Friendship Across the Seas. By Kent.
Subject:Hearing your name and our travel guide Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1996 08:18:47 -0400 Dear Syu, our tomo, We enjoyed hearing how to pronounce your name. We are practicing and we too play it over and ver. We are glad you got our video tape. Now, you can picture where our school is and who we are. We wanted to make another gift to you. We want to give you a "word" picture of special places to visit in the Valley. So our class decided to write a 7 day travelogue as our class writing project. We are working in teams in writing this travel guide and we are using the best parts of each team's writing. Because you like animals and nature, we decided to make the Shenandoah National Park our base camp, the place where you will be staying as you "tour" the Shenandoah Valley.This park is only 3 miles from Mrs. Wall's home. She lives on a mountain! The park is about 20 miles from our school, as you cut trhough the Valley. From our school playground you can see the National Park and the mountains. See the video. You will like staying at this National Park because it is very beautiful. We will send you brochures and postcards about this park at the end of the week. Staying at this Park won't cost a lot of yen .Tell your wife not to worry because they won't have to cook everyday of your seven day vacation. We are going to take you out to some of our local eating places and food events. We bet you have never been to a turkey-oyster dinner!!! ************************************************************ Day One Describing Your Base Camp: The Shenandoah National Park Your wife gets to choose: If your wife loves the outdoors, you can stay in the family campgrounds at Big Meadows. The sites are very nice. You will be surrounded by forest trees and the smell of the outdoors. There is wooden picnic table at your site and a place to make a campfire. Yum..roasting marshmellows. Don't worry if you forget anything. There is a camp store and it has everything. There will be toilets and running water too. You will probably be visited by squirrels and even raccoons. They are beggers and love the treats visitors leave. If your wife wants to take it easy, the Park has several lodges and cottages for her to stay at. We will make your reservations for you because these places are filled very quickly. Our Park has 2 million visitors each year!! Lots of people from Washington DC come down and take these places. The lodges are like log cabins and the furniture is made out of logs too. You also will have a window and a deck that gives you a beautiful view. The cost to get into the park is $5.00 and the pass is good for 7 days! Perfect! The campgrounds are $11.00 per night and the lodge is $40 per night. Day One: You have just arrived in the Shenandoah Valley. For your first day we suggest you spend a day in the Park. You can rest and relax after you trip to get here. While you are in the Park, you can drive along the famous Skyline Drive which is 105 miles long and only two lanes wide. Sometimes as you drive along, your car will be right on the edge of the mountain!! Don't look down. As you drive along the road, you can stop your car at the overlooks and see the Shenandoah Valley below. (Sometimes pollution makes it too hazy to see anything). You will be able to see the Shenandoah River winding through the Valley and all our surrounding farms with their white barns. As you go along Skyline Drive, you will go through a tunnel that goes through 600 ft. of rock. Be careful your camper is not too high. The tunnel is only 13 ft. high. Don't get stuck. Another place to stop is the Valley overlook which you see Signal Knob. This site was use by the Confederate soldiers as they sent their signals to the other troops. If you stop at a place called Skyland, you will be at 3,680 ft.There is a place to rent horses up at Skyland and Mrs. Wall often bring her horses up here. Riding horses is easier than hiking she says! This is one of the highest places on the drive. You might hike the trail to White Oak Canyon which has 6 waterfalls or to Dark Hollow Falls. You might also hike up Hawksbill Mountain at 4,051 ft. It is the highest point in the park. There is a parking area only 2 miles from the top. We thought we would give you a break. While you stay at Big Meadows, you can get up early in the mornings and see the deer grazing in the meadows. And there is a trail you can hike down to go to President Hoover's camp. This camp is open once a year (on Hoover's birthday) to the public and people are allowed to go tour the building. While you are in the Shenandoah National Park, you might want to listen to one of the campfire talks. The U.S. Park Rangers put on special programs for the public. Our favorite is one called "Face to Face" where you get to meet a red-tail hawk. You also learn about owls and how these bird live in the park. They also have "Night Walks" where you follow a ranger and he shows you the birds and animals of the night. It's really neat because you are out under the stars and the only sounds you here are the sounds of the owls. We hope you have enjoyed your first day of arrival in the Shenandoah Valley. Tomorrow we will take you down into the Valley to Grand Caverns. Have a good night's sleep. Your friends at JWE Bridgewater, Virginia Picture and voice: Our Guide to the Shenandoah Valley. By Emily.
