So, it has been about 4 and half months since I posted in the blog. It's not that I did not have anything to post. I had plenty that I could have talked about, especially about some of the epic powder days I experienced this year. Briefly, in the ski industry, it has been a slow season. The economy has taken its toll on skier visits, and skiers taking lessons, and I have been unfortunate to lose 50% of my winter client base. I have been fortunate to be able to fill in my extra time with training and skiing with peers, which is something I have not been able to do for many years due to private business. Now that we have blown the training budget, I am just plugging away at finishing the season, and getting ready for flying fulltime. I apologize for not posting for a long time. So, I must start where I left off from the Mingus trip. :-)

So, I remember from my last post that we had flown in Chucks Cessna 182 to Cottonwood, AZ, getting a low budget hotel room that even Chuck was ok with. Unfortunately, it did not have a hot tub, so we had to settle for the shower, which was borderline ok. It didn't have hot water the first night of which we complained. The next morning we had plenty! So, getting up the next morning, winds were still forecast to be from the east at a fairly strong speed, but since it was the first day we had to go check it out. Drive up was easy, a paved road until we got to the Mingus Mountain national forest turn off. Even though it was dirt it was well graded, which we were thankful as our little Nissan Versa was riding low with three pilots and three gliders. Once we got to launch we were fronted with an incredible view, steep launches, and strong winds. It seemed the forecast was right on. Once we saw this site, we were awe inspired to get a flight. 4000 vertical feet to our landing zone at the municipal airport where Chuck landed his plane. They had a drop zone landing pad, which if we followed the right protocol was open to paraglider pilots landing there. The managers of the airport were awesome, and were very supportive of us flying and landing there. We were amazed at the hospitality. Unfortunately, during the four days we were there, we never met any of the local pilots, which was surprising considering the forecast, especially hang glider pilots, because of wind strength.

So, after hanging on launch for about an hour, and realizing it might be awhile before the winds mellow, we decided to go have lunch at the little town perched on the mountainside on the way up. It was a great, hippie type place, with great restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and bars.

We grabbed a sandwich, ate, and decided to read for a time. At about 2 pm we decided to head back to launch, and see if we could get one flight off.

Once back at launch, the winds had dimished somewhat, and it looked like we might get lucky. The wind meters we had were showing about 12 to 18 mph, with an occasional 20 mph. Comfortable, if you know the site. This was to be our first flight, so we were being slightly cautious. I took my time, and began to suit up. Conditions were consistent so I laid out and launched. I was happy with butter smooth conditions, and a little lift, but we were late in the day, and since this is an east facing site, the sun was on the other side of the mountain. So a nice sledder to the airport, and within a half hour we all had our first flight at Mingus.

The next day opened as a repeat. Strong winds in the morning, giving way to diminshing winds in the afternoon. This time we were there a little earlier, and were able to get about 40 minutes of soaring with great views over the back of Mingus. This site is well worth checking out.

The third day was exactly the same, but even more soaring time. We definitely look forward to coming back to this area. The people were great, the access was easy, and we were always able to find a driver to bring us back up. Now that I am in the spring mode, and ready to get back in the air, I will be posting regularly. So, thanks for all you patient waiting, and stay tuned. Cheers!