Dinosaur National Monument is an enormous area, and I assumed that it was riddled with dinosaur sites. As we drove all the way around the park, seeing notices that said, “No Dinosaurs Here,” I was becoming more and more skeptical.
When we finally got there, it was mind-blowing, awe-inspiring, with all the power of our Creator on display. I am humbled also by the care and creativity of our scientists.
These are the actual bones, preserved in place. Massive forces upended an ancient riverbed to almost 90 degrees. One massive spinal section was visible at the top of a hill. The man who discovered it hesitated to be excited at first, because he thought those bones might be the only ones. Once he started the excavation, he dreamed of the day that the work would stop in the middle and the wall would be preserved for people to see.
That is exactly what happened. Hundreds of skeletons have been meticulously excavated and hundreds more are still underneath. The white area on the diagram above is a hilltop that has been completely removed. The brown area is what is on display. You have seen the dinosaurs in the natural history museums and they are impressive. The museum may even have had pictures of an excavation site like this. The pictures had nowhere near the impact of the real thing. I know your mind is not blown by these pictures, so maybe someday, you will get to go.
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