Some Lasts

One last walk

One last game

One last "kite"

One last flight

One last fire

One last night

 

One last camp

One last...er...dump

One last cuppa

One last forever

All Things Mechanical

Just driving this big rig was tough -Backseat riders didn't even care!

Inspecting a thingamajig

A Menards stop to buy tape to wrap the wiring that was pinched that caused the lights to fail that...

Austin trying to locate a leak. Notice the ever-ready tools!

Loading and unloading the equipment

View of the toy hauler with ramp down

Rounding up all the gear

All of that for this

Some kid ran into the back of the camper when we were stopped at a stop sign. He said he couldn't see the camper because his visor was down. Can anyone spell "texting"???

We got a scratch

Deke didn't mind; the accident happened right next to the tracks!

Pot Pourri on the Prairie

Funny! We camped at Prairie Rose Lake State Park but realized that the "lake" had been drained. We had a little fun with this one.

Iowa is flat!

Goofing around

Youth pastors are never on vacation

Hiking in Argyle Lake State Park

Beautiful fall colors at Argyle Lake

Ditto

Austin in hiking pose

Deke and I enjoying a walk in the woods

Flying High

Each day the guys checked the flying conditions. If the weather was clear and the wind was within limits, they flew. They didn't get in as much flying as they had anticipated because of the cold and wind, but one place was especially cordial-Argyle Lake State Park, Illinois. At the entrance to the park, there was a huge meadow just right for take offs and landings. The guys asked permission of the camp hosts and soon received their approval. It was especially convenient for Amber and me as we could walk from our campsite to the airfield. We stayed 2 days there, and I have to say the guys acquired quite a following from people who were curious about this unusual way to fly.

Another place that was great for flying, even though the cold made it uncomfortable, was Harlan, Iowa. At the small airport there, we ran into a real flying character by the name of Olie (oh-lee) Pash (Posh). He was 85 years old and had been inducted into the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame for his flying expertise over several decades as a stunt pilot. He was quite a character and kept the guys spellbound with his stories. His picture is shown here among some of the flying shots of this trip.

In Illinois, Austin had a discussion with an observer who said the guys were parasailing. No, Austin said- this is called paragliding. No, said the man, what you are doing is parasailing. The two had quite a discussion and in the end, Austin gave up and let the man call it what he wanted.

All in all, people everywhere were kind and accommodating. At one small airport in Red Oak, Iowa, a guy of about 35 years, jumped out of his pickup truck, sauntered up to the guys as they were landing and said, "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!" He then proceeded to hang around while the guys packed up and even helped them stow their gear. Chris is a cattleman running 4,000 head of cattle on a feeder lot. He is also a fireman and does some scuba diving in his spare time. In his sparest of time, he is working on acquiring his pilot's license. I think Chris of Red Oak, Iowa, became a powered paraglider fan that day.

Cool shot of Deke flying in rather brisk wind

Deke in foreground, Austin trailing

Austin hanging around

When it was too windy to fly, the guys put on their harnesses and "kited"

Oops

Olie

The guys with Olie

Power Paragliding o'er the Plains

This is the first installation in a series of pictures explaining our recent Powered Paragliding camping trip.

We teamed up with Austin and Amber (our youth pastor and wife) after the four of us hit on the idea of a series of expeditions touring the U.S. while discovering new people and places to fly their machines. Thus, when all parties lined up vacation days,we hit the road towing Austin's parent's 33'camper with "toy hauler." In case you aren't familiar with that term, it means that the back 12-15 feet of the camper is one large open area, much like a shed, where your "toys" can be stowed. In our case, the toys were the guys' motors and wings for flying their paragliders. It also houses an additional bed for the camper which hugs the ceiling and is able to be raised and lowered by the flick of a switch. The whole space is separated from the main living area by a sliding glass door. Unbelievable how campers have evolved over the years.

So, at 3am on the 4th of October, we took off. Our direction for this trip was to take us west. We planned to camp at state parks or wherever we found a great campsite with a small, local airport nearby. What we didn't plan for was choosing the week in October that was the coldest on record in recent years with the windiest conditions in recent memory.

We got as far as Iowa.

However, Iowa is flat and picturesque and friendly and it did turn out to be great for flying if you don't mind flying in 28 degree weather. The guys didn't mind. They suited up and disappeared over the Hawkeye landscape for a brisk 45 minute flight. By the time they returned, the wind had increased to the point that Austin made a perfect 2 foot plant with no additional steps.

It did warm up slightly over the next few days and we had some wonderful camping and flying experiences. So, all in all, it was a great vacation. We ate well, slept well, saw some beautiful fall colors, had a slight accident, met some wonderful people and relished our time away from home.

Look for future posts of our powered paragliding journey.

Setting up camp

Learning to cook in small spaces

Getting cozy while watching the movie "RV"

Watching football while brushing teeth. Can it get any better than that?

Amber and I enjoyed lots of hot tea together

I taught her to play Gin Rummy. Mistake. She is competitive!

Eating well on the journey

Well, maybe not all that healthy