First Trips

It wasn't much of a place, but I didn't know any better. The room was cramped and the two queen beds only had 18 inches between them. The floral bedspreads were worn thin and frayed on the edges. The multicolored carpeting made it difficult to determine whether the floor was dirty or if the design was intended. The bathroom functioned, but the only light that worked was the heat lamp and it would only go on if you set it for a minimum of ten minutes. It was better to leave the light off because one look at the shower curtain dissuaded against the choice to clean up; a darkened tub made the morning cleansing bearable.

Whatever its shortcomings, I didn't care. This was more than my first visit to any motel, I was on my first trip to Los Angeles and Southern California. It was the middle of December and I was walking about in short sleeves instead of wearing my heavy coat and gloves at home in Salt Lake. I saw palm trees for the first time and our debate coach drove us by the beach for a sneak preview of what our trip had in store.

Ostensibly, this tournament was the chance for hundreds of high school debaters from around the country to gather at Loyola Marymount to compete against teams from schools they would never see in their home states. Our school only let us go on two of these trips during the school year unless a student qualified for nationals. In that case, there would be one additional debate trip, but technically that was during the summer months anyway. This trip would come to mean more to me as a debate tournament as I improved my forensic skills, but this time was much more about fun, day trips and friends.

I had been on scout outings before, but this time I was with kids I'd only known for a few months. I had no reason to worry because everyone wanted to have a good time. We played travel games whenever we were in the car, pranked each other by sheeting beds and hiding shoes. Eating at restaurants and a university cafeteria was fun for all of us teenagers. The adults guests probably could have done with less frivolity or at least, volume. But we had fun.

We had a day trip to Disneyland and another adventure to the Winchester museum, where we heard stories of mysterious building design and possible hauntings. The natives thought we were nuts, but our winter trip to the beach let me touch the ocean for the first time, run through the sand and watch the sun set over the water as the sky gradually changed from blue to orange then to red and finally black. The senior team members excelled in their efforts at the tournament and two earned top honors, but the real win for our team occurred because this trip changed classmates into committed friends and bonded teammates.