If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you. |
After the Indoor Rock Climbing Mystery Date, I realized my next one was coinciding with Kathleen's 30th Birthday month. I wanted it to be special so I decided to: 1) do it on her actual birthday and 2) make it way more interesting than dinner and a movie. Now to figure out what to do...
 | I remember having a funny conversation about how adventurous we could make a Mystery Date, since rock climbing had introduced a whole other level. When I suggested skydiving, Kathleen emphatically said, "NO WAY!!! I need time to prep for something like that!" I was joking of course, but I can totally understand her reaction. |
But I knew my birthday girl could handle some adventure, so when I stumbled on the iFLY website, I knew indoor skydiving would be perfect (no need to get in or jump out of a plane!)
| We 'flew' over to iFLY in Union City and Kathleen was pretty perplexed until we pulled into the parking lot. There was a small moment of panic when she saw the "Skydiving" part of the sign, but quickly became excited and curious when she found out it was the indoor variety. |  |
After signing the waivers, we went upstairs to the large chamber made of clear Plexiglas (think vertical wind tunnel). We got into our flight suits and the instructor prepped us on what to expect and how to best maneuver when the wind turbines were on full blast. Fortunately the instructor got into the tunnel to help out, but it was really about how quickly you could become comfortable with incredible amount of air blasting you.
Kathleen went first and quickly made it look easy, almost like she was surfing the air. I could tell by the huge grin on her face she was having a ton of fun. Or maybe it was the sheer amount of air blasting her face that was making her smile. Either way, she said it was an awesome thrill when she was done.
My turn did not quite go as smoothly. I tried to muscle my way against the wind and it made just getting off the floor very frustrating. But once I settled down, I was able to get up in the air and experience the feeling of simulated free fall.
After floating back to Earth, we headed north for something familiar, one of Kathleen's favorite childhood spots, Lake Chabot. I decided on one of the Castro Valley bluffs overlooking Lake Chabot and surprisingly, Kathleen had never been before. We hiked up a bit and were rewarded with some really unique perspectives of Lake Chabot and the East Bay.
My turn did not quite go as smoothly. I tried to muscle my way against the wind and it made just getting off the floor very frustrating. But once I settled down, I was able to get up in the air and experience the feeling of simulated free fall.
After floating back to Earth, we headed north for something familiar, one of Kathleen's favorite childhood spots, Lake Chabot. I decided on one of the Castro Valley bluffs overlooking Lake Chabot and surprisingly, Kathleen had never been before. We hiked up a bit and were rewarded with some really unique perspectives of Lake Chabot and the East Bay.
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The final stop for the inaugural Birthday Mystery Date was dinner at Le Colonial, a French-Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of the City. We started upstairs in the bar to try a few of their signature cocktails. I especially enjoyed the Pura Vida. Then back downstairs for dinner, where we had a fantastic meal in an intimate, cozy booth. We finished the birthday celebration with the Le Colonial Banana Split that Kathleen absolutely loved. She still talks about it to this day!
This ended up being a very big Mystery Date, but the birthday girl had so much fun it was all worth it!
This ended up being a very big Mystery Date, but the birthday girl had so much fun it was all worth it!
