OPERATION KITTY HAWK

Now that the excitement of the wilderness has worn off, I'm focusing all my attention on the next big adventure: flying.

Until recently, I thought flying meant hang gliding. But I now know there's another option: kiteboarding. The World Kiteboarding Championship was held here in San Francisco over the weekend - at the very same beach we go to all the time. I'm sure this is no coincidence. I take it as a sure sign I'm destined to fly.

If you've never seen kiteboarding happen, it's really cool (video). See that surfboard thing I'm standing on? Attach it to a great big (and I mean BIG) kite like this one:

... and off you go!

My human said there's probably a little more to it, that you might need to know how to kiteboard before you can take flight. So I did some research. Ok, don't tell my human this, but my friend Wikipedia says kiteboarding doesn't exactly sound safe.

Being airborne at inappropriate places can be hazardous! Sudden gusts of wind can carry you off... and into buildings, nearby traffic or power lines. Most kiteboarding fatalities (fatalities?!?) are the result of a collision with a hard surface like water and sand. I guess I could wear some sort of padding, just in case. Maybe a helmet?

Anyway. Wiki also said something about "marine hazards". This part has me a little worried. Marine hazards include sharks, jellyfish, sea otters, dolphins, and even crocodiles, depending on the location. I've already had one shark scare and been assaulted by a jellyfish. But CROCODILES? I'm afraid to ask if we have them here. Totally looking into that before I take this kiteboarding thing any further.

Will keep you posted.