SCPA & SBSA Discussion Board

Link to SD's log for Saturday
http://paraglide.net/log/13/13_05-11/1_chiefs_to_lockwood.htm

http://paraglide.net/log/13/13_05-11/photos
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Saturday morning update:

The lapse rate is ballistic above 5K, and average at best below 6K. The peak temperature spread in Ojai from the surface to 6K is only in the low to mid 20s. It was much stronger on Thursday and Friday due to a significantly cooler 6K temperature. The winds aloft are still from the NE across the area this morning, then clocking around from the NW toward SB this afternoon, but persisting from the NE toward Lancaster. The wind velocity below 9K is 5 to 10ish, less toward the coast and more toward Lancaster, increasing slightly up above 12K.

There is a mild Catalina Eddy pushing some coastal fog in along the coast from the SE this morning, but it should clear. We are under low clouds in Carp at sunrise, but Eagle Cam is showing clear skies. The marine inversion is pretty low, only about 1500 to 2 thousand feet thick. Expect it to draw through a venturi compression over the lip of the front range toward the massive development toward Pine. Pine is likely to OD with a chance of thunderstorms this evening.

It is tempting to hike into the old 5500 foot north launch at Pine, but we haven't used the firebreak in years and it may be overgrown. It's 2 miles and a 500 foot elevation gain from the Hwy 33 summit.

Still looking to try and get OTB from the high ground in Casitas Pass, but we have to get there first. Expecting to launch from Chiefs by 11. Tandem with Susan.

Ron and Bob are picking me up in Carpinteria at 8ish and we will meet others at Ash Street in Ventura about 8:30 for a 9 am load at NHS.

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Friday Afternoon look at Saturday:

I have to agree with South Side that Sunday looks like the better day, but I'm married with kids so Sunday (mother's day) isn't a consideration. I remember launching from Mount Able when Pine was closed years ago, but not in a paraglider, and it's a long way to launch. If you like headwinds, Plowshares is likely to be slow pluggin. Black Hawk looks promising, but it's 3 or 4 hours to launch. Pine likely has the best local potential, but the road is closed so we'd have to hike in at least 2 miles to the old north launch and it's 6 miles to the south launch.

Santa Barbara is forecasted to be significantly cooler than Ojai, so I'm skeptical about the low section near the ocean around Ramero. We've flown OTB from Santa Barbara to Pine and back to East Beach in hang gliders, but I haven't successfully connected OTB toward Pine from SB in a Paraglider.

Ojai is likely the best local option if you don't want to hike at Pine, but it might be too low to reach big altitude. I don't think we will get high enough to connect from Chiefs or the Bluffs to Decision Point or low on Thorne Point. It's just too long of an uphill jump (5 or 6 miles to the low points on Thorne and almost 7 miles to higher connections at Decision Point) unless you are above 10 to 12K.

If we can get to 7ish, one connection we might be able to make is from White Ledge or Divide Peak to Old Man Mountain. Old Man is 6K, but our odds look reasonable if we can reach OTB 1-1/2 miles uphill to the SE spine and get there above 5K.

If we do get to 7ish (or at least 65?) over Casitas Pass and try to connect OTB, and flush, then we might have to hike a bit, but there is retrieval west of Jameson Lake and on the east side of the spine up Matilija Creek. I think it would be quicker retrieve to play east for Matilija, but the odds of finding a save may be better flushing west.

If we can't get high enough over the high ground in Casitas Pass to go OTB, we can turn and top land at Oat Mountain in Fillmore. The 126 bus drops off at the Ventura Pier so it would be good to leave a vehicle in the dirt lot by the food bridge at the south end of Ash Street.

Weather wise, Sunday looks like the hottest day. Today (Friday) was as transition toward high pressure with flow from the NE at altitude. CUs were forming by 10ish over Old Man Mountain. The lapse rate on Saturday looks good up higher (above 6K), but weaker down low and problematic near the ocean. The high pressure is forecasted to be a mild offshore event. The winds aloft forecast for Saturday is calling for light n variable up through 9ish around Santa Barbara and light from the NE up higher and further east toward Lancaster.

