Long Weekend
For Memorial Day this year I went to CA to meet up with my girlfriend who was training in San Francisco and we stayed with my sister who lives nearby. Both of her roommates had moved out within the last week, so we were lucky enough to each have our own bed.
Saturday my sister rounded up five of her friends and we drove to Sacramento to hit up rafting on the American River. Without a doubt it was the highlight of the trip. It wasn’t much of a river as far as rapids, but there is just something about being on the water that can’t be beat. About half way through the trip we stopped on the side of the river for lunch. A rope hung from a tree on the opposite bank next to a steep hill, setup so you could swing from up on the hill to down over the water. Naturally, I was enthralled. I had to do it. Since it was still fairly early in the season, the current was moving at a pretty solid rate, more so than it would have been practical to paddle the raft over. I walked up stream a bit and then started swimming straight across, reaching the other side just as the current brought me to the rope. The effort was well worth it! The rope launched me a good 15 feet in the air above the water, arms and legs flailing, before I crashed into the water below. I can’t remember the last time I had the chance to do something like that, which is pretty sad considering all the water around here.
We also went to a party at one of my sister’s friend’s homes who lived up in the mountains. Talk about a wild daily commute! They have to drive 2.5 miles on a one lane road without guard rails to get to there home every day. In places the road was ¼ missing from a mudslide, and in many other places blind corners, steep inclines, and no street lights did not allow for easily spotting any oncoming traffic. It was about a 15 minute drive to go those 2.5 miles.
We grilled out at their place, and played a little Frisbee. My most embarrassing moment of the trip happened at this point. Since the house is on the side of a mountain, it wasn’t surprising that at the immediate edge of their yard was a very steep decline which went down about 100 feet to the road. Their yard was essentially a flat area carved out of the side of the mountain. One of the throws to me was a bit high, and in an effort to catch the Frisbee I ran to the edge and jumped. I just barely touched the disc, and in the same motion and in true David form I made one last extension of my arm out for the disc as I was landing, tripped as I hit the ground unbalanced from the extension, and fell head first off the lawn. After two summersaults, I was able to stop rolling, work the crick out of my neck, and climb back up to the top where everyone who witnessed my act of coordination cheered/jeered me on.
All in all it was a great weekend. I love long weekends!
Saturday my sister rounded up five of her friends and we drove to Sacramento to hit up rafting on the American River. Without a doubt it was the highlight of the trip. It wasn’t much of a river as far as rapids, but there is just something about being on the water that can’t be beat. About half way through the trip we stopped on the side of the river for lunch. A rope hung from a tree on the opposite bank next to a steep hill, setup so you could swing from up on the hill to down over the water. Naturally, I was enthralled. I had to do it. Since it was still fairly early in the season, the current was moving at a pretty solid rate, more so than it would have been practical to paddle the raft over. I walked up stream a bit and then started swimming straight across, reaching the other side just as the current brought me to the rope. The effort was well worth it! The rope launched me a good 15 feet in the air above the water, arms and legs flailing, before I crashed into the water below. I can’t remember the last time I had the chance to do something like that, which is pretty sad considering all the water around here.
We also went to a party at one of my sister’s friend’s homes who lived up in the mountains. Talk about a wild daily commute! They have to drive 2.5 miles on a one lane road without guard rails to get to there home every day. In places the road was ¼ missing from a mudslide, and in many other places blind corners, steep inclines, and no street lights did not allow for easily spotting any oncoming traffic. It was about a 15 minute drive to go those 2.5 miles.
We grilled out at their place, and played a little Frisbee. My most embarrassing moment of the trip happened at this point. Since the house is on the side of a mountain, it wasn’t surprising that at the immediate edge of their yard was a very steep decline which went down about 100 feet to the road. Their yard was essentially a flat area carved out of the side of the mountain. One of the throws to me was a bit high, and in an effort to catch the Frisbee I ran to the edge and jumped. I just barely touched the disc, and in the same motion and in true David form I made one last extension of my arm out for the disc as I was landing, tripped as I hit the ground unbalanced from the extension, and fell head first off the lawn. After two summersaults, I was able to stop rolling, work the crick out of my neck, and climb back up to the top where everyone who witnessed my act of coordination cheered/jeered me on.
All in all it was a great weekend. I love long weekends!
posted by david at Sunday, June 04, 2006
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