Testimonials
Brooke Barlow after the Costa Rica trip 2009
Hi all,
I wanted to make a quick post (OK...it's really long...sorry) to say what a wonderful time I had on the trip to Costa Rica. There were many firsts for me on this trip, including my first top landing, my first real coastal ridge soaring, and my first paragliding trip outside of the United States. I learned something from each and every one of my fellow travelers, and for that I am truly thankful.....
Among other things, I learned:
From Fred, I learned to pull my glider up a bit slower instead of the ham handed way I have always done it. Fred is a self proclaimed P5 on the ground and his insight helped me significantly on launch. He also proved that generous tipping and a big smile will get you great service(in addition to free clothing) despite a complete lack of knowledge of the local language :)
From Lori, I learned being a professional passenger will indeed get you more airtime than I can get by myself. She got at least an hour more total airtime than I got on the trip....enough more to actually make me a little jealous at times...I hereby vow to get as much time in the air as she does on the next trip!
From Nathan, I learned that I need to turn into a thermal as opposed to turning away from them :) He was a wealth of information and also showed me his perfectionist technique for folding a glider without a concertina bag. His enthusiasm was infectious from the beginning of the trip until the end. I also copied his approach for my top landing....he made it look so easy, I had to try!
From Amy, I learned that you don't have to be crazy about paragliding to have fun on a paragliding trip....and that baby squirrels can be safely kept in your bra while working :) After seeing how much she enjoyed the trip, I will be begging my wife to come on the next one. And thanks for the tips about my triglycerides :)
From Dirk, I probably learned more than I did from any of the other pilots. He makes launches and landings look so easy, and is quick to share his vast knowledge with others. He demonstrated that a steep spiral will get you down faster than any other safe way...after already having tried big ears with speed bar and still going up. He was an absolute gem as a roommate, and a warm and generous guy....Thanks Dirk!
From Douglas, I learned that what I had previously believed to be true
still is true.....that all Florida Gators are cool people and somehow share an invisible bond :) He also showed me that a small field(about the size of a front yard) lined on all sides with tall trees can indeed be plenty of room for an LZ if you don't mind landing while turning hard, downwind, in rotor....good job bud!
From Chris, I learned that all pilots, regardless of their chosen method of flight, share a desire(or maybe more of a need) to be in the air...I enjoyed our conversations about powered flight....and I also borrowed a few of his video techniques....I simply couldn't go home without a video of myself at Caldera....here's a link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWZo49OarTQ
might have to copy and paste :(
From Simon, I learned that you don't have to be the loudest guy on the trip to have fun(I am usually the loudest...sorry all). He also showed me that a fairly large collapse right after launching is not anything to worry about...I also learned that if you scratch long enough, you will eventually make it back up to ridge level...he never gave up :)
From Danny, I learned that I am not alone in the wide eyed wonder I feel when flying. It was obvious how passionate he is about paragliding, and I found myself rooting for him to fly farther, longer, etc......he also was a shining example of how good the instruction is at APE....
From Marcos, I learned that I will never, ever be as good of a pilot as he is. What a joy to glimpse the world, even just for a brief second, through his youthful eyes. He is mature beyond his years, but I enjoyed his childlike moments the most...like when he sees ice cream or carnival rides :)
From Luis, I learned how much I don't know about our sport. He is truly a professional, and was always concerned for our safety as well as making sure we were having fun. I hope I didn't do anything to cause a bump in his fingernail....I will always be grateful for the time he has taken to share his expertise with me. I know I will be taking trips/tours with Luis in the future.(now can we get an SIV clinic in Florida?) lol
In summary, I'd just like to say that I feel lucky to have travelled with such a fine group of folks. If the people I met on this trip are a good representation of the folks in your club (SPP) then I am green with envy....that includes Jay and Kim who are great also(flew with them at Tater)!
Again, thanks everyone! Hope to see everyone soon....Hasta pronto...
