Elephant Toes and other great spots in Dinosaur National Monument

There is more to see in Dinosaur National Monument than the dinosaur bones.

 Elephant Toes, an erosional oddity in the Nugget Sandstone of Dinosaur National Monument along the Cub Creek road.

The Green River at Split Mountain campground and picnic area in Dinosaur National Monument. The red rocks in the middle of the photo are the Triassic Moenkopi Formation. The large white rounded mountain to the left is Permian Weber Sandstone, and the ridge of sandstone on the right above the red beds is the Garta Member of the Triassic Chinle Formation.

Here in the foreground the prominent sandstone outcrops on the left side belong to the Gartra Member of the Chinle Formation. The central reddish saddle is the upper unnamed member of the Chinle Formation (lower half of the saddle) and what we are calling the Bell Springs Formation (upper half of saddle). The prominent sandstone on the right that caps the red beds is the Nugget Sandstone.

Tan Nugget Sandstone contrasts with the whiter Weber Sandstone in this photo taken along the Cub Creek Road in Dinosaur National Monument.

Permian Weber Sandstone outcrops along the Green River at Split Mountain campground and picnic area in Dinosaur National Monument.

Triassic Gartra Member of Chinle Formation along road to Split Mountain campground, Dinosaur National Monument.

These last three photos were taken in 2002 on an earlier trip to Dinosaur and are re-posted here from an earlier blog.

Folded Weber Sandstone as viewed from the Blue Mountain road just south of Dinosaur National Monument.

View of the Green River from Harper's Corner in Dinosaur National Monument.

View of Echo Park, the junction of the Yampa and Green Rivers, from Harper's Corner in Dinosaur National Monument.

Ferry Bluff on the Wisconsin River

Yesterday I visited Ferry Bluff on the Wisconsin River west of Sauk City with assorted nephews, nieces, in-laws, and out-laws. It was a beautiful day and the first time all summer that I have done any hiking (even though it was a fairly short hike). It was good to be able to tag along with the rest of the family and visit a spot that my brother-in-law, Douglas Clark, loved to visit. He would have enjoyed the trip.

David Clark, Julee Kowallis, Steven Clark, Karen Clark, Adrienne Celt, Kimberly Madison, Rachel Robinson, Ryan Clark, Aaron Robinson, Karl Kowallis standing atop Ferry Bluff.

Looking west along the Wisconsin River from Ferry Bluff.

 Sandbar across the Wisconsin River south of Ferry Bluff.

Late summer asters in bloom along the sandstone outcrops of the bluffs.

The Wisconsin River from Ferry Bluff, looking to the east.

Cross-bedded Cambrian sandstones underlie the bluffs and are exposed here because the ice-age glaciers that covered most of Wisconsin did not cover this area, known as the "driftless area."

Bright lichens on a juniper tree atop the bluffs.

Wild grape vines lit by the late summer sun.

Blue harebells grow well in the sandy soil on top of the bluff.

This year's drought has stressed many of the trees including this oak that is trying its best to show its colors for fall even with many of the leaves half dead.

The boardwalk atop the bluff is knotted together with rope.

 Juniper roots are exposed in places along the sandy top of the bluffs.

The vertical tubes on this face of the weathered sandstones of Ferry Bluff were made by ancient animals that burrowed into the sand along the Cambrian sea.

Ferry Bluffs is truly a beautiful place and well worth the time to visit.

Map showing the location of Ferry Bluff with Sauk City to the northeast along the Wisconsin River.