Day 15 and 16

Day 15 – 16
On Day 15, we woke up in Steamboat Springs. Helen went mountain biking (a dangerous sport that should only be undertaken by those with health insurance) and Maryanne went exploring the downtown. Helen discovered mountains and Maryanne found five books she wanted to buy – but didn't because of life budget cuts. (Library card attainment is number one on list priorities in SF now.)

As we drove away from Steamboat, we talked about how great it was to finally meet our cousins and about the BROWN REUNION; (which is occurring Christmas '09!!) If you're reading this and a Brown, you are invited. If you aren't a Brown, you are invited if you bring us all gifts. We will provide a wish list when the date gets closer.

About an hour and a half away, Helen realized she had left all her nice gear in the dryer. There was panic, swearing, guilt and general misery that was alleviated when our cousin, Amy, promised to ship the stuff to Moab.

Three hours later, we arrived at Dinosaur National Monument (DNM) in Utah only to learn the sole place to get food was another twenty minutes away in Vernal. Maryanne hates excessive driving and so she was annoyed to waste gas, money and time. Helen tried to make her less upset, but soon both sisters were angry to learn that Utah only allows 3.2% alcohol and charges about 40% more in cost!

We purchased survival food and then drove BACK to meet our excellent couch surfing host, Lindsey! Lindsey is actually a park ranger for DNM and so the only way she could have been more perfect was if she washed our car and gave us each a $1000. Regardless of the lack of back massages, she was excellent!

Day 16 we went to the visitor center and talked to the park ranger / our host, Lindsey and got some advice about where to go. She suggested we drive about 40 minutes to see the Jones Hole Trail. There were many obstacles in getting there – most notably a herd of 300 cows in the middle of the road.

When Maryanne's cow shit covered car (euphemisms don't capture how gross the car was) finally made it to the trail, we were very excited to get out and explore!

The eight mile trail was both sisters' favorite trail of their entire lives. We saw dead deer! Bighorn sheep! The Green River! Walked between canyons! Ate a lunch atop a waterfall! Hunted for fossils! Saw inbred children! DINOSAURS! Watch the video!

That night, we went downtown in Vernal for coffee and internet. Soon we met up Lindsey's friends and coworkers and somehow we ended up in a big truck heading into the woods of Utah to explore a cave. If ever there was a time we were going to die while couch surfing, this WAS it.
We went to Massie's Cave (spelling?) and explored inside it. It was really fascinating, a labyrinth of turns and twists, that only our guides understood. There was spray-paint