Henry Van D**e once said, "Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live." So face your fears, try everything, and enjoy life every day!
In addition to trying to tackle house projects and spending time with family this holiday weekend, and I decided to finally check out some things in the area that we've been putting off, including kayaking the Connoquenessing Creek and rock climbing at Mcconnel's Mill State Park. I'm super pumped to have this stuff so close to us!
Yet another night in the wind tunnel! This week is getting expensive, real fast...
This video is a bit longer because I thought we were doing stuff that's a bit more interesting to watch, so I didn't cut out quite so much. It always amazes me how easy and natural the instructors make these movements look (after hours of flight time in the tunnel), because some of these movements are far from natural for me, especially the one-handed stuff. I've definitely learned a lot this week and am excited to use what I've learned in the sky and keep coming back whenever I can to learn more!
Another fun day in the wind tunnel! I met all the level 1 requirements to be allowed to use it by myself, but am still struggling with docking when they turn the speed up, so I'm doing one more night of coaching tomorrow before I head back to Pittsburgh on Friday.
I'm in Cincinnati all week for my new job and the office is right next to an iFly indoor skydiving wind tunnel, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity by seeing if I can get signed off to practice in the tunnel without an instructor before I leave on Friday. I had a blast today and here's my progress so far! Wish me luck!
As a skydiver, tunnel time is always a great opportunity to really nail precision body adjustments and find out if your normal body position is causing you to backslide or anything like that.
Since we were in Cincinnati this weekend for a Christmas party, Matt (red/black suit) wanted to take advantage of the skydiving tunnel there for some practice! Sarah (grey suit) was able to be convinced to try it out for a bit, too! 🤘🤘
We had a blast! Thank you Dylan and the rest of iFly for a great time!
While living in Pittsburgh is not overly conducive to the sport of kiteboarding, it is something Matt has always wanted to learn and be able to do on beach t...
Video starts in 3 minutes, if anybody wants to watch with us!
While living in Pittsburgh is not overly conducive to the sport of kiteboarding, it is something Matt has always wanted to learn and be able to do on beach t...
Watch with us Sunday at 2PM ET:
https://youtu.be/T-BO7L31ub4
It's been a long time, but a new video is coming!
This compilation of Matt's progress learning to kiteboard over the past year includes days in Maui and Aruba!
Inaugural outing in the new kayaks!
One reason Matt wanted to learn kiteboarding is that it can take place on water or snow, meaning he could practice year-round without moving to Florida!
On Sunday the wind in Erie, PA was the perfect speed, the Presque Isle Bay was completely frozen over, and there was a light covering of snow over most of it. This was the perfect combo, so Matt had his first real day of snow kiting. And what a successful day it was!
Unfortunately, the GPS on his watch was acting up and wasn't able to make a map of the ride, so there is a satellite view with a rough estimate of the route drawn on it.
The full photo set is here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzBo5C
Since a few of our hobbies require memberships which include magazines, the L.I.F.E. household got a storage/display rack! Now we just need to subscribe to magazines about dogs, motorcycles, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and RVs, right?..I think we might need another rack...
I (Matt) decided to do a repeat trip to OBX to try and get some more kiteboarding practice.
Unfortunately, the wind today at the place I enjoyed practicing at last time was basically non-existent and in the wrong direction, so I went back to the beach by the campground. The wind was perfect there, but the waves were a bit too much for me. After a bit of dryland kiting practice, I considered the day a bust and took the dogs on a walk on the beach. Halfway through the walk, however, I noticed someone kiteboarding further down the beach. It turned out that they found a spot where the waves were totally manageable and the wind in the perfect direction! The dogs and I booked it back to the camper and then I grabbed my gear and booked it back to beat the sunset. After getting everything setup again, I ended up getting a few good runs in, with equally good wipeouts, as well.
Here are a couple of today's runs and a wipeout at the end. Yes, I know I'm not very good; I came here to practice and improve! Also, yes, I know I make ugly scrunchy faces when the water is splashing in my face 😆 I don't know if I'll ever change that.
Note: This is NOT Matt or Sarah on the board.
At the end of the day today, Matt's instructor from yesterday decided to have some fun and show off a couple tricks before the sun went down. He's had a few years of practice, so don't be expecting anything like this out of us anytime soon 😛...but it was certainly an extra motivation to come back again and get more practice as soon as possible.
Matt decided at the last minute to live the OBX life for the weekend for some more kiteboarding lessons and possibly some hang gliding on the dunes. The only sites with electric that were still available in the area were $120+ a night, while 'dry camping' sites were $28 a night. Since we have a decent solar setup (and a generator, if necessary), he opted for the latter. Time to soak up the sun in more ways than one!
