This park has been on our Want-to-see Texas Parks List for some time, and as we drove toward Waco, Tony realized it was just a short detour away from our route. We quickly found a place to stay for the night (Saturday night stays can be tough to find without advance reservations) at the Dinosaur Valley RV Park which is adjacent to the state park. The bathhouse contained several private bathrooms, and the park had some fun entertainment.

After checking in to get a spot for the night, we drove less than a mile to the state park. Santa was there and telescopes were set up with sun filters on them for daytime viewing in honor of the Winter Solstice. A solar prominence was visible as well as sun spots. The two dinosaur models on display were built for the New York City World’s Fair of 1964 and 1965, paid for by Sinclair Oil.

The tracks that warrant this land being preserved as a state park were discovered after they were exposed by a massive flood on the Paluxy River in 1908. It wasn’t really known which dinosaurs made these tracks until decades of research have lead to Acrocanthosaurus and Sauroposeidon proteles being agreed upon over 100 years later. Science progress can seem slow, but changes are made when new research warrants it.