Dinosaur Hunting

    I have to say, there are a lot worse places to be than hanging out in the Alberta Badlands. Also, by doing it two years in a row, hanging out as a Sisters' Weekend really needs to stay an annual thing from now until forever. Maybe not always the Badlands, but a summer weekend trip of just us*.

                                               * "us" being myself, my sister, and my kids (who are sisters)

    I didn't take a bunch of photos, picking instead to just be there and enjoy the trip and the weekend rather than my usual fussing about recording it.
    We checked out the Royal Tyrrell Museum on Friday. If you've never been, it's amazing! Plus, going on a weekday meant the crowd was a lot smaller than any previous trip I've taken there and the kids got to do a lot of the interactive displays.
    The heat kept the hiking trail quiet for us, as well. We had time to see what plants were around, read the information signs, and study the recently exposed rocks for any new fossils. (We didn't find any, but it was a lot of fun to look.)

    On Saturday we grabbed breakfast at the hotel and then went straight to the Hoodoos in the morning for some hiking and climbing. The only change from last year is that the city of Drumheller is now charging $2 (CAD) for parking, which I'm assuming goes toward maintaining the stairways and keeping this part of the park clean for everyone to visit. And, honestly, the stairs and cleanliness are worth the small charge. This natural playground is gorgeous! 
    I'm probably starting to sound like a tourist promotion site. I'm okay with that – our trip was awesome. Saturday afternoon was playing at the spray park under the World's Largest Dinosaur, and Saturday evening was hiding from a thunderstorm at the hotel. (With take-out dinner once the rain cleared off.)

This is the spot that my 4 year old and I climbed up to ...

... which is up here, over half way up the valley wall behind the Hoodoos!

The area around the Hoodoos was full of hills, like this, to climb on and explore around.

This photo is care of www.outdoorescapade.com. Click the image to check out their site!

    Sunday was a repeat for breakfast and setting out for hiking, but our destination was Horsethief Canyon. It was stunning. It was also windy, and (for the kids) not that much fun when getting knocked about by a gust or two. We were able to find spots to hike and climb which were out of the worst of the wind, and the breeze over in those places was just enough to keep the mosquitoes away from us.
    If you do come here, remember to bring healthy snacks for the ground squirrels / gophers. They're adorable, and fruits and veggies are much better than chips, french fries, or bread / crackers.

    Monday was unfortunately our checkout day, so after a great stay and another tasty breakfast, we set out from the hotel and aimed directly for the World's Largest Dinosaur. This place is a blast because, not only is the gift shop barely interested in catering to adults (the store with keepsakes rather than toys is across the street, attached to the ice cream shop), but you can climb the dinosaur! The mouth is actually a balcony and the stairway through the giant dino is painted with prehistorically themed murals. There are also a few displays and fossils to spot out on the way up and down. The balcony is enclosed by plexiglass, with the gap between the teeth and the glass having become a wishing well (the change is donated to the charity that the dino company supports).

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    In case you're curious, we stayed at the Quality Hotel. It's quiet, clean, and everyone on staff that we spoke to was friendly. The complimentary breakfast was excellent, plus had a lot of kid- and adult-friendly options. We even spent some time in the new fitness room! It's a good addition to an already excellent place to stay. The room prices are average for Drumheller. :)

Photo is from Explore 150. Click the image to check out their site.

This hotel shares the parking lot with a Freson Bros. grocery store, a Canadian Tire, and an A&W. McDonald's is just a block away. (Considerations when traveling with kids!)

    Needless to say, it was a quiet drive home for me as my 7 year old listened to music and my 4 year old had a nap. We were all just as happy to come home as we were to have our weekend away! Lol 
    I'm also happy to report that I finished drafting the last short story for the half-summer writing blitz as of yesterday, so I'm starting off August just as I wanted to be: ready for editing. I'm hoping to get through the editing, see if I can find good titles for at least most of the new stuff, and come into September with a ton of fresh material to use and abuse as blog stories. Hope you have a great weekend!