During the 6-week road trip we just returned from, we never ended up using the rock climbing gear we packed. So, naturally, we packed the RV up again a week and a half later to head down to Ohiopyle to try outdoor climbing for the first time! Thank you to Becca at Wilderness Voyageurs for being our excellent guide and belayer for the day!
The final week of the 2021 Road Trip was spent with Matt's family at Mohican State Park for their annual reunion/camping trip, which involved river tubing, kayaking/rafting, mountain biking, jumping stilts, unicycling, slacklining, a ropes course, hiking, swimming, and a fair share of relaxing, before returning to home and real life.
These are a few favorite photos and the full set can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWmtYY5
On Wednesday, we made it to the final national park of the trip, Indiana Dunes National Park. We found a campsite at a nice state park nearby for five nights, so we decided to stay there until it would be time for the final stop of the trip.
Hiking on the dunes was hot and exhausting, so we did a bit of biking on a gravel trail, but the park is mainly beaches, and Matt doesn't really do the whole "relaxing on the beach" thing, so he decided to take advantage of the opportunity and learn yet another hobby that has been on his list for quite some time: kiteboarding!
A huge thank-you to Stoke Riders for making room for a last-minute student!
These are a few favorite photos and the full set can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWk7W8X
On Monday, we took a drive through Rim Road, in Badlands National Park, before continuing our drive back east. When we got back on the highway, however, we couldn't help but stop at The World's Only Corn Palace to admire their 'corny' interior and exterior art!
These are a few favorites, and the full sets can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWjmrbg and https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWeKkUx
We are falling behind, once again, on photos, so here is a panorama at one of our last stops, Badlands National Park , to give you a preview until we finish getting the photos sorted out.
Monday evening, after Wind Cave, we visited Mount Rushmore National Memorial. We stayed late and enjoyed some vanilla ice cream (apparently Thomas Jefferson's own recipe) and watched the lighting ceremony.
Here are a few of our favorite shots. The full album can be viewed here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWfdw7A
On Monday, we got up early to purchases tickets to tour Wind Cave National Park. We took the Fairgrounds tour and saw the unique cave formation called "boxwork". After our cave tour, we were lucky enough to see a herd of bison. We stayed far away and used the telephoto lens to get a closer shot!
Here are a few of our favorite shots. The full album can be viewed here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWfcJRq
Thursday was mainly a driving day to get us into Montana, but after meeting one of Matt's friends for dinner in Spokane, Washington, they suggested we stop by a city called Coeur d'Alene, right across the border into Idaho. We stopped by their for a brief visit, let the dogs enjoy the dog park, and then Matt jumped off another cliff into their beautiful lake at sunset!
Not very many photos, since this was just a short detour, but here's the whole set: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWedNa3
After Olympic National Park, we made our way to Wenatchee, Washington to spend Wednesday there and visit one of Sarah's friends. When we arrived, we found out that a brush/forest fire (later named "Red Apple Fire") started burning about an hour sooner right across the highway from our campground! While Wenatchee was beautiful and had a wonderful park where we could walk the dogs in the shade, the proximity to the fire made for a very unique and memorable experience. We were quite impressed by and thankful for the unwaivering effort by Wenatchee Valley Firefighters, Local 453 and other firefighters both on the ground and in the air to keep the fire away from people and property as much as they could.
These are a few favorite photos (and a screenshot of the water scooping air traffic), and the full set can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWdpAfk
On to Wednesday's adventures: exploring the tide pools at "Hole in the Wall" on Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park. We were on the road from the horse farm by 5AM to make it to the tide pools in time for low tide, and the early start paid off; we found lots of very cool starfish, sea urchins, crabs, and fish! Before making it back to the parking lot, Matt took a break to do some quick beach bouldering!
These are a few favorite shots, and the whole set can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWch2TY
After Mount Rainier, we went to Red Hawk Stables, a horse farm near Olympic National Park that participates in Harvest Hosts, so we had a free place to camp for the night and got to go on a guided horseback trail ride. It was a beautiful ride with some fantastic horses!..and our dogs only destroyed one window screen trying to get out of the camper to chase the horses!
Here are a few favorite photos, and the full set can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWcgW72
On to Sunday's update! We camped in a campground in Mount Rainier National Park which was beautiful and close to a cool river and hiking trails, but had no cell reception, no electricity, and was all in the trees, so minimal solar power, as well, hence falling behind.
The park was gorgeous, with a beautiful waterfall around every corner!
