Time for me to fly...

...A little REO Speedwagon bouncing around in my head gives the motivation I need to "hang in there" when I'm scratching close to the ridge trying to stay up...
I haven't flown since August 4th when Landon and I had the nail-biter! So I went out to the Short Divide yesterday for some airtime. The soaring forecast was not very spectacular, but there was a decent southwesterly flow. On launch conditions were looking promising - blowing straight in at 16-18 mph, about 85 degrees, mostly clear skies with miles of visibility. I finished my set-up, pre-flight, and hang check.

The set up area is nice and protected by a row of junipers, but the walk down to launch is a little tricky without a wing-man - especially if the wind is blowing more than 10 or 12. You have to walk sideways down 20 or 30 feet of the dirt road to avoid some uphill sagebrush, which puts your right wing in the airflow first. Once you get positioned at the top of the slot, any south or southwest wind usually comes straight in, allowing for a smooth, healthy launch.

The southwest facing launch is at about 5,950' MSL, and the bail-out LZ is about 800' down in the valley below. By itself, Short Divide is not very impressive, and makes for a quick sled ride - although it is an easy turnaround drive to the top, or about a 25 minute hike.

The BIG rewards come when you manage to climb up over the mountains behind and upwind of launch! I launched at 3:05 PM into a nice cycle which took me about 100' over launch, but soon I was 100' below launch level, lookin' for lift!

With the right amount of wind, there is a small ridge extending southeast from launch which you can ridge soar and just "hang-out" while the thermals are funnelled into a corner canyon below and track up toward launch. On marginal days, the trick is to work the smaller, often disorganized thermals to get above launch, then fly back out toward the valley and find another one to "stair-step" your way up. Once you get 200-300' above launch, the thermals become large enough to circle in and then "bench up" by following the drift of the thermal back to the face of Clarkston Peak summit ridge. Once against the upper mountain there is almost always abundant lift allowing you to quickly climb above the peak. (One time Cody made it back and found nothing but sink - but that was a rare exception.)

On this day it took me about 20 minutes of scratching along the lower ridge before I found the thermal ride to the top! Once over Clarkston Peak I crossed the small valley to the face of Gunsight Peak - about 8,100'. Soon I topped out at 8,900', relaxed and just enjoyed the view.

On today's flight there were no co-pilots (canine or human!), and I had no plans to go cross-country. I didn't bring any distraction of a vario, camera, or radio - my purpose today was just to FLY for the sake of flight, rejuvination, and re-creation!

From my vantage point, about 4,000' above the valley, I could see north into Idaho and south to Brigham and beyond. I could also see the little town of Portage where Clover was born (AKA "Cloverton"). I noticed that some of the maples and scrub oak tucked in the narrow mountain valleys were actually starting to change colors with a hint of red, orange, and yellow! Fall is just around the corner as the calendar seems to race toward the daylight savings time change, when the available daylight hours and flying days become fewer.

Although I have flown hundreds of hours and flights, I still feel a sense of awe, respect, appreciation, and gratitude for the magical beauty and incredible rewards of unpowered flight. After flying next to a resident hawk for a few minutes, I let out a "YEEEEEE-HAAAW!" and did a steep wingover in celebration. I explored the local mountains and valleys until the shadows on the foothills began to lengthen, then I pointed downwind, flew over the back, and set up for a nice, stand-up landing in the Clarkston LZ at 4:45 PM.

While reviewing my log book I realized that I have had at least one flight of at least one hour each of the last 12 calendar months - and this flight would extend that streak to 13! (The mild past winter left the road to launch open.)

Airtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes!

Feline Family Friends

I grew up enjoying both cats and dogs in the family, but I think I am just slightly more of a cat person. About two years ago we adopted "Jack" (AKA Mr. Kitty) from a shelter in Jackson, WY.

He was a very curious cat, who took great satisfaction finding creative places in which to nap!

He came during a transitional, rebuilding time in the life of myself and our family to serve as a "Recovery Kitty".

