Within 28 hours and traveling over 850 miles, I made some of my favorite memories of senior year. This year, the senior class fundraised $18,000 to go to Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah. The money fundraised bought us things such as the theme park tickets, lunch vouchers, gasoline, dinner, and even left everyone with $20 of their own to spend.
Now I will admit, I was a little skeptical of the day. The idea of the seven hour bus drive there alone was enough to make me question how enjoyable this day was going to be. However, being that it is my senior year and this trip was special for my class, there was no way I was going to miss it. After toughing out the bus ride, my patience was tested, making me yet again question the day. The first two and a half hours within the park were spent waiting in lines. It would not have been as bad if the first roller coaster we waited for had not broken down. It did make me laugh though to learn that three other Park High seniors were stuck on the ride. Everyone was fine, there was just a small mechanical issue.
While waiting in line for the second roller coaster of the day, I was reminded by someone in my group that today was going to be what we make of it. This change of mindset really turned the day around for me.
To pass time in the lines, my group started playing the mobile game Heads Up on one of our phones. This made the time go by fast and we all had some pretty good laughs from this game. At a certain point in all the roller coaster lines we would have to put any loose items in lockers. While this stopped us from being able to play Heads Up, it forced us to get off our phones and connect on another level. I honestly really enjoyed being away from technology for these little bits of time. It helped me make more impactful memories with my friends.
Even though the morning was rough, the day really turned around. I ended up being able to go on a lot of the rides at the amusement park. I even eventually got to go on the ride that we first waited in line for. There was a lot of screaming and laughing throughout the whole day.
Although I loved the roller coasters, I would have to say my favorite ride was “Rattlesnake Rapids.” This was a water-based ride that we would float down in a giant raft. It should be known that this ride soaks everything after going on it. With it being warm out, this was a nice way to cool off. However, what made this my favorite ride is because of the people I got to go on it with. All of our reactions were priceless and the memory of it all just brings a smile to my face. Even though no one wanted to get soaked, I am so grateful that all those people still went on the ride with me. In my opinion, the wet socks I had after the ride was worth it because of the memory I made.
While I spent the entire time at the amusement park, I heard a lot of good things about the water park side. I honestly have only heard good things from everyone that went on the trip. I think that there was something for everyone, and I like to think that a lot of people made lasting memories like I did.
To end the trip, we went to In-N-Out Burger for dinner. While this was a bit chaotic, the food was good and it was fun to go somewhere that is not available in Montana. After dinner, we started our seven hour journey home.
While I was skeptical of the senior trip at first, I look back now and cherish the whole day. I am so grateful for all the parents and staff who made this trip possible. I hope that future senior classes also fundraise to go on this trip because it was worth it.