Klatawa kah sun mitlite kopa sitkum sun

Where in the World is Mr. Alford?

Mr. Alford's days of paddling leisurely on Greenlake have come to abrupt end; nonetheless he would like to wish Jasmine C. a heartfelt congratulations on correctly pinpointing the last mystery location posted on Where in the World is Mr. Alford.

An intense week of packing and ferrying loads of worldly detritus found Mr. Alford comfortably settled in the basement of his parent's home in Snohomish.  Mr. Alford would like to remind the students of Brookside that there are few acceptable reasons to move back in with your parents at age thirty-five; renting your home and bicycling the World for a year is most definitely passable.  

The 3rd of July came quickly to Mr. Alford and his lovely wife Jenny; a tearful departure and familiar spin south along the former Interurban Rail Line to the Emerald City delivered Mr. Alford to a wedding among the best of friends.   

Independence Day and the promise of urban chaos and a general disdain for fireworks found Mr. Alford  and his lovely wife Jenny spinning south to the rural escape of largest island south of the Admiralty Inlet in the Puget Sound. 

After a fine night of camping and a delicious cup of morning coffee, Mr. Alford and his lovely wife Jenny continued their journey south and caught a free ride on the Chetzemoka towards the large urban park whose founder thought he could defy the world with it's high cliffs and prominent position.  

Once back on terra firma, Mr. Alford and Jenny continued on their journey, passing the  fifth longest suspension bridge in the United States, through the first incorporated town in Washington Territory and on to Federal Land that once belonged to the native Nisqually people.

Tired from their journey, Mr. Alford and his robust wife Jenny were kindly taken in by family in the city of once known as "Cheetwoot" to the Salish Coast People.  Lazy days of dancing with goats, geocaching, swimming and enjoying the rich bounty of Washington State passed the time too quickly and Mr. Alford and his brilliant wife Jenny soon found themselves preparing for the road once again. Today they will head east into the Ring of Fire and enjoy the solitude of a ride through the Tatoosh Wilderness.

What do you think, where in the World is Mr. Alford?

Since school is now out, and the brilliant students of Brookside will not be able to submit their answers to the Where in the World is Mr. Alford box in the library, Mr. Alford has decided to implement summer rules until school is back in session.  

The first student to submit a correct answer in the comments section below will be mailed a $10 gift card to Second Ascent in Ballard.  Ask your parents permission before you sign-up to comment on Blogger! Good luck Bluejays and remember to keep doing your burpees!

Kloshe Konaway,

Mr. Alford

Mamook Isick Kopa Pechughchuck

Where in the World is Mr. Alford?

Big adventures like last weeks' self-propelled ascent of Mount Baker sure take it out of Mr. Alford.  While reasonably fit for his ripe age of thirty-five, Mr. Alford simply does not recover like he used to.  Truth be known, he is a bit of a homebody as well and loves the adventure of discovering what is just outside his Front Door.   Such being the case, this weeks' adventure finds Mr. Alford a little bit closer to his home in the fine neighborhood he shares with the Mayor of Seattle.  

Dr. J stopped by Mr. Alford's little cottage bright and early on Sunday and together they hoisted  their seventeen foot vessel over their heads, left Eli to keep and eye on things, and began walking south on the road that leads to the Center of the Universe.  After five short blocks,  Mr. Alford and Dr. J turned east on the street that reminds Mr. Alford of the year he was born (math is everywhere says Mrs. Paden!) and proceeded downhill across the highway of the rising sun.  Soon Dr. J and Mr. Alford could walk no further and set adrift on a landlocked body of water that was formed over 15,000 years ago by the retreating Vashon Ice Sheet. 

A fine Sunday morning spent peacefully paddling with a good friend and not having to get in a car all weekend puts a smile on Mr. Alford's face and gets him charged up for another great week with the kids and teachers of Brookside Elementary.

Congratulations to Kegan M. in Ms. Hansen's class who correctly answered last week's mystery location of Mount Baker and won a $20 gift card from Mr. Alford's sponsor Second Ascent in Ballard.  Make sure to get your guesses to this weeks' mystery location into the Where it the World is Mr. Alford box in the library.  Mr. Rodgers will be pulling one more winning name before school is out for summer!

What do you think kids, Where in the World is Mr. Alford?

Good luck Bluejays!

Kloshe Konaway,

Mr. Alford

Klatawa Kopa Kulshan

It is a little unfortunate that there were no correct entries for last weeks' Where in the World is Mr. Alford mystery location; Brookside students missed out on an opportunity to get some free stuff at Mr. Alford's favorite store in the world.
We will not dwell on this fact because Mr. Alford received exceptional treatment at the UW Shoreline Neighborhood Clinic (answers from previous puzzlers will be underlined from here on out), and recovered enough from his Viral Conjunctivitis to send off on an adventure that had been a long time coming.

With that, Mr. Alford would like to pose the question to the brilliant students of Brookside.......

Where it the World is Mr. Alford?

Mr. Alford woke at the unusually early weekend hour of 6am in the heart of Greenwood on a rainy Sunday, bid farewell to his beautiful wife Jenny and pet Gargoyle Eli, saddled his Little Steel Pony and pedaled approximately ten miles north-north-west.

At approximately 8:07am Mr. Alford loaded his Little Steel Pony on this Iron Horse.  The morning sun shines bright on the side of the engine of this particular locomotive; one might be able to conclude what direction it is traveling.

Mr. Alford and his skis disembarked the locomotive in the largest city in Whatcom County....

and rendezvoused with his buddy Dr. B and family.  The bay in the background bears the same name as the City in which Mr. Alford stands in this photo. Lummi Island rises on the clearing horizon.