Brooke
Nathan Bean after the Costa Rica trip 2009
Flying and Fun in Costa Rica
Hello Everyone,
If you don't want to hear about the trip just stop now and continue what you were doing before. I am not interested in causing undue stress for anyone:)
We all had a good time. The airplane trip doesn't have that "going to another country feel. Less than 4 hours on one plane
and you are there. The air is warm and welcoming. The mountains surround you on all sides when you land in San Jose. We got our vans
and headed out for the 2 hour drive to the coast. The scenery in the
countryside is great. Small farms and homes dot the land in the
areas that aren't too rugged. The livestock is left to roam where it
is unbuildable and that leaves plenty of room for them. Leaving the
San Jose valley, the drive down to the coast is breathtaking. The
ocean is in the distance and you can see all the way down the valley
at times. Even the van trips with everyone provided great stories and
great moments together. The first group arrived early enough to
check out the site and even managed to sneak in a nice 30 min ridge
flight at sunset. Everyone else arrived safely that evening. We
headed out together the next morning.
Caldera is a very interesting site. For those of us that are
used to looking at the wind report, I was surprised. XCskies
consistenly reported wind opposite of what we needed right down to
ground level. The onshore flow creates such a localized weather
condition that the winds on the ridge didn't seem to care what the
winds aloft were doing. The ridge worked beautifully giving Marcos
and I enough altitude to work on Asymetric Spirals and wing-overs.
Landing at the beach side restaurant for lunch was so classy. Amy
reports that they have the best food of anywhere we ate to boot. The
beach there even has a fun little dune to kite up and down and play
on while waiting for the midday winds to subside.
On our second day it seemed that the flow over the back had
dropped down enough to shut down the launch. It was then that Luis's
expertise really shined. After describing for a moment to the guides
what type of mountain configuration we needed to fly they suggested a
place that seemed to fit his description. We all loaded up and
headed to, Jacko, a small coastal town further South. The higher
mountains "upwind" are closer to this site and therefore do a good
job of keeping that flow up above where we were. We all had great
flights including Amy. She found herself helpless to resist
the "smooth Latin" invitation of our awesome guide Sebastian. I
thought she was saving herself for me:) He is an amazing guide and
tandem pilot. They flew for forty minutes together and saw a couple
of Macaws, got to experience thermal and ridge lift and even did
some spirals. She says she now understand "why". For me to put a
value on that kind of empathy is impossible:) We ate at a great
little beachfront dinner place on the way back. Marcos made me climb
a palm tree and get him two coconuts. Just to see if I could, I
think.
Our Third day was the best flying, I think, for everyone. We flew
for an average of 2hr each. The wind was light and challenging at
first, but after about an hour it was perfect. At one point I think
we had twenty gliders in the air, incuding a few locals. After the
first two hours and a few sets of HUGE wingovers, I led the top
landing charge. Many of the locals as well as some American piots
from another group followed me in. We had landing pattern traffic to
rival ATL at times. My man Brooke made his first topland in epic
form. We all folded our wings on the veranda of the "mansion" that
sits on top at the launch. Jean-Claude "the owner" was very
hospitable. He has beverages and bathrooms as well as a lovely view
of the ocean. Amy wants to know why there isn't the same thing on
all our launches here. I hear home construction prices are cheap
right now:) HINT HINT Everyone else stayed up until lunchtime, then
landed at the "restaurant with the blue roof" We all flew that
afternoon.
We had flown the first three days consistently. The fourth day
we were all ready for an adventure. We loaded onto a ferry that took
us to the peninsula on the other side of the bay. We hoped to fly a
thermal site that faced the prevailing winds back towards the
mainland. When we arrived we found the winds already too strong.
The other American group had come also and we let them ride up to
check it out. In the meantime Marcos got to ride a "Marcos-sized"
horse. Sebastian heard a group of Howler monkeys in the distance and
suggested it might be worth the walk while we waited. We quickly
found them in a large tree by the trail. There were 10-15 all in the
same tree just hanging out. When I got close to trunk of tree to see
if I could join them they let out a collective sound that would scare
the most determined predator. I have never been so sure about not
wanting to climb a particular tree:) They also have the biggest
whitest nuts you have ever seen. I don't mean their food. Seba told
a great story about why these black monkeys have such huge white
nuts. I guess you had to be there. We decided not to wait for the
ferry and drove back around the bay perimeter. There is great zipline
place near Puntarenas that seemed like a great alternative. Amy had
stayed at the hotel to study that day but I knew she would love it.
Sebastian called a taxi for her and called her to convince her to
come. He certainly has a way with my wife. I guess I'll have to
work on my accent:) We all had a great time. Even I was impressed
with the quality of the rigging, the speed, and the size of the trees
were amongst. We ended the day with chips, dips, and beverages. The
rest of the details of the pool party I am not at liberty to divulge.
