I've got to admit that I wasn't expecting your reason for flight tips between LV and BHC to be what it is.

I busted two windshields with my head (that could explain a few things) in my early teens with my parents driving the cars. My mom is no longer with us, and I won't ride in a car that my dad is driving. I'll get out and walk if I'm riding with someone who is driving in a manner that I feel is unsafe. At the same time, my daily driver is a high performance sports car. It's 11 years old, handles like nothing I've ever driven before I bought it. I guarantee you that I've driven around or out of more accidents than I care to think about, but that's why I love the car that I drive.

Conquering fears. I used to have a severe fear of falling. I wasn't afraid of heights, but I used to have recurring nightmares about falling. They started when I watched a friend fall to his death from my 3rd story apartment window in 1973.

10 years ago, some friends were going to go bungee jumping from a hot air balloon. I thought they were crazy, but went along to watch. They didn't get to jump that day because the wind kicked in and the balloon had to be tethered down. I did watch some other people take the leap before the wind came in, and it instilled just a tiny bit of curiosity in my mind as to wondering if that was something that I could do.

....a week later, I had a two-piece bungee harness strapped me, bungee cords connected and was climbing into a hot air balloon basket.

When the balloon reached an altitude high enough for me to jump without planting my face into the ground below (the cords were 110' long,) the pilot gave me the instructions for stepping out of the basket onto the launch platform. The launch platform was about the size of a car license plate. I climbed over the side of the basket onto the license plate. I was hanging onto the basket struts that connect it to the balloon envelope like I'd never be able to let go, and my legs were moving like a pair of sewing machines. It was the singular most frightening moment in my entire life. I brought along an extra pair of pants and underwear just in case I embarrassed myself, but every part of my body was so puckered up, there was no way anything was going to be involuntarily released!

They did a countdown from the ground (you can hear people talking from 250' in the air) and I jumped. It was an ugly jump as far as bungee goes, it looks more like I fell than jumped (they video taped each jump for each person who did one.)

That ugly jump made me want to do it right, so I was back up there a couple weeks later with the same people, and brought more friends to give it try. I did a perfect swan dive at 250' on a 110' cord, bounced a couple times, and the balloon lowered me to the ground safe and sound. The wind conditions that day were great, so second jumps, at a double length bungee cord were available.

I signed up for the double length fall. I wanted to be first. I wanted to climb out onto the platform before the balloon was high enough for a double length jump! ALL of my fear was gone! I just wanted some serious air time!

The nightmares were history after the first jump. I met the fear head on, and kicked its butt right out of my head. Sometimes its the only way to relieve your inner self of serious gremlins.

Bob