My Boating Exam

Today we spent the day with the Staples at their home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. After breakfast and everyone got ready, we drove out to the nearby lake to ride in their boat. We arrived at the dock, strapped on our life jackets, and all boarded the water vehicle. Once we moved out of the dock and into the open lake, Mr. Staples asked us which one wanted to drive first. We all looked at each other a little surprised since none of us had ever driven a boat before. Joe was bold and decided to drive first. Mr. Staples explained the basics of acceleration and steering and Joe began to hit the gas. The boat began to move and the front end angled fairly high which caught us off guard initially. Mr. Staples explained it was typical for the boat to do so as it accelerated and would balance out as the boat increased in speed. The ride was a bit bumpy at first, but smoothed out as time went on. Joe drove the boat across the large lake to a town called Harrison where we’d eat for lunch. Joe even docked the boat like a pro (*cough* *cough* beginner’s luck) when we came into docking area. 

It may be small, but it's fast

Joe driving the boat

After the boat was tied to the dock, we walked to the close restaurant for lunch. We all had paninis at this small little restaurant with a view of the lake. After we were full, we headed back to the boat to drive back across the lake. I took the wheel this time and learned the basics like Joe. I felt a little like Spongebob when he tries to take his boating exam in the show (for an example, click here). We exited the dock and I began accelerating the boat, eventually staying at 35 mph for the majority of the ride. The boat bounced up and down as we went through the choppy water. I gained more confidence as I got used to driving the boat on uneven water. Once you get a feel for it, you just feel like you’re driving a car on water. We decided to stop partway down the lake so we could dip our feet in the water. As I went to dock the boat, I had trouble maneuvering the boat to make it parallel with dock. This resulted in hitting the dock with the boat at the high speed of 2 mph. It was ironically harder to steer the boat at slow speeds than at high speeds. No damage was done to dock or the boat and the boat was readjusted. Everyone dipped their feet in water to cool off. I went in the water which was initially cold, but refreshing in the hot weather. After that, I drove us back to the front of the lake and thankfully didn’t park the boat in the crowed docking area. Although I have sunburns on my knees, driving the boat was an exhilarating experience. After the boat was parked, we headed back to the Staples’ house to rest. 

Driving the boat

On the way back, we stopped at Papa Murphy’s, a take-n-bake pizza business, the Staples own. Mr. Staples gave us the backstage tour and then we headed back to their house. We chatted for a bit and ate a delicious dinner. We then drove back to another portion of the lake along with other members of the Staples family to do some kayaking and hanging out on the shore. I paddled around the lake for a while and Mom did some too. We chatted with different members of the family on different topics and watched their kids play in the water. Around eight at night, we headed home. Tomorrow, we say goodbye to the Staples and make the six hour drive to Bellingham, Washington to visit our other friends the Baxters.

 

$10 Pizzas on Tuesday

Paddling on the lake

For a different perspective, you can read my Mom’s blog here and my brother Joe’s blog here.