VDB09 Day 4

No joy in mudville for me today. Heavy overcast, very, very light lift (200 up), tops at 9300. I sat on launch for as long as I could, waiting while others circled and sunk out to the piano. Finally some got situated at the wall behind the pinon, and I launched. I got to 9300 twice, watched others go over the back and sink out, and finally decided to make a play for the pinon. I took too direct a line and lost over 3k on the way arriving just above the trees. An air shark tried to take a bite out of me in front, but I caught it early. The pilots I had been watching thermal left as I arrived, so I made two passes and headed out.

Just after I landed, I looked back at the pinon to see the air shark had gotten someone else, and they were going down under reserve. Got to stay vigilant!

Many others waited and launched later and made jovans or the lake.

VDB09 Day 3

Lots of clouds in the morning when we got up, and it was looking questionable as to weather we would be able to go XC due to the development. We launched and worked up to 9,300 feet or so and Kevin two-dogs and I went over the back towards the house. We hadn't gone a mile when the vario started chirping. I looked over at Kev and he was already in big ears (descent manover) so I reached up and grabbed the outside A's as well. My vario really started singing as we went up into the clouds at 1,400 fpm. I kept focused on Kev's wing, grabbed even more outside A's and folded up almost half of my glider while pushing on speed bar. We dropped out of the cloud, right next to each other just as we went in, no problems.

Unfortunatly that was the last of the lift and I landed in a little soccer field just past Sacamacante, about a mile from Jovons restaurant. By the time I got packed up and over the fence, Raul was there to pick me up and take me to lunch.

After lunch we waited on launch watching the hang gliders fly in the strong winds. About 5pm we launched into very, very light lift and boated around for over an hour as the sun set.

VDB09 Day 2

Lots of fun today. Faiz and Joel arrived late last night so we had a bigger group on launch today. Again we had two groups, but today Oleana flew tandem with Rob.

The first flight we got ourselves set up at launch and went ODB for the west side of Sacamacante. Brad and Faiz pushed on towards the lake, I saw someone else getting some lift so I hung out with then waiting for Brad to mark a thermal further on. Instead we all got up and Brad and Faiz came back to join us on the mesa. We then turned west and I immediatly went into the white room. As it started I checked towards El Pinion and saw the air was clear so set my heading that way and whited out. I pulled big ears and gave it full bar and went up to 12k feet before popping out the back. All clear, I surfed the cloud back west and we all grouped up at Cerro Gordo before crossing the lake from the west to land at the lake lz.

After lunch at Jovans we went back to launch as the overdevelopment filled the sky. People were specking out over launch, so it was rush, rush, to get launched and up there. Getting to 9.3k was easy, but while waiting for the rest we all lost altitude. Instead of the flight back to the house we had planned, we made a tour of the pinon, the wall, and the g-spot before heading back to launch and to the piano.

Everyone had nice flights and a great day. Pic is Brad surfing a cloud on the way to Cerro Gordo.

VDB 09 Day One

First flight and we got to the lake; nice way to start the week. We split into two teams, the group staying local, and the group going "ODB" Over Da Back. It took at least an hour to get everyone topped out at the same time so we could team fly. Oleg dirted just beyond the soccer field and Daddy D landed nearby also. Brad and I worked some light lift near the bottom of Cerro Gordo and took it up and over the ridge towards Jovons. Then near the airport we found something else and worked it and worked it to 10k. At that point we just pointed towards the lake and went for it.

Follow my flights

RaeLynn got me the "Spot" for Christmas, a personal messaging device that transmits my location and plots it on Google Maps. To see my flights, look here: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0LXjiGOnk5sDIaf0j9RrmEvXA2WR5MM2u

A Year Gone By

I've got my gear all over the living room, getting packed to go back to Valle De Bravo, Mexico, and I realized I havn't updated my travel blog since day 2 of last years trip. Time to catch up!

Since then I've shut down the plant where I worked in Camarillo, another in Asheville, NC; spent Memorial Day weekend in Tahoe with buddies from college, gone to the Rat Race in Oregon, bought a new wing, competed at the US Nationals in the Owens valley, and the SCXC in Marshal and Santa Barbra. I took severence from Technicolor, bought a new bike after 18 years with the steal Bianchi, rode a century, raced a time trial, and doubled my annual mileage record that stood 17 years.

One highlight was the Owens Valley. One flight gave me three personal bests: highest altitude (15.3k), longest distance (50 miles), and most states (California to Nevada). The picture above is where I landed in Nevada. Within two minutes of taking this picture, two women pulled up (at the same time) and offered rides. Having to choose, I picked the one who had cookies in the car!

Friday the adventure continues as I head to Valle for a week of flying.