As if we didn’t spend enough time driving across Kansas last night, today it was here to torment us again.  We eventually got to the children’s museum in Topeka (another children’s museum!  The kids couldn’t believe their luck) which provided a good diversion for a couple of hours.  Then it was on to Kansas City, a destination the kids have been awaiting with great anticipation. 

 As a reward for making it across Kansas, we treated ourselves to a night at the Great Wolf Lodge – a hotel with a huge built-in water park.  (The expectation of this place is what allowed us to pull the kids out of the children’s museum.)  As soon as we walked in the door, bathing suits were donned and the race to the water park was on.

The water park was a lot of fun.  There were five big slides – some of them began and ended in the indoor water park, but went outside in between.  There was a four-story “tree house” filled with climbing structures and lots of water features.  (Every few minutes a huge bucket on the top tipped and dropped 1000 gallons of water to the floor below – that is a lot of water.  Unlike the kids, I wouldn’t stand under it.)  There was a “lazy river” tubing float ride, a few pools, some small kids’ slides, and various other water-based activities.

Lanie was thrilled because she was able to go on almost everything, despite her age.  She has no fear of anything water-related, which is both a blessing and a curse.  (Luckily, she has no objection to wearing a life vest all day, which helps our stress level.)

For dinner we walked across the street to “Famous Dave’s Barbeque”, where, hungry from climbing all those water slide stairs, we proceeded to order way too much food.  Barbecue leftovers for breakfast tomorrow!

From Bob:

One of the drawbacks to three or four Disney vacations is that every trip you take tends to have mouse ears stamped on it.  You’ve already heard us mention Disneyesque a few times in relation to places with natural wonders that seemed too perfect to be natural.

                This place, the Great Wolf Lodge, does not exactly fall into that category.  It is the least natural place imaginable; but it is a wonder, and very Disneyesque.   It falls on the calculated, orchestrated, fabricated side of the mouse ears, very well done, in its way, but not a bit subtle.

                They pack a theme park into this hotel (www.greatwolf.com/).  They have their own lineup of cartoon characters who show up in the grand lobby and are on signs all over the hotel.  There are restaurants, themed hallways, and, of course, the water slides.  It’s pretty decadent, but it also meshes nicely with the way our trip is going. We can’t live by peanut butter, national parks alone, and wholesome family resorts alone.  I’ll admit that I’ve even purchased a few loaves of white bread on this trip – and not the crusty French or Italian kind, either.  But there are no regrets.

                If this, and the Discovery Center, are the memories that the kids bring home of Kansas, don’t be surprised if one or three of them wind up settling in Kansas City.  Or Topeka.