Chris Grantham took some students up to Chiefs today (Friday). They loaded at NHS about 9:30. There was flow from the NE about 8 mph along the back ridge, but it was cycling up at launch by 10:45. Pilots got into the high 6s over launch early. Better early than late and with it soarable by 10:30 the Saturday meet time for NHS was bumped up to 9 am

Sometimes it's a benefit to go first and today was one of those days. OJ drove his Suburban with a dozen people on board up to Chief Peak and everyone got quiet seeing the cumi's developing over the ridge early. Bob Peloquin and I were first off around 10:45 AM and we easily climbed out in what felt like convergence directly in front of the Chief. Within 15 minutes we were over nine grand, thinking about XC. Actually, Bob had another commitment, but I was going somewhere. From 9,250 feet, I could see the sparkling turquoise gem of Jamison Lake far to the west behind Carpinteria. I could also see a beautiful street of clouds stretching north over Ortega Ridge and Dry Lakes back toward Pine Mountain. The clouds circled east along the Pine ridge and then bent south back toward Chief Peak. I imagined a round trip that would be a first for a paraglider. We had talked since yesterday of diving over the back from White Ledge and using Old Man Mountain to get back to Pine. So I turned west and got on glide: Zero sink for miles and a strong tailwind, pushing my ground speed to 30-35 mph. So far, so good. Little did I know I was on final.

I reached Nordhoff Peak with 8,500 feet and crossed the 33 with over 6K, remembering last week's double dip - going back and forth through the Pass twice in one afternoon. Carpinteria and Santa Barbara were still shrouded in clouds, but I was headed northbound after getting established at White Ledge. I reached above Bump Two on the glide from Chief Peak! Unfortunately, I had two 360's left in the bag as I found nothing there or out over Taft Ranch. With cumi's everywhere and such promise, I was on the ground by the 150, 53 minutes after launching. Tom Pipkin kindly picked me up and took me back to the high school. There I commiserated with all the pilots who weren't as fortunate as Bob Peloquin and I and never got above 7K. But Tom Truax was out there scrambling with a tandem passenger, Susan, trying to get high enough to go OTB. The rest of us went to Papa Lennon's to drink beer.

All the time at the restaurant, we didn't hear from Sundowner. I knew that meant he had probably succeeded on his second attempt to get high at the Topa Topa Bluffs. Sure enough, the next report was that he was shooting for Thorne Point, the last peak at the east end of the Pine ridge. I told Bob Hurlbett we had to drive back to Rose Valley to check on their progress. Bob got a six pack of beer and we drove two cars up the 33 to the top. Fortunately, Bob had heard a report of the tandem heading for Lockwood Valley, otherwise I would have turned around. Bob headed back for a prior engagement and I dropped down the north side of the 33 and took the Lockwood Valley Road. When I had cell reception, I called SD and found he and Susan had just landed in Lockwood Valley at the road to Mutau Flats.

Once again, Sundowner has made history by being the first paraglider (in a tandem no less!) to connect from Chief Peak back to the Pine Mountain ridge and beyond into Lockwood Valley. Nice flight Tom and Susan!

Hats off to the Topa Topa crew. Congrats to Tom Truax and Susan, and Ron and Bob too. Can't wait to hear the other stories from that big day. Gonna try the Nuthouse at 9am at NHS for anyone who wants another go at the epic Ojai flying on Sunday.

Marty

Super flight SD and thanks for another great SD fact filled flight report. Chris G had posted some pics and report of a cloud street to Pine from Chiefs earlier in the week and I remember thinking how awesome it might be to actually fly that connection so reading your account of doing it was very cool. Great job!

Got the call; wanna do a tandem? YessirreeTom!
Chief's Peak, a gaggle of guys & me. Cool.
We were about the fourth to take off and all the old feelings came back. Soaring with the wind roaring softly in my ears, the thrill and the scariness of flying to the ridge and then going up, up & up. Tom wanted to get up to at least 10 grand, but we got to about 8, so we flew to Repeater and fished around. We'd get up and then loose the thermal and so on, knowing Tom he will go and go and go until he gets it right. We flew to the Bluff's and tried to get up, but same thing. We were circling around and around going up and up but then puff, it was gone. The Bluffs were beautiful. It was a little intimidating zooming up to them.

We went to Repeater a few times, the Bluffs a few times, back to Chief's, Stooges and Twin Peaks. We finally got up high enough (Yay) and flew over Piedre Blanca, Thorn Something. Tom had me take pictures, was he kidding, I had a hard time prying my fingers off the spreader bars.

We got very high, it felt like I could touch the clouds; it was cold up there. We could see off in the distance that it was raining.

It was time to call it quits. Plan A, land in a safe spot, but it was a 10 mile hike to the nearest road, or take our chances, tuck our feet, skim over the pine trees and land on a dirt road. Of course, we took our chances. We had a tail wind and were gaining ground fast - but like I've always said "Tom could land on a dime" and he did. It was perfect, sliding in on our harnesses. We landed in Lockwood and Ron came to our rescue with a 6-pack of DBA, yum. A thrilling adventure. Thank you thank you thank you

Finally got the photos posted for my flight with Susan from Ojai to Lockwood Valley
http://paraglide.net/log/13/13_05-11/photos

Amazing!! Thanks for taking the time to mark all of the points. Great tool for pilots that don't know that area (I'm one of them...)