I write a monthly article for
Hang Gliding and Paragliding magazine, on whatever topic the editor decides. In February my assignment was to profile the USHPA Chapter of the Year award winner, the Hawaii Paragliding Association, based on Oahu. So I went online, got email addresses for the club officers and sent out emails with a list of interview questions, explaining why I was asking. I almost immediately got replies from just about everyone I'd contacted, all saying basically the same thing: "Cool! We're going to be in the mag! We'll answer your questions, but it'd be much better if you and George came over to see for yourself what we're all about. Get yourselves to our island, and we'll take care of the rest. Oh, and if you could manage to be here for our quarterly club meeting, in about 10 days, that'd be perfect!"
After confirming that they were truly offering to "take care of the rest," George and I went online and, much to our surprise, found an affordable flight to Oahu less than a week in the future, that would put us there in time for the club meeting. Although the weather turned out to be atypically stormy almost the entire time we were on the island, I got what I needed for my article, made a bunch of new friends, and had a blast just hangin' out in Hawaii.