About a year later someone decided that "one" was not enough, so a tiny siamese named "Bosco" (AKA "Roscoe") joined our family.

At first Mr. Kitty had a difficult time sharing "his space".

After a few heart to heart "conversations" with each other, both cats came to a "space sharing agreement" ...

...and eventually became good friends.

We are glad to have Roscoe and Clover (the flying dog) to make life interesting. Roscoe is a friendly, smaller-sized cat, who is a bit more aloof than Mr. Kitty. He often joins the boys and me in our regular treehouse "campouts" (about 25 feet up!), but he is up right at sunrise to head out on his daily "mousing safari" in the alfalfa fields behind our back fence.

He is adjusting to life with Clover - who started out smaller than him, but has since grown to be larger. He enjoys associating with "the dog" when he is in a mellow mood, but avoids her when she is in a "wilder" mood.

About a month and a half ago Mr. Kitty left us. He would often go on excursions for a day or two at a time, but the days turned into weeks, and we haven't seen him since. I suspect that his friendly curiousity caused him to expend all of his nine lives, or perhaps he had other "work" to do elsewhere.

He will be missed.

How to fly 220 Miles in a Hang Glider

Last Sunday Jeff O'Brien (OB1) set a new Utah flex wing open distance record by flying 220 miles from Heber City to somewhere near Lander, WY!!! He covered the distance in 5 hours, and was in the air a total of 7 hours and 20 minutes, climbing to as high as 17,500' MSL along the way! (If you were to drive from Heber to Lander you would travel over 400 miles!) Here is his GPS recorded flight track as viewed on Google Earth.


You can also read his full account on his 'blog at http://hang6.blogspot.com/

I have enjoyed flying with Jeff on a few occasions at the Short Divide. While in the air I tried to glean from his obviously intuitive flying abilities, but he usually left me & my Sport far behind in his wake! I am still looking forward to my first 50 or 100+ miler. I'm sure the day will come - as long as I am persistent, patient, and fly safely - so there will always be a "next time".

A Week at Priest!

Last week we took a well deserved family vacation to the northern panhandle of Idaho. Everyone travelled fairly well on the 700 mile road trip, and the van (old reliable) made it there and back without a hiccup (knock on wood). On the way there we were entertained by watching (among other DVD's) Chevy Chase in "Christmas Vacation". Cousin Eddie has a way of making you grateful for each and every "unique" extended family member!

On the way there we crossed the Continental Divide - twice!...

...and made numerous rest stop, pit stops, and potty breaks! Clover (the flying dog) did fine with no accidents, and passed the time by barking at roadside livestock, the van's shadow, or her reflection in the window, or by playing musical lap-naps. Everyone exercised extreme patience, and no one even threw up (not even dad!)

Priest Lake is a beautiful 23,300 surface-acre natural lake in the mountains of the Kaniksu National Forest extending to about 15 miles south of the Canadian border.

There we were reunited with generations of extended family in a nice private cabin which was "home" for the week.

I have many fond memories of vacationing at Priest Lake as a child, so it was fun to return there and make some new memories with my wife and kids! There are numerous public beaches and campgrounds scattered around the 72 miles of shoreline on the main lake. Nearly every foot of lakefront property that is not public has a private house, condo, or development tucked in the tall pine forest.

There are countless other cabins which are not right on the lake but are down narrow winding roads around every turn.

Despite the private development, the lake does not really have a commercialized "feel" to it, mostly due to its remoteness and size. The smaller Upper Priest Lake is mostly on undeveloped National Forest.

There are a number of small to medium-sized islands throughout the lake also, on which you can boat-camp or day-explore by hiking a perimeter shoreline trail.

A short distance from our cabin was a small public airstrip. It was fun watching the planes come in over the bay on final approach for a landing.


Most pilots just camped on the side of the runway and use the showers and other facilities provided. What a way to see the country!



