We got to the interstate and had the kiddos pick east or west. They chose west and off we went. We drove until it was time for lunch--stopped to eat and checked with the visitor center on where we should end up. Well, it was a little difficult to find somewhere we hadn't been during our Kansas adventures. http://kansas150th-150thingstodoinkansas.blogspot.com/ So, they did recommend Burlington, CO. Our daughter likes to remind us she had mentioned stopping there and we didn't just take her word for it. :)
So, off we went on our adventure. :)
First stop is Old Town Museum. What a fun experience to get to walk through the museum and the 21-fully restored buildings. It was great to walk through a town and get to experience a historical village. It really reminded us of our trips to Cowtown in Wichita http://kansas150th-150thingstodoinkansas.blogspot.com/2011/09/133-old-cowtown-museum.html and Old Prairie Town in Topeka http://kansas150th-150thingstodoinkansas.blogspot.com/2011/05/62-old-prairie-town.html. We had seen similar museums in our previous adventures, but we had not had an experience like the one at the Saloon before. We got to see the Can-Can girls do their show and they took a liking to our son. They would sit at our table and sing directly to him. A couple of them were even fighting over him. :) Azure got a little nervous with the arguing happening around him. It was certainly embarrassing for an 8 year old to have girls fighting over him, but he responded so perfectly that the other guests thought we were a "plant" and supposed to be part of the show. :) Because it is still summer--our last summer adventure before school starts--we were able to get ice cream. Unfortunately it had to be in the museum and not out at the soda fountain, but it still tasted good.
Our next stop in Burlington was the Kit-Carson County Carousel. The kiddos had gotten to visit this when they were on their grandparent/grandchild tour to Denver this summer. It was a highlight and one they wanted to experience again. We first got to hear all about the history of the Carousel built in 1905 and still has original hand carved animals which have been restored and have most of their original paint. Then we got to ride it and even Azure and I managed to get on to take a ride. That was an adventure in itself. He did great and immediately got on and laid down. When it got going fast, he turned around and laid his head under the bench (maybe he was as dizzy as I was). Getting up on it and back off at the end was an adventure in itself for me--especially with my cast/boot on. The carousel goes fast enough that I got a little dizzy and had to close my eyes. Check it out for yourselves. I think they told us it went 12 miles/hour. That's faster than any carousel I've ever been on.
Finally our adventure took us on a search for Flat Stanley. The kiddos each got a Flat Stanley to take with them on our adventures from Old Town Museum. We found out there was a "larger than life" Flat Stanley behind the Burlington Library. So, off we went on a hunt. We did find it and our son was so excited to get his picture by cell phone with it. (Who needs a camera?) Flat Stanley is pretty popular at our house. I think our son and I have read almost every Flat Stanley book available. We're working our way through Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures right now. Our son had a hard time picking a favorite, but finally settled on Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventure in Japan: The Japanese Ninja Surprise
http://www.burlingtoncolo.com/old-town-museum.htm
Have you ever been on a spur-of-the-moment adventure?
How did it turn out?
Where did you end up?
What do you think of the Flat Stanley books?
What was your favorite book to read when you were 8?
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