What happens in Costa Rica... I am talking to you Fred, the guy with
the video camera:)
The timing of the trip with Carnivale was very cool. Every night
on our way to dinner we walked through a "full-on" street party. We
saw everything from fire dancers to temporary discotheques with
people hanging out the sides. Everyone was dancing! I know it is
little like going to Mardi Gras in Destin FL but those Costa Ricans
sure know how to party. I can't imagine what its like in Brazil.
Every morning Amy and I walked on the beach together and there were
still people up partying on the beach. WOW
All in all it was a great trip. It was alot easier then the
endurance needed for 2.5 weeks in Chile. The timing is perfect in
the middle of winter and I will definetly go next year. The
comradery in group of friends like that makes for a great trip. We
barely scratch the surface at our meetings and after-flying dinners.
I can't imagine a paragliding trip by myself. Thanks to everyone
that went and to LUIS, MANUEL, and SEBASTIAN for making it a great
time. Everyone should try one of these trips. That is what I think!
Fly Free
Nathan
Dirk Van Rees after the Costa Rica trip 2009
To those pilots interested in a great trip, go to Costa Rica when the opportunity arises. We had an awesome time! The flying sites were great, the country is beautiful, the people are friendly and the food is fresh and the beer is cold. What more can you ask for? In three days of flying, I got 11 flights and about 5 hours airtime. I could have flown more. Anyone who didn't fly at any point was doing so by choice. If you sank out the van was there to pick you up for a short trip back up. Landings by the restaurant to eat lunch, top landings, extended soaring, thermal flying. It was all there. On my first flight I enjoyed flying past a tree with 4 monkeys playing around the canopy. At launch on Jaco two macaws flew past as I got ready to pull up my glider, that's great karma right there! Next trip count me in.
Our local site, Caldera, was a great ridge soaring site which could keep you up until you fell asleep. The air was a smooth ocean breeze which gave low airtime pilots a great opportunity to get comfortable and focus on turning skills and group ridge soaring.
Great job guiding the trip Luis, thanks for all the hard work and sharing of knowledge. To my fellow travelers thanks for your friendship, LET'S DO IT AGAIN!!
Dirk.
Douglas La Pointe after the Costa Rica trip 2009
The trip was great and we had a fun group of pilots. Good flying and lots of laughs. Danny made his first mountain flight there and did a fantastic job. Great job Danny! We flew 3 out of the 4 days (exactly as Luis had predicted) and I logged about 4 hours of air time. The landscape is beautiful and there are lots of things to do if you can't fly. I definitely recommend this trip.
Jim Lauchmen after his P-2 certification at APE in 2009
For anyone contemplating earning your P2 and can afford to take an entire week off … do it!
By far the best way to earn your P2 certification is if you can devote one week and totally immerse yourself in the learning experience.
Each day here offered me a variety of activities from kiting to flying and of course theory.
One of the reasons that I chose to study at APE was Luis Rosenkjer.
He is a very well known and highly respected paragliding instructor and pilot.
His attention to detail and safety issues will undoubtedly make me a better pilot (even though I had issues with left and right because of sensory overload).
Also if you’re lucky enough you may get to taste some of his Argentinean tripe stew.
Luis, thanks for an incredible experience.
Hasta luego!
Jim Lauchmen
Jerry Beach after his last Iquique trip 2008
Dear Luis,
I wanted to drop you a note to express how much the Iquique trip affected me. It was good we did the Alps trip first, it got me past my fears, I was very willing to do little sled rides for the rest of my life. I was terrified of the Idea of going up in a thermal and of being bumped around in the wind. I must of looked like an amateur my first day in Iquique and I was. In twelve days, you taught me more things than I learned in the past three years. I didn't know it was possible to feel that comfortable up in the air. I thermaled to 3000 feet in one thermal. Every single day produced a new better personal best. The Palo Buque experience was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced, and made me a much better Pilot. Both you and Todd went way above the call to duty the entire trip. By the end of the trip I was ready to move to Chile and set up camp.I ended up with seventeen hours of fly time. Todd really amazed me with his endless energy and willingness to help everyone. He really went out of his way to accommodate everyone's needs. Both of you make an incredible team. I've been back now for two weeks and still have not come down from the high I got from the vacation. We're already formulating plans for the next time we can come down with you guys. Maybe for two weeks so we can learn some cross country. I've never felt so alive in my life. All I can say is Thank You! Thank you! Thank You!!!!!!!!!!
