Paddle Boarding and Canoeing in San Diego On my family’s summer trip to San Diego, some of us went paddle boarding and canoeing. When we first arrived at the paddle boarding shack, which was attached to the hotel that we were staying at, the sun was shining brightly down upon us and a cool breeze was flowing through the palm trees. There were canoes and paddle boards that you could pick from. The canoes could seat three people, and they were yellow which made them look like a banana that had been hallowed out. The paddle boards were about 13 feet long, they were white with thick red strips down the middle of them, and a square, blue foam sheet placed in the middle. Most of my family chose canoes, while only a handful of us chose paddle boards. Before you could even go down onto the dock you had to place your shoes in a locker. We then had to stand next to our paddles so the …show more content…
After everyone was up, we were off, but all of us were struggling to get out past the waves. They seemed like little mountains that we all had to climb. It did not help that there were boats driving right by use, making the waves even bigger. Once we got passed the big waves it was much easier to paddle. The hard part was keeping your board straight. I struggled with my board and paddle the entire time I was on it. After paddling for about 20 minutes we could see our hotel rooms balconies. We stopped paddling for a little bit and rested our arms. By this time my arms were killing me. It felt like I had just rowed to China and back, but in reality I had only gone about a mile if that. The wind started to die down, and began to get very hot. I was wearing a light grey zip up hoodie, a white V-neck short sleeve shirt with grey strips on the sleeves, and acid washed ripped shorts with lace up the sides. The sweat began to drip down on my forehead, like condensation does on a cold
I am visiting Kemah Boardwalk for the day; I came down from Central Texas to visit my friend, Astronaut Rex, at NASA. He recommended I visit the Boardwalk as it is a very nice tourist destination and it sits on the coast. Driving up to Kemah I see there is a very nice waterfront hotel that sits on, what I will call a plaza, it has restaurants around it and lots of entertainment. I see rollercoasters and I am very excited to be here, the view promises lots of fun for children and adults alike. I walk up and first thing I see is a band playing under a tent. The music is upbeat and it sets the mood for dancing. I see a few people bopping their heads to the beat of the music. I see others cheering the band. As I keep walking and reach a little pond where you can pay to drive little boats around, it’s a boating race! Lots of children are lined up on the edge, I see that I have to put two quarters in the machine that has a wheel and a number, the number corresponds to the boat you are controlling. I pay for my daughter to race her boat and the race begins. My daughter is winning she is jum...
Malibu Boat’s, which is located in Loudon, Tennessee, has been a manufacturer in recreational towboats, since 1982. Six friends, who all loved and practically lived for waterskiing, decided they wanted to start building their own ski boats in a small shop in Merced, California. Robert Alkema started up the new organization and chose the company’s name, “Malibu Boats”. At his age he was still young enough where he thought there were no obstacles that could get in his way and didn't think his plan could ever fail him. During the first year of operation, Malibu only built two boats per week using a single-hull design on each boat. "The #1 High Performance Watersports Towboat in the World for Wakeboarding, Wakesurf and Water Ski." The #1 High Performance Watersports Towboat in the World for Wakeboarding, Wakesurf and Water Ski. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2013. .
Of the lessons of this course, the distinction made between story and situation will be the most important legacy in my writing. I learned a great travel essay cannot be merely its situation: its place, time, and action. It requires a story, the reader’s internal “journey of discovery.” While the importance of establishing home, of balancing summary and scene, and other lessons impacted my writing, this assertion at least in my estimation the core argument of the course.
