 
The 4th and 5th graders have been running and walking along
Route 66 (virtually) for 25 weeks. Both teams are nearly 70%
done with the trek and the next state, Arizona, is
getting closer each day.
Last week the 5th graders pulled ahead of the 4th graders
and were leading by 13 miles. This week the 5th graders
continued to expand their lead and are now 41½
miles ahead of the 4th graders. How did they do it? Mrs.
Kuchel and Mr. Creighton, their teachers, took them
outside to do some laps of the park on Friday... the warmest
day so far for 2008. The temperature reached 52 degrees and
with no snow on the ground it made for wonderful spring-like
conditions. That outing added an extra 38½
miles to the 5th grade's weekly total!
As a result of the 5th grade's effort, they are now only 21
miles away from the Arizona border! The 4th graders are 62½
miles away from Arizona. It looks like the 5th graders will
complete New Mexico first and arrive in Arizona ahead of the
4th graders.
The upcoming week will be quite short for the students
because there is no school on Thursday or Friday due to
parent/teacher conferences. So, both grades will have
limited opportunity to add mileage in P.E. class. We're now
heading into the month of March and the Missoula valley is
certainly beginning to feel as though spring is starting to
appear. The 40 to 50-degree temperatures have certainly kept
the snow off the ground and March 20th will officially be
the first day of spring. Hopefully the students will put in
a good effort when they're in school since there's a total
of 7 days this month that are vacation days (although the
kids will have mileage sheets for spring break so that they
can log their distance). The distance across Arizona (their
next state) is 388 miles, and the distance across California
(their final state) is 318 miles. Wow... only two states
remain on this trek!
The 5th graders wrapped up their week in the New Mexico town
of Gallup - a city of over 20,000 people. On their way to
Gallup they had to go over the Continental Divide - a climb
up to 7,250 feet. Whew! The town of Gallup has been featured
in some Hollywood movies. For instance, the landscape around
Gallup can be seen in the movie Superman. Gallup is
the last town in New Mexico on Route 66 with a lot of
services (food, gas, hotel, etc.), so it's a good place to
stop before continuing west toward the Arizona border -
which is only 21 miles away! Gallup has often been referred
to as the "Heart of Indian Country" and there are many
Indian arts and crafts that you can purchase here - likely
because Gallup is located near the Navajo, Zuni and Hopi
Reservations. Gallup is also the home to an extension of the
University of New Mexico, and has about 3,000 students. Each
December in Gallup the
Red Rock Balloon Rally
is held where 200 balloons from across the Southwest and
around the World fly along the ancient canyon walls of Red
Rock State Park. Frequently described as a balloonist's
paradise, the event offers pilots the opportunity to compete
for fine Native American Arts and crafts.
The 4th graders ended their week near Thoreau (pronounced
Threw), New Mexico. Right now the 4th graders are
looking up at the Continental Divide - their next challenge.
Once they get over it they'll be heading downhill to the
Arizona border. The town of Thoreau has about 2,000 people
and is a local trading center for artists, including: rug
weaving, sand painting, silversmithing, pottery making, and
turquoise jewelry making. If you were to go for a hike in
the hills around Thoreau you may come across some ruins of
the Chacoan Anasazi Indian people. There are some old rock
houses that can still be found in the landscape. Thoreau can
receive some intense thunderstorms during the summer months
of July and August and March is typically a very windy time
of year. So, the students may have quite a headwind while
running through Thoreau! Once they get over the Continental
Divide, they'll be in the larger city of Gallup - where the
5th graders are now.
Thanks for stopping by this New Mexico milepost. We
appreciate you keeping track of the students' progress.
Please drop them a
note of encouragement!
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|
5th Grade (41 students): Added
92½
miles this week.
Their total is
1,551
miles.
They have 727
miles
left and are 68% done with the trek.
