Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, May 7-8

When we were at the visitor center in Dinosaur, Utah, I met a couple that had traveled from Arkansas and were just raving about Flaming Gorge. National Recreation Area.   They were so enamored with the area that they were thinking about not continuing there travels to the other areas of Utah and just staying at Flaming Gorge for the remainder of there trip.  OK, I'll bite.  We headed to Flaming Gorge before making our push to Reno.

Most of the campgrounds were not open yet, and the one that was open didn't have water.  The sign informed a discount was given and the campground would be $23 instead of $25.00.  To me, that's pretty steep for dry camping and not much of a discount.

Unfortunately, the weather turned ugly and the flaming red rocks were muted to say the least.  In fact, Red Canyon was socked it with rain and clouds so I didn't even take one photo.  However, we did take the tour of the dam which was interesting....for a small dam, which goes nearly 420 down.   The docent was interesting and provided lots of information and history.  I've toured Hoover Dam which is spectacular and no comparison to Flaming Gorge, but the tour of Flaming Gorge Dam was much more personal and was well worth the time.

Flaming Gorge Dam:

 View of the Green River from the top of the dam:

 Look closely and you can see trout.  They gather at the bottom of the dam where water temps are perfect.

 The dam is very full this year.

 View of part of the Flaming Gorge Rec area:

It was recommended we drive the Sheep Creek Canyon  which is a designated Geologic Loop.  Part of the loop was closed but most of the unusual rock formation were visible.

 Red Canyon is another highlight of the Gorge, but it was socked in.  However, we did see a herd of Big Horn Sheep.  This guy just stood still while I snapped pictures.

I also caught this little guy.  I think he is a marmot.  

It poured rain  and spit snow the whole time,  so Mothers Day was celebrated leaving Flaming Gorge in pursuit of some drying weather.

The best part of the day was receiving a text from my son and daughter-in-law:

We continued towards Salt Lake City, spending the night at Rockport State Park where we snagged water and electric hookups.  Yes, the weather did clear in the morning.  Now there will be a serious push to Reno.