By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger
The cave was amazing even though it had some very steep places which made it a tricky situation for my dad. He had to push my stroller up and down these steep, slick walkways. My dad’s calves were burning by the time the tour was over. But the things I saw were awesome. There were huge stalactites and stalagmites along with giant hills of Calcite that looked like salt. Our tour guide said that it took millions and billions of years for all these things to form. Hmmm, that’s an interesting thought.
We left there and went back to our campsite. We had to buy firewood at the campground, because of some kind of rule. The problem was the silly firewood didn’t want to burn, but my dad eventually got it going. And Yay! It was time to roast hot dogs. My mom made macaroni and cheese. It was a delicious meal.
As it got dark, we told campfire stories. Soon the campground got quiet and it was time to go to sleep except that’s when my allergies came alive. Both my dad and I started having a lot of problems and neither one of us could sleep. Then our air mattress began to deflate. What a night! We only slept a couple of hours.
In the morning my mom made pancakes. And of course we had coffee. Our float was scheduled for 11 o’clock. So after getting things together, we headed to the river. We rode an old school bus to the place where our raft was ready and waiting for us. Once we were all in the raft, the float began. My dad sat and paddled in the front, my mom took care of the back, and I was just sitting back enjoying the view. It was so much fun floating down the river, watching the turtles as they sun themselves on fallen trees, and looking at the beautiful cliffs that framed the river.
We made a few stops along the way. We ate sandwiches and chips. Later, we went swimming. The water was icy cold. And not having ANY body fat, I froze. It felt good to get back into the raft. I was like one of those turtles sunning myself as we continued our float.
One time the water current was going really fast and we crashed into a huge tree. Both my mom and I almost were thrown out of the raft. But the paddle wasn’t so lucky. It shot out of my mom’s hand and began to float down the river. We had to get to the shore so my dad could jump out to chase after the paddle. I held my breath wondering if he would be able to catch it. He did and soon we were floating down the river again. After a long day on the river, we reached the end of the float.
Back at the camp, my dad and I went to take a shower while my mom cooked supper. Feeling clean and refreshed, I sat down when all of the sudden thousands among thousands of gnats began to swarm around me like a cloud. This made eating supper very challenging. Between the gnats, our deflated mattress, and our raging allergies the thought of spending another night in our tent didn’t sound too exciting.
So, we all decided not to stay another night. As we were packing up, my dad backed the van closer to the campsite to help with our packing. Except when he stepped out of the van, he slipped and fell in the mud. Now he was covered with mud and bleeding. He hurt his back and cut his knee. In spite of his injuries, my dad hobbled around the campsite getting everything packed up. Once everything was loaded, we headed home.
Next time we are going to stay in a cabin! Going on trips are always fun, but there is no place like home. That night I happily slept well in my own bed. And the next day I had a perfect nineteenth birthday with lots of delicious cake.
Then the following day after my birthday I attended my first day at college…but that’s for next week. Until then, this is Life with Kyle.
Life with Kyle