Powered Paragliding Monument Valley A Bubba Adventure By Bob "Bubba" Peters Powered paragliding Monument Valley was a Hoot! I have to say it was the most spectacular flying I've done. The weather was perfect. The views spectacular. The campground was super nice with an awesome view. I only wish I could have stayed longer. I really envy Dennis, John Fitz, and Mike Collett. They were able to stay for an evening flight the day I had to leave. Bottom line: I'm definitely going back. Mike Collett wrote: I had a great time at the monuments!!! The views from the air were spectacular and the ridge soaring at Goulding's was lots of fun. I will definitely go back. Scraping 15-20 feet along the side of the cliff walls gives you a perspective that few others in aviation get to experience. The Conditions were so perfect on Saturday morning that I got up the nerve to do a touch and go on the top of one of the larger monuments. Not too many people get to say they set foot on the top!  I did have a close call on my second flight on Saturday.  I had been ridge soaring close to the rocks at Goulding's and decided to go in for a landing. I decended to about half the height of the rock cliff when a twin engine charter plane buzzed the Goulding's lodge skimming just over the top of the rocks where I had just been ridge soaring and flew directly over me. I immediately landed and saw that the same plane was landing on the run way. I quickly gathered up my paraglider as two more planes entered the pattern for the run way.  In the future it would be nice to know the schedule for these flights since they all seemed to come in at the same time carrying tourists. The first plane was the only one to buzz the rocks. Mike Collett As I was leaving I found another, better place to launch from. When you leave the campground and get back down to the highway, if you go straight on a dirt road instead of turning right to Kayenta, there is an overnight campground with no facilities located right at the foot of the monuments you see from the campground! Next time that's where I'm going to camp and launch from. Here's the links to some pictures I took: Me and Jesse, my grandson, over one of the biggest monuments. View at the rim of a monument. Looking down on a monument A view of the backcountry West of the monuments Ridge soaring over John Fitz above the Lodge/Restaurant near the campground Ridge soaring next to John Fitz over a box canyon behind the campground Flying over a Navajo Hogan View of the air strip near the campground Landing at the air strip near the campground Stay high! Bob "Bubba" Peters