Matt's Basic Life & Occasional Adventure

With the birds I'll share...

2012-01-15T20:18:00.013-07:00

It has been over 5 months since my last flight, and just over 5 years since my last January flight. The road to launch is usually snowed in, and the valleys are usually socked-in with inversions and near zero temperatures. This has been an unseasonably warm, dry winter, and yesterday Cody & I took advantage of a favorable forecast to bag an hour and a half of rare January airtime!

(Matt S. on Vimeo)
Conditions on launch were sunny, about 45 degrees, with a smooth 20 mph breeze coming straight into launch. After launching, we explored the narrow lift band, and took turns finding the tops of the regular soft-edged thermals. The lift seemed to top out about 300 feet over launch, not quite high enough to allow us to bench up. Although we did not have any record-setting climbs, it was a great January gift, getting 2012 off to a great start!

Elder Shoemaker - the Younger...

2011-12-25T21:38:00.009-07:00

After studying and working hard through a year at USU, our oldest son, Joshua, took a leap of faith and decided to submit his "papers" to serve a full-time LDS mission.

Keri and I have always prepared and encouraged our boys to serve, but ultimately the choice is still theirs.

On June 16th, 2011 he received his call, signed by the prophet, President Thomas S. Monson! It arrived during our annual "Cousins' Camp" family reunion, which was being held in Ovid, Idaho, near Bear Lake. I had to work until Thursday, so I brought the sealed envelope with me to the reunion.

On Friday, June 17th, we all gathered together, along with two local missionaries serving in the Montpelier area, to watch, on the edge of our seats, as Josh opened and read the call!

He kept himself and all of us in suspense, by only revealing one line of the letter at a time, reading slowly, word by word. He finally came to the part which said, "You are assigned to labor in the Belgium/Netherlands Mission," where he would be speaking Dutch! Cousin's were screaming, Mom & grandparents were crying, dad was filming, Josh had an ear to ear grin as the reality of the surreal moment began to sink in.

There was great rejoicing in Ovid, and no doubt, beyond!

Josh spent the next three months working, to save (and spend) some money, and preparing spiritually for the "Best Two Years" of his life, scheduled to begin September 21st as he entered the MTC. During these three months, Keri spent hours and hours helping fill out paperwork, including passport and visa applications, doctor and dentist sign-off's, FBI clearance, letter of Apostille, etc, etc.. Time is of the essence, as some of these applications cannot be submitted until a previous application returns! It is no wonder that many missionaries do not have their passport and visa finalized until after weeks in the MTC - sometimes not until a day or two before departure.

Keri also helped work our way down a long checklist of clothing and supplies required for each missionary, while at the same time, making plans for Josh, er Elder Shoemaker's farewell. Josh was progressing well with his spiritual preparations, but some days he seemed to hang on to his teen-ager mentality a bit too much. Keri and I exercised great patience and faith, as we put our trust in God to help successfully get Josh to the MTC!

Weeks and months of preparations culminated as the farewell and reception came off nicely, and we made plans to drive down to the MTC, on September 21st.

The whole family drove down, where we shared a nice lunch at the Orem Spaghetti Factory.

We were a bit early, so we waited near the temple until the appointed arrival time.

We drove through the gate, and I'm sure that, by this point, Keri was more nervous than Josh!

We were greeted by sidewalks lined with friendly missionaries waving as we drove ahead to our assigned stop.

We arrived and were immediately met by elders who allowed for a very quick good-bye.

They then whisked Elder Shoemaker and his luggage away to his MTC home! Although we missed him already, Keri and I breathed a huge sigh of relief that he was now in the Lord's hands, and embarking on two years of life-changing service.

After two months of intensive language (Dutch) and spiritual training with his MTC companion, Elder Wright, Elder Shoemaker boarded a plane and was on his way to Europe on a 10-hour flight! Keri and I were able to speak with him during his layover in Portland, then we tracked his intercontinental flight on the internet.

The very next day, President and Sister Brubaker had already posted a picture of Elder Shoemaker, showing him safely at the mission home!

Elder Shoemaker received his first assignment, in a "quaint" little apartment, serving with Elder Schulte, in the city of Gent. I told Keri that I had predicted his first companion, because I found the mission 'blog maintained by his parents in Indiana and showed it to Keri, two days before we found out who his first companion would be!

Josh struggled a bit the first week, battling a nasty cough and cold - not to mention a bit of culture shock. From all that we can gather, Elder Schulte has been a great trainer for Josh, no doubt drawing from his own experience to help Elder Shoemaker adjust to mission life in a totally foreign land. The members in their area are also very helpful and supportive of the missionaries! In Gent, the primary language is Flemish, somewhat related to Dutch, but still very different. Fortunately, they found opportunities to speak and even teach in Dutch, and of course, some in English.

You can follow Elder Shoemaker's letters and adventures on Elder Shoemaker's Mission Blog which we have set up and which Keri updates regularly!

*(Click "Play" then click "Pause" to allow the video to fully load first, to avoid buffering delays.)
I just felt a need to update this 'blog, since we just had the awesome opportunity to video chat with him on Christmas morning for 40 minutes! Here is a video which I edited together, including some from that video call.

We experience blessings daily from Elder Shoemaker's service. His service has a great influence in the lives of many, including our extended family here in the States.

We know that he is being watched over, and pray that he will be an instrument of service in God's hands, to not only build himself, but bless the lives of countless people in his mission.

St George!

2011-10-02T13:47:00.015-06:00

We took a quick family trip to southern Utah for the 35th St George Marathon - basically from one end of Utah down to the other!
With the hot forecast in Utah's Dixie, we got a rental car for the trip, as our van seems to have "issues" on long, hot drives.

The only rental car in the class we reserved was a new Nissan Cube - it is a funky square car, which gets plenty of looks on the freeway.

It drove fairly nice & got good gas mileage - but I wouldn't buy one.

The hotel reservation I had for a non-smoking room with two beds turned out to be one bed in a smoking room!! So we found an overpriced room that marginally worked at a dive hotel on the Boulevard. At least they had cable and AC, but the old AC unit woke us up all night, and the Wi-Fi only worked if you were standing outside your room.
But we were not there for the hotel - so we tolerated it for one night, and focused on the race. The pre-race expo and dinner were nice. We drove around town a bit, and then watched BYU beat USU before going to bed.
It was warm already at 4 am when I walked 5 blocks from our hotel to the finish area, where I boarded a bus and was shuttled to the start line, along with about 6,000 other runners. The whole event is a logistical marvel, as it has become the 15th largest marathon in the country, with runners from all over the world.

The start line, about 2,000+ feet in elevation higher, was cooler - maybe in the low 50's. I relaxed, prepared and waited in the pre-dawn light over an hour for the 6:45 start time.
After the national anthem, the wheelchair racers started, then 5 minutes later, the runners gun went off, and the stationary mass of people slowly gained momentum and eventually crossed the chip-timed start line close to running speed.

As the sun came up, the beauty of the mountains meeting the red rock desert was revealed, only to be interrupted by the notorious mile and a half "Veyo hill" between miles 7-9. I backed off my pace and cleared the hill just fine, then picked it back up on some gentle rollers prior to the big descents.
I crossed the halfway point at 1:45, just as I had planned. I wanted to run a reverse split, slightly faster second half, to come in at 3:30, or even 3:25. By now there was a noticeable breeze in our face - not noticeably debilitating, but just enough that you realized some relief by drafting a bit behind another runner, as long as their pace matched yours.

As the course dropped past beautiful Snow Canyon, and then into St George, the valley heat came up to meet us. I had hydrated well at every aid station from the start, consumed over 200 calories per hour, but the heat took its toll on many runners. For some it hastened the dreaded Wall, resulting in long stretches of walking. For me it just meant a headache, some minor tightness or cramping in my calves, and my pace slowed from a 7:45 to about an 8:10.

There are many hand made posters and signs along the way for encouragement and humor. I wish I could remember them all - such as, "Toenails are overrated", or "Pain is temporary, pride is forever", or "Kia Kaha", or "Run, Forrest, Run",

or this silly one around mile 26, where the course runs right by a mortuary!

So I distracted myself by reading signs and watching spectators in attempts to ignore the late race discomfort, stretched as needed, dumped water on my head every mile, and just forced my legs to "bring it on home".

I was very happy to see Keri, the boys and Clobber at the finish chute, as I crossed the line with a 3:33:36!

I took a half hour to re-hydrate, eat & recover, then joined the fam as we cheered other friends on at the finish - such as a friend who used to be in our ward,

our neighbor couple (first-timers)

and Landon's 15 year old friend, Mason (first timer!!).

It was an awesome event, course and atmosphere, involving hundreds, if not thousands of community volunteers.
We listened to conference as we drove home, glad to be back in our own beds.
My legs and body are a bit sore and tired today, but I am getting around fine with no apparent injury or pain :-) Thanks for the fun trip!

More Hang Doggin'

2011-08-07T22:56:00.008-06:00

Clobber & I took advantage of a respectable soaring forecast combined with a warm southwest breeze to get some Saturday afternoon airtime!

All three of us had nice flights of around 2 hours!

The Friendly Skies of Short Divide

2011-07-18T21:25:00.020-06:00

Friday Cody rallied the troops to plan an XC adventure from Short Divide on Saturday. The favorable forecast indicated that topping off our oxygen bottles might be a good idea. By 2 pm, Cody, Greg, 'Berg and myself were queuing up to launch under mostly blue skies and 90 degree temps. Dorothy was standing by, ready to drive chase. Cody launched first, followed shortly by myself in my BIG F3 Tandem 225! We found frequent thermals as we soared the small launch ridge, but they were tiny and tough to core. After a half hour, Cody caught a bullet that, in 2 or 3 turns, allowed him to bench up over Clarkston Peak! I tried to follow, but fell out of it.

Greg, 'Berg and myself spent the next hour scratching low, searching for a ride to the top. I tried to stairstep my way high enough to bench up, but every time I pulled in to stay safely in front of the ridge, my single-surfaced wing quickly descended, resulting in little net gain. Greg flew out over the valley, got spanked by a gnarly thermal and then landed safely in tricky conditions. 'Berg then flew over the newly plowed bailout LZ, found some nice workable thermals, and took one all the way back to the mountain!

After 2 hours of arm wrestling testy thermals down low, my arms and shoulders were toast, so I flew out over the bailout to try my luck. I found abundant lift along the little bench to the north of it, and soon found a fatty that I could lazily circle in and climb out. My vario chirped happily as I crested the summit ridge line and the 360 views opened up around me!

It had been nearly a year since I had climbed out over Short Divide, and this was the first time in my Falcon! The lower performance and lack of VG made it challenging, but not impossible if patient and persistent.

I was now able to relax, stretch my legs, and get the kinks out of my shoulders as I explored familiar ridges, saddles and peaks on my way to Gunsight in the buoyant afternoon pre-glass-off.

The view from there was spectacular as usual, as I could now see up the freeway to Malad. Cody and 'Berg had already left on course to the north when it looked like I wouldn't be able to bench up. Given the late hour in the afternoon, I opted to stay local today and enjoy the ride.

I flew back toward Clarkston, and then spotted a sailplane back over Gunsight Peak! I reversed my direction, and soon found myself sharing a thermal with the big glider as we approached 9,000 feet. The other aircraft only made 3 or 4 circles before pointing toward Logan, joining up with another glider on the way. (I hurried and snapped a picture as they flew away, but my old point and shoot digital camera did not do it justice.) I watched from my vantage point as they paused to enjoy some looping action before descending to land at the airport.

By now, Cody had followed the ridge nearly to Malad, where he landed out and was quickly retrieved by Dorothy. 'Berg had landed near the Portage exit along I-15.

Nearly 4 hours into my flight, I decided I should leave the amazing glass-off and land while I still had the strength. I watched the paragliders soaring the little bench north of the LZ as I scooted over the back and began my descent into Clarkston.

I safely landed, broke down my glider and retrieved my pick-up, filled with gratitude for my time in the friendly skies!

Airtime: 4 hours 10 minutes!

Return to Sun Valley

2011-07-09T14:18:00.016-06:00

The whole fam plus Aunt Amy & Grandpa Dave took the opportunity to travel to Sun Valley over the long July 4th weekend.

Keri and Dave performed as part of the American Festival Chorus and Orchestra, directed by Craig Jessop, along with special guest Maureen McGovern at the Sun Valley Pavillion.

Sun Valley is as beautiful as I remember it being when Keri & I saw it over 20 years ago on a brief layover at the Hailey airport. Our hotel was not bad either - thanks to a reasonable group rate!

We spent part of the time swimming in the pool, going for a walk, playing frisbee, window shopping, or relaxing on the hotel grounds.

Ketchum and the entire valley has somehow managed to prevent any fast food franchises or big box stores from popping up anywhere. All of the shops, restaurants and businesses have an eclectic mom & pop flavor.

A hole in the wall place called Lefty's Bar & Grill had some great salads, sandwiches, burgers & "monkey fries!"

The laws in Idaho are certainly different from those in Utah!

We walked to church Sunday morning, about a half mile from the hotel.

The large congregation required overflow seating which took up the entire gym and up onto the stage!

Daytime temperatures were just over 80, but by showtime the air cooled down nicely.

The powerful patriotic performance was a fitting finish to a nice weekend in Sun Valley!

Race Day!

2011-06-11T17:06:00.023-06:00

Race day finally arrived for the Utah Valley Marathon!

My day started at about 3 am when I awoke in time to catch the 3:30 shuttle van to the start area above Provo Canyon in Wallsburg.

Keri was still trying to get over a lingering cough and cold, and was just not feelin the runnin-Mojo, so she opted out of the Half Marathon. She and Landon slept in and then joined in the exciting finish line atmosphere, cheering all the finishers home, and taking some pic's. Thanks for being there, fam!

It was a nice, cool early start at 6 am on a beautiful, mostly sunny day. After a tour of the farming community of Wallsburg and a peek at Deer Creek Reservoir, our course took us down Provo Canyon, with beautiful views of snow-covered Cascade Mountain, Timpanogas Peak, and the fast moving Provo River. From about mile 11 to the finish, the road was all unforgiving concrete, which later took its toll on my legs. After many "unadvertised" rollers down the canyon, I made it to the valley right on pace for my 3:30 "best scenario" goal, as I settled in with the pacer carrying the 3:30 sign.

The last, mostly flat 6 miles down University Avenue, I stopped for water and took a 20 second walk break, and the pace group got ahead of me. I kept them in sight, and repeatedly tried to reel them back in, but was never able to re-join them. Now the valley sun began to warm up, so I stopped under the mister-coolers for some relief. Although a bit uncomfortable at times, I hung in there, occasionally stopping to stretch my calves which were tightening up. The crowds lining the street were awesome, and did not allow me to stop for long. I saw out of the corner of my eye the 3:40 pace group two blocks back, and then I stepped it up and brought it on home.

I missed my BQ goal by 8.5 minutes, but still had a great finish time (for an old guy who doesn't always train too seriously :-))

After a couple of minutes I was able to force a smile, happy to see Keri & Landon. I then limped around the recovery area for a while, ate a banana Creamie and chocolate milk before returning to the hotel for a hot shower!

When we arrived the day before, we drove around town, and showed Landon a few different "historical sites", such as the apartments where Keri & I met!

Here is our second apartment after we were married. Looking a bit run down.

Here is the Brick Oven Pizza on the edge of campus - where Keri & I used to go out to eat on special occasions.

And here is what is left of the Provo Tabernacle, after the big fire there a number of months ago.

Overall, it was an enjoyable race, and a nice little getaway to "Cougar Country". It was good to re-visit our "roots" - as Keri & I will soon celebrate 24 years together - is that right, Keri?! :-)

Hang Doggin 2011

2011-06-05T23:36:00.013-06:00

*(Thanks for the great Pic's, Robert B!)
After a 7 month hiatus, Saturday finally presented the opportunity for some airtime! Clover and I converged on Short Divide launch under mostly sunny 75 degree skies, along with two other hang glider pilots and a half dozen paraglider pilots. Conditions were light, but building, with cycles topping out at 14-16 mph. I waited for a slow moving cloud to pass by, bringing sunlight back to launch, hang-checked Clover and myself, paused for a good cycle, then ran off into the airspace!

We found subdued thermals up to 700 fpm mixed in with the ridge lift, and soon climbed to about 600' over launch. We found a thermal with which to drift back to the mountain, but fell out of it as it drifted over the back. I played it safe and came back out front, never to regain all of my altitude. We spent the next 45 minutes refining our rusty thermalling skills, and bobbing around with 4 or 5 paragliders, and one other hang glider. Eventually another cloud moved in and we were all flushed out to the landing zone. Although we did not "climb the mountain," it was great to get back in the air again with my canine co-pilot!

Airtime: 1 hour!

September 11th, 2010 Crawford Flight!

2011-01-09T12:36:00.014-07:00

Since I'm locally groundbound due to sub-freezing temps and snowed-in launches, I used some computer time to create a 'blog posting from September 11th, 2010...The mid-day light and fickle winds on this day filled in nicely to allow for Rachael's much anticipated first soaring flight. *(Thanks for the pic's, Dallen.)

Our launch went well, allowing for a smooth transition to the sky!

Soon we were looking down on launch from hundreds of feet over the imposing cliffs below.

After working some moderately strong thermals, the glass off began, resulting in some incredible views.

After nearly an hour and a half in the air, we began our descent and came in for a gentle wheel-landing.

Here is a short video I edited together from the flight. Enjoy!

Time Lapsing

2011-01-02T08:01:00.010-07:00

*For better HD quality, click on the following link: http://vimeo.com/18363189
Here is some time-lapsed video from three different locations during my December, 2010 trip to Hong Kong and China. The compression of time seems to convey the huge volume of people - 7 million people packed into Hong Kong, and 13 million in Shenzhen, China!

Rockin' Christmas

2010-12-25T09:46:00.008-07:00

*Click on the "Play" button, then be patient and it will load and play!
Happy Holidays from the North Logan Rockin' Shoes!!

