Kara in Area 51

Hi everyone!  Sorry it's been so long!  On this trip I got to run along Extraterrestrial Highway.  The Extraterrestrial Highway runs along Area 51, and is a very popular place for people who are looking for UFOs and Extraterrestrial creatures.   Area 51 is a remote part of a U.S. Air Force facility called Edwards Air Force Base.  Based on historical evidence the base was used to test top secret experimental air craft and weapons, which lead to the UFO (unidentified flying object) rumors.  Also some of these experiments have made it out of Area 51.  In 1947 there was the "Roswell UFO crash" in New Mexico.  Which is still a mystery but probably was one of the experimental air craft...    

I've heard theres a lot of alien sightings around here.
Unfortunately I didn't see any but I did meet this guy in Rachel, NV. 

To European vistitors

Dear European visitors,
Welcome  to my blog!  I would like to inform you that my blog uses cookies while visited in Europe and also when visited on European devices.
Thanks for visiting,
miranda

San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon

Hi! Its me, Kara. Today I went to San Diego with some Runners Hi friends to do the Rock and Roll Marathon!  I love hanging out with them and I was also super excited to be in San Diego (I love burritos).  The marathon was super fun, but it was also a very hot one, so my friends and I had to stop for gatorade.  I love gatorade especially riptide rush (the purple one), blue cherry (pretty self explanatory but its the blue one) and lemon lime, (the one in the picture below.)

I saw a lot of things on the way including, the USS aircraft carrier museum.  Maybe I will go there someday.

After some post marathon research I learned that people from all over the world have participated in the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon, including people from Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia and Russia.  Also the course record so far is 2 hours 8 minutes and 33 seconds; thats fast!  The fastest marathon time ever on any marathon was 2 hours 2 minutes and 57 seconds.  Does not seem too much faster than the record time for the San diego Rock and Roll marathon but still a really big difference in running.

While I was on my travels I also went to an aquarium called the Birch aquarium. It is located at the Scripps institution  of Oceanography.  Oceanography is a big word,  especially for me. I almost had to say it in two pieces to make it fit into my mouth!   .  .   .     Umm,  okay so that was kind of an exaggeration, but I had to try a few times to figure it out.  Later I learned that oceanography is basically the study of the ocean.

San Diego review *****(five stars) I loved San Diego! The burritos were even better than I expected and the Rock and Roll marathon is one I want to run again!  I would totally recommend San Diego to anyone who would listen. And I can't wait to tell all the other passing dolls about my AWESOME journey to San Diego.

This is me at the start of the Rock n' Roll Marathon San Diego

Me with some gatorade

Me at the Birch Aquarium looking out on La Jolla ( a 7 mile curve of hilly seaside community in San Diego).

Kara in Lexington, Kentucky

This trip I went to Lexington Kentucky!
Lexington is surrounded by horse farms. One of the farms is known to have last years triple crown winner American Pharaoh retired there.
Lexington is known to be the home of the Kentucky Wildcats.  It is also known for a type of whisky called Kentucky Bourbon . The bourbon is aged in an oak barrel.  The oak barrel can only be used once so people reuse the barrels to make other things, such as chairs, tables and even sinks! I loved Lexington especially seeing all the horses!
Lexington **** and a half stars:)

Kara in Knoxville

Hi everyone! It is Kara from Knoxville, Tennessee!  I am so exited to be in Knoxville.  I like the name Knoxville a lot.  It reminds me of something you might find in a Dr. Seuss book.   Knoxville has more than just a cool name though, it also has a lot of cool things to do.

First thing to mention is the Knoxville Marathon.  Had a nice run through the hills with my running pal.  Blue skies and cool air.

Another highlight was the Neyland Stadium. That is where the University of Tennessee football players (a.k.a The Volunteers) play football. According to some fans of the team I met at the stadium, it is like a shrine to them.  I am not sure if I would call the places I run shrines but I guess that's a football thing.  This area is also known for being the home of the 1982 World's Fair,  which 16 countries participated in.

We also visited the Sunsphere which in my opinion, looks like a golden disco ball on a stick. Originally built for the World's Fair, now you can go into the Sunsphere to check out the 360 degree view from the observation deck.
Knoxville = ***** :)

Take an elevator up to the observation deck...it's free!

Happy Easter from the Passing Dolls

Happy Easter everyone!

 It is Hisako and my friends Bunny, Hop and Flop representing the passing dolls.  So today we were just relaxing at home so we decided to bring to you the.... Easter Passing doll show!  For your first piece of entertainment some data that I collected around the house.

Sugar:
Me: Way too much
Hop:  a little too much
Flop: just right
Bunny: about 200 calories too much

Fun:
Me: 160%
Hop:150%
Flop:100%
Bunny:99.99%

For your next piece of entertainment each of my rabbit friends will tell you an Easter joke.
Hop: How does Easter end? With the letter R!
Flop: How many eggs can you put in an empty basket? 20! Just kidding the answer is 1 after that the basket would not be empty any more!
Bunny: Why did the Easter egg hide? It was a little chicken!
 Well thanks for reading our Easter passing doll show and have a Hoppy Easter!
Love, Hisako and Hop, Flop and Bunny 

Kara in Myrtle Beach

Hi everyone! 

