Nature

A Flowing Experience 

Nothing compares going to Azusa and experiencing nature right there, first hand. My family and I went to a river in Azusa where we experienced tall, glorious mountains and beautiful, gorgeous flowers. Our trip began from home into the freeway traveling about 45 minutes and then entering the scary, gravel, road through the mountains into our destination. It was scary as our car was moving a couple feet from falling to our deaths so my uncle had to drive very carefully. I covered my face with my shirt throughout that completely traumatizing situation due my fear of heights but I wasn’t going to miss how beautiful the mountains were.

Once we found our spot on where to park, we needed a plan on how to descend because we had to find our way down a slope to the river below. Therefore, we crawled down very carefully or else we would have fallen below and broken a bone or something. Once down I looked around and was amazed with the scenery, the tall trees, the branches laying on the ground, the big and small rocks, and of course the beautiful, flowing river ahead of us. We each grabbed a rock to scare off any bears or big cats that may be near and a stick just in case one attacked. We carefully walked over the rocks and branches and made our way to the river.

The river was clear; you could see the many fish swimming and our feet as we entered the warm water. Not far from us was a heron, very glamorous and gliding gently. We got closer trying to take a picture but we scared it off and it flew away. Next, we looked around to find a spot deep for us to swim. We searched a couple minutes and we quickly found our perfect spot. It looked like a mini lake but even better. At first, it was cold, but then we submerged ourselves very quickly and it wasn’t that bad, after a while it was warm. I realized how beautiful nature could be and that it’s not so bad being in the wilderness but fun.

My cousins and I started playing games and racing from end to the other, it felt like we were in a pool. I really thought to myself, that nature and everything else with it made me feel at home better than my house in the city. It made me miss those days when I was small digging for worms, collecting rocks, and eating those sour flowers in my backyard that were good in reality. That’s when it clicked; I loved being surrounded by the smell of nature. A flashback for my passion of animals also came back as I saw fish and frogs. When I was small, I loved animals and I remember capturing the weirdest insects that any child would just say “eek!” but for me it was a hobby.

That trip really shaped me into a more eco-friendly person, appreciating how beautiful Earth is full of majestic animals and it’s variety of plants, flowers, and trees. I opened up my eyes to how a river can produce such beauty in such an isolated place when in my opinion it should have been packed with people taking pictures or just enjoying the view. That trip, believe me, allowed me to enjoy life just as it is without any materialistic things but nature itself.