Wind Tunnel Sky Diving

I have tried three times to upload the DVD from our sky diving adventure at Paraclete's on Saturday but have had no luck. So now, I'm faced with trying to find the words to explain how much FUN this event was.

We had five people in our group and added on with two other women for a training session. I thought it was interesting that they were about my age (44 for those of you who don't know). Apparently, us forty-somethings are quite the daredevils! We had a quick instuctional video, then Shawn, our professional, laid on a table to show us the pose he wants us to take when we enter the tunnel.

Next step, make sure you look the part! We got elbow and knee pads, a very cool jumpsuit, goggles and a helmet. This is our group and the only photo we have of all of us. Once we entered the waiting area of the tunnel, no cameras were allowed. The wind is not kind to cameras.

On to the tunnel. There are benches along a glass wall that are similar to the ones in a plane. The first person is closest to the door of the tunnel. That was my Rick. Since all of this was his idea, he had to go first. He stood at the door, leaned in and took off. It was so cool! Shawn helped him get his form right then let him float around. We rotated in and out in one minute cycles. Rick's buddy, Joe, was next. My butterflies were working overtime! (I visited the potty before I put the jumpsuit on just in case!) Will was after Joe. Each boy got their form right and were having a ball. When Will came back through the door and it was my turn to go in the tunnel, I didn't have time to change my mind. I got close to the door and Shawn pulled me in.

Grown-ups don't get as much floating time as the kids do. He got me in the correct position, let me float for a few seconds, then gave a signal to the guy in the booth that controls the air flow. He told him to jack it up, grab hold of my leg and shot both of us to the top of the tunnel. The wind really flaps your face around. You're supposed to keep your mouth closed so spit doesn't fly out of your mouth. I am a chronic grinner and being in the tunnel did not change this. I was having so much fun, all of my teeth were showing. Let the spit fly! I think I squealed a lot, too! My 60 seconds were gone in no time. Shawn guided me to the door and I pulled myself out. Tony was up next and very quickly learned to float around in circles. He got to shoot up to the ceiling, too.

We had 10 minutes of flying time and it was wonderful. By the time we finished, the boys had shot to the ceiling and were kicking off the wall. Shawn had Tony and me feeling like yo-yos when he grabbed hold and flew us up and down and up and down so many times I lost count.

We were so amped on adrenaline we couldn't stop talking and grinning. We didn't realize how loud we were until we stopped at the Lone Star for lunch. We were starving. When our appetizer arrived, we all started eating and realized there was dead silence in the restaurant. We had been so loud before our food arrived, it could have been happy hour.

In the words of Will and Rick, "When are we going back?" I think we should build a wind tunnel in Raleigh! What was that movie that said, "Build it, they will come." I'll be there!

Since I couldn't get my video to up-load, visit the website so you can see how much fun this is! If you decide to go, let me know and I'll meet you there! http://paracletexp.com/front_page

Where Did I Put My Mind?

In an effort to get my youngest son to be a bit more adventurous, I asked him what experience he would like to have. He told me about a reality show he had seen on TV where the guys went to a wind tunnel and practiced sky-diving without jumping from a plane. He wants to give it a try.

Well, before I found out I was pregnant for the first time, we had planned to jump from a plane with a friend of Tony's who was in the Australian military. He was stationed in Fayetteville and was going to take us up. Having children ended my desire to jump from a plane forever. But, a wind tunnel should be safe. Right? We'll do it!

I went on-line and found a place in NC that has a wind tunnel. Check out their web-site... http://paracletexp.com/index.php?q=front_page My baby was gung-ho, so I signed the whole family up. This Saturday, we will get the experience of jumping from a plane without actually doing it. I have no idea what to expect. Should I look for someone to talk me out of it? What are the chances the wind from the giant fans won't hold me up? What if I get in there and can't figure out how to get out? The experience comes with a DVD. I'll need proof since I probably won't ever try this again!