Who remembers Bill Murray when he first morphed into that tragic-comic role that he now owns? Today was indeed Groundhog Day. We went up the hill, the wind was southerly (more so and stronger) and the task committee set the same crosswind leg as task 2. The early wind techs who launched were being drifted directly north in very light climbs and not getting anywhere near the height of yesterdays base, so there was an air of agreement amongst pilots when the task was put on hold, thinking it would be changed to suit the obvious conditions. It wasn't. So we went ahead with a 145km task to the northeast, with the same 20km crosswind leg from launch to the first turnpoint. One gaggle of about 15 gliders got away at the start of the task, many others sunk out or scratched around the hill and about a dozen pilots didn't fly. Of 18 pilots who survived to the first turnpoint, 10 went on to fly the remaining 125km to goal, setting a US distance record for an FAI task. James (who I believe got away early) flew 48km and Gav did exceptionally well after having to top land for new GPS batteries, he re-launched and spent the next hour scratching around launch, getting high an hour after the task had opened and flying 38km by himself. Heike and I both chose not to launch. Just before sunset the pilots who made goal arrived back to a well deserved hero's welcome. Frank Brown was fatest in with a time of 3hr 45min, Dean Stratton was second followed by Dave Prentice. The day wasn't as high as yesterday (a few got to 16'000ft on task 2) but there was a good tailwind with the fastest guys hitting 90km/h on glide. We had a great BBQ dinner and were entertained by a local band and the local rodeo princesses roping (lasooing) boys by the ankles, which the boys didn't seem to mind too much.
It's always a hard decision deciding not to fly during a comp. Well, not always, but you do beat yourself up about it more than necessary. It's hard to deny that there is some external pressure to get off the hill, and sometimes that's good - it challenges you to fly in conditions that you might be totally capable of but wouldn't normally fly if you were outside a comp environment. If I’m free flying I'm either happy with the day or I'm not, I go flying or I don't. Today was only hard because there wasn't one definitive thing that made me decide not to fly. It was a combination of how I felt when I woke up (that we weren't going to fly at all), sketchy conditions on launch, fatigue, windy slow climbs out of launch and the thought of having the same fight as yesterday to stay out of the wilderness (see below). But flying comps for me is all about learning and getting in tune with how I analyse my personal situation on any given day. Today was a win for me, I learnt something, it was different to what I might have learnt if I'd flown but no less valuable.
I don't envy the pilots who take on the largely thankless job of being on a task committee. In some flying area's the job is made much harder by terrain and road restrictions, unpredictable weather etc. Most pilots agreed the SSW crosswind leg on task 2 was simply a fight to stay out of some very rough terrain rather than any kind of race to test piloting skills. So it was reasonably astonishing to me (and some pilots with much more experience than me) that the same leg would be set the very next day with an apparently stronger wind which was even more southerly potentially pushing us further into the land of trees, ticks and very long walks out. Perhaps I'll be on a task committee one day and I can be a bit more humble about the whole thing.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Those packs weren't made for walking.
The flying is fine, no the flying is brilliant, I can totally cope with getting over 10,000ft every day, it's the walk out that wears you down. The first task I walked out for almost 2 hours, yesterday I walked out with james and another guy for over an hour and today I'm feeling it. The half dozen ticks I found last night and this morning aren't really doing anything for me either. There is a couple roads out here and a whole lot of nothing in between them, I've made a real effort to stay near the roads and still managed to walk 3hrs in 2 days. I don't mind walking at all - with about 10 kilos less on my back and a back pack that isn't just an after thought. What's really scary is that at a little over 20 kilos, my gear is actually lighter than most. I guess I could just start getting to goal and it wont be an issue.
Our 30 knots winds haven't arrived so it looks like we're going flying today. I'm going to be positive and tell you that my next post will be about how I made goal and had a nice 50m stroll to the waiting retrieve vehicle with cold beer and airconditioning. Ahhhh.
