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

Animals in Yellowstone

8/1/16

Dear I-

How are you? I hope you are having a good week.

I am so excited to tell you about all of the animals I saw today! First, I saw two baby mule deer drinking milk from their mother. I was surprised to see deer in the middle of the day. I should also mention that the deer weren't in a forest. Instead, they were next to travertine hot springs (hot springs where the minerals in the water made cool formations).

Next, I saw buffalo! When driving in the park, you can just look out your window and see herds of them. A park ranger told me that there are about 3,000 of them in the park. Many people pull off of the road and park in order to see these animals better. That's what I did. I watched a herd of buffalo migrate from one side of the road to the other. It is so funny to watch what happens when a buffalo walks into the middle of the road. The cars have to stop, and the buffalo kind of just hang out, annoying the drivers. A car can sit there waiting for a long time before the buffalo decides to move.

At night on the way out of the park to the only available campground, I saw a pronghorn antelope and a fox! I went to a spot that often has wolves, but I didn't see any. I wonder what kind of animals I will see tomorrow.

I hope your week is going well, and I look forward to hearing about what you are doing.

Your teacher

Elaina