Dear Woody,
Dad said I could suggest where we go for our next vacation. I know you travel Kentucky, but did you ever take a trip anywhere else in the United States? If so, where are some of your favorite places?
Packed and Ready to Travel
Dear Packed and Ready,
We love seeing the sights of our home state, Kentucky, but there are so many beautiful places all over the U.S. One of our favorite places to visit is Chloe's birth state, Texas. The land area of Texas is huge! It's over 801 miles long and 773 miles wide. It has more counties (254) than any other state. Twenty one million people and 16 million cattle live in the Lone Star state! It has great cities (215 in all), including Austin, Dallas and Houston, but our favorite is San Antonio. We love visiting the Alamo, the state's most popular historic site, where Texas defenders fell to Mexican General Santa Anna. (Have you ever heard "Remember the Alamo?") It's also exciting to walk along the River Walk, a two-mile stretch along the San Antonio River. The sights are beautiful, and just like I love my birthplace, Chloe is proud to return to her roots. When I first heard the state song, "The Yellow Rose of Texas," I thought they were talking about my sister!
Another state we love is Montana. While Texas has lots of people, Montana has only 902,000. (I learned that from the Census Bureau.) More people live in Louisville, Kentucky than in the entire state of Montana. There may not be a lot of people, but there are definitely a lot of animals. For example, Montana has more species of mammals than any other state. When we visited a few years ago, we saw elk, swans, antelope, eagles, loons, deer, pelicans, moose - the list is almost endless. Can you believe that more elk, deer, and antelope live in "The Treasure State" than people? Come to think of it, we didn't see any wiener dogs! Hmmm....
Along with Texas and Montana, there are 48 other exciting states (including your own) to visit, not to mention 58 national parks! I can't overlook some of the most beautiful places like Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon (I can still remember how loud my bark sounded over the canyon) and the Statue of Liberty. You could visit Hoover Dam in Nevada, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, the Biltmore Estates in North Carolina, or the wiener dog races located all across the United States! Dad says traveling is a fun way to discover new places and learn about people who are different from us! Chloe and I are thankful we live in such a beautiful country!
Hope you have a great vacation Packed and Ready. Send us pictures, especially if you go to the wiener dog races! Be sure to keep a journal and don't forget to wear your sunscreen and your seatbelt!
Work and dream like a big dog!
Woody
Thinking of all these beautiful places inspired me to visit my library and check out books on the United States. I was searching for my library card when the phone rang. It was the mail carrier. He found another letter for me and is delivering it. Maybe it's from Blue! I'll let you know next time! In the meantime, visit your local library and work and dream like a big dog!
Thanks to Kentucky Press Association for making this project possible. For online questions and learning activities go to www.kypress.com.
Woody
(www.thewoodybooks.com)
