Soboba good time Saturday afternoon....

[Rich]

Fired up by brothers Nick and Justin along with others to visit Soboba for an overdue flying fix, I ventured south ~200 miles and arrived there Saturday around 2PM. Intrepid NorCal flyer Ramblin' Robin was there with tales of getting over 4K' the day before....
Conditions were quite overcast, initially, but cleared nicely by 4PM and we all had a great time in the ridge lift and cloud suck! It seriously reminded me of flying in (a vegetated) Iquique, Chile, with the strong breeze wanting to carry one as high as they dared fly. There was also surprisingly strong lift out in front of the steep terrain, with some dark clouds that day tending to pull my paraglider into them until big ears set me free....
This was my first trip to Soboba and I was really impressed with the site, launch and LZ, terrain and general flyability... Think Marshall with better air quality, EZ access launch and better ridge soarability....
Many thanks to friendly site host Darrel and instructor Johnny whom keep the site a work in progress and make for lively conversation. They drive you to launch (takes 5 minutes or so!) on small 4WD vehicles, keep a bonfire burning in the luxurious LZ and have a BBQ and fridge there or everyone to use. The site tends to come ON in the afternoon and people can-and-did fly for hours. It is a different type of flying than SB with our (short window of opportunity) mountain thermals and ridge soaring menu; at Soboba, a pilot can often launch at "The 200" and bench up as high as suits them or ride the mule up to the upper launch for a guaranteed good time until dark.