Our 30 knots winds haven't arrived so it looks like we're going flying today. I'm going to be positive and tell you that my next post will be about how I made goal and had a nice 50m stroll to the waiting retrieve vehicle with cold beer and airconditioning. Ahhhh.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
US Nats Task 2
"I climbed to 3400m three times and only flew 20km" - it just doesn't sound right does it. But it was the motto for team Oz today - we all landed within 1km of each other just before the first turnpoint after doing the above. I left a climb at 3200m, 4km before the turnpoint cyclinder and landed 800m short. Never have I found sink so consistent, so strong and for so long. It was a similar experience for most in the area pushing strong cross or headwind.
A 69km task had been set with a 25k leg directly to the east and then a goal directly to the north. With strong southerlies forecast turning westerly late in the day, it was always going to be tricky making the first turnpoint. Added to that, there was some pretty wild terrain we were being pushed into by the southerly. Hard for this to not come out as sour grapes but it was not a well set task. The little I know about task setting philosophy is that the task should get harder as you move through the course - today we had a task where if you lived through the first third of the course, you had a free ride for the last 2/3. Not quite right, and not really the kind of task you'd expect in a contest to crown a US national champion. I'm all for difficult tasks which challenge you to devise a way through, but today was all about survival, not racing. Ahh who knows, maybe I'm just a whining bastard ;-)
Results are at www.mphsports.com
James T's pics at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/m/viewAlbum?uname=jamesflys&aname=USA07&start=0
A 69km task had been set with a 25k leg directly to the east and then a goal directly to the north. With strong southerlies forecast turning westerly late in the day, it was always going to be tricky making the first turnpoint. Added to that, there was some pretty wild terrain we were being pushed into by the southerly. Hard for this to not come out as sour grapes but it was not a well set task. The little I know about task setting philosophy is that the task should get harder as you move through the course - today we had a task where if you lived through the first third of the course, you had a free ride for the last 2/3. Not quite right, and not really the kind of task you'd expect in a contest to crown a US national champion. I'm all for difficult tasks which challenge you to devise a way through, but today was all about survival, not racing. Ahh who knows, maybe I'm just a whining bastard ;-)
Results are at www.mphsports.com
James T's pics at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/m/viewAlbum?uname=jamesflys&aname=USA07&start=0
US Nats Task 1
The forecast was almost exact - we only got to 12'000ft rather than 13 :-)
The wind was light as predicted and a task was called with a turnpoint 50km to the north and then 30km back south to goal. Getting away from launch was relatively easy but I really hadn't registered exactly how far above sea level this place is (the town of Lakeview is at 1500m ASL - see yesterday 'Tallest town in Oregon'). It's deceptive because the valleys are huge and flat and the hills aren't especially big. I've never flown around consistently at 2500m above sea level and felt so low. Shortly after the task start we were able to climb through 3000m and things started to feel comfortable. The climb was still consistent and the lead gaggle was much higher so I kept climbing. What had been a consistent but not strong climb kicked off at 3500m and started averaging 5m/s and I was on the way to my self imposed ceiling of 4500m (probably 1/3 of the field are flying with oxygen). It all stopped pretty abruptly at 3800m which was fine as I was already starting to breathe rapidly, everyone else was well down the course lind and my hands were going numb. Off on glide we made a wide crossing and flew into a another valley system where we started punching headwind about 20km before the first turnpoint. This decked most pilots, some (including yours truly) high up on the ridge which ran to the first turnpoint with a long walk out. It was actually a really nice walk along a creek through an old pine forest. This really is wild west country - I was following some cattle trails and it felt like Yul Brynner and the magnificent seven might appear at any moment. They didn't. Nobody got to goal and Team Oz all landed before the turnpoint. We do apologise.....
James Thompson has kindly provided a link to some pictures he has taken at the Rat Race and todays task at the nats. The picture of the lake and the huge ridge along it was our view for most of the flight. It's called Abert Rim and is I’m told highest cliff line in North America. Very impressive.