*Created by Keri & JibJab!

Hong Kong II

2010-12-22T23:43:00.061-07:00

Early in December I had the opportunity to return to Hong Kong! Here is a preview of my work and adventures there - I will post more pic's, video and details in the coming weeks!

A few days ago near the end of our time there, as we exited the subway onto the street level in Tsim Sha Tsui, we heard a familiar Christmas Carol being sung in a very UNfamiliar language! Although we did have much success on some long work days, and had the opportunity to see a new part of the world, I am grateful to be home for the holidays!

We had a brief layover in Portland, OR and then in Japan. From SLC to HK airport took about 26 total hours!

The incredible view from "The Peak" atop Hong Kong Island, looking down on Victoria Harbor toward mainland Hong Kong.

View of the incredible Hong Kong skyline - unmatched anywhere in the world! This is from Victoria Harbor waterfront by the Star Ferry pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, looking toward Hong Kong Island.

There are three main ways to get to the island: 5 minutes by motor vehicle via the tunnel under the harbor, 4 minutes via the MTR subway under the harbor, or 10 minutes by boat or ferry.

Some of the buildings near our office and warehouse in Kowloon Bay.

The Hong Kong LDS Temple in Kowloon Tong.

A Very familiar map of the MTR Subway system.

Often crowded, but extremely efficient people-mover.

The Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island.

Big Buddah.

The fishing village of Tai-O.

...like a step back in time.

Countless opportunities to practice photography.

Some local market cuisine!

A busy plaza in mainland China.

China factory.

Funky local homemade dump truck.

Hong Kong warehouse.

One of many interesting English interpretations of common signage :-)

Signs, signs - everywhere signs!

A brief layover at the Seattle airport on our way home. Because we cross the international date line, we left Sunday at 8:30 am HK time, and landed in SLC Sunday at 1:30 pm MST.

New friends and iFrogz counterparts at our Hong Kong Warehouse.

...when Grammas Fly?!

2010-11-26T08:43:00.117-07:00

Two people have been there since day-one of my hang gliding lifetime -

Mom & Dad!...I always knew that someday I would fly. When I was about 6 years old my dad took me to the WSU campus one Saturday for a campus club open house. The one that caught my eye, was the hang gliding club. I remember the static hang glider display they had set up - and I also remember how disappointed I was, because they said I had to weigh at least 100 lbs!

Fast forward to high school about ten years later...I kept the dream tucked away in my head, and read every book I could find on the subject, until in 1982 I saw a Thrifty Nickel add for a hang glider in Toppenish, WA for $300!

Of course I went and bought it, figured out how to set it up, began flying it, and the rest - as they say, is history!...The early days were not without some scary moments, but I made it through with nothing worse than a few scraped knees and broken downtubes. Mom & Dad were there from the start to watch, drive, take pictures, and occasionally cringe at some rough landings!

A few high school buddies were also there to hang drive and throw me off the mountain - including Brent & Ted!

Both Mom & Dad were there for my first "high altitude flight" when I flew off of the Kiona Benton grade...Mom was there when I first soared the "Pliable Moose" for an hour in 30 mph winds at Eagle's Launch by Richland!

"Big Bird" helped me "unlearn" some bad habits, and ingrain in my muscle-memory much better launch and landing techniques.

Fitz taught me by example that an overall conservative, safety-conscious attitude will help any pilot enjoy the incredible rewards of a lifetime of injury-free hang gliding.

The day before I left for Hong Kong the first week of November, I had the opportunity to "give back" to Mom & Dad when we traveled to Randolph in hopes of airtime. I have always been open to the idea of taking Mom flying with me, but everything would have to come together on the perfect day when my skills, experience, equipment, and the weather all combined to allow this to safely happen. Of course a willing passenger was also a pre-requisite ;-}

We arrived on launch (Clover is an Excellent driver) at about 1 pm under sunny 50 degree skies on a crisp Fall day, with limited available daylight hours, as the sun now set at around 6 pm. The wind was light out of the West at 0-5 mph, but I set up and pre-flighted anyway to be ready if conditions improved.

We relaxed and enjoyed the view, while Clover and Kaz played and explored. Patches of snow remained from last weeks storm, and it wouldn't be long until the next storm came and closed the road to launch. With my business trip out of the country the next day, I knew this could be the last chance for a "fair weather flight".

Santacroce's self-dubbed "boneless chicken" paraglider pilots jumped off the South launch all afternoon, apparently making some kind of a thrill-seeking movie. One with a motor buzzed launch for a while as other hangies began showing up.

Finally at about 3 pm the wind began to pick up to about 10, so Mom and I began to suit up in hopes of at least a sled ride!

After a hang check and co-pilot briefing from Clover the launch monitor, we walked out to launch, where conditions had now improved to 12-14 out of the Northwest! A local raptor showed us the underside of his wings without having to flap, so I knew we would have at least an extended sled ride, and perhaps even be able to soar!

With Dan on the front wires, I yelled "Clear" and said out loud, "Walk, jog, RUN!"...by the time we got to "jog", Mom's feet were off the ground as we seamlessly took to the sky! With the NW component, I made a right turn immediately after flying away from launch, and found just enough lift to maintain around the little spine to the North. We worked the little bowl there, followed the range as it descended, and soon bobbed over the top of the ridge, finding even better lift there! At this point I knew we would have more than just a sled ride!

We made gentle 190's back and forth in front of launch, and then along the NW facing bowl, each time gaining 20 or 30 feet in altitude. As much fun as it is to "sky out", I really enjoy flying up close and personal along a ridgetop when conditions are smooth, working every little spine, bump and bowl to stay up.

Showing other Hang-waiters that it was indeed soarable, we were soon joined by 5 or 6 other pilots, including Bruce, Dan, Shadd, Ryan and a couple others. I made all my turns in lift, as gently as I could, explaining to Mom the right of way "rules of the ridge" which allow us all to share the air. About a half hour into the flight, the Randolph Magic-Glass-Off began, and we all were able to climb to about 200 feet over the top in the expanding lift band.

At first, Mom was unable to get proned out in her harness, so she just crossed her ankles, relaxed and enjoyed the flight. After a while her legs began to get cold, so I helped her get her legs into the cocoon, after which she was much more comfortable. For a first-timer, she did great - with no complaint of vertigo or queasiness!

We soaked in the surreal surroundings, waving to Dad on launch, and chasing our own shadow along the mountainside.

After an hour in the air Mom started hinting that she was getting a bit chilled, so we headed out over the meandering ox-bowed Bear River and began our gentle descent. I reminded her that things would start to seem "really fast" as we returned to two-dimensions. We came in with plenty of speed through the gradient, leveled out in ground effect, and settled down on the stubble field for a nice wheel-in landing.

As we rolled to a stop, we both let out expressions of excitement, wonder and relief. Glad to be safely back on terra-firma, but already missing the sensation of flight. Dad was there waiting for us after driving the pick-up down, relaxing and reading his latest novel. We packed up and headed back to Logan, with sun-kissed, and wind-burned faces. That night, we all slept well - with plenty of very real flying dreams! Thanks Mom & Dad - I Have been Blessed!

Airtime: 1 hour & 10 minutes!

Randolph Friday

2010-10-17T20:22:00.008-06:00

After working like crazy for weeks, I finally made time to take Friday afternoon off to go flying!

Cody and I drove to Randolph and met up with the usual suspects at the Crawford Mountain launch - including Cal, KC, Dan, Wes, Shadd, Liz, Greg, Bruce and a couple others. By 1:30 at launch it was blowing straight in, gusting from 18 to 25 mph. Cody set up the F3T "SuperFloater" while I set up my U2.

Cal was off first, reporting strong but smooth winds aloft. He quickly climbed to 2,000+ over launch, and invited all comers to join him in some Air-Play'n!

Cody made a great launch of all 225 squares and did quite well, sans-VG in the serious air.

Greg, Shadd and Wes assisted me on launch at my nose and side wires. I wasted little time getting buffeted on the ground, and soon found myself quickly climbing in the bar-stuffing classic Crawford conditions with a huge grin on my face! Soon there were nearly ten gliders in the air, although conditions on launch had become even gustier, so some people elected to remain on the ground. We all cruised around the sky, exploring the steep Crawford range from end to end.

It was a beautiful fall day, with numerous little cumulus clouds, and some higher cirrus and stratus clouds also. As I flew southward I marveled at the beauty of the bright yellow aspen trees mixed in with the pines, tucked away up narrow canyons. It was as if some of the views were reserved just for the fortunate air travelers!

The valley had changed from the bright green of Spring and Summer, to the rusty earth tones of Fall. We exchanged radio chatter about altitudes, thermal strength, sail tops, winds aloft and other pilot banter. An hour and a half into the flight the sun was lower in the sky, and the glass-off began. I relaxed and took more pictures, and then engaged a local raptor in a game of follow the leader - with him, of course being the leader!

As one by one people returned to earth in the big LZ below, I pointed due west to see how far I could fly into the wind. I was flying without any instruments, but I could tell I was steadily climbing, as my view into the Bear Lake Valley to the West continued to get better and better, until I was at least 4,000' over the valley floor, still climbing and almost over Highway 16 about five miles away from launch.

I took a picture from straight over the "turnpoint" and continued about a half mile farther to the west, until I finally began to lose some altitude. I turned 180 degrees and scooted back over the LZ, arriving with still about 3,000 feet to play and practice some seriously steep wingovers! Fifteen minutes later I finally got low enough to set up my final approach, and came in for my regular foot-drag, no-step landing. With only one other glider still in the sky, the stories of the days' flying experiences had already begun, as the Crawfords had once again delivered some incredible flights!

Airtime: 2 hours 30 minutes!

...Where the Deer, and the Buffalo Play...

2010-10-09T20:13:00.017-06:00

Saturday I ran in the inaugural Layton Marathon. Calling it the "Layton Marathon" is a bit of a misnomer, because most of the course is in unincorporated Davis County or Syracuse, with the last four miles to the finish actually being in Layton City.

I was a bit uncertain about this course, as it has a significant hill at mile seven, and the rest has a gradual incline. I spent the night before at Mike & Annies', which was nice because it was only a ten minute drive to the finish area at Ellison Park, which meant I "only" had to wake up at 4 am! I caught one of the buses for the ride to the start on Antelope Island. As we drove across the Great Salt Lake causeway road, the distinct odor of salt and brine shrimp filled the air. Once on the island, the lead bus missed the turn, but we got turned around a couple miles later and headed in the right direction.

Antelope Island, a designated Utah State Park, is a 42 square mile island with a herd of 500 buffalo, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, deer and numerous other wildlife species.

The starting line was about .8 miles north of the Fielding Garr Ranch house. Located on the southeast side of the island near Garr Springs, this historical structure is the oldest continually inhabited Anglo home in the state of Utah (from 1848 to 1981 when the island became a state park), and it is the oldest Anglo-built house in Utah still on its original foundation.

We arrived at the starting line, consisting of about 10 porta-potties (not enough for over 300 runners trying to go before start time - I just used a bush as it was still dark!), a warming "awning" with a big sideline portable heater, a water table, and a starting chute with a timing RF pad start line. Temperatures were in the low 40's with no perceptible breeze. Because of a few inaugural glitches, the race began 15 minutes late at 6:15 am. There was not any gun or horn, just race officials yelling "Okay, it's started!!" Fortunately we were chip timed, so the people still in porta-potty lines did not lose any race time.

Fortunately, the first six miles were run in the dark (so I didn't have to observe this buffalo-runner in fish-net stockings and garters!) on a closed two-lane paved road, traveling northbound toward Buffalo Bay. A few people had headlamps or glo-sticks, and there was just enough ambient light to see a few steps ahead and avoid other runners. To the East I could see all of the lights along the populated Wasatch Front, including the Bountiful temple on the foothills - a stark contrast to the remote setting of the island.

By mile seven the sky began to lighten, as the sun approached the east horizon. The course began a 200' climb in about 3/4 of a mile distance. I slowed my pace to allow for the incline, and an aid station halfway up the hill allowed for a nice break.

That hill was soon behind us, and we could now see the descent toward the seven mile-long causeway road leading to the mainland.

As we continued north, I saw deer to my left, and a small herd of seven buffalo to my right, about fifty yards ahead. Suddenly, six of the seven buffalo decided to cross the road full of runners at a full-gallop, mini-stampede! From my perspective, I could not tell if there was a gap in the line of runners big enough to allow them to cross the road. An adult buffalo can weigh up to 2,000 lbs and reach speeds of 35 mph! The scene before me could be used for a textbook high school physics problem (thanks, Mr. Hatch!) applying Newtons' Laws of Motion. However calculated, a 150 lb runner would be tossed like a rag doll were a collision to occur...fortunately they crossed the road without incident or injury, allowing all buffalo and runners to continue safely on their way.

Somewhere on the causeway road I passed the halfway point at 1:58, about a 9:00 per mile pace. I wanted to force myself to run a reverse split (slower first half), so that I would save enough for the gradual uphill of the second 13.1 miles. There were spectators scattered along the north side of the road with signs, cow bells and bike horns to encourage the runners. By now the sun was up, but a nice cloud layer prevented the temperatures from climbing much higher than the 50's by the finish. The glass-like lake reflected the clouds and mountains, as the lake-stink wafted in the air. The "pop-pop" sound of gunfire echoed across the lake from the shoreline, as some hunt must have officially begun at sunrise.

We exited the State Park gate and worked our way through Syracuse. After passing mile 18 my legs were actually feeling pretty good, and I began to think that I could maintain my 8:30 pace to the finish. We passed a corn maze and continued down to Gentile Street, now heading east toward Layton.

As I passed mile 21 my heart was still very willing, but my legs began to fade. All I needed was four ten minute miles and one nine minute mile and I would finish under 4 hours! But the Wall smacked me hard, forcing me to dramatically slow my pace.

I accepted that the flat to slight uphill course would not allow a sudden miraculous recovery, and revised my goal to simply beat my TOU finish time. I hung in there, didn't get sick or woozy, but my legs would only go so fast.

*(Thanks for these last three images, Annie!) I continued and pushed on, until finally I turned the last corner before the finishing straightaway!

The announcer called out my name as I crossed the timing mat at 4:12 - a minute faster than TOU three weeks ago! I saw Annie and the kids waiting there at the finish line. She got a few great pic's, and it meant a lot to me to see them there.

I think I'll take a nap now!

TOU 2010

2010-09-18T13:52:00.022-06:00

After having so much "fun" running the Pocatello Marathon, I decided to register for the Top of Utah Marathon, which happened to be only 2 weeks later. Three weeks from race day is when most training schedules have your last long run, and the beginning of your mileage taper. I was feeling good after Pocatello, and hoped that my legs and body could recover in two weeks.

I'm not very fond of the last 9 miles of the TOU course, but I enjoy the atmosphere of the local crowd, seeing people I know running the race, on the sidelines, directing traffic, offering first aid, volunteering on the course, and in the finish area.

My day began with my alarm going off at 4:15, so I could shower and catch one of the buses to the start by 5 am. This allowed time to use the porta-potty, stretch, relax, visualize, and prepare - before I worked a Step 3 at the starting line!

The race started at about 7:05 am to the sound of muzzleloader/black powder rifle shots from people dressed up in traditional Mountain Man garb. The sound of the shots echoed off the canyon walls as the mass of runners gradually gained momentum and rounded the first bend in the road. Starting temperatures were in the low 40's, a bit chilly, but good for running.

The course is closed to (most) traffic the first 14 miles.

The leaves painted the hillsides beautiful hues of orange, red and yellow.

At mile 13, I saw familiar faces at the "Bobcat Bend" aid station - Bryon, Doyle, Lila, Dee and others. I passed the halfway point at about 1:51 - on pace for a 3:40 finish time. I knew my second half would be slower, I just wasn't sure how much slower. By now my legs began to tire a bit, and I knew two weeks was not enough recovery time after Pocatello.

I maintained a positive attitude, and allowed my 8:28 pace to slow to a comfortable 9:00 minutes per mile as I cruised down Hollow Road.

After turning off of Hollow Road onto Hwy 165, the shade ended and the sun hit the runners in full force, by now in the upper 70's. I drank water and gatorade at every station to try to stay hydrated, but the heat started to take its toll, as my head began pounding and my stomach churning. As I approached Ryan's Park in River Heights at about mile 22, my stomach finally revolted, involuntarily evacuating its contents as I bent over between two parked cars. I walked a while to allow my head to stop spinning, but the scene was soon repeated - much to my disgust!

From this point on, I maintained hope that I might still be able to pull out a sub-4:00 finish, but as the course dropped into Logan, I had to stop again to throw up. Yuck. I hate that feeling when you know it's coming, but there is nothing you can do to stop it! By now my stomach was empty and I was concerned about dehydration as the temperatures continued to rise! I continued my "running conversation" (sorry, I couldn't resist) with God by asking him, if it was His will, to please allow me to recover and finish strong.

I couldn't choke down any fluids at the last aid stations, so I was forced to alternate speed-walking with running to prevent any dry heaves the final 3 miles, as my watch ticked past the 4 hour mark. The thought crossed my mind - "just stop, walk off the course, and quit"... but I hung in there - DNF is not in my vocabulary.

So I continued my run-walk strategy, until I found enough strength to run the final three blocks down the finishing chute,

crossing the line at about 4:13.
I then made my way to the recovery area where I just stood bent over with my hands on my knees, trying to regain some composure! I found and talked with Landon, Tanner and Dallen, and also talked with a number of other familiar faces both in and outside of the runner recovery area.

(*Thank's to Dallen for this pic of my forced smile!) I couldn't eat or drink much, so I just sipped some water to try to re-hydrate and get my equilibrium back. I walked over to the short line at the massage area, where I was soon face down on a table as Rachael worked her magic fingers on my sore, tired calves, hamstrings and quads. I was a bit scared of a massage so soon after finishing, but she communicated well, and knew just when to be gentle!

