Fossil Butte

The only picture I can actually post from Fossil Butte, a photo by Olivia Linkel on Flickr.

We left Cheyenne at 7AM this morning. This was the first day that the kids did not get up when we did. They slept an additional hour and woke up as we were pulling into the stop at the Lincoln Monument, which is the highest elevation on I-80, the first transcontinental highway in America. The wind from Monday was still blowing and it was 46 degrees at the monument. Scott and I walked up to the statue, I took a few pictures and we left.
We then drove across Wyoming with Fossil Butte National Monument as our first destination. We stopped for gas around 11:00 and since that is 1:00 EST, we were all hungry for lunch. I made quesadillas and then we were back on the road, arriving at 1:30 at Fossil Butte, near Kemmerer, Wyoming.
If you read last summer’s blog, you know that Butte, Montana became the butt of a lot of jokes for us. It was also a spot where Scott convinced the kids that they should stand next to the Butte sign and moon me. Fossil Butte has been no exception to the jokes and with some maneuvering; we have another picture, this time of fossil buttes. Once we were done with that adventure at the sign, we went into the museum to learn what fossil butte really represents. Millions of years ago, there was a lake in this area with fish and alligators, horses and all number of birds, insect and plant life. At some point that lake dried up and the species that had been there became fossilized in the limestone. They can pull up layers of rock that have multiple fossils. We got to watch and talk to someone who was cleaning the rock off of the fossil and watch the video and of course, get the junior ranger badges. It was pretty interesting.
From there, we headed north on highway 89 through several small towns. It was a beautiful 2 and ½ hour drive, paralleling the Snake River and crossing over the mountains. Many of the mountains have snow in the shady places and the highest peaks are snow capped. We arrived at our campground outside of Jackson Hole around 6:30 and immediately grilled hamburgers for dinner while the kids played at the playground. After dinner we played some competitive cornhole and then got the kids ready for bed. We will be here two nights and the goal is not to drive anywhere in the FunV tomorrow.
Wednesday is my birthday and we have plans to be floating down the Snake River to get a glimpse of the wildlife. We didn’t feel like the kids were quite ready for a big rafting adventure so we chose the 13 mile scenic float. I can’t wait, I am hoping for a moose.