One Trip Makes A Lasting Impression

When I was in 6th grade, my family and I drove down to Daytona Beach, Florida for Spring Break. This was, at the time, the farthest I had ever been from the Upper Peninsula, and it didn't hit me that I was going to be seeing a lot of things for the first time. Two things that stood out were the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.

I remember sitting in our van just looking out the window watching everything pass us by. Then I hear my dad from the front of the van say, "Hey Al, look at what we're about to drive through." I look out the front and see that we were heading straight for a tunnel that goes through the Appalachian Mountains. I had never seen a mountain before, so I just sat there with my jaw hitting the floor of the van. Looking at pictures of them pale in comparison to seeing them in real life. The massive size of them made me feel slightly insignificant, but mostly awestruck. Being from the UP, I'm used to forests and lakes. Mountains were like a second language to me. It was a lot to take in. They were very majestic, and at the time it was the coolest thing I've ever seen. That was, of course, until I saw the Atlantic Ocean a day or two later.

Our hotel was right along the beach, so naturally after we got settled in our room we changed and headed out to the water. Usually when I see a body of water up here, I can see some land off in the distance. That wasn't the case here. It was just water as far as the eye could see, and then even more after that. I could smell the salt from this giant blue mass. I could feel the spray of the cool water as I heard and saw the waves crash against the shore. It was hard to believe that there were continents on the other side of this ocean. It seemed endless. It made me realize that the distance I had traveled to get there was nothing compared to how large the ocean was. Not only was it a beautiful site, but it really broadened my perspective of the world and it made me want to explore the rest of this planet.