Oat Mt., Sun Jul 3

[Robb]

The dogs were pulling at their leashes all week, looking forward to the great conditions expected at Pine Sunday. Unfortunatly, Rhonda told the tale of high winds and higher temps than at Ozena. A group of us decided to take up Nitros's offer and try to use the early east to get us from Oat, across SP peak, and on into Ojai, with OJ setting Elings park as his goal.

OJ and I left our cars on Grant at the bottom of the ridge leading up to SP peak for any that flushed there, and were picked up by Nitros. Brendan, Treeman, and Bob H left cars at Goodenough and took Brendans truck to the gate and we were up the hill in two vehicles.

Instead of the normal launch at the gleaming and glinting airstream, we went on up to the higher peak to the north to launch. Winds were light from ESE and I felt the east was only going to switch if I waited so I launched first. Brendan followed in his stealth pod. We managed a hundred or so over launch and Brendan turned west with me behind.

Treeman, Bob, and OJ were a few minutes behind in launching, and that made all the difference with all three top landing the lower ridges and hiking through the foxtails back up to launch.

Brendan took the bolder line to the north, caught a thermal right at the bump and was off up the spine to SP peak, I saw him climbing, turned to join the fun, and spent the next 40 minuts scratching the whole bottom of the ridge before landing in the river wash next to the car.

Brendan made it past SP peak before flushing down west of Timber Ridge in deep brush but right next to a truck - that left him to hike a couple of miles in the hundred-degree heat down to the gate where I picked him up.

We went back up for round two, but watching Treeman and Nitros sink out called it day over. Another fun day at Oat.

[Mark Miyahara]

It was a good day to see the dynamics of trying to cross over the Sespe river towards Santa Paula. Had we of launched 45 minutes earlier, outcome might have been much better. I've always wanted to try it but the inversion shut us down.
I had an injury from the previous week to my right bicep tendon while trying to unbeach a pontoon boat. I will be having surgery to reattach the tendon at the elbow. So I will be out of flying for about 3 months.
Arrrrg and right when Pine is in season! I was so looking forward to more flying adventures there. Looking forward to reading about all the fun Robb, Brendan, OJ, Ron and all the other topa pilots will be having there.