Maddie’s favorite movie is Jurassic Park so digging for dinosaur fossils was a natural choice for her wish.

On her flight to South Dakota, she was bumped up to first class thanks to Delta Airlines and was able to meet the pilot and sit into the cockpit for a photo before takeoff.

During her trip, she and her family visited lots of museums, rode a train, went swimming in hot springs, and even saw Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse!

The big dig day consisted of a long drive to a dig site where she spent hours and hours sifting through dirt, sand and bone fragments.  She found many fossils – some she could bring home with her and one (a T-Rex tooth) had to stay behind to get cataloged and preserved due to its value and rarity.

She enjoyed water and wildlife parks as well as a trip to Black Hills Institute of Geological Research where she saw the second largest full T-Rex on display.