Cedar City, UT

We were in Cedar City today. They have quite the combination for adventure and fun. They have culture, national parks and many festivals. One of their most famous festivals is the Shakespeare Festival. A nickname for the town is "Festival City, USA."

Cedar City is a city located in Iron County, Utah, United States, 250 miles south of Salt Lake City on Interstate 15. It is the home of Southern Utah University, the Utah Shakespearean Festival, the Neil Simon Theatre Festival, Groovefest, the Utah Summer Games, and other events. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 20,527, estimated to be 23,983 by 2005

We talked about erosion and saw many wonderful sites.

Salt Lake City, UT

WE MET DAVE SHAUN WHITE!! HE IS AN OLYMPIC SNOWBOARDER!! HE IS FROM HERE!

We visited the Mormon Temple and saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!! What an organ!!

He also told us about the Olympics and the Bonneville Flats and land speed records! Man, that was cool. Did you know that the Great Salt Lake used to be called Lake Bonneville? It was much bigger too! We learned why it is a "salt" lake. There are now rivers or streams leaving the valley. All of the minerals that go into the lake can not escape.

We learned a ton about Salt Lake City and The Great Salt Lake! We learned why a capital city is important, and about the history of the city. What a wild story!

Mining booms and the construction of the first transcontinental railroad initially brought economic growth, and the city became nicknamed the Crossroads of the West. In the 21st century the city has developed a strong outdoor recreation tourism industry (skiing and biking), become the industrial banking center of the U.S, and served as host to the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Reno, NV

We met Poker Player Bob today and he showed us around the Biggest Little City in the world!

Did you know that 80% of the population of Nevada lives in Reno and Las Vegas?

Or how about the fact that Nevada is the driest state in the USA!?

We also learned about Carson City and why we have capital cities!!

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 180,480, making it the second-largest city in Nevada. Current census estimates, however, show the city's population has grown to approximately 214,000 but the city is now the third largest in the state, following Las Vegas and Henderson. Reno lies 26 miles north of the Nevada state capital, Carson City, and 22 miles northeast of Lake Tahoe in the high desert. The area of western Nevada and the California Sierra Nevada anchored by Reno has a population of approximately 650,000. Reno shares its eastern border with the city of Sparks. Reno, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World", is famous for its casinos, and is the birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah's Entertainment. Reno residents are referred to as "Renoites."

Yellowstone National Park

Did you know that this was the first National Park in the world? What an amazing place with so much to see! We could spend a week here!

Emma showed us around the park and told us about the Jr. Ranger Program! WOW! There is no way that you can cover this park in an hour! Click here to take the quiz that Emma gave us this afternoon about Yellowstone!

Yellowstone National Park, set aside as a national park on March 1, 1872, is located mostly in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho. The park was the first of its kind, and is known for its wildlife and geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular areas in the park.

Missoula, MT

This is a great town!! SO much to see and do!! I would have loved to go to college here! They loved bikes too!!

Did you know that Missoula has a city wide read in once a year! This town loves to read and it shops up in their community! The Clark Fork River was filthy, so what did they do? Blame others? No! They cleaned it up as a group. They think on their feet. The river front is beautiful with sculptures and views that warm the heart. What a completely awesome town!

Glacier National Park

This is an amazing place!! Talk about beauty and wonder!! It has been a while since I have been here and I am glad to be back!!

We are going to ride our bikes up "Going to the Sun Road." It should be tough!!

Glacier National Park is dominated by mountains which were carved into their present shapes by the huge glaciers of the last ice age. Evidence of widespread glacial action is found throughout the park in the form of U-shaped valleys, glacial cirques,and large outflow lakes radiating like fingers from the base of the highest peaks.

"When you hike you should wear a bell so you don't startle a bear, otherwise it will crush you!" There is all kinds of wildlife here and we mean wild!!

Spokane, WA

Jack showed us around his beautiful cityThere is a lot to see and do here! I learned so much about Spokane that I didn't know! Every city in the US has so many wonderful secrets! Did you know that Father's Day started here?

We also talked about supply and demand today!

The parks here are great and the sculptures bring the city to life. They even have a city clock that is still wound by hand!

Note to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dear Martin Luther King Jr.
Thank you for making the earth better. You are my hero. Thank you for peace. You are the answer to my world. Thank you for your forgiveness and love!! Thank you sooo much.

(19)

Seattle, WA

The Kids looking out the window of the Space Needle!




The water cycle in Seattle! And a discussion about the three states of matter!! I dissolved salt in the water and then boiled off the water to show that the salt was always there! FUM!!










For all of the coffee drinkers out there, we are in the city where Starbucks started. It even smells like coffee here. It also smells like fish. We went to the fish market today, those guys are crazy. They love there job so much that they made a video about it called "Fish." They were very funny and very nice.

There are some similarities between San Francisco and Seattle, they deal with earthquakes and they had their own gold rush.

The Space Needle was awesome. We ate lunch up there today!

We met a guy named Bill who took us through a crazy museum. It is the craziest building I have ever seen!

Portland, OR

The Spruce Goose!!









What a cool place!! So beautiful and you are an hour from Mt. Hood and an hour from the Ocean! Portland has a great light rail system and is surrounded by 32 volcanoes! Thanks goodness none of them are active. We also read about Mt. St. Helens which doesn't seem like it is inactive at all!

Portland was wild! We went mountain biking, through a corn maze and to a pumpkin weigh in! The growing conditions are perfect in Portland and they grow giant vegetables. And yes, that is a pumpkin smashing a car!

We saw the Spruce Goose too!

Crater Lake National Park

It is still pretty warm here. We have heard that it is cold in Minnesota. I hope you are all well!

Ranger Dave told us that Crater Lake is a caldera lake in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 4,000 feet caldera that was formed by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama.

On June 12, 1853, John Wesley Hillman was reportedly the first European American to see what he named "Deep Blue Lake" in Oregon. The lake was renamed at least three times, as Blue Lake, Lake Majesty, and finally Crater Lake.

Crater Lake is known for its famous piece of driftwood named the "Old Man of the Lake." It is a full-sized tree that has been bobbing vertically in the lake for more than a century. Due to the cold water of the lake, the tree has been rather well preserved.