SKY STORY
Nikon D3200 - Nikkor 70-300mm
The wind combs the hills to form a wall, an ascending air mass that allows you to take off the clouds; It allows them, because for me it is just admiration (at least for now) of those people who run the winds and tame the skies. That they have what it takes to be able to enjoy that inexplicable feeling, the dream of many, to fly. Adrenaline mixed with peace and serenity is what I can imagine how it could feel hanging from a candle, I personally always had admiration for birds and their natural way of moving, perfect for flying over soils, rivers, mountains and oceans.
How not to observe a Condor without thinking of a figure of wisdom and strength, masters of the air, use the so-called "thermals" to gain height, air tubes that rise, sometimes forming clouds thanks to being currents with warmer temperatures. In Uruguay we do not have condors in these times, but in our mountains and coasts the "Urubú" or Cuervo, as it is also known, inhabits among others, which like the condor uses planning techniques, flies almost without flapping, its wings almost do not they move, they spread out forming a wide surface that allows them to use the thermals to be carried away by that updraft. The same thing that my friend Martin uses to fly with his paraglider. This weekend we accompanied Martín to fly to the black hill in Eden Vineyard, two friends and I went with his in his car, it was only 30 minutes until we reached the place. Adrian was waiting there, another paragliding lover with whom we were going to share the afternoon.
Climbing the hill was not very difficult, even though it did have its incline, what caused it was rather a bit of heat and sweat when reaching the top. The road skirted the hill under the native vegetation forming humid and shady areas, to gradually make room for the sunlight, already above the landscape was clear, only small bushes, grass, rocks and a wide view was what we find. A perfectly natural take-off area was our whereabouts for that day, by then it was approximately 2 in the afternoon, the sun was in full swing and it forced us to drink plenty of water in addition to having to calm the urge to eat, none of us had We had lunch, just a short breakfast, a couple of ham and cheese crescents and we were ready for action, well they were ready to fly and we were ready to watch.
The wind brought stronger gusts at times and other calmer ones, we had to wait for the most appropriate moment for takeoff and that the wind did not cross, but for our luck things turned out well and they were able to fly, together with the Urubúes they shared the sky as if they were a couple more birds. Warm up because the temperature drops as the height increases and they were ready! The black hill has a height of 280 meters above sea level, having a drop of approximately 100 meters from its base, we are not talking about a great height, but for a country where its highest point is almost 500 meters above sea level it is not bad to take off.
From the top of the hill you could see the Atlantic Ocean, the Sauce Lagoon, Punta del Este, San Carlos and the occasional town, hills and plantations. Having that perspective only confirmed how flat Uruguay is, a lot of green and sea, many lagoons, a large amount of fresh water on these sides. I had never been to this place before, and I really liked the experience, being so close to home I think I will take it into account for future outings, since it is worth a visit or a sunset with that view.
The afternoon ended in a quiet way leaving a nice day to remember, I'm already thinking about the next time!
