The Grade

From: Forger
Activity_Date: 6/4/01
Remote Name: 12.44.115.28

Comments

Well I've had an innoculation for the plague and I went to the dentist for the plaque but when I called John, in Ojai, he still found an excuse for not being able to go flying today. Some whiney thing about "having to work for a living," etc.

So I went to the grade by myself. I wanted to get there before it turned on so I could see a day's cycle. Because of some errands I didn't get there until 11:00. It was already blowing 12G18 at the middle launch so after a couple of ratty inflations I decided to hoof over to the upper launch. It was blowing in about 10G15 there so I hung out for awhile and then Mike and Kate from L.A. showed up. Things were smoothing out then so I launched and immediately gained 700 ft. Over the course of the next 20 minutes I had several cycles but they were drifting back quickly so I left them. My big desire is to head XC out of there so I thought I should play around with the backside a bit.

By this time the other two were airborne and I hooked a good thermal and stayed in it this time. Got to within a few hundred feet of cloudbase at 2200ft back over the golf course. Then nothing but sink. The pass itself seemed to be a big venturi so I decided not to head downwind towards the weigh stations looking for another thermal.

I crabbed back out with max speedbar to get in front of the small hill on the north side of the 101 (with the tall tower on top). I found a thermal there but didn't want to 360 into the guy wires so I headed out to land on the field next to Adolpho.

I could see Mike the entire time I went sightseeing and assumed he watched me land. I didn't bother going back for my car for several hours and they were out there still doing search and rescue patterns in their SUV's, trying to figure out where I went.

Oops. Next time I guess I should mention I may disappear downwind and not to be too concerned unless they see my wrapped around a rock. I guess I should find a PTT and break out my old 2-meter also.

Speaking of which, I have a brand new "in the box" Flight Connections PTT "hands free" for a ICOM radio. I need one for a Yaesu.

Forger