florida trip

[brianvh]

About a month ago I discovered air tickets down to Orlando are only $200 including tax, and since I haven't seen Fred and Raean for 7 years and Paul and Lauren for 2 years, thought I'd take a friday off and make a whirlwind trip down to visit and fly.

The Tjadens are real easy to find from the airport, and have a real cute house with an elegant guest room. Lauren had to go in for physical therapy in the morning, but Paul and I headed for Quest friday morning. It's less than a 10 minute drive (Wallaby's 45 minutes). It's well past its heyday, and feels downright sleepy on a weekday, but I was excited to see the legendary park with its history of innovation in towing. I rented a falcon with wheels attached, and was trying to tow up before the thermals started popping so I could knock some dust off. Knock it off I did: the thermals did that for me, and I had an interesting time keeping Paul on the horizon. Not long after being waved off I found a gentle boomer that wafted me up to 5,000 feet, and this was before 11 am. I did another less successful tow and then we went off for lunch.

Like a dumbkopf I'd tied the glider by the basetube instead of the strap, and came back to find Dustin carrying it off to the hanger. It had nosed over, not too hard, but during the incident Dustin noticed the keel was looking a bit sloppy. They hauled back the sleeve to find a crack developing. Hmmm....no more towing for me. Paul had also found some loose stitching and wear on his harness, so he was out too. Then Lauren showed up with her bum arm. Time to move to greener pastures.

They were discussing things to do in Orlando when I remembered the indoor skydive. Paul called and found that if we arrived before 5 pm there'd be no problem getting me in. So off we went. Paul and Lauren had done it before, but were happy to take pictures. I was angling for one of the chick instructors, but the young dude I got proved to be pretty good. I learned how to go into the "hallelujah!" position for a controlled fall, to bend my knees to go down and straighten them to go up. So I was practicing this and starting to get the hang of it when suddenly I started spinning like crazy. No clue what was going on, then I noticed my instructor holding me in a pattern...the young brat was playing with me. I relaxed and he spun me up and down and around, basically throwing me around like a juggling pin. I guess he decided I wasn't gonna spazz out on him so may as well have some fun. It felt like way more than the 2 minutes it was, and I totally recommend it.

Then I headed off to meet Fred and Rae. They had chosen to live in the more forested part of Florida, about 45 minutes from Quest and more than an hour to Wallaby. They haven't been idle in their retirement, and had remodeled the house, put in a garden, etc. I got to taste Mike Barber's remarkable simple, remarkable good, utterly foolproof margarita recipe. Come visit me in NYC and I'll make some for you. They also have very comfortable guest quarters.

The next morning we headed for Wallaby. Last time I was there 10 years ago Malcolm would drive around with the van to wake up people in the tents and trailers and head out for breakfast. My but things have grown. The trailers have largely been replaced by 'hooches': little huts the size of trailers nestled in a spinney of trees like a fairy village. The breakfast van has been replaced by a dining hall, with meals at 10 am (after morning lessons) and 3 pm (after the best afternoon flying). I did 3 flights, one spectacular when I towed clear up to the top, the others less so when I thought I was smart enough to pin off in great conditions. Afterwards Rae took me on a tour of the local sites: the garden and goats, the Hollywood Champlain memorial, the ranch hand village, the artist in residence. Hung out with the tug pilots for a bit around dusk. Great crew, lots of fun.

Back to Paul and Lauren for a late dinner (sorry about that guys) and bed before heading back to the airport.

Next time I'll plan a longer visit. You who haven't been, just do it!