
While we were in Salt Lake I discovered just how bad my vertigo is.
I have always been frightened of heights. When my parents took us on a jeep ride up the mountains in Colorado at the age of about 11, I wouldn't even get out of the car when we arrived at the top of a rounded peak. Even though there were no steep drops, I was unable to control my fear. That same trip, we went on a horseback ride and I screamed nearly the whole ride as the poor horse meandered along the steep and narrow trails. My parents claimed they didn't own me, and I've never heard the end of it since.
Flash forward to our honeymoon in London. Kristi and I toured Warwick Castle. We decided to walk and climb through the castles various towers and passageways. We climbed medieval stone staircases, so narrow and shallow, that I had to duck to get through. We couldn't move forward until the person in front of us did. Claustrophobics need not apply. When we squeezed our way to the top, the view was spectacular. Notches in the brick allowed you to walk around and enjoy different vistas of the english villa and countryside.
What I wasn't expecting, was the slope at the top of the tower. When you climbed out of the tunnel, you were in the center of the construction, and the floor sloped down towards the notched wall. I believe it was built that way for drainage. The effect though, was that at the outset of stepping on the tower floor, you were virtually higher up than the walls of the tower that protected you from falling just a few feet away. the situation made me very nervous. Kristi poked fun at me, and got the picture you see above.
In Salt Lake, I experienced my worst episode yet. I was watching the fireworks show from our third story balcony. It was quite the pleasurable show. Even though we were really far away, it was probably one of the most impressive fireworks displays I had ever seen. Soon we were joined by some of the other motel guests. A family with young children was watching the show next to us. The little boy, who really wasn't quite tall enough to see over the balcony wall, began to hoist himself up. For several minutes, he was pulling awkward chin-ups to gain a better view. With every lurch to the precarious position he made, my stomach did a dance. I gripped my chair, I tried not to watch. All I could manage to think was to imagine that he would straddle the wall and plummet to his three story death. My fear took over, and I went back into the room to get away.
Kristi probably had no idea why I was distressed, and thought I was being moody or something. But I was genuinely getting sick from the experience. What i found frustrating, was that I didn't mind the height on my own, but watching someone else teeter so close to the brink completely destroyed my composure.
After a bit, I went back out and the family had gone to bed. I was able to enjoy the rest of the show.