99-02-22Subject:Day Two Travel guide Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 18:31:17 -0400 Dear Syu, We are starting Day 2 of your Shenandoah Valley tour. We hope you had a good night's sleep in the park and feel refreshed! ****************************** The second day of your travel guide takes you to the caverns in the Shenandoah Valley. Our valley has many caverns in the area: some have names like Luray Caverns, Endless Caverns, Grand Caverns. In fact there are 8 caverns are open to the public and many more are used by spelunkers. The Valley has so many caverns because it was once covered by the ocean and the ocean created a limestone floor for the valley. The limestone dissolves making layers and layers and then the caves form. For more than 200 years people have been visiting these caverns. Grand Caverns near the town of Grottoes ( about 12 miles from our school,JWE) was the first cave that became famous in colonial times. Thomas Jefferson came here often and he even mappped out the cave. He left his signature on the wall alongside of George Washington. Long ago, people attended balls, dances, and parties in the caverns. They would hang big torches on the walls and use these flames to light up the caves. In the 1830's for the price of a dollar you could go to the "Grand Illumination and Ball" where people would dance in the light 2000 candles. Recently in the last several years the town of Grottoes has held a Grand Illumination Ball inviting the public to come and dance like in the old days. Also, on Halloween Grand Caverns invites the public to go on spooky tours. When you enter the caverns, you feel like you are entering into another world. You will be greeted by a tour guide as you enter the caves. They are very helpful and friendly and they help you notice all the special things. Some of the cavern ceilings are 140 ft. high with stalgatites (hold tight to the ceiling) hanging down. Stalgatites look like icicles hanging from the ceiling. Some of the stalagtites are still "alive" or "active" and are forming. The rate of growth is one inch every 125 years. These stalagtites are often shimmery, shining, and wet. You will might even feel or hear the drops of water on your head. The cave formations that come up from the ground forming columns are stalamites. There are special formations called draperies that really look like folding waves of stone.Many of the colors you see in the caverns are the yellows, oranges, and reds. When the lights are shining behind the draperies, you see the light come through. There are other formations that are called "fried eggs"..sunny side up of course. There are also pools of water that reflect the formations above. When you look into these pools of water, you feel like you are looking into deep deep deep water. But often the pools are only a couple of inches deep! Luray Caverns has the world's only stalacpipe organ where the stalactites are struck electronically by rubber-tipped plungers and the sound is really beautiful. Many people have their weddings in the caverns. We think you would really like a caverns tour. Our fourth grade goes there every spring when we do our rock units, and it is one of our favorite field trips. For lunch we suggest you go to Jess's in downtown Harrisonburg. It's about 15 miles from Grand Caverns. Harrisonburg used to have lots of stores downtown but once they built a mall the stores downtown have been closing. "Jess's Lunch" is on the main street and is a small eating place that is famous for its chili dogs. You can sit in a booth and a college girl will wait on you. Ignore everything else on the menu and order two chili dogs. No one goes into Jess's without eating a chili dog. This place is famous for miles around. It won't be fancy but we know you will like it. YUMMMMMM After lunch, how about a walk around the James Madison University Campus. This campus was named after our President James Madison. It used to be a school for girls and a teaching college. But all that has changed. The President of JMU is Dr. Carrier and JMU has about 12,000 students. The mascot of JMU is the Duke Dog. he often comes to our schools and does special programs. Everyone loves the bulldog, the Duke Dog. He wears a purple cape with gold trim. He is there at all the sports events. JMU has a very good soccer team. The campus is pretty and there are jogging and biking paths. You might want to return back to Big Meadows and get rested for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will take you to our the Frontier Farm. You will learn about the people who came into the Shenandoah Valley. Your friends (tomo) at JWE Bridgewater,Virginia Picture and voice: Jesse's lunch 1. By Emily. Jesse's lunch 2.