Hope to see you soon,
Jerry Beach
Sonny, was key for everyone to have a great time at the SIV Clinic 2008.
Thanks Sonny!!
You guys and Girl ROCK. Sure enjoyed the week, yall were an exciting group. Everyone did
well. Hope the tows were high enough.
What Fred??? July in Houston is just geeting the fire
started for August...
And for those who did not attend I attached some photos in the photo section
for you to look at. I will be sending John the rest of the pics for you to get.
Had a blast------- --------- - Sonny
Neil Treadgold after his first SIV Clinic 2008
Awsome.
Everyone safe, and everyone did wonderful, everyone landed with a smile on there
face bigger than you have ever seen. I would definitely recommend an SIV to everyone as an
essential element too flying safe. I will be going again. It gives you so much knowledge about
your wing that you never knew. Bud Wruck, Sonny, Luis and Sonia were wonderful and i can't
say enough about their excellent hospitality. THANK YOU. Well see whoever is in tater ill be there for
the week rain or shine smooth air or rough air. If not see you when i get back
Later Neil.
P.S. Spirals, spins to full stalls, full stalls, 98% asymmetric collapse, frontals, b-lines,
180 spins, big big ears are KICK ASS.
Erik Webb after his first SIV Clinic 2008
The SIV clinic was definitely amazing. Even for someone with as few hours as me (<15 hours),
I feel it's made a huge difference in my comfort level. I didn't get to the point of spins
and spirals unfortunately, but playing around with all the big collapses, b-lines, big big
ears, and full stalls was loads of fun and very informative.
Being friends with everyone else at the clinic definitely made it all a lot more enjoyable
and comforting.
Thanks everyone,
Erik
Douglas La Pointe after his first SIV Clinic 2008
I think everyone has said it well. The SIV totally rocked! Being able to attend with good friends
and a great instructor made it all the better. When everything is seemingly going to hell
in a hand basket it is great to hear Luis' calm voice on the radio "Very nice, now...".
I can't say enough how important it is for everyone to attend an SIV course.
Bud Wruk's, Sonny's, and the Rosenkjer's hospitality was fantastic. They really went above
and beyond to make sure that we had a fun, comfortable, and safe course. And thanks again to
Marcos for the kiting lesson.
Douglas
P.S. We also learned that "release" and "Luis" sound very similar over
the radio with lots of wind and engine noise in the background. :-)
Fred MacDowell alter his first SIV Clinic 2008
The SIV class was truly an experience. Like Erik, I have 13 hours and wasn't comfortable enough
to do the death spirals :) but was very very very proud of my classmates who did, funnier still,
they loved em. I did the fontal collapses, B-stalls, and one deep stall that didn't work out
too well so I didn't try that again. The entire experience builds your in-flight confidence
in a way that nothing else can. And after all is said and done, you know you have been through
the worst the air has to offer and lived to tell about it. A 3/4 fontal is so violent it is
hard to imagine, but by the third one it isn't that big a deal (too bad I only did two). All
kidding aside, it was a great experience and I am a better pilot for having attended.
My suggestions to all;
- Go to an SIV they
are great and will make you safer.
- Never go to Houston in
July.
- Never try to scare
the shit out of yourself at 7:00am in the morning.
- Never let Douglas pick
the hotel.
- And lastly, when
Luis says "now this time drop your brake and pull hard", DON'T DO IT!
Love to all.
John Frazier after his first SIV Clinic 2008
Dude! You're doin' it!
The SIV was absolutely incredible. I strongly encourage anyone who hasn't attended
a clinic to put it high on their to-do list. Bud, Sonny, and Luis and family went out
of their way to put on an informative and fun clinic. My sincere thanks for a memorable and
unbelievably educational experience.
I think we all gained a new appreciation for the capability and recover-ability of our aircraft. We
spiraled, spun, stalled and collapsed our way to Nirvana this past week and a good time was
had by all.
Lida and I have the video duties this time around and we'll try to get it finished as
soon as we can.
Spirals Rock!
John
Fred and Lori MacDowell joined us on the Europe trip 2008.
