Hoopa Trip

 

          It was three o’ clock on a Monday morning and all I could think was “I cannot wait to get there!” Our mission team was ready to head to the airport and take off to our destination. We all piled into the van and headed down the Oklahoma roads. The van was filled with excitement as we looked out of our windows to say goodbye to our flat plain homeland. We eventually made it to the airport and were anxious to see the transition of scenery as we traveled.

            As we boarded the plane, we said one last prayer and flew into the skies above. When we started to ascend into the clouds, everyone was staring out their windows watching the big cumulonimbus clouds. A major landmark that was spotted was the Grand Canyon in Arizona. All of the passengers inched closer just to get a glimpse of the outstanding view. The unfamiliar rugged and mountainous terrain was absolutely incredible! As the plane flew closer and closer to our destination, the bigger the mountains were. After our three-hour flight, we finally arrived in the beautiful city of Sacramento, California.

            Unfortunately, we still had another five-hour drive to get to a little town called Hoopa. The only positive about a five-hour drive was that we were going to drive through on crooked roads through the mountains. We then headed off, in our van, into unfamiliar territory. As we were driving along, I started to compare the scenery of Oklahoma and California. One state is full of hills and plains and the other one is full of mountains and breath taking terrain. The whole team was looking outside their windows in awe of God’s beauty. 

            Although the whole trip was eight hours long, we finally made it to Hoopa, California. Hoopa is down in the most gorgeous valley I have ever seen. The mountains surround this small town and the local river is as clear as crystal. The pebbles and rocks are seen in the water and the scene is surprisingly calm. The trees and the plants reminded us of home and how we sometimes take Mother Nature for granted. Later in the week we were taken to the top of a mountain and got to see the Hoopa Valley. That very next day we had the opportunity of going to explore the redwood trees and see the Pacific Ocean.

           

First we went to the ocean and walked along the seashore. The ocean just blows my mind as to how big and soothing it is. We then drove nearly two hours just to see one of the largest trees in the world. When we got there, everyone jumped out of the van and immediately started taking pictures and walking up pathways. The trees were so awesome that we were all just speechless and had not seen anything like it. The whole day we were sightseeing and the amazing scenes were inspiring to everyone. California made me realize how unbelievably awesome creation is and that we do not have to travel far and wide to see breath-taking surroundings.