 
This was a very short week for running and walking virtually
on Route 66 because the students had Thursday and Friday off
from classes. However, they put in a wonderful effort for
such a short week and are currently tied with 282 miles for
each class. That means both classes are a mere 7 miles from
the Missouri border! Next week will be a time of celebration
as both classes will complete their first state... Illinois!
They've completed 12% of the trek. Both classes are about 15
miles from St. Louis, Missouri.
One of the big highlights for this week was when the
students virtually ran/walked past
Staunton, Illinois. They
went past
Henry’s Rabbit Ranch.
Not only is the owner, Rich Henry, a kind host... but it’s
fun to pet the ever-mellow
Montana, one of his 37
pet rabbits.
Henry even has an eye-catching 9-foot-tall fiberglass bunny in which kids
of all ages can ride in the saddle.
The students are about to encounter the "Chain
of Rocks Bridge", which is actually
closed to vehicle traffic now. It was built in 1927 and is
one of the few bridges in the world with a radical bend in
the middle. The bridge spans the Mississippi River. The
eastern end of the bridge is on Chouteau Island (part of
Madison, Illinois) while the western end is on the Missouri
shoreline.
Although both classes are 200 miles off pace for completing
their trek by April 11, 2008 (which was our original target
date), they are starting to get into stride and are making
progress. This route crosses 8 states and next week they
will complete their first state! Each grade has averaged 47
miles per week across the state of Illinois.
This week also marked the one-year anniversary since Paul
Staso (creator of the Route 66 challenge) completed his solo
run across America to fulfill a promise he made to Russell
Elementary's 4th and 5th grade students in 2005. They
completed their
virtual U.S.A. trek
during the spring of 2006 and Paul completed his actual
U.S.A. run on October 20, 2006.
Click here
to read his thoughts one year after his 3,260-mile journey.
The kids are making progress and we're excited for what lies
ahead.
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
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5th Grade (41 students): They
did 63½ miles this week.
Their total
is 282 miles.