It is Kara from Myrtle Beach.  Myrtle Beach is part of the The Grand Strand, a string of beaches 60 miles long. That is almost 3 marathons!  Myrtle Beach is a touristy area in South Carolina.  There are a ton of hotels, shops, golf courses, board walks, arcades and even an old fashioned amusement park.  Even though this sounds like a sunny beach adventure...it was cold! Not bad for running, good thing I brought my tights.  I thought that Myrtle Beach was cool! Rating: *****.

Relaxing in California

Hi there!  What's up everyone?  It is me Hisako, from California!
Today my friends and I decided to keep cool at the beach.  I do not know how to swim but my passing doll friend Missy says it is easy and I brought my favorite inner tube just in case.  When we got to the beach we began walking along the sand looking for a place to set up and we bumped into a seal!  He was really relaxed and happy talk about keeping cool at the beach.  If I was a seal I would hang out with that dude everyday! #Relaax!

Kara in Phoenix

Hi! It is Kara.  I am in Phoenix, the capitol of Arizona.  Everything is so beautiful.  I am here to do another marathon with my running friend.  It is called the Lost Dutchman Marathon.  It is hard to believe my friend and I are running another marathon, my legs are still tired from the last one.  I'm glad to be here though, because there are a lot of interesting stories connected to this marathon.

They are based on the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine.  One of the best stories I heard was that there is a ghost of a lost Dutchman who will kill anyone who comes looking for his mine.  OOOOHHHHH.  The mine is storied to be east of Phoenix, but I would highly recommend against going to look for it...
Vaarwel for now.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Now I am in California.  It is the best, oh my gosh.  My adventure is off to a great start.  The  Monterey Bay Aquarium here in Monterey, California is amazing.  There were lots of fish (of course). And also otters, a kelp forest and lots of other cool stuff.  All the exhibits were so beautiful. It was almost like snorkeling.  My favorite was the jellyfish. They were so cool. Especially the clear ones just glubbing around in their tank. I wish I could do that!

The aquarium also had a area with awesome looking sea creatures made completely out of recycled trash, there were even trash jellyfish! Well the Monterey bay aquarium was pretty awesome and I would recommend it if you are ever in the area. Get ready for more awesome adventures.

Sayonara!  Hisako

Hisako in California

Hey there! It is me Hisako again!  I am going on my second adventure.  This time to...California!  I am most excited for the beach and having fun with my new friends.
The first thing I did with my friends was shopping.  Yay! I love to shop.  Before we got to California we had to get some warmer clothes, since it is January.  Burrr.  They did not have my size. But I fit very well in my friends pocket. It was actually pretty comfortable.

 Now that we are warm and cozy and comfortable it is time to get on the plane to California.  In the plane I enjoy the view from the window and listen to one of my favorite stories, Harry Potter!  I am very tired but I stay awake because I am too exited to sleep.
Finally, we have arrived in California.  It has been a long day and I am tired.  I am looking forward to the rest of my California adventures.  Till then, adios.

Christmas in New York City

Hi! It's Kara here.  I was in New York for Christmas!  I love New York.  All the lights and good food.  The only down side of New York is that it is too crowded for me to go for a run.

On the plane I got to sit in first class. It was very comfortable it even had a bed seat.

The first thing that my traveling friend and I did when we got to New York was, go to the Radio City Music Hall to watch the Rockettes in The Christmas Spectacular show.  It was so amazing!  I always wanted to see the Rockettes.  I even thought I could maybe even be one and kick all of our legs all at the same time so that we look like a giant centipede tap dancing in one sparkly dress.  And even be in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on live television across America!  That would be so fun.

After the Christmas Spectacular we went to the Time Square M&M store.  This is probably the hugest candy store.  It is four stories high and based all around M&Ms. Inside there was a huge M&M statue of liberty! And as I mentioned in my first post I am probably the WORLDS BIGEST M&M EATER and I was so excited to see the original M&M store.

What an amazing time in New York City.
Till next time, sayonara!

Kara visits Athens, Greece

My friend and I are on another adventure. We started out by stopping in Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The first picture is of me waiting for our next flight  in the Crown Lounge which was.....!!! super cool !!! And after we visited the lounge we walked right into a huge and fancy airport; woah.  It would take me forever to walk through here on my own! It was a little over whelming!  I'm so thankful for my trusty running friend.  

In this picture, you can see me in Greece.  I am in front of a temple called the parthenon.  It was built for the Goddess Athena and is also one of the most famous surviving buildings.  It is over 2,000 years old.  I think it was really cool to look at in person after seeing it in so many pictures and post cards.  
Next, my friend and I went to run the Athens marathon.  This is the home of the first marathon ever.  Along time ago, the Greeks defeated the invading Persian army. Yay, Greece.  The Greek soldiers sent a guy named Pheidippides to run from the battle field, in Marathon, all the way to Athens to let everyone know that they had victory.  It is said as soon as he said "niki" which means victory, he died.  This marathon commemorates, Pheidippides, the first marathon runner.  Avtìo!  