Fred is a pilot and Lori flew tandems
with us:
Louis,
I can't begin to tell you how incredible our trip was. I wish I could come up with words that
could define my experience but I am at a loss. I've been looking at the pictures and videos
and I watch as if it is a movie and I'm wishing I was the girl that did all those incredible
things, I just can't believe it was really me. You will never completely understand the gift
you've given me and how close I will hold the memories in my heart and mind. Truly, this was
all a first for me and there is no one else I could have enjoyed doing it more with than you!
Now when I look up at the sky I think, I've been there and I've touched the clouds!
I've never seen the world the way you showed it to me and I think I could recount every moment
of every flight I took with you and Todd. I don't know if you know this but I got up 2 hours
before departure every day just to appreciate the view from our apartment and watch the day
come alive. I never wanted to forget how beautiful it was and how peaceful I felt while I was
there. Every day I thought I'd seen more beauty than my heart could hold then you would take
us somewhere even more breathtaking than the day before.
Everything about the trip was incredible, from the accommodations, flight locations and the
people I got to know who I now consider friends. I hope you understand how effortless you made
it all seem to us and how much we all appreciate the effort you put into making the trip such
a success. I absolutely adore you, love flying with you, and can't wait until we can do it
again!
Lori
Kim and Jay Browder learned how to fly at Atlanta Paragliding in 2008.
This email was sent to the
Southern Para Pilots Club discussion board:
Hey guys...well the weather finally cooperated and we were able to get our FMF clinic in at
Tater Wed-Fri. What an incredible time! What a beautiful site. There was more wind than Luis
would have liked, but with patience and parawaiting, we were able to get in 4 really nice flights
over the two days and loved it! The two things that strike me the most about this sport here
in our area are 1)the people...we have met the nicest people in this sport! It was really nice
to meet
Richard & Bob and we just love Bubba & Beth, the couple that came up from FLA were
a lot of fun too and 2)we are so incredibly lucky to have Luis and his family here as an instructor!
It is really awesome to be able to fly and learn from the best! Look forward to being able
to fly with all of you and have fun tonight at Lida & Johns house...wish we could be there!
Kim & Jay
Lindsay Matush after the Europe trip 2008:
Hey everyone!
I'm back in the flats and missing y'all already! just wanted to say thanks for such
a wonderful 10 days with all of you. I think I tell as many stories about each of you
as I do about the incredible flying! You are such a wonderful group of men and I just
can't think of many people I'd rather spend 10 days in france with. Thanks for all of
your tips and tricks, teaching me things and cheering for me as I progressed in my flying -
I learned so much this last week, and I'm so grateful that all of you were such a part of it. I
have lots of flying photos too, of course, but I attached just a few group shots to make you
smile. I love and miss you all!
Lindsay
Iquique 2007 statistics and comments by Susan Kent:
Wow! I am so impressed by Jim and Deb's stats. They are incredible for just a week or
so of flying. 20 hrs and 15 hours are fantastic! Great job Matuches!!
Miss you guys.
My stats: 26 hours over 14 days. But I didn't log any kiting hours and didn't
log most of my flights at palo buque except for the XC with Luis to los verdes.
Longest flight
was 3 hours 22 minutes and 60 km from Patillos to playa bravo. i actually
went to cavancha but came back to playa bravo to land in front of mangos. That's a personal
best for me in distance!! (60Km) It was a wonderful flight, and highly memorable because
I almost sank out just north of the airport. Luis sunk out trying to show Bob where the lift
was, but walked up the hill and relaunched. I ended up flying literally over Luis's head
and scratching two or three feet over the lowest part of the hill. It was my lowest save ever,
and then I made it back to Iquique! What a spectacular flight!
My second memorable flight
was flying with Todd from alto hospicio to past los verdes, almost to the airport and back.
It was my longest out and return at 45.6km. Todd and
i both tried to top land at alto hospicio (nature was calling) but got rocketed up by
a very strong thermal over launch so continued to playa bravo where we were met with pizza
and beer from Bob and Douglas at Mangos. You just can't beat days like that!! A
great flight ending with beer, friends, and food!
I put my four best flights on Leonardo
if anyone wants to see the tracks:
CLICK
HERE
I think I still have them on my 5020 GPS as well.
Other bests:
Best and most fun paragliding tour I have been on (four to date)
Most consistent flying site
Luis and Todd--best tour guides.
Best and most friendliest support crew ---Fabian, Celine, Ellie
Most friendliest, happiest, and best group I have ever flown with!!!!!!!!
Best DVD of a flying trip (ok, the only DVD I have of a flying tour)
And many, many, happy memories!