99-02-22Subject:Tour Guide Part Three: morning tour Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 06:53:25 -0400 Day Three Tour Shenandoah Valley Tour Guide Morning Tour: Dear Syu, Yesterday you spent your day touring the Natural Wonders of our caverns. Today you are going to explore some famous historical places. As you drive along the Valley, you will still see houses that fly the Confederate Flag. The Civil War is often called the War Between the States, and many of the battles were fought here right in our Shenandoah Valley. Abraham Lincoln wwas our President, and during this war our country was divided over issues. The Northern States were at war with the Southern States. Though slavery was one of the issues they fought over, the bigger issue was State's Rights versus Federal Rights. The Northern Soldiers came marching through the Shenandoah Valley to destroy the fields and crops and burn the barns which stored the grains and held the livestock. The Valley was known as the breadbasket of the Confederacy because much of the wheat and other foods were grown here. The Valley was the major source of food for the Confederate soldiers. One famous battle was the Battle of Port Republic in 1862. General Stonewall Jackson's Army marched into the Valley to protect it from the Northern Army. After this bloody battle Jackson's soldiers camped in our caverns and hid in the caverns for several days. You can still see his signature and the signatures of his soldiers carved in the cavern walls. Remember Grand Caverns from yesterday! New Market Battlefield This is a very famous battlefield in the Shenandoah Valley. When the Northern Army began marching up the Valley in 1864, the young military cadets (part of the Confederate Army) from Virginia Military Institute (VMI) were called out to help defend the Valley against the Northern troops. These cadets were only schoolboys; most of these cadets were betwen the ages of 10-15 years old. These cadets marched 60 miles from Lexington to New Market to join the Confederate Army. Though these cadets were only boys the fought like soldiers. The cadets charged up across the muddy field to try and capture the cannons of the Northern Army. They proudly carried their VMI flag. Though many cadets were wounded or killed, they did succeed in capturing the cannons and helped to win the battle. Each spring this battle is reinacted. Peope from all over the country come dressed up as soldiers (Northern and Confederate) and set up camp and you feel like you are back in 1864. Each year the fourth grade classes read a book called "Ghost Cadet". In this story a modern day boy (Benji) meets a ghost VMI cadet and Benjy helps the cadet restore his family honor by finding a family heirloom watch that was lost in the battle when the cadet was killed. Until the watch is restored to its rightful place , the cadet can not take his place in the field of honor. More things to do this afternoon. How about chicken barbeque for lunch???? In our Valley you will see lots of poultry farms and turkey houses. Rockingham County is known as they turkey capital of the world. We will send you a picture of our school mascot, J. Bear, by one of our county's bronze statue turkeys. In the spring many church groups and other organizations hold chicken and beef barbeques to raise money for their organizations. Early in the morning, men start fires in big pits (outdoors) and then the meat is roasted with special sauces. People then drive by and buy the barbeque and take it home to eat. It's almost as tasty as those chili dogs you had yesterday. Your friends at JWE Bridgewater, Virginia Picture: Confederate Solders march into Battle! By Kent.
Subject:Day Four..horses and canoes Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 19:59:38 -0400 Dear Syu, I guess my great experiment failed. I thought I could send you our slide show over the wires but it sure failed. I hope that it did not junk up your mailbox too badly. I apologize. Anyway, below is our guide for DAY Four...horses and canoes. As I read what they wrote, I am ready to jump on my horse and paddle my canoe. I think the stress is getting to me about this conference. There just are not enough hourse in the day to get every thing done...... Anyway, enjoy... Marilyn ********************************* Dear Syu, Today you are going to go out and play. First we thought you might like to tube or canoe down the Shenandoah River. As the river flows through the Valley, there are many places that are just perfect to enjoy a peaceful almost lazy ride down the river. There are places to rent canoes, tubes, and even kayaks. Usually before you get in, you might get a lesson on paddling and what to do if your canoe tips over. We hope you all can swim. Tubing is easier than canoeing because you don't have to paddle. All you do is sit and float. The tubes have two handles so just hold on as you float down the river. The waters are safer in the summer than in the spring because the waters are low and not so strong. As you float down the river, you will see lots of fishermen on the banks and maybe some kids playing along the river. Often you will see cows standing in the water, trying to cool off if it's hot. But mostly you will see trees, the mountains, and