List Six: Ten Other Places to Fly a Kite
I get asked all of the time where are the best places to fly, and I am beginning to get bored with my answer. It is the safe answer, it is the 'correct' answer. It is the answer that pleases most people.
"The best places to fly are the wide open spaces. The beach, soccer fields, or other areas with good wind and no obstructions."
While this is true, it lacks the creativity and fun that can come from flying your kite everywhere. If I were to answer how I want, it would be "Wherever you are, that is the best place to fly a kite". Therefore, here is a list of ten OTHER places you should try flying a kite. Most of which I have done, some of which I have yet to try.
One of my goals this year is to fly in a different spot each month, a new spot, a spot that normally isn't a kite flying spot. Perhaps I can use this list as a bit of inspiration.
1. On a Mountainside - The mountains are prone to fickle winds, drastic weather changes, difficult terrain. Everything to test the kite flier. Try it.
2. From a Boat - It is moving... so there is wind. Make it happen
3. In a Doctor's/Dentist Waiting Room - Personally I would recommend using a small indoor kite such as the iFlite or smaller for this. But, what a great way to pass away the time instead of reading 4 year old magazines!
4. In a Street Alley - Urban kite flying is alive and well, and has been around for a few decades. It is edgy, gritty, and pushes not only the flier to be better, put gives a thousand things to play with. Get creative.... Much love to my friend John Barresi and his urban adventures.
5. In a Museum/Art Gallery - **be respectful with this one!! Take kite flying into the art space, and show that it is an art in itself! When I do the Seattle Mini Maker Faire, and the Portland Mini Maker Faire those are hosted in museums (MoPop - Seattle, OMSI - Portland) Getting chances to fly in those museum spaces was amazing! By the way, check out this video from my friend over at Worlds Greatest Kiting. They helped host a full art show dedicated to kites and brought in kite fliers to perform!
6. In the Woods - Traditional good advice would tell you to take your kite and fly it away from the trees and other things that can snag the line or catch your kite. Why not mix it up and fly between the trees! On a recent trip Paul and I headed into the Redwoods in Northern California and did just that! (See us fly on the beach first, then about 2 minutes in we switch to hanging out in the Redwoods.)
7. Schools - Not just on the grounds, but in the gym! Get your indoor flying game on, and run around entertaining a bunch of screaming kids.
8. Concert Venue - Try flying with a band, while they are playing. This photo was from the final year of the Antelope Island Stampede. It was a festival like no other. It was a music festival, a BMX show, a Party, a Kite Show, a Hot Air Balloon festival... it was all things at all of the times... and it was magical. Here my friend Ben Dantonio is messing around while the band warms up.
9. At a Waterfall - It is going to take some work to figure out how to make this one work. But what if you did!!! There are several stories of folks flying at Niagara Falls (including a very cool historical story)
10. On a Bridge - How about this photo! I know it is hard to see, but I am on a suspension bridge high up in the mountains of British Columbia flying an iFlite on a calm day. Boy was it fun to feel the wind moving around me, and the bridge bouncing, and the lines hum. It was a magical moment, and is something I want to recreate!
