Welcome Y'all!
Hope you have been doing well. It's been an interesting year thus far and travel for me personally slowed down after the snowdemic here in Central Texas. There is still so much learning that happens through the IG community where I virtually travel across Texas through fellow bloggers and I am grateful for it.
I happened to visit Waco, TX for the vaccine (which was one and done, yay!) and had a few hours in hand before driving back home. While Magnolia market and spice village is super famous there, a few miles from downtown is an incredible site that houses discovery from ice-age. How cool is that? The Waco Mammoth was declared a National Monument a few years ago and in partnership with Baylor there is much worked done on these discoveries. The story makes me tear up as it is predicted from years of study that possibly a flood was the reason for herd of nursery Mammoths to be trapped and loose their lives. And, this is the only location is US where nursery herd of mammoth remains have been found so far.
Trails: While there are few trails in the park, A and I hiked the Eagle Trail which was lush with wildflowers (didn't see bon bons here), butterflies were plenty and quiet a few ladybugs too. Music for the hike was in courtesy of Song birds and cardinals. This trail was only about 0.5 miles, easy to hike with great views of nature.
Dig Shelter: While fossils were on display outside, you don't want to miss visiting the dig shelter that has the larger fossils on display. Spoiler alert - the dig shelter has two portraits of Mammoths and its herd that is great for a selfie with. While the park itself is free to access, there is a fee towards accessing the dig shelter. What is typically a guided tour accompanied by a ranger, was a self guided tour due to COVID.
Junior Ranger: I love when learning happens organically and can be fun. Do ask for an activity book at the main office if you are visiting with kids 5 years and above. A was able to knock-out 5 of those and was sworn in as a Junior Ranger. She has one from the State Parks already and this was way beyond exciting for her. Kids get a badge and a certificate :)
Sharing pictures of a couple of buga buga bug friends whom we met in the Eagle Trail.
Can't make it to Waco, Texas? There is a virtual tour of the dig shelter with the displays is now accessible through their website. Also, they offer distance learning program and would make a fantastic mini learning session for the summer break. Isn't this is super cool?
Overall, a neat place to stop by and you can get the best out of the park in less than 2 hours if you are on a time crunch. If you have an entire day, Brazos Park East, Cameron Park Zoo (this is A's favorite of all the zoos we have been to), Texas Ranger Hall of Fame museum is all in the vicinity. Also, there is a Mammoth Q at Baylor University's Mayborn Museum complex.
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Cheers,
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