Day 8: Santa Monica
Thanks for your patience with the blog as we've been catching up post-Grand Canyon due to the lack of wifi and inclement weather. More photos will be uploaded tomorrow!
Hey y’all it’s Landrie Hess, McKinley Beaty, Blaise Shiver,
Alec Stinnett, Laura Hedrick, Eli Patterson, Josh Millspaw, Abby Marshall,
Morgan Bailey, Ethan Brewer, Kenny Fleming, Larissa Horne and Ava Scardingo;
and we are the Sleepys!
Last night we slept in our groups, as we drove through Death
Valley to avoid death (aka high temperatures). After the 6 hour drive, we woke
up to the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica, California! Everyone was excited
to say they had had the chance to pee in the Pacific Ocean, but we quickly
realized that it was nothing like the Atlantic due to the large waves and
Arctic water. However, even with the cold water, there was still a heat wave
that had followed us here. We were all constantly worried about reapplying
sunscreen in order to make sure we have the best possible week ahead in
California.
We started the morning with a breakfast burrito that we ate
in the public parking lot of the Santa Monica Pier. After breakfast, we had our attention drawn
to some interesting characters that appeared to be playing the guitar. When our
group had gathered around them, we requested for the locals to play some
Carolina classics: “Wagon Wheel” and “Dixieland Delight.” Groups then dispersed
to enjoy the beach, explore the pier, or walk around town. Soon came time for
lunch, and while there were people who decided to eat back at bus, many groups
decided to enjoy a much more local cuisine. Some lunch places included Bubba
Gump’s, Swingers Diner and Beach Burger.
While everyone enjoyed the beach, the waves were quite rough
for some of our participants. Madalynn Powell lost her swimsuit bottoms to the
ocean and had to wear Cade McConnell’s swim trunks. Mallory Morton and Caroline
Hill lost their glasses in the waves. We then road some of the Pacific Park
rides, which were $10 a pop. The shops around were quite pricey, but we continued
to buy our souvenirs like we had in every other city.
When at the beach, we ran into ABC Channel 7 News. Campers
Justin Crawford, Cassidy Rodriguez, Cameron Sheffield, Macie Curlee, Landrie
Hess and Morgan Hurt were interviewed in a story about Santa Monica Beach
safety. It will be aired Wednesday at 11pm PST on the ABC Channel 7 News
website. Look for us on TV!!!
Following our day at the beach, we began our drive to
Anaheim, California. What was supposed a 30 minute drive quickly turned into 2
hours due to LA traffic. We later safely arrived at the only campground in
Anaheim, which is about 10 blocks from Disneyland. We are now winding down for the night while
waiting for the cooks to return from their Walmart trip to get dinner (hot dogs, mac n cheese and watermelon) and the fireworks to
begin, at approximately 9:30. Tomorrow we will make our way to the happiest
place on earth: Disneyland!!
Some of our boys decided to dress up and have their makeup done
Thanks for your patience with the blog as we've been catching up post-Grand Canyon due to the lack of wifi and inclement weather. More photos will be uploaded tomorrow!