Holy crap. The things you do for love… So, last night I had the priveledge of going up in the Trike with Don (see previous post on Triking for info about the sport). As you saw in the blog, Nick went up about a month ago (and loved it, of course) and had visions of us doing this together in the future. Which meant that I had to go up and try it too. I took me about a month to screw up my courage, but I did it! I warned the instructor that I’d probably scream a bit (which I did) and that I might cling on to him tight if he did anything crazy (did that too). The thing that surprised me was that it was totally exhilarating. It was kind of like being on a rollercoaster, except that you got to choose the track. Up and down, slower then faster. The feeling was unreal. And did I mention that there’s nothing between you and the beautiful earth?
So, here’s a little about my ride. Don and I went up for an hour. I needed to wear a fleece because despite it being 80 with a 5 mph breeze, when you’re going 60-70 miles per hour with no shield, it can be a bit chilly! I was panicked at first and screamed awhile, but then got used to it and relaxed. I was surprised to find that I had no fear of the height. We tended to fly around 500-600 feet above the ground. Don took a liking to me and actually did even more “stunts” with me than Nick had gotten- ha! I think he was showing off! :) Here’s a sampling of the things I did:
1.)Â We took off on a grass landing strip
2.) He stalled the engine in mid-air and we started falling until the glider caught us
3.)Â I got to fly the trike for about 10 minutes
4.)Â We dipped low to about 100 feet above the ground and skimmed a field (loved that part!)
5.)Â We landed on a farmer’s landing strip and took off immediately again without slowing down
6.)Â We did some steep dives and swooping (also crazy-fun!)
7.)Â Went looking for deer, but didn’t see any
8.)Â Flew over water
9.)Â Landed back at the airport on the grass runway
I guess I actually owe Nick a thank you because I NEVER would have done this, but I actually ended up really enjoying it. My only complaints would be that it was very windy and cold after awhile, but beyond that I liked everything about the sport. I loved how close you were to the earth and how cool the vantage point was. There really are very few restrictions with a craft like this! I even let my legs dangle a bit- so crazy! It was easy to learn as well and I think the price of the craft is pretty reasonable too. I have a good feeling this sport may be in our future! We already watched a video last night that Don (the instructor) gave us about a pair of guys that Triked across Africa. The video was absolutely breathtaking! I refuse to listen to any more comments about how I’m not brave, despite the fact that getting up in the air used up all my courage for the year. I don’t think Nick even expected me to go through with it! I want to see some more people get up in it now – if I can do it, anyone can!
