Let's Fly!

My sweetheart is introducing me to a whole new world, the world of paragliding and hang gliding. On Sunday we drove out to the Bershires to Mount Greylock. It is the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,491 feet.

There were over 30 pilots there eager to fly. Mount Greylock is not for the faint of heart - it is a place for advanced level pilots. I learned that the winds in this region are rarely suitable for flying so when it is "flyable" everyone flocks to Greylock.

I walked down to the launch area before things started happening. In the background stands the impressive Veterans War Memorial Tower. The memorial was originally intended to be erected in Boston's Charles River Basin, before plans were changed to build it on Mount Greylock.

Pictured here are a number of paragliders patiently waiting for their turn to take flight.

Here is my sweetheart staging his spiffy new equipment. Today was his maiden voyage with this beauty.

Here is a look at the launch point. You can see a paraglider in the distance and a hang glider just moments from running off the edge.

It was a blast to watch everyone take off.

Here is my Fernando moments from his take off. On his helmet is a high definition video camera that he controls from a wristband. Notice those lines...so many and they are so thin! I would surely tangle them up.

Here is Fernando preparing to launch.

Weeeeeeeeee! There he goes!

I'm looking forward to our tandem flight. I'm pretty excited to experience flying.

After I watched Fernando catch some thermals, I walked around and noticed his friend, Flavio over by the War Memorial. Of course I love the color of his canopy set against the blue-bird sky.

Be certain to click on most of the photos in this post to get a closer look at them. 

Thanks for swinging by. I'll be certain to share the story of my first flight!

Until then,

Namaste,

Kathryn, Collage Diva

Comments

[Judy H]

I love it that you are having a 'second life' now with a wonderful companion. Isn't it amazing how we women seem to reach a point where we catch our breath and then almost reinvent ourselves for our second time around.....the person WE want to be, not what we are expected to become.