Maddy here! I found several dinosaurs just down the street from where I'm staying in Utah.
The Museum of the San Rafael is home to several dinosaur skeletons including an Allosaurus.
"Allosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic Period around 140 million years ago. It is one of the largest and most fearsome predators to have ever lived on land.
Allosaurus had short arms, ending in sharp 10 long dagger-like claws, which it could use to tear into the flesh of its victims.
Sharp four inch long teeth were also used to tear apart the dead and dying victims that were unfortunate enough to have been hunted by Allosaurus.
Fossils found in Utah, North America suggest that Allosaurus may have lived and hunted in groups or packs."
Source: http://www.kidsdinos.com
While at the museum I also learned about the area's early culture. People of the Fremont Culture lived in the San Rafael area of Utah about a thousand years ago, then vanished. Besides implements of their daily life, they left behind rock art.
I went out to see their petroglyphs carved and chipped into a massive rock face a few miles outside of town. No one can be sure what the images mean since the artists are long gone.There are also ancient pictographs from a previous culture painted onto the same bluff. It's an awesome sight that should be viewed when the rock face is shaded, as the painted images will seemingly disappear in direct sun and you can't see the details.
I'm off to explore the canyon lands. My next post will be on my favorite subject—GEOLOGY!
That's all for now,
Maddy
