005 The road trip

The road trip*
By Jack Smith
Grade 3

There was once two boys named Mark and Andrew. They were given a car to drive and somehow managed to get a new set of number plates for it.


They called it "Red Rocket"


After recieving a parking ticket at the University, Red rocket was ready to hit the road.


She had to make a few pit stops on the way, which everyone approved.


Like the sign, the other drivers on the road were petrified. Andrew was sure he was on the right side of the road, until he realised he was going down a one way street. Mark was more patriotic and drove in the wrong lane.


They spent their second night in a tent near some teepees after spending the first at a truck stop and falling asleep to the sounds of a thunderstom.


They met some of the locals


And the desert they painted


They even drove past a town named just after Andrew's biceps.


After driving a little more they ended up at a canyon.

"This is pretty grand" Mark commented. Andrew agreed


And thought it was worth at least a grand just being there.


Especially at night when the sun sets


Andrew loves sunsets.


He really loves sunsets. Infact, he has a whole collection of them but you can't see them yet.


But what Andrew loves even more than sunsets is scaring his mum.


The next day the boys decided against to climb down and back up the canyon in a day.


They must not have seen this sign warning them not to. Those silly boys


Down, down, down they went.


Past some donkeys and other interesting things.


One of them was a squirrel who had been hard at work collecting kindling. Which the boys stole off the animal to make a fire... Which they later roasted it on. Those mean boys.


Finally, they made it to the bottom and had a swim in the Colorado river.


It was cold. Very cold


Andrew was enjoying the trip so much and he stumbled upon a leaf that reminded him of his mum...and the many trips like this to come.


Many, many trips.



On the way back up Mark was too fast so Andrew decided to slow down try out his photography skills.


He tried with valleys

And more valleys

With flowers

And more flowers.


Soon he gave up and started doing what he does best. Finding cougars. He found some tracks but was too afraid to follow them.


When the boys got back they saw this politically incorrect sign. "What if there were women working" the sensitive guys asked. Sure enough, just ahead was a female worker. Andrew said Dr McCallister would have a field day with this. Mark agreed.


It was soon time to leave. The next stop was Bryce Canyon


It was also beautiful.


Really beautiful.


They did an early morning walk. Mark made sure he took some water.


And before they knew it they were in Zion National Park in Utah.


It was a very pretty park.


There they climbed high heights to the top of 'angels landing'. "They must have known we were coming" said Mark, Andrew agreed.


You could see everything from the top


Where the guys both sat, looking down to the valley below. On their way back down the boys skipped down the steep switchbacks past hikers on their way up. Those mean boys.

"Too mush powa" one Asian man exclaimed. "I bet you went that fast on the way up" said another


Then they drove to Las Vegas


Where Andrew did a magic trick and turned $5 into ten! Mark tried to do the same trick but he did an even better one. He made $30 dissappear.


It was a bright place filled with lights and man made wonders.


But mostly filled with greed and waste and lust.


It was a sad place for the boys, who decided that atmosphere just wasnt for them. 'Sin city' had already turned Andrew into a carnivore, the lust for a dollar McChicken overpowered him. They left that night.


And came to death valley.


Andrew tried playing on the devils golf course


But he found it too hard


Of course it might be because he was playing with a Wal mart hiking pole (keeping with the theme devil)

The guys saw another warning sign.


Again they didn't do what it said. Those silly boys.


Death Valley was pretty.


Pretty darn hot. It got to 45 degrees, no wonder they call it death valley.


Even though the boys were in danger from many things, they were never in danger of starving. Mark used his stirring stick to make dinner one night


And the next day Andrew raided the 'reduced for quick sale' section of the supermarket and made a huge roll.


This gave them enough energy to try to climb Mt Whitney. Apart from Alaska it's the highest mountain in America. It's 14,494 ft above sea level.


On the way up they stopped for breaks for food, which they stored in a bear cannister so that bears wouldn't steal it.

On the way up they met this Marmot. He didn't even try and bite them while they roasted him.


They stopped at lone pine lake


And then made it to their campsite for the night. It was 12,000ft high. Andrew's sleeping bag ratings were wrong, and he was cold.


That was ok because the next day the boys were climbing over ice and snow on their way up to the top.

After their hands nearly froze, they made it to the top. They were both very proud.


Andrew was so proud that he even took a picture of himself.


And also got one from Mark


And another.


But the guys were most proud of 'red rocket' who drove them over 3000 miles.


In the meantime Andrew sent his mum a postcard, this is what it said.

What I have learned on this trip

*Jox can last for at least 80 days. 20 foward, 20 backward, 20 inside out...
*Parking uphill makes sleeping in a car so much nicer
*$1.50 blow up mats from Wal Mart are $1.50 for a reason
*It is possible to get up at 6am if you get to bed at 9
*People who listen to Ipod's while doing beautful hikes should either be shot or banned from all national parks
*At 12,000ft tanning becomes deadly
*No matter what it is, it tastes good after a hike
*Nikon has become my new best friend
*Japanese usually hunt National Parks in packs
*Ankle tape can be used for anything car repair, sealing food, mapping distances and taping ankles
*Americans don't like Australians so much when they are driving on the left side of the road.
*The top of a mountain is the best place to read the Bible.
*Santa Cruz is the weirdest place on earth. Hippies, trannies and men dressed as grannies is normal. I guess thats why Mark says I would fit right in.

I'm having a great time
Send my love and best wishes to everyone back home.

Love Andrew

They were now at Mammoth Lakes


This was a pretty town where they found a free campsite and camped under the stars.


They also had time for other things, like floating down a river on a blow up mat. The river was warm, not because of Andrew but because of some hot springs upstream.


The next place they went was Yosemite National Park


It was also pretty, but very crowded


The guys tried to get away from the crowds by getting up early and hiking up 'half dome'


"This is pretty steep" Mark commented. Andrew agreed.


The views from the top were amazing.


Really amazing.


Andrew even had time for some aerobics at the top. He doesn't like star jumps. Nobody joined in.


The next day they went to a Mariposa forest with big trees in it. But so did everyone else, so they left.


They stayed at a campsite where you aren't supposed to feed the animals. The boys got a photo of a bluejay eating wild macaroni grass. Those naughty boys.


Andrew saw alot of sunsets on the trip and put them all together to make one big sunset. This one was at Mt Whitney


So was this, he couldn't decide which one he liked best.


This was at Mammoth Lakes.


So was this. Andrew has trouble deciding sometimes.


This was at the Grand Canyon


This was at Death Valley.


And this was at the Grand Canyon with Mark in the photo.


Mark and Andrew finally made it to Santa Cruz, where they cruz ed the streets and ate lots of Taco bell. One night they got kicked out of the carpark they were sleeping in by a security guard. Those crazy boys. "The people here are weird" Andrew said, Mark agreed, and then hopped on a plane and went back to Australia


The End.

*Some of the events of this story are purely ficticious