Dinosaurs, Mammoths and the Tallest Miner in Utah

We went to the dinosaur museum in Price Utah a couple of weeks ago. Apparently there were wooly mammoths around here until hundreds of years after Christ.

I really appreciated the explanations regarding the mass extinctions that took place eons ago. They had a little display (in Spanish and English no less) with not only the different hypotheses regarding why the mammoths died out but also a list of pros and cons next to each argument. I wish more scholars presented their findings that way, Based on the information now have available, this is our best guess.
 

I tend to think that Utahn humor is pretty cheesy. When I saw this skeleton labeled as a "utahraptor" I thought it was another cheesy Utahn joke. It turns out that this dinosaur is actually a little different in shape from a velociraptor, and native to Utah. They think it had feathers. That's one big, deadly chicken.

About half the museum was actually dedicated to non prehistoric Utah. The Utes weren't the only Indians to settle this area. Anthropologists believe that there were several migrations of different peoples.
 

Here's Becca in a big teepee they have on display. As I looked around at the remnants of this ancient people I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them. As hunter-gathers, they would go hungry or glut themselves depending on how many berries they could find or how well hunting went. At the same time, the farms of Egypt, Europe and the Fertile Crescent produced an abundance of food. As far as we can tell, the Utes were incapable of any significant architecture. Hundreds of miles to the south the Mayans, Aztecs and the Incas were surrounded by spacious palaces, pyramids and other buildings.

I don't mean to say that the Utes were stupid or that their lives had no meaning. I'm sure they were as clever as anyone else and their lives were certainly meaningful to them. I just think it's a pity that there was so much to life that they could have enjoyed but didn't. They lived in the relative stone-age while other civilizations in the world were attempting brain-surgery and preserving their knowledge with written language.

It was just a strong reminder to me that no one is as smart as all of us. Great things come from sharing and exchanging wisdom and knowledge. The Utes were fairly cut-off from civilization and so they could never plug into all the benefits of modern society. It helps me feel grateful for how easy it is for us to spread knowledge and wisdom in our days. Here is Becca next to the tallest miner in Utah.
 

I've just been appointed to the BYU Management Society's South American Board. I'll be working on "international joint initiative projects." Basically, it will be more of the work I've been doing with the Brazilians, now I just have a title and official position to go with it. I'm actually really excited!