First big step

This weekend, I had the fortunate chance to be part of history in Thermopolis as I attended the groundbreaking for the Wyoming Dinosaur Center’s new location on Saturday.

Having a love of dinosaurs that goes back as far as I can remember, and having two boys, I find just about any reason to make a trip over to the center. Every time I’m there I think about the center’s future, and I can’t wait to see the actual construction start south of town and, of course, to walk through those new doors for the first time.

As to my fascination with these ancient behemoths, I’ve always been curious with how different a landscape was here when the earth first formed; I often daydream on road trips about the same. The fossil record provides some of the best insight into not only the animals which roamed the land but also the plant life.

As a father now, I hope a bit of that fascination carries over to my kids. Right now, it’s just the endless questions on name pronunciation, where the bones were found, why particular dinosaurs are fighting others and whether giant fish are still here in Boysen Reservoir.

As plans for the new center develop over the next couple years, I urge you to take advantage of the opportunity to provide input on what you’d like to see and concerns you might have. Though Saturday’s groundbreaking is a big step in the new center, we’re still a long way from the finish.