Slide Mountain

After seeing the forecast for Slide this weekend Trey and I bolted up there for a quick two day trip. We left around 5:00am from Santa Cruz and got in two great days. The lift was punchy down low but the thermals were big and smooth and I topped out both days around 14,000'.
Above: Kings Beach from South of Slide.
Below: Looking SE from slide over Washoe Lake to McClellan.
Trey had a personal best getting up well over 13,000 and hit 100 hours of flight time looking out over Tahoe. Stephane put us up for the night in Kings Beach (always good to hook up with old friends) and we hit the hill again on Sunday morning. Conditions were a bit more challenging though and I spent a good half hour working rotor off the South spine just trying to stay up. A large flush sent a lot of pilots to the LZ and then some potent thermals started to break through.
Above: Looking West to Slide from over McClellan.
Just when I thought it was over I hooked a corker that took me over the top of Slide and I pulled on the VG and raced across the valley to McClellan where I quickly got back up to just under 14k'. The 360 view from there was incredible. The Sierras were laid out in front of me to the West with Tahoe peaking over. To the North and South the valley stretched out as far as I could see and the lift was glass off smooth at the top (but chilly!). In the East was an enticing XC Mecca.
Above: West to the Sierras from behind McClellanAbove: Grin of a glutton heading over Duck.
It was late Sunday and unfortunately we hadn't arranged for a driver because it was a perfect day to fly XC. This was my first loop around the Washoe Valley though so I was very content to work an out and return. I made it all the way around and came in just below launch at Slide before working light lift and heading to the LZ after 3 hours of airtime.

Above: Cross Country Paradise to the East.
Jimmie and David came up for their first taste of big mountain air and skyed out for personal bests. Both of them charged their launches, had great flights and flawless landings.Grins and coldies all around in the LZ. The locals showed us some great hospitality, and showed us how it's done. Steve flew home to Minden Sunday. It was good to fly with Jeff again and Nile is getting good fast. A big weekend full of epic stories for all of us. Good Times.

The Home Front

Spent this weekend local. Hit the fair and got some of the local flavor with Mele. I hadn't been to a county fair in quite a while and Watsonville does it up. All kinds of 4H, rodeo and racing.. oh and fried foods. Some classic carnies and lots of graffiti art prizes. We had a really good time. Saturday got some airtime in at Waddell, just average conditions, but Mele got some nice pictures (below). I can see I've got a little work to do on my harness, but overall its pretty clean. I'm still blown away by the speed and glide of my new glider. It just goes.

St. John, Indian Valley, San Benitos, McClure... Summer has flown by..

I've been flying a lot over the past month. Mele took off to spend time in Turkey following a conference and I've been home all alone with my hang-glider. The Sonoma Wings put on a great fly-in as usual at St. John and I had some gratifying flights out there. Conditions were smokey but cross-country flights were in order and beer suck propelled me into 1st on the short race on Day 2.

Labor Day we headed up to Indian Valley and spent a couple days hiking during blown out days, followed by a good day with localized lift that allowed us to drift in the direction of Lake Almanor before cruising back down to a nice field near Taylorsville. Quite a turnout this year. Great to see all the Sonoma, Bay Area, and Reno pilots converging for a good party at a spectacular site. Lots of inspired new pilots on hand as well.
Above and below: Lake Almanor from South of the Burn Launch.Ben, Wayne, Joe and Mario (driving) down near Taylorsville enjoying barley pops on a country road after landing out.This past weekend we did a double-header. Went South with Tom (Dogboy) deep into the San Benitos. The forecast had fallen apart on us, but it ended up producing a rare glass-off that lasted late into the afternoon. The terrain down there is incredible, potential still immeasurable, and the 200+ quarter-horses in the working ranch below remind you all the while that you are in a special place.Above: Ben and gliders at launch.
Below: Cruising around 4-5k' in glass-off conditions Big Sur/Coastal range in the distance.Topping off the weekend we got a call from Chris Valley to rally for a one day trip up to McClure. Chris' intuition was spot on and the conditions were great. McClure is always challenging. The landing zone is the primary thermal generator most days and always induces some exciting approaches and landings. As a result this site breeds some of the best most aggressive pilots in the Golden State. Some really great guys to hang out and fly with. You can't beat a day when KM gives you a nod as you core up with him on his turf. Good to get in an overdue day in with the Ma'Lode clan.

Above: Trey and KM at launch.
Below: Looking past launch (left ridge) over Lake McClure.
Above: Trey hooks up with a thermal in his, my, and previously Chris' experienced U2. In capable hands.
Below: Looking out over Don Pedro Lake.

A great month of flying. Flying frequently with Ben this summer season has really helped me to become a more knowledgable, and competent pilot. Hang-gliding is one of those activities where there is no substitute for experience, but having good flying mates sure does speed up the process.
Mele gets back into town tomorrow! When life is good, it's really, really good.