…down into the water. (Splash!)

Returning to Portland this weekend is Red Bull’s Flugtag, that wacky combination of soapbox derby, amateur aviation and suicidal thrill-seeking. Crowds are welcome at 11:00 AM, with first flight (?) at 1 PM.

Does this have anything to do with the military ships currently docked at Riverplace? I haven’t played Battleship in a long time so I may have my ships mixed up, but it looks like a destroyer and a battleship. (PT Boat and its little dinghy maybe?) Are they there to shoot down any Flugtaggers that are too successful? Is Paul Allen getting defensive about rumors of a Blazer move to Seattle? Does anyone know? My imagination is working overtime!

I have a friend who wants to participate in Flugtag. There’s a weight limit of 450 pounds, including the pilot. I think she just wants to jump into the river without fear of drowning. Perhaps if I put her on my back with a hang-glider outfit… Nah. I refused to jump into that river thirty years ago, there’s even less reason to do so now.

There may be a reason why they call it Flugtag Landing number two. There is rain in the forecast this week. We all know how the sewers behave when that happens.

Hell, now I really want to go watch!