Day 3 - Chicago to Lincoln, Nebraska

On the third day of the trip we saw tons of cool things during the trip.  We drove just as many hours as the other days.  Before we left Chicago,  we took pictures at a very famous baseball park.

Wrigley Field is the home of the Chicago Cubs.  They are one of the oldest baseball teams.  They have been around since baseball became the national past time in 1876.






I thought it was kind of funny that they had a giant piece of macaroni, from a bowl of macaroni and cheese.

Our next stop was not planned, but was probably the best part of the day.  We found a kid sized version of Wrigley Field called Little Cubs Field.  

Little Cubs Field was built by volunteers, so that children can  play baseball on a field that looks just like Wrigley Field.

Mike and I got to pretend to catch baseballs in the outfield and to sit on the benches.  It would have been even more fun if we had a whole team to play a game with.

After Little Cubs field we were on our way to another place that loves baseball.  Along the way we saw two other interesting places.

This is a picture of President Ulysses S. Grant's house.  It is in Galena, Illinois.  When Grant came back from the Civil War in 1865, the people of the town gave him this house.  He lived in the house until 1867 and then from 1879 - 1881.  The house has tons of things that was owned by Grant. 

We also drove over the Mississippi River.  It is the longest river in the United States.  It starts in Minnesota and ends in the Gulf of Mexico. That is practically from the top to the bottom of the United States.  

The next stop on what seemed like a day full of baseball was the place where they filmed the movie Field of Dreams.  In the movie a man turns part of his corn field into a baseball field.  They actually turned a farm into a baseball field to film the movie.  

The family that lives there kept as a baseball field so people can come and visit. You can even play a game of catch or pretend to walk out of the baseball field like the baseball players in the movie.

Mike and I had a good time walking around this place.  It is so cool to be a place where they filmed a movie.  You can pretend to be part of the movie.

Mike did the last of the driving that day.  Nebraska is famous for its beautiful skies and sunsets.

The next stop on our trip is Denver, Colorado.  Stay tuned for pictures from that day of the trip.  

Day 2 - Cleveland to Chicago

On the second day we left early, but not at 4 o'clock in the morning.  That was too early!

We started out by going to see a place where one of my favorite movies was filmed.  Have you ever seen A Christmas Story?  It is about a little boy who wants a toy that his mother says is not safe.  I am sure that everyone has wanted something their parents didn't want them to have.

I got so excited when I found out that the house they used for the movie was in Cleveland.  So before leaving the city we stopped by and took pictures in front of the house.  The museum wasn't open when we got there, because it was early.  I was just as happy to see the outside.  

We then got on the road for Chicago, Illinois.  Illinois is the state where both President Abraham Lincoln and President Barack Obama are from.  It was another long drive but we had some time to see cool things before we were too tired to keep our eyes open.  

Here we come Chicago

Singing along to the radio

The City of Chicago

Navy Pier

We got to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  It has more than 1,000 animals, some of the endangered animals cannot be seen anywhere else.  They have gorillas and chimpanzees at the zoo.  Some of them are even older than me.  The zoo has part called the Regenstein African Journey and it is home to giraffes, wild dogs, meerkats and pygmy (small) hippos.  There is also a children's zoo and another part of the zoo that looks like a farm.  

We also got to take a picture of the whole city, while in the zoo.  The city has  a skyscraper that is North America's tallest building.  It used to be called the Sears tower.  It is 110 stories and is 1,353 feet tall.  I don't like heights so I am glad we saw it from the street instead of going up and looking down.

It got really hot, so we went to the Chicago History Museum.  They had so many fun things to do.  

You could pretend to be a giant Chicago hotdog.

Or pretend to drive or ride on  an old fashioned trolley car.

There is even a place where you can answer Chicago sports trivia.

At the end of the day there was a beautiful sunset telling us to get to bed.  We would need lots of sleep to continue on the journey in the morning.

Day 1 - New Jersey to Cleveland, Ohio

On the first day of the trip, we left the house at 4 o'clock in the morning.  That meant a cranky and sleepy Miss R.  My friend Mike drove the first half of the drive.  It took over 8 hours.  That meant lots of music and silliness.

When we got to Cleveland it was hot and we were starving. 

So we went on a mission for food before sightseeing.  

After our bellies were full we decided to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  It is a museum that has lots of things owned by musicians.













We saw Michael Jackson's glove and tons of cool items.  Below are some pictures of the other things we saw.

After seeing all the fun stuff we heading back to the hotel for a nap and then dinner.  Tomorrow would be just as exciting with another small trip in Cleveland and then driving to Chicago.

Travels begin with packing and planning

Wow, packing takes a long time.  I had to figure out what was important and what I needed.  After all it had to fit just in my car.  I even bought a bag for my roof to put stuff in.  I don't have to move furniture thank goodness.

