Flat Stanley Goes to Washington -- And Beyond

As are all of Stanley's trips, this one was quite an adventure!  This time, Stanley flew aboard Air Force One, when he went with Secretary Powell as he traveled with President Bush to Mexico, Peru, and El Salvador.  Ben Greiner, from the Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar, California, started Flat Stanley on this journey when he sent him to Secretary Powell in March 2002.

When Stanley first arrived in Washington, he barely had time to get ready for the trip (good thing he travels light!) because he was in meetings on Monday with the Dutch Foreign Minister, Jozias van Aartsen, and Carla Del Ponte, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.  The next day, he attended a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Estonia, Kristina Ojuland.   Then on Thursday morning, they went out to Andrews Air Force Base to board Air Force One for the start of the trip.  The first stop was El Paso, Texas.

In El Paso, Stanley listened to the President's speech about making our borders secure against terrorists, but open to those who come to the United States to visit, go to school, or do business.    Then it was off to Mexico, where the Secretary and the President met with Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in Monterrey, Mexico to talk about border security and trade issues.  On Friday, Stanley went to a UN conference and heard the President's speech about how to help developing countries become more prosperous.  Stanley also got to meet King Abdullah of Jordan while he was there.  Secretary Powell and King Abdullah talked about the problems in the Middle East and how the initiative of Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia might help to solve them.

From Mexico, Stanley went with the Secretary and the President to Peru.  He had an awesome view of the Pacific Coast from Air Force One as they flew into Lima, the capital of Peru.  While they were in Peru, the President met with Peru's President, Alejandro Toledo and other Andean nation leaders about U.S.-supported anti-drug efforts in the region. Stanley had a great time that night at a State dinner hosted by President Toledo. 

Then President Bush and the Secretary went to El Salvador to meet with President Francisco Flores to talk about trade and migration and the U.S. commitment to Central America, and to talk with other Central American leaders.  When they landed at the airport in Comalpa in El Salvador, Stanley noticed how hot the weather was and how flat it was around the airport.  But then they traveled up to the city of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, and it was much cooler, because the capital is at a higher elevation.  Stanley got to ride in a helicopter while he was there, and even though he could hardly hear himself think and he had to shout before anyone could hear him, he had great time seeing the countryside and the volcanic mountains outside the city. He wanted to ride around for hours, but he was kind of glad when they safely landed and made their way back to the hotel without him getting blown away by the wind from the helicopter's rotors!

Stanley was very tired by the time they boarded Air Force One to fly back to Andrews Air Force Base on Sunday.  When someone told him that by the time they got back to Washington they would have traveled nearly 9,200 miles, he felt even more tired -- 9,200 miles  in four days! He barely kept his eyes open long enough to meet some more of the really great people who travel with the President, and then he settled back into his seat and drifted off to sleep, wondering where his next adventure would take him and how many miles he would travel on that trip.  He loved riding on Air Force One, meeting all of the great people who travel with the President, and meeting Presidents and Kings and Prime Ministers, but he kind of hoped the next trip wouldn't be quite so hectic!

Find out more about Flat Stanley and his adventures by visiting the Flat Stanley Project page at www.flatstanley.com!