Happy Blog-Birthday!

*(image of Mt. Timpanogas by Brent Young)

It's hard to believe that this 'blog has been up and going for just over one whole year! Although I am not very prolific, as far as 'bloggers go, I have averaged about 10 postings per month. I don't feel the need to 'blog every single day - only as often as 'blog-worthy events occur and as time allows. I often go about my day considering activities or events in terms of 'blog potential, but I don't let my 'blog rule my life, or crowd out time better spent with family or friends. I find myself taking the camera more places throughout the day, just in case I want to capture a moment. I enjoy the creative writing outlet, and am glad to be documenting thoughts, feelings, activities, and events - many of which might otherwise have come and gone unnoticed and be forgotten by now! I'm not very good at keeping a journal, but this digital format with still and video images is much better - and I can share it with family and friends all over the world!

So 'blog-on, dudes! (and dude-ettes!)

*(Great Salt Lake image by Wayson Wight)

Steeeeeee-Rike Threeeee!!

Landon had a Saturday morning baseball game yesterday. It was a makeup game for one that was rained out a few weeks ago. He pitched the first two innings and did quite well, getting a few strike-outs and only allowing one run in the first.

Landon also got two base hits, but in the last two innings the other team extended their lead and 10-runned 'em. Oh well - you can't win 'em all! Nice job, team!

Hang Doggin'

Saturday's forecast was not too spectacular, hot with light & variable winds aloft. The soaring/thermal forecast was more promising, so, with no hang-driver to chase us, we decided to try for a local flight at Short Divide. It seemed like a nice day to take Clover the Hang-Dog with me too!

It was near 90 degrees and sunny on launch, with a moderate breeze out of the southeast. In order to safely launch, we needed the wind to "clock around" at least to due south, preferably southwest. So we set up, tweaked our gliders, fiddled with radios, cameras, varios, GPS units, harnesses and other gear while hang-waiting. Cody asked me, "Whatever happened to the "simple" days of hang gliding?!" We noticed that some cycles were occasionally starting to track right up launch.

Cody thought he had some dust or debris in his eye, causing some irritation. He had me take a look, and I could see what appeared to be a tiny, sharp metal fragment caught on the front of his eyeball just to one side of his pupil & iris. We tried rinsing it out with water, and then brushing it off with a wet paper towel, neither of which worked. He then asked, "do you have a magnet?" I looked through my pickup, and remembered that I had two ceramic magnets used in treadmills. These magnets are so strong you can put one on both sides of your hand and they will stick! So Cody tilted his head back, held his eye open, and had me use the magnet to extract the metal sliver.

The first try did not work, but the second attempt was a success! (You can see the tiny boomerang-shaped fragment in the middle of the magnet) We then rinsed his eye out again, bringing him instant relief, saving a trip to the ER, and salvaging the afternoon of flying! By now the cycles had become quite consistent on launch at 10-15 mph, and there were a number of dust devils churning skyward in the valley beyond Gunsight Peak. We knew that on a high-pressure day like today, the window of bench-up-ability might only last an hour, so we hang-checked,

including the K-9 Hang-Doggie, and walked out to the top of the launch slot just after 4 PM. During my launch run, Clover had to dangle behind me, but then as soon as I proned out she climbed up on my back where she felt most comfortable, taking the weight off of her harness. She eventually crawled up higher to get a bit of a windbreak from my helmet. This was her third flight ever (she had two last year), and she seemed to quite enjoy the view and the ride, as long as I didn't start pulling too many G's!

Cody launched about ten minutes later, and proceeded to show me the thermal which allowed us to drift back to the upper mountain. There was not much ridge lift to speak of, but the moutain seemed to collect and release enough thermals to allow us to gradually climb up and over Clarkston and then Gunsight Peaks. The forecast proved to be fairly accurate, as it turned out to be a nice day to "boat around" over the mountains, but probably not much of an XC day. I toppped out at 9,100', and Cody found a ride that took him to about 12K. It was a strange, but magical afternoon of soaring. It was difficult to determine which side of each summit ridge was the upwind side. There was lift on both sides, converging and combining directly above each spine. The moderately bumpy thermals soon smoothed out into buttery-smooth magical air, allowing Cody and me to explore each mountain up close and personal, and play follow the leader in close proximity in a sort of 3-D aerial ballet.