Susan
Iquique 2007 statistics and comments by Debbie and Jim Matush:
Mi Amigos!!
Do remember we came as a family, so obviously had built in encouragement! and came 4 days early
because we needed some extra practice, (and Todd, thanks for the coaching!). Also, didn’t
fly much the last 2 days L
Jim: 16 hrs Kiting; 20 hrs 4 minutes Flying, (yes I loved every minute!)- 15 Flights
Between Kiting and Flying for the 12
days, it was an average of 3 hrs/day.
My longest flight b-4 Iquique was 20 minutes not including Tandem flights and I came to this
trip with a total of 8 hrs, so a BIG WOW for me!
I appreciate you guys putting up with us early adventurers, (beginners)!
My longest flight time was 2hrs 13 minutes but my favorite was Tuesday, 11/20, making it around
the South Point from Alto Hospicio, screaming down the front range, (more good coaching from
Todd and below cloudbase Luis J) at 2000’, past the golf course and Palo Buque at which
point I lost radio contact so headed back, all the way around the point again, over launch,
cross the zig zag, scratch and low save at Clevejo, making it back up 1000’ over and
out to land at Playa Bravo with the best for last, to meet Lindsay and then Deb landing at
Bravo as well, 20 minutes later. What a Day!! What a Flight!!
Favorite moments: Special times with each of you, especially Corey, flying in the air with
Debbie and Lindsay, (occasionally seeing the top of their gliders- but more often than not
looking up at them!), good food, great wine, flying firsts in every category, the international
community of pilots, the special coaching-Thanks Todd, Luis and Marcos, kissing the clouds,
Fabian’s ipod and stunts, Saline’s encouragement, Playa Cavanche, 2
Terramoto’s –an earthquake on the sand and one underwater, meeting up with old
friends from St. Louis-what a small world, and a 25th anniversary we can’t imagine anyone
else we would rather have shared it with! God is good and we were blessed. jim
Hey this is Deb,
A big howdy to everyone. I miss you all. As we were looking at the DVD a couple
of days ago, it was wonderful to relive the trip. Boy, I sure do have a loud voice. Todd
you did an incredible job pulling the DVD together. Thanks for giving us a permanent
memory.
As for my tally, I had 15 hours of flight time and 21 hours of kiting. WOW! When
I arrived in Iquique, I had 10 hours of flight time.
My highlights are these…my first soaring flight (I cried the first time, shh don’t
tell anybody), confident launching, learning to LOVE kiting, my longest flight ever – 2:06, feeling
thermals (1000 foot climb in one), low, low scratching saves, being one of 6 female pilots,
the Chilean people, watching Marcos, watching kite skiing, Todd’s smile, Luis’ “smooth
movements”, celebrating 25 years of marriage and having Lindsay there to enjoy it with
us, Celine and Fabian, long dinners, sleep, getting to know each and everyone of you and learning
to fly.
Miss you all and I hope your year is off to a flying start!
God Bless,
Deb
Iquique 2007 statistics and comments by Fred Mac Dowell:
I actually did update my log book when I got back but never really looked at the numbers, wow!
6 hours and 22 mins of flight time over 5 days.
3 hours and 45 mins of kiting (estimated)
I realize some of you flew more than that in one day, but this is great for me.
Before going I had a total of 4 hours and 10 mins (P2 + 0) all basically 5 min sled rides.
So basically everything was a personal best, including the time I spend on
the ground with all of you.
Fred MacDowell
Atlanta, GA USA
Iquique 2007 comments by Lindsay Matush:
Hey everyone -
I'm back at home and hard at work again on American soil!
Apparently while we were enjoying ourselves in the Southern hemisphere, my mid-Western hometown
of Joplin experienced a horrible drop in temperature, celebrated this holiday called Thanksgiving,
and got its first snow. As I was scraping ice off of my windshield this morning I thought, "I'm
definitely not in South America anymore..." I just wanted to thank y'all for making
this trip such a wonderful experience - I loved spending time with each of you. And of
course it was wonderful to fly, kite, sweat, drink, laugh, and eat strange and unidentifiable
food with you all as well. You are an incredible group of people and I hope to fly with
you all again soon. I hope y'all post back and let us know that you made it home okay. Kevin,
let us know when you get the picture/server thing figured out. Thanks for making this
such an amazing experience for me!
~Lindsay
