Whaaa-hooo!

Three years ago, my parents and I were walking around San Francisco and saw a zip line set up at a street fair.  Mom wanted to go, but they were wrapping up for the evening.  Ever since then, Mom brings up doing a zip line every chance she gets.  Last Saturday, Mom finally got her opportunity.  I’ll leave out the frankly annoying tale about how I came about having a Groupon for a Zip Line for two, and simply say that I was delighted to share the day with my Mom. 

Under a clear blue sky and hot summer sun, Mom and I arrived at the rather unassuming office for Eco-Zipline Tours, just south of New Florence on Highway 19.  As we got fitted for our gear, we checked out our fellow adventurers; they were an intriguing mix of people.  Three girlfriends from St. Louis who enjoyed getting out and trying new things.  A mother and her two young daughters, one in that awkward stage where you’re deciding if you should sneak makeup to school in our backpack, and the other still young enough to enjoy Barbies.  A guy and a girl who I never quite figured out if they were together or not. 

Our tour guides were Ronnie and Mike.  Ronnie was hot, Mike was sweet.  Both of them loved being on the zip lines and made the experience fun, even between zips.  After a quick tutorial on how to brake on the lines, we were off.  Mike was the first one to zip out, and I was next. 

I have to say that stepping off that platform the first time, I was a bit trepidatious. But that first zip was rather anti-climatic.  I don’t know what I was expecting- you have to have some sort of training run, or oh-my-god-I-really-really-don’t-think-I-can-do-this run.  Mom came next, and then we watched the little girls come across.  The younger one was having a much better time than her sister. 

The next zip was better; we didn’t have to worry about our new braking skills and the woods were lovely.  Mom was having a good time, and I was regretting that I’d just gotten the cheap tour.  This is something we could do all day and be just as happy as could be.

Near the end of our tour, they gave us the option of upgrading to the longer tour.  No question, we were going on.  Thankfully, the young family was done, the maybe couple or not also were finished, and it was just the three girlfriends who were out for an adventure to join us.  Those ladies, by the way, were a hoot. 

The zips only got better.  My favorite one was the one where Ronnie bounced the line as you jumped off and your zip was like riding a roller coaster.  Following this was probably the one that ran across a ravine, offering a scenic view of the Ozarks. 

The tour guides kept giving us little tidbits as we went.  On one of the zips, Ronnie popped the zipline and let us watch the wave run back and forth down the cable.  They estimated that the wave was going 60mph.  At another spot, Mike had a rock that they had collected nearby with shell fossils in the limestone.  The science geek in me loved the trivia.

Mom and I had a great time, and our tour came to an end much too quickly.  But, having done it once, I think we’ll be looking for other opportunities to go zipping through the woods. 

Eco Zipline Tours:  http://www.ecoziplinetours.com/