Here are a few of our favorite shots. Full album can be viewed here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWcgvnH
Still playing catch-up, so we are up to Saturday's adventures: Saturday was primarily a driving day to get from Crater Lake up to Mount Rainier, but along the way, we stopped at Multnomah Falls for some photos and hiking!
Here are a few favorite photos, and the full set is here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWcFtp9
Playing catch up. We had an absolute blast exploring Crater Lake National Park. We saw stunning views and hiked the steepest trail in the park to go swimming in the lake!
Here are a few of our favorite shots. The full album can be viewed here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWbGUmW
(Click previews to see panoramas)
We've been in a dead zone with no hookups, generator, or solar power all weekend, so Matt is playing catch-up again with photos right now. While he goes through those, here are some panoramic previews of Friday's visit to Crater Lake National Park!
Yesterday was mainly a driving day to get us from Moab, UT to Winnemucca, NV to make our way toward Oregon, but since Moab is basically a giant playground, Matt decided to get up early again to do some hang gliding before it got too hot. He found an area outside of Canyonlands National Park that he could (legally and safely) launch and land his powered glider. From there, he was able to fly through and soar above canyons, making for a very scenic flight and impressive photos.
Our route took us through the Bonneville Salt Flats, so we also stopped there for a couple quick photos.
Full sets: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWaJ5R5 and https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWaJ5QZ
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Zuko wanted to go running, but I'm at my parents' house, so decided to try using one of the pedal car toys for my nieces and nephews 😆. It was moderately successful, but not enough to go for the whole distance. #husky #huskies #dog #dogs #mushing #mush #dogsled #dogsledding #hikehikehike #huskiesoftiktok
Yet another night in the wind tunnel! This week is getting expensive, real fast... This video is a bit longer because I thought we were doing stuff that's a bit more interesting to watch, so I didn't cut out quite so much. It always amazes me how easy and natural the instructors make these movements look (after hours of flight time in the tunnel), because some of these movements are far from natural for me, especially the one-handed stuff. I've definitely learned a lot this week and am excited to use what I've learned in the sky and keep coming back whenever I can to learn more! #ifly #skydive #skydiving #indoorskydiving
Another fun day in the wind tunnel! I met all the level 1 requirements to be allowed to use it by myself, but am still struggling with docking when they turn the speed up, so I'm doing one more night of coaching tomorrow before I head back to Pittsburgh on Friday.
I'm in Cincinnati all week for my new job and the office is right next to an iFly indoor skydiving wind tunnel, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity by seeing if I can get signed off to practice in the tunnel without an instructor before I leave on Friday. I had a blast today and here's my progress so far! Wish me luck!
As a skydiver, tunnel time is always a great opportunity to really nail precision body adjustments and find out if your normal body position is causing you to backslide or anything like that. Since we were in Cincinnati this weekend for a Christmas party, Matt (red/black suit) wanted to take advantage of the skydiving tunnel there for some practice! Sarah (grey suit) was able to be convinced to try it out for a bit, too! 🤘🤘 We had a blast! Thank you Dylan and the rest of iFly for a great time!
I (Matt) decided to do a repeat trip to OBX to try and get some more kiteboarding practice. Unfortunately, the wind today at the place I enjoyed practicing at last time was basically non-existent and in the wrong direction, so I went back to the beach by the campground. The wind was perfect there, but the waves were a bit too much for me. After a bit of dryland kiting practice, I considered the day a bust and took the dogs on a walk on the beach. Halfway through the walk, however, I noticed someone kiteboarding further down the beach. It turned out that they found a spot where the waves were totally manageable and the wind in the perfect direction! The dogs and I booked it back to the camper and then I grabbed my gear and booked it back to beat the sunset. After getting everything setup again, I ended up getting a few good runs in, with equally good wipeouts, as well. Here are a couple of today's runs and a wipeout at the end. Yes, I know I'm not very good; I came here to practice and improve! Also, yes, I know I make ugly scrunchy faces when the water is splashing in my face 😆 I don't know if I'll ever change that.
Our Harvest Hosts stay at Paw Paw's Pecans seemed like a good opportunity to break out the drone and make sure it still works (and make sure Matt remembers how to operate it), so here's a quick flyover of the stunning property! This was definitely a better place to camp than a Walmart parking lot! Thank you to our hosts for being so inviting and allowing us to pull in late last night 😀 #LifeIsForEnjoying #RV #RoadTrip #HarvestHosts #Pecans
I threw together a quick edit of our Sliding Rock visit today...I just hope the temperature of the water is portrayed well enough through the video that you can also feel it and need a blanket :-) #LifeIsForEnjoying #RoadTrip #SlidingRock #NaturalSlide #PisgahNationalForest
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