Here's a mini-movie from our flight! *If you click on it twice, it will take you to the YouTube page, and you can then click on "Watch in High Quality" for better resolution.

While over Gunsight Peak, we heard some distant radio traffic with a vario in the background. As we listened in, we discovered that it was another HG pilot flying XC from King's Peak at about 16,000 feet! As we cruised around effortlessly, a small single-engine plane passed by at nearly the same altitude, about a half mile away from the peak. I flew in such a way to make myself more visible, although the plane's path was a safe distance, now flying parallel to us. He must of finally seen us, as he gave his wings a "waggle", which I then returned in kind. He then turned a wide, sweeping circle around the peak, probably trying to figure out what we were and how we got there!

We flew for a while with a dozen large turkey vultures over the peak. Clover got excited as we shared the air and danced in and out of the raptors in the "boaty" lift. It is exciting to "get high and fly far", but there is nothing quite like this kind of air. After over two hours, we decided to call it a day, so we went over the back to begin our descent to the Clarkston LZ. It took longer than usual to get down, and the valley seemed to be releasing all of its energy as the glass-off had begun. We both had acceptably safe no-wind, uphill landings, and then began breaking down.

Clover was poooped, happy to be back on terra-firma, but didn't want to take her harness off just yet!

Airtime: 2 Hours, 13 minutes!

Camp Bartlett!

Landon was at Boy Scout camp this past week. This was his first full week of camp as a 12 year-old Scout, and he was very excited.

Camp Bartlett is in the Cache National Forest in the southeast corner of Idaho, about 10 miles northwest of Bear Lake.

The campsites are laid out all around a small lake, with the main lodge on the north end. This week there were at least 200 scouts, plus that many (or more) scout leaders and camp staff. The weather was perfect - sunny, around 80 degrees during the day, in the 40's at night.

The camp is 62 miles away, so when I went up for two days I decided to make a motorcycle road trip. It was a beautiful ride up Mink Creek and down Emigration Canyon, carving through some nice "S-curves" - accelerating through the apex, etc..

After a day of merit badge classes, they held the big "Pirates of the Caribbean" contest out on the lake after dinner. In this event, the scouts go out on the lake in all of the canoes, and the camp staff tries to overturn and swamp them.

It turns into a free-for-all and the last canoe floating (above water) is the winner.
That evening a number of the boys, including Landon, went with camp staff for their Wilderness Survival merit badge overnighter. To complete this requirement, they had to spend the night in a shelter of their own construction using natural material. They fashioned some kind of lean-to, and survived the night, returning to camp the next morning by 7 am, a bit bleary-eyed, but with a sense of accomplishment and in good spirits.

They did have stories of a coyote nearby that kept them awake that night!
The next morning dawned with hooping and hollering echoing across the lake at 6:30 am with the "Polar Bear Plunge" by hearty scouts and leaders. For some reason I was still in bed :-/

The traditional flag ceremony every morning and night was part of the daily schedule. It always included songs, cheers, yells, and cheap entertainment from camp staffers. The next day the 11 boys in our troop continued working on merit badges, weaving baskets, boondoggling,

and finished up their service project of staining part of the trading post building (their favorite place to go for junk food & treats when they had any spare time and spending money!)

The scouts were constantly working up an appetite,

so there was plenty of "creative cooking" going on with some tasty food,

and even a few "guest chefs."

We practiced some fire starting skills, and straightened our camp up to be ready for the daily surprise inspection.

We all had the opportunity for a session on the .22 rifle range for some target practice.

