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.

Happy & Sad

Yesterday was my last day of work in New Jersey.  It was over 100 degrees which made me want the day to be over so that I could get to some place cooler.  When the day was over it meant I would have to say goodbye.

This is what my classroom looked like before I had to take everything out.  I spent a long time in this room with lots and lots of friends.  This is the way I will always remember it.  I will not remember what it looked like yesterday with all of the fun things missing.  It looked like a boring, grey cave when I left.

We had a lot of fun yesterday.  The ice cream party was delicious.  I got an amazing scrap book that my friends made for me.  There were lots of card and letters that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

I will look at this scrap book whenever I am feeling sad.  It will remind me of all the people that love me and that I love in New Jersey.

When the day was over it was very sad.  I was crying and so were many of my friends.  Saying goodbye is hard, especially when you spend almost everyday with those people.  I was not crying because I would not see them everyday, I was crying because I was so happy to have met them.  I did not mind being sad, because it meant that I had the chance to meet and spend time with very special people.

I still have to finish packing.  I really don't want to do it.  I wish that I could snap my fingers and have it all in San Francisco.  Until I get magic powers I will have to do it myself.  Stay tuned for pictures of me avoiding packing.

Moving is Scary and Fun

I am Miss R and I am moving from New Jersey to San Francisco, California.

I will be posting my adventures across the United States for my former students and anyone interested.  I will start with the packing and will add pictures and fun facts along the way.

Moving is scary and fun all at the same time.

 It is scary because you worry about what it will be like.  You worry that you may forgotten something.  Your worry that you may get lost.  You worry that you will have trouble making new friends.  You worry that your old friends will forget about you.

Moving is fun because you get to travel to new places.  You get to try new things.  You get to make new friends.  You get to send your old friends letters and show them your new place when they come to visit.  Moving is an adventure.

I am ready for my adventure and excited to share it with you!