4th of July - Waddell Creek

Waddell turned it up to 11 for us on the 4th. We launched around 11:30 and climbed quickly from the 100' launch to nearly 1600'. John is moving up the runway to the launch below (The small strip of white just below where the trail wraps around the front of the bluff). Brought out my new camera this time!

Over the Big Creek Lumber yard and Highway 1. John is on launch below (right of the loop).

Barely visible against the far hill John is working his way up the lift in middle of the valley. Most likely about to get "served" as he approaches Waddell's infamous twanger territory.

Looking East over the ridge behind Big Creek.

Below John is working his way out of the Waddell Valley.

Parked out over the water in abundant lift soaking in the view (North). Looking out over Ano Nuevo to pidgeon point lighthouse on the next peninsula.

Looking South, Monterey in the distance and Greyhound rock below.

After a couple of hours we landed and came back to get great flights Saturday and Sunday (though both days topped out around 800'). I have flown the low bluff many times previously and had some good flights over Big Creek Lumber, but this was the first flight of its kind for me. Lift was abundant and everywhere. I have already forgotten all the days I've shown up and it was blown out and Northy. Waddell is like nowhere else..

Lakeview, Oregon

We just got back from a trip to Southeastern Oregon near Lakeview where we spent 3 days flying a few different sites in the area. (all pictures courtesy of Gary since my camera broke). We camped just below a site called Black Cap overlooking the town of Lakeview. One afternoon we launched and landed right at our campsite (you can see my glider on the ground near the tents).

Above and below is approach to the landing zone at Sugarhill looking out toward Goose Lake. The landing areas out there are everywhere and the winds in the LZ were smooth coming off the lake. We had great flights here with a couple in our group getting a few thousand over launch and staying up around 2 hours.

Here I'm flaring on final approach.

After flying Sugar a few times our local guide, Ralph, took us to Palisades (a lesser flown site North of Lakeview) The site was full of cliffs with excellent ridge lift but it was blowing pretty strong and had a long glide out to the LZ. It was about 4,000' over the valley and required a 4 mile glide into the wind to the landing. The clouds above show that there are high winds above us. (surveying the site and checking windspeed)

I got to be the wind dummy at this site because my glider had a slightly better glide ratio. The launch was fairly turbulent and I wouldn't have been able to approach the launch and balance for launch without wire support.

Getting off the hill... The lift was strong and I was immediately going up at 1,000' per minute until I got up to around 2,000' over launch.

This photo looks North up the Valley. After working the ridge back and forth awhile I took off from the mountain and landed at the very end of the valley in a fallow field next to the road. I used streamers for the first time on this flight to judge wind direction (dropped from around 1,000').

Below, "specking out" heading across the valley. The view was incredible... I've got to get a new onboard camera going before my next trip.

Special thanks to Harold Johnson for taking us from students to pilots and showing us this amazing place!