Mr. Alford then pedaled steadfastly uphill east against the drainage of the snowiest  mountain in the World. 

After riding at an average of approximately 12 mph for 3 hours (math is everywhere says Mrs. Paden), Mr. Alford arrived again at civilization and was able to fill  his water bottles at the Chair Lift that has no ski hill. 

Mr. Alford's brief respite from the saddle was rudely interrupted by the necessity of spinning up 2844 feet of Forest Service Road 39.  Mr. Alford enjoys the fact there are places in the World where a bike is is a much better transportation tool than a car.

 Snow?  Where in the World is there snow in early June?

Mr. Alford's Trusty Companion Dr. B is way to helpful with this clue. 

Proper nutrition and good rest are essential components of peak athletic performance.  Mr. Alford didn't get much quality shut-eye on this adventure though.  Dr. B snores loudly and blames Satsquatch in the morning!

 Dawn Patrol.

 Dr. B can climb no higher.  In fact, he is nearing the summit of the third highest volcano in Washington State.

Where in the World is Mr. Alford? 

 Although Mr. Alford and his trusty companion Dr. B embrace the hard work of climbing the biggest hills they can find, both have much more fun speeding downhill on glaciers void of the trace of human passage.

Since there was no winner on the first Where in the World is Mr. Alford mystery location, Mr. Alford has made the executive decision to double down on this Friday's prize.  A correct answer drawn out of the Where in the World is Mr. Alford box in the library wins a $20 gift certificate to Mr. Alford's favorite store in the World,  Second Ascent in Ballard.

Good luck Blujays!

Kloshe Konaway

Mr. Alford

Where in the World is Mr. Alford

 Where in the World is Mr. Alford?

The boring truth is that Mr. Alford is sitting at home at his computer in Greenwood on a perfectly beautiful Friday moring in the Pacific Northwest. You may be legitimately asking yourself why is he sitting at his computer when he should be teaching the wonderful children of Brookside how to move their bodies and to stay healthy and fit for a lifetime?

Mr. Alford has regretfully been diagnosed with a fairly resilient case of conjunctivitis in both of his eyes.  If it  were International Zombie Day, he would have a great head start on his costume; but alas it is not.  While the Fine Dr. has assured him that he is not contagious and prescribed a nuclear strength antibiotic to be smeared in his eyeballs every couple of hours for the next seven days, Mr. Alford still fears the crusty green detritus that persistently accumulates in the corners of his eyes may frighten the small children.  He has been advised by both his boss and his mother to take one more day off work and chill out a little this weekend.

Sitting around the house is not easy for Mr. Alford.   He is to a large extent what people refer to as a Type A Personality, which along with his love of movement helped him decide that being a Physical Education Teacher might just be a great career for him. While he would much rather be at school,  the forced rest and recuperation has allowed Mr. Alford some valuable time to ponder just how he will continue to teach the beloved children of Brookside while traveling the World with his beautiful wife Jenny in the 2013-2014 school year.

Being an an educator has taught Mr. Alford that if you can disguise learning in a fun game, you often get a lot more work out of the kids.   With that in mind , he would like to present a game to the students of Brookside that he is calling Where in the World is Mr. Alford.  

Objective:  
Pinpoint exactly where in the World Mr. Alford is located in the first and last photograph of each blog posted on WhereintheWorldisMrAlford.blogspot.com.  The photograph in question will always retain the heading "Where in the World is Mr. Alford?"  For example, the photo at the top and bottom of this post is the very first mystery location.

Explanation:
Each blog post will also include a variety geographic and cultural clues to help you decide where in the world Mr. Alford might be.  Research, math and critical thinking skills will be required to solve each week's new location.  The answer to the previous post's mystery location will also be revealed in each new post.

What do I do when I know the answer?
Two things.  First fill out an answer sheet and turn it into the Where in the World is Mr.  Alford box in the library.  Second, send a message to Mr. Alford by filling out a comment at the bottom of the post where you think Mr. Alford is.  You may need to set-up a user profile to comment on blogger, so BE SURE TO ASK YOUR PARENT'S PERMISSION before you do this.  Twice a month, Mr. Rodgers will randomly select a name from the box and if you answered correctly, you win a gift card to Mr. Alford's favorite outdoor gear shop, Second Ascent in Ballard.  


Good luck Bluejays, and remember to do your burpees!

After waking and eating a healthy breakfast of one boiled egg, an apple and two cups of coffee, Mr. Alford locked his Front Door, bid farewell to his pet Gargoyle Eli and departed on foot traveling NE towards the the state highway that bears the latin name for "sunrise".

Soon Mr. Alford boarded a mass transit vehicle whose route number can be determined by subtracting the 4th factorial prime number from the number of days it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun.

Feeling the need to stretch his legs a bit, Mr. Alford disembarked the vehicle in which he was traveling ninety blocks north of where he started and continued walking in the same direction on the pedestrian/bicycle path that was an electric trolly line between Everett and Seattle until the year 1939.  On his walk, Mr. Alford passed a body of water to the east where it is rumored that the acoustical properties of the landscape may allow one to hear the same sound more than once...once...once. 

Approximately 1/2 mile from his final destination, Mr. Alford stopped to Contemplate the Arc.

Upon arrival at this week's mystery location, Mr. Alford consulted with a man who had once sworn the Hippocratic Oath, and was assured his eyes would be fine and that he could soon return to work at Brookside school.

Where in the World is Mr. Alford?