On Saturday we headed up to the dunes by the Journal Pavilion to go on a tandem paraglide ride. I was a little adventure getting out there because many of the road was closed for shooting of the next terminator movie. It was a beautiful day but not much wind and not in the right direction for the site we were launching from. We only had time for two short rides; my brother was nice enough to let me have both of them. I think the most amazing part was how strong the winds were. It took three people to keep the big tandem wing anchored when a big gust blew. You launch by inflating your wing and then basically running off the side of a hill. The first time we launched we had to run quite a bit to get enough speed to launch, the second we barely got three steps before the wind picked us up and we were off! It was almost like a dream just running off a cliff and waiting for the wind to catch you from your fall, and before you know it you are soaring. The flights were very quick but super enjoyable, I think it was nice not having to worry about flying and just jumping on for the ride. I don’t think I have had enough exposure yet to decide it would be a worthwhile hobby. The only real issue is the amount of time, money and training required for the sport. The rigs are about $4000, training about $1500 there is annual maintenance for the equipment, not to mention the 4x4 I need to get around to these great launch sites… So needless to say I’m not quite hooked enough to make the investment, but I had a great time! Will, the owner of Mountain Flyers (http://www.mountainflyers.com) was great and I would highly recommend everyone to go out for a ride. Needless to say I have to be careful this fun doesn’t cut too much into my retirement plans. ;)
