Over a hundred million years ago, the area that
is now Dinosaur National Monument attracted the behemoth creatures of
its namesake with its plentiful supply of food and water. Renowned for
its world- famous fossil quarry, Dinosaur National Monument is also
home to two of the West’s legendary whitewater rivers: the
Yampa and the Green.
In this new addition to the Desert Places series, river runner and
author Hal Crimmel, along with photographer Steve Gaffney, invite
readers to partake in the beauty of Dinosaur National
Monument’s remote, rapids-filled canyons, and wonder at the
unique ecological niches found in this high desert oasis.
Gaffney’s reflective photographs emphasize the rough
perfection of the landscape; Crimmel’s pensive meditations
and his river expertise combine to create a rare point of view, one
that ventures into places the guidebooks don’t go. But this
narrative is more than tribute—it is a reminder of the
fragile nature of desert places. Crimmel lyrically combines his
descriptions with an examination of the complex issues relevant to
managing public lands — invasive species, tourism, dams,
endangered flora and fauna — to address the contradictions
inherent in “managed wilderness.”
Over four seasons and multiple trips, Crimmel and Gaffney have captured
the rivers’ sense of place, creating a portrait of a dazzling
high desert landscape that needs to be appreciated and protected.
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Dinosaur
Four Seasons on the Green and Yampa Rivers
by Hal Crimmel
photographs by Steve Gaffney
University of Arizona Press,
2007
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a copy
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