Blog Entry 95 of 95
Charmaine in the city
I've called the Denver area home for more than two
decades now. But this urban/mountain city is still full of surprises. I'll be posting my adventures here, as I explore local eateries, shops and sharing birthday and vacation photos. And once in a while, I'll throw in a music, movie or food review. I hope to keep this blog interactive, so don't be shy to suggest places I should visit. And check it out: I'm on
Brendan's List. Rock on!
A lesson in indoor skydiving
Contributed by:
Charmaine Robledo/YourHub.com
on 6/26/2008
Every month we do a special section of
YourHub.com called
Faces of. We profile businesses, community leaders and folks in their daily jobs.
So far, we've profiled people who live in Lakewood and Edgewater, Arvada and Wheat Ridge, Denver, South Metro areas which include Littleton, Englewood and Centennial, Broomfield and Westminster and our newest section highlights people in Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree and Roxborough.
I've met some really interesting people doing our
Faces of sections. I've interviewed a minister, an employee with Chuck E. Cheese, a pet groomer, a stage manager, an assistant director for a community theater troupe and a skydiving instructor.
To be specific,
Derek Vanboeschoten is a wind tunnel instructor at
SkyVenture Colorado in Lone Tree. When we were assigned Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree to profile, I jumped at the chance to talk with someone at SkyVenture. I thought it would be so fun to watch Derek in action and take some photos of a class. Little did I know, I was in for a ride -- literally!
As I was interviewing Derek on June 5, he told me he had a surprise for me. He handed me a waiver form and told me I was going in the tunnel to experience SkyVenture for myself. Ah, the perks of being a journalist.
Truth be told, I was a little freaked out at the prospect of flopping around a 45-foot-tall tunnel gushing with 120 mile per hour winds. Watching other folks in there, I knew for sure I was going to be out of control. Thankfully, Derek was a good teacher. And I had such a great time! At first, you're just trying to keep balance and trying to remember to keep your arms out, your legs bent and your head up. It certainly does take some coordination. But after a couple turns in there, you get the hang of it.
I learned a valuable lesson in not trying to talk while 1,200 horse-powered winds are keeping you up. I had drool lines up the side of my face plus indentions in my cheeks from the goggles. Best. Time. Ever.
I am not sure if I'm ready to do a plane jump just yet. I would like to try it someday. But I think I'll do a few more turns at SkyVenture before doing anything drastic.
Our special
Faces of Highlands Ranch will be coming out Saturday, June 28, to subscribers of the
Rocky Mountain News and
The Denver Post. But you can read my profile on Derek Vanboeschoten online at YourHub.com by
clicking here.
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