Three weeks later
San Diego, CA
Robert and Irma got had just arrived in town via a Greyhound bus and proceeded to the 12th and Imperial trolley station. Robert was taking Irma to San Diego for a two-day trip. Today, Robert was taking her to Sea World.
They each bought a three-day transit pass and boarded the next Blue Line train to Old Town. Once at Old Town, the couple boarded the Route 9 bus to Sea World.
"I'm so excited for this, I've been wanting to go to Sea World since I was little!" Irma said.
"Well, I figured that you would enjoy this." Robert replied. After a twenty-five minute ride, they got off the bus near the Sea World front gate at around 10:30 AM. "Well, here we are, let's go!" Robert said as he led her to the gate. They each bought their admission ticket and Robert grabbed a park map as they entered the park.
They took an immediate left turn towards the Shamu Stadium. Robert led Irma to the underwater viewing area, where Shamu and his friend were swimming around, passing just a few inches from the glass.
"Wow, those killer whales are amazing!" Irma said as they approached the glass. "Hey, let's take a picture in front of the glass." Robert said as he set up his camera. "OK!" Irma gladly replied as she and Robert posed in front of the glass. Robert had set the timer and pressed the shutter button before posing with Irma. He quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulder as Irma took his hand in hers.
The camera beeped as it took the picture. Robert took the camera and viewed the picture on the display. Robert and Irma were amazed by the result, behind the glass behind them, Shamu ended up swimming up behind them, and into the frame. As a result, Robert and Irma ended up getting a great picture of them and Shamu all at once! "Wow, that one's a keeper!" Irma said.
After admiring the orcas for five minutes, the couple moved on, heading for the nearby sea otter exhibit at Rock Point Preserve. "Wow, he's so cute when he's floating up there like that!" Irma cooed when she saw one of the California sea otters floating on his back on the water's surface. They took pictures and moved on to see the dolphins. Robert had signed them up for the dolphin interaction program.
"So, this interaction program you signed us up for, does that mean that we can actually get into the water with the dolphins?" Irma asked.
"Yep, it's a great way to see them up close and personal!" Robert replied. "AWESOME!" Irma exclaimed as she squeezed Robert in a bear hug.
"I've always wanted to swim with dolphins!" she said after she released her grip. They met up with the trainer and were led to the area in which they changed into some wetsuits. After they changed out, they were led, one by one, into the water.
Robert went in first, and got to swim with, touch and even feed one of the dolphins. After Robert got out fifteen minutes later, Irma went in next. Before Irma got out at around 11:30 PM, she gave the dolphin a quick, gentle hug. The dolphin opened his mouth and made some clicking noises, as if he was saying goodbye!
"Wow, that was an incredible experience!" Robert said after they changed back to their original clothes and continued on towards the Sky Tower ride.
"Yeah, that dolphin was so nice, I'm glad to have been able to swim with him! I had always dreamed of swimming with them!" Irma replied.
"Yeah I figured you would enjoy the experience, hence why I signed us up for it." Robert replied. He had enjoyed the experience as well.
Once they got to the Sky Tower ride, they got in line, and after a fifteen minute wait, they got on the tower pod's upper level. After the doors were shut, the pod began to slowly rotate and rise. "Wow, how high is this thing?" Irma asked.
"It's about 250 feet high, and it gives an incredible view!" Robert replied as he and Irma got out their cameras. As the pod rose, a narration began to play over the interior speakers.
Once the pod reached the top, the couple began snapping pictures of all points of interest, including Mission Beach, the deep blue Pacific Ocean, and even the downtown skyline. After a minute, the pod began its descent back to the ground. Once the pod stopped moving the occupants got off and Robert and Irma began heading towards Shipwreck Rapids.
"Wow, that was such a beautiful view!" Irma exclaimed. "Yeah, but any view is better when I enjoy it with my beautiful Irmy!" Robert replied.
The two blushed as Robert and Irma chuckled. "Oh, stop it!" Irma replied with a giggle. Robert blushed, he always thought that Irma's laugh was cute. When they reached the Shipwreck Rapids ride entrance they encountered a somewhat long line. Robert bought them each a waterproof poncho for them to wear on the ride.
After a half-hour wait, the two boarded a raft with another group. The group held on as the raft entered the first set of rapids. Water splashed into the raft as it bounced slightly in the water. The raft also began to spin as it careened down the rapids.
The girls in the group, including Irma, screamed as they spun, got splashed and went fast, all at the same time.
The raft slowed down slightly as it passed through the shipwreck, but entered another set of rapids seconds later. Irma and one of the other girls, a blonde in her early twenties, yelped when they got soaked by a waterfall that they passed through, just before the raft entered a dark cave. The raft continued to spin and splash its occupants as it bounced through the rapids.
Once they exited the cave, the raft bumped in to another raft in front of it. In front of that raft was another pair. One-by one, the rafts ended up on a conveyer belt that lifted them up to the rotating exit platform. "Wow, what a thrill!" Robert exclaimed.
