A marvellous, Mouse-free trip to Orlando
[attach]7470[/attach]This time I’m going to ditch the Mouse.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Mickey Mouse. The moment I go through the doors into one of Disney’s kingdoms, his magic turns me into a kid again, filled with wonder and excitement.
But on this trip to Orlando, I am ticking off a couple of items on my bucket list instead.
Earth below
It begins with a visit to Wallaby Ranch, an aerotow flight park in nearby Davenport.
We arrive early in the morning in order to get aloft before the warmth of the day creates too many thermals, which in turn create turbulence. I don’t want turbulence for my first hang gliding experience.
Before my nerve can desert me, I quickly sign the waiver and head boldly toward the contraption in which I am going to lie, face down. A small plane attaches my hang glider and my instructor, owner Malcolm Jones, climbs into his own little cradle beside me. Before I have time to ponder this insanity, the ground is rushing past my face and we’re airborne.
My first sensation is total panic. The wind is blowing past me and there is literally just a canvas bag between me and a plummet to earth.
Malcolm reassures me and mildly suggests I not hold so tightly to the bar. He needs to use it to maneuver.
Reluctantly, I loosen my grasp — and that’s when I find my breath. As quickly as it came, the panic is gone, to be replaced by exhilaration.
Wow! I can fly! This is what it feels like to be a bird! From 1,200 feet, I am looking down on orange groves, pine trees and teeny tiny people.
There’s a jolt as we detach from our tow plane. Panic returns.
Without this umbilical cord, we are floating free as the birds I was happily comparing myself to a moment before. Malcolm fills the moment with calm instructions. He explains that the bar we’re holding allows me to speed up and slow down, simply by pulling towards or pushing away from me. Turning is a matter of shifting body weight and pushing down on one hand.
I try. We turn in a slow circle, and another … and another.
Malcolm helpfully suggests we might straighten out now.
My 15 minutes of pure joy passes far too quickly, and now we’re heading down, slowly descending.
Suddenly, the ground is rushing up to meet me as Malcolm guides us in. This time there’s no panic, just a real sense of disappointment that it’s over. A hawk circles lazily above as if to taunt me: I’m still up here, it seems to say.
The Wallaby Ranch is a mecca for dedicated gliders.
It’s one of the only aerotow hang gliding parks in the world. Most hang gliders depend on a leap off a cliff to get airborne.
I chat with Finn, a Norwegian glider who comes out every morning to enjoy a little quiet time before rejoining his family for a day at Disney. It’s his own version of Zen.
The sky’s no limit
My next step is sky diving, the easy way. My son proposed to his (now) wife by taking her skydiving, but I’m going to try the next best thing to leaping out of a plane — at Skyventure, an indoor wind tunnel where you can simulate the experience of skydiving, soaring aloft on a fast-moving current of air.
Jumpsuited, I once more sign the necessary waivers.
After instruction on how to fly — knees bent, hands out in front, back arched, head up — we are ready. Each person has two one-minute sessions during which to soar. It sounds like no time at all and it’s not long enough for me.
To my amazement, I find the knack quickly and my body rises high into the tunnel. I’m flying again! I find myself sinking slowly but then…. I rise again. I am elated and in the video, grinning from ear to ear.
During my second “flight” the instructor grabs my arm and leg and spins me up, up, up, into the top of the tunnel, then slowly back down. The grin is even bigger, if that’s possible. Too soon, my skydive is over.
Revvin’ the engines
My final stop is the Richard Petty NASCAR Speedway. With Derek, a professional driver who has won several races, I’m going to ride the track in a real vehicle, complete with five-point harness which you can release with one pull of the emergency cord.
I don my track suit (definitely not a fashion statement), a pair of shoes (open-toed sandals not allowed) and a helmet. As I clamber unflatteringly into the car (no doors), I am acutely aware that this is the real deal.
A brief wave and we’re off, roaring down the track and screeching through the turns. Somehow, 235 kph doesn’t seem as fast as I thought it would.
To my amazement, Derek cuts the corners as one might expect, but accelerates on the back of the turn, so by the time he hits the straight track we are regaining the lost speed.
After three laps on the track I think I could drive it myself. But that’s a whole other experience, and a whole lot more money.
Three ticks to the good, my bucket list still doesn’t get shorter. I’m saving to try the real skydive and racing car experience next.
If you go:
Wallaby Ranch Hang Gliding Tandem flight with instructor: $175 [url=http://www.wallaby.com]www.wallaby.com[/url]
Skyventure This basic package of two flights (2 minutes total): $59.95 Family package for up to five people (10 minutes total time) with video and pictures: $269.95 [url=http://www.skyventure.com]www.skyventure.com[/url]
Richard Petty Driving Experience at Walt DisneyWorld Speedway Drive along with an expert: $99 Novice instruction and a chance to drive eight laps yourself: $450-$550 [url=http://www.drivepetty.com]www.drivepetty.com[/url]