James pics at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/m/viewAlbum?uname=jamesflys&aname=USA07&start=0
The wind was light as predicted and a task was called with a turnpoint 50km to the north and then 30km back south to goal. Getting away from launch was relatively easy but I really hadn't registered exactly how far above sea level this place is (the town of Lakeview is at 1500m ASL - see yesterday 'Tallest town in Oregon'). It's deceptive because the valleys are huge and flat and the hills aren't especially big. I've never flown around consistently at 2500m above sea level and felt so low. Shortly after the task start we were able to climb through 3000m and things started to feel comfortable. The climb was still consistent and the lead gaggle was much higher so I kept climbing. What had been a consistent but not strong climb kicked off at 3500m and started averaging 5m/s and I was on the way to my self imposed ceiling of 4500m (probably 1/3 of the field are flying with oxygen). It all stopped pretty abruptly at 3800m which was fine as I was already starting to breathe rapidly, everyone else was well down the course lind and my hands were going numb. Off on glide we made a wide crossing and flew into a another valley system where we started punching headwind about 20km before the first turnpoint. This decked most pilots, some (including yours truly) high up on the ridge which ran to the first turnpoint with a long walk out. It was actually a really nice walk along a creek through an old pine forest. This really is wild west country - I was following some cattle trails and it felt like Yul Brynner and the magnificent seven might appear at any moment. They didn't. Nobody got to goal and Team Oz all landed before the turnpoint. We do apologise.....
James Thompson has kindly provided a link to some pictures he has taken at the Rat Race and todays task at the nats. The picture of the lake and the huge ridge along it was our view for most of the flight. It's called Abert Rim and is I’m told highest cliff line in North America. Very impressive.
James pics at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/m/viewAlbum?uname=jamesflys&aname=USA07&start=0
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Lakeview - Tallest town in Oregon
First day of the Nats was cancelled due to wind. A 103km task was called but was revised after some opposition about a 40km section of the task over an Antelope refuge where we'd been told earlier in the day we absolutely should not land. There is some very remote country out here so the tasks are constrained a bit by needing to stay reasonalby close to the only roads available.
The launch here is on the west face of a long north/south ridge with some very flat flats out front and a huge lake to the south. Of to the NE (common task direction) is a mix of flats and ridges, typically it is flown in strong winds with (hopefully) strong climbs. Tomorrow is forecast for light winds and base up to 13,000ft.
May it come true...
Lakeview is actually quite stunning, think Broken Hill with mountains, sprawling flat valleys and big lakes, but it is definitely Redneckville central south Oregon. Outside the building where I am typing this there is an event going on called 'Mud bogging' - it involves driving really ridiculously big and over powered pick up trucks through a big trench fulll of mud, and mostly getting bogged in it, hence the name. The irony is that the contestants seem to get annoyed when they do get bogged, which from where we were standing was the only possible outcome, indeed it looked like the whole point of the event. Then you get towed out of the bog by a front-loader which I assume is unboggable and proceed to use the equivalent of a years water supply for the average Sydney household to clean your truck, load it on a big trailer towed by an even bigger vehicle than your mud bog machine and drive home getting 8 miles per gallon. A well spent Sunday.
The launch here is on the west face of a long north/south ridge with some very flat flats out front and a huge lake to the south. Of to the NE (common task direction) is a mix of flats and ridges, typically it is flown in strong winds with (hopefully) strong climbs. Tomorrow is forecast for light winds and base up to 13,000ft.
May it come true...
Lakeview is actually quite stunning, think Broken Hill with mountains, sprawling flat valleys and big lakes, but it is definitely Redneckville central south Oregon. Outside the building where I am typing this there is an event going on called 'Mud bogging' - it involves driving really ridiculously big and over powered pick up trucks through a big trench fulll of mud, and mostly getting bogged in it, hence the name. The irony is that the contestants seem to get annoyed when they do get bogged, which from where we were standing was the only possible outcome, indeed it looked like the whole point of the event. Then you get towed out of the bog by a front-loader which I assume is unboggable and proceed to use the equivalent of a years water supply for the average Sydney household to clean your truck, load it on a big trailer towed by an even bigger vehicle than your mud bog machine and drive home getting 8 miles per gallon. A well spent Sunday.
