Dinosaurs, Ghosts, and Pottery

Big Trip 2... Day 13... July 11, 2007... Wednesday

0630 Wake up, get dressed, go downstairs for coffee.

0645 Start typing. I'm trying to get the blog up to date but at this point I think it's never going to happen! The drive from Memphis to Kerrville is stalled out near Dallas and I'm also behind on everything after Albuquerque.

0700 Bella is awake. "I'm the #1 kid."

0745 Ryan wakes up.

0815 Felisa wakes up.

0825 Bella is hungry but they can't seem to stop playing long enough to get dressed.

1043 Finally everyone is dressed and fed. The room has been picked up and the sofa bed folded away. We've decided where to go today and we're in the car, at the gas station.

1122 Arrive at the new Dinosaur Center in Woodland Park. This town, like everything else in Colorado has grown and changed since we were last here. I didn't realize that this is where we were heading. In my mind, we were headed for the Florissant Fossil Beds not this brand new place I'd never seen before.

12:48 p.m. Back in the car. Time for our customary "Favorite Part" survey.
Ryan: Prehistoric Planet movie and the build-your-own dinosaur with magnets activity
Bella: Digging for bones
Felisa: Jumping (she can jump as far as a rabbit)
Grandma Ford: watching the kids having fun
Sheila: looking at the ginormous skeletons

12:50 p.m. Stop at Taco Bell for lunch. I bought each kid their own order of nachos so they didn't have to share like they usually do. Ryan said it's because we're on vacation and we're celebrating.

1:37 p.m. Done with lunch. Time to head back down the mountain.

2:00 p.m. Arrive at the Ghost Town Museum. I have driven past this place hundreds of times but have never stopped.

3:30 p.m. Done with the Museum and the Van Briggle Pottery Place.
Favorite Part of Ghost Town...
Ryan: the shooting gallery and panning for gold ("Panning for gold is hard.")
Bella: Funny mirrors (like at the fair)
Felisa: Sitting on the sawhorse "horse"

My review... I was disappointed in the gold panning activity. It would have been nice to see a sample of the gold bits we were supposed to be looking for posted at the activity site or else have a staff member there to offer hints and instruction. So, if you go there, ask to see the sample gold before you go inside. It was cool though to be able to try it out and see how hard it really is.

Favorite part of the Van Briggle Pottery Factory:
Ryan: Frog statues
Bella: the tea sets
Felisa: the lady working on the pottery

4:01 p.m. Stop at the dry cleaners on the way back to the hotel. Pass what used to be Lone Star and is now being turned into Texas Land and Cattle Restaurant.

4:17 p.m. Back at hotel. Ron is home from his class but isn't in the room. Must be downstairs working out.

Free dinner at the hotel tonight is hot dogs and hamburgers. Apple pie for dessert. I take a short nap before dinner then after dinner the kids want to go swimming. I'm tired still and I want everyone to go to bed earlier tonight since the kids are tired too. Unfortunately, there is a downside to going to the pool right after dinner. Everyone else is at the pool then too and it is a total zoo. Guess tomorrow we'll be swimming at our customary 8:00 time.

8:30 p.m. Everyone is in bed. The kids are watching a movie and Ron and I are watching TV.