Thursday evening after flag ceremony was the traditional "John Coulter Run" - a much anticipated troop relay which circumnavigates the entire lake and camp. It starts with the first scout reciting the Scout Oath and Law, then running the trail around the lake to tag the next scout, who then must correctly tie a knot selected by camp staff. He then runs to the waterfront where the tag is made for the next scout who must answer a "nature question" and then run to the canoe where another scout is already waiting for the canoe leg across the lake. Once across they tag the next scout who runs the trail to the next station where he tags three scouts who then perform a two-man fireman's carry for about 50 yards. They tag the final runner who sprints the last leg to the starting area, where the final task is firestarting. Here they must, as a troop, start a small fire with flint and steel wool, and then build it up until it burns through a piece of twine suspended above the fire, at which point the race ends!

Our troop left the first station in second place, but by the canoe-crossing we were back to 7th or 8th. Landon did the canoe portion, in which they began to gradually regain some ground. By the final sprint, our troop was back to second place, and it came down to the fire building.

They started the fire quickly, but it started to die out, until they found adequate fuel to build it up enough to burn through the twine...

finishing in first place!

Everyone was very excited, as last year they barely finished second. This year they had the John Coulter Run bragging rights! The rest of the week included other scout fun - like the Camp Bartlett Olympics. Landon and eight other scouts from our troop participated in the Mile Swim. This was 14 crossings of the lake, in 58 degree water, which took Landon an hour and 18 minutes! Way 2 Go, Landon, and everyone else who participated!

At the closing campfire ceremony Friday night, our troop was the only one to receive the prestigious Lord Baden Powell award of excellence. To earn this, the entire troop had to meet a long list of requirements, including each boy earning 5 merit badges, on-time attendance to all classes and flag ceremonies, service projects, troop leadership, camp inspections, outpost overnighter, mile swim, John Coulter, uniform inspections, and a number of others. Way 2 go Troop 413!

I had a nice ride home, and after filling up, found that I averaged 75 mpg! The troop made it back Saturday relatively unscathed, with some minor scrapes, cuts, sunburns, and mosquito bites. A warm shower and soft bed were nice, but Landon had plenty of tales to tell, already looking forward to the next camp!

A special thanks goes out to all of the leaders and parents who helped make this year's camp such a great success - especially Scoutmaster Scott!

Yardsailin', Ham-in' & XC'n: A Day to Make Hay

*Today's flight has been dedicated to My Dad - thanks for everything, and Happy Fathers Day!

It was a very busy Saturday for the whole fam. It started at 5 am with an extra-early newspaper delivery so I could make it to the high school before 6 am to help Keri & Landon set up for the marching band fund-raiser humungo-yardsale extravaganza. Keri was in charge of it this year, so she has put in a lot of time recruiting & scheduling volunteers, advertising, organizing, planning, coordinating, and today just "making it all happen". It all went quite well, with many family's earning a sizable amount to go toward sons' or daughters' marching band fees.

After helping set up, I drove down to the university to take the Ham (amateur radio) technician's license exam at 8 am. I have wanted to get my license for a number of years, and after reading a lengthy thread on hanggliding.org about the FCC consequences of illegal radio operation, and after some encouragement from Cody, I decided now was a good time. The problem was I only had a day and a half to study, and I was feeling crammed-full of electrical formulas, definitions, principles, FCC laws, rules, regulations, terminology, Ohm's law, etc, etc.. My brain was overloaded (or overflowing) with too much new information, and I felt uneasy and ill-prepared.

You need to get 26 out of 35 questions right to pass. I got 25 right (Dohhh!!!) So I decided to pay the $14 again, and re-took the exam, the second time passing with 27 correct! I was sure glad that was over - and happy that I (barely) passed. Failing an exam twice in a row would have wreaked havoc with my fragile ego :-) I should have studied more, but they only offer the test every 2 or 3 months, and I wanted to be "good" for the summer flying season. Within a few days I will have my own assigned station call number, and be an official "Ham."

Then I stopped by home, loaded up the glider, and went back to the yard sale to help put tables away and load up what "treasures" (junk) remained un-sold. Then I hurried out to Short Divide, as Cody, who was already on launch, called to tell me that conditions were good!

