Walk Across America

Stephen Wonnell

English 3

Brust/Higgins

8795 Tanglewood TrailChagrin Falls, Ohio

November 13, 2009

Dear mom and dad,

Hey it’s Stephen and I am going on a 6 destination trip across America. This is something that I feel like I really have to do. This task has been on my checklist for many years to take a long trip and get to see all of our beautiful country. I will be leaving in 3 days and I am already completely packed. I am prepared so do not be worried about me not being ready for this long journey. You have raised me well and have taught me how to prepare for things so you know I am fully ready for this.I have packed all of the necessities for this journey. I packed 5 pairs of pants, 5 shirts and 2 coats. I have all of the needed supplies for camping and hunting. I feel like I have to take a break from college and all of the stressful things in life so I am going to go on a walk to some of my favorite places in America. My trips in order are going to be Hilton Head South Carolina, Sarasota Florida, Galveston Texas, Los Angeles California, Colorado and I am also going to New York. I am going to Hilton Head to go and see my sister’s old house and I will be camping out on the beach. The next place I am going to is Florida and I am going there to visit my old friend Cam and I will stay in their house for a few days to rest after the long walk from South Carolina. This will be my time to relax and I will finally get to see my sister again because she lives in Florida. When I go to see my sister Alicia she can ensure my parent’s that I am perfectly fine and am able to complete the trip to all of the other places. The next destination is Galveston Texas because it is a big city and I have been there before when I was little and really want to visit it again. It is very nice, warm and sunny almost every day. The fourth place I want to go is Los Angeles because it is very upbeat all of the time and there is always something going on. It has pretty views and really nice weather almost all of the time. There are a lot of famous places to visit in Los Angeles and there are many famous people there. Next I am going to go to Colorado because I really want to see the mountains and all the gorgeous views everywhere I go. The altitude change is going to tire me out faster but it is definitely worth it to see some of these beautiful places. My final destination is New York because I am going to stop at Holiday Valley for the day and go snowboarding. This will be the last fun thing I do before I make my journey back home to be greeted by you. This trip is something that I seriously have to do. It will change my views of America completely and I really want to do something where I am not wasting gas or polluting of country in any way. If you want to come and visit me send a letter to Cam’s house and I will get it when I get there to tell you the exact locations I will be going. Do not be mad I just had to get out of our home and my comfort zone to escape and be free.

Love, Stephen

Hilton Head, South CarolinaI was amazed to find that the population of Hilton Head Island is 33862 people.

If you’re looking for some shopping then Coligny Plaza is the place to go. There are over 60 stores and restaurants in this shopping center. Here you can enjoy local shows and then you can go for a bite to eat at one of these delicious restaurants.

The picture on the left represents Harbour Town Golf Course. It has a course rating of 74. This is what judges the difficulty of a golf course.•http://images.google.com/imgres?

imgurl=http://www.teetimes.net/course_images/SeaPinesResortHarbourTownGolfLinks.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.teetimes.net/courses/Sea-Pines-Resort---Harbour-Town-Golf-Links&usg=__57xCo9LbkuwtSCuzNYK2yrLpGRs=&h=240&w=240&sz=14&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=KEIFv_6Tr5598M:&tbnh=110&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHarbour%2Btown%2Bgolf%2Bresort%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Sarasota Florida Do you want to see a wide array of

beautiful sea animals? Go the Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota. Its one of the most widely visited aquariums and is packed full of interactive exhibits and displays. You will never be bored.

Do you need a place to go to have fun? Go to Jungle Gardens and you will have a blast. Jungle Gardens is one of the oldest continuously operating zoos in Florida. It has been open since December of 1940.

With a beachfront location on Lido Key, the Lido Beach Resort Sarasota, Florida offers the kind of warm hospitality, tropical resort atmosphere and top-notch services sure to

please leisure and business travelers alike. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_96RnOgKLvMs/SL6-winMTGI/AAAAAAAAAPk/7eGh6ZIIa6o/s400/mote+sign.jpg

Galveston TexasDo u want to have wet and wacky fun? Go to the Schlitterbahn Water Park on Galveston Island. This park is opened all year round to anyone. Schlitterbahn has uphill water coasters, water slides, kid's playgrounds, whitewater rapids, wave pool, hot tubs, plus the Boogie Bahn surf ride. There’s also a slow moving river for the little tikes which makes it the ultimate family vacation.

