This is certainly shaping up to be a sprint for the finish
line to see which class can get there first! Right now, the
4th graders are leading the 5th graders by only 13 miles!
The 4th grade class is 182 miles from the finish line, and
the 5th grade class is 195 miles from the finish line. So,
which class will get there first? Both the 4th and 5th
graders have done an incredible job on this long 8-state
journey across Route 66 and no matter which class reaches
the end first, both classes are winners!
The leading 4th graders are currently between Ludlow and
Barstow, California... in the Mojave Desert! They are
literally camped on the edge of the road in some of the most
barren, dry landscape that can be found in California. There
are no houses or businesses, and finding any water is nearly
impossible. This is truly not a place that you want to stop
for any length of time, particularly on a hot day! They are
close to Pisgah, which is a lava field in the Mojave Desert.
Pisgah Volcano, commonly called "Pisgah Crater" on maps, is
a young volcanic cinder cone which last erupted about 2,000
years ago. Pisgah Volcano no longer looks like a volcano due
to artificial and natural erosion.
The 5th graders are currently in Ludlow, California. As was
told in last week's journal entry, Ludlow is a town that
refuses to die. It's located along railroad tracks and it
became a water stop for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in
1882 (now the Santa Fe Railroad). The discovery of ore in
the nearby hills assured the town of growth in the late
1880's. However, the decline of mining and rail traffic in
the 1940's lead to Ludlow slowly becoming deserted. Today
there's not much left in Ludlow. Twenty people live there
and there are two gas stations, a Dairy Queen, an old cafe
to eat at, and a little motel.
On Monday, April 28, Paul Staso takes off on his 620-mile run across
Montana alone. He will aim to cover more than 30 miles per day from
the North Dakota border to the Idaho border. You can learn
all about his journey at
pacetrek.com. The students at Russell
Elementary will be virtually racing Paul across the state of
Montana, along with over 8,000 other kids on teams around
the world. While this is happening, the Route 66 challenge
is being temporarily stopped until June 2. At that time
the 4th and 5th graders will continue their Route 66 trek to
see which class can finish it first.
Thanks for stopping in to see how wonderful the kids are
doing. It's going to be a fantastic finish!
Click Here To Read The Next
Journal Entry > >
|
5th Grade (42 students): Added
49
miles this week.
Their total is
2,082½
miles.
They have 195½
miles left and are 92% done with the trek.
