Friday & Saturday, November 13-14, 2015
Our objective on Saturday was to go for a hike in the Colorado National Monument in search of a couple of small dinosaur tracks hidden on a large boulder in Ute Canyon. We did manage to find the tracks we were looking for, but before we get into that part of the trip report here are a couple of photos I took on Friday evening along the rim of Monument Canyon in the west side of the Monument.
A quick stop at the Coke Ovens Overlook shortly before sunset.
The Coke Ovens in Monument Canyon after the sun had set.
The Squaw Fingers below.
I started Saturday with a morning drive through the east side of the Monument after watching the sunrise from Cold Shivers Point.
Dawn at Cold Shivers Point.
View up Columbus Canyon.
Warm sunlight on a large pinyon tree near the overlook.
The high point on Rim Rock Drive with a little snow on the ground.
Shadows and light across Rim Rock Drive.
Light strikes this vertical sandstone wall in upper Ute Canyon.
After my morning drive through the Monument I stopped back home and picked up Diane and we headed to the Wildwood Trailhead so we could start our hike in search of the dinosaur tracks. We followed the Corkscrew Trail up onto the Precambrian Bench at the mouth of Ute Canyon and then followed the trail into the canyon.
Leaving the Wildwood Trailhead.
The large boulder that we found the tracks on.
The tracks were really high on the face of the boulder and difficult to photograph, but thanks to a little help from Diane I was able to get a few shots of them. You can see two good tracks in this photo.
A close-up of one of the tracks.
Hiking back down Ute Canyon with Liberty Cap above.
Diane hiking back down the Corkscrew Trail.
I ended up taking another quick drive into the west side of the Monument to catch the sunset from the Canyon Rim Trail near the Visitor’s Center.
Light on the landscape below the Historic Trails Overlook.
Monolith madness from the Canyon Rim Trail shortly after sunset.