Kara visits Indianapolis

Today I visited Indianapolis.  That's a long word, huh?  My friend and I are at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where the annual Indy 500 is held every May.  The speedway was built over a hundred years ago.  The rectangular track is two and half miles long.  For the Indy 500 the cars make 200 laps to go distance of 500 miles.  The record for one lap around is just under 38 seconds.  I was so exited that I ran a lap around the track, it only took me two hours!  Now I am going to crash.

Kara in Morgantown

On Sunday, my friend  and I went on another marathon adventure.  This time in Morgantown, West Virginia.  Morgantown is hilly and has tons of trees.  You can see part of the basketball coliseum for West Virginia University behind me.  It was so much fun.  Now I am at the Minneapolis, St. Paul Airport getting ready to go back home.  I had a lot of fun and I am sad to leave, but I am also exited to go home.  I hope to go on my next journey soon. Till next time! Ciao!

Kara in Ohio

I am on my first adventure, and I am so excited.  I am in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation.  Today I went to the Air Force marathon.  My friend took me along to the National Air Force Museum.  It was so awesome to see all the amazing planes, while doing my favorite thing...running!
I loved the marathon, but now I am really tired.  I need a massage.  Till next time; good night!

Kara

Hi, My name  is Kara.  I am named after the cross country star Kara Goucher. I love to travel, run and read.  My favorite food is bacon!  I also LOVE M&M 's  I am pretty sure I am the worlds biggest M&M eater.  I am super excited for my first Journey OHIO, the buckeye state!  All the other passing dolls say my first trip will be amazing, and I believe them.  Maybe I will even fit in some running!

Visiting Nijo Castle

Today we arrived in Kyoto.  The first thing we did was go to Nijo castle.  Nijo castle is a place that the Shogun stayed in.  Shogun are like guards,  the literal translation being military commander.  The castle had a hand built stone stone wall all around it.  The wall was built using no cement or mortar but using rocks shaped so that they were snug together.
The entrance gate to Ninomaru palace (the main part of the castle)  was decorated with gigantic birds and patterns made out of REAL GOLD.  Inside Ninomaru palace there were floors lined with tatami that squeaked when someone stepped on it so the shogun could easily detect intruders.   I thought that the Nijo castle was really cool, and someone must have really thought out the structure to make it beautiful and  functional and it so amazing that everything was made by HAND!  It was so amazing to explore the castle and if you ever get the chance to visit it it would be something that I would really recommend.

Hiroshima Peace Park

Today We visited Hiroshima peace park.  When we got there we visited the Sadako statue.  Sadako is a true story about a girl that got sick from radiation from the atomic bomb that the Americans dropped on Hiroshima when she was a baby.  Sadako had an illness called leukemia, which is a form of cancer.  Sadako's good friend told Sadako a story about someone  that got there wish after they folded one thousand cranes.  So sadako folded crane after crane bestowing her wish to get better on each and every crane  until she had folded ONE THOUSAND cranes!  But Sadako did not overcome her battle against leukima and soon died.  

Her classmates decided to honor Sadako by building  statue of her holding a giant crane.  People still make cranes to hang at Sadako's statue.  And I decided to make cranes to hang too!

making cranes to take to Sadako

  

After hanging our cranes, we headed to Hiroshima peace memorial museum.  Inside were displays of clothing, toys and buildings that were destroyed by the bomb.  The museum was really interesting but also very sad.  Today we had a great outing I really learned a lot and it was an amazing experience but I would not recommend the museum for very young children.

Settling in at Hiroshima

Today was our first day in Hiroshima.  After taking the ferry to Miyajima Island, which is where we are going to stay, we stopped at a Okonomiyaki restaurant.  They made the Okonomiyaki right in front of us on a griddle.  At this restaurant they made the Okonomiyaki Hiroshima style which is pancakes with vegetables and other things inside.  It was delicious!
After the yummy snack we walked in the sun looking for our ryokan.  A ryokan is a traditional hotel where you sleep on the ground and the floor is covered with grass mats called tatami mats.
The island is a little town.  There is a large torii in the water near the temple, there is a large pagoda, a long shopping street full of stores and restaurants.  The most surprising thing about the island are the deer.  They roam around the island freely, everywhere.
Finally, we found the ryokan and settled in. We tried on our yukata, which are summer kimonos, before going on a hike. The scenery on the hike was  beautiful.  There were big rocks, green moss and trees all around. It was very peaceful.
It was a very busy day today.  The hike was a really nice refresher.

On my way to the ryokan where I will be staying  I found some friends!

View on the hike.

Torii

The deer likes me!

Okonomiyaki Yumm!