Salt Lake City - Desert City

We have been in Salt Lake City for a couple of days.  This was after driving through Wyoming, where there are REAL cowboys!  It was all countryside for hours.  There is Nothing to do here in Utah besides go to Starbucks, which my mom loves because she can do her work there and they have comfy, leather seats.  But that gets boring after a while.  We went to the library once but my mom couldn't get online there so we didn't go back.  The first night we drove into Salt Lake City, it was all lit up.  It looked big.  When we drove into this major city, I thought, "Finally!  Civilization!"

Earlier in the week, we went to KOA Campground.  I have not been to a KOA Campground since I was very little.  It was my birthday the last time we went and I was about five years old.  I had fun at the KOA Campground because they had a pool, a hot tub and a media room.  The media room was not a gaming room, like I was expecting.  It was a room with a huge TV and movies.  It also had puzzles.  I was working on one and I got very close to finishing it but we had to leave.  It was only $30 a night but that is because there is a train that blasts every couple of hours - all night long! It woke me up at 3am and I didn't get very much sleep.  My mom didn't get sleep either so she went inside the van to sleep but she still woke up once more after that.  If it wasn't for the trains, it would have been a great KOA.  It was still fun to be there.  My sisters rode their bikes around.  They made friends with a girl in the pool, too.

KOA Campground Pool

Niagara Falls

Niagara falls is a beautiful place, and on Sundays, Canada puts on a fireworks show. The Canadian side of Niagara Falls is different by a little bit. Instead of saying MPH on the speed signs, it says, kilometers.  Here are some videos of Niagara Falls.  It is truly amazing at night, because the Canadian side lights the falls, and they change color.


The fireworks that Canada puts on are very good fireworks. That show is worth seeing from either The American side, or the Canadian side. The fireworks go on for about 30 minutes, and then they're over.    

We left Niagara Falls and we stayed very close to Michigan. We first went to Ohio, and then up to Michigan to see my Uncle Robby. He lives in a town that is an hour from Toledo, so we went there after our stay in Toledo, Ohio.  We drove about two hours to get there. There was nothing around just countryside on the way. It was pretty, but it was actually boring to see. Here is a picture of the Ohio countryside.


Read my mom's blogs! Go to: http://ligalo.hubpages.com/.









                                                                           

East Coast Tour Continues: Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine

We are on our way to New York.  We started in Maine on Friday.  Today (Sunday), we are in Connecticut.  We were in Boston, Massachusetts, on the 4th of July, and we saw ships from different countries, including some of our own ships, in the Charleston Harbor. We saw  the USS Constitution, which is a ship built in 1794. Here is a picture of The USS Constitution.  They call her 'Old Ironsides.'  The USS Constitution is celebrating her 200th birthday.  They had a major celebration on the Charleston Harbor.  The Blue Angels flew overhead, there was a parade, real cannons were fired from the USS Constitution, they took her out to sea with US Navy sailors dressed in clothes from the 1700's, and there was a lot more, too.

After we visited the ships, we went to the Bunker Hill Monument, and we walked 294 steps to the top.  That's the same as a 20 story building!  Here is a picture of The Bunker Hill Monument. Here is a second picture of the inside of this monument.

Later that night, we watched the fireworks (they were neighborhood fireworks) and we thought they were real fireworks. We found out that the fireworks were scheduled for 10:30 pm, and not 9:00 pm, the time we were there. We did not watch the fireworks that night, because we could not find parking anywhere.

When we left Boston, we went to Vermont. On the way to Vermont, we passed through the Appalachian Mountain range. My mom wanted to stop at a site called 'The Old Man' which was there for thousands of years before it collapsed in 2003. The Old Man was a natural face carved into the mountain side, and the Indians in that valley below it worshiped it. Read more about "The Old Man" at this website: "The Old Man".  Above is a picture of 'The Old Man.'


When we left Vermont, we went to New Hampshire. There is nothing to do in New Hampshire, except for camping, fishing, and hunting, if you love the wilderness. New Hampshire is a nature lover's paradise.  New Hampshire is a beautiful state, and Vermont is very much the same.  Later that night, we watched the fireworks in a town called Mexico, Maine. Mexico is a very tiny town, and when we stopped in Mexico to buy some food at Walmart there, my sister said it smelled like feet in the air, but it was actually a paper mill. We learned that the fireworks were going on when a guy let us know that. The fireworks were so cool!  They were better than the ones in Boston and we had a terrific view!  I took this picture below.

