USA - Los Angeles

International Volleyball match from our hotel balcony!!!
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Driving out of Vegas we could not help but grin at the fleet of cars heading the opposite direction, probably in a desperate search,either for a 'that' lucky win or to make use of the lapse legal laws Vegas has. We certainly tried!

Arriving into LA we hooked up with a friend of Rich's cousin who kindly gave us his 5* hotel room (a free perk from his job). So with a room the size of a tennis court overlooking Miami beach, we as any normal guys would do, went out partying it up and invited people back to the hotel for a party.

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It was in LA where I completed my biggest ambition - to skydive. But nottypical one where you are strapped to an instructor (tandem). Oh no, I wanted to be responsible for pulling my own cord. Yeah.....i know what your thinking!

Anyhow, after 5 hours of intense training, 3 of them concentrated on problems in the sky, walking out of the training room I was convinced, either my parachut wouldn't come out, or not inflate properly leaving me to rely on a rusty old reserve chut. Great!

The 2 other hours was spent on procedures when exiting the plane and the movements I had to follow in the air. This was - checking my altometer watch for height, look right direction, look left direction, look for instructions from the instructor, practice reaching for the location of the parachut cord, and pulling it for real at the appropriate height. Oh and not forgetting to wave to the camera and video man. As Rich had done this mental sport many times before with Army TA he was shown into another room for more advanced tuition to do turns etc.

Recording what I thought would be my last video moment I said my goodbyes before stepping onto the twin propelled plane. Wearing my B.A. Baricas "Crazy Fool" t-shirt I couldn't help but think I really was a crazy fool.

Stepping onto the plane and reviewing the antics from the previous 6 weeks, Rich and I both had to grin about the adventures yet to come....in Fiji.