It was a beautiful day so we decided to ride our bikes on the old Roman road that runs along the front of the Alpilles. It’s a great route past vineyards and orchards, with views of the Alpilles all along it. The road ends at the airport outside of town, a little place for small planes and gliders.
Lots of
people were there today so we decided to stop and watch the action. There were a few single-passenger planes that
took off, vintage models that had been lovingly cared for by their owners over
the years. Then some gliders landed,
almost silently floating by and then smoothly sliding along the grassy field.
The glider
takeoffs were the most fun, though. The
gliders were attached to a long cable that suddenly started retracting. The planes shot forward and up, climbing at
about a 45 degree angle, kind of like a kite does when you launch it and run
quickly into the wind. (Well, not like
the kites I made as a kid. Those crashed
within seconds, which could have had something to do with my unorthodox
construction technique of sticks + newspaper + rubber bands + hope.)
This all took
place at the foot of the Alpilles and below Chateau Romanin, one of my favorite
wineries. What a great location!
It brought
back wonderful memories of high school, when my good friend Chris and I were on
the cross country team together. Sometimes
on the weekend we would go for a run out to Oakland Airport, then up to the
observation deck to watch planes take off and land. Eventually we’d run home but Chris always
wanted to stay longer – which could explain his career as a pilot.
KVS
Ready to go
Up, up and away!
A beautiful place
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