Day 3 Task 3 Santa Cruz Flats Race
I'm getting tired and whiny but I will arrange to rectify that in a little bit with a swim and some introspection.... Yesterday the forecast was for an even better day, but again, it didn't live up to expectation. I got dropped off the trike (not Laura's) at 1200' way too far away from the field to make it back, and not in any measurable lift. I guess since I was under a huge gaggle, the assumption was that I would get up.... well after a little glide, I did find enough to sustain flight. But I couldn't get very high. Frustrated, I left the safety of the hotel with 3000'. Big mistake!!! I grovelled over Casa Grande with 700' to spare, cursing, until I got a beep and it turned into something fairly decent. I never got very high all the way across town, but then a few of us busted through the inversion near the mountains to the north and got high and stayed high til the first TP. I even got a nice climb just before it that drifted me into the "happy sound". After that, it wasn't so good. The huge swamp on courseline was a big barrier, and the smart guys went to the left, I went right. I saw lots of gliders on the ground, and soon after I climbed out of a hole with like 50 vultures, I watched Mark land. I made my way past the prison, between 2 and 3000 feet, and then just went on a slow steady glide to land 4 miles short of the second TP. I knew it wasn't all that great for the day, but it was what it was and some really nice train conductor who sat in his train and watched me land came over and brought me water. I got back to the hotel when it was still light out so that was good, but I got a chance to see all the pilots who made it further on course and then to goal. I wondered if I lost my priority staging... 10th place was nice while it lasted!!!
My sister had a great story about how she took the power out at the whole resort by running the tow line of the trike across the power lines. Then she heard that the whole town of Casa Grande was in the dark.... but it turned out that coincidentally the middle school had an unrelated power failure... Pretty funny.
Now for that swim and meditation.
Airtime: 3:45
ALT2: 5600'
XC miles: I dont know
I'm getting tired and whiny but I will arrange to rectify that in a little bit with a swim and some introspection.... Yesterday the forecast was for an even better day, but again, it didn't live up to expectation. I got dropped off the trike (not Laura's) at 1200' way too far away from the field to make it back, and not in any measurable lift. I guess since I was under a huge gaggle, the assumption was that I would get up.... well after a little glide, I did find enough to sustain flight. But I couldn't get very high. Frustrated, I left the safety of the hotel with 3000'. Big mistake!!! I grovelled over Casa Grande with 700' to spare, cursing, until I got a beep and it turned into something fairly decent. I never got very high all the way across town, but then a few of us busted through the inversion near the mountains to the north and got high and stayed high til the first TP. I even got a nice climb just before it that drifted me into the "happy sound". After that, it wasn't so good. The huge swamp on courseline was a big barrier, and the smart guys went to the left, I went right. I saw lots of gliders on the ground, and soon after I climbed out of a hole with like 50 vultures, I watched Mark land. I made my way past the prison, between 2 and 3000 feet, and then just went on a slow steady glide to land 4 miles short of the second TP. I knew it wasn't all that great for the day, but it was what it was and some really nice train conductor who sat in his train and watched me land came over and brought me water. I got back to the hotel when it was still light out so that was good, but I got a chance to see all the pilots who made it further on course and then to goal. I wondered if I lost my priority staging... 10th place was nice while it lasted!!!
My sister had a great story about how she took the power out at the whole resort by running the tow line of the trike across the power lines. Then she heard that the whole town of Casa Grande was in the dark.... but it turned out that coincidentally the middle school had an unrelated power failure... Pretty funny.
Now for that swim and meditation.
Airtime: 3:45
ALT2: 5600'
XC miles: I dont know
posted by Linda Salamone at
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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