Good times at Plowshare on Saturday. Carpooled up with Jeff, Loren, Kevin, Max, Jon Blake, Little John, Hammer, and Jay. Met Adam and Charlie at the Big LZ and then Debi and John Hesh on launch. Conditions were good with 15-20 on launch when we arrived and backed down perfectly by 12:30 for decent cycles 5-12. Jon and I scrapped on the overgrown PG launch before getting off - I flew away with a clump of bush in my lines that remained the entire flight. It was easy climbing out - just a matter of finding a smooth one - it was rowdy! First decent climb was to 7k in 700 up
We all climbed out easily and large convergence lift patches were concentrating around launch. I went down range after every climb to test the air - if I hit sink and head wind for extended period without being able to make the next spine or spine-ridge intersection I turned around back down wind into the good lift. After repeating this process many times over, I eventually moved down range. The wind was all over the place mixing big parcels. I could hit headwind of 12 mph heading E on glide, turn around, get high then repeat the same glide path with 7 mph tail wind 10 mintues later! Hammer and Little John hung back getting higher and higher as I ping pong'd back and fourth for about 2 hours. We climbed out big time finding as much as 1600 up near the cottonwood canyon road - sierra madre intersection up to 11.25k for me, Hammer 11.6k. I had a tail wind of 20 mph at altitude heading East. On glide and out of no-where, ran into a good shear layer that stalled the wing, falling symetrically behind me for a classic SIV practice - after a little freefall
it opened fine, just took a couple of alternating pulls and hands up to keep it over head
I pushed out of the mtns a bit over the foothills but had to dive back into lower McPherson at 5k after hitting sink and head wind. I groveled as Little John and Hammer stayed on the ridge over Mcpherson and out over me at 8k to New Cuyama HS. I milked it back up to 7k mid way out of the mtns, then flew out to grovel low with a valley thermal 4-5k to allow a glide into a NE headwind of about 6mph to the Burger Barn. With huge dust devils going off on the other side of town, it was rocky for landing. I touched down easily enough but pulled the breaks coinciding with a gust and did a missle man manuever, launching backwards a couple of feet off the ground for a ways. All I could do was laugh at that point. Jay picked me up and we rounded up LJ, Hammer, burgers, and met up with everyone at the big lz and off to Cool Hand Lukes for food and beer. Notably, Jon found convergence to 8.5 k over Spanish Ranch and Charile climbed out from 3200' over Wassiola Rd back to 9 grand for tour back to launch and across the valley to the other side. John Hesh was flying all over but opted to go for rescue and land next to his van with a shredded tire. Adam crossed the valley and toured the Calientes. Pretty sure everyone got their fill! Fun day!
The sky is calling.
