Road Tripping to the Multisport Trip

I left Santa Cruz Flats a day early to hook up with the Phoenix Multisport Moab Trip. I had already missed most of the Multisport Trip, but could make Saturday night and help out with a mountain bike ride on Sunday by leaving early.

It was a solid 9 hour drive from Casa Grande to Moab. The route went through some spectacular desert scenery in northern Arizona and southern Utah. Most of the drive was through the Navajo Nation, occupying an area of 26,000 square miles. There long straight roads stretched to the horizon where distant mesas reached skyward like huge ships in a sea of flatness.

Turkey Vultures Hanging on the Side of the Road



The Long Straight Road



Ships in the Sea





At Kayenta, AZ the route turned northward and I entered Monument Valley. Here the mesas grew from distant ships to towering castles that surrounded me from all directions. The two lane highway, strewn with RV's and tour buses, cut through the sacred landscape like a toxic serpent. I felt ashamed at my presence, hoping inside that I was somehow more enlightened than the hordes of tourists. The high desert is where I feel most connected to the land and is where I go to hit my spiritual reset button.

Monument Valley





Near the Utah border I stopped at a Navajo stand and played kickball with some local kids selling jewelry. They asked me what was on top of my truck and I told them about hang gliding. Maybe I planted a seed that will grow into a future pilot or two. I spent some time on the Navajo Nation when I was in high school and I remembered how friendly people were once you eased their suspicions that you were just another tourist. At Mexican Hat, UT I pondered jumping in the San Juan River, but time was working against me so I pressed on towards Moab.

The San Juan River



Mexican Hat



I made it to the campsite just before sunset. Jo rolled in just after I got there. After a happy reunion she went into town to shower and I rode out to Wall Street where everyone was climbing. After dark we all converged on the campsite, ate dinner and shared stories around the campfire. I was amazed at how big the trip was. There were over 60 people there!

Sunset at the Campsite



Marsh Mellows






In the morning I helped Jo and Mike who were leading a beginner mountain bike ride. It was a 7 mile out and back at Klondike Bluffs. In all my trips to Moab, I'd never ridden there before. It was a good trail to for people to learn Moab riding on with sand, slick rock, hop ups, and rock fins. On the way down Adam's derailleur broke and took out a few spokes on his wheel. The best option was to break the chain and turn it into a single speed. I didn’t think it would hold, but it worked and he finished the ride single speed style!

Beginner Mountain Bike Ride





Adam's Bike Converted to a Single Speed



After the ride we broke down the campsite, cleaned up, and had one last lunch. The only thing missing were Ben Cort, Cristi, and their new family, so we took an honorary photo in their absence.

Staff Lunch

Flying in the Gaggle

Here's one more post from Santa Cruz Flats. It's Hero Cam footage from the last day and flying in the huge gaggle that formed over launch. With the wide angle lens everything looks much farther away than in reality, but you can still see tons of other gliders in the air. The runways and the Fransisco Grande Resort are easy to identify by the blobs of green golf course grass near the main road.



Jim Yocum got some good footage looking down from the top of the stack.

Here's his video:

Santa Cruz Flats - Day 6

Day 6 would be my last day at Santa Cruz Flats. I had to miss the final day to meet up with a Phoenix Multisport trip in Moab. I spent most of the morning replacing my VG line and the right outboard sprog zipper. Mark just happened to have a spectra VG line that was pretty easy to replace. I bummed a pair of needle nose pliers from Russell and carefully worked the zipper slider back into shape. I got it better, but it still won't close all the way. By the time I was done the only gliders still at the hotel were Trevor's and mine.

Broken VG Line



The task was a 97km triangle to Estrella Airport then Interstate 8 and back. I got in the launch line behind Dave Gibson. It was a 105 degrees on the ground and the winds were getting more cross as the afternoon progressed. After a few weak link breaks David offered the other runway to those who wanted to move. I was happy to as the winds were less cross. Russell waived me off in a good thermal after an uneventful tow. A huge gaggle had formed slightly north of where I pinned off, but soon there were gliders everywhere. It was super cool flying in such a big gaggle. I couldn't get to the top, but was able to comfortably hang out in the middle.