On to Lakeview and the wild west
June 23 (much later)
The last two tasks at the Rat Race were the kind of days that make me wonder how sensible comp flying is. Well, that's not true, it's fairly certain comp flying isn't sensible, but we do it because it's a great way to learn and improve, it's a ton of fun (most of the time) and every now and then you get bragging rights over your mates. The last two tasks were run in conditions that while not dangerous for experienced pilots, they were days where the vast majority would not have launched if it wasn't a comp day. But you see it happen over and over. Food for thought, where do you draw the line between risky and just not sensible? For me I guess it's right at the point where it stops being fun, which incidentally is about where you stop learning anything too.
The back to back comps here are quite literally that - we had our last task at Woodrat today, rapid fire award ceremony, drive to Lakeview and first task for the nationals is tomorrow. Looks windy so we might get a rest on the first day.
More on the nats later. Results for both comps are at www.mphsports.com
The last two tasks at the Rat Race were the kind of days that make me wonder how sensible comp flying is. Well, that's not true, it's fairly certain comp flying isn't sensible, but we do it because it's a great way to learn and improve, it's a ton of fun (most of the time) and every now and then you get bragging rights over your mates. The last two tasks were run in conditions that while not dangerous for experienced pilots, they were days where the vast majority would not have launched if it wasn't a comp day. But you see it happen over and over. Food for thought, where do you draw the line between risky and just not sensible? For me I guess it's right at the point where it stops being fun, which incidentally is about where you stop learning anything too.
The back to back comps here are quite literally that - we had our last task at Woodrat today, rapid fire award ceremony, drive to Lakeview and first task for the nationals is tomorrow. Looks windy so we might get a rest on the first day.
More on the nats later. Results for both comps are at www.mphsports.com
Rat Race Tasks 4,5 and 6
June 23
The Rat Race finished today with a total of 6 tasks. After the first 3 short racy days we had the first 1000 pt day with very well called 76km task. Conditions were tricky around the first turnpoint but stellar elsewhere with some people hitting 10,000ft. It was the longest task ever for the Rat Race and 31 made goal. I was really happy with my flying on the task. There were some difficult transitions and a lot of patient flying to get to goal. I managed to get to goal in 16th place and the only time I was really trying to fly fast was when I knew I had a glide to goal. To this point I was having the comp of my life having made goal 4 days straight - flying safe, conservative and having a blast - yeah OK so that means I'm slow, but damm it's fun!
Day 5 had a heavy inversion trapping everyone around launch height and the task was cancelled shortly after the start due to this and strong wind. The last 2 days were very windy but 2 more tasks were completed in somewhat marginal conditions. Both days the crux was getting to Burnt ridge east of launch - if you did this you got to goal, if you didn't you were in the LZ.
US pilot Dean Stratton won 5 of 6 tasks and the comp overall. Our own James was second in the masters and Heike was second female.
Can highly reccomend coming over here next year for anyone looking to escape the rain, the comp is well organised and Mike, Gail and their volunteers do the fun side of things better than anyone.
The Rat Race finished today with a total of 6 tasks. After the first 3 short racy days we had the first 1000 pt day with very well called 76km task. Conditions were tricky around the first turnpoint but stellar elsewhere with some people hitting 10,000ft. It was the longest task ever for the Rat Race and 31 made goal. I was really happy with my flying on the task. There were some difficult transitions and a lot of patient flying to get to goal. I managed to get to goal in 16th place and the only time I was really trying to fly fast was when I knew I had a glide to goal. To this point I was having the comp of my life having made goal 4 days straight - flying safe, conservative and having a blast - yeah OK so that means I'm slow, but damm it's fun!
Day 5 had a heavy inversion trapping everyone around launch height and the task was cancelled shortly after the start due to this and strong wind. The last 2 days were very windy but 2 more tasks were completed in somewhat marginal conditions. Both days the crux was getting to Burnt ridge east of launch - if you did this you got to goal, if you didn't you were in the LZ.
US pilot Dean Stratton won 5 of 6 tasks and the comp overall. Our own James was second in the masters and Heike was second female.
Can highly reccomend coming over here next year for anyone looking to escape the rain, the comp is well organised and Mike, Gail and their volunteers do the fun side of things better than anyone.
Rat Race Tasks 2 and 3
June 18
Rat Race Task 2
Yesterday's tricky flying and the vigorous activities of the previous night had the hawaiian boys all in bed early. The campsite was eerily quiet.
