Hi Everyone! So sorry I have been unable to post the California adventure until now. What a great trip it was with some awesome cross country flying, camaraderie, and epic experiences, both rewarding, and educational.
I left off from the last blog with planning on being in Utah for some training days. After being on skis for the winter, it actually felt good to be in the air again. Weather was ok, glider felt awesome, and to just be in a warm climate after the taste of spring we had in Vail was sweet. I had some great training flights at POM, a light evening southside flight with thermals, was perfect to dial the glider back in, and a ridge soaring windy morning the next day was excellent. Then it was on the road to Dunlap, CA.
The drive is still 12 to 13 hours from Salt Lake to Dunlap. So we stopped near Merced, CA on Friday night, leaving mid morning Saturday to Dunlap. We arrived in Dunlap, at about 2 pm on Saturday afternoon looking for signs of where the Nats headquarters were to be, and where the flying was. Dunlap is situated on the west side of the Sierras in central California. If you go west from Dunlap in about 50 miles you run in to Bishop, CA where the famous Owens valley is. However, it is tiger country between Dunlap and Bishop so flying a paraglider there is likely to pose some issues.
Once we arrived we saw pilots launching from the ridge to the west of town. Conditions looked epic with beautiful, friendly cumulus clouds everywhere. About 15 paragliders were in the air flying in, around, and over the valley. Finally, we ran into a couple of pilot friends, and they guided us to where launch was. Still, not being fully oriented, we followed two hang glider pilots that were obviously heading up to launch. Once the road was found, it was a piece of cake, with good access to get to launch. We arrived at launch at about 3 pm. Conditions were starting to cloud up a little, but it did seem soarable, I chose to watch, as it was a new site. Winds were crossing from the right. Typically winds blow in from the west to southwest, but with the passing of a cold front winds were northerly, which made for over the back and cross conditions.
On top near launch, there is a multi-cabin resort that made for perfect accomodations for the night. My partner Karen and I got a nice little cabin with a wood stove. It was a little rustic, but a pretty nice place to stay with great views. We finally caught up with some Colorado pilots, and met at a great pizza place. Pine, Tom, and other pilots were there, and the party had begun. After dinner, Karen and I went back up to the Cabin, and started a great fire. The cabin was warm, we were happy ,and I was looking forward for the next day of flying.
The next morning, Karen and I drove down to town, as Karen was going to volunteer as a driver for the event. We had to be at breakfast at about 8 am. Karen had to drive to Fresno to get a van with the six other drivers. After breakfast, I drove back to the cabin, closed up shop, and was on launch at 11 am. Conditions looked great. Several pilots were there getting ready. I launched at about noon, and climbed out with several other pilots in the house thermal which was right of launch. Conditions here seemed to work like a machine. It became soarable at about 11:30 am or earlier, cloudbase was generally about 1,000 to 2,000 feet above launch, and winds seemed to be generally from the west to northwest. At least that was the trend for the whole comp.
So, after launching, I had a great tour around the valley, and hit many of the turn points around Dunlap. However, there were many turn points outside of Dunlap toward the flats, near Fresno, that were a big part of the comp. Stay tuned for more.
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