Two people + two weeks + one country =
Road Trip
“There is so much emptiness, so much space between towns . . .
you realize that you are dealing with another scale of geography altogether.”
“Living in a city…Thousands and thousands of people would live out their lives never having their own backyard, never having a barbeque, never stepping out the back door at midnight to check out the stars.”
– from The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson
The United States is a remarkable land. Not only is it home to hundreds of millions of people, it is a vast land – some states are bigger than many of the world’s countries – of strikingly different cultures. In the northeast, big cities like New York City and Boston mean life is fast-paced, while in states like Montana and North and South Dakota, there are so few people, you could drive hundreds of miles without coming across any sign of civilization. There is no much land in the United States, so many different types of people and so many different ways of life, it is impossible to fully grasp it until you travel it.
While we certainly don’t have the time or financial resources to take a class trip across America, there are other ways to get a sense of the United States. As such, your task is to plan a two-week, cross-country road trip across the United States with a partner. You must visit all six distinct geographical regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Interior, and West; you may also feel free to visit Hawaii and/or Alaska, if time permits) and visit TWO (2) places of interest in each region.
· One place must reflect the life and culture of that region.
· The second place does not have to reflect the life and culture of that region; it should be some destination of interest that you would like to visit.
Where you go exactly is up to you. Your trip will be presented in poster form with an accompanying type-written report.
Your poster must have:
· A hand drawn map of the United States
· Your route, including mileage. (include your mileage scale)
· At least one picture
· A brief description of each place you visit.
Your report (at least two pages, double-spaced, typed) must have:
· A more detailed explanation of the places you visit and how you spent your time there.
· An explanation of how of these places reflect the life and culture of the region?
· The states you passed through on your journey, including the total number of miles traveled.
· Any places that you stopped for a visit along the way to each destination.
· Your reasons for choosing each destination. In other words, what interested you about that place enough to make you want to go there?
· A summary of what you learned about the United States on your road trip.
We will spend some class time in the library or computer lab, but additional work will need to be done outside of class. You work must be thorough, and please be creative with your poster. A grading rubric will be provided.