Keys Trip
So I just got back from the Keys... now let me just say that I had A LOT of fun...but there were some inconveniences. We left the school at 6:00 pm on Thursday. It was REALLY uncomfortable on that bus...but we managed. We all slept, played cards, watched movies, yada yada yada. All was good until we came to a rest area in West Palm Beach. We got there at around 4:30 in the morning (it was still dark outside). There was a Burger King, Starbucks, and gift shop so we were pretty well occupied...it even had arcade games! lol. Well we started sitting there for a while and all got suspicious...only to find out that the bus had broken down! So we sat there are watched the sun slowly rise until about 8:30 and finally got back on the road at about 9:00. We had two bus drivers...a man and a woman (I think they were dating), so when one would drive the other got to sleep and they'd trade. Well the guy was old and never paid attention to the road... it was horrible. We almost ran into a car becuz of him...the bus slid and stuff...it was scary lol. Anywayz...we got to our destination at about 2:00 pm on Friday. It was cool. We had to get on a trolley thing and ride across the bridge to get to our little island called "Pigeon Key". It was nice there becuz it felt like we were on our own little private island that we had all to ourselves...it was cool. Free time I think was the best...cuz we got to do whatever... hehe. We were told where the girls were staying and where the boys were staying...there were only 11 guys plus Mr. Wendel and 26 girls plus Ms. Loss and Ms. Mauro so the girls got the bigger house/dorm area thing. Calli and I stayed in a room that when you opened the door it was right across from the bathroom; very convenient. We also had to share a room with Ms. Loss and Ms. Mauro...but it wasn't that bad. We got on our bathing suits and went out to the dock where they gave us snorkling gear and all that good stuff. The counselors introduced themselves. There was Gretchen (kind of boss), Chris (man was he a stud muffin...), Heather (kind of a newbie), and Mary Ann (a newbie). Then we had to take a swim test...dumb...lol. We got in the water with our face down and our hands at our sides and swam to one counselor then turned around and went to the next one, where we had to dive under water and clear our snorkel when we came back out. After that We snorkeled around the island. It's a TINY TINY TINY island... lol. But while we were out there we saw tarpon (well Calli did and she started freaking out and made me freak out cuz I didn't see them...she was like "I've NEVER seen a fish THAT big right NEXT to me!" lol. They were HUGE...lol), one of the counselor dudes showed us a sea cucumber...it was big, he picked it up out of the water, and some little fish...lots of coral and sea grass...not very exciting lol. We got out of the water and then had free time for about an hour. Then we had had dinner. It was REALLY good...We had tacos and stuff lol. Then we had a class on the reef fish that we might see around here. After that we had free time for about an hour and a half and then lights out at 10:00. The next day, breakfast was at 7:00 and the boats were going to be at the dock at 8:30 to go to Sombrero Reef. It was about a 45 minute boat ride out there and we had to take two boats. It was nice...I fell asleep a couple of times lol. The reef was out in the middle of the ocean...somewhere lol. We got in (Sarah Staley was my buddy) and wow... if I could explain to you how AWESOME it was I would...but no words could really explain. Here are pictures of some of the fish i saw...not all of them...but these are the ones i could remember...
There were Rainbow Parrotfish
(there was this one really big one that Sarah tried to touch lol)
a big Midnight Parrotfish
(it was huge...but really pretty)
Scrawled Filefish
(that thing was cool)
tons of yellowtail snappers
(when i say tons...i mean it)
Sergeant Majors
(they were cool cuz they didn't swim away when you swam through them)
Barracudas
(scariest damn fish in the world)
Stoplight Parrotfish
(The males (on the right) were so pretty)
a HUGE southern ray
(it was buried in the sand and our counselor Chris lifted it's fins up and made it swim away and was chasing it...soooo cool lol)
a French Angelfish
(pretty...)
four-eyed butterfly fish
(they were sooo cute!)
