Moccasin Mountain Dinosaur Trackway near Kanab, Utah

When we told some friends we were going to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, they said to be sure to check out the Moccasin Mountain Dinosaur Trackway. When we got to the State Park, we asked the ranger and he gave us a very nice BLM brochure that had information about how to get to the trackway and also a map with GPS coordinates of the tracks.

You can drive on pavement until the last 2.2 miles. Then it becomes a 4WD sandy road. For a bit I considered taking our van and trying to bike to the site, but in the end decided to take our truck. That was a good choice. For adults, the road would be a challenge, but for little kids hiking or biking, the road would be a little too much with the deep sand. 

The ranger helpfully pointed out the place where people get stuck the most (with a $750 towing bill), and I did have to put the truck into 4 Low to get up that sandy hill. The other thing I noticed is that it's a one-lane road pretty much the whole way. For having such a nice brochure and website, it's not a place that can handle very much traffic. We only saw one other person the during the couple of hours we were there.

Before we got to the trackway, we visited a couple geocaches. The kids are so excited to find these, mainly because they love choosing a trinket. I love getting rid of old trinkets and seeing how long it's been since the last person has been to the geocache. Some are definitely more popular than others.

Then we were there, and it was a much shorter walk from the parking area to the tracks than I expected. Along the way we found some pools of water, and Desert Girl was delighted to be wearing her rain boots.

The tracks are here because this area was a watering hole, and the dinosaurs walked on the wet sand to get to the water, and then sand blew over the tracks. Over time the tracks fossilized, and now the rock above has eroded enough to let them be shown again.

It didn't take long to find our first track. This trackway has tracks from at least six different species of dinosaurs preserved.

Our favorites were the large Kayentapus tracks.

About six of the tracks were preserved in a line.

We also wandered around the beautiful rock for awhile, enjoying the solitude of the remote location and the beauty of the Navajo sandstone.

Eventually it was time to go. Through the puddles, of course.

When we got back home, I found that the BLM has a YouTube video about the track site. It covers a lot of information and gives a good feel for what the track site is like.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes with Kids in the Snow

 We didn't start out our spring break trip in the best of weather, in fact we needed four-wheel drive to go on one highway due to the slippery, snowy conditions, but we looked on the bright side: we were about to begin a fun vacation.

When we got to our destination, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, the ranger said there had been a mixup with our campsite (which I had reserved in advance through a very confusing and gouging reservation system), and that even though the website had said that all the campsites were full the following two nights, in reality we could stay. That made me happy--one tent set up and take down, hot showers, and likely other kids in the playground for my kids to play with.

But first we had to sleep.

When we woke the next morning, a dusting of snow covered everything. And it was cold. I got the kids into their snow pants, bundled them into the truck, and had them eat some breakfast at the overlook while I ran out and got some photos.

 The view was so otherworldly that I just had to get the kids to show them. And then, before we knew it, we had set off on a hike.

 The little ramble soon turned into "Hey mom, let's go hike to the top of that dune."

I couldn't resist that! So off we went, with me stopping often for more photos of the sun rising on the snow-covered dunes. Coral Pink Sand Dunes are named for their cool orange color, but I couldn't help being mesmerized by the snow coating. It was sort of like icing, and come on, who can resist icing?

We saw all sorts of tracks, including coyote tracks. I had heard a few yipping the night before.

 To my great surprise, we were the only ones up and hiking. The dunes are a major ATV mecca, but ATVs are restricted to 9 am to 10 pm. That means hikers have the dunes to themselves for the first few hours of the day.

Desert Boy couldn't resist sliding down the side of the dune (towards the north). He came back up smiling.

Hiking was not too difficult, and before we knew it, we were at the top.

Then the real fun began. Desert Boy slid down the other side and convinced us to do it. Oh my goodness, what fun! A perfect sledding hill, with no rocks or trees in the way! The visitor center has sand sleds and sand boards for rent, but with the slick snow covering, we didn't need anything but our snow pants.

Can you see Desert Boy? He's the little black dot in the middle of the photo (now looking south). Desert Girl went on my lap several times but eventually got brave enough to go sliding on her own. We went down and up so many times.

Despite the stormy clouds, the snow was gradually melting, making for a delightful mix of white and orange.

 It was time for us to leave and start some other adventures for the day…(to be continued).

A Day in Sacramento

Back in October, Desert Girl and I took Amtrak from Salt Lake City to Sacramento, a 13-hour journey. Then we spent two nights in Sacramento before returning. Here are some of the things we saw and did during our stay in Sacramento; hopefully they'll get you started on trip planning if you decide to visit this beautiful city!

 We had passed these whimsical statues the day before when we got off the train, but on Thursday we really had a chance to enjoy them. Desert Girl liked that they were just her height. And where can you find them?

 The U.S. Courthouse! They were definitely unexpected, and I'm sure there's quite a story behind them. (Here's a bit of the story.)

We passed the Amtrak Station and headed south to the California State Railroad Museum. We had been fortunate enough to see the Utah State Railroad Museum earlier in the year, and we wanted to see what California had to offer.


The museum was impressive, with lots of trains and explanations. We walked through a sleeper car, where the volunteer graciously took our photo. It was interesting seeing the old-fashioned sleeper car and comparing it to the modern Amtrak sleeper we had just been on the day before.

Then we headed over to the dining car, with a peek in the kitchen and then the elegant seating area.

A volunteer conductor let Desert Girl ring the dinner bell.

