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Shakesthegrounds Rumblings
Shakesthecoffecan:
Lawd I bet it is hot in Ravenden, was the Raven still out on the road? My friends Mamma has been out of work since the tornado blew away the Hallmark store.
Wanted to write a bit about the hang gliding experience. First of all, it is a lot of work!
We got to the hang gliding school by 11 am and filled out the many waivers required by both the school and the state park we were at and were told that there was a one hour presentation on dvd to watch, which we didn;t complain about because it was air conditioned and we were told that the heat out on the dune was excessive and if we decided we couldn't take it they would issue rain checks. Okay. it was about 93 def. F outside but on the sand of Jockeys Ridge the heat index was well over a hundred. The extremely well tanned young lads and lassies who were our instructors walked out either bare footed or with sox on. I could feel the heat thru my shoes! Te group of us schlepped out onto the sand with our water, harness and helmet, and once we reached the crest of the ridge the breeze cooled us down and it was tolerable. What wasn't tolerable was my screaming shin splints. They were throbbing like hell.
I watched a couple of people go before me and it looked okay, the hill was not real high and they were not getting very high, so when my turn came I was calm about it, got strapped in and then picked the thing up off the ground and crab waled with it sideways to the jump off point. That was some effort, that and holding it steady in the wind. I was straining. My instructor, Nicole, told me to fix my attention on a point on the horizon, the last house on the right, and then yell "clear" and then walk, jog and then run with it, she ran along with me and told me when to pick my feel up and fly.
Of the four times I went (could have gone five if I had the energy) the first time was the best, I kept my focus on that house but had the sense Nicole was somewhere down lower than me and I was sailing thru the air. I reached the bottom and then flared out like she told me, but never could land on my feet. On subsequent flights crosswinds knocked me for a loop and I crashed, getting sand all up in my helmet and inside my glasses and Nicole and another instructor had to come hold the kite down before it flipped over with me in it.
I was told I could give my 5th flight away to some one but no one wanted it, they were all as exhausted as me. The park service rangers had come around with water to refill our bottles and I am glad the did. We were out there for about 1.5 hours and I drank nearly a liter. The experience was tremendous, but exhausting, I would like to try it again when it was not so hot and I might have more of a sense of how it is to actually fly! :laugh:
And I'll be back, this is something I would like to pursue in some form.
Wayne:
--- Quote from: shakestheground on July 23, 2008, 11:30:44 am ---since the tornado blew away the Hallmark store.
--- End quote ---
:-\ Laws I bet that was a mess.
Wayne:
:D Sounds wonderful Truman! Thx for giving us a birds eye view of your time in the air .... ;D
CellarDweller:
cool story, buddy!
Katie77:
Hi Tru, I got a new camera....and just wanted to send this greeting from Australia
http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd7/suekat777/?action=view¤t=IMGP0106.flv
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