san diego by helicopter and paraglide

I’ve been skydiving, bungee-jumping, surfing, rafting, scuba diving and cliff-diving, so you could say I have a penchant for the extreme. And just a couple weeks ago I got to tick two more off that list: paragliding and a helicopter ride. Toyota invited me to a presentation of their 2014 Corolla and day of outdoor fun in line with their new campaign, which is all about elevating your drive. Elevate you drive, elevate your outdoor activities — get it?

The day began with a helicopter ride around inland San Diego, the Del Mar racetrack, Lake Hodges, Torrey Pines, La Jolla, Mission Bay and downtown San Diego. Riding in a chopper is unlike anything I’ve ever done: You’re high enough to get a bird’s eye view but also low enough to see action like reef sharks in La Jolla Cove. It just so happened to be a brilliant day so San Diego was at its most glitter-y, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for living in a place that’s so drop-dead gorgeous. But what’s beauty without the rich and the famous? We saw a lot of ridiculously wealthy homes in Rancho Santa Fe and you should definitely click ahead to see what I’m talking about.

Then it was onto paragliding at Black’s Beach, a beautiful area lined with dramatic bluffs and naked folks. (It’s a nude beach.) Running off cliffs, flying like the wind and landing next to old naked men — what could be better?

I suited up with my tandem coach, awkwardly fumbled towards the edge of the cliff (it’s actually pretty hard with the wind and a parachute strapped on) and tucked my knees in before the leap. It was just gorgeous up there and, much like skydiving, way more peaceful than adrenaline-pumping. That said, given the weather and time of the day (4pm), our ride lasted under five minutes. But oh, I think the ocean breeze smells extra sweet when you’re cutting right through it.

Throughout the day, Toyota gave us Corollas to drive from location to location. As luck would have it, they paired me — a former New Yorker — with another New Yorker, which is almost like putting two kids with their learner’s permits in a car together. We were both hoping the other would drive, but in the end, I had slightly more experience and local cred, which put me in the driver seat for most of the day. And actually, I was pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I zipped from downtown to Mira Mesa, Mira Mesa to Coronado, Coronado to La Jolla and everywhere else cool as a cucumber. Thank you, rear view camera. Couldn’t have done it without you.

Here, a little photo diary of my day outdoors in San Diego. I really do live in such a beautiful place, and it was so awesome to see it in a whole different way.

This post was sponsored by Toyota. All opinions expressed are my own.