Stanley's American Road Trip

Stanley recently went on a very long road trip with 3 generations of our family. We started here in Austin, drove to Dallas, passed through Oklahoma, then into Arkansas to meet Nana. From there we went through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, and then headed to Kentucky to visit the newest member of our family. On the way home, we snaked through Tennessee, back through Missouri, and on to Arkansas. There were lots of stops along the way, and a good time was had by all.

When we arrived in Arkansas, we went to Nana's house. She took us to the feed store to visit the new shipment of babies. Here's Stanley with the ducklings and the guinea fowl. After transferring our luggage to Nana's roomier vehicle, we set out on our week long trip.

As we headed East, we spotted another farm bird- a GIANT CHICKEN! Of course we stopped to take a picture (and to buy some taffy...)

Missouri is famous for having hundreds of caves. We stopped at Fantastic Caverns- a cave you tour by riding in a tram! We even saw a wild pipistrelle bat!

One morning in Missouri, when we went down to breakfast, we discovered they were shooting a commercial for the hotel we were staying in. They asked Amri to be in it! (If they ever end up e-mailing it to me, I'll post it here.)

Upon arriving in Kentucky, we spent a great deal of time hanging out with my brother. We visited with the new baby, hung out in a giant costume shop, and went to the Louisville Zoo. Apparently the zoo sits right on top of Louisville Mega Cavern (which we did not visit.) Stanley was feeling shy around my brother, so he didn't get any photos with him...

During our many, many hours in the car, Stanley spent a lot of time looking out the window.

After leaving Louisville, Stanley fell asleep in the car. When he woke up we were still in Kentucky- but it didn't look the same at all. He got out to investigate.

"A field of brachiosaurs?" said Stanley. "This can't be right."

Stanley wandered further into the forest. He probably should have stayed on the path...

"Oh, dear!" said Stanley. "Where is my host family? This can't be good!"

"Yikes!" he yelled. And that was the last we saw of Stanley.
No, I'm just kidding. Stanley and the girls had a great time at Dinosaur World.
We eventually made it back to Austin, and -after a good night's sleep- Stanley was off on another adventure...

Austin, Texas, USA

Last Thursday we took Stanley out to see the local sights before he headed out on his trip. We wanted him to have a few pictures of home for him to keep with him on his journey. It was cold, foggy, and drizzle-y out. We didn't get to do all that we had hoped, but I think the kids had a good time downtown.

First we went to the Santa Rita No. 1 oil pump. It's on part of the University of Texas' property. Before the pump was built, everyone said finding oil in this location was a ridiculous idea. Once the pump was in action, it was named Santa Rita- after the Saint of the Impossible.
Here's Flat Stanley outside the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. The bronze Lone Star sculpture is 35 feet tall! Just down the street from the museum is the state capitol. You can see the building from all over the city. Here are Amri and Stanley on the lawn.
" Wonderful views of the Capitol's dome from many vantage points throughout the Austin area are protected from obscuration by state law. " -a quote from the Texas State Preservation Board's website.

The Colorado River winds through the city. On the banks of it there's a city park called Auditorium Shores. We've only recently moved here, so I'm not fully informed about everything, but I've heard this part of the river referred to as "Town Lake" and "Ladybird Lake," but I know that it really is not a lake and is just a wider part of the Colorado River, which flows East, out of town and rather close to our house. Auditorium shores is a hot-spot for festivals and outdoor music events during warmer months. It also has an off-leash dog park. People often canoe in the river here. Plus, there's a giant statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn. Apparently he played a number of shows at Auditorium Shores.
Part of the skyline disappeared in the fog. I don't know if Austin is always so foggy, but this winter I've had numerous nerve-racking evenings attempting to drive through it. Sometimes I feel like we live on the moors of England!

East of Stevie Ray, and just down the street from the capitol building, there's the Congress Street Bridge. The bridge goes over the river and also happens to host the largest urban bat colony in North America. From mid-March through November you can view thousands upon thousands of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats blanketing the sky at dusk. We've gone to see this before- it's pretty cool. It's the wrong season for bat watching, so we just took a photo op with the bat sculpture, instead.

Finally, we stopped off at Barton Springs. Again, it's the wrong season for this destination, but we stopped by anyway. Barton Springs Pool is fed by a natural underground spring and stays about 68 degrees year round. The city's website says Native Americans called this the Sacred Springs and came here to heal their wounds. The size of the main pool was enlarged in the late 1920's. Barton Springs is also one of the 4 known habitats of the Barton Springs Salamander, which is listed on the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Services as an endangered species.That was the end of their last day together. We went home, helped Stanley put the last of his clothes in his suitcase, and took him to the mail box. Let the adventure begin!