Saturday, July 4, 2015

25. Zipline with M.M. - CHECK

The best parts of this 4040 list are the items with the least amount of direction. I'm having the most fun letting happenstance and serendipity (my favorite word and concept) fill in the blanks. For instance, yesterday's event was ziplining with my friend, M. We didn't specify where we would do this, we just knew we wanted to experience it together,so when I discovered we could zipline on the longest, mobile zipline as part of the Fair St. Louis celebration in Forest Park, we both said, YES! And for only $10!

The zipline is the shortest part of the story. The walk there from my University parking spot and the people we met throughout the adventure made the event memorable.

The walk. I told M we could park at work and walk to Forest Park. She had pictured the main campus (much closer to Forest Park). I didn't think to clarify that I work in an off-campus location. I slowed my long-stride pace to accommodate this comedic error. We enjoyed conversation with the backdrop of big historic homes and condos with new construction tossed in here and there down the street. We were shielded from the sun by mature trees that provided great shade for much of the walk.

The hallmark of my friendship with M is our laughter. We make each other laugh a lot. This walk had plenty of laughter.

We made it to Forest Park and opted to let the golf carts stationed to transport fair goers to take us the rest of the way to the Zipline.

The whole morning I blocked out the fact that I'm not in love with heights and that this activity might actually be quite scary. Block, Block, Block.


We met Bobby, with his lovely Georgia accent, and his team. They gave us the harnesses to step into and tightened them around our waist and M and I began our ascent.


At the top, we met Adam.


We chatted with Adam as we watched the people in front of us zipline. Suddenly it registered that for me to do this, I had to initiate the step off the platform. I looked over at M and I identified my own fear as I saw it cross her face. Adam assured us that we could go at the same time. He opened the doors for us. M and I looked at each other and stepped off. For three seconds, I couldn't breathe and then once I settled into the feel of the harness around my waist and legs, I enjoyed the ride.

It was a thrill! We stepped out of the harnesses and took them back to Bobby at the entrance. We chatted a few more minutes and then set out to walk back to my car.

The day's activity is a great example of how it's not the destination but the journey that is so important.

We saw the golf carts again and decided we would take one back to shorten our walk. This is when we met Brandon, our golf cart driver. We chatted with Brandon and explained that we were celebrating my fortieth birthday with a trip down the zipline. His shocked reaction to my age was priceless and earned him bonus points.

We chatted the entire way back to the free parking offered at my off-campus location. Brandon was lovely. He had personality, charm, and meeting him (and getting a ride back) was a great way to end our fun experience.


This is check off #2 for the holiday weekend. I'm on pace to knock off one or two more this weekend.

STAY TUNED...



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