Catilina Island Trip

One of my most enjoyable and exciting adventures was traveling to Destin, Florida. Walking on the extremely fine soft sand feels like paradise. Meanwhile, the sound of waves is crashing and the cool sea breeze brushes by. Along the beach stood a booth where tourist could register to go parasailing. My boyfriend Michael and I registered and anxiously awaited our turn. Suddenly, everyone was loaded onto a tiny boat in hopes of reaching a bigger boat out deeper. Reaching our destination everyone had to climb a rope ladder as it was moving with the rough waves. As they strapped us in, we prayed we could come back in one piece. As the boat slowly started to move I grasped the rope, realizing that an inch-thick string was the only thing between me

On a blazing hot summer early morning with the city traffic roaring! And the hot sun blazing, birds chirping and the smell of fresh green grass. Me and my family were packing and getting ready for our yearly powwow trail trip. My mooshum and kokum were they’re usual selves laughing and cracking jokes, I and my cousins knew they weren’t that funny but laughed at their jokes anyways. After we were all packed and ready we all piled into my kookum’s van and set off to our destination with the hot sun reflecting off the black pavement. The drive to Muskoday reserve was long and tiring, the van was humid and making us irritated, so I decided to roll down my window to let the summer air cool us off, the cool breeze was flowing and the music was booming! A bit later we arrived to our destination with our eyes popping taking in all the scenery around us, mind you this was our first time being in the reserve Muskoday. The excitement of being there and meeting new people was over whelming, the anxious feeling of just wanting to run off and enjoy the scenery with my cousins and friends I had met before from the powwow trails we took yearly.

one edge of the island to the other edge. Not a very big island. Soon, we had enough of the hammock and we decided to enjoy the wonderful Bahamas sun and warm, perfect weather that didn’t involve rain or snow. We set out across the rocky sand to find a beach. As we followed the cement sidewalk, we came to a beach with tiny, tiny white sand granules, and not a rock in sight. We picked a spot in the sand, lathered on the oil, and “baked”. After about an hour of the hot, hot, sun, we took a dip in the seventy degree, clear, clean, blue water. Not a wave in sight and nothing to complain about. As we enjoyed the water that was only four feet deep all the way to the other side of the one hundred yard bay, we say many seashells beneath our feet and decided that these would make great souvenirs. We picked up a couple white, cream, and brown seashells and headed back up the sandy beach to our towels where we were going to “flip” and take in some more glorious sunshine. Two hours later, we decided that we were hungry, so we packed up our beach gear and headed back up the cement sidewalk to the big brown pavilion where the food was to be served.

We finally docked to our first destination, Catalina Island. Stepping on the island was so surreal, the air was so fresh, the island scenery covered in green, and the houses were unbelievably beautiful. A group of decided we wanted to go parasailing so we all chipped in and got tickets to go. Four of us, girls, and other passengers got on this speed boat and sped off far enough to catch good air for the parachute. A couple of people were ahead of us so we got to see what we were going to expect and hear the people's opinion on how it went when it was finally our turn to go up. Gisselle, my roommate, paired up to go together and we were very anxious. We both got geared up and the boat started going to get some wind. We got shot off the boat,

It was a cool windy summer morning in Clear Lake, RMNP, and my family and friends decided to rent a pontoon boat, to enjoy a day out on the lake. We planned on going on the lake for around five hours so we packed up some delicious sandwiches and drinks, then headed down to the marina to rent a pontoon boat. As we get to the marina we look out onto the water to see the waves vigorously lashing against the shore. We then approach the guy at the marina and ask to rent a pontoon boat for 9. He then shows us to our boat and we load up all of our stuff on to the boat. By that time the wind started to pick up a bit causing the waves to get even larger than before, I could say I have a minor fear of boats but I really enjoy just getting my tan on

We waited as the waves crashed back and forth on the rocks. As one wave drew back we boldly rushed forward. The lukewarm water slid over our skin and resisted the movement of our legs. Clambering on to the rocks just as the next waves came, we continued on, exploring the dips and cracks of the slippery cliffs. Lost in a world of our own, and confident in our agility as we climbed, it was awhile before we heard the calling of my mother. Was she telling us to turn back? It was hard to tell over the noise of the waves and the distance between us. We were so close we thought. But looking around we realized the tide was rising. The spray of the sea was making the rocks look slick and black despite their rough edges. The way back had just become a lot more dangerous. On top of that, we had to climb up a steep part of rocks to avoid going near the water and getting mercilessly smashed by waves. Looking up at the short jagged cliff, I was not super worried because I have been climbing a manner of things since as long as I remembered. But once on the face of the rock, I realized it was going to be harder than I expected. I hung on, my arms trembling from the weight of my body. I could hear the pounding of the waves

