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Week 18
January 6 - January 12, 2008

The BIG news of this week is that the 4th grade students got enough miles to reach the halfway point in this Route 66 journey! They're getting closer to the ocean with each step, and soon they'll be virtually running through some difficult desert areas of the southwest United States. The 4th graders are currently 157 miles ahead of the 5th grade.

There's more BIG news for this week, and that is that the 5th graders are only a half mile away from completing the state of Oklahoma! The 5th graders have about 153 miles left before reaching the halfway point of this trek. Don't count them out for being able to finish this challenge in first place! The last time we did a virtual trek with the 4th and 5th graders the lead changed several times. At this point it simply depends on how motivated the 5th graders are to finish ahead of the younger 4th graders.

The 4th graders are currently in Adrian, Texas - the official halfway point on Route 66 between Chicago and Los Angeles. As the locals say, "When you're here, you're halfway there!" This would be a good place for the 4th grade to stop and have a good meal... at the MidPoint Cafe! If you like pie, this is the place to get some of the best pie anywhere! The 4th graders are just about to complete their 5th state on this 8-state trek! They're only 20 miles away from the border of New Mexico and they'll likely reach that next week - being able to check off Texas from their list of states to cross.

The 5th graders are currently in Texola, Oklahoma - the last town on Route 66 in the state of Oklahoma! Texola is a half mile from the Texas border and is a tiny town of about 50 people. The town name was created by combining "Texas" with "Oklahoma", since the town sits so close to the border. There are very few businesses in Texola and most of the buildings are abandoned. Don't blink your eyes as your running through Texola. The "town" is only a half mile long, so it would be easy to miss! Both classes are about halfway through the school year and should be able to finish this 2,278-mile run/walk along historic Route 66 if they put in a good effort each week.

This week Paul Staso visited with the 4th and 5th grade classes and gave a presentation about an actual running race that took place along Route 66 back in 1928. He showed some video of the race and the students learned about Andy Payne of Oklahoma - the eventual winner of the 3,422-mile race which began in Los Angeles, California... went along Route 66 to Chicago, Illinois... and then on to New York City. Andy won $25,000 for first place and out of the 199 runners that stepped up to the starting line, only 55 finished. There is a great web site to learn more about this race, which was also nicknamed "The Bunion Derby", and you can visit that web site by clicking here. In 1928, winning $25,000 was a lot of money (and it still is!). To put prices into perspective, back in 1928 you could buy a gallon of gas for 21 cents. Today you would pay around $3.00 to put a gallon of gas in your car. Also, back in 1928 you could go see a movie at a theater for only 15 cents. Today it costs about $7.50 to go see a movie! Also, a "good" paying job back in 1928 was one that paid the person about $40 per week. Andy would have had to work about 13 years to earn $25,000 in a job. Instead, Andy ran hard for 84 days and earned the $25,000 first place prize.

We can't possibly end this journal entry without saying that both classes ran through Clinton, Oklahoma - the home of the Route 66 museum. This is a terrific museum that will truly give any visitor genuine sights and sounds of Route 66's history. Through their web site you can purchase many Route 66 souvenirs, including a book about the 1928 running race along Route 66. The book is called "The Great America Bunion Derby" and is appropriately written for children to be able to read and understand. It includes some wonderful pictures from the race and is the book that Mr. Staso brought into the classes this week, and which he read a portion of. You can buy the book by clicking here.

So, both classes are doing very well on this virtual run and we'll report again on their progress next week. By then, the 4th graders will be in New Mexico and the 5th graders will be in Texas!

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