open fields. The sounds are quiet sounds. You will hear the birds singing in the trees. You will feel like there is no one else around. After your morning float, there will be a van to pick you up and return you to Deer Run Stables on Massanutten Mountain. Our teacher Mrs. Wall lives on Massanutten Mt. and her horses are at the stables. She has a quarter horse named Cricket and an Arabian named Apollo. She volunteered to take you on your mountain ride. Your horses are very tame and gentle and they know the trail very well. All you have to do is climb up into the saddle and take a hold of the reins. We hope your feet can reach the stirrups. The horsetrail quickly climbs the mountainside. It's up all the way. Be sure to duck your head as you ride underneath the trees. Some of those branches are very low. As your horse walks quietly along the trail, there are lots of things for you to notice. You will probably see some deer, probably lots of does and fawns. If you are very lucky, you might see the albino pair of deer that live on the mountain. Albino deer are all white!! The horses are used to the deer running through the woods, and they usually do not spook. There are also red-tail hawks and even wild turkeys. And once in a while there might even bear. Mrs. Wall hopes never to see one of those. Don't worry about the snakes...you will only see their old skins hanging on a tree on lying on a rock. Your trail goes over rocks, through streams, and through the trees. The horses really know the trail and you just can sit back and relax. After you reach the top, you have a beautiful view of the Valley. It's awesome. Then you begin the journey down the mountain, so remember to lean back in the saddle. The ride takes about an hour and when you get off your horse, your legs will feel funny. Don't forget to pet the horse and say goodbye. As you drive back to your campground in the Shenandoah National Park, you will notice some people barbequing chicken right there in front of a church. Big pits are built for cooking chicken. Many groups have barbeques to raise money. Usually every week some group or other is selling their barbeque chicken or beef. So if you are very hungry after your canoe trip and trail ride, you might want to stop and pick up some halves of chicken. Usually it's $1.50 a half and the chicken is delicious. That way your wife won't have to cook. Have a good night's sleep! Tomorrow we will take you through the Mennonite area of the county, right by JWE. Your tomo, Mrs. Wall's fourth grade at JWE We love you! Picture and voice: Horsey! By Emily.
99-02-22Subject:Day Five Tour Guide Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 18:16:42 -0400 Dear Syu, Today we are going to take you on a drive past John Wayland Elementary and the towns of Bridgewater and Dayton and through Mennonite country. Rockingham County has one of the largest groups of Mennonites. The Mennonites are quiet honest and peace-loving people who live by the commandment "Love thy neighbor." They work hard and live very simply. The do not use electricity or any modern conveniences. Mrs. Wall says if you have seen the American movie witness, the Amish are like the Mennonites. As you drive through Dayton, you will see their horse-drawn buggies trotting down the road or their buggies tied up in front of one of our local stores. When we have snow, the Mennonites hitch their horses to sleighs! The Mennonites wear simple plain clothes. The men wear hats, white shirts, and black pants. The women wear lace head coverings or bonnets and long dark dresses. We are going to invite you to lunch at one of the Mennonite homes. We hope you are hungry. Mrs. Wall is typing in this part of the travel guide from one of our local newspapers. It was written by someone who really had been invited to dinner at a Mennonite home. "There were thirteen items served at lunch and only the gelatin, pineapple, sugar and flour were purchased to make this fine meal. The men do most of the farm work while the women are in charge of the preparing delicious meals. The summer months find them busy with gardens and preserving and storing food for the winter. If you were to walk down into their storage room, you would find a room bursting with goodies. There would be a large bin of potatoes sprinkled with lime and covered with canvas. Canned goods, all homemade and in half-gallon jars, lined the shelves. Apple butter, rubarb, grape juice, sandwich spread, ketchup, sauerkraut, beef, vegetable soup mix,tomato soup mix, sour cheeries, blackberries, swiss chard, beef broth, spinach, beets, pickles, green beans, applesauce, tomatoes, canned onions, watermelon pickles, peaches, (over 200 jars), pepper relish, pears, and thirteen half-gallon jars of strawberries. A four course dinner might include: First Course- Fresh fried turkey breast, purple lima beans cooked in Jersey cream, thin homemade egg noodles cooked in beef broth, slices of rich red tomatoes, homemade bread, country butter, homemade blackberry jelly. Second Course- Orange congealed salad with carrots and pineapple, homemade cheese served on soda crackers. Third Course- Home canned peaches, tall two layer hot milk cake with carmel icing. Fourth Course- Hand-turned grape-nut ice cream with