We had another short fast task today to the same goal as yesterday. The race was over in slightly more than an hour but not without a couple gliders in the trees, one landing high up on ridge and a guy landing in a paddock near goal and being set upon by an 'attack Llama' (in his initial panic he reported it as being an emu). It seems Llama's are like goats but with much more fur and malice. They guy was OK, but didn't escape without a physical and psychologically beating. Luckily someone was there to capture it on film for everyone's amusement.
Today was a first for me at a paragliding competition - a hot lunch on launch. We were served up baked potato with all the fixings before the first briefing. Mike and Gail Haley do the little things so well - coffee in the morning, keg at goal, fresh watermelon and lemonade when you get back to HQ at the end of the day. Little things that make you feel like you get something for the time and money invested in these comps.
57 pilots in goal today broke the task 1 record of 51.
Task 3
Some days are unexpectedly fun. We sat around on launch waiting for just one wind tech to get above launch which didn't happen for hours. The task was revised and re-revised from an original 61km out and return to a 20km individual race to goal via 1 turnpoint. A party had been scheduled forthe goal field wether we flew there or not so it was good to have some kind of flying. The winners race time was just over 16 minutes. It doesn't really rate as a serious comp task but it's about as much fun as you can have at a comp when you launch, climb out, fly into convergance just before the start gate then glide around the course without turning to land at goal with BBQ and beer. 71 pilots did just that, a new record. It was also a record for the lowest validity day with the winner scoring 123 points. Also the record for the most fun ever on a comp task.
Rat Race Task 2
Yesterday's tricky flying and the vigorous activities of the previous night had the hawaiian boys all in bed early. The campsite was eerily quiet.
We had another short fast task today to the same goal as yesterday. The race was over in slightly more than an hour but not without a couple gliders in the trees, one landing high up on ridge and a guy landing in a paddock near goal and being set upon by an 'attack Llama' (in his initial panic he reported it as being an emu). It seems Llama's are like goats but with much more fur and malice. They guy was OK, but didn't escape without a physical and psychologically beating. Luckily someone was there to capture it on film for everyone's amusement.
Today was a first for me at a paragliding competition - a hot lunch on launch. We were served up baked potato with all the fixings before the first briefing. Mike and Gail Haley do the little things so well - coffee in the morning, keg at goal, fresh watermelon and lemonade when you get back to HQ at the end of the day. Little things that make you feel like you get something for the time and money invested in these comps.
57 pilots in goal today broke the task 1 record of 51.
Task 3
Some days are unexpectedly fun. We sat around on launch waiting for just one wind tech to get above launch which didn't happen for hours. The task was revised and re-revised from an original 61km out and return to a 20km individual race to goal via 1 turnpoint. A party had been scheduled forthe goal field wether we flew there or not so it was good to have some kind of flying. The winners race time was just over 16 minutes. It doesn't really rate as a serious comp task but it's about as much fun as you can have at a comp when you launch, climb out, fly into convergance just before the start gate then glide around the course without turning to land at goal with BBQ and beer. 71 pilots did just that, a new record. It was also a record for the lowest validity day with the winner scoring 123 points. Also the record for the most fun ever on a comp task.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Rat Race Task 1
June 17th
Rat Race Day 1
I think you'd agree if you bred a wookie and a great ape you'd end up with a pretty strange beast. Today I'm pretty sure I know the noise that animal would make if you sprayed it with mace and stuck it with a branding iron. It's exactly the same noise that hawaiian paraglider pilots make at 1.30am the day after they hit the mainland. Other people told me (I was far too scared and far too attempting sleep) it also involved some rolling in the dirt and the kind of intimate touching normally reserved for rugby league players. Apparently this is part of the process of adjusting to having so much land around.
