Rahhal 1 Ray Rahhal Mr. Neuburger Eng.

Comp 101-132 29 September 2011 Descriptive Essay Alskan Expierience The stars hung high like tiny marbles thrown up in the sky. I gazed up in consideration as I searched for constellations. Finding them seemed like a daunting task, I was never very good at finding imaginary lines. Theres one! my sister exclaimed excitedly. I rolled my eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that night. Im off to bed, I have to get some sleep for tomorrow, I said. You sure you dont want to enjoy the fresh air? My dad asked. I dismissed his question and resigned to my quarters. He only brought us up on deck so he could smoke, I mumbled to myself. I slept soundly that night even amongst the tumultuous tussle of the waves beneath me. Next morning I exited my cabin and made my way towards the open-window buffet. My stomach rumbled like an old beater on an empty tank of gas. I reached my destination and gazed lazily towards the ocean. To my surprise, I watched the work of an artist unravel before me. Wielding and invisible paintbrush composed of tenuous threads of light, the sun laid an ethereal simmer across the vast caresses of the sea. Moist exhales from across the rising sun berated a string of people admiring the eloquent beauty stretching across the oceans entirety and lapping the edges of the harbor. I had forgotten that we would be docking this morning, and much like everyone else, I began to gravitate towards the rails overlooking the beautiful brushstrokes of light. Immediately I rushed back to my cabin and hastily coaxed my mom in to

Rahhal 2 wakefulness. She was ecstatic the moment she saw the sunrise and immediately went in to a picture taking frenzy. A few hours later we departed from the ship. We were excited to finally arrive at the shores of the Alaska. My mom insisted that we visit the fish market, my sister wanted to swiftly start shopping, my dad wanted to smoke a cigar, and I jumped over the idea of zip lining over the treetops. However, my dad had already signed us all up for whale watching prior to our vacation. I love whales, so the even though I missed a chance at soaring over the Alaskan frontier, I was still fawned over the ideas of seeing real whales up close. We first began our whale watching adventure in a small boat with a man who could have passed as a walking encyclopedia on anything whales. He showed us examples of where whales where most likely to be seen and the signs of where theyve appeared. I peered at the ocean watching for any signs of unnatural movement. It wasnt long before my parents had begun shouting and pointing towards the left side of the boat. We all jumped at the windows like a cat catapulted from a catamaran. I immediately saw the hulking figure of a humpback whale in the far-off distance. It treaded the water like an Olympic champion, and occasionally let out a piston-punching pillar of water shooting from out of its blowhole. My eyes were completely transfixed at the whale, and my hands fumbled furiously for a chance to get a picture. This was a real Alaskan experience.