<< episode
Week of October 27, 2024 | View the Map
Right click and SAVE AS
to download the Google Earth file for this episode
Use free Google Earth software
to OPEN it, using File> Open.
Find more tech info here.
Thursday
Meri and I are researching Canada on our phones during our trip to Vancouver. Most of you voted that we should take the 7 pm train to Vancouver, and we are riding right now. What did people do before the Internet was available and cell phones? Meri and I want to learn more about Vancouver specifically. Here are some neat facts that we learned. English and French are the two main languages of Canada. However, many of Vancouver's residents also speak Chinese, German, Spanish, Punjabi, and Tagalog (Filipino). That is so cool that there are so many languages spoken in this area. I wonder how many languages are required for school? The yearly temperature in Vancouver is fairly consistent with the average highs only ranging from 42 degrees in January up to a comfortable 74 degrees in August. That is a lot cooler than our weather in Phoenix. Did you know that Canada doesn't have states like the United States? Instead, they have 10 provinces and 3 territories (check out the map at the bottom of this entry). This map includes a map scale and a map legend. A map legend is basically a key to use to understand the map.
- Geo
Map of Canada
Take a look at the map, can you find Vancouver? Can you find the National Capital? If you are having trouble, it is located in the province of Ontario. Okay, here is another one for you geography experts; can you find the capital of Manitoba?
If you guessed Winnipeg you are on the road to Geography stardom - lol.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Virtual Tour
View this short and engaging tour of Vancouver.
Thursday Later in the Evening
Okay, I don't know where to begin! We arrived in Vancouver, and Uncle GT was there waiting for us. Holy Idaho! He said Claude Equator had no criminal record and never returned to Canada. He was somewhere in the United States. Lucky for us, he used a credit card, and his last purchase was in the Windy City (Chicago). Uncle GT said he would get us tickets to fly from Vancouver to Chicago. We do have to have two layovers since it was a last-minute purchase. But we have stops in Las Vegas and Denver, two places we have never been. We do not need to change planes, though - so that is nice. We just get to see the beautiful views of the city during takeoff and landing. It is so cool to see some of the major U.S. cities from the sky.
Right this very moment, we are flying over Las Vegas. Our plane took off, and we could immediately see the lights. Even though it is 10 pm and dark outside, the city is all lit up. Las Vegas is the most populated city in the state of Nevada. Las Vegas is known worldwide as a top tourist attraction offering casinos, wonderful entertainment, and a fun family vacation destination. Las Vegas is actually located in a desert - the Mohave Desert. It is amazing that there is such a busy city in the middle of a desert! Geo didn't understand how a big city could be built in the middle of a desert. I explained to him that it was all thanks to the Hoover Dam (see my picture of the Hoover Dam below). A dam is basically a wall that is built to hold back the water of a creek, stream, or river. A dam may also be used to generate hydroelectric power, for flood control, to provide a water supply to towns and cities, and even to create recreational areas or habitats for wildlife. Did you know that the Hoover Dam is at a historic low due to the drought? It is pretty extreme! The Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression (1931-1935) when people were desperate for work and were willing to travel to the canyon near Las Vegas to earn money for their families. These brave people faced extreme heat, choking dust, and dangerous heights - all so that electricity and water could be brought to millions of people across the southwest. Having water available in the middle of the desert made it possible for big cities like Las Vegas to grow there.
Up here on the plane, we have a gorgeous view of the Rocky Mountains just west of Denver. Did you know that the Rocky Mountains stretch from Canada all the way down to New Mexico? Although we couldn't land this plane and take our own picture, Uncle GT shared a photo of Denver (and the Rocky Mountains). We included the picture at the end of this journal entry. One surprising fact that I learned about Denver is that the city has over 300 days of sunshine during the year. Wow, that is surely different than the 175+ days of rain in Seattle each year. Did you know that Denver was nicknamed the Mile-High City? This is because the city's elevation is exactly a mile (5,280 feet or about 1,609 meters) above the sea. I wonder if there are any cities in the world higher than Denver? Okay, we are getting ready to land.
Right this very moment, we are flying over Las Vegas. Our plane took off, and we could immediately see the lights. Even though it is 10 pm and dark outside, the city is all lit up. Las Vegas is the most populated city in the state of Nevada. Las Vegas is known worldwide as a top tourist attraction offering casinos, wonderful entertainment, and a fun family vacation destination. Las Vegas is actually located in a desert - the Mohave Desert. It is amazing that there is such a busy city in the middle of a desert! Geo didn't understand how a big city could be built in the middle of a desert. I explained to him that it was all thanks to the Hoover Dam (see my picture of the Hoover Dam below). A dam is basically a wall that is built to hold back the water of a creek, stream, or river. A dam may also be used to generate hydroelectric power, for flood control, to provide a water supply to towns and cities, and even to create recreational areas or habitats for wildlife. Did you know that the Hoover Dam is at a historic low due to the drought? It is pretty extreme! The Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression (1931-1935) when people were desperate for work and were willing to travel to the canyon near Las Vegas to earn money for their families. These brave people faced extreme heat, choking dust, and dangerous heights - all so that electricity and water could be brought to millions of people across the southwest. Having water available in the middle of the desert made it possible for big cities like Las Vegas to grow there.