In retrospect, I am very pleased with another successful marathon finish! Maybe I got some bad Gu or just overheated. I am certainly not getting any younger - *note to self: next time allow at least 3 weeks to recover after one marathon before running another! I missed my goal, but apparently I did need some humbling, so I accept that :-) I am just grateful to God for helping me make it to the finish line, and to live another day - One Day at a Time :-)
...Hmmmm...next race...?

Pocatello 26.2 & 13.1

2010-09-04T17:03:00.023-06:00

Only one week after the TOU Half Marathon, Keri entered the Pocatello Half, and I entered the 11th annual Pocatello Full Marathon! Tanner & Landon came to cheer their old parents on. Josh stayed home to work on his college social life!

We rolled into town about 5 pm Friday, picked up our race packets, checked in to the Holiday Inn, and then went out to eat. Keri was battling a cough & cold, and I was tired from a long work week, so we went to bed before 10. I awoke at about 4 am before my alarm, and started my race-day rituals. I caught the first bus across the street at the Red Lion Inn at 5 am, which took the runners about 20 minutes to the starting area. This was a relatively small race, with only 350 Marathon entrants, but the organization, aid stations, support and volunteers were all great - better than many races much bigger than this one.

The 26.2'ers gathered at the starting area in the dark on Antelope Road, at the top of a canyon north of Pocatello, near a pasture and stable. It was a clear, relatively warm morning in the low 50's, as each one was going through last minute stretching, hydrating, meditating and porta-pottying. As a loudspeaker was blaring "inspirational" popular music under the starlit pre-dawn sky, I wondered what nearby farmhouse residents thought of this annual early morning commotion. At ten minutes to start time everyone threw their warm up gear in marked bags into a waiting UPS truck, and anxiously queued up behind the start line. The race began on-time at 6:15, after which the small crowd gradually gained momentum and rounded the first corner onto Buckskin Road. Having my prescription sunglasses on, I couldn't see much of my surroundings the first three miles, so I just focused on settling into a reasonable pace and rhythm, ignoring the excited people passing me by - many of whom I would see walking later in the race as I ran on by.

As I passed mile marker three, a few high clouds in the sky were painted pink in anticipation of the sunrise. Now I could begin to see the scattered small farms and country homes as we made a steady descent, which would last until mile 13, down the nice little canyon. I then realized that my pace wristband had fallen off, and my stopwatch had stopped! My obsessive-compulsive personality would have no time reference the entire race, relying only on experience and feedback from my legs and lungs to determine the best pace to reach my goal finish time between 3:30 and 3:59. This was actually a blessing, as I told myself, "self, just relax and run like you know you should...You've done the training, just run your own race - You can do it!" And so, after doing my part, I turned it over to God, and never looked back!

At mile 6.5, the course took us a half mile up a paved side road, which we then doubled back on to the main canyon road. I suppose this detour to nowhere was to add enough distance to make it a full marathon course. As I returned to the main canyon road, another runner turning the corner yelled my name. I turned and waved to say "hi", but only saw him briefly and did not recognize him. I finally met up with Dave G, a Pocatello resident and high school reunion friend from Keri's class, in the finish line recovery area.

My training paid off as the canyon descent made the miles tick away almost effortlessly. In some cases, I would see the next mile marker after what seemed like only a minute or two after the previous one. It was somewhat surreal, as if I had passed through a wrinkle in time on the big race day...

As I approached the halfway point in Inkom, I returned to reality and saw all of the half marathon runners about a half mile ahead of me as the road made a wide sweeping turn, apparently starting about five minutes before my arrival at their starting line. As I began to pass half marathon runners who had fresh legs, I knew I was keeping a reasonably fast pace. I began looking for Keri in the crowd, although she had been undecided if she would run or not because of her cough and cold. Finally at about mile sixteen (mile 3 for the "halfers") I saw her from behind, and tapped her on her opposite shoulder. She turned and realized it was me and we briefly exchanged greetings. She told me she was doing fine, and that I should keep going and not let her slow me down. So we wished each other well, executed a perfect fist-bump, and I continued on at my race pace.

The course passed under the freeway at Inkom, through the gap in the mountains, and continued toward Pocatello on Old Highway 91. With the temperature approaching the 70s, the sun began to beat down on the runners. Fortunately, there was a slight tailwind and some shade from an occasional high cloud. Now the course was flat with rolling hills, including a significant half mile hill as the road passed under the freeway approaching Pocatello. There was an aid station nearly every mile the last 13, so I alternated drinking water and powerade. I also took an extra cup of water to dump on my head and shirt to prevent overheating. As I passed mile 20 my legs were tired, but doing well. With the heat and rolling hills, I could tell my pace was a little slower than the first half, but I never did hit the wall this race - like I did last year at TOU. My effortless gait down the canyon in the first half had now turned into the battle to the finish. I was uncomfortably aware of every mile and every stride, but there was no pain or doubt. As I passed mile 23 I knew I would make it, so I pushed just a little harder, increasing my pace by about 30 seconds per mile the rest of the way.

As I rounded the 180 degree corner leading to the final half mile straightaway by Ross Park, I knew I had left just enough, as I had to focus on working my arms to compel my legs to follow!

By now my head was pounding and my stomach churning, but I just gave it my all and smiled a forced "YES" and crossed the finish line at 3:49:48 as the announcer called out my name.

I received my finishers medal and walked to the runners recovery area, where I stood bent over with my hands on my knees for what seemed like 5 minutes as my stomach began to settle. I then began to gradually walk around, sip some water and slowly eat a banana and slice of Great Harvest cinnamon drop bread - which had never tasted so good before!

(nice pic's, Landon!) I'm not sure how much time passed, but I heard Keri's name announced as she crossed the finish line with a time of 2:13:46! She finished 5th in her age division!

I found her in the crowd, we got some food and water together and then found Tanner and Landon.

We all relaxed, ate ice cream together and listened to "7 Feet Below" play punked-out versions of the Beatles, Green Day and Lynrd Skynrd.

They were actually not half bad - for a bunch of kids!

About a half hour later we were able to walk again, so we slowly made our way back to the van, as we cheered the later finishers. We felt bad for runners still out on the course, as the temperature was now approaching the 80's, with no cloud cover. Overall it was a very well organized and supported race with great volunteers. The first half down the canyon was awesome, but the second half of the course (the half-marathon portion) Keri described as "boring." We had a great time and are glad we made the short trek to Pocatello.

We went back to the hotel, showered and checked out. We stopped to get the boys lunch, but neither Keri nor I were ready to eat much yet. We made it safely home and gave thanks for successful races and a safe return. We both woke up stiff the next morning, a bit sore, but not much pain. The early Sunday newspaper delivery forced me to get up and work out some of the kinks!...so, the TOU is coming up...hmmm.

TOU Half Marathon

2010-08-28T20:51:00.009-06:00

Keri and Annie have been training all summer for the Top of Utah Half Marathon, and today was the BIG day! They left the house at O'dark-thirty (about 5 am) to ride one of the many shuttle buses carrying nearly 2,400 runners to the starting line up Blacksmith Fork Canyon. Over 70 percent of the runners this year were female.

The runners were backed up nearly a mile behind the start line on the narrow canyon road, which was closed to traffic for the first half of the race. Thank goodness for timing chips - so even though the starting gun goes off, each individual time doesn't start until you cross the starting line.

The boys and I, Mike and Annie's family, and extended family all came to cheer everyone on to the finish line, and watch for Keri and Annie. With more long distance experience, Keri ran a faster pace, with a very focused and determined look!

Keri finished at 2:09, finishing 33rd in her age group - not bad for a mom of three!

Annie finished at 2:26 - a great job considering her farthest race before this was a 10K!

Congrat's to them and everyone who participated! - Next week...Pocatello?!

Wild Ride from Short Divide

2010-08-22T07:29:00.006-06:00

I recently realized that my last flight was the first week in July - about a month and a half ago! No wonder I've been Jonesin' for airtime lately!! I've been so busy with the family vacation, trying to stay caught up at work, long-runs on Saturdays, etc, that flying has just been squeezed out. So I started today with a not-so-long run, checked the forecast, and loaded up my glider to head to Short Divide!

The soaring forecast was respectable - showing potential climbs to 16K and higher. The temps would be in the upper 90's, with south winds 15-25 in the valleys, but stronger aloft! I set up, pre-flighted, checked conditions, and donned all of my XC garb & gear, resulting in immediate sweating. Without a wire assist, I had to "baby step-it" out to launch in the gusty 30-38 mph winds. I safely launched at 1:30 and immediately climbed out with full VG on.

In about 15 minutes I was over the top of Gunsight Peak, doing battle with a strong SSE wind and some grumpy-fickle thermals. After an hour of tiring glider-wrastling, I finally was able to climb above 11K. The headwind basically only allowed calculated figure-8's, as a downwind leg or two of a 360 would put me prematurely over the back!

Finally at 11,300', I found the top of a wind-shredded thermal, and decided to stop fighting it and turned downwind, heading due north along the mountain range, excited for the solo XC adventure ahead of me! About a half mile later, I found myself getting severely spanked in the lee-side turbulence of Gunsight Peak - even though I was still at about 10,800! I pulled in and scooted further north, with a ground speed of over 80 mph, until things smoothed out again. I slowed down and crabbed my way along, finding only moderate sink along the way. I realized that the winds aloft were actually very SE, which produced little or no lift along this west facing mountain range. By now I was too low to consider going over the back, so I just continued downwind into Idaho, stopping to try to find lift along some south facing canyon walls. I found pieces of broken lift, but the strong winds just shredded any thermals, rendering them useless, and leaving me closer and closer to the steep mountain faces, working hard to calm my occasional PIO's.

Down to about 1,000' over the deck, I headed west out over the valley, hoping to catch a thermal trigged by a farmer plowing a huge circle field. After finding no lift, I began scanning for a landable field, noticing the grass and trees below waving and bending in the stiff headwind. I was not looking forward to landing in the hot mid-day conditions! After my U2 tried to just run downwind, I reduced the VG to half, and finally got the glider pointed directly into the wind as I began my straight-down vertical descent toward a wide open field. The winds rocked me around pretty good, but I just focused on keeping my wings level, into the wind, and flying fast. Although it was a bit nerve-wracking, I executed a gentle no-stepper in the 40+ mph wind, and then instinctively stepped forward onto my control bar and grabbed my nose wires.

I walked over to a partial wind shadow behind the closest house and garage, where I could safely break down. The home and field owner, "Wes" came out to say "hi". I apologized for landing in his field, and explained that it was the best option around. He was fine with it, and said that I was lucky that his big bull was in a different field today! My GPS indicated 12 miles (as the crow flies) from launch. Certainly not what I had hoped for, but nonetheless a fun, safe XC adventure and some needed airtime!

Airtime: 1.5 hours!

Vacation!

2010-07-25T11:43:00.040-06:00

Okay, I'll admit that I am not a huge fan of all the planning, stress, time off, cost and logistical challenges of a traditional, week-long family vacation. But all of this considered, we had a great time! It has been a number of years since we have visited MY roots in Washington, so we finally planned it and did it!

The first day the plan was to drive to Boise and stay in a hotel in Caldwell, a little past halfway.

The drive went well, with only one stop at a rest area by LaGrande. Then with no warning, somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Mountain Home and Boise the van decided to quit! So, there we were, on the freeway shoulder, at 5 pm on a Saturday, in 100 degree heat, with a van load of family! Quite a quandry for our first day of vacation. So I didn't panic, popped the hood and checked everything I could, and said a lot of silent prayers. Fifteen minutes later it started right up, took us to our hotel, and the next day all the way to Washington without missing a beat. Go figure?! Apparently it was God's will for us to have our vacation as planned!

The first half of the week we stayed with my parents in historic Dayton, WA, where they are enjoying semi-retirement. We also spent time with Amy & Mindy!

With a Population of 2,400, Dayton is located in southeastern Washington, surrounded by thousands of acres of beautiful rolling wheat fields. http://www.daytonwa.com/index.html

We went swimming at the city pool to cool down.

The high dive was great fun!

So was the low dive!

We stayed in a beautifully restored two story home, probably built nearly a century ago.

The boys went through culture shock as we explored historic Dayton, like taking a stroll back in time. http://www.historicdayton.com/ Their favorite place was Dingle's variety - sort of a very small town Wal-Mart?!

The oldest building of its kind still in use today, the county courthouse was built in 1887, 15 years after the town was founded in 1872!

We took a drive in the country to get an up close look at the huge wind turbines.

The scale of these towers, reaching hundreds of feet above the ground into the faster moving air, is incredible.

There are over 200 towers on different sites throughout Columbia County, harnessing the wind energy.

We stopped to view a site where the Lewis and Clark expedition camped on May 2nd, 1806 their journey westward. Near the confluence of the Touchet River and Patit Creek, this part of Washington is rich in early American history.

One evening we went to a local hummingbird farm.

There we were able to view hundreds of the speedy little birds close up!

The next day I decided to take a long bike ride up the Touchet River North Fork to the Bluewood Ski Area.

Dayton is considered Washington's gateway to the beautiful Blue Mountains.

The second half of the week we spent with Paul, Denise & their family in the Tri-Cities.

With daytime highs approaching 100, we spent plenty of time swimming and playing in the refreshing waters of the Columbia River.

I was also treated to a ride on Paul's newly restored Yamaha XVS650ATR! I followed him as he rode his XT350 on a great ride through town and out in the country. VaaRooomba!!

On Friday, we watched some of the unlimited hydroplanes warming up on the river in preparation for the competition on Saturday and Sunday. These prop-driven "boats" spend most of their time above the water's surface, and reach speeds over 200 mph!

We also got to watch an airshow over the river, complete with high speed fighter jets,

...and lower speed prop-planes!

After a great week of sightseeing, playing, and just spending good time with family, it was time to head home. The van decided to quit one time for the return trip, "fortunately" just before a rest area at Bliss, ID! So we took a 45 minute break, after which it started right up and took us the rest of the way home without a hiccup. Apparently it was God's will that we make it back to "real life" in Utah.

Thanks everyone for the great vacation!

Another Snake River Trip!

2010-07-11T14:31:00.016-06:00

With some minor arm twisting, I agreed to help with our ward Youth Conference this past Thursday through Saturday - especially when I found out in included whitewater rafting on the Snake River again!

The conference began with a day and a half of service by seven adult leaders and 20 youth at Camp Many Stars, located in the beautiful Star Valley, Wyoming.

The eighty acre camp borders the Bridger-Teton national forest, and is designed to provide a unique, adventure based experience for Downs Syndrome children and their families. http://campmanystars.org/campmanystars/index.php

The camp was not in session while we were there, allowing us the opportunity to help improve the buildings, facilities, grounds and challenge course.

These service projects included finishing repair work on a water line, gathering logs, repairing a fence, leveling a playhouse, clearing rocks from fields, and building climbing walls.

It was hard work, but everyone pitched in and did their part.

We took time out for eating, of course.

On Friday night everyone made their own yummy foil dinners.

We also had the opportunity for some fun games and activities, such as frisbee-500!

This game of "flour-ball dodge-ball" was a big hit!

Nearly everyone ended up with a white flour coating...

from head to toe!

The spiritual-based theme this year for Youth Conference was "Who am I?" There were a number of lessons, devotionals and firesides focusing on this theme.

Saturday we finished cleaning up the camp, and caravanned a little over an hour north to the Snake River Canyon between Alpine and Jackson, Wyoming.

Unlike two weeks ago, this time we came prepared with a permit and reservation to launch.

We arrived at West Table early enough to allow time to prepare the three rafts and shuttle the vehicles to the takeout at Sheep Gulch.

We started our first run at about 10:45 am, on a mostly sunny, 85 degree day.

At times there was a parade of rafts - some private, many commercial - floating down the river.

We maneuvered our boats to create some space between each raft, to allow us to hit each set of rapids just right.

Today the river was running about 7,200 cfs - down quite a bit from the 11,500 cfs when we ran it two weeks ago! This changed the nature and appearance of the river and each set of rapids. Lunch Counter was slightly smaller, but Big Kahuna and a number of other rapids were a much better ride!

We had a number of first-timers in the mixed group, along with some more experienced. It was a warm enough day that nearly everyone jumped in on the slower sections, but it was still wild enough that a couple of people fell in going through Lunch Counter! The young men quickly established the rule that anyone who screamed, would then get "helped" into the chilly water.

We had lunch at the takeout parking lot, then hustled up to West Table again for our second run of the day.

Most people enjoyed the second run a bit more as they knew what to expect, and there was less anxiety due to the unknown.

The air temperature had warmed up more, so we stopped for some cliff jumping...

and more back flipping by Kyle!

After taking out and loading up, we had a snack and were on our way home. Most vehicles were filled with thrilling tales of death-defying rapid-runnning, until most passengers nodded off to sleep. The drivers (still awake) were entertained by the speeding car that flew past us just north of Riverdale, only to be pulled over by a Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy a couple miles later! Busted...

Everyone made it home safely without any major incident.

Special thanks to Lacey and Tyler for their great job planning months in advance.

Their logistical and spiritual preparation definitely showed as everyone had a great time and agreed that it was a great success!
*To download any pic's you see here, just click on this link to take you directly to the Photobucket album: http://s593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/mattshoe/2010/Youth%20Conference/?start=all

Flying the Uncrowded Crawford Skies

2010-07-06T22:09:00.018-06:00

Since Monday July 5th was the observed holiday, I took advantage of a favorable westerly forecast for a trip to Randolph with Josh and Landon.

We took the Tandem Falcon III and the four wheeler to make for easier vehicle retrieval and allow for some backroad exploration! Upon arrival at about 2:30, we drove to launch, which revealed the usual beautiful view with somewhat gusty winds up to 35 mph under sunny 80 degree skies.

Since conditions were too strong for a single-surfaced tandem launch, Landon and I played cards for a while in the back of the pickup truck, swaying to the wind gusts.

We also explored many of the backroads behind launch on the 4-wheeler. By about 4:30 the winds had dropped to a steady 25, which was the indicator I needed to start setting up! Josh had agreed to come on this little adventure - but remained undecided on whether he wanted to fly today. He had flown once before last year at Short Divide, where he had a good experience, but was still a bit tentative.

