California Trail Bear Journals

Diary Entries:

 March 3, 1998 - Enfield is located 10 miles West of Ithaca, NY. The weather is still cold and snow is often in the air. (During the summer it is hot and in the 80's, while in the fall the leaves turn orange, red, and yellow. In the spring it rains a lot and everything blooms again.) Enfield is surrounded by forests and fields. The town is located in the country amidst the hills that border Cayuga Lake. Enfield does not have a lot of stores so people need to drive to town for goods. There are two classes of 14 fifth graders here and they have fun. They have fun in math and gym. The fifth graders are also studying social studies, health, reading, science, and library skills. They have nice teachers and worms for pets. The students have just started playing basketball against other schools in the area. The fifth graders here are preparing for an overnight trip to the Thousand Islands. They have already spent a lot of time raising money for their trip. {I hope it goes as well as mine.} During the 1800's in Enfield there were many farms and dirt roads. Many of the houses built during that time still exist. I am now moving on to Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Pittsburgh, PA. I'll write more then.

March 30,1998 - I have just spent a few days with Mrs. Esposito's fifth grade class at Lincoln Elementry School in Bethel Park, PA. Bethel Park is a subburb of Pittsburgh. Spring has just begun and the weather today was a record breaking 82 degrees. Bethel Park is beautiful. It has many hills, trees, houses, and shopping centers. There are 29 fifth graders in Mrs. Esposito's class. The school has about 300 students in grades K-5. Pittsburgh as great sports teams that include the Pirates(baseball), the Penguins(hockey), and the Steelers(football). Our school district has a number one hockey team. Pittsburgh used to be famous for their steel mills.However they are almost all closed. Well I am on my way to Apple Creek, Ohio. Doesn't that just sound like a great place to live? I'll let you know.

April 20,1998 - Hello, I'm visiting Apple Creek, Ohio. The weather here is mixed. Sometimes it's cloudy and cold, but we're already getting warmer weather. Apple Creek is a small village in Wayne County. Wayne County is a county in northeastern Ohio. In Apple Creek, kids attend sports games, play baseball, basketball, football, kickball, and soccer. The students also attend the few carnivals they have. They also go to Movies10 in Wooster, Ohio which is about 15 minutes away. Apple Creek was two separate towns called Apple Creek Station and Edinburgh. Also Johnny Appleseed came right through the town and that is why it is called Apple Creek. They have a carnival every year called Johnny Appleseed days. They have games, a parade, chicken barbecue, and rides. The high school football team (Waynedale Golden Bears) was regional champs and was in the state semi-finals. This county (Wayne County) and the neighboring county (Holmes County) together have the largest population of Amish in the whole entire world. That's all from here, I'll write from my next stop.

Diary Entries:

November 3, 1998 -  Enfield is a small town out in the country a few miles away from Ithaca, NY Which is in the Northeastern part of the country.  We are in the Finger Lakes Region of NY.  It is called the Finger Lakes Region because there are many lakes that are long and lined up next to each other like fingers on a hand.  We are at the southern end of Cayuga lake which is the longest of the Finger Lakes (about 40 miles long).  The lakes and hills were created by a giant glacier that covered this area a long time ago.  As a result of the glaciers there are many beautiful gorges in the area.  They are fun to hike in. Enfield is a farming community in the hills outside of the city of Ithaca.  On the hill opposite of Enfield is Cornell University and on the other hill is Ithaca College. I have been with Mrs. Wirt's 5th grade class since school started.  In this class there are 27 fifth graders.  The kids here are a lot of fun.  They are very supportive of each other.  I saw this when I went with them to the Cayuga Nature Center and they got to help each other on rope climbs and pole jumps.  They really like field trips, they'll be going to New York City later this year and the Thousand Islands.  Since there are so many kids in this class Mrs. Wirt is helped out by Ms. Dykoschak and Mrs. Sposito.  We also have a student teacher named Mr. Novick who is great but will be leaving in December.  I will miss all my friends here who have asked me to never forget their school motto - Enfield Shines.   I'll write more when I reach my next stop - The W. H. McGuffey Life Skills Academy in Dayton, OH.

