After two whole days and nights, we were Las Vegas-ed out. We partook of the Treasure Island booty at the buffet for breakfast, then headed to the nearest Kinko's (LV has four) to do a bit of up and downloading. That done, there was just one more thing we had to check out before heading out of the city that makes you sleep really good eventually. Flyaway.
Inside lies the key to flight.
That's the name of the indoor skydiving tunnel just off the strip. We had seen it on our last trip to Lost Wages, but hadn't ventured inside the tunnel. This time we suited up in jumpsuits akin to the Michelin Man on a tie-dye trip, donned helmets and goggles and jumped out above the huge fan spinning at speeds fast enough to push the air up at over 120mph.
Brant soaring...
The guys there were great, and we chatted with them for quite a while after the jump. They gave us all kinds of leads on cool stuff to do around Vegas and across the country. But the true thrill of the day was flying. The 20-foot high, 12-foot wide tunnel recreates an environment akin to the freefall stage of a skydive...only you never have to hit the ground.
Aryn hanging loose.
Brant and I got to have the tunnel all to ourselves, with Richard the instructor to fling us around. Totally padded on all sides and grounded by a double-mesh trampoline separating you from the whirling blades, you dive from the bouncy sides straight into the air towards the middle of the tunnel. And if you do it just right, you stay up there, suspended in mid-air. We'd both sky-dived tandem once before, and though the tunnel definitely doesn't create the same adrenaline rush as jumping at 10,000, it is an incredible experience. The guys that are good at it turn the tunnel into an anti-gravity chamber, performing such tricks and maneuvers you would only find in a Spider Man comic.
Brant decided he would build a wind tunnel in his house someday as we headed out of Flyaway, and finally out of Vegas. We headed over the incredible Hoover Dam as the sun set. Destination: Tucson.
Hoover dam from the top.
