The other evening I was driving up to Elk Grove from Stockton on Highway 99. Along the way there is a skydiving center just off the road. As the parachuters descend, for a few seconds it appears that they are going to drop down right in the middle of the road, then they use their parachuting magic and drop into a field adjacent to the busy highway. I'm sure they know what they're doing and have done thousands of drops over the years, but as a driver it is very disconcerting to see 5 or 6 people hovering over the road in front of you. I can't imagine what it would be like from the other angle - descending from the sky on your first skydive attempt and seeing a bunch of fast moving cars directly below you. Moral of the story: In my opinion, putting a skydiving center next to a freeway = bad idea. Of course, if you're brave enough to jump out of a plane with a small piece of nylon (or whatever parachutes are made of) separating you from a painful death, you may not be that worried about freeway traffic. I've always had an unusually high sense of self-preservation, so I may not be the best judge of skydiving safety. It just seems like a really bad idea.
3 comments:
Freaky! Rob has jumped out of a plane and says he wants to do it again. I'm forbidding him until Mia turns 18!
When I jumped it was next to a shooting range...so traffic? not so bad.
Why do they put skydiving establishments in such dangerous locations? Is it really that easy to stick the landing where you want? What if the shooting range people get spooked and start aiming for the jumpers? Too much for me!
Kate - Justin told me a couple of days ago that he wanted to go skydiving with his friend Todd. I gave him your line and told him he'd have to wait until our unborn child turns 18. :)
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