Decision time arrived and Josh said, "Well, okay. I guess I'll go." Landon was, of course, "waiting in the wings" if Josh decided not to, but already having over 10 hours airtime himself, he graciously allowed big brother first choice today. So I quickly helped Josh into his harness and we did our standard hook-in and hang check routine.

We walked out to launch with Landon on our front wires. I briefed Josh on the takeoff don'ts and do's, and with very little hesitation we executed an assertive takeoff and smoothly proned out in gentle lift.

We immediately turned left, encountered a few late afternoon thermal bumps, but mostly found steady-smooth lift which took us up to about 8,400 feet - 700' over launch, and 2,200' over the valley floor.

The view out to the Uinta Mountains over the backside was spectacular. We didn't get high enough to see back into Bear Lake, but we observed numerous hawks with whom we shared the air. We did not see one other pilot or spectator in the air or on the ground - other than Landon toolin' around on the 4-wheeler.

Josh and I explored the ridge using gentle 180 degree turns, to help minimize any potential queasiness. After a few minutes, I allowed him to "take the wheel" and practice some weight-shift control inputs. Because of his stage in life - just graduating from High School, Josh has become somewhat more independent and aloof lately, resulting in Keri & I being less informed, as he makes some big decisions in his life.

As the relaxing, dream-like evening glass-off began, I took the opportunity of having Josh as a "captive audience" to talk father-son (and man-to-man) about his plans and goals. I recalled some of my feelings, fears and struggles when I was his age, and encouraged him, while recognizing his agency and trying not to push him too hard. It was a neat opportunity as a father in a unique, incredible setting to connect for a few rare minutes. I know that he will make his own choices now, and learn from the consequences... Before we knew it, nearly an hour had passed, and Josh decided it was time to return to terra firma.

We headed out over the meandering Bear River, only to find more lift!

So we banked it up in some tighter 360's, allowing us to lose enough altitude to set up our final approach and come in for a nice wheel-landing. Landon soon arrived on the 4-wheeler, which we used to retrieve the pick-up from launch after breaking down the glider. We stopped in Bear Lake on the way home for some yummy fresh rasberry and banana shakes, then continued on home after a long, fun day.

Airtime: 1 Hour x 2!

Short Divide XC!

2010-07-02T21:40:00.011-06:00

Friday's soaring forecast looked great, although it was also calling for SW winds 15-25 mph in the valleys. When Cody offered to drive chase vehicle, I got the afternoon off and was setting up by 1:30.

The wind was honkin' on launch, but I cautiously set up, hoping that it would mellow out a bit, while at the same time trying to convince myself that it was still within my comfort zone and abilities. Cody assisted as I walked out to launch, where conditions were still very strong - 30 mph gusting to 40 mph, and with a definite westerly component. I would not have considered launching in such strong conditions in my Sport, but the wider speed range of my U2 gave me confidence. I waited on launch about 15 minutes - much longer than I like. I finally said to Cody, "Alright, I know I can safely launch, but can my glider fly fast enough to penetrate these winds?!" Cody laughed and said "Yes, it can!" So at 14:11 I yelled "Clear", took two steps, and quickly went straight up! After a number of full-input turn corrections to keep me pointing into the wind, Cody radioed to me from below, "You're going backwards - pull more VG!!" Still climbing and fighting to keep my wings level, I grabbed the cord and pulled, allowing me to then begin making forward progress as I continued to climb.

A VG or "Variable Geometry" is a feature on most intermediate and advanced gliders which allows the pilot to pull a cord attached to a small series of enclosed pullies and adjust the glider performance. With the VG completely off, handling is greatly enhanced. With the VG on full, performance (ie speed and glide) are enhanced, but handling becomes much stiffer. This allows you to fine tune the glider's handling-performance ratio to your specific needs and conditions. The first 2 hours of this flight I had full VG and the bar stuffed (pulled in) with my arms locked straight to make forward progress. The problem with this (besides fatigue) is the glider control becomes more "squirrelly" at higher speeds, sometimes leading to "PIO's" or pilot induced oscillations. This gave me good practice at minimizing these oscillations with carefully measured control inputs.

I made it safely back to the flanks of Clarkston Peak, but the very Westerly wind produced mixed sink and lift, along with some obvious rotor turbulence behind each spine and gully. The above track image shows my zigzag flight as it took me three attempts to get around the corner of the main south facing spine on Clarston Peak. Each time I got close I would get bounced around in some scary air, until I turned back to the bowl to the East to climb and try again.

I finally made it safely around the corner, and then was easily able to climb out over Gunsight Peak.

I spent over an hour battling the winds aloft, but was never able to climb above 13,000 feet. During this time I clearly spoke with hang glider pilot "Dan" - who was at 12K over King Mountain, over 140 miles to the NW! Today I was prepared to fly cross country - with numerous layers of clothing, winter gloves, food, water and oxygen. So I finally radioed to Cody that I was starting oxygen and heading due north at 12,500 feet. With the westerly wind, I basically "crabbed" my way up the mountain range, keeping my ground track right over the top of ridgeline. Progress was a bit slow, but the lift was steady - without making one single turn.

I topped out at 14,129 just before crossing into Idaho airspace! I glanced down and saw a small white and red aircraft flying north - about 2,000' directly below me! I continued my straight line flight, pausing once or twice to turn in stronger lift. By now I was in zero to 200 down sink, so I just continued my northward course. I was finally able to allow the glider to fly closer to trim speed, as I felt the wind velocity at altitude decrease a bit. As I passed by the 20 mile mark I was just under 10K feet, but by now I knew I had Malad on glide. I decided to fly directly over Malad, and attempt to reach the lower face of the mountain just north of town. When I realized I was not going to reach that mountain, I began searching for a good landing field.

Just then my vario began chirping "up" again over a big circle irrigated field, so I was finally able to actually turn full 360 circles in my attempt to core the lift. Cody continued to encourage me from his chase truck to "stay with it" and keep climbing. I gained about 1,500', at which point the lift ended, so I pointed straight for that mountain, just as Cody advised me that the wind had shifted 180 degrees to the northeast! Well, that shut down any hope of climbing this mountain which was now on the lee-side, so I found a nice recently cut hay field that was uphill sloping into the wind! I set up nicely and came in for a no-step landing. Cody was right there, greeting me with a cold Gatorade!

It was not a record-setting flight or anything, but a decent start to the XC season. I learned quite a bit about flying in higher winds - basically that I can safely do it, but also that a day with lower winds would be less tiring and allow the thermals to stay together better and not get blown apart. Writing this posting the next day, my arms and shoulders are a bit sore - but that's OK - I'm still smiling!

Airtime: 2 hours 55 minutes. Miles: 27!

Snake River High Adventure!

2010-06-26T19:44:00.039-06:00

I had the opportunity, along with 5 other adult leaders and 13 Scouts ages 14-17 to go on a whitewater High Adventure on an 8 mile section of the Snake River just West of Alpine, Wyoming.

We traveled on Thursday in 4 vehicles about three hours, including a stop or two along the way.

We entered the Snake River Canyon West of Alpine, WY, and then located a campsite at Wolf Creek Campground. After setting up camp and a quick lunch, we all pitched in to inflate the rafts and get ready to run the river. Teamwork was the Key!

After a river safety talk, we loaded up and drove to the boat launch at West Table Creek. The nice river-Ranger-lady informed us that groups over 15 people must have a permit, to reduce the impact on the river and ease bottlenecks at put-ins and take-outs. Because it was a not too busy Thursday, she agreed to allow us to run together today only, but said we must divide into two separate groups with an hour between launches on Friday and Saturday.

So we didn't argue, but quickly unloaded our rafts, people and gear, and prepared to launch while four of us shuttled vehicles to the Sheep Gulch boat ramp takeout.

Then we launched between the other big commercial trips and were on our way! The weather was perfect - sunny and warm in the 80's. Just the right temperature to warm you up after a dip in the icy waters or getting soaked in the rapids.

We had three nice self-bailing 6-7 person paddle boats - just the right size for a wild ride through the rapids, without sacrificing too much stability. The river was running between 11,000 and 12,000 cfs during the 3 days we were there, which is moderately "high water." This results in some rapids, such as Big Kahuna, being washed out and wimpy; But other rapids,

such as the famous Lunch Counter, were amplified!

The entire 8 mile daily run includes mostly Class II and III rapids, although some can become Class IV depending on water levels.

There are sections of "flat water" between numerous rapids with names such as "Three Oar Deal", "Taco Hole", "Big Kahuna", "Lunch Counter" and others.

The scenery is beautiful with the surrounding pine forests and high mountains in the distance. We also saw deer, bald eagles, hawks, squirrels, rockchucks, camp robbers and other wildlife.

Anxiety was high on the first run, as the younger Scouts had already been filled with tales of the last trip to this same canyon three years ago. The river and rapids did not disappoint, as a great ride was had by all.

Nearly everyone got in the river at some point - some by choice...

...others "involuntarily." *(Yes - both of these adult leaders fell in here!)
Because of the fast flowing river, the entire trip took about an hour and a half.

We returned to camp, and then made the half hour drive to Jackson, WY for dinner at Bubbas!

After dinner we explored the town square.

The main purpose of this trip was to allow everyone to have some good, safe, mostly sane, high adventure FUN, while practicing Scouting skills and principles, and helping everyone learn some valuable life lessons - which we definitely accomplished.

As leaders we also planned some spiritual river-guide based "life lessons" - focusing on different types of guides each young man can use to help navigate the challenges of life. These included: teacher/leader guides, our self as a guide, peer guides, parental guides, and spiritual guides. It was the perfect setting and opportunity to teach some important lessons that will hopefully make a difference sooner or later in their lives.

The next day, after a good breakfast, we made a plan for the day. We considered how we might somehow be able to bend the river rules and stay together as a group even though we did not have a permit. We decided instead that we should set an example of integrity and obedience for the young men, so we divided into a group of 13 in two rafts and a group of six in the remaining raft.

One group launched at the Elbow boat ramp while the vehicles were shuttled down to the take-out. Then the second group launched at East Table Creek boat ramp, allowing for plenty of time between our two groups so that we would be in compliance with the river regulations.

It turned out to be a good thing that we did abide by the rules, as the river Rangers were stationed at the take-out ramp! Staying together without a permit would have resulted in an expensive ticket, and being sent home early. It all worked out just fine, as we got better at the logistics of the shuttles with each run, and the Scouts rotated between boats and leaders with each trip. I know the "boys" learn much more by example, versus just what they are told. With six adult leaders, we had two leaders per raft, which was a nice ratio - especially when one - or two leaders on a boat got thrown in the river at Lunch Counter! Part of what we also wanted to accomplish was each Scout having an opportunity to practice river rescue skills - which they had plenty of opportunity!

We had our third run of the river on Friday afternoon, and encountered more wet & wild rapids...

...and even some rogue (and inebriated) Pirates!

We made it safely through the second day, and had a yummy dinner of dutch oven potatoes and chicken.The USFS campgrounds make it very clear that we are in "bear country" in this canyon. Each campsite has it's own solid steel "bear box" - where all food and toiletries must be secured when they are not being used. Any trash, food or debris left out could result in an expensive ticket from the Ranger - and a scary, dangerous visit from a bear! Of course, four curious Scouts found other creative uses for the bear boxes!

We had an early campfire and reviewed lessons learned on the river that day, as each participant had been encouraged to look for analogies between our experiences on the river and our life. Many of the comparisons were very insightful and well thought out. After a long hard day of play on the river, most people went to bed earlier than the first night.

We arose by 7 am on Saturday, had breakfast, broke camp, and prepared for our last run on the river. It was a cooler morning, but about halfway through the run the sun peeked out and warmed us up. It was another fun run to cap off an awesome adventure.

The surfers were out in force at Lunch Counter, surfing the standing waves between each raft that came through.

We then stopped for some cliff-jumping,

or back-flipping!

After taking out for the final time at Sheep Gulch, we returned to camp to put away rafts and gear, have a quick lunch, and depart for home.

On the way home most passengers slept - although some stayed awake and found new ways to entertain themselves (and others) with duct tape,

fishing line and a tennis ball!

We all made it safely home to hot showers and warm beds, where we drifted off to sleep to the rocking of the river waves.

Short Divide Saturday!

2010-06-20T08:09:00.038-06:00

It had been over a month since I have had any appreciable airtime, so when the forecast for Saturday shaped up nicely, I jumped on the opportunity to fly Short Divide. I launched at about 3:45 under sunny 85 degree skies into SW winds 16-18 mph.

Short Divide is mostly a low thermal launch, but there is a short ridge which can be soared if you have to "hang out" between up-cycles while waiting for a "ride to the top." Over the years, I've noticed a bit of a pattern for our flights here, which was obvious in today's flight:

Pre-planning: A forecast with moderately strong SW winds, along with a reasonably optimistic soaring forecast indicates good to excellent potential at Short Divide. A last minute check of the mesonet current winds before the 25 minute drive will generally confirm that conditions on launch are good.

Launch Window: Generally speaking, there will be an optimal launch window which will allow for "benching up" over Clarkston and Gunsight Peaks. Weather Underground can be helpful to determine the time of day that the winds will peak - which is usually around 3 pm. I try to be set up by peak anticipated wind time, and then assess the conditions. Going cross country will generally require launching a bit earlier - around 1-3 pm, to allow for more flying time when the lift is strongest. Launching earlier requires a higher "bump tolerance" - a willingness to fly in some turbulent "rodeo air", and do battle with some strong thermals.

If I am just looking to bench up and catch the glass-off, or maybe have a nice extended tandem flight, I will launch just as the winds peak and begin to stabilize, indicating a slight mellowing - still good lift, but not as "rock'n roll." This was the window that I chose today, launching at about 3:45 pm.

Launch Timing: Exactly when to launch is also important - especially because Short Divide is a lower elevation launch. Even on a day with good lift, there can be up & down cycles. I try to watch the wind through one up, then down cycle before launching, so I can time it well and launch just as an up cycle is starting, to allow me to immediately climb above launch where I have a better chance to bench up. Today I timed it well, but didn't get quite high enough to go back and climb the mountain before the "down cycle" came through. I quickly found myself below launch, struggling to find lift.

Benching Up: Years ago I would have given up and landed, but experience has taught me to be patient, find the lift, and work it! I used my vario to help me stay in some zero sink over the cedar knoll below launch, more than once only one turn away from setting up to land. I focused on making very shallow turns to maximize my sink rate, and soon the zero sink turned into 600 fpm up, allowing me to continue climbing. I stayed in the drifting lift, and before I knew it I was on the face of Clarkston Peak where the lift was plentiful, allowing me to continue my ascent until I was over Gunsight Peak at 8,800' and climbing!

Generally speaking, once you bench up, the lift is much more plentiful, consistent and reliable. One of the great rewards of Short Divide is using your experience, skills and a little luck to climb out 3,000'+ over your launch elevation. I have always enjoyed climbing mountains on foot, but making the ascent in a hang glider results in a similar satisfaction - with even better outrageous views!

Go for Cloudbase: The next phase of most flights involves the "cat and mouse" game of coring the thermals and climbing as high as legally possible. This is one of my second-favorite parts of flying, because often times the lift just gets better and better the higher you get! The views just open up with each 360, until the patchwork valleys take on a Google Earth quality. At this point I am often joined by various raptors - today they include 2 Golden Eagles and 4 Red-tailed Hawks. On some days, the lift will only take me so high, until I bump up against an invisible ceiling. Sometimes persistence will allow me to break through this ceiling and continue to climb.

Decision Time: When I get above 10,000' the option of flying cross-country presents itself. I ask myself some key questions to make this decision: "Am I still climbing?" - Going XC in Utah generally (but not always) requires being able to climb consistently to at least 12,000' if not higher. "Am I physically prepared to go XC?" - Do I have warm clothes, water, food, radio, oxygen etc that I will need for climbing high and landing out? Am I in good overall physical condition? "Am I mentally prepared? - Is my head "in it", or do I have any distractions. Going cross country requires making a series of good, sound decisions in order to fly far and stay safe. "Do the conditions look good along my planned route?" - Is there a nice cloud street, or will it overdevelop and shut down? Are the winds aloft conducive to my planned route? Is the lift consistent enough - or is it one of those rare, "magical" days? "How will I get back?" - Do I have a chase driver below, or am I prepared to self-retrieve if needed? Can I afford to get home after midnight? Today I was prepared to go XC, but I could not climb any higher than about 9,600' over the top of Gunsight, so I decided to relax, explore and enjoy the flight.

Glass-Off: Most sites, generally in the summertime, to one degree or another, produce an afternoon/evening phenomena known as a glass-off - my favorite time of most flights! This is the time - usually between 2-4 hours before sunset - when the sun gets lower and the valley releases all of its stored heat, resulting in widespread abundant lift. The sharp-edged strong thermals soften, and what was a somewhat narrow lift band extends out over the valley - sometimes for miles! Some of these "wonder winds" will extend past sunset, even making it a challenge to get down. This time of the flight allows me to relax my grip on the control bar - or even fly hands-off - and just enjoy the magical air. These are the moments that are etched in my memories, which recharge my batteries for the coming ground-bound days ahead, as I have time to reflect, - and occasionally pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming!

Today was just such a day. At about 5:30 pm I left the peaks, pulled on full VG and flew straight S/SE over the valley, as my vario chirped a smooth and steady 300 fpm up without even having to turn.

The view to the south of the Wellsville Mountains and Willard Peak was spectacular. The mountains, fields and valleys were all a vivid green from the recent Spring rains.

I topped out at about 10,600', and continued my southward course.

A couple of miles away from launch, the lift finally abated and turned into very mild sink, until from about 9,800' I was looking down on Cutler Dam

and Boy Scout Camp Fife.

I turned downwind, paused to enjoy an incredible view of the upper peaks from a new perspective, and then quickly made it back over Clarkston Peak with room to spare.

