It was blowing in with moderate cycles at launch, so we set up and took off and immediately climbed 500 over. The strongest lift was over Eliminator, so I flew to the R&R before trying downrange. The air was a bit spanky out front and foreshadowed the rest of the day. We topped out at the inversion ceiling and bounced eastward with a small tailwind. Most of my time was spent at 3,200 - 3,600 feet, with a lot of sink crossing the canyons. The air was a lot like high pressure in summer, with very strong cores and sharp edges that wrapped up the tips every time you ventured from the weightless center of the thermals to the outside. The only difference was the air was cold. It was my first experience wrestling the feisty Trango in nasty air; I'm still not used to it. For good measure, it balled up a half mile short of the powerlines on the edge of a thermal. It immediately reinflated without input after a fifty foot drop, but my taste for further adventure was considerably dulled. I scouted for some lift on the last big ridge before the powerlines, found none and went out and landed on the beach at Santa Claus Lane. Sara graciously picked up Bob and Bo and I at Padaro Grill. We had a good lunch and then drove home in the convertible Beamer with the top down - the only way to get all the gear on board. I like California living, but THAT got me more chilled than at any time in the flight.