January 5, 1999 - The Life Skills Academy was unable to help me in my journey West.  I was unable to write you from there and I am way behind on my journey.  My Dad wants to get to Eureka, CA by May so we have a long way to go.   I probably won't be able to write to you until I get to Independence Missouri.

February 19, 1999 - Hi! I got to Independence Missouri finally. The people here at Glendale Elementary School are very nice to me and are treating me great. I think Missouri has the most amazing weather.  On February 11 in the morning the temp. was 69 degrees and then in the afternoon it got down to 20 and snowed!  Brrrr!  I got cold because I was used to the warm weather.  Mrs. Mitchell is the 5th grade teacher that I am with now. I guess I am lucky because she is going to help in my journey. I only got in trouble once. That day Mrs. Mitchell brought in her kitty Tigger. Tigger has stuffed animals at home and she thought I was a stuffed animal! That was a close call. I learned that Independence had a president born there and that his name was Harry S. Truman. Kansas City also has 2 awesome amusement parks. They are Oceans of Fun and Worlds of Fun. The kids tell me that the Mamba is the best ride.    I have met all of the 5th graders and even some of the 6th graders at Glendale. All of them are respectful and wish me luck on my journey. Some of the kids in the computer club have even been helping me figure out how many miles I've traveled.   I will write to you again from the next school I stop at. I hope. But that's my name, so I will. T.T.F.N!!! (Ta Ta for now!!! That's also something I learned in Independence.)

April 19, 1999 - Hello! I am now visiting Basehor Elementary School in Basehor, Kansas. I am enjoying getting to know the children here and I am making plans for the next leg of my journey. The windy weather has blown away most of the clouds and it is now sunny and warm. I would say it is good traveling weather. Basehor is located between Kansas City and the University of Kansas in Lawrence. This town is growing fast and they are building a new school which many of the children will go to next year. They are also preparing to build a NASCAR Raceway here. This is an exciting time for the small town. The fifth graders here do many things for fun. Many of them ride their bikes and are involved in community sports teams like baseball and basketball. Yesterday, I went to a Kansas City Royals baseball game against the Chicago White Sox. The Royals lost the game but we still had a good time. I have gotten to know Mrs. Salazar's Power Learning Class very well and I will miss them but I know it is time to move on to the next school. I hope everything goes as planned for the rest of my trip.  I really hope I can make it to California before June.   Wish me luck!

August 30, 1999 - Hi everyone, I'm in Missouri. In the city of Independence. I'm visiting the Glendale Elementary School. They are very happy to have me here. The weather in Missouri can be very strange. Thursday morning it was almost 70 degrees and there was a thunderstorm that afternoon it was about 30 degrees and it was snowing. In the last few years it was been unusual warm in February. Missouri is a lovely state it has interesting attractions and fun natural places also with large rivers. Independence is a nice city too. President Harry S. Truman lived here and his house is a city landmark. The Oregon,California,and Santa Fe Trails began in Independence. Independence is in the suburbs of Kansas City. The city has beautiful neighborhoods. There are 13 different elementary schools. Independence is a great place for relaxing and for peace.  I've enjoyed spending the summer here but am looking forward to getting back on the California trail.

Diary Entries:

January 30, 1999 -  It is so cold here right now that it is hard to remember why I stayed behind when my girlfirend went to California.  Today it was well below freezing and I saw 6 cars get smashed up in a ditch because of the slippery roads.  I sure hope my trip turns out better.  It is foolish for me to begin my trip now that winter is so strongly upon us, but I have to get to California!  Winter time in Enfield is pretty.  The hills are all covered with fresh snow the sun , when it is out, makes it so bright that it hurts my eyes.  The land is great to look at, but going outside is another story.  It is so cold it makes my whiskers freeze.   The children here don't seem to be bothered by the snow and cold too much.   They still get excited when it snows and seem to enjoy playing in it.  If it gets too cold, then students have recess inside instead of going outside.  I am in such a hurry to get to California that I won't have a chance to write until I get to Scranton, Iowa.  Take care kids. Wish me luck.