This was our third visit to Prehistoric World. The owners, Paul and Serge Dupuis, are brothers with a life-long passion for paleontology. They have transformed their back yard into a trail through time, with over 50 life-sized, poured concrete statues depicting various dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. They don't do any marketing, but are content with the amount of business generated by repeat visitors and word-of-mouth.
My son, the little paleontology professor, charmed other visitors with his knowledge of dinosaurs. I've picked up some of that knowledge by osmosis (and 2 million readings of books like Oh Say Can You Say Dinosaur.) I found myself cringing when I overheard other visitors mispronouncing stryacosaraus and - even worse - calling dinosaurs "Littlefoot" and "Longneck" à la the Land Before Time movies. It's official, I'm a paleontology snob now.
Here's William, unwisely getting between a Triceratops and a Tyrannosaurus Rex:
And, bravely standing beneath a Baluchitherium, the largest land mammal ever known.
After checking in with all of the extinct creatures, we headed north on Highway 31 towards Ottawa. In flipping through the aforementioned booklet, William found an advertisement for Little Ray's Reptile Zoo. By a staggering coincidence, it was right along the way, so we added a bonus stop to our itinerary. I'd like to say, up front, that I did not scream, faint, or even hyperventilate in the presence of some very large reptiles. I even touched a king snake, a boa constrictor, and tokay gecko, but I drew the line at allowing a tarantula to sit on my hand. May I have a cookie now?
Little Ray's is located in a converted strip mall on the south side of Ottawa. The vast majority of its reptiles are rescued pets - snakes, caimans, lizards, and iguanas abandoned when the novelty wears off. I can't understand such thoughtlessness.
Here's William petting a tokay gecko,
and a boa constrictor.
After washing our hands and shaking off the heebie-jeebies, we were off to the Ice Age Mammals exhibit at the Museum of Nature. It wasn't as extensive as I had hoped, but it was still very nice.
My cousin, V, was wondering how big the giant beaver was. About this big, is the answer:
Our final destination was Mecca:
I bought a new mirror for the bathroom, and feasted upon Swedish meatballs:
Good to the last artery-clogging drop!
7 comments:
Cool day!!
You know, turantulas are a normal occurance here. Especially in the early fall. They migrate south right thru here, and you can see tons of them on those days. On the road, climbing the house, or just in the yard.
And speaking of reptiles, I ran over a rattlesnake on the way to school today.
Why would people make the statement that there is nothing going on in the North County ?
Never a dull moment in your family, is there ?
RBC
ps:
You gave up Tim's Coffee for meat balls covered in gravy , with a side order of greasy french fries ?
Jenny, don't expect me to visit anytime soon!
Yes Mom, I know the meatballs and fries (and yes they were very very greasy mmmm) aren't good for my heart either. But it was a one-off!
Yes, you may have a cookie now.
Sounds like you and William had an excellent day!
Not sure how Grandpa would have dealt with a beaver that large.
Ah, Mecca. I want to go to Mecca. But there is a rumour that one is coming here!!! ALAS!!!
Oh, yeah. Ray's Reptiles is a huge hit wioth the kids up here in Ottawa. Glad you had fun.
I'd never heard about Prehistoric World before. I showed the site to my kids and they really want to go. I've lived here in the North Country most of my life and I never remember that we have so many things to do up here. Thanks for telling us about these places. And UGH!! Where did you see those leaves changing color already?
Hello, Stacy, and welcome to my little world! Prehistoric World is only open until Labor Day. I took the picture of the changing leaves at Prehistoric World. Have a great visit!
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