Despite all the cool exhibits, interactive demonstrations, and amazing information, Desert Girl's favorite spot was the play area, with eight train tables available.

As we were leaving, I couldn't resist snapping a photo of the celebration of the meeting of the Transcontinental Railroad. We had visited Golden Spike National Historic Site earlier in the year, and seeing references to it made me remember that fun trip! It was also interesting learning about how the railroad progressed from California to the East Coast, and the idea-men and stakeholders needed to do that.

We spent about 2.5 hours in the museum and easily could have spent more time if I had let Desert Girl play longer or if she would have let me read more exhibits! I suspect we'll be back sometime when she's older.

Right outside the museum we found Old Sacramento State Historic Park. We wandered over to the river to take a look and then started meandering through the historic district. We ate some lunch and enjoyed people watching.

We also checked out the River Walk on the other side of the river.

To get there, we crossed the big gold bridge, called the Tower Bridge. It was really neat. If I had dared to run out in the middle of the highway, I would have spotted the Capitol building framed by the bridge. But I used common sense and stayed on the sidewalk with Desert Girl.

We wanted to get an even closer view of the river. Also, I figured it might be good to take a little break from walking. So we signed up for an hour long river cruise. (In some ways traveling with a child can be a little challenging, but then there are bonuses like free admission for young children.) We didn't see any sea lions on the dock, but I did appreciate the sign.

Before long we were on the Sacramento River. It was a beautiful day, and it was so nice to learn a little more about the history of the area.

The city's water pumps are housed in this interesting-looking building. On the side are water depth markings. The Sacramento River fluctuates a couple feet a day at Sacramento due to the tides. The river has also been known to flood, at times quite severely.

Here's a view of the Tower Bridge from the water. It sure looks bright! We didn't see any big ships on the river, but Sacramento is considered a deep water port, and the bridges open or raise in various ways to permit huge ships to pass by.

After our boat ride I had one other thing I wanted to see in Old Sacramento: the Pony Express Monument. The Pony Express trail is near our area, and it was neat seeing the ending place for the mail. Someday we'll have to check out the other end!

From Old Sacramento, we wandered a bit and got some ice cream, and then we headed to the State Capitol. We had explored the grounds the night before, and today we had more time to explore.

Except that Desert Girl fell asleep, so I hung out in the little movie theatre for half an hour to let her get some sleep! Then we were up and walking again, checking out some sculptures.

As we walked along, we saw so many fountains. At each and every one, Desert Girl said the water was warm. It wasn't really warm, but she said it was warm. Why? She wanted to swim. In every fountain. It was funny, but I did resist letting her strip down and swim. Sometimes we country hicks can have a little class! (Even though it really would have been fun to swim!)

One of the ugliest fountains I have ever seen.

So as we were nearing the end of our 4.5 mile walk (I didn't know it was that long till I got back and mapped it!), we stopped to get a pedicure. It was the perfect ending for a long day.

Desert Girl knows how to have a good time. She stopped and smelled the flowers all day long, and insisted that I did too.

Sacramento's a great place to visit! We found that the weather was terrific in October, and we easily made our way around by walking. I was impressed with how polite traffic was--the pedestrians always had the right of way. I feel like we just scratched the surface of things to do.

A Fall Jaunt up Strawberry Creek

 The fall colors have disappeared at the higher elevations to be replaced with a dusting of snow on the bare aspen branches, but at the lower elevations two weekends ago, the colors were still great. A group of us decided to head up Strawberry Creek for a hike.

 The kids didn't mind posing on the rock wall at the trailhead.

 We've hiked here below, a simple loop about two miles long. There still aren't any signs, so we didn't know exactly how long. And I had heard rumors of a new trail in the area. I kept that in the back of my mind as we headed up the trail. The kids took off running. They couldn't go too far ahead, because Rule #1 was Stay in Sight of an Adult at All Times.

 Soon they came running back and pelted the adults with snowballs. That made us decide on Rule #2: Snowball Throwing at Legs Only.

 Jenny, nine months pregnant, was ready to enjoy the hike. She's so awesome!

 Soon the kids were ready for a snack, which we decided we would have at the first bridge, along with a photo op. It works well--sit still and you get a snack!

We had one more rule for the hike, Rule #3: No Whining.

Desert Boy managed to fall into the creek from the bridge and drenched himself, immediately breaking rule #3. Lucky for him (and for me), I had a change of clothes with me.

 The kids loved the bridges and watching the water go under them.

 After about an hour, we reached a trail junction and headed uphill to a nearby sign that said Osceola Trail. We decided to give it a try, hoping my info was good that a trail would then connect down to our vehicles.

 The Osceola Ditch was constructed over a hundred years ago to transport water to a mining area. Much of the ditch still exists, and we happened to be in a shady part of it, which meant more snow!

 We kept moving in the shady part, it was a bit chilly.

 Then we came out into the sunlight and the kids discovered ants.

 All the kids were good hikers. And one decided to climb a tree. Guess who.

 By this point Desert Girl also required a change of clothes, but I didn't have any more, so she got to wear my fleece as a dress. She was quite stylish in it.

 We reached an old road that looked like it headed in the right direction,  so we headed down. A few trees were in the way, but the kids had fun crossing them.

Then we came out on a trail! It was easy from there. It will be helpful when some signs are installed so you know where you're going. Overall, we had fun on the loop hike, with about two hours of hiking at a very leisurely pace.