Rat Race Year Twelve

20-29 Jun 2014

New BLM sign at Woodrat launch (no bullet holes yet)

 As the title suggests, this is the 12th year that C.J. has been competing in the Rat Race at Woodrat Mountain near Medford, OR. She has been there every year, the only competitor who can say that. I attended the first one, over the Memorial Day weekend in 2002. After retiring in 2006, I have gone to each Rat Race since 2007 as a volunteer.

20 Jun, Fri - We left home around 0730, stopped for gas at Covington and Eugene Costcos, and arrived at RR HQ 1630 (after getting our RVHPA annual membership at the Ruch store ($60). At HQ C.J. registered while I attended a volunteer meeting [Julie Spiegler, last year's vol. coordinator, has decided to compete in the Race this year so will have less time to devote to keeping track of the volunteers. She has enlisted Marybeth Wells to take over some of her duties, particularly driver-coordination.] Since most of the volunteer-duties sign-up was accomplished online, the meeting was short and by 1800 C.J. and I were on our way to the yurt. The first thing we noticed was that the big cottonwood tree that had shaded the Humbug Creek pool below the yurt had fallen and knocked down some smaller trees as well. Debbie Vosevich had delayed her return to N Cal (She did not choose to fly in the RR this year) so she could prepare dinner for us, Barbara and Susan Kent. We ate on Barbara's deck and got caught up on everyone's story.

C.J. and bus driver Barry

21 Jun, Sat - Rat Race Practice Day. We went in at 0825 for a short meeting and took the school bus to launch. There was no lunch provided today. Almost all of the 160 pilots (Spring, Race and Super Clinic) were there so I volunteered to help with laying out wings for launch. After clearing the takeoff I decided not to fly and caught a ride down with Marybeth. I hung out at the HQ until C.J. got a ride back from landing backwards at Longsword. There were three (?) emergency chute deployments and a tree rescue during the day. [Reports from pilots flying at Woodrat in the week leading up to the RR indicated unusually turbulent conditions.] At 1830 there was a long, mandatory pilots meeting followed by a lasagna dinner (I served the veg. lasagna). We got back to the yurt around 2200.

22 Jun, Sun - Rat Race Day 1. We drove in early for an 0830 meeting and left on the bus to launch at 1030. I took off at 1130 and got up over launch, but the air was turbulent in places and, after trying to reach Burnt, I went to the LZ which was soarable on the south side for a few minutes; then I landed in a smooth north wind. I got a ride back to HQ with Rich, a student of Kevin's who went to Ecuador as a P-2, and Derek from Vancouver BC. I hung out at HQ and ate lunch. Then, after the second reserve deployment of the day, Paul Kunzl went to help the pilot and asked me to deliver some stuff to Ken Hudonjorgensen at Fiasco. Back at HQ I took a shower in the new outdoor facility. C.J. showed up from a good day having made most of the course. She got some help using her new Delorme inReach SE and got everything sorted out so that her location is sent out every ten minutes via satellite and she has access to her three preset messages. I talked with Gever Tulley in his and Julie's trailer about his Tinkering School, his 50 Dangerous Things  book and his launch crash leading to a minor concussion on Sat. Around 1830 C.J. and I left for the Hunter's charity dinner at Cantrall-Buckley community park [Dave Palmer declined to have it at his Fiasco winery this year.] ($40) The beef burritos, roasted corn, salad and strawberry shortcake were all very good and there was a good crowd of pilots and locals. We left as the music got loud shortly after 2000. On the way back we stopped at Teri and Geof's to use their wi-fi. [They are out of town for a few days, Barbara told us. Later we found out they had gone to Ireland, Venice and Croatia, among other places.]

Task board

23 Jun, Mon - There was another 0830 meeting (more like later 0845+). The volunteers were all recognized for our service and were given RR caps. C.J. and I rode up to launch in Barry's school bus again (as we did every day) around 1000. It was my day to help "fluff" wings on launch, first for the Super Clinic (Kari Castle, Kay Tauscher, Ken H providing instruction), then for the Race and Sprint. There was a lot of flailing on launch as conditions were windy. Pilots did not start getting high until nearly 1300. The task got changed from goal along the Little Applegate at Phils or Mule LZ to Dark Hollow and Donatos. C.J. did not fly due to the wind, and we drove down in the white "parabus". Later we had a cook-it-yourself burger at HQ, then went to Paul Murdoch's mentoring session on local winds and convergence. We returned to the yurt and sat around, talking with Barbara for a while.

24 Jun, Tue - We didn't try too hard to get to HQ for the 0830 meeting. Good thing, because it did not begin until nearly 0900. By 0940 we were loading the buses and got to the launch early. Some pilots were already above launch so I didn't wait, and took off at 1100. I got up right away to over 4K right near launch and soon got tired of trying to share the lift. I went across to Burnt arriving below the top and found lift to get me back up to 4600 or so, crossed toward LWRAB and, after flying through sink, found lift to get me above the ridge. There was some strong lift near the copper-roofed house then more strong lift as I continued up the ridge to Rabies Ridge and then under the small cu's above Rabies Peak where I got to near 7K. No one else was near Rabies (and only one glider was on Burnt but low when I was there). I had a good view all the way to Shasta. I thought about going up the Little Applegate and started a glide to Squires Pk. There was no lift along the way and just before Squires I ran into a bit of leeside turbulence and had an asymmetric collapse big enough to turn me 180 deg. I was able to cross the Squires ridge but all I could do was slide down toward the Valley View winery (which looked like it might be too far away to make on a glide). Fortunately I caught a thermal to the south and climbed high enough that I would be able to make any of the major LZs. Since I needed to get back to HQ, I headed for Hunters as the nearest. It was a 4:1 glide and that was about all I was making. But when I reached the edge of the LZ there was plenty of lift and I had to make several turns to get down. I landed softly to the S. I got a ride back to the HQ with a pilot from NC. I hung out with Gever and his Bay Area friends Robin and ? from India. C.J. called at 1600 to report that she had made it to goal at Donatos! She had to wait for the second retrieve vehicle and didn't get back until 1700. I had a shower and rinsed out my pants and a shirt [It may not be as hot as usual, but there's plenty of sweat]. We went to Red Lily winery for a good barbecue dinner ($15, comped by Gail for volunteers). Susan K and Stephen Eigel from FL joined us and we had beer, red wine and sparkling wine ($14). C.J. and I left about 2045. Tomorrow is the pilot breakfast but rain is forecast.