If you want to spend the night on Galveston Island then you can go to the Hilton Hotel. It is the place to go if you want to be pampered like the high class and relax with delicious breakfasts that can be brought to your room.

You can see a beautiful sight if you go to the Moody Gardens Festival of Lights. This takes place from November 14 to January 2. Over 85000 people visit to come see these lights and it is truly an amazing sight to see.

http://z.about.com/d/themeparks/1/5/t/H/SchlitterNB1.jpg

Los Angeles CaliforniaIf you want to just kick back and relax a really good place to go is Griffith Park. Here you can set up a picnic in the perfect weather and bond with the family or whoever your trying to spend time with.

If you want to see something shocking go to the Guinness World Records Museum. Here you will find displays of the world record winners. An example of one of the amazing things on display is a 54000 pound ice cream sundae.

Disneyland park is fun for all ages. You can never be too old to come here because it really gets you in touch with your inner child. You can come here as a family or just come with some friends. There is always something new and you will never run out of stuff to do here. It ranges from big roller coasters to little kitty rides for the young ones. If you are not into rides there is plenty of food and gift shops for you to entertain yourself all day.

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1483771-Los_Angels_see_it_before_the_big_one_hits-Los_Angeles.jpg

ColoradoIf you are really into scenery then Denver is the place to see. It has some of the best views in the world and to see them really seems to fill you with peace and serenity.

Colorado is a great place to ski or snowboard because it snows the majority of the time up in the mountains. There are 26 ski places in Colorado and they are constantly being resupplied with a perfect blanket of snow.

These cabins are perched up on the mountain side so when you wake up in the morning you wake up to a beautiful view. You can take your skis or snowboard up to the cabin with you. Then in the morning you ride all the way down to the bottom where you will find a central lodging area with ski lifts.

http://www.computerservicenow.com/pages/states/Colorado.jpg

New YorkCome to New York to see one of the largest waterfalls in the world. Niagara Falls is full of things to do. There are shopping centers all around and hotels to stay in.

New York is well known for its ski resorts. Some of the well known ski resorts are Holiday Valley and Peak n Peak. Both resorts are equipped with lodges to get food and warm up. There is also a hotel at the bottom of the hill at both Holiday Valley and Peak n Peak. These hotels are rated very high and contain pools and indoor outdoor hot tubs in both.

Come to New York to visit the Saratoga National Historical Park. It is something that you will never forget. It was established in 1938. It contains 3 parts such as the 4 square mile battlefield in Stillwater.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/191/464984262_ec7d649761.jpg

Works Cited

“Find it at Coligny”. Coligny Hilton Head. Google. 20 Nov. 2009. http://www.colignyplaza.com/directory08.htm

Fowler, Lisa C. “Finding Nemo”. Sarasota and her islands. 2009. Google. 20 Nov. 2009. http://www.sarasotafl.org/article/finding-nemo/

“A tropical adventure”. Sarasota Jungle Gardens. 2008. Google. 19 Nov. 2009. http://www.sarasotajunglegardens.com/jungle/

Lido Beach Resort. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.http://www.lidobeachresort.com/index.htm

“Schlitterbahn”. Galveston Island. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.http://www.galveston.com/schlitterbahnwaterpark/

“Hilton Galveston Island Resort”. Hilton. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/GLSGIHF-Hilton-Galveston-Island

Resort-Texas/index.doMoody Gardens Festival of Lights”. Galveston. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.

http://www.galveston.com/071509/“Los Angeles Family Travel Guide” Away. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.

http://vacation.away.com/california/travel-v2-cid1940-los-angeles-cid350262-family-vacations.html?gclid=CJKoj6LAn54CFcZM5QodyHrkpg

“Guinness World Record Museum”. Away. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.http://vacation.away.com/attractions/travel-ad-cid305053-hollywood-attid177320-guinness-world-record-museum-attraction.html

Works Cited Page 2

“Disneyland Park” Away. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.

http://vacation.away.com/attractions/travel-ad-cid305298-anaheim-attid177602-disneyland-park-attraction.html

“Explore Colorado” Colorado. 2009. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.

http://www.colorado.com/

“Rocky Mountain Resorts” Colorado. 2009. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.

http://www.colorado.com/Listing.aspx?did=6318

“Things to see and do” I love NY. 2008. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.

http://www.iloveny.com/SeeDoInNY.aspx

“Saratoga National Historical Park” I love NY. 2008. Google. 22 Nov. 2009.

http://www.iloveny.com/SeeDoInNY/NatureParksZoos.aspx#nl_0