Irma and the other woman were slightly unhappy about being soaked by the waterfall, but realized that everyone was soaked to an extent and decided not to say anything about it. Robert the woman's boyfriend snickered and barely contained a full-on laugh when they saw Irma and the woman, who introduced herself as Megan, attempting to wring out their dripping wet hair.
Luckily for them, there was a set of large dryers located near the exit on the main path. They each spent five minutes in the dryers, Irma and Megan spending ten minutes each, getting as dry as possible.
They talked for a few minutes and Irma and Megan exchanged phone numbers. The groups said goodbye and went their separate ways as Robert and Irma made their way to the Bayside Skyride.
They got in line and after a ten minute wait, got into the next gondola. They were once again treated to a nice bird's-eye view of the surrounding area both ways as the ride went on.
After they got off, the group proceeded to the Manta ride. They got in line and soon got into the train. After a thrilling two minute ride, they got off and proceeded to the freshwater aquarium.
Irma looked in awe at the various fish and other animals in the various tanks, from electric eels and poison dart frogs, to four-eyed fish and piranhas. They took pictures of each tank's occupants.
From there, they went to Pacific Point, where the seals and sea lions were located. "Wow, they're so awesome!" Irma said as she and Robert took pictures of the seals and sea lions.
Robert and Irma then decided to take a chance to feed them with little tubs of fish. The only real problem with it was the seagulls that were harassing them because of the fish.
"Hey! Get outta here, you feathered rats!" Irma exclaimed as she tried tossing the fish one at a time into the sea lion enclosure, while two seagulls swooped in and missed. They all managed to get the fish in, but lost two to the hungry birds.
From there, they went towards Turtle Reef and the Shark Encounter area. Irma's eyes lit up when she spotted the Riptide Rescue ride nearby.
"Hey, I'm gonna go try that ride out!" Irma said as she ran towards the entrance line. "Hey, wait up!" Robert called out as he raced to catch up with her. Robert and Irma got on after a short wait. "Here we go!" Robert said as the ride started.
"Whoa, this is kinda wild!" Irma said as the ride started spinning faster. "OOOOOOOOOOOOH MYYYYYYYYYY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHH!" Irma exclaimed as the ride reached its highest spinning speed. The other passengers screamed as they held on to their lap bars.
Robert and Irma were clearly having a fun time on the ride. "WOOOOHOOOOOO!" Robert exclaimed as Irma clung to him. After another minute, the ride began to slow down and eventually came to a stop. Robert and Irma, along with all the other passengers, stumbled off, their bodies still full of adrenaline.
"Wow...that was so much fun!" Robert said. "Wow, I'm...so...dizzy...right now!" Irma said as she stumbled towards a nearby bench, the adrenaline still running through her body as she struggled to find her balance in her still-disoriented state.
"Golly, that ride sure did a number on her." Megan said as she spotted Irma, who was still getting over her dizzy state. "Huh? Oh, hey, Megan, good to see you again!" Irma said as she sat down, her body finally getting over its dizzy condition.
After talking for a few minutes, the couple proceeded to Turtle Reef and walked inside. By the time they got inside, Irma's dizziness had worn off and she could see clearly again.
They took out their cameras and began taking pictures of the different sea turtles in the tanks around them. After they exited Turtle Reef, they proceeded to the Shark Encounter area.
They saw the many kinds of sharks and other animals in the shallow tanks around them, including stingrays and hammerhead sharks. "Aww, they're kinda cute!" Irma said as she looked at a tank of baby leopard sharks.
They continued on, walking down a spiraling pathway to the shark tunnel below them. Irma was fascinated by the fact that they were now surrounded by sharks below, around and even above them as they stood on the moving pathway.
"Whoa, those guys look rather fierce!" Irma said as she watched a pair of tiger sharks pass over, their razor-sharp teeth showing in their jaws.
After they exited the shark tunnel, the couple moved on to the Penguin Encounter area, on the eastern end of the park.
They went in and ended up on a moving walkway that slowly moved people from one end of the penguin viewing area to the other. The group quickly took whatever pictures of the various penguin species they could before they reached the other end.
"Well, what's left?" Irma asked. Robert checked his watch, which read 2:48PM.
"Well, all that's left is the Wild Arctic ride and the Journey to Atlantis ride, and that's about it." Robert replied. "OK, let's go!" Irma said as they proceeded. When they got to the Wild Arctic area, they got in line for the helicopter simulator ride.
After a half-hour wait, they proceeded into the boarding area, in which they ended up standing on the first row of lighted dots on the floor. Once they were inside, they watched a video briefing of the flight. "I know you're gonna love this!" Irma said.
"Yeah...I know you will have fun, too." Robert replied. After the video was finished, the cabin doors opened and the passengers all proceeded inside.
"Come on, Irma! Get to da choppa!" Robert joked as they made their way into the cabin. Irma barely kept herself from laughing hysterically. Once the group all took their seats, they fastened their seat-belts and prepared for the ride.
"Get ready!" Robert said as the cabin doors closed and the lights began to dim. The ride began with the helicopter lifting off from the base and flying over the Arctic wilderness.
"Whoa, here we go!" Irma said as the cabin began moving. The helicopter flew over a herd of caribou before proceeding to investigate some polar bear activity. The helicopter's rotors were set to whisper mode so that they could get close without disturbing the bears.
