It may happen that if you are around Mile Marker 17 on the Overseas Highway and you look up, you might see this.
My wife and I were heading into Key West and we stopped, as we frequently do to walk the dog at the Bat Tower on Sugarloaf. To get there you turn north on an unmarked road next to the aircraft parked near the lodge. It's an old single engined plane, decommissioned and used to advertise the Sugarloaf Airport, a single runway airfield that also offers one the opportunity to jump out of a plane far above the earth. 
Simple aircraft have the ability to enchant us as we stand anchored to the ground, but people dangling and floating have the capacity to make us stand and stare slack jawed. 
I have no desire to try parachuting myself though when one looks at the website advertising Sky Dive Key West: http://www.skydivekeywest.com/ it is possible for even someone as firmly grounded in the dirt as myself to see why people do this craziness: 
There are many more such pictures at their website, where a mere $250 can get you doing the same thing. Rather them than me, thanks:
I have watched people indulge themselves in this form of flight and for whatever reason one seems to feel the need to dangle with one's legs wide apart.
It just seems so unprotected.
And so it goes whirling and twirling silently to the ground, like an autumnal leaf.
There is an ample meadow for landing nearby, the casuarina trees are just foreshortened by the camera. 
This is the headquarters of the operation, fully equipped with a splendid hammock, possibly to rest up after the exertions of flight. It is hard to imagine but just a few hundred years ago the thought of being to fly, literally as free as a bird was an impossible dream. 
And here they are reduced once again to mere mortals like the rest of us.
Last year I wrote an essay about the airfield here, a place I find charming and evocative: http://conchscooter.blogspot.com/2009/06/sugarloaf-airport.html and I also wrote an essay about the Bat Tower mentioned earlier. http://conchscooter.blogspot.com/2009/05/sugarloaf-bat-tower.html a place that crops up from time to time in these essays as I like to walk Cheyenne around there.
My wife and I were heading into Key West and we stopped, as we frequently do to walk the dog at the Bat Tower on Sugarloaf. To get there you turn north on an unmarked road next to the aircraft parked near the lodge. It's an old single engined plane, decommissioned and used to advertise the Sugarloaf Airport, a single runway airfield that also offers one the opportunity to jump out of a plane far above the earth. Simple aircraft have the ability to enchant us as we stand anchored to the ground, but people dangling and floating have the capacity to make us stand and stare slack jawed. I have no desire to try parachuting myself though when one looks at the website advertising Sky Dive Key West: http://www.skydivekeywest.com/ it is possible for even someone as firmly grounded in the dirt as myself to see why people do this craziness: There are many more such pictures at their website, where a mere $250 can get you doing the same thing. Rather them than me, thanks:I have watched people indulge themselves in this form of flight and for whatever reason one seems to feel the need to dangle with one's legs wide apart.It just seems so unprotected.
And so it goes whirling and twirling silently to the ground, like an autumnal leaf.
There is an ample meadow for landing nearby, the casuarina trees are just foreshortened by the camera. 
This is the headquarters of the operation, fully equipped with a splendid hammock, possibly to rest up after the exertions of flight. It is hard to imagine but just a few hundred years ago the thought of being to fly, literally as free as a bird was an impossible dream. 
And here they are reduced once again to mere mortals like the rest of us.
Last year I wrote an essay about the airfield here, a place I find charming and evocative: http://conchscooter.blogspot.com/2009/06/sugarloaf-airport.html and I also wrote an essay about the Bat Tower mentioned earlier. http://conchscooter.blogspot.com/2009/05/sugarloaf-bat-tower.html a place that crops up from time to time in these essays as I like to walk Cheyenne around there.
8 comments:
Dear Sir:
My sister used to sky dive... Then came the day the wind carrired her over the active runway of a regional airport. And she held up traffic for ten minutes while she cross-crossed the field. One foot landed on tne grass, and the other hit the tarmac. It was the end of her jumping career.
I rather liked the picture of your Bonneville's speedo. Now show us one of the tach... Errr, sorry. I'm headed for a fast 50 mile ride in the morning. To get the cooling modulator switched out.
Fondest rgards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
(The blog where one story is worth 1756 words)
My work computer blocks your blog. I guess IT has good taste.
Hope your cooling modulator costs you are much as a new Bonneville. Then you will realise the vlaue of a tachless aircooled parallel twin.
(Ps the wife has authorised the purchase of wool long johns. I think this October jaunt is looking serious).
Dear Monger Of Misery:
The cost of the cooling fan modulator is $87, plus $20 to put it in. If you gain another 5 pounds, I can lend you my electric gear, so you won't need long underwear. Oh wait... There's no place to plug it in with that Lucas electrical stuff, is there. Too bad... You'll have to freeze your ass off.
By the way, I read aTriumph blog (from Britain) on attempting to keep warm on the go by pissing your pants. The author notes that this is a vicious circle and must be repeated often to be effective.
My new blog is about using a motorcycle to get laid. The Key West PD is probably the only group on Key West that bans discussions of that type.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
(The Moto Reality Show Of Blogs)
If it weren't for the knowledge that dizziness is part of jumping and wondering how one vomits while free-falling, I might try that.
The recent high temperatures bring Icarus to mind.
I had a client that ran a drop zone for a few years. The insurance policy was astronomical, even in Canadian dollars. He still uses his plane for skydiving at another drop zone. He also just bought a Harley.
Maybe you ought to put skydiving on your "bucket list"!
The reason insurance is astronomical is that if both parachutes fail you plummet to earth like a stone, at 32 feet per second per second if I recall correctly.
At least Icarus had a valid reason for being up there; most people who parachute could be escaping the tedium of daily life by simply riding a motorcycle instead of leaping around in the sky as though they were actually gods.
Though statistically jumping out of a plane with a parachute is probably safer than riding a motorcycle on any street shared with riepe's suburban.
Greetings from the Hill.
Doing a crossover to "CommonSense'
unable to comment...
You are one multilayered fellow.
More conservative than Bashinsky,
perhaps not of 'that' generation.
But each day I enjoy you both!
God bless the Blogists.
MJ
It's funny I think of myself as being rather radical in that I dislike being told what to think...
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