I watched some paragliders kiting in the LZ before I decided it was time to head for the barn.

Landing Time: When flying XC the available lift and your ability to find it generally dictates landing time. A big part of a safe cross country journey is being able to determine conditions on the ground and select a safe landing zone from a thousand feet up, in often unfamiliar territory. When flying local glass-off conditions, we usually have the luxury of choosing landing time and location. I generally like to land well before sunset, to allow daylight to break down, retrieve my vehicle, and get home at a decent hour. Sometimes if I land too close to sunset, the winds on the ground will be zippo or switchy, making it trickier. If I land an hour or two before sunset, there will usually be a nice breeze to make landing easier. If I am high enough, I like to land on the Clarkston side because the LZ is uphill into the wind, all on a paved road, and a shorter drive back home for me.

Today I was plenty high to go over the back, work my way down through the lift over Clarkston, and come in for a nice stand-up landing.

I broke down and then made the 25 minute walk back to launch to retrieve my pick-up. I loaded up my glider, and was home by 8:30. What an awesome day and flight!

Airtime: 3 hrs 5 minutes!

From Eaglet to Eagle!

2010-06-13T07:10:00.028-06:00

The long awaited day finally arrived for Landon. The official date of his Eagle award is February 21st - the date when he passed his Eagle Board of Review. The Eagle Court of Honor is a formality, but a neat ceremony to celebrate Landon's accomplishment, and recognize leaders, family and friends who helped along the way!

Landon wanted to have the ceremony in our back yard, in spite of the potential for rain. The weather cooperated and it was neat to have it outside - but it was a lot of work to get the yard all ready. About 40 people attended the program, which began with brief remarks from Dad regarding the significance of the Eagle.

Then Landon was presented his Eagle award by the Scout Committe Chairman, and Mom had the opportunity to pin it on his shirt.

Next Landon presented Dad,

and Mom with their respective parents' pins too.

Scoutmaster Scott then gave Landon the Eagle Charge.

Landon then gracefully fielded a few questions from the audience - such as "What was your favorite merit badge?" or "What was your most fun campout?"

Landon was then escorted to the "Eagle's Nest" - where he joined all other Eagle Scouts in attendance.

Then everyone viewed a brief powerpoint presentation (created mostly by Mom, but with some technical assistance from Dad) which told a story in pictures of Landon's trail to Eagle.

The entire ceremony lasted about 45 minutes, after which we had refreshments, mingling, congratulations...

and time to check out the treehouse!

Keri made the comment, "Now our Eagle's nest is full - all four men in our family have made it!"

A special Thank You to everyone - including teachers, scout leaders, extended family and friends who have helped, encouraged, supported, mentored, guided, and shown the way to all three of our Eagle Scouts!

Class of 2010!

2010-05-29T18:13:00.037-06:00

Congratulations to Josh - our graduating senior this year!

It came down to the wire with one or two classes and an acute case of senioritis, but he got'er done, and graduated with flying colors!

Last Sunday night was the Seminary graduation.

Josh had a tough time with the early morning time - but he was able to make up for missed days and completed all of the requirements!

Tuesday evening was the Skyview High School graduation at the USU Spectrum, where nearly 430 seniors graduated. The program was a bit long - over an hour and a half, but it was well worth it.

It all started with the graduation march, followed by the welcome and presentation of distinguished alumni.

This was followed by a speech by the Top Scholar, and then an orchestral musical number.

The next speaker was the Salutatorian, followed by graduate musical number "Whenever You Remember."

Then the Valedictorian challenged the graduates to "follow your dreams."

Next a skit was presented by 4.0 graduates,

followed by remarks from the Superintendant and Principal Swenson.

Finally the pomp and circumstance,

led to presentation and acceptance of graduates,

after which the diplomas were presented as the names were read, one by one.

Then the Senior Class President invited the graduates to symbolically move their tassels,

followed by the Skyview school song.

The hats then went flying, and hugs and smiles were everywhere - as the look in their eyes indicated something to the effect of, "Okay - what now?!"

The mass of graduates and families slowly filtered outside,

for pictures,

congratulations,

and more celebration!

We went to a quaint Korean restaurant - Josh's request. It was quite similar to the closing scene of Christmas Story - as we had the entire place to ourselves! The owner/waiter spoke very little English. When we asked questions he just said, "More!" Fortunately, the menu had English subtitles, and we ordered the right amount of mostly recognizable and very tasty food.

The gimchee, noodles and seaweed wrapped rice & vegetables were quite good. The soup was a bit spicy, so it was better for dipping the beef or pork.

The entire evening was a bit surreal - it's hard to believe that "little Josh" is actually graduated!! A HUGE THANK YOU to Everyone, both near and far, who, over the years, helped make this day become a reality!

NOW What, Joshua?!

Let the Game(s) Begin!

2010-05-24T07:56:00.007-06:00

Landon's baseball season began last week with a road trip to Idaho against the Preston Indians!

Landon pitched the first couple of innings.

Although he allowed a few hits and runs,

He also threw a number of strike-outs.

"Steeeee-riiiike!!"

Our team was unable to mount any kind of an offensive rally, and ended up getting spanked. It was a good effort, wake up call and showed plenty of room for improvement!

Short but Sweet

2010-05-16T17:40:00.011-06:00

The forecast for Saturday was not stellar, but Clover and I headed out to Short Divide to check it out anyway. After plenty of "Basic Life" - we were due for an "Occasional Adventure."

We were greeted by a rain shower from the big cloud hanging out over the mountain, so we hang-napped until it passed. An hour later the cloud moved and the wind picked up enough to prompt me to set up.

Chober was concerned that I would leave her behind alone on launch, so I put her sweater and harness on to quell her fears. After pre-flight we hang-checked, walked out to the top of the slot, waited for the start of a cycle and ran off into the blue.

We instantly hooked a boomer that shot us up to 500 feet over as Clobberhead yelped with excitement (or was it fear?!). That thermal promptly spat us out and tipped us nose down to say goodbye. I was high enough then to normally bench up, but the wind was so Westerly that I knew I needed to be higher today and "drift in the lift" to stay safe. The rest of the flight we were in scratchin-survival mode, at or below launch level, unable to find the ride to the top we were hoping for. We were eventually flushed out to the bailout LZ ridge, where I made one turn before our downwind, cross, and final approach. As I went upright I could tell I was going to nail the uphill sweet-spot, with a very light West wind. I leveled off in ground effect, waited a half-second after the flare cues, dragged my feet to burn just enough momentum to allow me to punch it skyward and plant my feet firmly!

I unhooked Clover and she promptly jumped up on me to lick my face and say "thanks for the flight!"

It was not a particularly memorable flight, but nonetheless some nice, safe airtime with my canine-copilot!

Airtime: 45 Minutes!

Short Divide 2010!

2010-04-20T22:40:00.009-06:00

The forecast for Tuesday was strong pre-frontal South winds and mostly sunny, so Cody and I met up at Short Divide launch for the first time this season. We were greeted by gusty winds out of the SW at 18-22 mph - strong, but launchable. We talked of a possible early season XC route north toward Idaho Falls, but it would depend on the conditions at altitude. Cody assisted me on launch as a dust devil broke loose in the newly plowed field in the valley below. I had a good strong launch right into a bullet thermal which promptly twanged my flying wires, shot me to 500' over launch, and then spit me over the falls. I remained patient in the rock n' roll air, and 20 minutes later found a thermal that held together enough to go back to the mountain and bench up! I then saw Cody launch, work the thermals, and soon join me up top also. We worked our way over to Gunsight Peak and attempted to core the wind-shredded thermals.

I topped out at 10,750 as Cody climbed a little higher. Considering the strong winds and fragmented thermals, we decided to stay local and just enjoy the afternoon. It was nice to have radio contact with Cody to discuss flight plans and take turns pointing out the interesting sights in the valley below from our incredible vantage point: farmers plowing their fields, a long train by Cutler Dam, Camp Fife, a Golden Eagle, etc.

After an hour and a half, the air began to mellow, as the glass-off began. The valley released all of its heat, resulting in smooth widespread lift, taking us effortlessly to over 10K. The huge lift band allowed us to fly miles upwind exploring the air to the south, losing only 1000' along the way. I then came back at the mountain with bar stuffed, full VG, reaching a top ground speed of 83 mph recorded by my GPS! We explored the ridgeline, keeping an eye out for the other half of the elk shed antler I found a few weeks ago, but no luck with that. As the sun got lower in the West, we decided it was time to return to our earthly obligations, as we both had work the next day. One by one we flew over the back, descended over Clarkston, and both had easy uphill landings into a 10 mph wind. It's good to be back in the air over Short Divide!

Airtime: 3 hours 4 min!

Return to the Epicenter: Crawford Airtime!

2010-04-18T08:05:00.015-06:00

The forecast for Saturday looked great for the Crawfords - light to moderate W/NW winds under mostly sunny skies. Landon, his friend Mason, Klobberhed and I headed for "Ground Zero" - only two days after a 4.9 earthquake rocked Randolph:

At 5:59 PM on 4-15-10 the temblor was felt hundreds of miles away in parts of Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. This was the strongest earthquake in Utah in 18 years. There were no injuries reported as a result of the quake. Minor damage included objects knocked off of shelves, and some damage to local building foundations. I was out working in the garage when it happened, and was oblivious to the event, until I walked into the house at about 6:15 and saw it on the TV news.
Anyway, the main landing zone below the Crawford Mountains is about a mile immediately south of the epicenter! We arrived there at about 1:30 and caught a ride up with Greg B., because our 2wd pickup would not make it up the last switchback, which still had some snow. Other 2wd vehicles eventually made it up, but not without some serious spinning tires and elbow grease!

The "usual suspects" - Cal, Steve C., Greg B., Shaddo, Liz, Bob K., Jerry W., Jerry's boys and family, and numerous others who I either don't know or am forgetting, all gathered on top, stopping between the main towers and our usual launch to the north. We were stopped a bit short due to some snow drifts along the ridgetop. Conditions were classic Randolph - 18-20+ mph out of the west, with a slight SW component under mostly sunny 60 degree skies. While others debated and discussed which launch to use, I went ahead and started setting up.

It took me a bit longer than usual, because it had been about 5 months since I last set up and flew! Such a long stretch without airtime over a long Utah winter had taken its toll on my psyche, and planted seeds of doubt in my mind in regards to my ability to even fly. I knew that the steep, Crawford launch would not be forgiving of a timid launch technique - especially with stronger conditions. So, as I set up I filled my mind with positive thoughts and imagery of myself executing a strong, safe launch.

The Crawford launch is a beautiful 1,500' vertical mountain range, rising steeply from the valley floor a few miles east of Randolph. While Landon, Mason and Chober constructed dams in the snowmelt streams, I performed an extra-meticulous pre-flight inspection. By now Steve C. and Cal had already safely launched and were skying out above us. I had forgotten Cody's flip-video, and my digital camera ran out of batteries after about 5 pictures around launch! Oh well - it would actually be nice to focus only on flying, and not have the in-air photography distractions.

Just before 4 pm, after a hang check I walked out to launch with Greg on my nose wires. After finding the right slot, wings level, neutral pressures, I yelled "CLEAR" leaned through the control bar, took 2 or 3 aggressive steps as my hang straps went taught, and became airborn! I quickly proned out and pulled on some extra airspeed, which was needed to bust through some chunky air right in front of launch, resulting in a slight left turn, that I quickly corrected. Things smoothed out then, as I relaxed and started working the moderately strong thermals mixed in with the large lift band. I watched as Landon, Clover and Mason began their hike down the mountain to the LZ, but the textured air didn't allow me to get too close to the ridgeline and follow them. I worked the lift for about an hour, but was never able to get above 10K, until a lull in the action brought me back down to launch level.

The lighter winds prompted more hangies to launch, until there were at least 12 out of 15 of us in the air at one time. Then the angle of the wind clocked up to W/NW, and everything was going UP! I worked a big fatty up to 12,500' - at which point I could see well into Wyoming, over into Bear Lake, and beyond to the Cache Valley mountains! It was chilly at 4,800' over launch (6,300' over the valley floor!), but fortunately I was prepared with warm gloves and flannel jammies under my jeans.

After a couple of hours my tummy was still fine, but I decided I ought not be too greedy, and headed out to land. I pulled on full-VG and pointed NW into the wind. I passed over the LZ at 10,300', and continued on until I was nearly over highway 16. I could have easily made it to Sage jct and perhaps beyond, but instead I returned over the LZ to practice some wangs, as the "three musketeers" were just arriving back at the pick-up there. I set up my final leg extra high to allow ample time to get upright and wings level. Steve C gave me a good wind indicator, as I forced all thoughts of my crummy landing last November out of my head. I came in hot through the wind gradient and leveled out a few feet over the wide open stubble-field. The 6 or 7 mph headwind gave me confidence as I entered the flare window. I waited 1 or 2 seconds, lightly dragging my feet as my wing whispered "you may want to consider flaring soon." I then made the commitment, and punched it skyward, resulting in a stand-up no-step landing!

As I broke down Landon and Mason refined their Aerobie triangle boomerang skills, while Clobber ran up and sniffed each and every pilot which, one by one, began raining down on the landing field.

*(Group photo/image courtesy of Tooele Hawks) Above the din of pilot tales of big air, I had the time to reflect on my flight, realizing that I was no longer ground-bound, but free to experience the ineffable beauty of the 3-D sky for another season!

Airtime: 2 hours 10 minutes!

SLC Afternoon

2010-04-07T23:00:00.004-06:00

Since Landon, Tanner and Josh are on Spring break, we decided to take a family outing to the big city and see the sights. Josh is in Southern Utah for the week, so it was just us four today. We first went to the Clark Planetarium to check out all of the hands-on exhibits.

Landon took care of the 2 News at Noon Fresh Air Forecast while we were there.

Then Tanner and Landon did some Moon-walking...

while Mom attacked Dad on the moon!

Then we rode the elephant-sized elevator...

up to see the IMAX Hubble 3-D movie, which was neat-o-rama!

We kicked around The Gateway a bit...where Dad just seemed to find trouble...

"What's THIS Junk?! Where's your iFrogz Ear Pollution?!!"

Then we went through the Church History Museum...

where we got to try out some rustic bunkbeds!

Next we explored Temple Square, where we were quickly accosted by those awesome Mormon Missionaries!

After that we rode the Trax Train in the "fare-free zone" - which was good for more "interesting" people-watching.

Finally we ended the evening with dinner at

The Old Spaghetti Factory!

"Mmmmmm - Mizithra!!"

April Madness!!??

2010-04-01T07:35:00.004-06:00

So we woke up to Mother Nature's idea of an April Fool's joke - about 6 new inches of fluffy snow!

Enough already! Uncle!! This is re-frickin-diculous! The Calendar says it's Spring time - don'tcha know!

Ground bound

2010-03-31T07:08:00.004-06:00

I took the opportunity to try for my first airtime of the season, even though the forecast was for strong pre-frontal winds and mostly cloudy skies. Upon arrival at launch, my hopes were dashed by the obviously blown-out conditions of 30 mph winds, gusting to 38. I have flown 30 mph winds before, but only when they were smooth and steady. On this day the gust factor and lowering wave-like clouds convinced me that I was much better off to stay "on the ground, wishing I was in the air" rather than be "in the air, wishing I was on the ground." So I decided to make the most of the blustery afternoon, and went for an exploratory hike up the mountain, to check out potential "upper launches". While roaming along a high wind-blown corniced ridgeline, I suddenly came upon a big elk shed antler! I looked for the matching opposite side, but no such luck. Nonetheless, the fortuitous find caused my bummed-out lack of airtime attitude to flee as I made my way back to the pick-up.

The elk shed measures about 47" long, weighing just over 10 lbs. Keri was quite concerned about "that thing" being inside the house. I told her I would keep it in the garage, but apparently that's still too close for her comfort! It is a good thing that I have my Utah Antler Gathering Ethics Certificate. Yes, believe it or not you need a "license" to legally gather antler sheds between February 1st and April 15th. The reason is to protect the big game from any harassment induced stress after a long, hard winter. Late Winter and early Spring are critical periods for big game, who at this point may be barely surviving on what little fat reserves they have left. http://wildlife.utah.gov/news/09-02/shed_antler.php

Anyway, It was a fun afternoon - even if it was on the ground. I am still looking forward to my first flight of 2010. I guess I needed to learn a bit more patience, but I know it won't be long now - if only it would stop snowing!!

Equinox Outing

2010-03-20T15:23:00.003-06:00

Chober and I took advantage of a bright sunny first day of Spring to check out the road to launch again. With it's southern exposure, the Box Elder side is dry and open all the way to the top cattle guard! The Cache side is still closed and snowed in. *(Sorry for the lower quality pic's - I forgot our regular digital camera, and had to use my cell phone camera . . . Dohh!)

We parked and walked in the short distance from the gate to launch - where there was still plenty of snow. At 11:30 am, the wind was coming straight in to launch at about 10 mph, with some nice little cycles. We watched a group of six familiar resident golden eagles ridge soar up to launch level, hook a thermal, and climb out over the top! I hadn't brought my glider, because I didn't think the road would even be open, and the winds were forecast to be "light and variable". Oh well - the entire experience was a favorable harbinger of this year's flying season!

We hiked around and explored a while, as Clobberhead ran wild across the packed snow. As Firth would say, "Good times were had by all!"

It's Official

2010-03-07T10:29:00.018-07:00

Tanner passed his driving test on his first try!

He is now an officially licensed Utah driver! They issue this temporary paper license first, then his permanent license card will be in the mail in a week or two. He only lost points on one or two "head checks" and on his parallel parking. Other than that he did great!

I had spent a number of hours with him practicing all of the required maneuvers. I know I'm not the best teacher, but nonetheless he could do them all pretty well - with one exception. He would nail the parallel park perfectly about half the time - the other half he would miss it and end up at an angle against the curb.

Anyway, so you can't say I didn't warn you - Tanner is now out on the streets!

