Rocky Mountain Moonrise

On the way home from Moab last week Jo and I stopped by Jeff and Lauri's place in Eagle for dinner. Just as we got there Jeff noticed the full moon rising over the sunset lit mountains. I'm not happy with the lighting, but I still think the image is blog-worthy.

Bike Touring in Eugene

I found myself in Eugene, OR yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny 75 degree day which was pure bliss after spending the last week in Colorado's cold and snow. I happened to have the Ritchie Break-Away Cross bike with me and took the opportunity to explore the town and get a ride in. Unfortunately I forgot my camera and had only crappy iPhone camera to take pics with.

Eugene, Oregon

Eugene is located at the south end of Willamette Valley where the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers meet. The town itself has a super cool vibe, way cooler than Boulder I have to admit. I imagine it was like Boulder was 10 to 15 years ago, before it's steadily increasing wealth brought uptightness and rules that make a mockery of its laid back marketing hype. There ton's of cool older houses down town that each had its own unique style. It is also one of the most bike friendly places I've been to. There are bike lanes on almost every road with dedicated signs, routes, and even estimated riding times. Along the rivers there are plentiful bike paths with a mix of modern and reclaimed railroad bridges offering multiple crossing points.

Downtown

Converted Railroad Bridge

I spent an hour riding around town taking talking to people, sampling the farmers market, and even managed to find a pair of Puma Driving Shoes in my size I've been looking for forever. People were super friendly with absolutely no ego or attitude, dare I say unlike Boulder!

Geese in the Park

Bike Friendly Eugene

The Building Next to this phone booth was a sports car shop. I was drawn in by MG's and Triumphs in the yard, then in the show room I saw it. Glistening on the other side of the glass was a Ferrari F430 Scuderia. I know, so typical, lusting after a Ferrari. It was pure sex in automobile form. I drooled through the glass and imagined flogging all 510 horses to their limit. I pride myself as being someone who, if they owned a Ferrari, would drive it to its limit, which is probably enough reason along for me not to have a Ferrari! As I was drooling, the owner shooed me off the "closed" property, hence why below is a photo of a British telephone booth and not the afore mentioned Scuderia!

The Ferrari

(see above)

The lush green mountains surrounding the valley were a majestic sight. I rode up to the hills north of town and climbed through pine forests that would put the best of Colorado to shame. In the distance the snow covered volcanic peaks of the Three Sisters added depth and color to the landscape.

The Hills North of Town

After the hills I was starting to fade, but it was such I nice day I decided to add another lap around the bike paths along the river. It was only 12 more miles, but I took my time and soaked in the sun. When I got back to the hotel I was spent. A day like that was the exact reason I got the Break-Away - easy to travel with, no compromises, and capable off road!

The Break-Away Cross

April Showers Bring May Blizzards

Okay it wasn't really a blizzard, we got three inches in the flats and two feet in the mountains. After enjoying the warm Florida weather last month I'm over winter. From white comes green, the snow will bring a few weeks of green grass which is the prettiest time along the Front Range. I headed out a few days after the snow storm for a few pics.

(Click on the photo for a larger image)

Lookout 5-9-10

Hungry to fly the T2C I headed to Lookout this afternoon. JY, Steve, Dean, Mark, and Grant along with a hand full of paragliders were waiting patiently for the cycles to get stronger. JY, Steve, Mark, and Dean were the first to launch. JY nailed his launch timing with a perfect cycle and skied out. Steve, Mark and Dean followed along with a few paragliders. Grant launched next and scratched along the road. It didn't look inviting. I waited looking for the next thermal. There aren't enough leaves on the bushes yet to see thermals drifting up the hill. The best sign of one approaching locally (other than smelling hops from the Coors factory) is a lull in the wind. As the thermal approaches it blocks the easterly wind flowing up the slope. The trick is to launch just before it hits the hill.

The Launch Cue

Dean Avoiding a Launch Hazard

Instead of reading the wind I just launched thinking I could scratch in light ridge lift until something came through. I was wrong, there was no organized lift and soon I was very low. Low enough that I'd be on the ground with a few more turns. Then just as I was setting up my approach I felt something. It was over highway 93, but I had enough altitude to make the LZ if I needed too.

