I've been a pilot for 30 years. I've flown all over the northwest and further. I've landed a plane on top of mountains, in fields, by streams and many places you can't drive. That has always been the type of flying I've loved.

I've also loved flying low. Now that makes some people nervous - not me. I could see a lot better that way. I remember flying over central Oregon on my way to the vast desert of Owhee Reservoir and a saw herd of antelope on the ground. I flew my plane down low and watched them quickly change direction thinking I was following them or going to land on top of them. It was a beautiful site to see such a wonder of nature. I would often camp alongside the airplane near a grass runway that barely left enough room to depart. Let me tell you something. You need more room to take off, than land so I'd have to be careful where you choose put the plane.

What I loved the most about these types of adventures was what I could see. Flying low gave me an unadulterated view. There were no high rises or other manmade objects. I once saw how loggers logged the trees in designs that emulated a checker board. Who'd of thunk?

But most of all, it was the feeling of freedom and adventure I felt. I got to see things and do things that not too many people take advantage of. I am not the kind of person who wants to look back and say, "I wish I would have." That just wasn't going to happen. I've always been my own "pilot" and uninfluenced by the direction others wanted me to take. That hasn't always been a good thing. Nonetheless, I learned along the way.

As I look back, I realize how much more there is to explore. Here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, we have a paradise that I believe is almost unparrelled. It seems that when we are in the middle of life, we don't see outside the walls we put up. As they say, we don't see the "forest for the trees." If you are "waiting" for something to happen, you may be waiting a long time. Being an adventuresome woman or outdoor man allows you to experiece things you'll never get to appreciate within the boundaries of your home in the city. Explore, live life, do things you have always wanted to do. What are you waiting for? Life just keeps getting shorter.....