Turning 34

When my plans fell through for my 34th birthday, I decided to take myself on an adventure.  I picked up the phone and made a glider reservation.  Two hours later, I got to experience the world in a whole new way. 

First, Mike towed us up into the sky in rising circles until we were around 2,000 feet high.  A simple, yellow nylon rope leashed us together.  As I later learned, I was not the only one who doesn't enjoy tow time -- the ride at this point is anything but smooth and you feel like you're totally out of control, just waiting for the floor to drop out from under you. 

But when the floor does drop away, the world becomes a smooth, comfortable place.  We went from bumping and jumping through invisible hoops to calm, stable wings like a bird, completely in its realm.  When you find a rising thermal current, it's as if giant hands are lifting you up from below.  I strongly recommend you find a way to experience this feeling for yourself. 

Bob, my new pilot friend -- he pointed out the baby corn mazes below and gave me my first flight lesson.  It was pretty amazing to be entrusted with the controls over this earthbound slice of metal, but my novice skills led me to over-correct and after we lost a few hundred feet of air, we both decided it would be more fun for him to keep us up as long as possible. 

Later on, Tanya and I visited Mt. St. Helens.