I've been nauseatingly busy this June. I've worked more this month than any previous in my flying career. As such I've had to make my few days off count. Here's a quick collection of my adventures (not including my previous post of flying Wolcott).
Point of the Mountain
I was able to stay an extra day in Salt Lake after some work training to fly The Point with Jeff. I also met David Aldrich who was there filming for his movie Dreaming Awake. It will surely be the best hang gliding movie in history and bring the world of our sport into view of the general public the same way The Collective did so for mountain biking.
It has been years since I have flown the North Side of the Point of the Mountain. It has since been transformed into a state park which has green grass set up areas, rubber glider tie down pads, proper BLM style restrooms, and a visitor plaque explaining that a geographical miracle it is to free flight pilots.
State Park = Plaques and Green Grass
Luckily all of the development didn't touch the perfectly sloped hillside that combined with The Great Salt Lake's gentle sea breeze create perfect soaring conditions. My timing was poor and I missed a thermal cycle that took everyone up to the upper bench. I was pissed when I landed after a short scratching flight, but in hindsight it was a great flight and reminder that flying organically is never a "gimme".
The Upper Bench
My Short Scratching Flight
Elitch Gardens
After a morning session on the South Side I had to rush back to Colorado. It was Jo's birthday and we decided to do something different, i.e. normal, and go to Elitch Gardens (the local amusement park). It was good fun and the contrast of hang gliding in the morning to riding roller coasters in the evening was notable. One of the reasons that I hang glide and safely tolerate its associated risk is the seeking of a higher level of fulfillment and reward than can be satisfied otherwise. Roller coaster enthusiasts were an interesting study to me because they seek a similar feeling with no risk or sacrifice to make it happen. It made me wonder if it was really valid (it's not). That said, the first "click, click, click" riddled climb to the top of the roller coaster blew away my elitist dare-devil snobbery as I screamed like a school girl all the way to the bottom. It was good fun!
Flying Wolcott
The following week I was able to score another smooth glass-off flight at Wolcott. The conditions were lighter than earlier in the month, but that only made it more rewarding. Boating around at 12,000 feet in Colorado's early evening air is a quintessential summer hang gliding experience. If you read my blog, you've seen the flying pics, but have you seen the sheep? On the way up to launch we drove through a flock of sheep herded by cowboys and the happiest dogs in Colorado.
Wolcott Sheep
The Happiest Dog in Colorado
Silky Smooth Air
Morning Cook at Lookout
I also managed a couple "morning cook" flights off Lookout. The trick is to get off late enough to find soarable thermals, but early enough to beat the inevitable monsoonal thunderstorm. My buddy Roland came out and took a few pics as I gave the onlookers on the side of Lookout Mountain Road a show of the T2C's slow and high speed performance.
From the Air
Rainbow's and Fire's
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