In March of 2020, New York State shut down in an attempt to thwart the spread of COVID-19. Hunter's school, Rider's daycare and the New York State Museum, where I was working at the time, all closed. Jeanette's work did not shut down so the boys had to find their way out there in the shut down world. At first we sort of mucked around the neighborhood to break up the day and get wiggins out. After a while I just loaded the boys into the car and went for long drives. A few times we ended up at Thacher Park and that made all 3 of us happy. We parked at first and I let them pretend to drive. Great parenting I know. As the weather got better we got out more and more.
When the weather was bad we started to hang in the pavilions. First at the Paint Mine Trail head and then at Glenn Doone. I had never once in my life pulled into the Glenn Doone area of the park.
Its a little tucked away and easy to miss, with the very popular overlook lot just past. Turns out its a really neat spot with a great view along the escarpment. There's an old structure there. A lot of stone and concrete work involving walls and ledges, as well as a round green building ringed with benches. It was a unique area for the boys to explore and really held their attention. Also some cover protected us from the weather on dicey early spring days.
As the weather got better we explored more of the area around 'The Green Thing' as it became known. While there aren't any formal trails, there is a well-beaten herd path along the fence/ cliff edge. One day we just kept following it until we ended up at a creek bed. It was chugging along with spring run off and dropped off abruptly just past the fence, gushing over the cliff edge. We'd often bring toys on these outings. Cars or animals for the boys to play around on the green thing or through the woods. When we discovered the cliff's edge waterfall creek bed, I had a backpack full of dinosaurs. There were lots of levels, small cascades and deep pools in the wide, flat creek bed. A great place to play with dinosaurs.
It was a nice long outing, with a minimum of fighting or screaming. The boys clearly liked it too. They named it New Dino Land. So I planned to go back. Another time we ended up at the creek bed, it was bone dry and looked like a road through the forest. I think it was just Hunter and I this time? We explored upstream, looking for fossils or salamanders or both. The creek bed twisted between steep banks and had many steps and scrambles for the boys to engage with. Around a big twist a tall (though dry at the time) falls appeared. Its a tricky climb. I trusted Hunter but also stayed close. Secretly glad their mom wasn't there to point out what a bad idea it was.
We followed the creek upstream and eventually found a little bridge, and a trail that took us back to The Green Thing. A new attraction was added to New Dino Land. So we settled in there. Making frequent visits. Eventually bringing mom along too. Sometimes we'd just play at New Dino Land. Sometimes just The Green Thing. We'd go up the creek when it was dry. We'd go up the creek when it wasn't dry. We found a geocache once. We found (and left) many fossils in the creek bed. The rocks were loaded with them. While it was clearly good for them, it was good for me too. I spent most of my time exploring the woods for many years before we had kids. I didn't realize until I couldn't spend so much time there, how much the forest was essential to my mental health. I used to think I had to hike. To cover great distances and reach new heights. Turns out I just need to immerse. Feel the seasons change. Hear the birds. Feel the earth under my feet.
I've spent a long time thinking about sharing the story of New Dino Land. Some parts of me wanted to keep it secret. Keep it ours forever. But even during our visits, we knew it was a place to share. We brought friends to visit and even ran into other kids having similar adventures. I think the takeaway is about exploration. In finding and building specialness in your world. There is something extra special about finding something magical for your kids that doesn't cost money. Free of cost but free of structure as well. We just showed up. It was rarely planned. It was different every time. New Dino Land isn't just a place to share. It's an idea to share. New Dino Land is a state of mind.
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