put together what's gone on in terms of folding and faulting and draw a map of the surface features with inferences as to what's where in the subsurface. So, while kind of you to say so, remembering the section in which one has spent a goodly amount of time with topos, airphotos, a rock hammer, and a hand lens--and a job requiring production of a geologic map of a given area-- is pretty much a given. And, of all of the units within the Paleozoic section, the Madison and its lateral equivalents might be said to be the most memorable because of its thickness (so even a couple thousand feet of thickness tilted down at 15 degrees from the horizontal leaves a surface expression/outcrop belt many thousands of feet in width), its resistance to weathering (limestones are valley formers in the wet Eastern and Midwestern states and are ridge formers in the arid West), and (as much as you may prefer not to hear about it), and its presence as a host of hundreds if not thousands of large to small ore bodies of interest to miners (where limestone in contact with intrusive granites and other hot rocks triggers ore deposition from hot fluids in the subsurface) all combine to make the Madison's outcrop area a standout feature in much of the West. The Madison also provides much of interest in the way of cave and cavern systems which are huge aquifers of regional importance AND as host of most of the region's recreational subsurface features.

All in a day's work!

Foy

 

[pkripper]

Jerry, if you're still in Northwest Colorado, stop in Glenwood Springs and ask the guys at Summit Canyon Mountaineering about the caves above Glenwood Canyon on the south side of I 70. I used to live in Carbondale and they were always great to explore. Not sure of access availability now but the shop will know. Also you could drive up to Thomas Lakes and hike around Mt. Sopris with the dogs. Great storytelling and pics as always. Safe travels!! Wanted to add a note that I also googled caves this morning and the cave I am talking about is called Hubbard Cave, I was shocked to google caves in Glenwood and learn the Fairy caves had been turned into an amusement park. Didn't want anyone confusing the 2.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Foy.....that was interesting although maybe a bit over my head.....I can't help but wonder what it would be like hiking with you.....enjoyable no doubt.....and absolutely informative.....

pkripper.....I'm south of the area now and didn't make it quite that far east but thanks. I Googled the area / caves and it sure looks to be interesting. I'm hoping to explore two more caves tomorrow if I can actually find them. I stopped in at the local BLM office and several employees said they'd never heard of them.....so.....



We camped that night not too far from the caves.....



The plan for the following day was to go to check out dinosaur footprints.....



Last year I was fascinated to walk along the rock slabs where the dinosaurs once roamed.....



I hoped for the same feelings here but I felt as though the trails here were poorly marked and if you got off trail there were carpets of cactus 3 to 4 inches in height everywhere.....it sucked with two dogs on leash.....



I guess it was inevitable.....Trapper finally stepped on one. I looked down towards the river.....that's where the dinosaur tracks lay.....looked at Trapper & Tanner.....and quickly decided to bag this one.....



We drove on down the highway making our next stop at the seldom visited Moonshine Arch.....



This was maybe a 30 minute hike far away from the well beaten paths of other well known arches.....





The arch.....well, yea it's pretty cool if you're into arches.....



Probably wasn't our best day out there.....but it is good to be out there once again.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Next up in our travels was a day spent at Dinosaur National Monument.....



The Fossil Bone Quarry exhibit is really hard to believe.....much like a log jam in a river.....this is a dinosaur bone jam created much the same way many, many years ago (as if that needed to be said).....

















And then there was this fully intact dinosaur skull.....absolutely amazing.....

 

[Ace Brown]

Several here have tried to connect with Jerry when he travels close by. He was just 15 miles from my home recently but moved on before I could catch up. Some other day we will meet up.


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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....you just don't how lucky you are / were (almost anyhow).....bring your wallet.....



Outside the Fossil Bone Quarry exhibit are an amazing collection of pictographs / petroglyphs left behind by the Fremont people as they are commonly known today.....











Last year I left the American Southwest with a deep desire to return to these areas and to explore more of these relics of the past.....over the summer I purchased books & maps, and I began to educate myself on the past ways of the Fremont as well as the Anasazi, the Mogollon, & the Hohokam people and the more I read, the more my interests grew.....I'm in the early stages of my education.....I'd say I'm at the "orientation stage" and no further along.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The Fremont people lived in the upper reaches of the American Southwest.....northern & central Utah and northwest Colorado more specifically.....





Someone once told me that as women age they go to church and when men age they read history books.....I'm sure there are a thousand variations of this concept but I can't help wonder about my newly found fascination with these people.....as far back as I can remember I've had a curiosity for non white cultures.....it took me to the Amazon jungle as a young man.....and it brings me back to the American Southwest.....







We walked along the park road (no dogs on the trails at Dinosaur National Monument) and at the end of the road next to a spring at the bottom of the cliffs we found this old log cabin (exhibit).....







On our walk back to the truck I happened to spot this.....these were not marked by employees here.....no signs or pullouts to observe these.....there's just so much to see.....



Dinosaurs are cool.....no doubt about that.....but.....and then we drove southeast.....

