Sunlight revealed the first discovery of its kind in the United States and the largest in the world of fossilized tracks of an ancient hippo that wandered beachfront property in Wyoming millions of years ago. This is how researchers from Salt Lake City found the site.
It’s been a hard year for everyone. This summer, how about we let the kids pretend like everything is OK in the world? These getaway spots offer perks for the grownups, like mountain bike trails, surf breaks, and rooftop bars, as well as the drive-in movie theaters, hot-springs-fed pools, and skate parks that will keep the kids happy.
Escalante, Utah
Photo: Courtesy Aleks Butman)
Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument is paradise for young explorers. They can wander among slot canyons, gape at sandstone arches and natural bridges, and dig for dinosaur fossils. If your kids can handle a six-mile round-trip hike, it’s worth the trek to Lower Calf Creek Falls, which drops 130 feet into a pool below. Take a drive on Hole in the Rock Road to explore hoodoos in Devils Garden or hike the family-friendly Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Gulch slot canyons. The reward: burgers and shakes at Nemo’s in the town of Escalante afterward. Yonder Escalante (RV sites from $69; cabins f
Although defeated in the last election, Donald Trump’s toxic legacy lives on, one example being his random, destructive pull-backs of protections on three of America’s most revered national monuments: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Bears Ears National Monument. Beyond their ecological value, these areas are sacred threads in the fabric of Indigenous cultures. Protection of these public lands is an element of America’s greatness.
Before leaving office, the Trump administration held a bargain basement sale on oil and gas leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Republican Congress having lifted ANWR protections in their 2017 Tax Act. Thanks to the efforts of public action groups, “Big Oil” was dissuaded from bidding on these leases. The six largest financial institutions in the U.S. and Canada declined to finance drilling there due to risks to their reputations and the meager chance of profitability. In an attempt to p