Tornado Alley (PROG)

[DesertDrifter]

Helicopter work is an adrenaline junkie's dream job. To rappel out of them next to a wildfire was certainly fun. To get hired onto a crew means you already know how to work fires and are proficient at it, then the next most important features are not being prone to motion sickness, no big fear of flying, ability to do math mostly in your head to do load calculations and density/altitude determinations, and spending a few days in the woods with no back up usually. On my days off, I flew hang gliders. But somehow, I never even thought about heights and was always the guy sent up the towers, etc.

But at about the retirement age, I suddenly developed a fear of heights for no apparent reason or incident. I did land hard in a helicopter a couple times, but I was never the one that got injured.

Also, I never thought twice about mountain roads, as that is my habitat. However, I have even become more timid on back roads... this video is of a place called Doherty Slide, and is the rim of an extinct volcano. It is an 8 percent grade for four miles, with no guardrails or shoulder, 1000 feet down is the valley floor. Truckers do not love it. It is on the way to my favorite opal spot, and there is not really a way around it for many miles.

I found it very interesting that you developed a healthy respect for heights as you aged... now I know I am not the only one.