Vacation update 2

Tuesday (at the crack of dawn again) we were at the airport to tour the island by air. The guy who runs Big Island Air is an artist. It is immediately obvious that he loves his plane (a Cessna Caravan). It has high wings for stable operation and good viewing. Everyone gets a window seat. He gives you first class noise blocking headphones, and he keeps up a fun patter as he explains everything. He even manages to remember everyone’s name and where they are from, wasting no opportunity to use that info while he talks. High class music (in stereo) is always playing in the background, and the volume comes up a little when he is not talking.

The plane takes off smoothly and flies like a dream. In the headphones it feels surreal because the flight seems incredibly smooth and quiet (like in a travel movie). As we were flying low around a spot where red hot lava was pouring into the ocean, the theme from Jurassic Park was playing. I don’t know if the pilot had full control of that or it was just good timing, but it was very effective.

This is such a beautiful contrast to a rattling smelly bus.

Wednesday morning
Again we got up early, this time to go parasailing. This one had been calling my name for the last three years. They reel you out 400 feet, then they flap their arms at you. If you ignore them they leave you at 400. If you flap your arms they reel out to 800 feet (for an added price). If you are still up for it, they reel you out to 1200 feet. Once you get out there, it feels so peaceful and gorgeous. I loved it.
Lynn wasn’t sure she wanted to go. When she finally did, she entertained everyone on the boat with her “whoo-hoos”. Her old nickname "Lynn the Grinn" still applies. She was so enthused that she bought a zillion of their T shirts and gave them a big tip.