We DO appreciate the responsibility that he has shown thus far! Way 2 Go, Tanner-Man!
PS: I stand corrected: Keri reminded me that she deserves credit for having..."escaped near death and endured long long lines at the Driver License Division, while Tanner was sarcastic and sassy." So there you go! Whaddya want - a Medal? :-))

Mr Rigby Goes to Washington

2010-03-03T10:01:00.011-07:00

We The People: SV Team Gears up for Constitution Contest in D.C.

SMITHFIELD - For We the People team members at Sky View High School, the days are filled with talk of Supreme Court cases, federalism and separation of powers, among other things.

In February, Sky View's team won We the People on the state level for the fourth year in a row and now, it is preparing for nationals. The team will compete the last week of April in Washington, D.C., with hopes of placing in the top 20, and maybe even landing in the top 10.

"I think it would be a lot of fun to break Top 10. I would hope that we could maybe get close," said 18-year-old Katelin Gines.

Advisor Mike Rigby said Sky View placed 18th in the nation last year. No Utah team has ever placed among the first 10, he said.

Rigby said he would argue that We the People is the "most rigorous" academic competition in the nation. The program challenges students' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, he said, adding that students have to prove their understanding in a forum much like congressional committee hearings.

He said he has a great group of students who are working hard because they love to learn.

"They live, eat and breathe this stuff," Rigby said. "They really do."

The students said that to prepare for We the People competitions, they arrive at school early, leave late in the afternoon and continue their studies at home.

"We put a lot of time into it," said Gines, as she and fellow team members discussed the different materials they study.

At each participating school, We the People participants are divided into six units, Rigby said, and each unit prepares responses to three questions. He said when students compete, they don't know which question they will be asked.

Sky View competed in district- and state-level competitions. Student Matt Orme, 17, said that at state, there were two schools competing from each of the three congressional districts in Utah. Mountain Crest, which is also a major competitor in the state, took second in Utah this year.

At nationals, the group will have four minutes to present their response, Rigby said, and their presentation will be followed by six minutes of open questions. Students will be questioned by three judges, Rigby said.

Units at Sky View are working on their responses for the national questions now. Gines, Orme, Jessica Murdock and Jessica Swenson are members of unit four. They said they are nervous and excited to compete in nationals.

Murdock, 17, said, "I'm a nervous wreck." The best preparation, she said, is knowledge.

There will be two days of competition in D.C. If Sky View makes it into the top 10, its team will be invited to stay for a third day and compete on the Senate floor in the U.S. Capitol, Gines said.

But, to the We the People participants, it's more than the outcome of the competition. Swenson said one of the best parts of being involved is getting to know other team members.

Rigby said they are like family. Seventeen-year-old Swenson agreed.

"We're 29 kids who weren't necessarily friends, and now we're 29 kids who are basically part of this family," she said.

For more information about Sky View's We the People team, visit http://wethepeoplesv.blogspot.com.

(taken from HJNews article http://news.hjnews.com/news/article_9a102802-2674-11df-a7dd-001cc4c002e0.html )

SnowCattin'

2010-02-27T19:12:00.007-07:00

Cody, his dog Savvy and I went for a ride in his new snowcat to see how Short Divide launch was looking.

We parked in Clarkston, where the road is snowed in from there to the top.

It was a nice, brisk, mostly sunny day - great for our "reconnaissance mission"!

We made it to the top in fine fashion, and spent a half hour enjoying the view and sunshine, as Savvy ran around wildly with snow chunks in her mouth!

The Snow was about five feet deep where we usually park on launch.

The wind was definitely North/NorthEast, blowing over the back, so it wasn't really launchable. We will watch for a good South wind day to come back and fly soon!

Before we started back down, some local snowmobilers stopped to talk and check out Cody's snowcat.

It was a great day to get out for some fresh "Spring" air.

Snowboardin!

2010-02-20T23:47:00.019-07:00

Landon and I had the opportunity for a "snow-day" - so we jumped all over it! It was a beautiful, mostly sunny day on the mountain. We arrived early and headed for "Marge's Triple" lift and the "Rodeo Grounds" terrain park. It took me a while to adjust to a new board, but once I got my snow-legs back, we had a blast!

There is nothing quite like leaning over the snow on your toe-side, reaching out and dragging your fingertips over the freshly groomed corduroy-snow or powder, as you feel the board carve a sweet arc across the sun-sparkled morning snow :-)

One thing I have learned about snowboarding is that it is largely about commitment and trust! You could just plow down the mountain on your heel-side all day, starting and stopping the whole way down, but what fun is that?! The first time I finally dared to carve a turn on my toe-side, I went flat on my back - because I was afraid to commit, chickened out, and caught my heel-side edge! I finally convinced myself to trust the board edge to hold, fully committed to the turn, and just enjoyed the results.

Landon was steady as ever, showing me up at every turn and jump :-) Suffering from acute airtime deficiency syndrome, I saw every jump as an opportunity for relief. I landed some decent jumps, but also had my share of crashes. By the end of the day I knew I had overdone it a bit, and would probably pay for it the next day with some bumps, bruises and soreness! I made it through the day without any serious damage - but I should probably stick to something a bit safer - like hang gliding!!!

I certainly have a healthy new respect for all of the Shaun Whites and Hannah Teters of the world!

Here's a short video I edited together from the day - thanks again to the Foo Fighters!

Birthday, Sledding, Skiing & Snowboarding!

2010-01-02T21:06:00.005-07:00

Believe it or not, Tanner turned 16 (at 6 seconds into 2010) on New Years Day! (No, he doesn't have his driver's license yet - just his permit!)

He decided that he wanted to have a sledding party on the USU Aggie Old Main hill with a number of friends.

It was a snowy day, but not too cold, right around 30 degrees.

Apparently, for some people it was still too warm!!?

How many big teenagers can you pile onto a tractor innertube?

For part of the way down the hill,

they managed to get SIX on - losing people along the way!

When everyone was wet and cold enough,

the party retired to our kitchen for Tim Tam hot cocoa "slams" and a game of Quelf!

Saturday, Landon and I went skiing and snowboarding at Beaver Mountain! Landon was excited to try out his brand new board.

We rode the third occupied chair up the mountain as the lifts opened for the day! We made fresh tracks on the groomed corduroy, and found 4-5 inches of new powder too. It snowed lightly off and on, then the sun peeked through around lunch time, and then it was overcast and around 30 degrees the rest of the day.

We got at least 20 runs in, and by the end of the day we were plenty "toasted" and tired - but it was a good kind of tired!

Here is a very short little video of some skiing and shredin'! Not exactly Warren Miller material, but we had fun!

My Christmas Break "Top 20"

2009-12-26T17:18:00.024-07:00

20. Thirty-four College "FootBowl" games on TV.

19. Playing Card games.

18. 24 hours of "A Christmas Story" on TBS. (Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra...)

17. Christmas cards and newsletters.

16. Clam Dip!

15. iFrogz - having a great job, the desire, will and ability to work, and having time off!

14. Christmas Eve in Perry with extended family.

13. Delivering Christmas newspapers at 9:30 PM Christmas Eve (complete with Jingle Bells)

12. "No Assembly Required" on Christmas Eve.

11. Sleeping in 'til 7:30 AM Christmas morning.

10. two words... Monkey Bread.

9. Warm Christmas hats!

8. Christmas electronics and gadgets.

7. Teaching Josh how to change the oil on the Ford.

6. Christmas Dinner surrounded by family, having our health, Great friends, and all of our many other blessings.

5. Nap time.

4. Leftovers.

3. Phone call from Washington.

2. Hot air balloon launch.

1. The spirit of Christmas - and the hope of a New Year.

and...

Bottom Ten:

10. Eating too many treats.

9. Delivering papers in -5 degree temps.

8. "Some Assembly Required"

7. Getting farther and farther behind at work every minute (WooHoo - MyFrogz!)

6. "Batteries Not Included"

5. "I'm Bored"

4. Winter inversions.

3. Curmudgeons.

2. Frozen tongues ("You'll shoot your eye out!")

1. No Hang Gliding! (yet!)

Conference Center Concert

2009-12-14T07:38:00.029-07:00

Sunday morning's wake-up alarm came at O-four-thirty, so that I could have the big Sunday newspapers delivered in time for our family to be on the snowy roads by 6 am. Keri got some last minute tickets to the Sunday morning "Music and the Spoken Word", narrated by Lloyd Newell, combined with a Christmas Concert by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra, conducted by Mack Wilberg, at the LDS Conference Center on Temple Square.

Special guests included Grammy Award winning performing artist Natalie Cole and Pulitzer Prize winning author and narrator David McCullough. We made decent time on the treacherous roads, Escalade-pooled with Grandpa Dave, found a parking place,

braved the snow storm,

and made it into our great floor-level seats by 8:30 am. First we witnessed the "Music and the Spoken Word" live broadcast performance/production. The audience of over 20,000 people were asked to avoid any clapping, coughing or extra noise, due to the nature of the live TV and radio broadcast, which was also recorded for future broadcast. After each musical number, it was very difficult to remain silent and delay any appreciative applause. Although I do not listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on a regular basis, witnessing their performance in person is an awesome, moving experience. When we finally went "off-air" a half hour later, the audience erupted in applause and cheers.

*The above embedded You Tube video was disabled, but you can click on the following link to get to the same video on a different page: http://www.deseretnews.com/video/1584/Mormon-Tabernacle-Choir-Christmas-concert.html

The Christmas concert portion of the morning performance then began a few minutes later. It was an incredible hour of classic and contemporary Christmas songs and hymns, including a bell choir, a children's choir,

and a number of dancers in costumes representing Christmas from around the world.

Guest artist Natalie Cole wowed the audience with her smooth vocals, including a soulful version of "The Holly and the Ivy". David McCullough provided narration focusing on the role of music in Christmas and American history. Senior Organist Richard Elliot amazed the audience with his multiple-carol-arrangement, seamlessly weaving together Good King Wenceslas, The Nutcracker and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy . He seemed to be doing four different things simultaneously, as both hands and both feet worked independently in the stirring rendition.

The Conference Center stage was beautifully decorated with stained glass windows, stone walls and holiday decorations. This annual performance required months of planning throughout the year focused on this Christmas concert series.

LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson was in attendance, along with a number of other General Authorities. Following the concert, Pres. Monson presented the guest artists with special gifts, following which the choir sang "God be with you" to them. Natalie and David were obviously moved by the kind gestures.

This concert culminated four days of performances at the conference center, a Christmas "gift to the community". Highlights from each of the four concerts were recorded, and will be edited together into a PBS special program to be broadcast in 2010. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/natalie-cole-david-mccullough-and-the-mormon-tabernacle-choir-bring-in-the-christmas-spirit

Bienvenidos!

2009-12-05T19:29:00.010-07:00

Well, you may have noticed a new title picture on my 'blog and wondered what that was all about.

That was the view from the Carnival Cruise ship Paradise as we were leaving the Long Beach Port on Monday, November 23rd!

Our vacation actually started the day before when we drove from Utah to Las Vegas and stayed with Bryon and Joni's family, and celebrated Landon's 14th Birthday!

Then we drove to Long Beach and boarded the big boat!

Built in 1998, the ship is 285 yards long, sits about 118 feet tall (above the water level), has a top speed of just over 20 mph,has 1,020 passenger cabins, 523 crew cabins, a spa, a casino, 3 or 4 restaurants, numerous bars or lounges, a pool, a number of hot tubs,

numerous elevators,

a running track, a mini-golf course, and numerous other ameneties. There were over 2,600 passengers (1,100 of which were kids) and over 900 crew members!

The cabins were small but accomodating. We had a nice view out our window.

As soon as you walk on the boat, waiters are everywhere, constantly shoving drinks in your face to get you to imbibe, and drain your wallets! There is also very good food everywhere! Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, and then then dinner is a more formal sit-down meal. Josh realized how much he enjoys the Tiger Shrimp, and the "Chocolate Melt Cake" is decadent!

Keri brought some motion sickness pills for her and the boys, but I actually quite liked the rolling motion of the boat - especially when sleeping at night.

On Tuesday we dropped anchor just off of the port city of Avalon on Catalina Island. Passengers were ferried to the island on small "tender boats" for the day.

We went on a glass-bottomed boat tour and were able to observe a wide variety of colorful native fish.

Then we rented some sea kayaks and explored the coastline.

The housekeeping staff was well-trained in the art of towel-folding, surprising us with a different "animal" each day.

On Wednesday we docked at the port of Ensanada, Mexico.

As we exited the ship and saw the armed guards in the streets, the boys soon realized that we were NOT in "Los Estados Unidos" anymore!

We explored the streets

as all of the locals swarmed the influx of tourists, trying to sell us all kinds of trinkets and "junk".

We later stopped to watch a Mexican street band, although I'm not certain just how "authentic" they really were! Then we wandered through a fish market, and ended up down by the docks,

where local boat owners tried to coax us into a boat ride.

It was certainly interesting to visit Ensanada and hablar or haggle with the locals, but it was good to get back on the ship that evening.

The weather for the whole week was perfect - sunny and in the mid-70's. Thursday (Thanksgiving) we spent "at sea" somewhere off the coast of So-Cal. Thanksgiving dinner was nice, but we missed the "traditional" feel. Friday morning we "de-barked" back at Long Beach, and "sailed" right through customs.

Then we drove to Six Flags Magic Mountain where we spent the day riding as many of the most extreme rides as possible, including the Screamer, Batman, Riddler's Revenge, Superman, X2, Viper, Deja-vu and Tatsu. Lagoon rides paled in comparison - those were some serious G's! After 2 or 3 rides, Keri was a bit queasy, so she decided to keep her feet on the ground most of the day.

Saturday we stopped at Primm, NV to ride the Desperado Roller Coaster (not bad!). Then we drove to St George where we stayed for the night.

The next day we drove by our old apartment in Washington, UT where Josh pushed Tanner down the stairs (when they were just toddlers) and Tanner broke his nose :-)

Overall it was a fun vacation - The cruise was warm and fun, but a bit too commercialized. If I do another cruise I would want it to actually go farther than just down the coast. The rides at Six Flags were great! It was good to be home too.

Here is a slideshow of some pic's from the trip. There may be some people you don't recognize - that's because we were part of a multi-family "photo-scavenger-hunt", trying to get pictures of complete strangers on our "list" - such as "bad hair", "bad bling", newlyweds, etc.. It was humorous and entertaining, but I guess you had to be there!

Bridgerland Band Invitational

2009-11-15T08:44:00.016-07:00

The Skyview High School Marching Band participated in the Bridgerland Band Invitational

at USU Romney Stadium on 10-31-09.

About 15 different 3A, 4A and 5A high school marching bands from Utah and Idaho competed

in the Halloween-day event.

There was plenty of sunshine,

but it was a crisp Fall day,

with with a brisk south breeze.

Excitement was in the air,

As this would be the final performance for the Class of 2010!

The smaller 5A schools (such as Skyview) face stiff competition against the larger 5A schools, but Skyview stepped up and gave their best performance of the season!

Here is a video of SVHS's entire performance - you can click here for a slightly larger Vimeo format: http://www.vimeo.com/7624032 . (The opposite stadium stand seats are empty because the bands are playing toward the stands from which we were watching. All of the seats were full on this side of the stadium):

The Crawford Hang Glider Convergence!

2009-09-27T16:18:00.008-06:00

Saturday's forecast looked great for flying the Crawford Mountains at Randolph, so Cody, Landon, Clover and I made a day of it - and what a beautiful Fall day it was! We met up with Bruce, Greg and Doug in the LZ, changed out Greg's flat tire in about 3 minutes "flat", piled into Cody's rig and headed for launch.

We set up on top with two other pilots.

Bruce walked back from the edge with a big grin on his face and said, with his best British accent, "I say, it's definitely honkin' out there!" Landon and I checked it out and it was blowing straight in at 25 - 30 mph under sunny blue skies. We took our time setting up, as it was just a bit strong, and we knew it would smooth out and be stellar all afternoon.

After two other pilots launched, Landon, Clover and I hooked in while Cody, Greg and Thomas helped us with a hang check and wire assist on launch. As soon as I felt neutral & level wings, I yelled "Clear!" We executed a strong launch, punched through some minor juniper-induced turbulence, and began climbing up, up and away as Landon exclaimed, "WOW!"

Clover immediately found her spot between my shoulder blades while Landon and I got comfortable in our harnesses and began to take in the incredible view. The lift was smooth and widespread, with some large thermals here and there. We noticed a parade of vehicles driving up the canyon on their way to launch, each one with two or three hang gliders on top! Usually when we go to Randolph there are a couple of other HG pilots, and five or ten paragliders. Today it would turn out to be just the opposite. Somehow people from all parts of Utah saw the forecast and had the same idea as we all converged over the Crawford Mountains for an impromptu Fall-Fly-In!

We effortlessly climbed to about 2,000' over launch, explored the mountain, watched other pilots setting up and launching, waved to other pilots in the air, and just enjoyed the moment, after moment! At one point we counted fourteen hang gliders over the mountain, with at least six others not in the air yet. Only two PG's finally launched later in the day from the lower launch, but even from there they had no problem climbing up over the main mountain range. We explored the lift band as our vario continued beeping "up" at least a mile out over the valley, and then we raced back over the mountain. The Big Falcon flew effortlessly, with no problem penetrating due to such a strong vertical component. We repeated this dream-like sequence for over an hour until, as the shadows lengthened, we decided it was time to go out and land.

After landing, Clover and Landon were ready for a little nap.

Before long, it started "raining" hang gliders,

one by one from the sky.

It was great to see so many flying friends,

and familiar faces as the party transitioned from the air to the landing zone.

We finally loaded up,

and said our good byes as the sun dipped below the horizon. We recounted the day's flying tales while dodging cows, deer, jackrabbits and Harleys on the drive home. This day of magical Crawford "hang glider convergence" flying will be etched in our memories for a long time!

Here's a mini-movie I made using Cody's Flip Video, Edited with Windows Movie Maker: You can watch it in a slightly larger format at this link: http://www.vimeo.com/6785303

Airtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes!

