Last winter was the lowest snow year in like EVER... so let's skip right to summer. D and I bought a new house, on the North Side bench in Draper. Love the house, the community, and being so close to friends and flying.
I registered for my first hang gliding competition- the Santa Cruz Flats Race down in AZ mid-September. In preparation for that, I picked up a new harness- A Wills Wing Covert. Check out the September issue of USHPA magazine for a full review and photos. I've also started flying XC, with mixed results... here's my XC experience to date:
-Camels to Yuba Lake. Yes, Camels is a South-facing site. And yes, I headed South. I wasn't sure, but I thought I could do it, and I thought it would be a fun challenge. It took me nearly 2 hrs to work my way around the bend in the mountains and get on Mount Nebo (tallest mountain in the Wasatch). After that, it wasn't too tough to link some climbs and glides together and make my way South.
Takeoff-to-touchdown distance: 63 miles
-Heber to Lyman, WY. My first downwind, over-the-back XC. Not an epic day, and not a huge tailwind... but a fun day none-the-less. This day required a few 'moves' where I needed to get up and connect one landable area to another by flying over no-man's land in between. Not too nerve racking, because I did it with lots of altitude to spare...
Takeoff-to-touchdown distance: 80 miles
Packing up just South of Lyman, WY
-Commodore Triangle. Jo Bostik offered to give me some coaching while flying a task, and with a good thermal forecast and unusually light winds aloft, we headed for Commodore to fly a 60 mile triangle task. We had a difference of opinion regarding race strategy, and it turned a great day of flying into one of the most frustrating days in the sky I have ever experienced. In summary, I got "Bostik'd". Lessons were learned, so I guess it was still constructive...
After the task it was still quite thermic, so we decided to head South and land at a small airport.
Total distance: 60 + 15 miles
Packing up in the small grass picnic area at our impromptu airport LZ
-Horse Heaven to Parawon Airport. This was a big day, and it almost didn't happen... it was a tough day to get up, and I had instrument trouble. My 6030 froze up, and I was getting low just on the North end of Yuba Lake... when I made the lowest save of my life! I was unzipped and turning final, hit a thermal, decided to try a (risky) 360 and gained a little, so went around again, and again, and again... and clawed up and off the deck. My plan was to follow I-15 South, so that's exactly what I did. It was another light winds aloft day, so getting around wasn't too challenging. Climb, glide, repeat...
Takeoff to touchdown distance: 125 miles
-RedCliffs to Inspo Church LZ. Flying with Sam and Shadd, we thought we'd head North up to the Point. Due to recent fires, there was a lot of smoke and haze, which really limited thermal activity. This day also had a lot of overdevelopment, which forced some of my moves faster (lower) than I would normally make them. I was never without LZ, but I had to glide a couple times to safer areas and then work my way back up. When I landed, everything from Inspo to the Point was shaded, and there wasn't even a hint of thermal activity... it was butter-smooth. This was my first time landing in that church LZ, and it was exciting but uneventful. It's a tricky approach, and if you blow it you either hit trees or overshoot into downtown Orem/Provo... not good!
Takeoff to touchdown distance: 44 miles
-Horse Heaven to Kanosh, UT. Fun day with Tom Webster, Lisa V and Bruce Hibby. I was hoping for a repeat of my first Horse Heaven flight... but when some clouds moved in and shaded the whole valley, lift shut down and put me on the deck just short of I-70. Still a fun day in the mountains...
Takeoff to touchdown distance: ~58 miles
Almost made a low save over these black rocks... but alas, I had to land
-Heber to Coalville, UT. Thought this could be a record day, because it was highly unstable. Too unstable, as it turned out... spent much of the flight dodging overdevelopment and rain. Again, a shaded valley put me on the ground early... not that I'm complaining on this particular day. Being as competetive as I am, it was hard landing and watching Shadd thermal up and go on to Evanston, WY... but I also felt a wave of relief come over me as soon as I landed. Can't say I've felt that before... but I think I knew it was riskier than I'm willing accept to keep going, just didn't realize it until landing. Shadd still sucks for going further...
Takeoff to touchdown distance: ~24 miles
-Heber to Moonscape WY. No, Moonscape is not a real place. But as you fly East into WY, the open featureless desert out there looks like you're flying over the moon. This was an epic day with Shadd and Jo Bostik. Gibson should have been there, but was taking out of play by some food poisoning the night before. We had good tailwind, and made great time... especially in the beginning of the day. Launched at 11:30, and was enroute by 12. Past Lyman, WY around 1:30 and was nearing the 100 mile mark by 2:00. This WAS a record day... I just didn't (don't) have the XC experience to make all the right decisions to maximize the day. I got low several times, having to dig myself out to keep my day going. Also made some strategic errors, like doing a dogleg to the North at the end of the day to avoid a large area of shade (see experiences above). I got low, but was able to continue on a little further. Jo later said the clouds that were creating that shade were working great if you were high enough. If I stayed and flew those clouds, despite the shaded valley, I just might have stolen the Utah XC record. Maybe still not... but either way... I'll just have to keep trying...
Takeoff to touchdown distance: 179 miles
So- I've flown almost 650 miles this summer! I would say I'm as prepared as I'm going to get for the Santa Cruz Flats Race. I'm also fairly accustomed to the new harness now, logging so many hours, highs and lows, in it. Drum-roll pleasssssseeee... I hope I don't embarrass myself!