Catilina Island Trip

The first time I, Kaylee Plott, heard the song “Watching You” by Rodney Atkins, and the song had true meaning, I, Kaylee Plott, was at Anderson Dam in Idaho with my family. I’m not much of camping person; I feel dirty the entire time, I don’t like bugs, I’m scared

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,

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

When the other group caught up, our arms were already tiring and we began to paddle even harder than before. As we kayaked further out, I could feel my arms getting heavier and what I wanted to do most was just give my arms a rest. But I knew that if I took a rest, our boat would be pushed off course and that it would cost me even more to get the boat back on course. So, I kept paddling, my arms lumps of lead, the pain running through them was like being branded with a hot iron. Along with paddling, I was also in charge of steering the boat which on that day, was slightly easier than staying on a bucking bull. As we got closer to our destination, imagining giving my arms gave me motivation to push myself even harder than before, speeding us towards the beach. At long last, we pulled up our kayaks on the beach and I finally put my paddle down, giving my arms a well-deserved

It didn’t seem worth it anymore. The whale sharks were nowhere to be seen. Our tour guide had warned us that the whale sharks feeding season in the area was coming to an end and that maybe we wouldn’t be able to see them today. I just didn’t think this would actually happen, a 10 hour journey for what? Suddenly I began to hear splashes of water coming from the side of the boat. A group of dolphins swarmed around the boat; this made me feel a little better. Although the sour taste of lime began to erupt my mouth as I begin to remember what we really travelled out here

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

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

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

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

underneath the sun. There was even a lifeguard in her red bathing suit sitting in a watching tower. I was not alone. I was not even far enough away for concern, yet I was dying. My cousins were near the buoys, and there had been a moment when we were

Another wave came and pushed me down. I landed on my butt. My face and body felt the shock of being consumed by salty, sandy water. I gasped and wiped my face. I stood up, ready to try again. With my dad’s coaching, I mastered the wave. I rode it in and slid onto the shore victorious. I continued to boogie board, feeling more confident with each successful try. As my skin pruned, I could feel the shells beneath my feet etch cuts and scrapes on my soles like glass shards in a tire. After a while, the salty water made my cuts feel like they were burning, like walking on hot coals. My arms, chest, and knees suffered the same fate from sliding into the shell - covered shore. It was well worth the pain, however. My dad continued to give me side by side lessons on boogie boarding until I was totally confident in my skills. I felt like I was flying on the water. I have never felt anything so fun, free, and exciting. I couldn’t imagine spending another day in Florida without coming to the beach to boogie board. I was hooked like a giant tuna to a fishing

I was didn’t feel like I should fall into the salty waters of the waves. After, some time my older sister who was much apparently stronger than me, pushed my in from the side the beach. Terrified I tried to run out until a small star like rough creature was noticed on my foot from deep below the waters surface. Grasping out I grabbed the small creature out from the water and onto my hand. I had noticed that he was curled as to give my open and much larger hand, a hug. After, realizing he meant no harm I began to put him back in the water, back to his home along with all the other creatures of the deep blue sea. Then, as I took at the small star fly into the water I look out as seen the beautiful waves of blue and white coming towards me with an accompaniment of fresh salt water air. The air pushing back my black and brunette hair as I stand confidently waiting for the gust of water to hit my knees almost as hard as my mother hit mine on the plane. After, a while we had to leave due to the tide was hitting to hard against time current from a near by storm coming

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.

The Terrifying Canoe Ride in Turks and Caicos Have you ever gotten stuck in the middle of ocean? Well, I have. It happened when I was only 10 years old, in the middle of the summer when I was on vacation in Turks and Caicos. While I was there, I

When I was about ten years old my family started going on vacation over spring break nearly every year. In the past we had been to Colorado multiple times, Mexico, and Florida, which we loved enough that we decided to come visit again. It was March 18, 2017, my freshman