Like I said...these aren't all of the fish I saw...After the snorkel trip to the reef we rode back and by this time I was getting really sea sick...lol. I had my head on my knees the whole way back. We all fell asleep though cuz it was soothing...lol. JJ was leaning on me cuz he was out and then I had my head on his shoulder lol...not that that matters or anything... We had lunch and everything...very good, we had hamburgers and macaroni and cheese! hehe. Then we had an optional snorkeling trip around the island. Well I didn't feel like going so I stayed on the dock and watched everyone. Well the current was really strong and they got pulled out kinda far. One of the head scientist/counselor dudes told everyone to keep going with the current around the other side of the island...so they go... The water starts getting too shallow. So I'm laying on the dock and I see people standing up which is a big no-no. So the counselors (Chris and Gretchen) who haven't swam out yet are yelling at them to sit down...some of them do, some are stupid and don't listen. So they tell them to swim back. Mr. Wendel yells back "They can't! The current is too strong! They will not make it!!" So then they had to trample a bunch of sea grass to get to shore where Heather (a counselor) was standing. It was horrible lol. I'm glad I didn't go out :P After that some people went back out in the water and others were just fed up so we had dinner and some free time after that where we took showers and everything. We had to share 3 showers with 37 other kids...plus 3 counselors...yea it sucked. But after that, once it got dark we went out in the water with our water shoes on and walked around looking for little sea creatures. We saw a bunch of chiton, sea urchins, snails, a blunty (it's a fish), and this one snail/slug thing in theis one shell that I can't remember the name of lol. That was fun. Then we had some free time and went to bed. The next day we got up at about 5:30. Breakfast was at 6:30 and we had to leave Pigeon Key at about 7:45 to go to Key West where we would be leaving for a 2 hour boat ride to the Dry Tortugas. They fed us breakfast on the boat (they called it the Fastcat) which was good. And then we played cards cuz the seats had tables in between them... it was a nice boat. I again started feeling sick cuz the waves were WAY bigger than they were the other day so I layed my head on the table... When we finally got there we got in the freezing cold water with the snorkel gear that the boat provided for us and swam around... We didn't see much and were very unimpressed. The Dry Tortugas are supposedly one of the best places to go snorkeling in the world...but there was really nothing to see. So Calli and I got out becuz there was a man-of-war in the water...it was small but still...scary. By that time the boat crew had lunch made out for us...that was goooood stuff there. We walked around St. Jefferson fort for a little bit. It was awesome! hehe. Then we tried to go back out and snorkel and little bit more but we were all just snorkeled out by that time and thought it was pointless cuz we weren't seeing anything. So we went back into the fort and climbed up to the VERY top where we could see like the whole island. That was cool. After awhile it was time to go back so we boarded the boat for a nother 2 hour ride back to Key West. When we got there, they let us loose and our little group went straight for Hard Rock Cafe. I bought my dad and myself a shirt...very cool. Then we just walked around the shops, got ice cream and then headed back for Pigeon Key at around 9:00. Got there at about 10:00 and when we tried to get off, we couldn't becuz Gretchen, Chris and Mary Ann (who were supposed to give us rides back over the bridge to the island) weren't there. Their van supposedly broke down in Key West while they had been riding around cuz they were lost. So we were screwed. Ms. Loss and Mr. Wendel decided to go walk across the bridge and get someone to get us. While their walking across the bridge Ms. Mauro is fighting with the bus drivers about their hotel payment. Ms. Mauro, when we first got there paid for a hotel that was $50 a night. But they didn't like it there so they moved to a Holiday Inn on the beach that was $150 a night and expected US to pay for it. The guy bus driver threatened that he wasn't going to take us home if we didn't pay. So Ms. Mauro was like "We ARE NOT discussing this in front of my students, we'll take it outside." So for about an hour Ms. Mauro and the bus drivers are fighting. Meanwhile, on their way out to the island Ms. Loss and Mr. Wendel hear some guy screaming at them. It was some weird hobo dude saying things to Mr. Wendel about how he saw him peeing on the side of the road and stuff and saying bad things to him. Mr. Wendel was about to take off his glasses cuz he was sure they were going to fight. But by that time Ms. Loss had called the police and they came and picked the guy up. The police man told Mr. Wendel and Ms. Loss that the guy was saying that voices in his