Higher Heights

If you asked me a few weeks ago if I’d ever go parasailing I would have said “hell no!” I hate heights almost as much as I hate cold weather so it wasn’t something I thought I’d ever do. But when one of your best friends turns 40 and that’s their wish, well you buck up and go for it.

And you know what ….. I loved it! Absolutely loved it.

The most unexpected part was how peaceful it was once we hit our maximum height and were just cruising along. It was so quiet up there & the view was amazing everywhere we looked. We were also lucky enough to see a group of cownose rays migrating right underneath us! We often see these rays paddle boarding especially in early June during their mating season. The females come up to the surface to avoid the pursuant males giving paddlers a great view of them.

The guys on the boat were nice enough to tie my camera between us so we could take pics from the top while they took some from the boat. I figured we should get as many pics as possible since I’d never do it again but I’ll definitely be doing it again. We’ve already decided to do it for my 40th.

top: the guys on the boat having a bit of fun – bottom: the boat from 1000 feet up, sure looks tiny!

I was also surprised by how easy it was. I never thought much about how they launch the riders or return them to the boat. In our case, we just had to sit on a platform on the boat and we launched right from there. They returned us right back to same spot, smooth and gentle. I had my doubts about the harness too, it definitely seemed loose before the tension of being hooked up to the chute was applied but I felt safe and secure for the entire ride.

And they gave her a birthday dunk at the end. They dunked us extra too, about up to our chins. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

celebratory drinks!

Happy big 4-0 B! Here’s to the next 40!

Warm thoughts to all!