After we spent a few days in Maine, we started heading to New York. We are in Branford, Connecticut, and we will go to New York soon.

I will write again when we get to New York.

Read more about travel at:http://hubpages.com/, and look up my mom at: Li Galo

Southern Tour: Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina

In Alabama, we learned about The Civil Rights Movement and how it started. The Civil Rights Movement started when a woman named Rosa Parks sat down on a segregated bus after a day of work and refused to get up. The driver, James Blake, asked her if she was going to get up. She said, "No." The bus driver then said that he would have her arrested. She said: "You may do that." The next day, the Bus Boycott started. All of this information is at the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama. Alabama has  a lot about The Civil Rights Movement and Birmingham is where you should start. We also went to Martin Luther King Jr's home in Montgomery, where we met a woman who said she actually knew Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King's house was bombed, and he lived in the bombed house. When the bombing happened, his wife ran to the back where the baby was. Here is a picture of the MLK Jr house.

     
After we left Alabama, we went to Florida. Florida is very expensive.  On the way to Key West, we stopped in Miami Beach, where we stayed for a few days before moving on to Key West.  Key West is beautiful, and you need a couple thousand dollars just to do everything there.  There are tourist traps.  There is The Southernmost Point, where you can see Cuba if the weather is clear. Here is a picture of the Southernmost Point. Key West seceded from the United States, and declared war. One minute later, Key West surrendered, and then asked for 1 billion dollars. Find out more about this in: Key West Florida - The Little Island That Seceded From These United States 

After Key West, we went to Georgia, where we went to Savannah for a driving tour.  That was it for Savannah!

When our trip to Georgia ended, we drove off to the Carolina's. In South Carolina, in Charleston, we went on a Ft. Sumter tour, and it was fun! You can actually go there for free, if you have a boat, and you can stay there until it closes. I learned that Ft Sumter was used by the Confederates, from 1861 until 1865, when the Union finally destroyed the walls. This is what it looks like today. Ft Sumter was  changed during the Spanish-American War, and "Battery Huger" was built in the center of the fort but it never saw combat. Read more about Fort Sumter at:  Wiki Link to Fort Sumter

We drove through South Carolina to get to a town called Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach is just like Branson, Missouri, and there is a lot to do there, starting from hotels to amusement parks, and ending with restaurants. Here is a picture of Myrtle beach. Wonder Works is a fun place, and to get in, you are flipped upside down to begin your adventure. find out more at: Wonder Works

In Wilmington, North Carolina, where we went to the Railroad Museum, where they had a model train room, a kids room, a history room, and they told about a legend of a guy. The legend goes like this: a man named Joe was riding in the caboose, and a strange sound startled him. The caboose had broken free of the train.  Joe saw a train approaching him. He frantically waved his lantern, but it was too late. The train plowed into the caboose, and Joe's head flew in one direction, and his lantern in the other direction.  Legend says, Joe still searches for his head.  They also have a steam engine outside.

See the states that I've been through on this map.

Now, we are just outside of Richmond, Virginia.  

Deep South Tour: Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee

ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, ARKANSAS MISSOURI AND TENNESSEE...

Me eating alligator

Today, I (Cristiana) am writing this blog for my brother, who was behind in his studies.  I hope you like it!

We went to Louisiana.  Some of the many enjoyable things there included the Swamp Tours and the Laura Plantation.  At the Laura Plantation, we learned about what life was like on the plantation, how the slaves lived there and we saw the slave cabins.  I can't believe that women were that short in those days because I'm tall.  The most enjoyable thing that we did there was eating alligator. We also viewed the French Quarters of New Orleans and we viewed the damage Hurricane Katrina caused.

Mississippi was the most enjoyable state. We went to the Civil War Museum in Vicksburg where they had men that had uniforms on.  The uniforms were from the military of 1776 and all the wars until now. They had a movie that we watched about the Civil War inside the museum.  There was another museum next to the USS Cairo.  We viewed amazing sights and crossed the Mississippi  River.

After Mississippi, we went to Arkansas. We went to my dad's hometown, Hot Springs, Arkansas. We went to a Waffle House in Hot Springs.  Then we went to stay with family in Fayetteville.  After Arkansas, we went to Missouri.

In Missouri, we went to a town called Branson. We had a bunch of fun there. We (Cristiana and Emilio), went to the Titanic Museum. We were able to actually feel the cold water.  I only lasted 15 seconds, while Emilio lasted 30 seconds. Mama and Solina went to Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum and they actually had some pretty weird stuff there.

The Duck Tour was very fun!

Emilio wanted to go here but we didn't.

