By NICK DILL
I woke up at the crack of dawn with the rest of my family as we do for every road trip. Spring break 2020 had begun, and we were on the way to Orange Beach, Alabama.
The road trip was a long, exhausting 12-hour ride, but I found some good music to listen to.
We made our traditional stop at Bucees, which is by far one of the largest gas stations. Clean bathrooms, tons of snacks and drinks, and the best fudge ever is why stopping at Bucees is such a highlight of every road trip.
The whole way to Orange Beach, I was anxiously thinking of how COVID-19 was going to affect my spring break trip. I thought everything was good because the beaches were still open.
I love the beach. I couldn’t wait to feel the sun shining on my skin and to feel the waves crashing into me as I swim in the ocean.
What made this trip even better was that my teammate from college, Stephen McCluskey, was coming along. Everything was good and set in stone for a successful trip.
After driving for what felt like an eternity, we arrived at the condo Sunday afternoon. My dad checked us in, and then we immediately started to unpack everything.
I tried to carry as many bags as possible like an Olympic powerlifter because I wanted to get to the beach as fast as possible. I looked out at the beach from the balcony and smiled. We finally made it.
The first beach day arrived. I woke up, packed the beach bag, applied sunscreen and headed down to the beach with my family. We were all shocked to see how many people were on the beach, and how close everyone was sitting with the coronavirus going around.
People were swimming, lounging in their chairs, and enjoying the sounds of the waves crashing the shore. Life was normal as usual and no one was concerned about anything.
College students filled the beach in groups of way more than 10 people. I noticed how all the beach chairs and umbrellas were less than six feet apart as well.
Still, I was able to enjoy the beach and appreciate a break from the busy semester. Life was all good until Thursday afternoon.
That’s when McCluskey and I were hanging out in the hot tub and saw a guy post a sign on the door.
I had a suspicion that it was a sign saying that the beach was closed because some of the beaches near us were shutting down.
“Nick, are you going to go look at that sign and see what it says?” McCluskey asked.
That’s exactly what I did. I started to scan the sign and, sure enough, I was right. The beach was closing. We had to be checked out of the condo by the next day before noon.
My heart dropped, and I was devastated that we had to leave the beach a day early. It showed me how real this disease was becoming.
I went up to the condo to tell my parents, but they already knew because my dad received an email.
The scene was crazy in the lobby after the news was out that everyone had to leave tomorrow. Everyone was rushing to scavenge luggage carts. The parking lot was filled with people packing their cars up as if there was a hurricane coming.
The line at the front desk was stretching to the entrance of the lobby because guests were asking about refunds. My family and I decided to leave Thursday night to avoid traffic.
I stood on the balcony before we got on the road and observed how empty the beach was. I saw the two police trucks patrolling to make sure everyone was off the beach.
The beach was deserted, and not one footprint was seen on the sand. This was the COVID-19 reality.
We began the long 12-hour trip back home on Thursday night. All I could think about on the way home was how this virus is going to affect the rest of my sophomore year.
We drove all night through the dark and through some rain showers. Finally, we arrived home early Friday morning. The minute I got home, I wondered what was next.
This trip opened my eyes to the reality and seriousness of this pandemic. It is better to think of others, and not just about yourself in a time like this.