As we gathered at the Maverik station on the west side of town on Day No. 2, the weather looked promising. We lined up eight machines and headed out for adventure. The track I was following took us east back toward town, where we turned south onto North Long St., then west out of town onto 500 St. South onto a country road.

The extra day was enough to dry out the trails, but we came to a gulch that had seen a lot of water, creating dirt benches on either side at the bottom. I tried to cross this chasm while everyone watched. I had the transmission in low range as I dropped into the bottom, but as I tried to climb out on the other side, my rear wheels spun out. I backed up, put my machine in four-wheel drive, and climbed out on the other side.

Two others made the crossing, but no one else seemed to be interested. I couldn’t see what the big deal was — three of us made it just fine. I came back across and we took another route. Later, I watched a video of my crossing that one of the riders had taken. I realized then that I wouldn’t have wanted to follow me either.

We followed a road that I didn’t even know existed. It was Old State Route 24 – the highway to Hanksville. That road is Highway 24, which comes north and ends at Interstate 70. We turned off the old route onto the Buckmaster Road and headed north.

We passed through two large culverts that took us under the Interstate. At one point, the road was washed out. We had to take a path around the gully to continue north, and took a trail over a ridge that came out on the Four Corners Mine Road near the Buckmaster Reservoir.

I knew I was on the right road, but I didn’t know where I was in relation to the dinosaur bones. This road comes up from the south at the point where Highway 24 continues south from the Interstate. No, I wasn’t lost, but I didn’t know where I was exactly.

I led everyone south to the Interstate, where we turned around and headed back. Now that I had my bearings, I knew I could find the bones. We rode two and a half miles north and turned left onto a trail that arced around back to the north.

We stopped on a knoll and got out. As a group, we started walking down a rocky slope to the east and found the bones. It is difficult to identify the critter.

This place was not meant to become commercial – it is not marked. I have directed people to this place before. The people who have seen them have respected them, and that is why they are still preserved.

Afterward, I led the group farther south to the edge of a cliff overlooking the San Rafael River Valley. It was a good view of the edge of the Swell. We could see a trail below that could be reached from a point farther north, but that was a ride for another day. We watched a rider in the valley making his way on that trail.

Before heading back to town, we explored some evidence of uranium mining from the 1950s. There are entrances to mines that have been backfilled for safety reasons. There are also open mining pits with wood beams and evidence of mining shacks. There is a lot of mining history to be explored in this area.

We got turned north on the mine road on our way back toward town. We crossed Highway 191 and followed the railroad tracks back to the Maverik station, finishing a ride of 39 miles. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and have your own adventure in dinosaur country.

Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com