Ripley's was freaky.

Titanic Museum was wonderful.

We didn't go to the Hollywood Wax Museum but I like this picture.

On the way to Kentucky, we mistakenly drove into Illinois, and then we got back on track. When we arrived in Kentucky, we bought our magnet for that state.  My Mama collects magnets from every state we visit.  Then we kept going until we arrived in Tennessee. In Chattanooga, we went to the Choo-Choo Train Museum, where they turned the real train cars into hotel rooms. After a visit to the trains, we bought ice-cream. Then, Emilio went to the Model Train Museum. Emilio really liked it. After we left Chattanooga, we drove through Georgia to arrive in Alabama, where we are currently staying.

Stay tuned for more details on our visit to Alabama.  We leave for the Florida Keys on Friday!

Touring the Southwest

We went back on the road again on May 12.  The first day, we passed through Southern California and Arizona.  I saw a huge cactus called the Saguaro.  The following day we went to New Mexico.  The next three days were spent in Texas.  We saw amazing sights, and now I would like to share some amazing sights with you.

In Southern California, near the state line (off interstate 10), we saw robotic dinosaurs in a tiny town where it was over 100 degrees.  Those dinosaurs were huge!  The dinosaurs were taller than a house! In that same small town, we went to the General Patton Military museum, and we saw items from the Holcaust to World War II. The museum was really great, and I think that this would be a good experience for anybody to learn about our American history. There were tanks outside, so I took some pictures of them.

There were a LOT of wind turbines, and they were in front of us and behind us, as we exited California on the way to Arizona.  When we got to Arizona, we went to the OK Corral in Tombstone, where the famous battle of the west was held.  The 30 second gun battle featured lawmen Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Doc Holiday and outlaw cowboys Ike and Billy Clanton and Frank and Tom Lowery.  We saw a statue of Wyatt Earp, the leader of the Earps (below).

We went to New Mexico after we left Arizona, and we went to the Farm Museum in Las Cruces.  At the Farm Museum, there were Native Americans praying and singing.  They asked the Great Creator for a blessing by looking to the four directions and praying.  Later, the Catholic Bishop offered a prayer for the land and animals.  Our family had a guided tour given by a volunteer who talked about each farm animal and what their purpose is on the farm.  One thing my sisters did was to talk to a Native woman who was spinning on a loom.  She and some others with her explained how the lamb was sheered and the wool was taken to the loom and spun into yarn.  We felt the wool and it was super soft.  Outside the museum was a blacksmith with his creations for sale.  Inside the Farm Museum, my mother met a Navaho man named David who carves all his own art and jewelry for sale.  She bought a necklace from him.  Inside, there were exhibits on customary ways the Southwestern Indian lived hundred of years ago.  They also had a special show of Ballet Folklorico dancers in the theater.


Thirty minutes after leaving the Farm Museum, we arrived in Texas, where there are only two radio stations on the highway.  We drove straight to San Antonio to spend time with my mother's friend.  Unfortunately, my mother's friend caught a contagious rash from one of the patients in the medical practice that she works in so we couldn't visit.  Instead, we went to Calaveras Lake Park, a pretty campsite.  The bad news there was that we were attacked by mosquitoes.   The next day, while I studied at a nearby Starbucks, my sisters visited the Children's Museum, which has hands on activities in science:  understanding wind motion, connecting circuits in electrical design, developing buildings that can withstand earthquakes, and things like that

Today we are in Corpus Christi.  We visited the nearby beach in Port Aransas, where the water was as warm as bath water.  My sisters and mother went boogie boarding while I worked on my math (boo).  It was pretty unique that my mother went swimming and boogie boarding.  My sister said she didn't even know my mother could swim.  My mother says she plans to swim all summer as long as we are in warm waters.  She said she used to surf and scuba all the time but she doesn't like the cold waters of Northern California.  So, she said she might even surf for us when we get to Florida.  Wow!  So, here are some pictures as evidence that my mother actually can swim.  If I get lucky, maybe I'll get some of her surfing later in the summer, too.

My mother hopes that her friend is well enough and not contagious anymore so that we might visit her tonight.  Either way, we are off to Louisiana next, where we plan to visit New Orleans.  I am taking my online math final this week so I will let my sister write the next blog for me to tell you about New Orleans.  Bye for now!

Today, I'm writing to tell you about travel.  Well, sort of.  My mother is a writer and you can see her articles online about all kinds of travel topics.  I thought this would be a good thing to go over since we are getting ready to hit the road!  I'm really excited and looking forward to our new travels.  To read more about travels and how to prepare or how to save money traveling, click on these links below.

