Published: September 22, 2006 09:42 am            

Chapter 2

Tails from the Bluegrass II

“You get a line, I’ll get a pole, Honey!

You get a line...

Kentucky greetings, Woody readers. Please excuse my singing, but I am PAWSatively excited to be on tour! Mom, Dad, Chloe and I are in the Woody Bus, I mean, Woody Boat, traveling down the river. “Why a boat?” you ask? Remember when Dad told me the Woody Bus wouldn’t start? Dad tried everything, but nothing worked. Chloe and I were afraid the tour would be canceled, but Mom reminded us that winners didn’t give up.

“Woody, how do you think people traveled before cars?” Mom asked. “I thought cars had always been around. I was born in 1999 and they were around then.” I said. Chloe giggled and pointed out how granddaddy told us about walking three miles to school every day in rain and snow. Sure, that was fine for granddad. He was in great shape, but I couldn’t walk the Woody Tour. I could run fast when chasing butterflies, could even flex my muscles (sniff, sniff), but long distances were a different story. I was getting worried when Chloe said, “Hey! The Salt River is just down the road! We know plenty of fishermen who could help!” I kissed my sister for saving the day!

Dad unloaded the bus and Mom instructed us to pack the necessities. “Woody, your GameDOG is NOT a necessity!” I obeyed Mom and packed my journal, pencils, Kentucky map and toothbrush.

We hugged our siblings and headed south on Highway 61 to the Salt River. It was two miles from home to the riverbank. While walking, I made a note to myself to start exercising more. Two miles were challenging. The boat was a super idea, but it would be tough to make the entire tour by boat. My thoughts were interrupted when we reached the Salt River and saw our buddy, Mr. Sullivan, in his flat-bottom fishing boat. We told him about our problem with the bus. He was more than happy to help. “Which way are you going?” Tough question! Dad explained the Salt River was 140 miles long. It began near Danville and ended at the Ohio River near West Point. West it was! We buckled our life jackets and settled in our seats. Mr. Sullivan put the oars in the water and off we went!

Mr. Sullivan was no stranger to the Salt River. His great-granddad journeyed up the river to get to Pitts Point. Once a town in Bullitt County, Pitts Point was used by people to ship salt produced by Bullitt’s Lick. It even had a college. After the Civil War, Pitts Point Academy was known as one of the best schools in Central Kentucky. Unfortunately, today Pitts Point is a memory.

We were on the water a short time before I realized how different touring in a boat was. There were no stoplights, turning lanes, or signs that said, “West Point - 10 miles ahead.” We saw beautiful plants and trees, such as elm, sassafras and even my namesake - dogwood.

I asked Mr. Sullivan if we could turn on the radio. He whispered the boat didn’t have a radio. Fishermen were quiet so they wouldn’t scare the fish - and fish there were. In fact, there are more than 200 varieties of fish in Kentucky. The state fish is the Kentucky Bass. I was regretting leaving my pole at home when Mr. Sullivan said we were entering Fort Knox Military Reservation, 109,000 acres covering 170 miles. It’s part of Bullitt, Hardin and Meade Counties. Hmmm...I thought Fort Knox was about a gold vault. He explained Fort Knox was more than the Bullion Depository, where a large amount of the United States’ gold reserves are stored. It was established in 1918 during World War I as a training camp and became a permanent post in 1932. Constantly changing, Ft. Knox has played a major role for the Army and Army Reserve. I was thinking how fortunate we were to have the best military in the world when Mr. Sullivan said we had reached West Point, the end of the Salt River.

At the bank, we hugged Mr. Sullivan goodbye. I couldn’t wait to sniff around West Point - after lunch. Mom suggested we sit on the bank and eat our sack lunch. The sandwich and dog snacks hit the spot. I now had the strength to talk about our tour plans. I was pulling out my map when we heard the loudest horn!

I’d better go! It’s tough to write when I can’t hear myself think! Next week, read where we are and how we arrived. In the meantime, work and dream like a Big Dog!

— WOODY

This program sponsored by LG&E & KU, both e.on companies, and KPA.

        

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