I am going to be in my car with my friend Mike for seven days.  That means a lot of hotels and restaurants.  We are going to stop in some exciting places.  Most of all there will be a lot of driving.  I promise to take lots of pictures, especially silly ones.

Cleveland, Ohio

We are stopping in:

Chicago, Illinois

Lincoln, Nebraska

Denver, Colorado

Salt Lake City, Utah

We are stopping in lots of places along the way. Maybe even some baseball parks, since Mike is a huge baseball fan.  Check back soon for some more updates and adventures.

Hypno SF

My walk on Sunday was amazing.  I will be posting pictures soon.  Until then, here is a video of the city I now live in.  My mother found it and it is great.  The video shows you all the famous places here in a cool  way.  Check it out.

I'm here San Francisco

I am in San Francisco.  I did not drive here yet, but I flew to get everything ready here.  The plane ride between New Jersey and California is long, almost 6 hours.  I always take a nap, so it does not seem as long.

I brought 4 bags with me.  Can you believe it?  I also had a friend bring one to San Francisco with him a month ago.  That is five bags, and most of my things are still at home.  Think about packing up your room and all you can bring is what would fit in your car.  That means you can't take everything and you need to make a decision about what is important.  It is harder than you think.

I also came out early for a fundraiser, that I do every year.  I walk 6.2 miles or 10K, and raise money to help cure a disease.  That is twice as long as the Tenafly 5K.  The walk is fun, but it is more important to help people who are sick get better.

My team and I asked all of our friends and family to help support us and our walk.  We sold shirts and yummy food to raise even more money. Our team is called Sparkle Pony, it is a funny name I know.  People remember it because it is so funny.  Our team is small but powerful, there are just three of us.  Team Sparkle Pony is me and two of my most favorite people in the whole world Mike and Jordan.   We have raised almost $4,000 so far.  Some of you and your parents have already helped me.  If you or they want to help you can here.

On Sunday, we will walk with thousands of other people.  The beginning is really crowded.  Along the walk there are lots of things to see.  Sometimes there is music and dancers.   There are even snacks along the way to keep you going.  The walk takes 2-3 hours.  Your feet hurt when you are done, but knowing that you helped lots of people makes that pain go away.  You feel amazing when you cross the finish line and people are cheering.


I will post pictures from the walk on Sunday and give you an update then.

Planning the Trip

My trip is going to be 2,904 miles.  That is equal to 48,400 football fields.  Good thing I am driving and not walking.

When I fly to San Francisco is takes about 6 hours.  If I could drive without sleeping it would take 2 days.  I am going to sleep of course, so it will take about 7 days.  I could do it in 5 but it will take longer because I am going to stop at fun places to share with you.

Did you know there is one road that goes right from Teaneck, NJ to San Francisco, CA.  It is called Interstate 80.  Interstate means that it goes through many states.  It is actually the second longest road in America, and I will be driving all of it.  The road is 56 years old, and many people have used it to get across the US.

I am driving from one star to the other.

I will be driving through 11 states.  I have never been to 6 of the states, which is really exciting.  I love to go to new places and learn new things.  I have a lot of reading to do about these states.  It is always good to learn about a place before you go.  You can find out what the fun things are to do and the great places to eat.

Here is the little bit of light reading I will have to do before I leave.

Along the way I will give you tons of fun facts and information about each state, but for now I will give you one fun fact for each I will be driving through.

New Jersey - Thomas Edison invented movies in New Jersey.  He also invented lots of other things.  You can visit his lab in West Orange, NJ.

Pennsylvania - Crayola crayons are made in PA.  You can visit the factory in Easton, PA.  

Ohio -  America's first traffic light was used in Cleveland, OH.  I cannot imagine a world without them.

Indiana - The Wright brothers who invented the first working airplane grew up in Indiana.  

Illinois - The first Aquarium opened in Chicago in 1893.  It is called the Shedd Aquarium and they have a brand new baby dolphin.

Iowa -  Strawberry Point, Iowa is the home of the world's largest strawberry.

Nebraska- Kool-Aid was invented by
Edwin Perkins in his mother's kitchen
in his childhood home in Hastings, Nebraska.

Wyoming -  The first woman Governor  was in Wyoming.  She was also the first woman governor in the United States in 1925.  She also became the first woman in charge of the U.S. Mint in 1933, which is where our country's money is made.

Utah - Can you believe that it snows about 500 inches in Salt Lake City, Utah every year.? That is over 41 feet.

Nevada- Nevada is the home of Death Valley it is the lowest, driest, and hottest place in North America.  The Kangaroo Rat can live its entire life without drinking a drop of water in Death Valley.

California - The first movie theater opened in Los Angeles, CA on April 2, 1902.

It's kind of funny that the movie was invented in New Jersey and the first movie theater opened in California.  I guess I am like the movies, I will start in New Jersey and end up in California.