After a few turns I hooked it. It was a typical high pressure Colorado day with tight, narrow bubbles of lift. I managed to work my way from about 300' over the LZ to 7900'. The thermal drifted west into Clear Creek Canyon and soon I was joined by Grant in his U2. I normally don't like to venture deep into Clear Creek Canyon, but the lift was solid and the T2C's space ship glide ratio heightened my confidence that I could get back out front.

At 8000' Over Clear Creek Canyon

Grant and Sunday Drivers Below

Highway 6 Tunnel #1

The lift seemed to peter out at 8000'. I pulled on VG and headed for the towers where I could see Matt climbing. It was a huge mistake, I hit massive sink was down to 6800' by the time I got there. Today was a day when patience pays off and I acted impatiently. I should have hung out and conserved my altitude. If I could have punched through to 9000 it would have been easy to stay up. Steve, JY, and Matt seemed to be boating around enjoying themselves while the rest of us were in survival mode below.

I scratched on the hills just south of the towers until I had to leave to clear some high tension power lines to make the Miner's Field LZ. I set up an approach to the south on what looked like a slight incline. It was drama free until I noticed a beach ball sized rock hidden in the grass. It was going to flare right on top of it and couldn't take a chance damaging the glider. Somehow I managed to flare early and straddle it with my feet. The glider and I cleared it except for my angle, which grazed the side.

The Rock Hiding in the Grass

(I haven't moved my glider, this is exactly how I touched down!)

Just Grazed It

(Now it's the size of a golfball)

10 Feet Further and It Would be Downhill

My ankle is sore, but at least my carbon fiber control bar is unscathed. Skin and muscle heals, carbon fiber doesn't!

Wildflowers

Bike to Work Day (for me)

When my knee is healthy I try to bike to work regularly. It saves gas and allows me to train on days when I wouldn't be able to get a 2-3 hour ride in. When I'm in shape I enjoy it. Since my knee has been down I've had no desire to do it. Outside of the training benefit, it's a miserable ride in traffic, wind, and unfriendly roads. The only enjoyable part is the mission aspect of having to get there. Since leaving for Florida my car has been stuck at the airport. That was enough motivation for me to give it a shot yesterday.

There are two routes I take. A long 50 mile route to the north that follows Baseline Road to Highway 7 then south to the airport. I prefer to take that route home as there is no time crunch and it's more scenic. The short route is 36 miles that follows city streets through Broomfield and Thornton. It's shorter, but the roads aren't as friendly. Favoring my knee I decided to take the short route yesterday.

The Short Route

When I was in shape my best time to cover the 36 mile route was 1:56. That's an average of only 18.9mph, but factoring in a heavy back pack, traffic lights, and a few nasty uphills I think it was a good time. It took me 2:15 yesterday, which considering that I've ridden less than 200 miles this year isn't too shabby. I was also on my cross bike (sold the road bike) with a heavier than normal pack (uniform, shoes, toiletries, and food).

The Cross Bike

Enjoying the Morning

Denver Skyscrapers Peaking Over the Horizon

Just Follow the Signs

The wind was gusting to about 30 knots out of the north, which was a constant annoyance when I was headed east, but I really appreciated it when I was headed south. It was refreshing to take in the morning from my bike. I'd forgotten how enjoyable it was to have the wind in my face and not to have to worry about traffic. The sun was shining, my knee pain was bearable, and the Ritchie Break-Away Cross ran like a champ. I enjoyed my time before work pondering how grateful I was to live in wide open Colorado and how nice it is to just ride my bike.

Wide Open Colorado

The T2C Comes Home

Colorado's s schizophrenic weather has sternly reminded me that I am not in Florida anymore. The past two days have been sunny and warm, but relentless 50 mph winds have made those hard to enjoy. The soaring forecast for today on the Front Range was good to excellent as a cold front passing in the night would bring calmer wind and unstable air. This morning it was downgraded to fair. I headed out to Lookout in hopes to fly the T2C. The wind was supposed to turn east and south, but it didn't look like as I drove past the wind turbine research center.