11th Annual TOU 26.2!

2009-09-19T19:45:00.039-06:00

Saturday marked the 11th running of the Top of Utah Marathon, which starts up the Blacksmith Fork Canyon and drops a total of 1,045 feet in elevation, finishing in Logan... (this 'blog posting is not a solicitation for congratulatory comments, but rather an opportunity to document and share my first-hand experience while it is still fresh in my mind.)...

Friday evening I went to the host hotel to pick up my runner's packet and "goodie bag", complete with timing chip, numbered bib, and a bright orange long sleeved shirt. Keri said, "it's ugly!" I told her it would be great for hunting, and she said, "yeah, but you don't hunt!"

After a restless night of sleep, I awoke at 4:00 am and looked at my alarm clock. I knew there was no point trying to sleep any more, so I turned off the clock alarm and my cell phone alarm, and began my race day preparations. While driving the dark streets, traffic congestion increased the closer I got to the finish area. I found a parking space less than a block away, and walked to one of the waiting school buses, showing my race bib and ankle timing chip as a "boarding pass".

On the 25 minute ride to the start line, the bus was filled with a steady din of excited "runner talk" as the long anticipated day had finally arrived. I shared a seat with a first-timer from SLC who had put in many training miles and long runs, but was still uncertain of what to expect. My advice to him was to "start slow, run your own race, and have fun."

Upon arrival at the start area at 5:30 am under starry skies there was ample time to utilize one of the many porta-potties (complete with glo-sticks for light inside) lined up in the upper parking lot. Then I walked down the light-stick lined path to the start line area and took some time to relax and stretch in the huge, heated warm-up tent. As the tent began to get too crowded, I went outside, walked around the start area as the skies began to lighten, and took in some last minute fluids and nutrition. Now in the upper 30's, it was a little chilly at this elevation (5,610'), but warmer than most previous years.

As the race director began announcing on the PA the "minutes to start time", runners began shedding warm-up clothing, stuffing them in their marked bags, and tossing them in the clothing bus for transport and post-race retrieval. Signs on the sides of the start area marked different anticipated finish times, reminding runners to line up accordingly to keep faster runners up front. I saw many familiar faces as runners exchanged nervous conversation as the moment of truth had arrived. The wheelchair racers started at 6:55, and the excitement continued to build as over 2,000 runners stood elbow to elbow anxiously anticipating the start.

At 7:03 the race began, signalled by the sound of multiple black-powder muzzleloader blasts fired by men in mountain-man garb, echoing off the canyon walls. I crossed the start line a minute or two later. The first mile I mostly concentrated on keeping enough of a cushion around me to avoid tangling feet with other runners at a 9:07 pace, which was fine with me.

We also had to deal with vehicle traffic, apparently because the Highway Patrol was not satisfied with the race director's paperwork and refused to close the canyon. I thought to myself, "I paid good money to be able to run the tangents - not to stay on the right side of the road!" So myself and most other runners still cut the corners anyway, because that's how the official race distance is measured. There were only a half dozen or so vehicles that braved the sea of runners anyway.

The first 15 miles of the race down the beautiful canyon with fall colors on display begs to be run fast, with a gentle downhill and nice tailwind.

Because I knew I was undertrained, my plan was to hold myself to an 8:45 pace until the last 11 miles, when I could slow to a 9:15, and finish under 4 hours. In my race-day excitement, especially after a 5 year hiatus, I allowed my pace to increase to about 8:20, until before I knew it I was 12 minutes ahead of a 4 hour finish!

One of the neat things about witnessing a marathon, is seeing people of all different shape, size, age, race, interest and ability - all running the same race, but each with a different reason, motivation or cause. A few miles into the race I saw a young lady with a stride and gait as normal as any other runners, then I glanced down and noticed that she had a prosthetic fiberglass "spring" for her lower left leg. Two years ago, while volunteering at an aid station, I gave water to a visually impaired runner, who ran with a guide "wing-man" the entire race.

Another young lady ran in memory of her husband, who was killed in the Iraq war in February, and was scheduled to return the day of the Marathon. There is story after story of personal triumph over tragedy, or just overcoming difficult obstacles or life challenges.

At mile 13, just before the half-way point, I was greeted by Tanner, Landon, and a number of other friends at the "Bobcat Bend" aid station. I made it a point to drink a full cup of water and gatorade at each station every 2 miles, as I knew hydration could be critical as the temperatures climbed near the finish. I knew I was getting enough, because I had to duck behind a tree or bush a total of 4 times along the way to quickly tap my kidneys.

As the course flattened in the valley and sun began to beat down, I slowed to a 9 minute pace. I passed by more familiar faces of good friends, such as Dallen, Alyssa, Cody, and numerous others. By mile 19 fatigue began to set in with tired, cramping legs, and by mile 20 the sun and heat began to take its toll. I did my best to drink fluids, but my stomach was shutting down too.

At mile 21 I took personal inventory to see if I needed to downgrade my finish goal: I had a whole hour left to run 5 miles and still meet my goal - all I would have to do is run 12 minute miles and I would still make it! Easy, right?! But my legs were shutting down, screaming "Just walk!" or better yet, "Stop and lie down in the shade - Give up, it's just not your day!" I could tell that many people around me were struggling with the same dilemma.

So I considered my options, and began a "running conversation" with God in my head, that went something like this: "Okay, if it is Your will, could you possibly help me get through this? I have done ALL that I physically can myself, so I'll just turn this whole thing over to You, and if it is Your will, help me by making up the difference, and allow me to reach my goal today! Of course if not, that's fine too - You've already done so much for me, but at least help me finish the race."

I waited for a sudden miraculous burst of energy, but it never came. Instead, an idea popped into my head, that if I would run a 10 minute pace the last five miles, I could allow for a walk and stretch for one minute at each mile marker, and still reach my goal with a little cushion! So my mind somehow talked my legs into it, and off we went. Now at each aid station I drank a cup of gatorade and grabbed two waters - one to drink and one to dump on my head as I walked for a minute.

My strategy seemed to work, as I would hit numerous "mini-walls" and talk my legs through each one. When I came down the hill from River Heights and turned west, runners were teased with a glimpse of the finish line in the distance to the north, but we still had nearly two winding miles to go. It was not until I reached mile 25 at about 3:45 that I knew I would make it. As I turned the corner with 2 blocks to go, there was a man down on the grass with medical personnell treating him for severe leg cramps and acute heat illness. Many other people suffered similar problems as the day heated up. By now it was in the 70's, which for a marathon is a bit too hot - especially in the direct sun.

I turned the final corner and once again saw the finish line and the gauntlet of cheering people. I saw Keri and Clover cheering with the crowd on the left and I threw my arms in the air when the PA announcer called my name as I approached the finish line. I crossed the finish line with an incredible combined sense of relief, euphoria, exhaustion and gratitude that is hard to explain or describe. In an instant, all of the work, effort and pain became worth it.

One volunteer removed my timing chip as another placed a finishers medal around my neck.

As I walked through the recovery area, I became emotional as my legs realized that "it was over" and lost what little coordination they had left. I attempted to drink more fluids, but my stomach rejected that idea, literally. I scanned the mass of people, until I saw Keri and got a post-race kiss. After slowly walking for about 20 minutes, I found a shady spot on the lawn to stretch out as my stomach began to settle, while listening to the live band play 80's tunes.

I survived the day with no apparent injury and not too much pain. As I reviewed the day in my mind, I wondered if it would have been an easier finish if I had not gone so fast the first half... or maybe without the extra time cushion I wouldn't have made my goal. A day later I am getting around okay, although stairs will be challenging for a day or two.

The Kenyans did not run away with the race.

Actually, the hometown favorite, Paul Petersen won with a time of 2:23:07! (That's a 5:28 average per mile pace for 26.2 miles! crazy!) For a news article about the event go to: http://hjnews.townnews.com/articles/2009/09/20/sports/sports03-09-20-09.txt

Also, here is the link to the official TOU web page. There is a link to the official times and results there: http://www.topofutahmarathon.com/

Special thanks to my wife and boys, friends, TOU organizers, volunteers, the boys spraying water on runners as we passed mile 23, the young lady and her sister with the sign "Run with your Heart" who I saw four different times as they leap-frogged along the course, - and thanks to my "Higher Power."

2.027 total runners finished the entire race, 36 dropped out somewhere along the way, and a number of others who signed up did not even show up. In my mind, however, all of them are winners, because each of them dared to dream. Yes, I'll do it again. I'll take a few days off, and then ease back into it. My goal is to keep running without going overboard. The challenge is to find that balance. Hmmm... Let's see... When is the next marathon? :-)

Crawford Airtime!

2009-09-07T22:17:00.009-06:00

The Labor Day forecast looked great for flying the Crawford Mountains at Randolph, UT - So the 4.5 amigos (Cody, Bruce, Greg, Clover and me) met at the nicely cut huge LZ, and then truck-pooled to the top!

We set up under a blue sky with poppin' cumies, and a stiff W/SW wind at launch. The clouds were looking so good, that we had to draw straws before launching to decide which one of us would land and drive chase if the other three decided to go XC over the back! Both Greg and I volunteered to drive - so we agreed to "flip for it" in the air if needed :-)

Cody helped wire Clover and me off of launch, where the wind was gusting from 25 to 30 mph. We immediately began climbing steadily in the strong lift, as my vario chirped happily non-stop. Once we climbed away from the main ridge, the strong SW component became very obvious. We spent the next half hour beating straight upwind toward the big bend in the range only 3 miles away.

When we finally made it to the corner, it was just not producing the lift I had anticipated.

So we turned around and headed back toward launch, finding widespread lift all the way back. It seemed to be mostly "ridge lift" extending well in front of the range and thousands of feet above - with a few strong thermals mixed in.

We worked the lift under some big clouds while watching the shadows on the mountains below. I managed to climb to 9,500', and Bruce made it up to about 10,500' at one point. The view up and down the mountain range and beyond into neighboring states was incredible!

The winds finally straightened out to a more westerly direction, allowing us to relax and enjoy the huge lift band.

Greg took the opportunity to explore the VG range of his new topless glider, zooming from cloudbase to cloudbase!

Clover tolerated the strong lift and occasional turbulence very well. This was my first soaring experience over the Crawfords, and I was in awe of the indescribable 360 degree views. As the afternoon air began to mellow, Cody and I took turns practicing some climbovers before flying out over the valley to land.

Clover (the Landing Zone Monitor) had a great time in the air watching birds and enjoying the view, but after over two hours she was happy to get her paws back on solid ground.

What an incredible flight to kick off the Fall flying season! Here is a mini movie I edited together from our day. The keel shots are courtesy of Cody's Flip Video, and Bruce took the final landing sequence. It's not the best quality, but it's fun to watch! (If it starts and stops, just pause the movie, allow it to fully load and then click on play.)

Airtime: 2 Hours 20 Minutes!

K-9 Air-Time!

2009-09-06T07:45:00.007-06:00

Saturday's forecast called for some pre-frontal SW winds, but quite a bit of cloud cover. Cody, Clover and I checked the wind on the internet, looked out the window, and decided it was worth the short drive to Short Divide. Upon arriving at launch it was blowing straight in at 16-18, with patches of blue sky above and about 85 degrees, although the skies were quite hazy due to smoke from wildfires in southern Utah and California.

Klobberhead looks like she is smiling in this picture, as I finished my pre-flight and prepared to launch. By now the windspeed was down to about 12 mph, but a local red-tail showed us signs of thermal activity, so we hooked in and went airborne!

Clobber the "Thermal-Snooper" was a bit nervous at first, as there were some strong, sharp-edged thermals, with plenty of sink mixed in-between. We had to fly a tight, figure-8 pattern, right over the tree tops to stay in the narrow lift band on the small launch ridge.

Clover was able to relax a little when some workable thermals came through, allowing us to climb to about 500' over launch, and attempt to bench up over the upper mountain. The two times I was high enough, I lost the lift as soon as I began to drift back, and had to return out front. Cody found a good core that took him to about 600' over taking him to the upper face, but he said it was just too westerly to produce enough lift, so he had to scoot back out over launch. Overall it was a fun, challenging flight, allowing for some good low altitude thermal practice.

After we landed, conditions on launch had mellowed enough to allow some other "locals" to take to the air.

It didn't turn into a magical glass-off, but there was still a nice, buoyant lift band, and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Airtime: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Make it Happen, Cap'n!

2009-08-23T07:40:00.022-06:00

Saturday we took advantage of a hot & sunny 100 degree day to go to Oneida Reservoir with our good friends Jonny & Alyson, and their three kids, Edie (6), Andy (4) and Jack (18 months).

It was busy at the ramp, but not too crowded out on the water.

Landon, Josh and Tanner first had to get in some horseplay on the swimming dock.

Then we loaded up the boat and headed for open water!

Alyson told us the hilarious story about their encounter with the "Ski-Cat" - so when it was your turn to be pulled up, they would ask, "Are you ready, Ski-Cat?!" Then the person in the water would yell back, "Make it happen, Cap'n!!" (which really meant "Hit It!!")

Edie, Landon and Andy got some slow-speed action on the tube, but it was apparently not slow enough for Edie!

Tanner and Landon got a couple of MUCH wilder rides on the tube!

But Landon wanted more, so he went out for another "drag" around the lake with Josh.

Then Landon popped right up on the wakeboard and showed us his moves.

Then Jonny wowed everyone by taking Andy for a "tandem" ride...

...then Edie too!

Josh remembered how to slalom ski quite well - even starting from the water with only one ski!

Then dad got in on the fun, including some wakeboarding and then some slalom-bare-footin'! This year I was not taking any chances with my ears, and had plenty of ear and head protection. (The last time we came to Oneida I took a bad spill and ruptured my one good eardrum, which took over a month to heal!)

After dinner the water glassed-off nicely, giving Alyson the opportunity to cut some great rooster tails! Yee-Haaw!

Everyone had a great day of water-play!

Thanks Jonny and Alyson!

Short Divide: Over the Back! Decisions, Decisions.

2009-08-14T19:47:00.035-06:00

Friday's forecast indicated a strong, pre-frontal day with SW winds 20+ mph, and a respectable soaring forecast. The wildcard seemed to be the "30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms".

Upon arriving on launch, the wind was coming straight in at 25 mph, gusting to 30. I also noticed some building cumulus clouds to the north into Idaho, but they didn't seem to be overdeveloping. Two series of lee-side lenticular wave-like clouds high over the Cache Valley indicated some high winds aloft.

By the time I was almost set up, Cody arrived and volunteered to drive chase for me! The strong conditions caused me to think twice about launching, but by 2 pm I had decided that the conditions were not overdeveloping and were well within my level of experience and my glider's capabilities. I had a safe, one-step launch, and my vario immediately began chirping happily as I quickly climbed out in front of launch. Within ten minutes I had benched up to the upper mountain, and was still climbing through 10K' in 1,500 fpm lift. It was a hot, 90+ degree day, and a brush fire about 10 miles to the SW made for somewhat smokey skies.

Looking down on Gunsight Peak from 12,000' and north into Idaho at the start of the cloud street..

I had very little time to take more than one or two pictures, as I had to focus on staying in the lift in the obviously strong conditions. The top of Gunsight Peak is about 8,200', so about 10K is plenty of altitude to safely go over the back without any indication of lee-side rotor or turbulence, but I knew I would be better off to climb as high as I could over the mountain and leave in lift. I found a nice thermal out front which took me over 12,000', and I realized that it topped out at a developing cloud overhead. I turned on my oxygen (for the first time this year!), and radioed to Cody that I was "Going over the back" to stay in the lift and follow the drifting cloud to the NE. The drift speed of the cloud didn't allow me to take the time to circle, so I was basically flying straight at about minimum sink speed to stay in the lift under the cloud.

I had already mentally prepared myself to go XC solo, so having Cody to talk to on the radio as a chase driver was a nice bonus! There is a magical excitement about making the commitment to leave your home flying site, and set out on a cross-country adventure. I had "high hopes" as I continued to climb and drift toward the cloud street to the north. Then, instead of continuing to build, the cloud I was following just fell apart, and the lift was gone! I was too far away to try to get back to the upper mountain for a "mulligan", so I pulled on full VG, and pointed toward the start of the cloud street at best glide speed. Unfortunately, I found nothing but sink and the ground came up to meet me before I made it to any usable lift.

Part of the challenge of flying cross country is being able to select a suitable, unknown landing location, and then safely "put it down" in less than ideal conditions. From thousands of feet up - or even a few hundred feet, the terrain can look quite flat and innocuous. You have to learn how to determine the slope, wind speed, direction and vegetation. What looks like a nice, flat grassy field with a few short bushes might actually be downhill sloping waist-high basetube-grabbing unfriendly sagebrush! As you get closer and closer to landing, a split second decision can make all of the difference between a safe landing and an easy retrieval or a broken downtube and a long walk out.

When flying XC, you are faced with numerous simultaneous decisions requiring immediate attention while also trying to focus on flying. It can be both physically and mentally demanding, and is not nearly as relaxing as just boating around your home flying site, waiting for the glass-off. I have great respect for the Pro's who fly high and far day after day under some white-knuckle conditions often found in competitions.

What may seem like an inconsequential choice at the time, may impact the rest of the flight - or even the rest of your life. A series of good decisions linked together can make all the difference in a long, safe flight. One or two bad choices could lead to a short, scary flight. Cody and I have talked about how occasionally, we get away with making an unsafe decision, either out of ignorance or because we somehow justified the risk in our head. Talking through and de-briefing such scary circumstances can help me recognize my flawed thinking, and avoid confusing "getting away with something" for a "good choice". Using oxygen at higher altitudes not only has obvious physiological benifits, but also improves mental sharpness and allows me to better think things through.

