Unit 4 A Sunshine Break
Wheels of Adventures
A month ____, I flew to San Francisco, feeling excited and a little scared that I was traveling without my parents.
My only companions ____ be my best friend, Dan, and my wheelchair.
I wasn’t sure what kinds of challenges we ____ face, but Dan assured me that we would be the coolest travelers in Northern California.
When we finally landed in ____ Francisco, the Golden Gate City, Dan shouted, “Let’s get rolling!”
____ for its rolling hills, the city has an extensive public transportation system.
I was disappointed to find ____ that the historic cable cars, which I had been looking forward to riding, do not accommodate wheelchair users.
Therefore, we decided to take a city tour bus with ____ access.
When Dan and I got on the bus, the friendly driver welcomed us ____, and we were off.
Fisherman’s ____ is popular for its pretty shops and seafood restaurants.
We were hungry, but it took almost an hour for us to look around and decide ____ to eat for lunch.
We chose to eat a ____ crab and clam chowder soup.
The ____ lions peacefully lying on the floats near the pier looked like melting chocolate.
They didn’t smell pleasant up close, yet their cuteness delayed our visit to the Golden Gate Bridge, the famous spot that appears in most movies and TV ____ filmed in San Francisco.
We took a cruise, ____ the view of the city.
As we passed the bridge, the ____ breeze blew slowly, and we watched the beautiful sunset.
The next day,
The next day, we traveled to Yosemite National Park, a place four hours away from San Francisco and about five times ____ than Seoul.
The park is famous for Northern California’s natural scenery of grand ____, valleys, and countless forests.
Dan’s uncle Roy, who lives in San Francisco, kindly ____ us a ride to the park.
While heading east in his car, we saw the scenery ____ changing from city to suburb, to forest, and finally, to mountain.
By lunchtime, we arrived at the park, and ____ of us had a giant hamburger to fuel up for a hike.
____ exploring a trail in Yosemite, we stopped frequently to appreciate the fresh air blowing through the giant sequoias.
We passed some famous trees like the Grizzly Giant, which is about 63.7 meters tall and is almost ____ years old.
It was massive, and I felt ____ small in comparison.
Our hike took a dangerous turn at ____ point.
As we made our way ____ a trail, we encountered a black bear.
I was so excited that I ____ out my camera to take a picture.
It must have ____ the cold cuts and chips we had packed because it began to approach us.
Thinking ____, Uncle Roy grabbed a stone and threw it, yelling and waving.
After turning me around, Dan helped Uncle Roy ____ me back the way we came.
Dan said, “I guess it’s time to ____ now.”
That wasn’t a problem ____ I had gotten my picture!
Another memorable part
Another memorable part of the trip was the ____ ride.
Dan found out that the National Park has a ____ rental service and offers hand-crank bikes.
____ persuaded me to try one, and soon I was able to use the hand crank pretty well.
We ____ a fun day riding along the trails in the park.
The Tunnel View in Yosemite ____ was like a masterpiece painted by Mother Nature.
The trail also led us to green fields and streams where we saw ____ wildlife.
Watching people floating down the Merced River and hiking the Half Dome was ____.
It was indeed a wonderful trip, with lots of ____, joy, and sweat.
I am now in my room where I am organizing hundreds of photos, ____ one of the bottom half of a black bear to post on social media.
Of course, I have valuable ____ too.
I was fortunate to have companions like Dan and ____ Roy during the trip.
There were obstacles to overcome and ____ to meet, but what adventure doesn’t?
I took a deep ____, dove into a new world, and faced challenges.
All I needed to ____ with me was courage.
I am already looking ____ to my next trip in the future.