"Aww!" Irma said when she saw the cubs with their mother. The helicopter flew off and passed over a glacier before activating its snorkel mode and entering the water, right behind a pod of narwhals.
"Wow, this is one heck of a chopper!" Megan, who was sitting behind the couple, said. The helicopter got back into the air and the computer indicated a storm warning. At the same time, a warning light came on in the cockpit, and the pilot brought the aircraft to a safe landing on an ice shelf to investigate it.
Unfortunately, the ice couldn't hold the helicopter's weight and began to crumble.
"Whoa, Nelly!" Megan exclaimed as the helicopter fell with the ice. "Aaah! I can't watch!" Irma said as she threw her hands over her face to cover her eyes.
Luckily, the pilot managed to get the engines started again and pulled up out of the fall just in time! The storm had just arrived at this point, and the pilot was forced to take an alternate route to go around the storm. At this point, the computer overheated and failed.
"Oh, dear, this is not good!" Irma exclaimed. "Don't worry, we'll get through this as long as we're together!" Robert replied.
The people next to them rolled their eyes. Megan chuckled after hearing this. Wow, she's really getting into this! Robert thought. The pilot dropped the helicopter into a chasm to avoid high winds, and ended up flying through an avalanche! After punching through a thin ice wall, they were finally clear of any dangers! As if things couldn't get any better, they had also arrived at their destination: Base Station Wild Arctic!
"Is...is it over?" Irma asked. "Yep, it's over." Robert replied. Irma and Megan breathed sighs of relief as the helicopter landed in the hangar.
Seconds later, the lights came back on and the cabin doors on the right side opened. The passengers all unfastened their seat-belts and exited the cabin. "Wow, that was fun!" Irma said. "I know, it seemed so real!" Megan added.
"That's the beauty of modern simulation technology!" Robert replied. They ended up in the beluga whale and polar bear exhibit. "Wow, it's so beautiful!" Irma said as she saw a beluga swimming just under the surface. They walked on and noticed a replica of a ship that was trapped in the arctic ice. They continued on towards the underwater viewing area. As they went through the passageway, it got very cold fast!
"Brrrrrr, why issss itttt sssssso ccccccold?" Megan asked. "That's why." Robert replied, pointing to a wall that appeared to be covered in ice. "Feel it!" Robert said. The girls did, and were astonished to realize that the wall was in fact covered by real ice! "Wow, that, that's real ice! No wonder it's so cold in here!" Irma said. "Yep, it's all real arctic ice!" Robert replied.
In the underwater viewing area, they first saw a polar bear trying to get to a school of fish that were swimming just below the surface. The girls chuckled as they watch the bear slowly float up to the surface. They then went to see the beluga whales, which were now swimming up close to the glass.
"Wow, they are beautiful!" Megan said as she took a picture. They remained there until they had taken enough pictures. They then moved on through the gift shop and Megan separated from them again while the couple moved on to the last attraction: the Journey to Atlantis ride.
"OK, now all that's left is the Journey to Atlantis coaster." Robert said as he led Irma towards the ride. They got in line and faced a fifteen minute wait. "Better break the ponchos back out!" Irma said after seeing how wet the ride seemed. "Yeah, good idea!" Robert replied as they got their ponchos out and put them on. They got on and got ready for the thrills.
The boat left the platform and went up onto the lift hill. "This is gonna be fun!" Irma said as the boat reached the top and went over the first curve. "Hang on, sweetheart!" Robert warned as the boat began to go over the first drop. Irma screamed as the boat splashed down in the water at the bottom of the drop, drenching the riders.
The boat continued down the watery track and through a tunnel which contained a second lift hill. The boat reached the top and stopped briefly for a minute before an elevator lifted the boat to the top, just a few feet from the second drop. Irma screamed at the top of her lungs as she hung on to Robert for dear life.
The track curved back up and was level for a few feet before it dropped off again. The boat ended up in another splash zone and for the second time, the riders got wet. "Please tell me it's over!" Irma said as the boat reached the exit platform.
"Yep, it's over!" Robert replied as the boat came to a stop and the restraints opened up. Irma was still clinging to Robert until the boat stopped. They looked at each other and blushed heavily before Irma released her grip. "Wow, that was quite a ride!" Irma said.
"Yeah, it was fun!" Robert replied. The couple got off and headed for the exit.
"Well, now what?" Irma asked after they went through the exit and started walking towards the bus stop. "Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm starving!" Robert replied. At that point, it was 3:39PM, and the two were hungry. They ended up going to the Fashion Valley mall via the Green Line trolley upon reaching Old Town. They ended up getting dinner at the food court, and explored the mall some more before heading back to the hotel. "Wow, today was quite the day." Robert said as he and Irma settled into their bed.
"Yeah, it was." Irma replied. "I have to admit, that was the wettest I've ever gotten in a while!" Irma added. "Heh heh, yeah, we did get pretty wet today." Robert replied. "Yeah, but it was worth it!" Irma replied as Robert gave her a goodnight kiss before she drifted off into sleep. This is the life! Robert thought as he fell asleep.