Task 2 Day 2 Santa Cruz Flats Race
So I think I still have no score at all, but that should be rectified. The task turned out to be an over-call, but fun flying nonetheless. The tow was one of the roughest I have ever endured, and immediately off tow I regretted not having tuned out that slight left turn that was now a HARD left turn in my glider. Left was the direction of the start circle turns, and I just couldn't stay in the crazy-ass lift with weird feedback from my glider. I left and found a piece of lift that I could turn right in (= no other gliders) but as soon as it became a good climb, I'd have friends that wanted to turn left..... This pattern was repeated thoughout my flight... ah well...
So the beginning of the flight found me west of Casa Grande at the start, and I got into a thermal that smelled like food. Before I had launched I realized my stomach was grumbling (forgot to eat lunch), and so I thought this thermal might be a manifestationm of my hunger. At the west side of Casa Grande, I got into a "feed lot" thermal, and that took care of any appetite I might have. This time Rob Clarkson joined me, and instead of trying to kill me like he was near the start, he got into the climb with me and went to the moon. It was a screamer of a climb and he just put so much separation between us I was amazed. Every time I reported about him last year, it was always followed by, "he was really really low". Well now, as he punched through the inversion, I struggled to stay in the climb. The first TP was easy enough, and then it got really bad heading south. Grovelling at 1000', I stayed there for more than an hour, between 1 and 2k. The left hand turners were all with me..... oh boy! I felt like a bowling ball blasting through a set of pins!!!! I'm sure none of them appreciated my scary thermalling, especially down low... One by one they either left or landed and I continued my slow drift towards Rte 10 and the big pass between the mountains (Picachu and something else). No where to land for a little while, all desert scrub, so I hung on to whatever I could find, and then it got really really good. All the way through the pass I had the best climbs of the day. 600fpm to 900fpm solid. Mark was just behind and just getting to the good part, and at one point, I had 3 vultures climbing all around me, the sun was shining on the west face of these majestic jutting rocks, as I climbed up through the pass. It was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen and I was so thankful that I had hung on through the shit to get to this point. Really, I thought, who ever gets to have these moments? We are so blessed. I didn't have too long to revel in the beauty because I very suddenly got my ass handed to me in a thousand different ways. The turbulence made me conscious of where my 'chute handle was and I reported back to Mark once I was sure I was through it, that I would rather eat my own feces than have to go through that pass on the way to the 3rd TP...
So after tagging the second TP, I chose to go left around Picachu, and saw that I had an 18mph reading on my wind indicator. I pushed up wind as long as I could, over totally unlandable (or just unreachable) area and finally gave up the ghost just at the edge of a somewhat clear piece of desert. I saw a couple of gliders had landed just ahead and saw too that they already had a vehicle to retrieve. It took me some time to pack up and walk to the nearest farm. The mosquitoes ( in Arizona???) were ferocious; they made the Quest mosquitoes look like amatuers...
Anyhow, I was retrieved after dark, like 3 hours later... I was sooooo hungry... but I found out that no one made goal, or even the 3rd TP... so once I find Jamie and get pinned in, I think I will be in a good position. I have to go now, find Kraig or Jonny, and get that turn tuned out. The forecast is : sunny....
Airtime: 4:18
Alt2: ? 5K maybe???
XC miles: I dont know yet...