head were telling him to hurt people. SCARY! So finally the trolley came and picked half of us up...and then the other half. It was 12:30 by the time we got back to camp. We all took showers and then went to bed cuz we had to get up at like 6:00 the next morning. breakfast was at 6:30. Then we had a class until about 9:00 and we had to leave at 10:00. We took a quick group picture on the dock and then got our stuff out to the vans and trolley. We sat there for about half an hour just waiting to leave the damn island...so stupid. Then we get on the bus...and it's blowing out hot air...we were already sweating and that didn't help. We couldn't open our windows cuz they were emergency exits. We stopped at a winn-dixie to get snacks and stuff and when we walked back to the bus, they told us that the air conditioning was broken...HOW LUCKY FOR US!...So they opened the emergency hatches on the top of the bus for some air. The majority of the people had pants on so it was hot. We finally stopped to get food and they let us get clothes out of our bags... so we're riding along after that...watchin some Billy Madison. We're in Miami by now and Sarah grabs my arm and points out the window. A silver car nexts to us starts swerving and hits the blue car on the right of them and they both come crashing into our right side. The bus swerves but our bus driver takes it slowly to the emergency lane that was thankfully on our left side. We then sat there for about 2 hours...waiting on police reports and stuff like that. We were on the news! That was a REALLY scary experience. The bus was cursed... I just know it. Well the bus was driveable so we headed out again. It was getting cooler outside so we weren't all sweating as much. We all just wanted to get home but Ms. Mauro made us stop like 3 more times... But we got home eventually at 4:00...2 hours after we were suspected to. It was an adventurous ride home (one in which I didn't sleep at all) but we had a good time over all. So...that's my story and I'm sure I missed a few things here and there...but you got the basics. Hope you enjoyed reading my entry...I honestly think it was the longest I've ever written... I'm outtie! <3
There were Rainbow Parrotfish
(there was this one really big one that Sarah tried to touch lol)
a big Midnight Parrotfish
(it was huge...but really pretty)
Scrawled Filefish
(that thing was cool)
tons of yellowtail snappers
(when i say tons...i mean it)
Sergeant Majors
(they were cool cuz they didn't swim away when you swam through them)
Barracudas
(scariest damn fish in the world)
Stoplight Parrotfish
(The males (on the right) were so pretty)
a HUGE southern ray
(it was buried in the sand and our counselor Chris lifted it's fins up and made it swim away and was chasing it...soooo cool lol)
a French Angelfish
(pretty...)
four-eyed butterfly fish
(they were sooo cute!)
Like I said...these aren't all of the fish I saw...After the snorkel trip to the reef we rode back and by this time I was getting really sea sick...lol. I had my head on my knees the whole way back. We all fell asleep though cuz it was soothing...lol. JJ was leaning on me cuz he was out and then I had my head on his shoulder lol...not that that matters or anything... We had lunch and everything...very good, we had hamburgers and macaroni and cheese! hehe. Then we had an optional snorkeling trip around the island. Well I didn't feel like going so I stayed on the dock and watched everyone. Well the current was really strong and they got pulled out kinda far. One of the head scientist/counselor dudes told everyone to keep going with the current around the other side of the island...so they go... The water starts getting too shallow. So I'm laying on the dock and I see people standing up which is a big no-no. So the counselors (Chris and Gretchen) who haven't swam out yet are yelling at them to sit down...some of them do, some are stupid and don't listen. So they tell them to swim back. Mr. Wendel yells back "They can't! The current is too strong! They will not make it!!" So then they had to trample a bunch of sea grass to get to shore where Heather (a counselor) was standing. It was horrible lol. I'm glad I didn't go out :P After that some people went back out in the water and others were just fed up so we had dinner and some free time after that where we took showers and everything. We had to share 3 showers with 37 other kids...plus 3 counselors...yea it sucked. But after that, once it got dark we went out in the water with our water shoes on and walked around looking for little sea creatures. We saw a bunch of chiton, sea urchins, snails, a blunty (it's a fish), and this one snail/slug thing in theis one shell that I can't remember the name of lol. That was fun. Then we had some free time and went to bed. The next day we got up at about 5:30. Breakfast was at 6:30 and we had to leave Pigeon Key at about 7:45 to go to Key West where we would be leaving for a 2 hour boat ride to the Dry Tortugas. They fed us breakfast on the boat (they called it the Fastcat) which