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Show O PHOTOS AND PAGE DESIGN BY MARTY LEE . ...... - - ; O ' V"S- 1 i ,:5 . is: V ki: -:, ;:s' s : ' - : . -A&m F - " ' f i&i?? ? , - .1 J A i I.HIIHMMII ' ' ' M" j". .."-;'"';. 'f .V" u.Mi.Mw m, mi imiii , : ' r.V'.. ' ' Xs - -X '-4". ' , " """ . .,s '4,:A ; i i- Above: The Triceratops, largest of the horned dinosaurs, was about 30 feet In length and weighed seven or eight tons. Above: The fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex. u) iyyy-U j ix -M n7 I u u vj v.y voij jviy u i vAU j i s STORY BY TOM HARALDSEN VERNAL Our fascination with the future may only be superceded super-ceded by our intrigue about the past. If you're looking for a fun-filled fun-filled trip into the past, try Dino-saurland Dino-saurland in Vernal. Though a lot of jokes are made about Vernal, a trip to the community com-munity is entertaining for everyone. every-one. Vernal stakes its tourist business busi-ness around Dinosaurland, with two of its three dinosaur attractions attrac-tions in the heart of town. The Dinosaur Museum of Natural Natu-ral History features displays that depict the area from the days of dinosaurs to the present. Displayed Display-ed are bones of the Stegosaurus, Camarasaurus and Diplodocus. Adjacent to the Museum, and probably the favorite of most children, chil-dren, is the newly-finished Dono-saur Dono-saur Gardens, considered one of the finest exhibits of its kind in the world. The garden is "inhabited" by 14 life-size prehistoric creatures, crea-tures, each made of fiberglass, and each exhibited in surroundings resembling re-sembling their homes of millions of years ago. You'll find the gardens very entertaining, en-tertaining, with replicas of Diplodocus, Diplo-docus, Tyrannosaurus Rex. Edaphosaurus, Ornithomimus, Pteranodon, Protoceratops, Triceratops, Rhamphorynchus, Moschops, Stegosaurus and the j Wooley Mammoth. Sculptor Elbert Porter created s all this, working nearly 15 years on 1 the replicas. The million-dollar exhibit ex-hibit features a small lake, swamp area and a rock outcropping with bridge and waterfall. A specially-designed specially-designed lighting system illuminates illumin-ates the dinosaurs, so visitors can enjoy an evening stroll through the garden as well. Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily during the summer months, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year. A 20-mile drive east of Vernal brings you to Dinosaur National Monument. In the Quarry Visitor Center, bones of Diplodocus, Apa-tosaurus, Apa-tosaurus, Stegosaurus, Camarasaurus, Camar-asaurus, Allosaurus and Camp-tosaurus Camp-tosaurus can be seen actually ' embedded in rock formations. The highlight here is observance of paleontologists who patiently chip away at rock to expose the ; fossil remains in the sandstone formation; for-mation; There are remains from at least nine dinosaurs visible in the quarry center, which is fully en- .. , closed and climatized for year- round viewing. The center also features a num ber of interesting displays con-erning con-erning the area, which was a playground play-ground for dinosaurs over 140 million mil-lion years ago. It goes without saying that the rich oil deposits which have ruled Vernal's economy are the results of the dinosaurs whirh once roamed the land. With its close adjacency ad-jacency to Flaming Gorge, a trip to Vernal can be an enjoyable experience experi-ence for all. For more information about Dinosaurland, contact the local travel council at 789-1352. And if you're feeling real adventurous, adven-turous, and want to learn more about ab-out the dinosaurs which once inhabited inha-bited Utah, you might try the Dinosaurland Dino-saurland Triangle. This means additional trips to Price and Grand Junction, Colo. The College of Eastern Utah's Prehistoric Museum includes representative rep-resentative "Terrible Lizards" (The Allosaurus and Camp-tosaurus), Camp-tosaurus), and two recently obtained "study" dinosaurs (the Stegosaurus and Camarasauraus). Also near Price, the Cleveland-Llovd Cleveland-Llovd Dinosaur Quarry is a highly concentrated deposit of over 12,000 dinosaur bones. A national natural landmark since 1966, it contains the remains of at least 10 different Jurassic Age dinosaurs, including two species never before discovered anywhere small meat-eaters known as the Stoke-saurus Stoke-saurus Clevelandi and Marsha-saurus Marsha-saurus Bicentesimus. Grand Junction's "Dinosaur Valley" features similar exhibits of these prehistoric creatures, including includ-ing a hiking trail at the Rabbit Valley Val-ley Research Natural Area (30 miles west of Grand Junction) where you can hike through dinosaur dino-saur remains. The "Trail Through Time" tour will take about 90 minutes, mi-nutes, is Wz miles in length, and features 14 stops. I : X st 5 a -Cn t aSk ? X sui' Ar; v , . - - i .... Above: Visitors cross a bridge and step into the past at Dinosaur Gardens. .mniiiiiiirin- , , ,,, Kin ... limn m ' Below: the Stegosaurus weighed four to six tons, but had a brain weighing only about 2 ounces. U: J ''-" ' 0 I ' ' A.; I t " I . - L X I ' ' . - . " "I I r - 4 r s It -, r . " , - ,,. f :: j 'v' .. y'-' S. ' . : : M ...sa,.. ...- m. ; r ( t . .t ; iVf,. ( jf j - ' "' . II I. II . II I I . , 13? m m mm m mwm mm 1 ' : : : ? ! |