Motorless flight The biplane ride motivated us to soar in motorless planes from the Seminole-Lake Gliderport in Clermont, Florida. To enhance our viewing, each of us sat in front of our pilots in two-seat gliders. “Gliding is safe because there are no engines to fail,” they explained, prior to the flights. “You don’t need wind to stay aloft – just sunlight to heat up the ground, creating thermals which we follow up and down.” After tow-planes pulled the gliders up a kilometre high, the pilots disconnected the ropes with aclunk. Silence followed as we spiralled through blue skies and puffy clouds. Gently holding the sticks in front of us, we followed the maneuvers of our pilots. They banked tightly above forested landscapes and then rotated the gliders so that the wings were at 90-degree angles to the ground. We found ourselves looking straight out of the canopies at orange groves, rather than the sky. The wingovers were the highlights of our flights. After our gentle landings, we emerged from the gliders on Cloud Nine. Playing Tarzan As we slid through the Costa Rican forest on a zipline, 45 metres above the ground, we understood how Tarzan felt as he swung through the jungle on a liana vine. We just had to work up the courage to take that first step off the platform. Canopy tours consist of ziplines strung between platforms attached to tall trees. Our guide Diego connected safety ropes to our climbing gear before we ascended the ladder to the first wooden platform. From here, the second platform in the arms of a huge strangler fig looked very far away. “There’s no turning back now,” said Diego, as he demonstrated how to control our speed by using leather gloves to grip the cable behind the pulley attached to our harnesses. The scenery dissolved in a green blur, as we whizzed across to the next two platforms. At the third platform, we had to muster up the courage to rappel 45 metres down a huge kapok tree. After stepping off, we realized that we weren’t falling. We gripped the ropes behind our backs to control our descent rate and enjoyed the transition from the forest canopy to the ground. Tarzan would be proud of us. ExperienceFountainHills.org Enjoy small town charm within the Greater Phoenix Metro Area. Close proximity to: • Outstanding health, wellness, and outdoor recreation opportunities • Six of Arizona’s finest 18-hole public golf courses • Scenic vistas, hiking/biking trails • Saguaro Lake and Canyon Lake • We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort • Unique art, music and cultural festivals • Many distinct dining experiences FOUNTAIN HILLS WELCOMES CANADIAN VISITORS! CSANews | FALL 2021 | 23 Travel
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