Family Outings: Fly a kite at Spring Lake Park Reserve, Dakota County

Michael Biocca, 14, of Apple Valley holds his mom Jodie's kite while waiting for the wind to pick-up at Schaar's Bluff in Spring Lake Park Reserve in Hastings. (Pioneer Press: Chris Kelleher)

The wind is part of what defines Spring Lake Park Reserve, a regional park perched atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River just north of Hastings. The breeze picks up speed across this wide section of the Mississippi River, and when it hits the cliff face, it shoots straight up.

Bald eagles rise effortlessly on the air currents. Dakota County even built a wind turbine at the site as part of its new visitor center.

It's also a great spot for flying kites, which is what my family had in mind when we made the half-hour drive from St. Paul one Saturday afternoon. About once a month during the summer, a group of kite enthusiasts called the Solid Kite Flying Club meets at Schaar's Bluff at Spring Lake Park. They list their gatherings as a public event, and Dakota County park officials had told me the group was happy to help beginners.

In preparation, I dragged our kite out of the back of the closet. We'd received it as a wedding gift nearly 14 years ago, and I think we had flown it once. I didn't even remember it was a box kite. One of the dowels had snapped, so my 5-year-old son and I headed to the basement to cut another length of dowel to replace it and hoped that would do.

When we pulled into the park, it was easy to spot the kites. A half dozen were soaring overhead like a beacon drawing us to a large mowed field. One woman was flying a kite that looked like a pair of legs in orange pants with an attached small kite shaped like a soccer ball

We picked a spot away from the other kite flyers. My son stood holding the kite above his head, and I unwound the string and stood about 12 feet away.

"OK, let go!" I instructed.

He threw the kite up, and we felt a moment of triumph as the box kite caught the wind and whipped upward. I let out some string, but within seconds, the kite started doing violent corkscrews and shot downward. I screamed at my son to get out of the way, and the kite slammed into the ground a few feet from where he had launched it. We tried several more times with similar results.

That replacement dowel I had cut was a little thicker than the others. Was that throwing the kite off balance? Maybe the string wasn't attached at the right place? We tried one more time, and this time, the kite almost impaled my 2-year-old daughter. It was time to seek help.

FRIENDLY SKIES

We looked around for someone who seemed to know what he was doing and spotted a man flying a large delta (triangular) kite. His name was Doug Lundell of Hastings.

"The wind is funny today, really gusty," he said.

He wasn't sure why our kite wasn't going up and offered to loan us a tail to see if that might calm ours down. We weren't the only ones having trouble that day. One man's string had snapped in the strong wind, and his red, white and blue parafoil flew across the field and got stuck in a tree. He had to climb the tree to get it down.

Another family was having better luck. Andy Stein of Hastings and his 4-year-old daughter, Allison, and fianceée, Rachel Emery, were flying a parachute-type kite with two strings, a so-called stunt kite that not only soars but also dips and dives.

"They are the easiest to fly, and they're kid friendly," said Stein of the parafoils. "You can crush them, and nothing breaks. No sticks."

While we were talking, my 8-year-old started yelling.

"Mom, our kite is flying away!"

We bolted a hundred yards to catch up with it as it blew across the grass.

EXPERT ADVICE

Then, we went to consult the kite doctor, otherwise known as Don Jaspers of Oakdale, who has been flying kites since his father helped him build one during the Depression, when other sources of entertainment were scarce. He has stuck with it ever since then and founded the Solid Kite Flying Club in 1993.

"To me, it's fascinating that I'm able to put something so beautiful as a kite into the air and watch it soar," he said. "It's very relaxing."

Jaspers now uses a cane and can't walk around the field well enough to fly his kites easily. But he plans to show up every Saturday the club is scheduled to fly to help anyone who needs assistance.

We found him at a picnic table under some trees at the edge of the field wearing a pith helmet, which he said he got into the habit of wearing in Vietnam. ("It was a very durable hat and keeps the bird s—- and rain off my head.")

We asked him why our kite was corkscrewing.

"That means it's too windy," he said.

"I didn't know it could be too windy to fly a kite," I said.

My son handed him the kite to inspect. It turned out the dowel we had cut was too long and too sharp at the ends. It had poked through the nylon pocket. Jaspers took out a pocketknife and whittled the end blunt. But there was no way we were going to get it to fly that day.

For an easier kite, he recommended we head to Target or Wal-Mart and buy a "bat" kite, otherwise known as a delta.

I checked online, and I can get one for $12 to $25. In the meantime, I was at Creative Kidstuff and spotted a parafoil like the one I saw flying at Schaar's Bluff. I bought it and plan to give it to my son for his sixth birthday this week. Then we're heading back to the bluff and getting it in the air.

Maja Beckstrom can be reached at 651-228-5295.

DON JASPERS' TIPS FOR KITE FLYING