We
drove in from Phoenix on Friday afternoon just in time to grab a few
drinks before heading to the Dakota for dinner. We probably should have
thought twice before passing on dessert, for nothing else than to soak
up the drinks that were yet to come. After dinner we had a few drinks
in the club below the restaurant before entering the hottest club in
the Gaslamp District.
This club was 2 floors with about
20 separate rooms, each with a different theme. We spent most of the
night in the basement section dancing like fools and spilling drinks.
We had plans on getting up early and hitting the beach before leaving
from the drop zone, but since we stayed out a little too late, it was
a struggle to wolf down breakfast before the shuttle arrived.
It
was raining the whole trip up north, but as the driver promised, the
clouds parted as we pulled into the DZO. We told our buddy for the last
week that he needed to watch his weight to be able to dive, but true
to form, he did none of that and barely squeezed in under the maximum.
After some training, we were in
our suits and on the plane. We climbed to 13,000ft and one by one the
guys in front of me peeled out the door and into the sky below. You
really have no time to be scared because everything happens so fast.
It is true what they say, it does not feel like you are falling, but
more floating…at 120 mph! Once we passed through the clouds I
had a reference to how fast we were moving, and after 50 seconds of
freefall I pulled the cord and slowly drifted to Earth.
We all landed at about the same
time and rushed together to share the moment, a total rush. We instantly
became skydive junkies and planned on doing 7 more ASAP to get a chance
at a solo drop.
After
the sun went down we had a BBQ at the DZO; playing horseshoes, watching
skydive videos, sitting by the fire, and just reliving the best 50 seconds
of our lives. After dinner we headed to the casino and a local bar,
Hideaway, which was actually named one of the top 10 dive bars in the
country.
Sunday came and we all headed back
to San Diego with our T-shirts and videos. An incredible trip I will
not soon forget.
We
drove in from Phoenix on Friday afternoon just in time to grab a few
drinks before heading to the Dakota for dinner. We probably should have
thought twice before passing on dessert, for nothing else than to soak
up the drinks that were yet to come. After dinner we had a few drinks
in the club below the restaurant before entering the hottest club in
the Gaslamp District. 
It
was raining the whole trip up north, but as the driver promised, the
clouds parted as we pulled into the DZO. We told our buddy for the last
week that he needed to watch his weight to be able to dive, but true
to form, he did none of that and barely squeezed in under the maximum.
After
the sun went down we had a BBQ at the DZO; playing horseshoes, watching
skydive videos, sitting by the fire, and just reliving the best 50 seconds
of our lives. After dinner we headed to the casino and a local bar,
Hideaway, which was actually named one of the top 10 dive bars in the
country.
