Dinosaurs Galore ; Bones Tell Tall Tales of Days Long, Long Ago

WOODLAND PARK – When dinosaurs roamed the Earth, they likely would not have stood patiently in a building (that didn’t exist yet) for your observation, but at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center their remains await your gazing eye.

The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center is home to a vast collection of fossil remains belonging to Triebold Paleontology Incorporated, a commercial paleontology group. The museum is an educational trip to times long before human civilizations.

History: Tyrannosauruses once scoured Colorado for food. Fast forward 60 million years. Mike and J.J. Triebold of Triebold Paleontology Incorporated scour the country for dinosaur remains.

Triebold Paleontology Incorporated has been in operation for more than 15 years, providing services for museums and individuals including paleontological exploration, data collection, excavation, preparation, restoration, skeletal mounting, mold making and casting. The specimens can be viewed in museums across the globe. Triebold Paleontology Incorporated manages fossil digs in South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas and Montana.

The company opened the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center slightly more than one year ago as a facility to showcase its specimens and educate visitors. The resource center features three rooms of displays, a theater showing films of actual field digs or documentaries, a working fossil lab into which visitors can peer and a large gift shop.

Our favorite part: The vast displays of prehistoric remains. Dinosaur Hall is filled with Cretaceous-era exhibits and dinosaur bones — actually most are casts of the authentic bones so they can be screwed together to build the enormous display creatures; the actual bones would be jeopardized by having screws inserted. A towering Triceratops skeleton greets visitors as they wander into the hall, while Pteranodons hang from the ceiling. Among other remains, a Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis — meaning “thick-headed lizard from Wyoming” which is best known for it’s thick skull dome – - and a Edmontosaurus annectus (a duck-billed dinosaur) are also on display.

A Prehistoric Ocean room features sea-dwelling creatures from the Cretaceous Period. Massive marine reptiles and ferocious fish hang above visitors as they view the displays. If these frightening creatures still roamed the oceans many folks would never swim.

Bet you didn’t know: Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was considered one of America’s first paleontologists. Jefferson’s interest in ancient creatures earned him the nickname “Mr. Mammoth,” and some people even referred to Jefferson as the “Father of Paleontology.”

Jefferson’s focus was mammoths, but his fossil collection included vertebrates and invertebrates of all types.

Kids will love: Woody’s Paleo Playground, inside Dinosaur Hall, gives young visitors the opportunity to touch actual fossils — a Triceratops rib and an Edmontosaurus skin impression. Among other activities, children can rummage for fossils at the dig site table or watch educational videos that run nonstop.

Special occasions: Dimitri Klebe, astronomer from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will be giving a lecture July 1. The center usually has at least two events planned for each month. Check the “Events” page on the Web site, www.rmdrc.com, for more information. It also is willing to host birthday parties.

Busiest days: The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center is busiest Fridays and Saturdays, usually from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Best time to visit: If you want to avoid the crowds, visit the center first thing in the morning or try the facility two hours before it closes. Mondays and Tuesdays are usually the slowest days.

Souvenirs and snacks: The Prehistoric Paradise store contains almost any dinosaur-related souvenir you could desire — kids toys, intricate models and excavation tools. There’s no snack shop, but you can get soda and candy in the store. For a special treat, why not indulge in some Triceratops droppings? Don’t worry; they’re just little chocolates.

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Hours: Through the summer, the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays.

Cost: $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for ages 65 and older, $6.50 for children ages 5 to 12 and free for children under 5.

Discounts: $1 discount to military personnel with a valid identification card.

Tours: Tours can be self-guided, or the resource center offers hourlong guided tours daily; tour times change based upon guide availability. Call before you visit for tour times.

Group tours are available but must be scheduled at least one week in advance. Groups must be between 10 and 50 people and will receive a guided tour at a discounted rate; adults are $8, $5.75 for children ages 5 to 12 and $3.50 for those under the age of 5. For every group of 10 kids, one adult is admitted free.

Phone: 686-1820

Web site: www.rmdrc.com

Location: The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center is located in Woodland Park. From downtown Colorado Springs take U.S. Interstate 24 (Cimarron Street) west for about 18 miles. The resource center will be on the left at South Fairview Street — just look for the palm trees.

Parking: The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center has ample parking for a fleet of vehicles, including RVs and buses.

Handicapped-friendly: Yes

Pet friendly: No, but guide dogs are allowed. The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center is a dog’s dream with all those bones, and they probably do not want Rover chewing on a femur of a Triceratops.