We had a great time hanging out at the cabin, competing in eagerly contested golf/tennis/or boxing "Wii-tournaments", playing board/dice/card games, getting caught up with family, going on long walks on a myriad of trails or side roads, meeting new people (or dogs)...



out on the waterfront, exploring new places, cooking & eating some good meals (the fresh-caught Priest Lake Mackinaw was the best!), staying up late, sleeping in, and just relaxing. The weather was a perfect 75-85 degrees and mostly sunny, with one cloudy day with a few sprinkles.




On two of the days we rented a boat to explore the lake and do some kneeboarding...




tubing...




...and waterskiing!



...with ample ear protection for some of us!

The water was so clear and a perfect 75 degrees. The only thing better than slicing a tall roostertail on some sweet Priest glass at sunset, was relaxing our sore and tired bodies in the hot tub that evening!

The days flew by toooo quickly, as the week came to an end. We all had a great time together, and missed those who were not able to join us. We are very grateful to everyone who helped make this wonderful trip a reality. We had a safe journey back home just in time to deliver the heavy Sunday morning papers! We are very thankful for the times and experiences we shared together at Priest Lake which will be forever etched in our memories!

In the Air, Wishing We were on the Ground!

Landon and I went out to the Short Divide today for an afternoon flight together. Upon arrival at launch conditions looked great - a few stray cumulus, about 85 degrees, and blowing straight in at 16-18 mph. I set up quickly and completed my pre-flight as a hawk soared stationary about 30' directly above us, screeching for us to come join him!

After a hang check we walked out to launch together. Conditions were about the same, but a big cu-nim was forming just west of Nucor Steel. I told Landon we would have to keep an eye on that in case it OD'd and decided to collide with our local flight plan. We paused briefly on launch, wings level, neutral, "Clear", walk, jog, run, airborne - going up!! Our launch was seamless, and we quickly transitioned to prone. We soared along the lower ridge, finding a few thermals, one of which allowed us climb to about 500' over launch. We drifted back toward the mountain, but fell out of the thermal and lost altitude too quickly to bench up.

We explored the lower ridge with a couple of hawks, playing cat and mouse for a while. After being in the air for about 15 minutes I looked to the west and saw a huge, dark wall near I-15, extending from the top of the cu-nim complex clear to the ground, where an obvious gust front was rapidly rolling right toward us, loaded with dust and debris. It was still about 4 miles away, but I could tell it was moving at about 40-50 mph - which allowed us only about 6 or 7 minutes to get down safely. I said to Landon, "We have to land NOW" I stuffed the bar and headed out over the valley, but I was still level with launch and going up! The shadows of the cloud complex had overtaken us and seemed to be taking us up. I didn't let Landon see just how urgent the situation was, but I know he sensed the need to be on the ground right away. I continued on a southward path with the bar stuffed, going further out over the valley to find a place to put down away from the mountain. We went to an upright position and did some tight 360 reversals allowing us to finally lose altitude and descend to a safe stand-up landing nearly a mile south of our normal bail-out LZ.

I hurried and took a picture of the approaching gust front, and within 2 minutes of landing it came through and flipped my glider over like a toy. I managed to flip it back over without any damage, and then quickly de-tensioned and began frantically pulling battens as Landon held on to the upwind side wire for dear life. My Sport control bar does not easily go flat until I can release the front flying wires and remove the base bar. I managed to get the wings folded and down on the ground just as the front hit with winds of at least 50 mph. Landon and I hunkered down and held on to the glider as we were pelted with big stinging drops of rain and hail. Then the wind suddenly shifted 180 degrees without warning, and the rain continued. After about 15 minutes it let up enough to allow me to finish glider breakdown, and I then phoned home to let Keri know that we were safely on the ground.

We carried the glider and harnesses back to the road, by which time the storm had past, leaving clear skies and a stiff north wind. After retrieving our pick-up, I opened the glider up to allow it to dry before putting it away less hurried. On our short ride home we were both very thankful - not only for a nice flight - but also for a safe landing and retrieval. I was also thankful that my inner ear seems to have healed completely and did not give me any vertigo or airsickness problems!! Yay!

Airtime: 24 minutes!

A Wild Ride!!