Some things on our Dinosaur Trip turned out even better than I had expected; other things could be improved upon. Following are some thoughts.
Side trips - We found interesting attractions unrelated to dinosaurs along the way. The most notable were the petroglyphs at Dinosaur National Monument and the red cliffs of the Colorado. We also had a great time goofing off at the top of Douglas Pass, and even found a fossil there.
More time - We could fit in only a little time for side trips. Next time, we could easily allow an extra day at each stop to accommodate side trips. Also, extra time would let us take a day off to hang around the pool and relax. That would help reduce the relentless feeling we got from a schedule with planned activities every day.
Travel at a cooler time of year - August was unbearably hot. A trip to western Colorado and Eastern Utah should be taken at a cooler time of year. Late May or early June would have been much better.
Get an earlier start - It was a lot cooler first thing in the morning than at noon or one o'clock when we started hiking. We took our time in the morning; if we had started our hikes first thing we could have relaxed later in the day. Also, if we had extra days at each stop we would feel more like starting early, knowing we had time to relax later.
Sign up for planned activities - We avoided the dig tours, but might choose to take one another time. Being part of a group would be fun. I would want to choose one that would allow both of us to participate together.
Visit more museums - We could add short side trips to other museums along the way.
Go to new places - The Sternberg Museum Of Natural History in Hays, Kansas and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science are on the way if we drive west from Kansas City.
