3-State Day

8/7/16

Dear NS,

How has your extra practice been going? Did you finish When You Reach Me yet? I hope reading has been going well for you.

Yesterday was a 3-state day. I spent time in three different states, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado.

I started out in Nebraska. My first stop of the day was Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. This is a site in Nebraska where many mammal fossils from almost 20 million years ago were found.

These are the hills in which so many fossils were found.

Fossils in the visitors' center

After that, I stopped at Scotts Bluff National Monument, also in Nebraska. Scotts Bluff was on the Oregon Trail. Have you learned about the Oregon Trail at school yet? Basically, ti's a path that thousands of people took to get across the land from Missouri to Oregon in the mid-1800s. The people who took this trail were looking for better opportunities out West. Remember that there were no cars, phones, or electricity yet. People spent their life savings on a wagon team of oxen and other supplies to get them to their destination. They had to walk the whole way. The journey was difficult, and people met with many challenges and sometimes death. Walking for a few steps on the Oregon Trail was a powerful experience.

My next destination was Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming, and I think it's also one of the least-populated capitals in the United States. Since this is such a small city I didn't stay very long. The big thing I did was go on a horse-drawn wagon tour. The driver, a retired science teacher, drove us around downtown Cheyenne and showed us the sights. He even told us some local history. Did you know that Cheyenne was a really rich city in the 1800s? Cattle barons from Europe came over to Wyoming to raise their cows, and they brought their money with them.

capital building in Cheyenne

downtown Cheyenne

My last stop of the day was Denver, Colorado.  I didn't spend very long there either. I walked by the Colorado State Capital, and then I walked through the downtown area. There is a street in downtown that is mostly pedestrian. Buses and pedicabs are allowed, but no cars. There are many shops and restaurants, too. I stopped for coffee at one shop and looked a a few souvenirs.

Colorado State Capital

downtown Colorado

I think you are on your trip to Tokyo right now, so I hope you are having a good time. I look forward to seeing you next week for session.

Your teacher,

Elaina

Yellowstone Revisited

8/7/16

Dear I-,

I'm not in Yellowstone anymore, but I still wanted to send you this postcard showing one of the neat sights in the park. These travertine terraces are constantly changing ad growing, possibly several inches a day!

I'm in Colorado now. I've been through South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado since I was in Yellowstone.

I'd love to hear what you're doing. I hope to hear from you very soon.

Your teacher,

Elaina

Heading to South Dakota

8/5/16

Dear NH,

How are you? By the time you get this letter, camp will be over, and you will be back home. How was camp? Did you get my two letters? I hope so.

I have traveled a long distance. I left Grand Tetons National Park yesterday and made it to a town in Wyoming called Casper. Casper is the 2nd largest city in Wyoming.

This morning, I started my day by visiting the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. This center is a museum that provides information about the Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, California Trail, and Pony Express Trail. I hadn't realized there were so many trails. Even though some of these trails shared some of the same pathways they all ended in different places.

Here, I am trying to see how hard it would be to pull a handcart.
A handcart is one of the ways pioneers carried their luggage.

After visiting the interpretive center, I made my way northeast toward South Dakota. My plan was to visit Mount Rushmore yesterday, but I ran out of time, and that didn't happen. However, I still did some cool things. I went to a place called Devils Tower. Here, the land looked like it had risen up to form a flat table on top with long lines going up and down the sides. Up close, you could tell that the lines were formed by hundreds of columns of rock in geometric shapes. Basically, you could see rock tables that had 3-7 sides. I had never seen anything like it!

In the land near Devils Tower was a prairie dog community. They are super cute!

After visiting Devils Tower, it was getting a bit late, but I went off roading in the Black Hills and found a place to camp. (Off roading is basically driving on a dirt road.) Today, I will continue off roading east through Black Hills National Forest until I hit a paved road in South Dakota. I look forward to hearing about camp!

Your teacher,

Elaina

Jackson to Casper, Wyoming

8/4/16

Dear B-,

How are you? I hope preparations for going back to school are going well.

I have so much to tell you about my trip.Yesterday, I left a city called Jackson, Wyoming. This city is famous for skiing. Of course now is the wrong time for skiing, but there were still many people there because it is so close to Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park. The most interesting things about Jackson are that you can see the Grand Tetons from the city, and you can walk on wooden sidewalks since the city has them everywhere.

Those are elk antlers!

View of the Tetons from Jackson

Downtown Jackson with ski runs visible in background

A cowboy on a bucking bronco, Wyoming's symbol!

I decided that my next big destination is South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore. After leaving Jackson yesterday morning, I traveled north back through Grand Tetons National Park. I stopped at a place known for seeing lots of animals. In fact I had already been to this spot and saw elk, moose, and beavers. This time, I was there at the wrong time of day and only saw a beaver den and a couple of beaver dams.

beaver dam

beaver den

I left the park and went east through the state of Wyoming. I ended for the day in a city called Casper, Wyoming. One of the stops I made on the way was to a place called Hell's Half Acre. Hundreds of years ago, Native Americans hunted buffalo by herding them off a cliff and into a canyon full of spiky towers of rock. The buffalo couldn't escape, and the Native Americans got their food.

Hell's Half Acre

I look forward to reading about what you've been doing.

Your teacher,

Ms. Elaina