MLK-day flying

[Kabir]

I was very exited to see the cloud street forming early on and wondered if it would OD.
Since it did not look like it was going to I loaded up the family and charged to alternator hoping for a chance to go somewhere.

When we got there there where hardly any cycles. It was strange since the clouds where just growing and you could see all the action going on.

But knowing that I could launch in very light winds (thanks to Marty's boot camp) I laid out and waited.
I did not give enough energy to my first launch so I aborted.
I Reseted higher up and launched on the next "cycle"

I realized imediatly that my vario was off so I thermaled by memory and once established turned on the bipping thing.

The glide to cathedral was a no brainer, the subsecuent climb so nice that i radioed my lovely chase to go home and not bother driving down right away for it looked like a very nice day.

CB was at 4500 or so and the glide to the RR just rocked!
I was climbing and under speed!!!

Dude, was i stoked!!!

HAd to do some manouvering to stay clear of the clouds over the RR.
It is soo cool to fly between clouds and look out at the ocean.
Did I mention it was cooold?

Even with hand warmers my fingers where feeling it.

Flew over Skyport and saw (Magic Mike tandeming w/ Marje) fighting the good fight and PArma Chris getting ready to launch.

Got to the T factory lower than I thought, tanked up again (it was going off like clockwork!) and left for montecito.

Right before hitting it i found serious sink.
I was on full speed to get out and ended up preety low for my liking.

Then experienced some strange air that was strong yet unorginized.
managed to find something that put me back in the game.
I saw a hanggie come zooming through, thattanked and left just like that (man.. that speed....)

I ket going to the next peak (??) and there I thought of going back the way I came (just follow the GPS track back righ?) but right after, I hit some major sink so decided to cash in my chips and head out to Santa Claus Lane.

Im glad the pass was closed. this way I did not have to come up w/ any excuses not to go.

All in all an awesome flight, easy at times and pretty challenging as well.

I wonder if we get to play again tomorrow.

Call me if you are going up!

KC

[Cormac]

nice work! I need to start hanging out in the air with YOU guys...

[Southside]

"Im glad the pass was closed. this way I did not have to come up w/ any excuses not to go."

Not quite closed. Managed to eke through at about 4k. The Ojai mountains were completely shaded in so I scooted out to the middle of the valley from Whiteledge. Buoyant air in the foothills north of Foxtail field got me over to just short of Nordoff H.S. where I climbed back to cloudbase at around 4k. From there I headed over to the ridge that runs up to upper Ojai. Didn't really latch on to anything that would take me back to cloudbase, but I was able to climb high enough to get up and over. Found another ride to cloudbase just east of the bend in the road. From there it was over to the east end of Sulphur Mountain where I found another thermal that enable me to cut the corner to the SW side of Santa Paula Peak. Like everywhere else along the range Santa Paula was completely shaded in so I headed out to the sun line in the foothills toward Fillmore. A climb out there and another one near Piru got me out to I 5 comfortably. Landed at Lake Castaic for just under 62 miles. I got there in just under 3 hours.

Thanks Marge for coming out to get me.

John

[Kabir]

NICE!javascript:emoticon(':lol:')

[BobA]

The Pass didn’t close until I got there.

I didn’t hold much hope for today after Southside said it would be blowing 15…Of course when I woke up with a hangover and checked the weather I dove for the aspirin. No wind and 29F at La Cumbre ! Clouds forming early, Southside made it here by 9:15. Called in a soaring throat, went flying. Marg(arita), Southside & I met up with Magic & Parma Chris, agreed we needed to get up and off before it ODs. Saw Kabir, who launched from Alternator, fly by at 4900 under cloudbase at 11 AM…Tandem M&M went off under very pretty conditions and proceeded to wire dance before climbing way out to cloudbase and landing on the beach. Dilly dallying around I helped Southside off. Last seen he was headed East from the Thermal Factory, way over it. I flew straight to the Thermal Factory and climbed out easily to cloudbase, then proceeded to buzz hikers on top of Montecito. On to East Montecito for a killer climb and then Romero for more. Super strong lift everywhere so far…Down range looked thick but cloudbase still high…Southside was off the air but I figured he just straight lined it and shot the pass, and as it turns out he did, all the way to Lake Castaic, 62 miles…When he got to Ojai, Nordoff was shadowed in, so he just went straight over the valley veering towards Upper Ojai & the Sulphurs, and it worked. I found myself stuck between cloudbanks forming every spine from the Wires to Divide, then got caught in the shade back in between West & East Divide. I dove for Chismahoo ridge but fell off lower than the ridge on the Mountain side, flushing in front of White Ledge, feeling the weird air being canyon caught. A few pops near the last ranch of Chismahoo, I slipped past aiming for the up side beyond, but lower than the ridge separating me from Lake Casitas. I drove the road but got denied low, so I went for the road and ended up in a softer spot at the last second – six foot Cottonwoods, for a no stepper. Then it begain to rain. Beautiful day, rainbows marked the long road to Ojai. And Ojai I went, 1 hour by air and 3 by foot.

see pics - http://picasaweb.google.com/4marge/ADay ... 3896819762

[Marge]

NO problem John...

I did have to call on my way to make sure I didn't pass the exit. I couldn't believe you flew that far.

Thanks for the mountain to mountain recap on the return trip. Very exciting!!!

[Chris G]

Wow, that canyon looks frighteningly familiar. Glad you were close to the road than I was..;P

Nice work guys! It should get pretty epic for you now that I have to go back to Georgia....

[Skippy]

Bob, I think this makes you a great contender for the blue-footed-boobie award for 2008...
Skippy

[DBLD]

The scenery in those pictures looks strangely familiar to me. "one hour by air and three by foot", and now for the rest of the story..... Are you saying you carried your glider and harness three hours into Ojai?!

Been there didn't do that
DD

[BobA]

No way, I hiked out my harness, so left the glider (in the bag) below Whiteledge. Tuesday, Scotty lined up Sam, his dog, a little mud, and two 4X4 quads. Sweet, we proceeeded to blaze up Chismahoo Ridge Road, slippin' and slidin', crossed Coyote Creek just in time, got the glider, had a beer, and was back out after dark ! Super cool, Scotty works for one land owner, Merrilee Griffee, and then knows another, Ema, from a previous unannounced landing, so he had everybodies number, called them all, and just wouldn't hear "no." With go-aheads right on time, we met Jason Robinson, the last land owner on Chismahoo who lead us thru the last two gates, across the creek, and up to the glider. Turns out I know Jason and his brother Shane from living on Danielson Rd, near Hammonds, many years past. Now they co-own the last parcel. Everybody said the creek would not be crossable but Jason saw it low and just bounced thru it. Good thing, that canyon is deep.

http://picasaweb.google.com/4marge/TheRetrieve

[Southside]

Since the wife and kids are going to be out of town this weekend I was thinking that I'd come up and help you retrieve your glider. Looks like I missed out on some fun.

John

As always, if anyone cares here is full write up of my flight -- Bob, I stole a couple of your photos:

http://socalxc.blogspot.com/2008/02/fir ... -year.html

[Marge]

more pics http://picasaweb.google.com/4marge/MLKD ... hMagicMike