Winnett Family: Flight

I don't have an official "Bucket List." Maybe I should, who knows. Yet, a few weeks back I was thinking about what would be on my list if I had one. Hawaii - defiantly. Ireland - most likely. Learn to Salsa Dance, run a 5K (start slow) and a 10K, ride in a hot air balloon, Learn how to blow glass, Ride the highest roller coaster, see Mount Rushmore, see Statue of Liberty, win big in Vegas (or at least have fun trying)... This list could go on and on and it's been kind of fun thinking about it.
Anyhow... while I was thinking about my list, I mentioned to Erek that one thing I would like to do one day is to ride in a small plane. I guess what got me thinking about it was that Erek's mountain biking friend Mike has his pilot's license. It would be a cool experience to fly in a small plane and not something everyone gets to do. So Erek just happened to mention it to Mike. Mike is a great guy that said he would totally take me up in a plane one day.
Two weeks ago, on Sunday afternoon, Mike called me up. It didn't seem real but the more we talked about it the more nervous I actually got. I knew I couldn't let this opportunity pass me by. We left the kids with my parents, Erek came along but he didn't want to go up in the plane (he doesn't like heights) but he came for moral support. We met up with Mike and headed to the airport.
After a Pre-flight check we were off. It was surreal. It was amazing, such an amazing view. We had to fly over to I-15 and then follow it down to south of the valley, mostly over the Sandy area. It was so cool. My first thought was it looked like my kids toy cars all driving down on the road. It just seems like I was dreaming. After a few minutes up in the air Mike had me take the yoke and had me fly the plane. I was really freaking out on the inside of course. He had me just try to keep the plane level and at an altitude of 6000 ft (above sea level) which was about 1800 feet above the valley, I think that is what he said. It seemed so crazy, I keep trying to look out the front window and it was bothering me that I couldn't see what was in front of me due to to large dashboard panel. What was I looking for anyways, other traffic?!? Eventually, I just tried to follow the gauges and hope that I kept us up enough. I circled around the valley for about 15 minutes, before he took back over and we headed back to the airport. We did a few touch and go's (where you land but then go right back up) just for the practice. It wasn't until the very end when I started to feel a little uneasy in my stomach. Yet, once we landed I felt fine.
What an amazing experience it was, I kept telling Erek all day "I can't believe I was in a plane today, and I flew it!" He just had to laugh at me. He has now told Mike that he will go up next time, I guess he doesn't want to be called a chicken.
Thank you so much Mike for letting me come with you. It was an amazing experience, one that I will never forget. So now back to my list, what else can I cross off?