Fall Colors

 Colors

In our quest to skydive in all 50 states my wife Paula and I were driving through Massachusetts.

It was Fall and the trees were changing colors.

Traffic was heavy because the leaf peepers were out in force. We took country roads to avoid the traffic and to see the foliage in its glory.

100 miles out from Pepperell, Massachusetts. we drove into a wind front. Colored leaves swirled around us like a rainbow snow storm. The show of leaves lasted for ten miles until we overtook the wind storm. Our car burst out into the clear, calm air restoring the colorful trees to our peripheral vision.

We drove on.

Arriving a the Pepperell skydiving center, we checked in at manifest. The staff at Pepperell were friendly and welcoming. While manifesting Paula and I on the next airplane I said the the staffer,

“We are trying to jump in all fifty states, so we intend to land in New Hampshire.”

New Hampshire is 100 yards north of the Pepperell runway and does not have a skydiving center.

“You will have to talk to the DZO if you want to do that,” said the staffer.

I walked around the building the the Drop Zone Owner’s office.

Fran is a smiling, genuine woman who put her hand out to shake mine.

“I’m Fran. What can I do for you?”

Hi. I’m Rick. I am here with my wife. We are from California on a quest to jump in all 50 states. Manifest said we had to talk to you, since we would like to land in New Hampshire on the first jump.”

“Well…” she began with a pause…” If I told you the rules, then you would not be able to do that.”

I could almost see the wink and the nod.

“OK, thank you.” I left her office.

Paula and I geared up and went to the Drop Zone (DZ) briefing where we saw the aerial view of the airport and landing area. Confident in the layout, I took Paula by the hand and followed the other skydivers to the plane.

The airplane was a Cessna 206 with a large plexiglass door. It taxied to the tarmac, ran up its engines and roared down the runway, leaping into the air.

At 1500 feet we opened the door and looked down.

It is a little known fact that fall colors begin at the tops of the trees where the sun is the brightest. Because the leaves were in direct sunlight they vibrated with neon color. The spectral show stretched to the horizon.

A mile or two away there was a disturbance in the trees. A plume of color rose from the treetops. It formed a line from horizon to horizon and was moving fast. As the Cessna continued to climb we saw the wind front approaching the DZ quickly.

At altitude the wind line was practically upon us. On jump run the pilot (a grizzled old veteran aviator) flew well past the DZ and into the wind. 

The pilot looked over his shoulder and yelled, “GET OUT NOW!”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“GET OUT NOW OR YOU WON’T MAKE IT BACK.”

Paula and I exited the plane.

We joined up in a two way skydive, took each other’s hand and slowly turned in 360° circles.

Beyond the turbulence were the fall colors as far as the eye could see.

As we looked north past the end of the runway I saw a plowed farmer’s field.

I pointed toward the field and we both began to track in free fall toward it.

At 4000 feet we were just upwind of the field. I faced Paula and waved off. Paula deployed her parachute and a moment later I opened mine.

Still up wind I steered toward the field.

Too fast.

This wind was strong.

I turned back into the wind and began to back up toward the field.

“The old pilot was right about the spot,” I said to myself.

Paula had taken her cues from me and stayed close during the descent.

We both touched down in a stiff wind and pulled down hard on one steering toggle to bury our parachutes into the ground.

We stood grinning at each other, in New Hampshire.

So as not to attract too much attention we walked back into Massachusetts to the field near the end of the runway.

By now the wind front had past and the day was bright, sunny and calm again.

We packed our parachutes.

Just as we were closing the DZ truck came racing across the field.

It brodied around our position and the DZO yelled out the window:

“You Californian’s sure have terrible accuracy, but I know you want to jump in Massachusetts so I manifested you on the next plane. Get in the back of the truck.

So we got in the back of the truck and she drove us to the airplane.

Out of pride. on this second jump, we landed on center on the Massachusetts DZ target.