Flat Stanley Joins the Air Force

 Dear Drew:

Guess what?  I joined the Air Force!  Okay, maybe I didn't join the Air Force, but after the Calvin's took me to Eielson Air Force Base just east of North Pole, I've been dreaming of flying super fast jets through the sky at amazing speeds!  Here's the story:

It was a beautiful sunny morning in North Pole and the temperature was 50 degrees.  The Calvin's woke up early and asked if I wanted to see airplanes, jets and real live soldiers.  Of course, I was not about to pass up that opportunity.  After a quick breakfast of sausage and eggs, the three of us jumped in the car and drove 20 miles to Eielson AFB.

When we arrived, I immediately spotted F-22 Raptor fighter jets, F-16 fighter jets and C-130 transport airplanes.  I also spied soldiers next to humvees with missiles and rocket launchers.  It was amazing!

The Calvin's and I spent about an hour walking around, talking to soldiers, and snapping pictures of me.  I pretended to be a jet pilot soaring through the sky on a mission to Africa.  While sitting on top of a humvee, I pretended to be a soldier on patrol in Japan. Oh, did I go places in my imagination!

Perhaps I am too small and too flat to fly a jet, but I had lots of fun looking at all the planes, jets, and military stuff.  Maybe tonight, I will dream of flying off into the wild blue yonder!

For now,
Flat Stanley

 This nice lady held me up so I could see the C-130!

 Here I am with an F-22 Raptor!

 Do you see a missile in this picture?

Humvees and soldiers all around!

 This bomb was ginormous!

 This soldier gave me a high five 

after showing me the rocket launchers!

 This is a cover for the jet engine on the C-130.

 These people let me sit on top of the humvee with them!

 This soldier gave me a special tour of the humvee.

 This is an F-16 fighter jet.

The  nice lady also held me up next to an F-16.

Easter Weekend in Alaska!

Dear Drew:

Easter weekend in North Pole, Alaska was fun!  On Sunday, the Calvin's took me to downtown North Pole and to the Post Office where they get their mail.  I took a couple of pictures of the post office because there are candy canes on the side of the sign!  Even the light posts are in the shape of candy canes!  Mr. and Mrs. Calvin took me to see Santa at the Santa Claus House, but it was closed because of Easter.  They promised to take me back to see Santa next weekend.

After a tour of downtown, the Calvin's took me to Chena River State Park.  We took a hike around the frozen river and walked through the birch trees.  Even though it was 45 degrees, the snow is still very deep.  I hope it melts before I start my trip back to Aurora!

I will write to you again, as I have more adventures!

Flat Stanley

 Here I am at the Post Office with the candy canes!

 

 The candy canes are so big here!

 

 Even the light posts are in the shape of candy canes!

 This was taken at Santa's House!

 We went hiking through the birch tree forest.

  

 The trail went on and on and on and on......

This is a snowshoe hare.  It looks a lot like the Easter Bunny!

Snowshoe hares are white in the winter.

In the spring, they start turning brown for summer.

This keeps them camouflaged from predators.

Denali National Park

Dear Drew:

On Saturday, March 31st, the Calvin's took me on a trip 120 miles south of North Pole to Denali National Park. Denali is home to Mt. McKinley, North America's tallest mountain. Mt. McKinley is 20,328 feet tall! The picture above is taken from over 100 miles away. Even at that distance, it looks HUGE!

While hiking in the park, we saw a bald eagle soaring high above us. We also saw snow covered mountains and a frozen river.

Before we left, the Calvin's stopped and took my picture with the Denali sign, a park ranger and several other cool things you will see below.

Flat Stanley

The Denali National Park sign is at the entrance of the park.

It was 32 degrees at the park!

The National Park Ranger was very friendly!

Grizzly Bears are a frequent site in Denali, but not this time of year.

In the summer, signs are posted around the park warning visitors of bears.

This is a map of Alaska and you can see where Denali is located.

This wolf hide was over six feet long from nose to tail.

This is a moose antler!

Check out these icicles!

Ice sculptures are very popular in Alaska 
because they last for seven months out of the year!

Here I am warming up in the Visitor's Center after a cold hike!

On our hike, we saw this bald eagle soaring high in the sky.

He kept his eye on us as we hiked through the mountains.

I'm in North Pole, Alaska!

Dear Drew:

I arrived safely in North Pole, Alaska, on March 28th. It was a long trip from Aurora and I had to change planes many times before I was placed inside Mr. and Mrs. Calvin's postal box.

The weather in North Pole is cold compared to Illinois. The temperatures have been around zero at night and just around freezing during the day.

One of the first things I have seen was this moose who spent two hours in the backyard of the Calvin's house. It ate tree branches and took a long nap.

Flat Stanley