Brrrrr-- Stanley got cold!

At the end of the year (December 2013) Flat Stanley joined some friends in Winter Park, Colorado, for a little skiing.  Unfortunately, no skis would fit Stanley, so he just had to play in the snow & visit the sites. But Stanley still had fun & wants to go back again the end of February (which he did).


Winter Park Resort is a ski resort in Winter Park, Colorado  The resort is about an hour and a half drive west from Denver.
The mountain first opened for the 1939–1940 season.  It is owned by the city and county of Denver.  In 2002 Denver entered into a partnership with a Canadian corporation to operate the resort.  Many changes occurred since then to upgrade the resort area.  Winter Park Resort is home to one of the world's largest and oldest programs for disabled skiers, the National Sports Center for the Disabled.
The resort consists of three interconnected mountain peaks — Winter Park, Mary Jane, and Vasquez Ridge.  
Winter Park is a year-round resort which operates the lifts during the summer months for mountain biking. 
The town of Winter Park is adjacent to the ski area.  It has an elevation of approximately 9000’ which makes it one of the highest elevated towns in the United States.  Even though Winter Park only has a small population of less than a thousand full time residents, its population swells during the ski season with tourists.

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2014:
Yea, Flat Stanley got to return to Winter Park again.  This time, even though he couldn't ski by himself, his friends took him along on the slopes with them. (It's good to have friends, right??)
Stanley & friends went all the way to the top of the mountain to Parsenn Bowl.  Brrr-- it was cold up there!!! Next time Stanley plans to bring a coat! :-)

Then they went over to ski an area called Vasquez Ridge.  That was a little scary!

And finally it was decision time-- which trail to take coming back down the mountain?? Which trail do you think Stanley chose?????  

Stanley hopes you enjoyed sharing his adventures.

Howdy from Austin, Texas

Flat Stanley visited Austin, Texas, several months ago.  While there, he went by the famous "Austin Mural" which has been seen on some television advertisements.

Originally painted in 1998, the mural has served as the backdrop for untold family and wedding pictures and numerous print, TV, and web-based ads and is a beacon of South Austin. Time & the elements took its toll on the mural, but in 2013 it was fully restored to its original state.

From there, Stanley visited the State Capitol. 

The Texas State Capitol, located in Downtown Austin, is the fourth building to house the state government of Texas. The capitol building contains the chambers of the Texas Legislature and the office of the governor. It was constructed from 1882 to 1888. It was severely damaged by a fire in 1983. Restoration took almost 10 years. An underground extension was completed in 1993. The Texas State Capitol is 308 ft tall making it the sixth tallest state capitol and one of several taller than the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Stanley also went by the Governor's Mansion in Austin. 

The Texas Governor's Mansion, built in the mid-1850's, has been the official home of every Texas governor since June 1856. Now a registered National Historic Landmark, it is the oldest executive residence west of the Mississippi, the fourth oldest in the Nation, and the oldest to survive and function essentially in its original configuration. In 2008, while midway through a major renovation, the mansion was badly damaged by an arson fire. Restoration was completion in July 2012 when the Governor & First Lady moved back in.