Dinosaur Valley

Last weekend we went with our homeschooling group for the annual camping trip. This year, about 20 families made the trip to Glen Rose, Texas to camp at Dinosaur Valley State Park. It was a beautiful park with heavily wooded campsites, a river that drew the kids like a magnet, and, of course, dinosaur tracks.

As soon as we arrived, as the adults started setting up tents, the kids started begging for a grown up to come down so they could swim. They had a blast in the river, despite the frigid water.



Griffin had help from another dad, who was smart enough to bring water-friendly shoes!



After the kids were worn out, dried off, and the campsites prepared, we started a fire for roasting hot dogs and s'mores. Yummmmmm!!



Once everyone was full, the kids felt rejuvinated enough to run around again for a couple of more hours -- this time with glow sticks. Eventually, we wrangled all the kids into the tents and settled in for the night. Unfortunately, it was a long and c-o-l-d night. It dipped down into the 30s. Brrrrrr. Our Texas camping gear couldn't keep up with it and I have to admit it was quite unpleasant. Or maybe miserable would be a better word.

After warming up at the campfire with hot coffee (thanks Marilee and Gary!), things were much improved. Most of the group headed to Fossil Rim Wildlife Park, but we decided to hang out and explore more. Two other families also stayed, so we took turns going on hikes sans children. The men went first, then the women escaped for a long, blissful hike. When we returned, we discovered that the men had spent their time with the kids building a chute in the river for the kids to go down, much like the ones at Schlitterbahn. They got very into this project, and did an amazing job.



We spent the rest of the afternoon in and out of the water, and spent the evening with hot dogs and s'mores again in front of the fire. And, after endless games of Mafia and glow stick playing, the kids went to bed and the grown ups stayed up way too late swapping stories at the campfire. The second night was infinitely better, since it was so much warmer. In the morning, after playing a bit more, we packed up camp. We stopped in the town of Glen Rose to eat with friends before making the trip back to Austin. All in all, a lovely weekend!





You can find the complete set of pictures here.