 

[longhorn1]

Recalling the various formation names is pretty much a sixth sense for a field geologist. And, under this usage, "formation" has a very specific and exact meaning--principally that a stratigraphic formation can be readily identified and mapped at the surface and in the subsurface. So it's to be expected that a field geologist who has spent much time within a region will recall the more remarkable stratigraphic horizons within the region's sedimentary basins. Climbers back this way all know the 'Gunks in NY/NJ, right? Just the same, field geologists from Eastern geology schools all recognize the Tuscarora/Clinch Formations as the Shawangunk Mountains are known down through PA, MD, VA, and on into East TN and northeastern AL. While in Dillon, MT for Field School just a few weeks in 1978, Day One's field time was an all day exercise, in and out of a caravan of trucks, hitting outcrops of the primary sedimentary formations we'd be mapping over the ensuing several weeks. We call it "learning the section", where "the section" is the totality of the stratigraphy exposed in outcrop within the region. To a great degree, what are now the Northern and Central Rockies were within the same or closely interconnected oceanic basins through much of the Paleozoic. Folding and faulting caused by plate collisions much later jumbled the originally flat-lying rocks into huge mostly linear ridges and valleys and crustal thinning (extension) well into the Cenozoic spread 'em back out in the regionally significant Basin and Range topography we know and love today. So "the section" in much of the Central and Northern Rockies is Flathead Sandstone down at the bottom, lapped up against much older (like 1.2 to 1.4 billion years older) metamorphic "basement" rocks, a series of sandstones, shales, and carbonates in the middle, thick sequences of carbonates of Mississippian age (the Madison limestone horizon) towards the top, and a hard quartz sandstone at the very top. Once you learn the sequence, identification of what's what in the field allows you to put together what's gone on in terms of folding and faulting and draw a map of the surface features with inferences as to what's where in the subsurface. So, while kind of you to say so, remembering the section in which one has spent a goodly amount of time with topos, airphotos, a rock hammer, and a hand lens--and a job requiring production of a geologic map of a given area-- is pretty much a given. And, of all of the units within the Paleozoic section, the Madison and its lateral equivalents might be said to be the most memorable because of its thickness (so even a couple thousand feet of thickness tilted down at 15 degrees from the horizontal leaves a surface expression/outcrop belt many thousands of feet in width), its resistance to weathering (limestones are valley formers in the wet Eastern and Midwestern states and are ridge formers in the arid West), and (as much as you may prefer not to hear about it), and its presence as a host of hundreds if not thousands of large to small ore bodies of interest to miners (where limestone in contact with intrusive granites and other hot rocks triggers ore deposition from hot fluids in the subsurface) all combine to make the Madison's outcrop area a standout feature in much of the West. The Madison also provides much of interest in the way of cave and cavern systems which are huge aquifers of regional importance AND as host of most of the region's recreational subsurface features.

All in a day's work!

Foy

Always love your geological history. Thanks Foy, JD

 

[longhorn1]

Makoshika State Park is another dinosaur archaeological site. We spent 3 days camping and exploring. The dinosaur museum in Glendale happened to be closed during the week. The caves were interesting. Got to see petroglyphs of the Freemont's at Capitol Reef NP. The history of this is so amazing and with Foy's geological input he added to a great post.

 

[Ace Brown]

Turns out Jerry did have to backtrack due to a slick section of road West of Montrose. So we did finally meet at Starbucks, and yes, I bought. Nice to finally meet the traveling man and his two cool dogs.


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[ghostdancer]

Petroglyphs are indeed fascinating. If your travels take you to the Alamogordo area, check out the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. according to the volunteer there, over 22,000 petroglyphs in the area. When you walk the trail it seems like every other rock has something on it.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD / Ghostdancer.....my past travels have often revolved around mountain summits but this year (winter season) I think will be different. As I've begun to dwell in the world of the Ancient Ones, my fascination with their lifestyle has only increased.....I guess we will see where this goes.....

Ace.....time will tell.....



We continued on Highway 40 driving east, and after just a few miles into Colorado, we arrived at the small town of Dinosaur (2019 population 173).....it wasn't the catchy name "Dinosaur" that made me stop here.....this little town actually has a free roadside hot shower ! I can't even remember when I last saw such a thing.....



We left Highway 40 here and continued south.....now driving on Highway 64 and onwards and onto Highway 139. My 2005 road atlas told me that this would be a scenic drive.....it was much more than that to me.....



It was the sighting of a wild horse that prompted our first stop.....





I had passed several wild horses along the highway in southern Wyoming and hadn't bothered to stop.....but here I decided to make a U-turn and to go have a look.....





Just by chance that wild horse chose to feed close by a pull out which made it a perfect spot for my rig.....



And so it was that a single wild horse changed our plans for the next three days.....



I had no idea that Canyon Pintado even existed prior to this visit.....and once I did, I had no idea what "Pintado" even meant.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

But it didn't take long for me to understand what I had stumbled onto.....



Sometimes I absolutely love these roadside signs.....and this was definitely one of those times.....





We walked the nearby trails and checked out the Ancient Ones work.....







I couldn't help but look beyond the designated trails and up along the canyon walls.....



It was a beautiful day.....a perfect day to explore.....



So we left the trail behind and headed up into the canyon.....



We hiked four miles into that canyon that day.....we didn't turn around until the skies darkened and the winds began to increase.....

 

[pkripper]

Jerry, check out Bears Ears if you haven't already, cant wait to get back there. Endless opportunities and very quiet compared to most of Utah.