Today dawned sunny and the forecast was mostly light and variable with some high pressure moving in after yesterdays cold front. Very taskable so we were quickly in the big yellow school bus and up the hill. With some possible stronger wind in the afternoon, a relatively short task was called - thirty six km including several turn points around launch and a seventeen km final glide up a valley to the west. The wind tech's were staying high so I launched early to avoid the rush and then spent an hour hanging around in some really rowdy thermals waiting for the start gate to open. Before we'd even headed for the start gate, there was a reserve deployment in the gaggle over launch. The pilot drifted in the small but very strong cores while half the. field flew large circles around him. He landed OK. The task was fast with the same strong, tight lift around the course. The comparison has been made already but I have to say how much this place is like bright - for those who know, in shape and size, todays task could easily have been Mystic-Porepunkah-Mystic-Apex-Clearspot-Harrietville. The glide away from Wood Rat mountain towards goal on the last leg is about as close as you could get to gliding from clear spot to the burrs - except unlike the burrs we got up at the end of the glide ;-)
Goal was a busy little paddock with more than forty pilots in. Heike, James and I all made goal with James in first. It was also fairly exciting with one pilot throwing a reserve and missing goal by two hundred metres and another two just scraping in - one did very well to get there just bubbling over the tall trees on the course line side of the goal paddock then completely misjudged his final turn and collected a pine tree with his left wing on downwind leg. He said he wasn't sore but I'm sure the adrenalin was still pumping. Another flew into the field downwind between two pine trees, pulling a feet up cross-tail landing to rapturous applause. In a competition where the philosophy is to introduce pilots to competing, I guess it isn't quite right to applaud an act of such stupidity, but when someone so blatantly disregards their physical well-being for the entertainment of all, you have to let it all out. Especially considering the pilot was in the goal cylinder without the attempted tree hugging.
It was a great start to the comp with heaps of smiling faces which is what it is all about. Results at www.vip2comp.com
Rat Race Day 1
I think you'd agree if you bred a wookie and a great ape you'd end up with a pretty strange beast. Today I'm pretty sure I know the noise that animal would make if you sprayed it with mace and stuck it with a branding iron. It's exactly the same noise that hawaiian paraglider pilots make at 1.30am the day after they hit the mainland. Other people told me (I was far too scared and far too attempting sleep) it also involved some rolling in the dirt and the kind of intimate touching normally reserved for rugby league players. Apparently this is part of the process of adjusting to having so much land around.
Today dawned sunny and the forecast was mostly light and variable with some high pressure moving in after yesterdays cold front. Very taskable so we were quickly in the big yellow school bus and up the hill. With some possible stronger wind in the afternoon, a relatively short task was called - thirty six km including several turn points around launch and a seventeen km final glide up a valley to the west. The wind tech's were staying high so I launched early to avoid the rush and then spent an hour hanging around in some really rowdy thermals waiting for the start gate to open. Before we'd even headed for the start gate, there was a reserve deployment in the gaggle over launch. The pilot drifted in the small but very strong cores while half the. field flew large circles around him. He landed OK. The task was fast with the same strong, tight lift around the course. The comparison has been made already but I have to say how much this place is like bright - for those who know, in shape and size, todays task could easily have been Mystic-Porepunkah-Mystic-Apex-Clearspot-Harrietville. The glide away from Wood Rat mountain towards goal on the last leg is about as close as you could get to gliding from clear spot to the burrs - except unlike the burrs we got up at the end of the glide ;-)
Goal was a busy little paddock with more than forty pilots in. Heike, James and I all made goal with James in first. It was also fairly exciting with one pilot throwing a reserve and missing goal by two hundred metres and another two just scraping in - one did very well to get there just bubbling over the tall trees on the course line side of the goal paddock then completely misjudged his final turn and collected a pine tree with his left wing on downwind leg. He said he wasn't sore but I'm sure the adrenalin was still pumping. Another flew into the field downwind between two pine trees, pulling a feet up cross-tail landing to rapturous applause. In a competition where the philosophy is to introduce pilots to competing, I guess it isn't quite right to applaud an act of such stupidity, but when someone so blatantly disregards their physical well-being for the entertainment of all, you have to let it all out. Especially considering the pilot was in the goal cylinder without the attempted tree hugging.
It was a great start to the comp with heaps of smiling faces which is what it is all about. Results at www.vip2comp.com
Getting There
Apologies for lumping some togther and a lack of photos, doing this is on the PDA is harder than I thought so will put pics up when i can mooch someones laptop. Sorree also four bad spelink n lack of punk chew a shun in parts...