The Urocyon littoralis (Island fox) populations that inhabit the California Channel islands have significantly decreased since 1994. This paper reviews prior pathogen exposure in these populations, and examines the present threat through the use of a serologic survey of sympatric feral cats in 2001-2003 on three of the islands, and a survey of the foxes on all of the islands for antibodies against canid pathogens. The results suggest that the foxes were exposed to canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus, canine parvovirus, and toxoplasma before its population decline, while other pathogen exposure was rare. In 2001-2003, the foxes had exposure to canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus, and canine parvovirus, while the other viruses were less common. This suggests that sharing of pathogens and infectious agents between the feral cats
Because the Passage is where the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Sea converge with no nearby landmass, it is home to choppy, turbulent waters. Underneath the waves is where you could very well end up, depending on the mood of the currents. Violently thrashing sailors most of the time, the waters have a mind of their own. You never know if it will be smooth sailing or the longest ten days of your life. Shackleton and his crew ran into that very phenomenon “By 10:00 P.M the water seemed relatively clear of ice, and their spirits rose: so far, so good ...By the third day of sailing, the weather turned rotten. A gale blew up with snow squalls and heavy seas. And waves broke incessantly over the boat.” (98). Freezing waves. Bitter winds. Relentless rain. Coupled together they spell a recipe for a multitude of health issues, including potentially deadly hypothermia. Shackleton and his crew were not spared, “After the third day our feet and legs had swelled … and began to be superficially frostbitten, the constant soaking in seawater, with the temperature at times nearly down to zero; and the lack of exercise. During the last gale they turned dead white and lost all surface feeling”... They were cold, frostbitten and covered with salt-water blisters. Their legs were rubbed raw from the chafing of their wet pants… Their bodies were bruised and aching from the pounding up and down in the bows, and they were exhausted from lack of sleep.”(100) Many a ship and sailor have been left battered and seasick and braving this desolate sea who has conquered and claimed numerous ships for it’s own, allegedly beginning with Francisco de Hoces in the early 1500s. Little is known of his trip through the Passage. A handful of decades later, the Passage was bravely navigated by a British sea captain named Francis Drake. In English influenced countries, it is Drake’s
It was the summer of 2000 and I had moved in with my sister Jana in Santa
Stephen Crane’s story “The Open Boat” concerns four people who are trying to reach land after surviving a shipwreck off of the Florida coast. During the course of the story, they face dangers that are real physical threats, but they also have to deal with trying to make sense of their situation. The characters in this story cope with their struggles in two ways: individually, they each imagine that Nature, or Fate, or God, is behind their experiences, which allows them to blame some outside force for their struggle, and together, they form a bond of friendship that helps them keep their spirits up. .
As I stood with my peachy pink toes in the gritty sand, I watched as the salty water rushed over my feet. The white waves covered my feet completely and I let them submerge deeper into the wet sand. Looking out toward the horizon, my chest rose as humid air filled my lungs to spread warmth throughout the rest of my body. Finally letting my thoughts come to a slow stop; I relaxed for the first time in a long time. “Don’t wait up for me!” My grandpa yelled from the top of overpass. We had established a tradition of body surfing where he had always held the number one spot as the winner, no matter who actually won the race. I dove head first into the water and headed out toward the sand bank to catch some waves. Tossing my clumpy hair over my shoulder, I continued to dig my toes deeper into the snug sand. Pieces of grains settled between my feet to complete my feeling of paradise.
The waves are violent and “most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall, and each froth-top was a problem in small-boat navigation.” (1352). The waves toss and jolt the small dinghy, which creates fear among the crew. After one tumultuous wave passed, another followed close behind, and “it was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the grim water.” (1354). The dinghy was no match for the waves, and “the craft pranced and reared and plunged like an animal.” (1353). The narrator describes the setting from third person point of view which encompasses the different characteristics of the individuals who make up the crew. The narrator is simply an observer and does not change the plot of the story, but he gives insight on the men’s thoughts. The four men on the boat form a brotherhood that is “more than a mere recognition of what was best for the common safety. There was…a quality that was personnel and heart-felt.” (1356). The men are in the same situation, face the same problems, and together their support keeps them united. They are devoted to each other out of respect, and dedicated to their goal as a group.