homemade potato chips." Because of all the hard work that is done on the farm, these people do not have to worry about their weight. They burn off all the calories and use them up in doing their farm chores. After leaving this home, we are going to take you to Wildwood Park in Bridgewater. you might need some exercise after that big meal. There are beautiful fish there, like bass, carp, perch, bluegill, and trout. There are woods to walk in. You can see ducks, and you can feed them too! If you are hungry, then you can eat on the picnic tables that are under a roof. Then our last stop will be our Dayton Farmer's Market. You will see a hitching post outside with horses tied up to it. There is also a place to park your car. The Farmer's market is a great place to visit for young and old. There are over 21 shops there all under one roof. The store is run by the Mennonites. Everyone is friendly and polite. It has everything from lamp shades,clothes, books, toys, and food. There is homemade bakery with fresh bread and cakes and pies baked by the Mennonites. There is also a meat counter with meat from animals raised by the Mennonites. The store is fun to visit because it is not like a mall. it is not boring but rather interesting and unique. There is a diorama featuring an outdoor scene with an old mill and water wheel with water running.We hope you enjoy this visit to the Dayton's Farmer's Market. It's very near John Wayland. Tomorrow we will take you to the Frontier Farm in Staunton. Goodnight Syu! Mrs. Wall's Fourth Grade Bridgewater, Virginia
Subject:Day Six Valley Tour Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 06:28:34 -0400 Dear Syu, This is Day Six of your Shenandoah Valley Tour. After your finish this tour we want to take you to some special events that happen around the Valley. We want to take you to the Apple Blossom Parade, the Poultry Parade, to a summer Church and Lawn Party, and even to a Jousting Tournament. We are also writing up stories about special famous peole in the Valley. Mrs. Wall has bought this teaching guide about the culture of your country. Later today we willshare some of the things we have learned about your country.Today it is raining here in our country too. Our spring has been very rainy and our winter has alsp been snowy. With all this extra rainfall and snowfall, we are wondering if it will be a dry summer. This often happens. Sometimes we have no rain in July and August, which makes it hard for the farmers. The corn sometimes is very stubbly in the field. Today we are going to take some pictures of the farm fields on the video and share them with you!! Picture: Poultry Parade. ********************************** Dat Six....... Today we are going to take you to the Frontier Culture Museum. It is located in Staunton, not too far from President Wilson's birthplace. You will step into the past as you begin your journey around the world. Here at the American Frontier Culture Museum you will see all the barns and houses from long ago. You will also see beautiful farmland and smell the fresh air. The German Farm You will visit a farm from Germany from the 1700's. The farm was located in the Rhineland part of Germany. The house is very beautiful. English Farm The house on the English farm came from West Sussex in Northeaple Parish near Petworth. When you go inside you see what is was like to live in the 1600's. Scotch-Irish Farm Here you are stepping into the 1800's when you see this Scoth-Irish Farm. The house and its rooms seem so so tiny. The farm came from a town called Drumquin in northern Ireland. American Farm Here you will visit a farm from the 1800's. This farm was found near Eagle Rock in Botetourt County, Virginia. As you walk around to the different farms you will see men and women dressed up like people long ago. The Frontier Culture Museum is a living farm and you will see daily life being carried on as it was long ago. You see men farming..planting, hoeing, and threshing. Women are carding wool and flax and weaving. There is someone always cooking and taking care of the animals that roam each farm. The animals really from the area of that farm. This museum is along the Warrior's Path, a path that the Indians used as they traveled through the Shenandoah Valley. The museum has good picnic areas and special programs and activities for each grade level. So schools in the Valley plan many field trips there. We hope you enjoyed your visit here. Your tomo at JWE Bridgewater, Virginia
More lovely pictures and voices! Apple blossoms.
99-02-22Our heart
99-02-22Anyway chech it out!
99-02-22About Cherry blossoms. Japan cherry blossoms. By Emily.
99-02-22DC for Japan.
99-02-22White House for Japan.
99-02-22A magical school bus. This is Miss Frizzle. She is a science teacher who has this magic school bus. With her Magic school Bus she takes her students on the most amazing field trips ever! She takes science really fun! On her bus, she takes students inside Earth, Inside the Human body, on the ocean floor, and of course she takes them into space. We will one of these books to Syu and he can give it to you. We think you will like Miss Frizzle. Your tomo, Emily and Genita We drew this picture for you!! A magical school bus.
We get a carp streamer from Syu!