June 16th
Today was registration and pilot briefing day-the organisers chose to have
the pilot brief before the first day of competition to reduce stress levels
on all, probably a good thing but not really workable in the Aussie comps
given we always start on a Saturday. I was totally shattered today.
Yesterdays drive, flying til 8pm and a late night combined to multiply the
jet lag so I'm in bed at grandpa o'clock tonight.
15 th June
Managed to stay awake long enough to go to bed at a normal hour in an
attempt to get the body clock sorted. It only partially worked. Met up with
Heike Hamman (another Aussie pilot) and Patti, who came from Seattle in the
worlds largest van, for the drive down to southern Oregon. The long drive was beaten with good conversation and we arrived at Ruch (Woodrat Mtn) in time for a flight. That is to say we lanched at 6pm and flew around the valley at our leisure for 2 hours. What a superb corner of the world! It felt good to be climbing out over launch, staring down on a sight which three days prior was only a google earth image on the other side of the planet. There is a very distnct volcano to the east which nobody can tell me the name of and as you climb past 1800m you see the snow covered bulk of Mt Shasta in California. A very enjoyable flight at the end of which I was almost going to sleep (jet lag, definitely not boredom) so landed to seek some rest. I have a feeling this place is going to be fun.
June 16th
Today was registration and pilot briefing day-the organisers chose to have
the pilot brief before the first day of competition to reduce stress levels
on all, probably a good thing but not really workable in the Aussie comps
given we always start on a Saturday. I was totally shattered today.
Yesterdays drive, flying til 8pm and a late night combined to multiply the
jet lag so I'm in bed at grandpa o'clock tonight.
15 th June
Managed to stay awake long enough to go to bed at a normal hour in an
attempt to get the body clock sorted. It only partially worked. Met up with
Heike Hamman (another Aussie pilot) and Patti, who came from Seattle in the
worlds largest van, for the drive down to southern Oregon. The long drive was beaten with good conversation and we arrived at Ruch (Woodrat Mtn) in time for a flight. That is to say we lanched at 6pm and flew around the valley at our leisure for 2 hours. What a superb corner of the world! It felt good to be climbing out over launch, staring down on a sight which three days prior was only a google earth image on the other side of the planet. There is a very distnct volcano to the east which nobody can tell me the name of and as you climb past 1800m you see the snow covered bulk of Mt Shasta in California. A very enjoyable flight at the end of which I was almost going to sleep (jet lag, definitely not boredom) so landed to seek some rest. I have a feeling this place is going to be fun.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Adapting
The first glimpse of LA came about 100 metres above the runway - the
cloud/smog base is low. Many passengers clapped and cheered after our safe
landing, unsure why, I did sleep through some of the trip but reasonably
sure I didn’t miss anything that would warrant applause. Or maybe I did and
it’s lucky I was so tired…
I was following an Aussie scout group off the plane towards immigration and
it was encouraging to see that these future pillars of society were
expanding their horizons and before we had cleared customs were already
adapting to their new environment - on boarding a lengthy escalator, the
young scouts stood still in double file and the scout master following said
"Boys you know you can walk down the escalator" to which one of the scouts
replied "No way sir, we're in America now!"
1 hour in line for immigration at LA was not a positive note for the new
'scan em and probe em' border control procedure. You would think they would
have some concession for having been scanned and prodded sometime in the
last 12 months to speed up your entry, but I guess it’s less about
convenience and more about them knowing where you buy your first cup of
coffee after you leave the airport. I had 4 hours at LA before flyng to Portland which at LAX is almost enough time to get from one point to any other. Dodging the scammers collecting for a fake charity (they warn you about this at immigration) I wandered outside for a while, soaking up the heat, the hectic curbside behaviour, the pea-soup air that is the LA atmosphere and let the kind of big stupid grin spread across my face that those with wander lust know well.
cloud/smog base is low. Many passengers clapped and cheered after our safe
landing, unsure why, I did sleep through some of the trip but reasonably
sure I didn’t miss anything that would warrant applause. Or maybe I did and
it’s lucky I was so tired…
I was following an Aussie scout group off the plane towards immigration and
it was encouraging to see that these future pillars of society were
expanding their horizons and before we had cleared customs were already
adapting to their new environment - on boarding a lengthy escalator, the
young scouts stood still in double file and the scout master following said
"Boys you know you can walk down the escalator" to which one of the scouts
replied "No way sir, we're in America now!"
