The California Chronicle Day – 12: Friday 4 September 2009. | |
10 September 2009 Skye Camanachd’s Cuairt gu The whole squad decides they will go Skye Diving and we order transport for 14 people. What turns up is a stretch limo and a Cadillac. The younger members leap into the limo, but regret their action when they discover the air conditioning does not work, and they spend 2.5 hours sweating in a mobile greenhouse in temperatures of 105degrees. Not the best when you’ve been out the night before. David Grant is the most apprehensive, so apprehensive that he reveals he has brought with him a spare pair of pants. The Skydiving centre is very organized, although the plane looks like it first flew in 1944, and we sign our lives away, meet our instructors and get togged up. As the engines roar us up to 13,000 feet, we all give each other the thumbs up, but inwardly say a little prayer – whose idea was this? As the plane levels out, the door is flung open and there is no time to think. Out jumps the camera man and quickly we follow. Head back, cross your arms, JUMP! We tumble out and gasp as the air rushes past our ears at high volume making breathing difficult and speech impossible. The earth rushes towards us at 100mph. After 55 seconds of freefall, which seems like 5, the ripcord is pulled and everything is suddenly silent as we float gently down, turning back towards the hanger and gliding into land – we’ve done it! Everyone is bubbling with excitement and relief, some ready to do it again, others say never again. David Grant says he wasn’t worried about a thing. The heroine is Marion MacDonald who loved every second of the experience and wants to do it again right away. Meanwhile back at the games, AB has entered the piping competition but does not play his best. He cites the effects of the dry atmosphere on his pipe reeds, but others suspect severe exhaustion is more likely the cause. That evening we get on our kilts, but this time they do not have the same effect – as everyone in Pleasanton seems to be wearing one that night. We head to Izzy’s restaurant for the largest steaks yet seen on the trip and we wonder what size the cows are here. There is a bit of a sing-song in the bar afterwards with a few renditions of ‘Sweet Home Alan Palmer’, and ‘I did it |