In Golden the wind was strong out of the north making a mockery of the forecast. I took the opportunity to rig my old Z3 harness to the T2C. Flying the Z3 harness on the T2C is kind of like putting a 20lb comfort seat on a race bike, but it'll have to do for the time being! By mid afternoon things were looking "possible". BJ met me at the LZ and we drove up to launch and hung out on the road guardrail with Sparky, Loopy, Grant, and a few others. The wind was still north, but the holes in the clouds were allowing spots of sun to peak through. It was enough for me, I headed up to launch and rigged.

The T2C's New Home

Loopy Skying Out

As the afternoon progressed things looked better, but soaring was doubtful. Loopy launched his new space ship paraglider and immediately skied out. I walked out to the north point and waited for a good thermal to block the northwest wind. When the sock was semi-straight for 15 seconds I committed and ran like hell. I've launched there before and if you pick the cycle right the rotor off the terrain to the west isn't bad. Today wasn't one of those days, the rotor made itself known as I ran well past normal flying speed. I committed to run all the way to the LZ if I needed too and eventually I lifted off in mild sink. It spit me out with enough altitude to clear the road, but I would need to find some lift ASAP or I'd be on the ground.

BJ Showing How to Launch in the Rotor

I had planned to land in the big miners field to the south, but the smaller primary LZ was my only option off launch. As I was setting my approach over the rock pile I hooked a light and narrow thermal. I put my freshly honed thermal skills and new wing to work and quickly climbed out enough to make the miners field. I was only in the lift for a half dozen turns, but it felt so good to make such a low save.

With a little breathing room I headed south along the foothills working a few patches of zero sink, but the cycle was coming to an end. It was by far the lowest I had every glided over west Golden to the LZ and not possible in my older gliders. The landing was stress free, although I did notice the thinner Colorado air in my approach and flare speeds.

BJ Landing

Sparky and BJ soon followed and we relished our 5 minutes of flight in the best cycle of the day. It was typical Colorado flying - 8 hours work for 5 minutes of airtime! My low save felt as good as sex and like sex it didn't last very long - wait... I'm going to stop typing now!

Flytec Race and Rally - Day 7

The last day of the Flytec Race and Rally was a 120k task to Americus Airport. The Moultrie Airport was the most developed airport we had been to yet. It had a huge paved ramp, tons of hangers, and a full FBO. It had rained hard the night before and everything was soaked. The day looked similar to day 6 with low stratus clouds, although the wind was a bit stronger. Thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon, but it looked like we might get a break before the storms hit.

We rigged in the grass between the runway and ramp area and waited. The wind had picked up quite a bit and rigging in the strong wind and mud was not ideal. In a repeat of the previous day two later start clocks were added. We hung out enjoying each other’s company until someone decided to take a tow.

Wind

Derek Turner was the first to go followed by OB. After watching their tows I decided I wasn’t going to fly unless conditions changed dramatically. Tall trees bordered the perimeter of the airport and the rotor at tree level was more than I cared to fly my newly accustomed wing through. Jeff got a tow above the broken cloudbase and we were all envious of his view. Davis towed up next and soon he and OB were turning below a nice sized cloud.

Derek's Tow

As they turned together the air didn’t look that rowdy. If we could get off safely it would be an easy day to blaze down wind, but towing and landing in the rotor still concerned me. Too many people have helped me to risk taking a chance with the new glider. I decided to move it into the wind shadow of a tree line and break down so that if the day were a go I wouldn’t delay Erin in chasing our group.

The day was eventually canceled. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to fly one last time, especially after my aggressive decision making put me on the ground so early the day before, but I was also pleased with my decision making. Jack Simmons put it best by saying “The soldier who turns around and runs away lives on to fight another day!”