1 hour in line for immigration at LA was not a positive note for the new
'scan em and probe em' border control procedure. You would think they would
have some concession for having been scanned and prodded sometime in the
last 12 months to speed up your entry, but I guess it’s less about
convenience and more about them knowing where you buy your first cup of
coffee after you leave the airport. I had 4 hours at LA before flyng to Portland which at LAX is almost enough time to get from one point to any other. Dodging the scammers collecting for a fake charity (they warn you about this at immigration) I wandered outside for a while, soaking up the heat, the hectic curbside behaviour, the pea-soup air that is the LA atmosphere and let the kind of big stupid grin spread across my face that those with wander lust know well.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Exit
Pulled an all nighter in an effort to convince myself I’m prepared, the illusion is holdng so far. As we drove into the city, I remarked to my sister how wide awake I seemed to be, then I got on th sky bus, closed my eyes and woke up at the airport 3.7 seconds later. I may just sleep through this one. Thanks to the excessive baggage allowance on US bound flights my 28kilo kit got through without question. God bless America.
Why?
Trying to describe the attraction of paragliding to non-flyers almost always falls short. I can generally communicate well, but I cringe to think of the answers I've given when asked the question "What's it like up there?". "Gee, umm, it's really nice" just doesn't cut the mustard. So from now on, to answer the question much more completely and save myself from looking like a half-wit when talking about the thing I devote my spare time to, I'm going to show this picture:
And I'll need not say anything. This photo was taken by Will Gadd, flying and climbing extraordinaire who lives in British Columbia. The picture was taken recently at 12,500 ft during a flight from Mt Seven, Golden, where the Canadian Nationals will be held in late July.
Thanks to Will and others like him who so easily show why it is we do what we do.
And I'll need not say anything. This photo was taken by Will Gadd, flying and climbing extraordinaire who lives in British Columbia. The picture was taken recently at 12,500 ft during a flight from Mt Seven, Golden, where the Canadian Nationals will be held in late July.
Thanks to Will and others like him who so easily show why it is we do what we do.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Welcome to the clouds
Hi Everybody.
Welcome to my "Web log". It's on the "Internet". Apologies, just a bit lame that it's taken me this long to get this happening.
Recent statistics suggest that there are 70 million blogs on the internet, this makes 70 million and one and your surfing time is limited - so many ebay auctions ;-) - so I'll try and keep it interesting.
I've put this up (just) before I head off the US and Canada for a few months flying, catching up with friends and general shenanigans. I'm flying two competitions in Oregon and one in BC and running around to visit some friends in LA, San Francisco, Vancouver, Idaho and Calgary - that should just about fill up 10 weeks, and should just about keep me away for most of what is looking like an arctic winter. Rug up people!
I'll post some photos and whatever general ramblings I don't manage to filter out, probably every few days. Bookmark this page or use the link to subscribe so you wont miss a moment of the excitement - and so you know when to stop watching the truck driving gorillas on youtube.
More from the road.
Cheers!
Benn
Welcome to my "Web log". It's on the "Internet". Apologies, just a bit lame that it's taken me this long to get this happening.
Recent statistics suggest that there are 70 million blogs on the internet, this makes 70 million and one and your surfing time is limited - so many ebay auctions ;-) - so I'll try and keep it interesting.
I've put this up (just) before I head off the US and Canada for a few months flying, catching up with friends and general shenanigans. I'm flying two competitions in Oregon and one in BC and running around to visit some friends in LA, San Francisco, Vancouver, Idaho and Calgary - that should just about fill up 10 weeks, and should just about keep me away for most of what is looking like an arctic winter. Rug up people!
I'll post some photos and whatever general ramblings I don't manage to filter out, probably every few days. Bookmark this page or use the link to subscribe so you wont miss a moment of the excitement - and so you know when to stop watching the truck driving gorillas on youtube.
More from the road.
Cheers!
Benn
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