So, as my landing options began to narrow, I verified the wind direction and scanned the terrain, identifying potential hazards: powerlines, fences, irrigation wheel lines, trees and a farmhouse. I could tell from the trees, grass, and my glider drift that the wind at ground level was at least 15-20 mph, enough to create some nasty mechanical turbulence if there was any upwind obstacle on my final approach. I saw a recently cut hay field that would have worked, but it had a big sprinkler line in the way. Then I saw a recently plowed field next to it, but I wasn't sure if it was just planted or not. I was running out of options and altitude, so I picked a nice uphill, upwind grassy slope right next to the Weston Canyon Road which worked out great, and had an easy landing in the stiff south wind. Cody was there in about 10 minutes for a speedy retrieval. The GPS said I was about 12 miles from launch - disappointing for a day with so much promise, but nonetheless, a fun, safe flight!

Thanks for driving, Cody! Next time you fly and I'll drive :-)
Airtime: 1 hour

King's Peak

2009-08-04T23:09:00.031-06:00

It's been over six years since Josh, Tanner, Landon and I have been on a "real" backpacking adventure together. This past weekend we finally got back to the High Uintas Wilderness area on a 3-day, 2-night trip, with the goal of climbing King's Peak - the highest point in Utah.

The route starts at the Henrys Fork Trailhead, climbing over 4,100 feet in 16 miles, until reaching the top of King's Peak at 13,528 feet.

We arrived at the trailhead around 10:00 am, and found many other people with similar plans.

We put on our boots, shouldered our packs, and headed up the trail.

After 5.5 miles we crossed the Henrys Fork at Elkhorn Crossing.

As the trail gradually climbed, we caught a glimpse of our distant goal.

The vivid wildflowers were in bloom everywhere.

A small party with a couple of llamas were on their way out.

As the trail climbed to the upper Henrys Fork, the views became breathtaking!

We passed by Dollar Lake to look at Henrys Lake and Lake Blanchard. Along the way we stopped to watch a mother moose and her calf. We didn't watch too long, as the mother seemed a bit agitated! Eventually we returned to Dollar Lake and found a nice campsite there. The detour resulted in about a 12 mile day.

The lake yielded a beautiful view as the sun dipped below the horizon and the water glassed off.

Our camp was far enough away from the lake (at least 1,000') to allow us to have a nice campfire. The mosquitoes were enthusiastic, but our bug spray seemed to keep them away for a few hours before re-application was needed.

That evening Landon surveyed the water, planning his fishing strategy. I awoke during the middle of the night and looked outside of the tent at the amazing million-star sky. It was difficult to get back to sleep, anticipating the next day's challenging climb.

The next morning's chill lasted only until the sun came over the ridgetops.

Landon (& Dad) caught one little cutthroat trout on a wet fly and a bobber, but we decided to throw this one back

We were back on the trail by about 9 am, heading toward Gunsight Pass on the way to King's Peak.

From Gunsight Pass we followed the route through the cliffs to the west marked by a series of cairns. This route allowed us to avoid losing any elevation on the main trail through Painter Basin.

Along the way, we noticed scattered, broken rocks in the shape of numerous states, including this "chunky" Utah.

The route eventually rejoined the Highline Trail just east of and below Anderson Pass.

From Anderson Pass, the very exposed trail above the green, U-shaped valley to the west came into view. We took a break at "Albacore Pass" to prepare for the final push to the summit.

We watched a mountain goat along the ridge just north of Anderson Pass. It disappeared around the north side of the ridge to explore the cliffs.

Then we started the last stretch of the climb up the steep, boulder-strewn route to the top. Now well over 12k', our pace slowed dramatically as our lungs struggled to extract what little oxygen the thin air provided. As our enthusiasm waned, the boys helped each other with words of encouragement.

Finally, after numerous discouraging false summits, we made it to the top at about 2 pm.

The weather could not have been better, allowing for incredible views, like this one to the south into Atwood Lake basin,

to the West toward the Mirror Lake Highway,

and to the north toward Dollar Lake, Henrys Fork, and beyond into Wyoming in the distance. We spent about a half hour on top with another group of people from Washington - one of which was working on climbing the highest peak in all 50 states! King's Peak marked his 38th summit. We then began the tedious descent, carefully negotiating the rocks on tired legs.

We retraced our route and finally returned to our camp, only to discover that a squirrel had eaten the bag of mini-bagels which had been in a zippered pocket of my backpack! Bummer.

Our last night at Dollar Lake, we were treated to another beautiful sunset.

We enjoyed one last campfire, courtesy of Josh the "firemaster". We all slept very well after a long day of hiking and scrambling.

The next morning we packed up and started back down the trail.

We made it back to the trailhead by about noon, and compared our "hiker's tans" around our ankles. It was hard to tell if it was more trail dust or suntan! Altogether we hiked about 35 miles. After stopping to eat in Evanston, we continued on home to hot showers and warm beds, with many great memories of our adventure and images of the inspiring High Uintas Wilderness.

Crawford Flying

2009-07-19T08:44:00.021-06:00

The Crawford Mountains rise steeply 1,500 vertical feet from the valley floor East of Randolph, Utah. The Northwest facing range runs about 18 miles from Highway 30 at the Wyoming border, South toward Evanston, WY. Most of the range is within Utah, but most XC routes will take you into Wyoming. The dark, steep cliffs along the face gather and release heat nicely, but can also be a source of some mechanical turbulence if not respected. A decent 2wd gravel road takes you from one of many wide open LZ's to the top in about 15-20 minutes.

The view from launch out over the valley and the meandering Bear River is spectacular. Set up areas on top are limited, but there is plenty of room right behind the ridge.

There are 3 or 4 wide open launch options, depending on your preference and angle of the wind. The ridge drops off quickly making for an easy launch, but you do have to be aware of how the gullies, spines and ridges affect the local airflow. Wonder wind glass-offs are not uncommon here, sometimes lasting beyond sunset. We were hoping today might be such a day!

A 10-15 mph NW wind is perfect here, but a cross-wind launch is feasible if it is more Westerly or Northerly. Launching in winds over 20 mph is not recommended here, due to the potential for some spooky/scary turbulence that the sharp cliffs can generate in higher winds. Yesterday, Cody, Landon and I drove together, met Bruce and Greg in the LZ and then carpooled up to launch.

Upon arrival at about 3 pm, the wind was coming straight in at 10-12 mph, so we all started right in with our setup routines.

This is the first set up area I have been to where you have to watch out for the sharp cacti!
By the time we were ready, the wind had died and was even crossing out of the NE!

So we hang-waited the next hour and a half in the hot sun, finding occasional shade from some nice cumies building just South of launch. We watched about 10-15 turkey vultures playing in the thermals in front of launch, sometimes high, sometimes low. We weren't sure if they were trying to utilize the lift, or if they were purposely staying near or below launch altitude. Finally at about 5:30 some cycles straightened out enough for Landon and me to safely launch. It was still a cross, light-wind launch, but we pulled it off nicely! The view straight down on the sharp rock spires is stunning, but we didn't have time to enjoy it much. Unfortunately we found nothing but sink, as the northerly component just slid across the face producing no lift. We made 3-4 passes, and were soon setting up our landing approach. We came in for a gentle wheel-in landing on a recently cut alfalfa field.

About 15 minutes later, conditions dramatically improved on launch, and Cody was the first to show everyone how to soar above the ridgetop!

Bruce and Greg soon joined him,

along with 2 paragliders. It was painful watching everyone air-playin' directly above us as we broke down the big Falcon, but some days require a sacrificial flight before the wind Gods oblige.

I was glad that it turned good for them, but couldn't stand waiting around, so Landon and I decided to hike up the face to retrieve the truck from the top. The cliff face appears impenetrable by foot, but we found a gully which safely took us to the top in just under an hour. About halfway up conditions got light again, as one by one everyone flew out to land.

Here is a video clip of Greg's stellar landing (it's a little shaky because I took it zoomed in from half-way up the mountain face.)

While we were loading up, Landon had to make sure he could fit into Cody's new dog kennel! (No, he didn't ride home in it!)

It didn't turn out to be a magical day over the Crawfords, but almost everyone got over an hour of some nice, smooth airtime.

Independence Day

2009-07-05T08:01:00.011-06:00

Our 4th of July Celebration started Saturday morning with the Lewiston parade!

Overcast skies kept the morning temperatures from climbing too quickly.

Tanner, Josh, Landon, Keri and the entire Skyview Marching band did great!

Saturday afternoon the 3-day Cache Valley Cruise In culminated with the parade of classic cars on main street.

There were all kind of Oldies but Goodies - like this pink Cadillac,

this not so old Delorean,

this 3-wheelin' Monte Carlo,

I'm not sure what this one is called,

a flame-throwin' '53,

some VERY low-riders (yes, there were sparks flying!),

and a few pimped out bikes too.

We found some time for a little 4-wheelin',

including Klobberhed!

We finished the day lighting off a few mostly-legal fireworks. Then we relaxed and watched some of the less-than legal fireworks go off in the neighborhoods around us.

Short Divide in July

2009-07-05T00:00:00.012-06:00

On Friday Landon and I met up with Cody on launch at Short Divide. Conditions looked great at 85 degrees, SW winds 16-18, and some nice puffy cumulus overhead.

Landon and I launched first into some moderately strong thermals mixed in with some definite areas of sink. This translated into some July rodeo-airtime! About 10 minutes later Cody launched and we took turns showing each other the thermals, until Cody hooked one that stayed together well enough for him to follow it back and bench up over Clarkston Peak. Landon and I worked the same thermal, but fell out of it and had to scoot back out front. Cody found the usually reliable lift on the upper mountains a bit sketchy. By now Landon was getting a little woozy from the "textured" air and tight turns, so we descended to a nice wheel-landing below, while Cody did some air-playin' above, and eventually joined the "early-landers" in the LZ below. With this flight, Landon just passed 10 hours of airtime! It was a very nice "day before the 4th of July" flight.

Airtime: 50 minutes x 2!

Wind Caves

2009-06-27T20:14:00.013-06:00

Ryan and I took advantage of the improving weather to have our 1st annual 11 year-old Scout backyard overnighter and Wind Caves day hike.

Participants included Andrew, Daniel, Jake, Jordan, Spencer and Aaron.

We worked on a number of Scouting skills and requirements, including knife and axe safety, firebuilding, tent pitching, cooking, camping, ropework and knot tying. A brief thundershower didn't dampen our spirits, as we enjoyed our foil dinners

and dutch oven cobbler desserts with ice cream!

After a competetive snakeball/monkey bars golf tournament, Daniel conducted our campfire program, complete with a song, some jokes (ha ha), a skit, and a Scoutmaster's minute.

The boys stayed up late telling jokes, while Ryan and I drifted off to sleep in our treehouse lookout. After a big breakfast, we packed up "camp" and drove up the canyon

to the Wind Caves trailhead.

Clover helped keep everyone in line as we climbed the steep, two-mile switchbacking trail.

At one point the trail crosses a rushing stream, which literally springs forth right out of the ground!

After a number of repeated "how much further" inquisitions, we finally arrived at our destination just before noon.

The view in all directions was spectacular, including the China Wall rock formation on the opposite side of the canyon below the Crimson Trail and the backside of Logan Peak.

We paused to explore the open-air caves and take a few pictures.

Standing just above the upper openings, we felt the up-canyon wind rushing through, better understanding how they were so appropriately named.

We made the descent in about half the time.

Clover and the boys were dog-tired by the time we made it back to the vehicles, but everyone had a great time!

Summer Arrives at Short Divide

2009-06-25T05:58:00.005-06:00

Landon and I went out to Short Divide Wednesday for some airtime. The Spring rains finally stopped for a couple of days allowing for the warmest day of the year at about 90 degrees. On launch the wind was straight in, but cycling from about 8 mph up to 15. A bit light for a tandem launch, so we waited to see if it would build and fill in. At about 4 pm conditions were the same, but after watching a red-tailed hawk catch a ride and speck out, we decided to attempt to follow suit. We picked a good cycle, but still had to earn our launch with a few extra steps as we made our seamless transition into the sky. We safely skimmed over the juniper covered launch ridge, as Landon was happy to be "back in the harness" again. As we watched two deer running through the trees below us, we quickly found a number of moderately strong thermals which took us about 100' over launch. We were unable to replicate our feathered friend's gravity-defying feat as we gradually descended to the lower ridge, set up our final, and came in for a safe wheel-in landing.

Airtime: 15 minutes - YeeeHaaaaw!

Camp Bartlett 2009

2009-06-19T20:22:00.022-06:00

This past week Landon and his troop were at Camp Bartlett.

I spent all day Thursday with Landon and the troops!

This year it rained off and on for about 3 out of the five and a half days

but the sun came out Tuesday, part of Thursday, Friday and Saturday!

Our troop had 5 Scouts at camp this year: Spencer, Ryan, Jordan, Landon & Daniel.

Camp activities included working on the Rifle Shooting Merit Badge.

One of the requirements includes hitting a target with 5 out of 5 rounds, all within a group the size of a quarter from 50 feet - and then repeat this feat five times! Both Ryan and Landon accomplished this!

Basketry Merit Badge was popular, as usual.

Landon, Ryan and others worked on their Art Merit Badge.

Others completed the Forestry Merit Badge.

Ryan spent any spare time working on his "Silent Boondoggling" Merit Badge.

The entire troop, leaders and dads also completed a 10'x10' axe-yard lashing service project together.

And, of course, there was plenty of food to go around as everyone worked on their Cooking (and eating) Merit badge!

Scoutmaster Scott even made some of his great dutch oven chocolate-cherry cobbler! Being a surgeon by profession, his skills did not get rusty as he was called to the first aid office at least once a day to suture both scouts' and leaders' pocketknife or boxcutter-induced lacerations - many of which were casualties of the Woodcarving Merit Badge!

By the end of the week, Landon had earned 5 Merit Badges: Art, Fish and Wildlife, Forestry, Rifle Shooting, and Woodcarving. Despite the off and on rain, mosquitoes and muddy trails, everyone had a great time this year at Camp Bartlett!

Cousin's Camp 2009!

2009-06-13T14:35:00.040-06:00

The 2009 Annual Cousin's Camp

was held at the Sutton's Cabin in Ovid, Idaho, just East of Emigration Canyon, Camp Bartlett, and the Cache National Forest. The big, beautiful six-bedroom cabin allowed each family and Grandma & Grandpa to have their own room. Rain was forecast for the entire four-day retreat, but we made the best of it anyway.

The showers actually came and went, and the afternoon of the last day the sun even came out! Activities this year included arts and crafts, workshops, lessons, singing, eating, devotionals, game night, archery target shooting, bucking hay bales, four-wheeling,

hiking, exploring, sightseeing, napping, photography, free time, and spelunking!

The first two days Grandpa Dave taught us all everything we needed to know to become skilled archers!

We all spent time working on our form, technique and sighting in our bows.

For many of us (except Grandma) the guided tour through Minnetonka Cave was the highlight of the camp.

Originating millions of years ago and discovered in 1906, the half mile long cave has 9 rooms of fascinating stalactites, stalagmites and other formations.

The air temperature is a constant 40 degrees, and the cave is still considered "alive" - but it's hard to tell, as the formations continue to grow at a rate of about a half-inch per ten thousand years!

Back at "camp", Clover had a great time exploring, and "bounding" through the tall grass like a gazelle!

With three four-wheelers in camp this year, everyone had the opportunity to do some riding.

We covered many miles on some beautiful forest roads and OHV trails.

Each day included brief workshops or devotionals, as Grandpa shared his wisdom,

and always found a way to relate the day's activities to a spiritual lesson.

The last day culminated with a high-stakes 17-round archery tournament.

Mr. Sutton was so nice to bring out his antique car collection for our group picture backdrop.

He also gave all the kids (and some adults) rides, and took some great pictures for us! It was another awesome camp to remember - especially since the oldest cousin (Zac) just graduated from high school, and may not be here for next year's camp. Thanks for the great time Grandma & Grandpa W.

and thanks to the Sutton's for their hospitality!

Here's a quick video of some Camp highlights!

Elementary Hang Gliding!

2009-05-30T22:18:00.009-06:00

On Friday Bruce and I had the opportunity to join Cody for a fun "Fly day for reading" at his elementary school.

We set up our gliders and put on a 10 minute demonstration for each class as they rotated through a number of static displays and activities - all related to flying!

With an emphasis on fun and safety, Cody talked about: 1) Hang gliders can go up - not just down, 2) We hang from the glider - not hang on to them, and 3) the airfoil shape of the glider allows it to fly (the wing is the thing!) At the end of each class one of us did a ground run with my big Falcon to show actual "flight".

It was great to share with the kids and to see Cody at home "in his element" (as Bruce said) relating to the kids on their level. Altogether we talked to over 300 kids from grades K-5, planting the seeds, no doubt, for a number of future pilots!

On Saturday Cody and I went out to Short Divide to try to catch some air, even though the forecast was not all that great. On launch we found the wind cycling straight in from 5 mph up to about 13. There were scattered towering cu-nim's that we were keeping an eye on. We finally launched, each of us picking a good cycle. We worked the weak thermals in earnest, but they just fell apart too quickly to get above launch. We each had a short but nice 20 minute flight. It was great just to get out and hone our thermalling skills for the approaching XC season!

Airtime: 20 minutes!

the Crimson Trail

2009-05-23T19:48:00.032-06:00

With the holiday weekend upon us, we decided to take a family hike on the moderately strenuous and historic Crimson Trail.

The streams were running high with snowmelt, and the hillsides were all bright green.

It was a warm, partly cloudy day with a nice breeze to make the steep climb not too hot.

Clover had no problem keeping up, and enjoyed being out on the trail.

We paused along the way so Tanner could show everyone his rock "slinging" technique.

Then Landon,

and Josh had a turn.

The trail climbs a couple of miles,

until it tops out along the rim of a geologic formation know as the China Wall.

The view from on top is breathtaking,

and a bit scary in places

just ask Keri!

From on top we could see across the canyon to the "Wind Caves",

formed by the forces of wind and water on the limestone rock.

We continued on the 4.3 mile trail loop as it descended back to the canyon floor,

and then followed the cool river back to our starting point,

where Tanner and Landon could not resist dipping their heads in the icy water!