The West

Visual learners and artists looking for inspiration will enjoy the photo gallery of natural sites in this region, such as volcanoes, Death Valley in the Mojave Desert, and Arches and Denali National Parks. Would-be explorers will want to join the “Corps of Discovery” and travel with Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea to the Pacific Ocean. While armchair miners will want to join the forty-niners in the hopes of striking gold during the 1849 Gold Rush.

Future environmentalists will appreciate the story of John Muir “riding” the top of a tall pine tree during a windstorm and later convincing President Theodore Roosevelt to set aside land for national parks. They’ll also want to know about the region’s natural wonders, like Yellowstone National Park, Big Sur (along California’s magnificent coastline), and Redwood National Park, where trees can be taller than 350 feet and older than 3,000 years. Techies will love learning that companies like Apple and Google started here. And regarding apples, bean-counters will want to hear about the apple orchards in Washington State that produce 2.5 million tons of apples a year! Kids’ journey through the West ends in Hawaii and Alaska, where the unusual – whether in transportation or recreation – is usual.