Saturday, June 7, 2003

Sky Dive Idaho

Caldwell Airport, 11:00 AM

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We made our first commemorative skydive at the Caldwell Airport to recognize those amputees in the Boise area who have overcome physical disability and have achieved success in living an active life.  The day began cloudy and very windy but abated in the early afternoon.  Joe was scheduled to jump, but due to equipment problems, was unable to join his brethren of the skies.  Due to the high winds earlier in the day there were numerous cancellations so Bruce decided to try his first tandem jump.  A short video of Bruce's reactions after the jump will be displayed shortly so please be patient.  Also with Bruce is Chris , an 11 year old amputee who we met at the HealthSouth visitation yesterday.  Chris and his family came out to the Caldwell Airport to watch us skydive.  As is our custom, each skydive is dedicated to amputees we have met who demonstrate that "attitude" quality that inspires us all.

The amputees of note are:

Chris Rhodes
Captain Jim Tibbs
Ray Carolton
Juanita Iwakiri
John Bolin
Sarah Pedersen 

Here Bruce prays to his God for forgiveness and support for the foolish and moronic stunt he is about to perform.  In the background is a member of the crew attempting to pry him off the table as the plane was waiting to take off.

After much coaxing and bribes of money and diet coke, Bruce was once again on his feet putting on his "game" face.  Note the sunglasses in a vain attempt to hide the look of paralyzing fear in his eyes.  The skydive was a "tandem" jump meaning Bruce was attached to a tandem master skydiver who basically does all the work.  This allows the rookie ample time to contemplate the concept of afterlife.

Cheryl questions Bruce about the details of his insurance policy and current will.

Mark, Bruce, Jim and Chris pose just before the plane takes off. 

Although skydiving is one of the safest sports around, Bruce was required to wear a "danger" sticker on the back of his harness to alert other skydivers of his amateur status.

Here Bruce and Cheryl pose with Chris after the jump.  The jump was an exhilarating experience.  The rush of the wind and the feeling of floating on air is like nothing ever felt before.  It was quite a day.

Tomorrow we leave the beautiful city of Boise, Idaho and head further east to Soldier Mountain, Idaho. Due to the highly rustic setting of the area, we will be isolated from contact by cellular phones and will not be able to post our journal for Sunday (Soldier Mountain,ID) and Monday (Arco, ID) until Tuesday when we return to civilization and arrive in Pocatello, Idaho.

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