Our refreshing day at the lake was now a day of oppressing heat. Despite the more than warm weather, I had not exercised at all that day. In an attempt to get in a little of the daily exercise recommended by my soccer coach, I swam to the neighboring buoy. The buoy was about 50 feet away from the boat dock. The swim was not far, but it was far enough to make me breathe hard. It also made Katrina, Madison, Lauren, and Olivia, who had followed, breathe hard. Behind them, closing in on the buoy, were my mom and two younger brothers slowly paddling on their floats. About 6 feet from our destination we drifted upon a shoal. The shoal was rocky, muddy, and algae-ridden. When the filthy red and green mixture of algae and mud squished between my toes I cringed and refused to lower my legs

In the morning, we found a seagull gently flying in the air at sunrise. The sunrise was bright as glory. We quickly sailed to follow the soft seagull and found land. I was so delighted, I wanted to jump into the sea and swim towards the shore. We sailed on a rough land of rocks and sand. It was dry as a dessert. Our ship was breaking down and we needed to repair our ship to

I was scared. Our coach yelled , “Shark bate!” then we jumped into the ocean. I jumped first then my two team mates jumped in after me. We had to perform a transition in an outrigger canoe race; Three people jump off the canoe and three people jump into the canoe. The goal is to maintain momentum as much as possible, we couldn’t lose anytime. Three hours forty two minutes and fifty two seconds later we crossed the finish line. Our team of nine people came in fifty second out of sixty canoes. I was excitied that everyone had survived the 20 mile open ocean canoe race and that we had finished the race: The 46th annual Whitey Harrison Classic in Dana Point, CA.

I wanted to take that boat out and go tubing for the first time in my life. I was so excited that I even offered to blow up the tube by myself with nothing but my lungs, not knowing we had an air pump. Finally, after what felt like hours of begging like the annoying twelve year old I was, my dad said it was time to go. My sisters and I got our life jackets and wet shirts on, while my baby brother and step mom got on the boat, and my dad sat in the driver’s seat. My sisters and I were on the back on the tube, trying to find the best way to position our arms so we didn’t fall off. My dad turned the key to the boat and suddenly, my excitement turned to sheer panic. What happens if I fall off? What if my sisters fall off? What if there was a lake monster or a really big fish in the water? From that moment on, I was determined to stay on, so I held on to the handles for dear

It was a bright sunny day on the beaches of Cancun, but unusually, the waves were massive that day in mid-December. My family, following the tradition of every time we go to a tropical country for vacation, decided to go paragliding in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. After waiting about an hour to get the tickets for the activity, it finally came time to get on the boat, but in order to get there, we would have to be transported to the boat by jet ski with two passengers and a driver on each one.

July 5th 2016 was a very hot and very sunny day, it felt as if my skin was being cooked. My family and I went on the boat and hung out by the sand bar all morning. It’s mixed emotions being on the tube, considering the boat is going about 35 MPH, I’m on a tube in the wavy lake, connected by a rope to the boat. It’s hard to focus on one emotion. I’m excited and terrified all in one. Although we picture lake time always being a great time, that July day was not a great time. I remember feeling as if our bodies were giving in to the sun so we decided to call it a day around 2 PM. We approached the pier to pull the boat in. Our dock is a parking space in water surrounded by a wooden pier on the sides and the front. To prevent the boat hitting from the sides, my brothers, my mom, and I will grab the sides of the pier as my dad steers it.

At first me and my cousins didn’t touch the water for a while because it was freezing cold, but the heat drove us in, me being the last one in. At last, a cool feeling of relaxation. About a minute later, my cousin Austin was the first to start swimming across the river and he started to climb. He was climbing on top of a giant rock so he can jump off and into the water. Then, everyone else swam across the lake and climbed up the rocks to jump off the cliff. I have never done anything like that, so I decided to stay in the water and watch them. I realized that I wanted to do it too, but the rock was almost as high as a two story house and that terrified me the most. Not only the height scared me, but the fact that there was another rock sticking out, under the water. I knew so because Austin warned me. Nevertheless, I built the confidence to actually move onto the cliff.

I headed out to the water after setting up my towel. The shock of the frigid water took my breath away and I was momentarily stunned. However, I quickly recovered; finding my body adjusts rapidly to the cold water. I waded a few feet into it before leaning forward and swimming out. I didn't dare to go too far though, instead turning to swim parallel to the shore. I was comforted by the sounds of the ocean; the rhythmic pounding of the waves represses all of my worries. I looked into the cloudless cerulean blue sky and see the perfection of life. Just when I was starting to get tired and wanted to go back to the shore, I saw something.

I opened my eyes and see that we are going canoeing today for the first time! I was super excited because I never went canoeing before and I’ve always wanted too. We got in lines to get our tickets and was preparing to go on the canoe. As I was trying to step into the canoe, it started to rock back and forth. I was scare for a moment since this was my first time ever going canoeing. We each went into our own canoe and started to practice paddling. I was struggling a lot and felt really frustrated.