• How To Be A Good House Guest (Or How Not To Get Kicked Out of The Host's Home)
• Travel-Like-A-Pro-Pack-Like-A-Pro-Travel-Light
• How-To-Travel-For-Less-Than-The-Rest
• New-Ways-To-Fund-Travel
• Travel-and-Kids-Schooling-Your-Children-On-the-Road
• Dont-Touch-My-Junk-Strip-Searches-At-The-Airport
• Running-Through-The-Airport-Like-Your-Suitcase-Is-On-Fire

A Flower Fundraiser to Attend School Overseas

Hi Everyone,

I'm now writing about my flower fundraiser!  I wasn't writing last month due to a heavy amount of schoolwork but I'll be writing about once a week now that we are getting ready for our next travels.


Normally, we hit the books hard in the months we are not traveling, which is normally October to April. We have very long school days and attend our homeschool six days a week with tutors on three different days, online instruction, and also working with Mama.  But when April ends, we put the books in storage and start our real-world learning by traveling, visiting historical sights, meeting real people from other cultures and in government, touring, and attending events.  We take only laptops and this year, we are taking the Kindle Fire, too.

We learn so much more when we travel and experience real life, talking to real people and doing instead of reading about it.  In the summer, we also attend summer programs every year... and that's where you come in!  Our summer programs vary but this year we will be learning a foreign language in a classroom-based environment.

Before we go off on our next road trip, we are having a fundraiser to help with the costs for our summer program.  We are selling flower bulbs.  Will you please help us out with an online order?  (Orders are shipped right to your home and you pay through the website)

Click Here To Order Flower Bulbs! 

The money we raise will pay for our summer school program overseas, where we will learn to speak a new language!

It looks like we will end up at the International School this summer.  They are located in many countries.  We will probably end up in Asia or South America this summer but either way, we will be at the International School. They will cost about $3000 for each of us or almost $10,000 for all of us so every order really counts.

When Mama finishes her summer work abroad, we will return to the USA and visit family but then we will go to Texas to see our good friend, Mr. Ty.  He is getting married this year so we must go!  After that, I plan to give inspirational talks on achieving personal goals to Boy Scout Troops throughout the South.  I am hoping to meet some of my relatives in Arkansas this year and complete the trip we had to postpone last year.  Because of our fundraising earlier this year to travel the USA, we have already set aside $1000 for this stateside trip.  So, the fundraising we are doing right now selling flower bulbs will help us to pay for the school tuition abroad at the International School.

Please share this website with friends!  Please feel free to comment, too!  Thank you.  

Happy New Year Everyone!

Continuing Our Travels After the Holiday Break

     Happy New Year!  We had a terrific Christmas at home and are now excited for 2012.

     We have just moved from our three bedroom condo where we stayed during the holidays to a travel trailer, in preparation for our trip across America, continued from Texas. This trip, I want to go to thirteen states, and then we plan to fly over to China. This is very exciting for me and my family.  This year, to better prepare, we did fundraising where I was able to sell birdhouses.  Between my summer job and selling birdhouses, I have set aside $500.  My mother also applied for travel grants, which are supporting the cost of gas.  My mother will be working in China, which will pay for the travel in China. As for the time on the road in the USA, my mother has a new lead on a job she hopes to land, which is as an online writer on tax articles (taxes are those things adults pay the government for different reasons).

     We plan to go to Disney World, and Disney World is much, much, bigger than Disneyland. Here is a fact: From Florida, you can see Cuba, if the weather is clear.  I have always wanted to go to Florida because I have been to Disneyland and I would love to see Disney World.

     Living in a travel trailer is much different than living in a house!  First, it is much smaller, and second, you do not have as much room as a house or condo. Travel trailers still have the same things as condos or homes:  kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, dining space and bedrooms.  Thirdly, if your tanks fill up, you need to empty them. Tanks are holding storage for used water from the sinks and bathroom.  We lived in a trailer before this one came along, so we're used to it. But the old trailer didn't have a bathroom - just a port-a-potty with a curtain!  The old trailer was also only ten feet long.  So, we have much more space for things like our toys and Wii.  Our trailer is 30ft long, and it is very comfortable.  But the old small trailer had two bedrooms and now we only have one so my new bed is the sofa!  In a trailer, it gets cold at night so we have a heater that we run.  Here's our new temporary home.

I'm looking forward to sharing more information about our future travels.  In the meantime, enjoy the New Year!