TEXAS: DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK, THE FORT WORTH STOCKYARDS, AND THE Y. O. RANCH STEAKHOUSE IN DALLAS

A life-sized diorama near the exit of Fossil Rim got us ready for our next destination, DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK, located just a few miles away.

Dinosaur Valley presents an epochal contrast to the living animals of Fossil Rim. This place is haunted by the ghosts of dinosaurs past who have left their heavy footprints in what was once mud at the edge of an inland ocean, but which has since become hard stone.

 The gloominess of the late afternoon added an appropriate sense of mystery.

 A flat rock bed just under the surface of the water contains the first sauropod footprints ever discovered. Sauropods are among the largest animals ever to live on land.

DALLAS: GEORGE W. BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

George W. Bush, also known as "#43" (as in the 43rd POTUS), built his Presidential Library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Three Mustangs, 11-foot-tall bronze statues on SMU campus

The building, designed by the Dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University, was completed and dedicated in April 2013. Only the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, is larger.

Living past-presidents and the current president typically gather for a presidential library dedication, and there were five of them (with their wives) at the Bush Library dedication: Jimmy Carter, Geroge H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Geroge W. Bush, and sitting President Barack Obama. Each of the three democrats--Carter, Clinton, and Obama--spoke. I am intrigued by the "old boy network" that past presidents form. I hate extreme partisanship, the kind that leads to name-calling on Facebook, the Glenn Beck Show, and the New York Times. Listening to these speeches given by political "enemies" at the dedication,  I see none of that. Rather, I get the feeling that these men are actually friends, that they consult with each other, and that they have respect for each other's accomplishments.

DALLAS: THE SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM AT DEALEY PLAZA

There are many more places to visit in Dallas than we had time for, such as the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, so named because of a generous $50 million donation from the adult children of Ross and Margot Perot. For some reason the building reminds me of the forts kids build, complete with a piece of artillery sticking out the front. It is worth at least a drive-by. The next time I'm in Dallas, I'm going here just to see if the inside is as intriguing as the outside:

We saw the Perot Museum on our way to the Sixth Floor Museum at the Texas School Book Depository, a place that memorializes one of the darkest moments in American history, the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. The tour starts with a cheerful photo mosaic of John and Jackie:

However, after that, its all about the horror and chaos of that day.

DALLAS: FOOD TRUCKS, A CATHEDRAL, AND A CHRISTKINDLMARKT

After spending an hour and a half in the Dallas Museum of Art (about a third as long as I would have liked to stay here and about three times as long as Bob would have been there on his own), we crammed three more things into our evening.

1. Directly across the street from the Dallas Museum of Art is the Klyde Warren Park, a 5.2-acre urban refuge created by Dallas billionaire Kelcy Warren and named for his only child. The park has lots of seating and a nice track that was busy with walkers and runners and a quinceanera party when we were there.

However, as nice as the park is, what drew us across the street were the seven food trucks stationed along the park's perimeter. America's growing obsession with food trucks has been fully embraced in Dallas:

We walked up and down the line-up, struggling with what to choose. This menu tempted us. I was especially intrigued by "The Dead Elvis." 

TEXAS: DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART

I recently came across an intriguing study that determined that art viewed in a museum has a much greater impact on the viewer than art looked at in a book or online. This is certainly true for me. In addition, I think the effect of visiting so many art museums during the last year is that seeing original art hung on the wall or standing on a pedestal has made me want to see more and more and more. It's addictive.

My husband has been a saint. I'm not sure he would choose to go to art museums if I weren't along, at least not six in a single trip as we did on our latest trip to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas.

Of all the museums we visited, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMOA) is the most prestigious. The facility and the collection are both terrific.

Even the driveway, lined by this 60-foot-long Venetian glass mosaic created by Mexican muralist Miguel Covarrubias, is spectacular.

Genesis, the Gift of Life is based on a Mexican world-origin myth about four gods who controlled the four elements--water, earth, fire, and air. The world was created four different times, and each time one of the gods used his element to destroy it, but then the four gods finally worked together to create the world we have now.

On the other side of the driveway is Two Piece Reclining Figure, No. 3 (1961) by British Sculptor Henry Moore. It looks like a relaxed museum guest with a front row seat for the Creation happening across the way.