Road Trip Research Paper

Rhiannon Romero
Ellen Maresh
The Essay
January 23, 2010

Road Trip “Tiiiim! Is the car all packed? Are you ready to go?” I yelled, as I ran up and down the stairs trying to get everything together. He answers, but I only half hear him. I check and double check the list in my head, “Food, check; blankets, check; pillows, check; games, check; camera, check; suitcases, check; gas, check; music CD’s, check; family, check…Lets do this!” I went downstairs to the playroom and the kids are watching TV. “Boys, are you ready to go? Did you pack your games and books for the road?” “Yup, were ready!” They say, almost in unison. “Alright, lets hit the road!” This past year, for spring break, we decided to take a road trip to Laguna Beach,
There were sporadic sand dunes separated by thirsty, cracked desert land. Dirt flew around us in gusts of wind whirls, and miniature dust devils kissed the ground soothingly. To the left was what looked like a very exciting dune buggy race, of some sort. There were campers and RV’s scattered all throughout, spectators standing around or driving 4-wheelers, awaiting the drop of the flag. We caught the drop just in time to watch the dune buggies take off, pushing out a cloud of dust that swallowed the viewers with no remorse. The boys cheered in excitement! That was very exciting, but we had to keep trucking. Finally, we reached Vegas. It was daytime, so we missed out on the lure of the lights at first glance, but we were staying for two nights, so we were okay with that. We pulled up to the Excalibur and the boys could hardly stay in their seats. They have been to Vegas a few times, so they knew what to expect. We walked the strip, ate fried Twinkies and Oreos; watched the fountains shoot up to the melody of Celine Dion and explored the pirate ship of Treasure Island. We played games at Circus Circus and had our first 4D experience. The boys had a
We jumped back in the car and hit the road. There wasn’t much to see heading into California. It is very similar to Vegas, in that, they are both lush with green grass and towering palm trees. But once we hit Laguna Beach, it was like a whole new world. It was a small town filled with very friendly people. Shiny, luxurious cars lined the streets, at least every third one being a convertible. People filled the beaches and streets, taking in the sunshine, some walking dogs, others bordered by what looked like family or friends. When we pulled up to our hotel, a quaint little Inn; spitting distance from the beach, we were pleasantly surprised. A two level spread of rooms surrounding a swimming pool that was accompanied by a hot sauna made out of an actual wine barrel. The nightly rate wasn’t much, the most we could afford for the planned two nights booked in a paradise called Laguna, so we had prepared for less. We checked in and walked straight to the beaches. Words cannot describe the sights of these beaches. The tide was low and we were able to walk right onto the coral reefs and admire the collected puddles of water and sea life. Beautiful pinkish, orange starfish and prickly, purple sea urchins lined the walls while small fish and hermit crabs explored the territory. The sky was the bluest blue and the sun beamed down on our skin, toasting us the perfect bronze, without a