This Little Guy is a Good Metaphor for Jacks Wisdom

After everyone broke down we went to Western Sizzlin’ Restaurant for dinner and the awards ceremony. Zippy finished in third place. Dustin and Jonny had been battling for first. On day 6 Jonny slipped into the lead beating out Dustin by a mere 9 points. It was good fun spending one last meal with everyone. Whether we fly or not, it’s the people that make this sport amazing. Emersion into the competition world has been somewhat daunting for me and everyone has been incredibly welcoming. I’m especially thankful to the Jeff’s for helping me get my glider sorted and all of their guidance over the comp, to Erin for driving and hotel coordination, Zippy for answering all my constant questions, and Jim for everything from hauling me around to his awesome company throughout the week.

Zippy

Zippy, Jonny, and Dustin

After dinner David Glover, Jeff Shapiro, Jim and I loaded up in his suburban and headed west. The first stop was Oklahoma City to drop David off. We took turns driving and dropped David off just after breakfast. The three of us pressed on and made Denver 26 hours after leaving Georgia. Along the way Oklahoma teased us with perfect soarable cloud streets. I tried to be a sponge and soak up everything that Jeff and Jim had to say about the Rally and hang gliding competition in general.

26 Hours Back to Colorado

Perfect Sky in Oklahoma

In hindsight I wish I would have made a few different decisions throughout the week, especially not going out on course the day my harness broke, but it was an invaluable learning experience. I flew a total of 165km in 8 hours with my longest flight being 88km. The T2C is amazing ship and I can’t wait to get to know it more in Colorado’s thin air. My goal now is to approach my flying here as disciplined training to build my thermalling efficiency, XC skills, and decision making.

Flytec Race and Rally - Day 6

We woke up to an overcast sky today. The forecast called for rain in the afternoon, but it was questionable if the overcast would break before the rain. We had breakfast at the hotel dinner then headed to the ice cream shop for the pilot meeting. The goal was to get to Moultrie, Georgia, about 230k to the northwest.

Breakfast

Meeting

Rain

When we got to Williston Airport it was becoming obvious that we wouldn’t make it that far. The overcast was broken in spots, but it looked like it would be a light day. We rigged, cued our gliders, and hung out. The task was shortened to Live Oaks Airport, 118K to the northwest. I launched early and pinned off in 100fpm (feet per minute) lift. OB was already in the air and came over for a few turns. As more pilots towed up a gaggle formed.

Bobby, Campbell, and Jim Waiting

Dustin Demonstrating the T2C's Energy Retention

More Waiting

As the gaggle matured we would drift a few km north of the field then glide upwind for the next thermal. After a few thermals I’d had enough and went out on course completely ignoring the start clock. It was a big risk to take, but there was sun and promising clouds in that direction. I found a good climb at 1500’ and got up to 2500’ before leaving again. A bunch of people followed, but a few didn’t find the lift and landed. It wasn’t long before some of the better pilots climbed through me and nice gaggle had formed.

Hanging in the Start Circle

I wanted to keep moving and went on glide with Daniel from Columbia, also in a red, white, and black T2C, and Campbell in his rigid wing. We found a descent climb and got back up to 2300’ near the edge of the start circle. Campbell climbed through us and headed north while Daniel and I headed west. We spread out in search mode looking for something and found nothing. Soon we were low. Landing areas were available, but not plentiful. I found a nice field free of expensive horses that wasn’t fenced.

I was at 500’ looking for a low save. I hit a bump and turned. Daniel, also in survival mode, quickly came over and we worked it together. It varied from zero sink to 100fpm up. We quickly drifted downwind out of reach of the good field. Down wind there were a few horse fields followed by nothing but trees. The last good option was a rough field with one mangy cow in it. I fumbled drifting downwind in zero sink until to continue on would mean landing in the trees. I broke off and landed next to the cow.

On the Ground with Daniel

Our Curious Neighbor

The Gaggle Overhead

Daniel hung out for a few more turns then landed next to me. As we broke down the massive gaggle drifted overhead. It hurt to see them above in cool air while we baked on the ground and were attacked by flies. I should have stayed with gaggle. Even though I didn’t make it very far I was pleased with my flying. I climbed well, glided efficiently, and worked well with Daniel. If I had waited just a little later in the day I think it would have worked.

Wildflowers

Erin picked me up and we headed north, picking up Jim, Dustin, and Zippy and pressed on for the 2-hour drove to Moultrie.