Craters of the Moon National Monument

7/31/16

Dear NH,

Today is Sunday, the day you get to camp. This is the second letter I'm writing - I'm sending these letters early to make sure you get them in time before camp is over.  Of course, you won't get this letter for a few days. By the time you get this, I'll probably be in a different state, and hopefully, you will be having a great time.

Yesterday, the trip toward Yellowstone continued. The first stop of the day was in Twin Falls, Idaho. Even though I'm out of the desert of Nevada it is till hot at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I looked around downtown Twin Falls a little bit, but I was mostly interested in the waterfalls outside town. The two waterfalls were pretty cool.

After seeing the falls, I headed over to a nearby lake. This lake was a very popular spot to go swimming. An area of the lake was blocked off to make a pool area. There was even a lifeguard and a diving board. I don't like cold water, so I didn't swim, but I did wade in a couple of feet.

The other big thing I did yesterday was visit Craters of the Moon National Monument, also in Idaho. This park is full of lava! I saw many kinds of lava including rope lava that looks like rope and a'a lava. A'a (ahh-ahh) is a Hawaiian word that basically means "hard on the feet," but really the idea is that it is ouchy lava. That kind of lava will tear up your shoes. In this park, I even got to climb up a cinder cone!

rope lava

a'a lava

emerging from a lava tube

a'a lava at sunset

I look forward to hearing about camp.

Your teacher,

Elaina

Traversing Nevada

7/30/16

Dear B-,

How is your weekend going? Mine is pretty good. I hope you have been able to do something fun.

I have already started my road trip. Yesterday, I spent the day traveling across Nevada. Nevada is mostly just hot. The car said it was over 110 degrees in one place. Does it get that hot in New Mexico?

While driving across the state, I stopped several times. One stop was to see a cave called Lovelock Cave. This cave is not very big, only about 35 feet by 150 feet. (150 feet is half of a football field). Today, there is not much inside that is interesting, but when the cave was discovered in the early 1900s, there were many artifacts from ancient people. There have been 2 or 3 excavations that uncovered bones of humans, plant material, and so much more.



I have attached a picture to this letter. This is a picture I took when I was standing next to the cave. This is what Nevada looks like.

I look forward to getting your next letter.

Your teacher,

Elaina

And we're off!

7/29/16

Dear NH-,

How is camp going? I hope you are getting the chance to do a lot of fun activities.

I left for my big road trip Thursday night. I'm traveling with a friend, so the trip has been pretty fun so far.

The first destination was Reno, Nevada. That town is mostly famous for its casinos. A casino is a place where you can risk your money trying to win more money. I don't like risking my money, so I don't do that part. Casinos in Reno also usually have nice restaurants and hotels attached to them. My favorite part of a casino is when it has a buffet, and I can eat tons of different kinds of food until I almost explode!




Reno is about 4 1/2 hours away from home, so that's where I stayed last night. Today, I will be traveling through Nevada.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Your teacher,

Elaina 

First Letter

Before leaving, I wrote a letter to each of my students. Here is one of them:

7/27/16

Dear H-,

I hope your journey to Africa goes well. How has everything been going?

While you are on your trip, I will be going on my summer vacation too. On Thursday, I will be going on a road trip. I am not exactly sure where I will be going yet, but my main destination will be Yellowstone National Park. That is the park where the Old Faithful geyser is. Have you heard of Old Faithful before?

Maybe you can look for pictures of it on the computer. I am really excited about my trip!

I will see you in 2 weeks when we both get back. Remember that while you are gone, we will be writing letters. As always, I will respond to your letters. Your calendar shows my expectations for your letters and extra practice. I hope you have a great two weeks, and I will see you when you get back.

I look forward to getting your letters!

Your teacher,

Elaina

Road Trip 2016

Today's the day I've been looking forward to for the past couple of weeks. Today is the day I leave for my round-the-country road trip. Tonight I'll complete the first leg of my trip, the Bay Area to Reno, Nevada.

I'm a private tutor, and my summer project for my students is letter writing. I have asked all of my students to write me letters while they are on their summer vacations. Since I'm the one going on vacation this time, I'm writing letters to all of my students to tell them about my trip. I will be sending my letters to my students, but I will also be publishing my letters here. These letters will tell the story of my trip.

It's going to be a great one!!!