Country... Seas and Skies?
High-in-the-sky and high-seas hijinks
We've always prided ourselves on having and encouraging adventures close to home... and we've also always emphasized that getting there is half the fun, as some of our vehicular hijinks can attest.
"Joy Ride": Lucie Monk Carter, October 2017
Our managing editor skipped work to get high [in a hot air balloon, at the Ascension Balloon Festival] shortly after embarking on the grander, infinitely more tiring adventure of motherhood.
“Our ride that morning was pure leisure. Early in the flight, we approached a strip (from our perspective) of water, and Muir put my camera and me on guard. ‘This is the only time you see yourself while flying,’ he said. But I’m not sure that’s true. Yes, most clearly, I saw the balloon’s colorful, striped reflection in our quick pass over the water. I saw us too, in shadow along canopies of trees. There we were in our fellow aviators speckling the sky. And when we flew over those dollhouses, dollpeople wandered out to gape up at us, at the spectacle we made.
And in sharp detail, I could see my own expression; because five months ago, I had a baby. Each day my husband and I watch her face, and she shifts, sometimes by the minute, from his likeness to mine. The night before I climbed into Al Muir’s aircraft, my daughter laughed for the first time. An eruption to match her dancing eyes. Five months have led her from mere contentment to happiness and now glee. And as I moved through the air, in a world at once shocking and safe, I think I looked just like her.” Read the whole article here.
[Two balloon festivals (with glowing reviews) await you this autumn. First, the Ascension Balloon Festival takes to the skies on September 21–22 at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, La. Then, on October 19–21, the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race brings an air of fierce competition to Natchez.]
"The Case of the Sugar City Jumper": Bill Martin, August 2005
One writer celebrated his midlife crisis with a short trip to Jeanerette—from above.
“‘Everybody,’ said Hippie Tom. ‘Upper class, lower class, middle class, no class. My students are mostly men, but I’m getting more women. Right now I teach about sixty percent men and forty percent women. My oldest tandem student was a ninety-three year old woman, but most students are between eighteen and forty.’ Josh chimed in. ‘According to The United States Parachute Association’s most recent survey, nationally, eighty-five percent of students were men and fourteen percent were women.’ Only fourteen percent nationally, huh? Guess Louisiana women are just more audacious than most. Tom continued. ‘Women are best because they admit when they’re scared and they listen to my instructions. Men put on the big macho thing and don’t listen. So when it’s time to jump, women have listened and know what to do. The men didn’t listen, so of course now they’re scared. I had a big, tough guy with tattoos—when it came time to jump, he was crying for his mama. He was actually crying for his mama.’ (I checked, and statistics for big, tough, tattooed guys crying for their mama are currently unavailable.)” Read the whole article here.
[Looking for a good view of South Louisiana? Let the Gold Coast Skydivers drop you down over Abita Springs. Visit goldcoastskydivers.com to begin your descent.]
"There’s Nothing Like Fine Wine": Ann Gilbert, April 2004
Two Baton Rouge natives salvaged an optimistically named sunken boat, giving the vessel a second career of adventures.
“The two Smiley men are now seasoned sailors, having taken several six-week-long cruises on Fine Wine over the years. The Baton Rouge natives live on the Northshore, and Max calls his yacht home. Fishing and boating have always been their favorite pastimes. Max learned to spear fish with his Dad when he was twelve.
Their tight bond has served them well; they have since ridden out two hurricanes and two tropical depressions on their ketch. Neophyte sailor at the time, Max’s girlfriend Dianne Wilson received baptism by fire when Fine Wine sailed into Hurricane Allison on the third day of a four-month cruise. Told by the weather station that the storm had dissipated, they departed Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi, bound for Belize, but met Allison… Besides the wind-speed meter, the only loss during the storm was a bright orange “man overboard” ring with the boat’s name, but no man. It was picked up by another boat, whose passengers reported it to the Coast Guard, who then called the family and asked if they had heard from their relatives.” Read the whole article here.
[For sailing adventures in South Louisiana, try out the Pelican Yacht Club in Oscar (pycl.org), the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans (southernyachtclub.org), or the Pontchartrain Yacht Club in Mandeville (pontyc.org). We've sailed at them all!]