THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409090273
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUSAN SMITH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
When Alicia Young writes her school report on ``What I Did on My Summer Vacation'' this year, she will have to mention Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell, Ellis Island, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, a paddle boat ride, trolley cars, sea anemones, San Francisco, Redwood Trees, a black bear cub, the Alamo, Disney World, bus rides and New Orleans' famous Bourbon Street.
Alicia and her grandparents, Shirley and Morris Young of South Norfolk, traveled across the United States this summer, mostly by bus.
``It was a history and geography trip for Alicia,'' said Shirley Young. ``We wanted to introduce her to what she will be studying in school.
Alicia, the daughter of Linda and Jay Young, is a fifth-grade, honor roll student at G.W. Carver Intermediate School.
Several years ago doctors advised Shirley and Morris Young to walk as therapy for some medical problems. They weren't satisfied to walk just around the block. The began to hike all over the continent.
The couple have traveled to all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas.
This summer, they included their granddaughter in their travels.
The trip began with a trip to Philadelphia, where Alicia saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
The trip almost ended as soon as it began. While sightseeing in Philadelphia, Shirley became ill with food poisoning. A police officer had to rush her to the hospital.
``We had lights flashing and the siren blaring as we raced through the streets,'' said Alicia.
After a day's rest, the Youngs were on their way again. This time they went to New York to see Niagara Falls, Staten Island, the Statue of Liberty, the Twin Towers and Ellis Island.
In St. Louis, they ate hamburgers and fries while floating on the Mississippi River on a paddle-wheel boat operated by McDonald's restaurants.
They toured the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah, and waded in the Pacific Ocean off northern California, where Alicia saw starfish, periwinkle and poked at sea anemones.
``There were giant Redwood trees that were 315 feet high and over 20 feet in diameter,'' Alicia said. She pointed to her photos as proof.
Yosemite National Park, Sequoia trees, Disneyland and south of the border to Tijuana, Mexico, were on the itinerary. The three walked through 10,000-year-old Indian cliff dwellings, climbed Sunset Crater volcano, toured the wild west town of Tombstone in Arizona and hiked through the south rim of the Colorado Canyons.
In the Senora Desert, a wildlife habitat, they saw a black bear, Mexican coyotes, deer, a mountain lion and prairie dogs. And then it was on to Tonto National Park, the Theodore Roosevelt Dam and the Alamo.
Alicia unfolded her U.S. map and traced the yellow highlighted circle from Norfolk to Buffalo, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Eureka, Yosemite, Anaheim, Tijuana, Flagstaff, Tucson, El Paso, Biloxi, Gulfport, Atlanta, Raleigh and full circle back to Hampton Roads. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Shirley and Morris Young took their granddaughter, Alicia Young,
right, on a trip across the United States this summer. Alicia is a
fifth-grader at G.W. Carver Intermediate School.
by CNB