Up here on the plane, we have a gorgeous view of the Rocky Mountains just west of Denver. Did you know that the Rocky Mountains stretch from Canada all the way down to New Mexico? Although we couldn't land this plane and take our own picture, Uncle GT shared a photo of Denver (and the Rocky Mountains). We included the picture at the end of this journal entry. One surprising fact that I learned about Denver is that the city has over 300 days of sunshine during the year. Wow, that is surely different than the 175+ days of rain in Seattle each year. Did you know that Denver was nicknamed the Mile-High City? This is because the city's elevation is exactly a mile (5,280 feet or about 1,609 meters) above the sea. I wonder if there are any cities in the world higher than Denver? Okay, we are getting ready to land.
- Meri
The Hoover Dam
The Rocky Mountains
LAS VEGAS STRIP AT NIGHT, Nevada, USA
Even at 10 pm at night, this city is busy and full of lights.
Virtual Reality Tour of the Hoover Dam
Check out this interactive tour of the Hoover Dam.
Friday
We spent the evening in Chicago. Unfortunately, Claude Equator hasn't made any credit card purchases today. So while we searched for a lead, Uncle GT took us on a tour of his childhood hometown - Chicago. Our first stop was the Sears Tower (one of the most famous buildings in Chicago). It is now referred to as the Willis Tower, but to Uncle GT, he will always call it the Sears Tower. I posted a picture of the tower at the end of this entry; it is the largest building in the picture. Do you see the water in front of all of the buildings? That is Lake Michigan (one of the 5 Great Lakes of America). My favorite thing about Chicago was how the beach (of Lake Michigan) was right downtown. It was so cool to see the Lake with the beautiful skyscrapers in the background.
Uncle GT just got a phone call. Claude Equator tried to purchase an airline ticket from Chicago to DC. It turns out that Claude Equator didn't fly into the Chicago O'Hare Airport. There is a second fairly large airport in Chicago: Chicago Midway International Airport. I should have done better research. Uncle GT told us that Claude flew to Chicago and the airline. I assumed he meant Chicago O'Hare Airport, and when I reread his text, he even told me the abbreviation for the airport was MDW (which is the Midway abbreviation). One thing I learned the hard way today... details matter! Anyway, since Claude's name was now on the government's "wanted" list, he was stopped at the Chicago Midway airport. Claude was extremely confused because he was traveling with a dog - but the dog wasn't Dewey (but rather a labradoodle - half Labrador retriever and half poodle). So, we thought we were at a dead end - until Uncle GT got a text message from an unknown number.
Text Message to Agent GT: TWIMC - I have Dewey. We r in Mexico - gl finding us. Hehehe. YDKM - Dewey is OK. GGN - Ms. E.
Uncle GT had to return immediately to Washington, D.C., for impending business. So Meri and I are on our own investigating the case in Mexico. We have to find Ms. E. and Dewey. But where do we begin?
There are three important locations in Mexico for us to investigate - Mexico City, the Caribbean Coast, and the Mayan Ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula. So, where do we begin?
Uncle GT just got a phone call. Claude Equator tried to purchase an airline ticket from Chicago to DC. It turns out that Claude Equator didn't fly into the Chicago O'Hare Airport. There is a second fairly large airport in Chicago: Chicago Midway International Airport. I should have done better research. Uncle GT told us that Claude flew to Chicago and the airline. I assumed he meant Chicago O'Hare Airport, and when I reread his text, he even told me the abbreviation for the airport was MDW (which is the Midway abbreviation). One thing I learned the hard way today... details matter! Anyway, since Claude's name was now on the government's "wanted" list, he was stopped at the Chicago Midway airport. Claude was extremely confused because he was traveling with a dog - but the dog wasn't Dewey (but rather a labradoodle - half Labrador retriever and half poodle). So, we thought we were at a dead end - until Uncle GT got a text message from an unknown number.
Text Message to Agent GT: TWIMC - I have Dewey. We r in Mexico - gl finding us. Hehehe. YDKM - Dewey is OK. GGN - Ms. E.
Uncle GT had to return immediately to Washington, D.C., for impending business. So Meri and I are on our own investigating the case in Mexico. We have to find Ms. E. and Dewey. But where do we begin?
There are three important locations in Mexico for us to investigate - Mexico City, the Caribbean Coast, and the Mayan Ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula. So, where do we begin?
- Geo
Chicago (Lake Michigan and the Willis/Sears Tower)
Skydeck Chicago Virtual Tour
Learn more about Willis Tower and view the city.
Vote Here:
7
Copyright © 2011-2024 by The Source for Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.