105 Degrees in the Launch Que



Almost everyone was gone by the last start, but Cambell, Scott, Dan, and I hung out. I felt like I was too low to go on glide, but in hindsight I should have. I could see a monster gaggle about 10km to the north, but couldn't make it on one glide. I was maintaining between 4500 and 5000, but was drifting away from the course line and not really climbing. I could see Cambell and Dan on glide, but they weren't finding anything. Eventually I headed out on course, but didn't make it to far before I was low and scratching. Cambell and a rigid wing were low to my west and not climbing. I had enough altitude to make it back to the start so I blazed downwind hoping to find better lift or land get a relight.

Just north of the start circle I hit 250fpm and was able to climb about 1500 feet before loosing the core. It was super late, I was alone, and my back was killing me. I pondered how to spend my last day at the comp. I was going to loose a bunch of points missing the final day which would push me close to last position. I could blaze out of course, but between my back and being alone I didn't think I'd make it far. The other option would be to hang out near the hotel, free fly, then land and jump in the pool. I decided to relax and do the latter.

The Fransisco Grande Resort
(the runways are on the right)



I worked on getting low, getting back up and exploring the edges of lift as thermals rolled through. I had a blast chasing an American Kestrel that stumbled into my thermal. I would turn behind him, get close then try to follow as he dove away. Later I looked down to see a perfect V formation of geese crossing below me. I pulled on full VG and followed them to the west. As I got closer they sped up. I pulled out the Olympus and tried to film them. It was super hard to fly at speed with one hand through bumpy air and film with the other. I got closer and closer, then they did something amazing. When they decided I was too close they simultaneously broke formation with each goose diving in a different direction. It puzzled me for a second and in that moment they rejoined formation to the west out of reach. I wondered if it confused predators as easily as it confused me.

Geese Breaking Formation


I was down to 1500 AGL and turned back to make the runways west of the hotel. Focused on landing I tucked my camera into its pocket on my harness. I missed the opening and the camera fell out of my hand. It was tied to a 4 foot safety lanyard so I wasn't too concerned. As I looked down I saw it falling. The safety line had broke! The ground was flat and clear of obstacles below me so I committed to following the camera down. The VG was still on full so I pulled in the bar and dove with the camera. "Keep your eyes on it" I said as I dove 360's around it. "It'll hit soon" I thought, but it didn't. More seconds passed and it didn't. Finally it hit the dirt and "poof" of dust formed a ring around the impact crater. I was at about 400 feet in a steep spiral dive with tons of speed. I pushed out and bled off my speed while easing the VG off. I didn't want to glide too far away and loose the impact site. When my speed was gone I rolled wings level and landed about 100 yards away.

On the Ground
(photos by Edward)





A local named Edward and his son had seen me diving out of the sky and stopped to see if I was okay. He gave me an frozen water bottle and offered to help me look for the camera. It took about 30 minutes, but I found it next to a slight ridge in the dirt. It had bounced about 5 feet from the point of impact. I took a picture of the impact with my iPhone then turned it on and it worked! Kudos to Olympus for making a camera that could survive a 1500 foot fall! It takes crappy pictures, but it's bomb proof - literally! Edward helped me break down and gave me a ride back to the hotel.

The Impact Point



Edward and His Son



Just as I was drying off from the pool the leaders were gliding into goal. I missed the first group, but was able to get to the roof of the tower to photograph the second group. After everyone landed Jeff towed back up for a photo shoot and buzzed me and the others on the roof. Here are some (Cannon SLR) pics of the scene:

Jeff Dragging a Foot



First Group on the Ground



Dave Gibson Turning Base



Jim Yocum Cooling Off



Terry Reyonlds and the Moon



Eduardo Overhead

Greg Turing Base



Patrick and Derek Landing

Dustin in the Tug



Jeff Going Ballistic





As the sun set I jumped in the pool one last time and had dinner in the bar laughing up the day with everyone. I was stoked to fly with such a good group people throughout the week. Everyone from the pilots, organizers, tow pilots, drivers, volunteers, and task committees were super friendly and good company to share the week with. Jeff went all out to help me and answer my constant questions. Santa Cruz Flats was a perfect first comp to get my feet wet. Every day I got to know the glider better and dial my skills, by spring I'll have my equipment issues worked out and be better conditioned for longer flights.