was good. And then we played cards cuz the seats had tables in between them... it was a nice boat. I again started feeling sick cuz the waves were WAY bigger than they were the other day so I layed my head on the table... When we finally got there we got in the freezing cold water with the snorkel gear that the boat provided for us and swam around... We didn't see much and were very unimpressed. The Dry Tortugas are supposedly one of the best places to go snorkeling in the world...but there was really nothing to see. So Calli and I got out becuz there was a man-of-war in the water...it was small but still...scary. By that time the boat crew had lunch made out for us...that was goooood stuff there. We walked around St. Jefferson fort for a little bit. It was awesome! hehe. Then we tried to go back out and snorkel and little bit more but we were all just snorkeled out by that time and thought it was pointless cuz we weren't seeing anything. So we went back into the fort and climbed up to the VERY top where we could see like the whole island. That was cool. After awhile it was time to go back so we boarded the boat for a nother 2 hour ride back to Key West. When we got there, they let us loose and our little group went straight for Hard Rock Cafe. I bought my dad and myself a shirt...very cool. Then we just walked around the shops, got ice cream and then headed back for Pigeon Key at around 9:00. Got there at about 10:00 and when we tried to get off, we couldn't becuz Gretchen, Chris and Mary Ann (who were supposed to give us rides back over the bridge to the island) weren't there. Their van supposedly broke down in Key West while they had been riding around cuz they were lost. So we were screwed. Ms. Loss and Mr. Wendel decided to go walk across the bridge and get someone to get us. While their walking across the bridge Ms. Mauro is fighting with the bus drivers about their hotel payment. Ms. Mauro, when we first got there paid for a hotel that was $50 a night. But they didn't like it there so they moved to a Holiday Inn on the beach that was $150 a night and expected US to pay for it. The guy bus driver threatened that he wasn't going to take us home if we didn't pay. So Ms. Mauro was like "We ARE NOT discussing this in front of my students, we'll take it outside." So for about an hour Ms. Mauro and the bus drivers are fighting. Meanwhile, on their way out to the island Ms. Loss and Mr. Wendel hear some guy screaming at them. It was some weird hobo dude saying things to Mr. Wendel about how he saw him peeing on the side of the road and stuff and saying bad things to him. Mr. Wendel was about to take off his glasses cuz he was sure they were going to fight. But by that time Ms. Loss had called the police and they came and picked the guy up. The police man told Mr. Wendel and Ms. Loss that the guy was saying that voices in his head were telling him to hurt people. SCARY! So finally the trolley came and picked half of us up...and then the other half. It was 12:30 by the time we got back to camp. We all took showers and then went to bed cuz we had to get up at like 6:00 the next morning. breakfast was at 6:30. Then we had a class until about 9:00 and we had to leave at 10:00. We took a quick group picture on the dock and then got our stuff out to the vans and trolley. We sat there for about half an hour just waiting to leave the damn island...so stupid. Then we get on the bus...and it's blowing out hot air...we were already sweating and that didn't help. We couldn't open our windows cuz they were emergency exits. We stopped at a winn-dixie to get snacks and stuff and when we walked back to the bus, they told us that the air conditioning was broken...HOW LUCKY FOR US!...So they opened the emergency hatches on the top of the bus for some air. The majority of the people had pants on so it was hot. We finally stopped to get food and they let us get clothes out of our bags... so we're riding along after that...watchin some Billy Madison. We're in Miami by now and Sarah grabs my arm and points out the window. A silver car nexts to us starts swerving and hits the blue car on the right of them and they both come crashing into our right side. The bus swerves but our bus driver takes it slowly to the emergency lane that was thankfully on our left side. We then sat there for about 2 hours...waiting on police reports and stuff like that. We were on the news! That was a REALLY scary experience. The bus was cursed... I just know it. Well the bus was driveable so we headed out again. It was getting cooler outside so we weren't all sweating as much. We all just wanted to get home but Ms. Mauro made us stop like 3 more times... But we got home eventually at 4:00...2 hours after we were suspected to. It was an adventurous ride home (one in which I didn't sleep at all) but we had a good time over all. So...that's my story and I'm sure I missed a few things here and there...but you got the basics. Hope you enjoyed reading my entry...I honestly think it was the longest I've ever written... I'm outtie! <3