Distinctly Montana Magazine

17 w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m E VER SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID (A LONG TIME AGO, SINCE NOW I'M TEN YEARS OLD), DINOSAURS FASCINATED ME. My shelves were lined with dinosaur books, my bed was filled with dinosaur stuffies and my walls were covered in dinosaur wallpaper and stickers. So you can see why the Museum of the Rockies is one of my favorite places to go. And when I heard there was a new permanent exhibit, I knew we had to get someone, Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, anyone, to take me! The moment you walk into any of the exhibits, it feels like you are going back in time. You get a front row experience to the history of our world. In the Cretaceous Crossroads exhibit, there were so many things to see and touch! I learned a lot! Like I thought one thing was a T. rex, but it was actually a Daspletosaurus horneri. I loved learning about the Mosasaur. It's my new favorite Cretaceous critter. And it's very interactive! But the best thing was that all the dinosaurs were from Montana, just like me! Maybe I'm related to them! Every time we go, my brother wants to go upstairs to the kids' area. I thought I was too old for the kids' area, but when my brother insisted we go in, I realized I would have a lot of fun. My brother and I played Old West explorer where we were exploring Yellowstone in Western times, and I was letting him stay at my cabin. Also, we watched the guyser go off. It was loud but fun! The minute we walked into the museum, we wanted to go to the Planetarium. It feels like you're getting blasted into space. You can't keep your eyes off of it! After the show, I wanted to be an astronaut. And fly a rocket into space for real. The best part of the amazing gift shop is you get to take a piece of the Museum of the Rockies with you. There was a really cool pterodactyl plushie, so I convinced my dad to buy it for me. It was really fun to learn about Earth and Montana's past at the Museum of the Rockies! I can't wait for the next time I'll go, maybe I'll see you there. my trip to the Museum Rocki by CLEMENTINE ANTONIOLI, AGE 10

• Cover