Thanks to everyone for a great week!

Santa Cruz Flats - Day 5

We were back in the air today. The wind was out of the north and there was some concern about the rotor lurking behind the treeline to the north of the runway. We packed up and towed from Phoenix Regional Airport which had a north-south runway.

The task was a 68km dog leg almost downwind to Gila Bend Airport. It was an easy task, I should be able to make it to goal. The start circle was a 29km entry circle off of the first and only turn point, which means your time started as soon as you enter the circle. Conditions looked good as people started launching, but I waited just a little and wound up near the back of the line.

The New Airfield







Jeff Towing

The Phoenix Glider



Johnny, Bob, and Zip



My Can of Spinach



Dustin and Dave Gibson in the Launch Que



I didn't find anything but a scratchy lift off my first tow and I was in dangerous position close to the airplane traffic pattern. When I landed back at the field everyone was long gone. I was the only glider in sight. On the second tow the weak link broke at 800 feet. On the third Johnny took me straight up wind and waived me off in a beautiful thermal. He even took a circle to mark it for me. World class service! I climbed to about 5800 feet and went on glide to the southwest. On the way I crossed just below a big automotive test facility. There was another huge one to the south. I had a brief fantasy of rallying the M Coupe on the high speed track, but soon scolded myself for not thinking about the task. Soon I was down to about 2000 feet, but found lift over a feed lot. The air stunk, but if I could smell it it meant it was rising and that was a good thing.

Huge Test Track



Climbing Over the Feed Lot



On Glide



After another glide I found myself low again, but got a good save downwind of a Walmart parking lot. That one took me to 7000 feet and I pressed on to the west towards a small ridge. There wasn't much over the ridge, but I was able to work upwind on it. At the north point the air was trashy so I drove downwind to the west. Soon I was super low over a few houses south of the road. My back hurt and it was hot close to the ground. I unzipped, but would not let myself land until the last possible minute. At 500 feet I hit a save that took me to 5900 feet. I pressed on to the west and found consistent lift along the road. I worked between 3000 and 5000 feet all the way to 15km from goal. A couple of turkey vultures and a curious Beech Bonanza kept me company along the way.

On Glide Through the Hills



Thermalling with a Turkey Vulture



Curious Beech Bonanza



Crossing the last ridge before goal my GPS died and I was flying blind so to speak. I could see an airport that looked like goal, but as I got closer it was way to big to be uncontrolled airspace. I got the GPS on long enough to get a quick bearing to Gila Bend airport. Now all I had to do was find enough lift to get there. It was late in the day. I was the last off and alone the entire time. The air was buoyant, but I couldn't find anything solid. At a bend in the road I hooked a 200fpm climb to 1800 agl, but lost it before I topped out. I could either stay and search or drive towards goal and hope to find something. I choose the latter. I shot straight down the road turning towards the northeastern edge of the field at about 4km. I was below 1000 agl and couldn't find anything. I blew it! I hoped that if I could just hit a bubble it would carry me over the airport fence and I could walk into goal, but there was no bubble. About .5km from the airport fence I turned into the wind and landed 1.94km short of goal.

Final Glide to Goal
(the airport is just right of the road before town)



Landed 1.94km Short



It hurt getting so close only to blow it on the last thermal, but that's a good problem to have. The worst part was having to break down and get retrieved when I could literally see the airport. Nobody could see me, but Lori, Russell, and Ricker were soon there. Russell found me and Ricker helped me carry my glider a mile back to the road through rattle snake infested shrubs. Overall I'm stoked on the flight, its the best flight XC flight I've had in a long time.