So I am sensing a theme over the past couple of days...could it be possible that I love dinosaur fossils?!? Yes!!! We stopped in Clayton, NM to stretch our legs during our drive from Colorado and just happened to pass a dinosaur display on our way through town. There was pretty much no debate at that point. Getting back to West Texas at a reasonable hour? No longer an option. Our attempt at an hour detour turned into several hours, but we had a lot of fun. Clayton Lake State Park claims to have one of the highest concentrations and diversity (at least 8 species) of preserved dinosaur tracks in the world, and I can see why. Despite my love of dinosaurs, I have gotten to see very few in-place dinosaur tracks and have not yet been able to visit Dinosaur Valley State Park outside of Dallas/Ft. Worth. The couple of places that I have visited have had 2-4 preserved prints (still very cool), while Clayton Lake claims to have over 500 (wow!). While they are not all obvious, many are excellent. The entry fee for the park was $5. The visitor's center looked very nice, but was closed when we arrived, so we filled out our permit slip and deposited our fee into the box at one of the several information stations (there is one at the entrance of the parking area for the dinosaur tracks). The walk was only 1/4 mile each way, but it was hot and its easy to stay at the tracks longer than planned, so bring water. The trail was level and easy, but not paved, and a set of stairs leads you down to the footprints. At the end of the trail was a pavilion with information about the tracks. And now, on to the tracks!!! There were also informative signs along the boardwalk to explain what you were seeing. This sign explains the footprints seen in the picture above. In addition to dinosaur tracks, there are also fossilized remains of worm burrows, palm fronds (pictured above), possible leaves and an area where they think a dinosaur used its tail to balance itself in the mud. There were plenty of tracks and imprints to see and speculate about, but there was also beautiful scenery and plenty of wildlife including Mule deer, dragonflies, damselflies, bunnies, birds, and an unusual looking cricket (unfortunately, I did not get a good picture). Highlights of the birds included a Greater Roadrunner, Say's Phoebes, Rock Wrens, an Ash-throated Flycatcher, a Green-tailed Towhee, Lark Sparrows, a Red-tailed Hawk, and swirling Turkey Vultures.
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Ok, so this one is not outdoors, but it is full of fossils (which used to be outdoors), and I'm not going to argue with a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Are you?! I love fossils and this is my favorite museum! It is privately run and it is my understanding that the museum is a showcase of what the owners have found on paleontology digs. After finding a specimen, they cast representations of the actual bones and put them on display here. Castings of these specimens are sold to museums all over the world. While most of what is on display are castings, there are some real fossils as well. There are some that you can touch and some that you cannot. Their collection is impressive with a range of both terrestrial and aquatic fossils. They offer free guided tours throughout the day (ours was great) and have a wonderful gift shop that includes real fossils and castings for purchase (be prepared to part with some money). Amazingly, real fossils can be purchased for as little as $1-2 all the way up to $20-40 and castings up to the $1000's. One of my favorite things about this museum is its size. It is small and manageable, but they have made good use of the space and many of the displays are hung from the ceiling. It is up to you whether to spend 30 min or a few hours here, and while there are displays everywhere, it is not overwhelming. If you are in the Colorado Springs area, this museum is definitely worth a visit. My personal favorite, the smallest, terrestrial dinosaur there, Bambiraptor feinbergi!
I have visited this park twice, in 2010 and 2015, and the views and wildlife were worth the visit both times. This is a free park maintained by the city of Colorado Springs. The park can be seen by driving, biking, or walking and there are a couple of pull-offs and parking lots. There are trails off of the parking areas and a biking lane that follows the road. The park also has a very large gift shop (called the Trading Post) and a separate Visitor's Center. Bursts of wind can blow through the park, particularly around the main parking area, bringing with them blowing dust, so be mindful when you are in the higher areas. Additionally, storms can come up quickly, so be prepared. There is also plenty of wildlife including deer, bunnies, and squirrels/chipmunks, so please drive carefully. Highlights of the birds I saw included a Prairie Falcon, Black-billed Magpies, Western Scrub-Jays, Spotted Towhee, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Pinion Jays can also be found here, but I did not see one. The main attractions here are the rock formations, which are beautiful, and I also really enjoyed the Least, or Colorado, chipmunks!
Wow! This place had quite a collection. I was expecting a history of mining, which they also had, but the majority of this museum is a spectacular collection of minerals. The Geology Museum is located within the Colorado School of Mines in Boulder, Colorado. There are two floors and the rooms that house the museum are relatively small, but they are packed full of incredible things to look at. The upstairs is minerals, found locally and globally, a short history of mining, and crown jewels. The downstairs contains fossils of all kinds, meteorites, more minerals, and a gift shop. In addition to the museum, the campus has points of interest, including dinosaur tracks and imprints/fossils, that you can walk to. I did not realize it, but we got there 45 minutes before the museum closed an it was not enough time for me. I would have gladly gone back the next day, but due to the 4th of July the rest of the weekend was a school holiday, so the museum was closed. An added bonus was that the museum was free. We will definitely visit again when we are in the Boulder area. I took way too many pictures, and I can't upload them all, so this is only a small sample of what the museum held.
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September 2022
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