USRT15 #16 Landforms and Memorials in the Middle

After spending a couple hours of that Saturday morning on Antelope Island, we drove east for twelve hours to Denver. It was a tough day because I was having all of my pre-trip anxieties and I had just dropped off Dan at the airport. I felt gratitude for my navigator J. I don't know how I could have done this trip without him.

We stopped very briefly at Fort Bridger State Park. It was once owned by the Mormon church as a way station for pioneer families, but it has changed hands many times and remains a monument to the trappers, frontiersman, pioneers, and military who relied on its protection.

 Most of southern Wyoming is barren and brown, but J would pull out the camera to capture beautiful landforms whenever I asked. 

 This was our favorite visitor center in Green River, WY. We procrastinated getting back in the car because we were enjoying the touch tables full of fossils and antlers.

 Just before entering Colorado we stopped at the information center adjacent to this beautiful memorial to President Lincoln. I loved tho likeness of him--I'm not sure if it's his bushy eyebrows or wrinkled cheeks. 

Our Kansas Day started bright and early on a Monday morning after a full Sunday with the Barnos, attending church and hearing all about their Colorado adventures. We were refreshed and ready for three more days on the road. As I mentioned before, staying with friends was such a jumpstart for me.

In Kansas we decided to take a "quick" detour to see Monument Rocks and the Chalk Pyramids located right in the middle of cow pastures south of Oakley, Kansas. 

The kids were completely amused that I had to exit the car to clear the road of cattle. They giggled and squealed and I realized that my kids are far removed from the cows of my childhood. 

The complete silence and arid summer day combined for a stark,  muted view of this National Natural Landmark.