There is a guy from Hawaii that I know. Every day, he wakes up, straps his surfboards to the racks on top of his car, drives his car from a town called Ewa, across the island of Oahu, to a little beach known as Ala Moana Beach Park. He does all of this even before the sun comes up. He spends a few minutes just looking at the ocean, watching and surveying the waves and how they break. As soon as the sun makes its first peek over the horizon, he grabs a board, waxes it up, and jumps in the water. He then paddles his board through what many people call a journey: two hundred yards of dark cold water, blistering currents, and waves pushing back against each stroke made to push forward. He makes this journey to get to a point right past where all the waves break, to a point called the line-up. It’s here, where he waits for a wave that he catches back towards the shore, only to make the journey back through all the cold harsh currents and waves again. He catches a few waves, and then catches one all the way back to shore, where he showers, gets dressed and then goes off to work.
The canoeing was a fun event that met my expectations. It was a great experience since I never been canoeing before. Although canoeing is not extreme, there still exists a high physical component to this activity. In addition, I did not realize the numerous benefits that can be gained from canoeing. One benefit that can be gained is health by improving cardiovascular fitness. Paddling the canoe provides a great form of exercise that will increase muscle strength and reduces the risk of wear and tear on joints since it is a low impact activity. Moreover, canoeing is a full body experience, where the upper body and lower body are moving simultaneously. The challenge to maneuver the canoe was difficult at first since me and my partner were not in sync initially. The ability to communicate effectively and adjust enabled us to complete our journey without any complications.
We got into our lines, behind groups of excited families and happy little old men and women. As the line ascended up the ramp onto this enormous water vessel, pictures were taken of every group of passengers. Smile, laugh and look happy! Riiight. As a matter of fact, I was pretty anxious. I'd never been on a boat like this, and especially not for a whole week.
The lonely empty silence is overpowered by a wall of foam rushing towards me. Wheels of sand are churning beneath my feet. My golden locks are flattened and hunched over my head to form a thick curtain over my eyes. Light ripples are printed against my olive stomach as the sun beams through the oceans unsteadiness. I look below me and can’t see where the sand bank ends; I look above and realize it’s a long way to the top. Don’t panic Kate, you’ll get through this. I try to paddle to the top but am halted by something severely weighing me down- My board. That’s what got me in this mess in the first place. I can see the floral pattern peeping through the sand that is rapidly crawling over it. I quickly rip apart the Velcro of my foot strap and watch my board float to the surface effortlessly as I attempt climbing through the water to reach the surface. The fin of my board becomes more visible to me as I ascend. Finally, an alleviating sensation blasts through my mouth.
I will never forget the first time I went snorkeling, it was something I had been afraid to do up until the moment I touched the water. Beforehand all I could think about was what if I got attacked by a shark? I was too young to die and I felt like I was tempting fate. Then once I made the plunge into the water everything washed away, as if the waves carried the fear with them as they folded over me. I remember that day so clearly, rocking back and forth, up and down, I sat on a small glass bottom boat. The enormous ocean waves making me nauseas as I put my snorkel gear on. I hurried as fast as I could, knowing my nausea would go away as soon as I entered the water. This wasn’t the first time I have gotten sea sick, but it only shows up when the boat is sitting still. As soon as I got my equipment on I jumped into the water, fins first. I felt the sensation of goose bumps shivering up my whole body, tiny bubbles rolling over my body from breaking the surface, they ran from my toes upwards to break free at the ocean’s surface. Once the bubbles cleared, I looked around to see a new blue world I have never experienced before. I heard the sound of the ocean, mumbled by the sound of my deep breathing and the tanks of the more experienced scuba divers below me. It’s a very relaxing and peaceful sound, and if I had not been in such a new and unusual place I could have floated with my eyes closed for hours.
This lukewarm water was deceiving though, because it only seemed lukewarm due to the drop in temperature and misty rainfall. The waves were rushing toward me like a bull to a matador’s red flag. My mouth tasted as if someone dumped a whole shaker of salt on my tongue. The wave pushed my further and faster as it I could feel the wave breaking on my body and there I was back at the shallows again floating in with the white wash and was ready for another wave. As I stood back up and ran back out to the deep water I saw one of my surfing mates catch the most perfect barrel it was rad. It would have been a great snap shot. I caught another wave, this one was even bigger. The thrust of the wave was twisting my body and I was pulled towards the sea