I've had my current phone for around 5 years, much to the dismay of Verizon. I only recently bought a card so that I could move all the pictures from the phone to the computer--I got tired of trying to figure out which picture to delete in order to take another picture of the kids. I've put some of the better pictures below for your perusal. For thousands of years, flight was the dream. Every possible machination was tested, tried and re-tried, hoping to achieve what the birds do so effortlessly. It took centuries until technologies and knowledge came together to reach that lofty goal. I wonder what Orville & Wilbur Wright would say if they knew you could now go hang gliding at the base of Lookout Mountain on a Saturday afternoon without much thought given to the technology or wonder of it. I wonder what they'd think of the ultralights that zip up and down, towing one glider after another like they were nothing. I wonder what they'd think of the ease with which we take to the air. Hang gliding was a birthday present from Rachel. Many an eyebrow has been raised when I have disclosed that fact, and the next question usually relates to what kind of life insurance I carry and if she's recently taken out any extra policies on me. I don't believe that she has, but I can't imagine that many policies would cover me in the event of hang gliding. In any event, Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding has an excellent reputation. Once I was aloft I felt quite secure underneath the giant wing. I didn't give much thought to the distance to the ground, or to the effects a harsh landing would have upon this mortal body. To be honest, the phrase 'terminal velocity' never entered my mind while I was aloft. Although I'll admit that it did beforehand, when standing upon the ledge at the top of the mountain. There, they have a large, short concrete ramp, and I assumed we'd do the run & jump maneuver, launching ourselves into space. As it turns out, we're towed up by an ultralight flying a seemingly endless loop, taking one glider up after another. Basically, you drive up the mountain to pay, then back down the mountain to fly. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but they do a great job, so I won't complain. In the sky, it's a wonderfully unencumbered feeling. The instructor (per FAA rules, I was a student learning to fly, not simply along for the ride) explained how intuitive the flying is, and once you get the feel of it, it just seems natural. You control the wing by leaning or pulling/pushing the bar, and you just ride the wind, as a bird. You look out upon the world as a place unblemished, dotted with houses and trees and creeks, wondrous in its beauty. At one point, we shared a thermal with a bird, and we floated along as though it were perfectly natural. (For the record, my stomach did not think this experience was perfectly natural. It took its sweet time settling down, apparently wanting to cast a firm vote for never doing that again. I might have felt decidedly less positive about the whole experience had I gotten sick 1,000 feet in the air while sharing a rather small space with a perfect stranger who was the only one who knew how to land the craft holding us aloft.) Hang gliding was a wonderfully foreign experience. It was a freedom that felt so easy. I would forget the wing above and harness around and just stare in wonder at the world, so close and yet so distant. The wind buffeted us, and yet it felt like we belonged in the sky. It was easy to forget that my feet were made for solid ground, that my eyes weren't created to see the world from above, that my body doesn't land particularly well when falling from any distance above two feet. The world looked lovely from on high, and the whole experience was simply incredible, amazing, and one that sits apart from almost every other experience I have. The picture of the left is pre-hang gliding. The picture on the left is post-hang gliding. It takes a lot out of a little guy. (I guess now would be the time to note that Caleb didn't go hang gliding. But I bet he'd enjoy it. We would certainly enjoy the peace and quiet while he was up there.)
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