Sunday, June 16, 2013

Somewhere over the Rainbow



Coincidentally, as I sat down to write a post about rainbows, the IZ song started playing in the background, wafting through the resort, just audible over the two other prominent sounds - wind through palm trees and waves crashing on the beach.

This trip to Maui has revealed some of the most spectacular rainbows (as well as an interesting introduction to laughter yoga, and a parasailing conductor named Dragon, but those are stories for another time), pictures cannot do them proper justice, but here's an okay shot just to give you an idea.


I went out surfing earlier this week and as I was sitting out in the ocean with Akima (Maui native, father of two, Retitred Navy, and current surf instructor) waiting for the next good wave, a vibrant rainbow appeared over the mountains in front of us.  He told me that when he was little he didn't buy into all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" stuff.  Instead he believed that there was a big pot of chili at the end of rainbows.  Good food for thought as you're trying to remember to look straight ahead at where you want to go, look behind at the wave, paddle hard, don't pop up too quickly, keep your feet parallel, maintain your weight towards the back of the board, don't flail, try not to worry about hitting the kids out there because their instructor will move them out of the way (not always true), and don't die (I added the last one, but seems like good advice when you're being constantly assaulted by waves and a surf board that seems to have it in for your face).  

What would be at the end of your rainbow?  

The Flight of your Life

Ever think you'd have the nerve to go hang gliding?  Just riding Soaring Over California at the Disneyland Resort brings tears to my eyes and puts butterflies in my stomach.  Picture yourself running and jumping off a cliff at an elevation of 7200 feet, and this time the fresh pine scent is the real deal.  The reward for your bravery is what is surely an amazing flight over Yosemite Valley - Half Dome, a dozen different waterfalls, the Merced River, and El Capitan.



I'll just have to be content with the views from the mountaintop.  Which, let's be honest, are pretty amazing.  The trek up to Glacier Point is one of my favorites.



And I stand corrected, an experienced hang glider told me that he's not jumping off a cliff, he's taking off for the flight of his life.  I can only imaging the thrill!