jet ski.
As I mentioned earlier, I was able to ride Leigh-Ann's jet ski in South Carolina.
My family have always been avid water people. (I know, I make us sound like sea creatures). Anyway, my mom love love loves the ocean and my dad does as well, and the sports that accompany it. My dad used to surf out at Montauk, and my mom and dad both used to windsurf avidly (which is really really hard, and I'd love to show my friends, and laugh, but that's for another day). My mom loves sailboats and wants to own one eventually. I love being out on the water and in it, having fervently denied it for a long, long time.
Jet skiing though, we have never done. I've been on speed boats, and sailboats, and surf boards, boogie boards, windsurfing, water skiing, tubing, blahblahblah.
We weren't sure if we were going to be able to go out on the jet ski, as their van was in the shop, and you know those Southern people down there. They're in no rush, and we're in a rush to get nowhere quickly.
However, on Father's Day, our last day, their neighbors/friends brought the jet ski down. It's a three person Yamaha jet ski, and pretty darn sturdy. People had cleared out of the lake because of the thunder storm that had rolled in an hour or two earlier and we were set.
Leigh-Ann first went out with her dad, and then he wanted to swim, so Kim and I went out individually with her dad's friend, Chuck.
First, he took us out, telling us to hold on. When he took off, the rush of speed was exhilarating. Not too far out, he stopped and asked if I wanted to drive. Hell yea. I'd been looking forward to this and hadn't been excited for anything like this in a while.
We switched spots and I asked what to do, though I was pretty sure of it. I'm always making sure it's right before I do things. Wrist strap on. Start button pressed. Throttle, pull!
I wasn't used to the sudden jerk and only took off at about 20 mph, as I was kind of afraid of going too fast. Keeping the jet ski straight was kind of iffy, but Chuck encouraged me to pull back more so the jet ski could plane out, and we were going.
He had me do a turn and hit about 50, as it's easier to turn on a jet ski if you're going faster. Reverse logic, right? I thought so. And, indeed it was! But coming out of the turn, I got nervous and released it a bit. He had me drive out to where the island on the lake is and the Blue Ridge Mountains. So, I took off and found myself smiling and laughing aloud.
It was amazing, just the rush of speed and being out on the water with these spectacular views. Every thought was gone from my head, I was only focused on this though I had to keep myself from laughing too much and looking like a crazy person!
I was so awestruck by the lake and nature around it, I kind of started turning on my own, woops. As we headed back, Chuck yelled, "Punch it!" Okay! More self-assured and confident, I pulled the throttle and hit 70. Making wavess and soooooo much fun!
It was a fantastic new experience and I'd love to go again, ASAP!
In a way, the feeling of speed and nothing, no thoughts, reminded me of racing out at Stony Brook. The last night, Rob and Glenn's last night there, Glenn 'raced' me to 711. We took off. My acceleration is shit, but it's fun to do anyway. I had raced previously with my sisters' on late nights back from mixers in the pitch black of Nicolls Road. My mazda actually overtook people once or twice. Racing without really racing, just picking up the speed in the dark. An open road, a competition, fun times to smile and laugh. Glenn let me pass him, but nonetheless I loved it. Just speeding into nothing, racing into nothing.
The dark, the open road, with an open mind. Nothing slowing me down or weighing me down, literally and figuratively.
Weightless.
My family have always been avid water people. (I know, I make us sound like sea creatures). Anyway, my mom love love loves the ocean and my dad does as well, and the sports that accompany it. My dad used to surf out at Montauk, and my mom and dad both used to windsurf avidly (which is really really hard, and I'd love to show my friends, and laugh, but that's for another day). My mom loves sailboats and wants to own one eventually. I love being out on the water and in it, having fervently denied it for a long, long time.
Jet skiing though, we have never done. I've been on speed boats, and sailboats, and surf boards, boogie boards, windsurfing, water skiing, tubing, blahblahblah.
We weren't sure if we were going to be able to go out on the jet ski, as their van was in the shop, and you know those Southern people down there. They're in no rush, and we're in a rush to get nowhere quickly.
However, on Father's Day, our last day, their neighbors/friends brought the jet ski down. It's a three person Yamaha jet ski, and pretty darn sturdy. People had cleared out of the lake because of the thunder storm that had rolled in an hour or two earlier and we were set.
Leigh-Ann first went out with her dad, and then he wanted to swim, so Kim and I went out individually with her dad's friend, Chuck.
First, he took us out, telling us to hold on. When he took off, the rush of speed was exhilarating. Not too far out, he stopped and asked if I wanted to drive. Hell yea. I'd been looking forward to this and hadn't been excited for anything like this in a while.
We switched spots and I asked what to do, though I was pretty sure of it. I'm always making sure it's right before I do things. Wrist strap on. Start button pressed. Throttle, pull!
I wasn't used to the sudden jerk and only took off at about 20 mph, as I was kind of afraid of going too fast. Keeping the jet ski straight was kind of iffy, but Chuck encouraged me to pull back more so the jet ski could plane out, and we were going.
He had me do a turn and hit about 50, as it's easier to turn on a jet ski if you're going faster. Reverse logic, right? I thought so. And, indeed it was! But coming out of the turn, I got nervous and released it a bit. He had me drive out to where the island on the lake is and the Blue Ridge Mountains. So, I took off and found myself smiling and laughing aloud.
It was amazing, just the rush of speed and being out on the water with these spectacular views. Every thought was gone from my head, I was only focused on this though I had to keep myself from laughing too much and looking like a crazy person!
I was so awestruck by the lake and nature around it, I kind of started turning on my own, woops. As we headed back, Chuck yelled, "Punch it!" Okay! More self-assured and confident, I pulled the throttle and hit 70. Making wavess and soooooo much fun!
It was a fantastic new experience and I'd love to go again, ASAP!
In a way, the feeling of speed and nothing, no thoughts, reminded me of racing out at Stony Brook. The last night, Rob and Glenn's last night there, Glenn 'raced' me to 711. We took off. My acceleration is shit, but it's fun to do anyway. I had raced previously with my sisters' on late nights back from mixers in the pitch black of Nicolls Road. My mazda actually overtook people once or twice. Racing without really racing, just picking up the speed in the dark. An open road, a competition, fun times to smile and laugh. Glenn let me pass him, but nonetheless I loved it. Just speeding into nothing, racing into nothing.
The dark, the open road, with an open mind. Nothing slowing me down or weighing me down, literally and figuratively.
Weightless.