*While driving through the countryside, I noticed that many farmers were taking advantage of the (finally) warmer, drier weather for their first hay cutting. There is just something soothing about the look and smell of fresh cut alfalfa laid out in acres of uniform windrows. As I went through the gate just before launch, I noticed another sure sign of summer - cowpie season had begun! The gracious landowner had brought his livestock up for the summer grazing season (with a view, no less!) I have no problem sidestepping a cowpie here and there for the opportunity to use this magical launch! We stay on good terms with the landowner by respecting his gates, leaving no trace, watching out for his livestock, and an occasional holiday gift basket. Often times he will be driving through and will stop to watch us "jump off the mountain." *(Hay picture from rothphotos.blogspot.com)

The day was warm (85 degrees) and sunny, with clear blue skies to the south, and a cloud street setting up to the north, northeast. The tension and excitement on launch was palpable, as the prospect of going cross country was like Christmas morning! Amid my airtime-Jones'in excitement, I consciously reminded myself to stick to my methodical pre-flight routine to ensure a safe launch and flight. Cody programmed in his declared goal for the day as Alpine, WY, just over 100 miles. I just laughed and said, "Sounds good - I'll be right behind (and below) you!" I launched first into a 15-18 mph wind, immediately finding adequate lift to climb steadily and bench up over Gunsight Peak. After Cody's wife, Dorothy arrived to hang-drive the chase vehicle, Cody launched just before 4 pm. The lift topped out at 9,000', a bit low for going "over the back", so we pointed north along the main mountain range, as Cody advised Dorothy of our intended route.

The cloud street started about 15 miles north of launch, so we scratched to stay up while drifting in lift, or even zero sink, hoping to get under it, "get high, and go far." We found a number of 300 to 800 fpm thermals along the way, but they just fell apart above 8,800'. About 18 miles out, Cody decided to glide out over the valley to the west, in hopes of finding a more cohesive thermal to take him to cloudbase. I continued due north, hoping to just get under the cloud street and find the lift there.

Cody's strategy worked, mine didn't. By the time I was almost under the forming cumulus, I was too low, and ended up landing in a field just east of the freeway below, about 20 miles out. Not bad for the first XC of the season, but I soon was kicking myself as Cody slowly, methodically climbed from about 6,000' up to 16,000' at cloudbase! It was a 10,000' gain - way 2 go, Cody!

By now he was a speck in the sky, and I was loading my glider onto the truck, as Dorothy had shown up before I even had a chance to un-hook! I assumed the humble (or humbling) position of assistant hang-driver/navigator/radio-guy. After topping out, Cody pointed northeast and began his downwind path - with a groundspeed of 55 mph! Dorothy & I gave chase, circum-navigating the much less direct highways thousands of feet below him. The line of clouds temporarily overdeveloped, obscuring the sun and creating a void in the lift, forcing Cody to land just short of Grace, ID...

with a 40-mile grin on his face!

We located Cody right next to the highway, and soon had his glider loaded up also. On the ride back home, Cody thanked me for my "sacrificial landing" - giving me credit for triggering the release of his cloudbase thermal. I just told him, "Oh sure - NO Problem - I'm always happy to give :-)

Airtime: 1 hour 16 minutes! - Thanks for "sharin' the air", Cody - and Thanks for the excellent driving, Dorothy! (Sorry about the low-quality pic's - all I had was my cell phone camera :-\

The Bulls-eye Bunch

This year's annual "Cousin's Camp" was more of a 3-day family reunion, with the theme of "Bulls-eye Kids."

After completing our firearm safety class, including a written test, the Cousin's were ready to try their skills on the shooting range!

First they had some fun shooting pistols at the "Bullseye Targets."

That afternoon they moved to the rifle range .

Finally their shooting skills were put to the test with the shotguns!

Even the parents had their turn too!

Although there were a few bruised shoulders, everyone learned some valuable lessons about more than just shooting.

Everyone left the range with a smile, wanting to return and shoot more! *For other 'blog postings about Cousin's Camp 2008, click on the other "Family Links" on the right side of this page, or click here for Keri's: http://simplykeri.blogspot.com/