G wearingthis year's RR t-shirt, Julie Spiegler

25 Jun, Wed - We drove in through some drizzle and rain about 0720 to be in time for the breakfast ($10, not free as in the past) prepared by RVHPA members led by Sam Crocker. No flying task today.There was a meeting later with a discussion about the 8 parachute deployments (and the one failed deployment - spiraled down into trees and was only slightly injured). Light rain at HQ began mid morning and there were moments of real rain. At 1100 we had  lunch and later Arnie Frankenburger talked about comp. strategy. Preacher showed slides from his trip to Nepal. Most people scattered after lunch but a group stuck around to work on their CPR certification. We stayed for dinner (chicken casserole, black bean and rice in a tortilla, and salad, $12). Around 1800 we returned to the yurt where it was still raining although it had stopped at HQ, at least for the moment.

26 Jun, Thu - Better weather. Up on launch there were several mentoring sessions as well as Arnie's daily talk and the group photo  (I think it was this day).  We could see rain and virga in the distance. Tasks were decided on and then changed. C.J.launched

and got up, whereas many did not, but she landed in the bailout (Hunters LZ). I was hanging out around HQ when Preacher said he was going up to do a tandem with 11-yr-old Bella, one of Mike and Gail's grandchildren from Arkansas (?). I volunteered to drive for him and watched them launch in pretty strong wind. Bella later said she had really liked her flight.  Dinner was a fajita and chile rellenos buffet at Las Palmas ($30 + $12). And we stopped in J-ville to get enough gas to be sure we could get back and forth from the yurt and still get to Costco on the way home ($20). [We found out that the ice cream deal is at Ray's where small Umpqua cones are only $1.]

C.J., right in front for the group photo

27 Jun, Fri- There was a little drizzle as we left Humbug but skies looked good as we got nearer to HQ. Still, we had low expectations as we rode up in the school bus due to forecasts of strong winds at upper levels. We had an early lunch of cold pulled pork served on launch, then there was a long wait for Mike to cancel the day. We went back down on the one bus that had stayed. [Even the Super clinic which had, as usual, been up on launch around 0915 had chosen not to fly and were already gone when we got to launch.] At one of the mentoring sessions a psychologist spoke about flying and competing. Ken Hudonjorgensen did a talk about "listening" to your wing and thermalling efficiently. We left around 1630 to buy some sausages and wine on our way to dinner at Dan and Marybeth's new J-ville house. Paula and Mike Steed were there also for hors d'oeurves; George (the retrieve coordinator), Brian Webb and his wife Barbara Scott joined us for dinner. We left after 2100 and got back to the yurt in the dark while Barb was aligning her telescope. Later I wandered up to the cabin deck to see the globular cluster.


28 Jun, Sat - There was only a short meeting before we rode up on the bus. I launched at 1130, climbed out and went to Woodrat Pk then back in sink and across to LW Rabies. I found lift enough to climb up the ridge to Rabies and continued to Rabies Pk. There was strong lift and I left it at just under 6K. I pointed toward Squires hoping to catch something and continue on to one of the goal fields up the Little Applegate. But there was too much sink so I turned back and landed at Longsword. After eating lunch I left a voicemail for George and a short time later had a ride back to HQ. Meanwhile C.J. had flown much of the course but could not get to Wellington and landed west of the no-land "elbow field". Barbara spotted her landing and picked her up and dropped her at Longsword. Back at HQ I told Marybeth that I could help with retrieve if they were as short-handed as it had sounded like. Fortunately I was not needed so I could get a shower and just hang out. The task was stopped when a pilot (probably a free-flier) crashed on the top of Rabies PK and did not radio that he was unhurt and would self-evacuate (apparently he also did not bundle his wing up for a long time so the pilots flying above him were sure that he was badly injured). A helicopter rescue mission was requested by Mike (I saw a Huey approaching the area about 1530). Around 1830 (?) there was the awards dinner (baked potatoes with chili and cheese sauce and salads, plus a pasta and cheese casserole. There were margaritas and, later a Raven-decorated sheet cake. The awards ceremony was between dinner and dessert with Brad Gunnuscio taking the Race first place. I picked up my last few bags of HQ garbage, C.J. said goodbye to everyone and we split.

29 Jun, Sun - C.J. and I prepared a pancake breakfast for Barb and Chris (We had had oatmeal the rest of the week). Then we cleaned and packed and left at 1000. I had a chance to say hello to Teri and Geoff who were out when I went to get our ice bottles from their freezer. [We hadn't needed to use our cooler this year since Barb had acquired a small refrigerator for the yurt.] We stopped to buy three baskets of fresh-picked strawberries ($9.50) on the way to Medford where we got gas at Costco. We were back on I-5 about 1100, got gas in Wilsonville, ran into some slow traffic around Centralia-Chehalis and were home about 1935.