Rat Race - 2008

5 July - 12 July

5 July, Saturday – C.J. and I left home by 0830, bought gas in Ridgefield and got to the yurt in Humbug Creek valley by 1630 or so. After dropping some stuff off and making up a bed, we drove over to the Rat Race HQ just north of the Woodrat LZ. We checked in and signed the long waiver and paid for our Woodrat flying fee. We got our t-shirts and goodie bags and then attended our respective meetings. C.J. went to the required pilots’ meeting while I went upstairs to the volunteers’ meeting. I didn’t get stuck with the garbage detail this year and ended up putting my name down just for several days of helping out on launch and serving at the meal the first night. Then there were margaritas!

6 July, Sunday – First day of the Rat! With the price of gas and the inconvenience of retrieval, we decided to ride the bus to launch. It wasn’t much of an inconvenience and it made it possible for me to bring my wing and fly each day either as a wind tech or after everyone launched. And! – if I got out on course I could get a ride with the official retrieval vans and/or buses. But I got ready to launch too late and had to wait for the comp pilots to go. Then the air was too crowded and it seemed pretty turbulent so I didn’t get very high and only barely crossed the road toward Rabe’s Ridge before turning back to land at the LZ. After the evening mentoring class (Len Szafaryn did a debrief on the day’s task), we ate dinner with Mark Forbes at the Magnolia Grill before heading back to the yurt.

7July, Monday – I was actually a real “wind tech” today. I gulped down my launch potato lunch and launched before the task was called, scratched around a bit and got up over launch, then I sank and thought I was landing in the LZ when I caught a good one and climbed up enough to get to Rabe’s Ridge for the first time. On the ridge, I worked back further up the ridge and deeper in, far enough that when /I looked back, I realized that I wouldn’t be getting back to the LZ unless there was a better climb somewhere. Fortunately, there was and I got to 5500 ft and tagged Rabe’s peak while watching the comp gaggle over launch (and below my altitude). On the way out I cut across China Gulch toward the LZ but then turned left (north) to go to Burnt Ridge to avoid the oncoming gaggle. I didn’t gpo far enough along the ridge to tag the turnpoint and turned back to land in the thermally LZ before the afternoon winds kicked in. The mentoring session was by Bill Belcourt who covered start cylinders and strategies. We picked up some BBQ meat and a salad at the Ruch Store for dinner.

8 July, Tuesday – The task was canceled today and C.J. and I rode down in the school bus. We took advantage of the swimming pool at HQ to stave off the 100 deg plus heat. Rob Sporrer did his equipment talk at the mentoring session. We got tapped for collecting tickets at the door of the La Fiesta Restaurant for the Mexican buffet. It was a pretty easy job and we ended up getting comped for our $13 tickets. Thanks, Gail!

9 July, Wednesday –Janice from Bamboo Chutes talked about recycling old wings into tote bags at the morning pilots meeting. I helped out on launch today, spreading wings for the competitors so I didn’t takeoff until later. I climbed over launch to 4770ft and glided to Burnt where several gliders were scratching and climbing above the ridge. I arrived right about the top of the ridge and gave up too soon thinking I had to make it back to the LZ. I couldn’t make it that far anyway so I landed with John Clifford in the field above Bishop Creek Rd (which the locals call “the old folks home”). In retrospect, I should have worked the light lift longer and not worried about getting back to the usual LZ. After checking in (C.J. had landed in the same field as me but earlier), I think we stuck around at HQ after the mentoring (Dave Wheeler covered speeds-to-fly) and had a grilled hot dog/hamburger for dinner.

10 July – After a big taco lunch, I worked as wing fluffer again on launch today and didn’t takeoff until all the comp pilots had launched, so I was flying during the mid-day thermals and it was definitely turbulent. After landing and packing up I walked back to HQ with Martina and her SO. It was hot but not as hot as the previous day. Later I drove out past Longsword Winery to pick up C.J. and Randy Campadore from the field she had landed in while going backwards. After the mentoring program (Brian Webb presented “Raising the Bar – A Competition Pilot Model” and in the morning continued with some goal-setting exercises) and cleaning up and changing clothes, C.J. and I went to the Backyard BBQ to collect tickets for the dinner that night. About 75 pilots and volunteers showed up to eat the barbecued chicken, sausages, coleslaw and beans. Gail decided that C.J. didn’t have to pay for her ticket because she was working so refunded both the La Fiesta and the BBQ payments (Yay!).

11 July – Brian Webb from Bright, Australia, continued his mentoring session on goal setting for competition pilots at the a.m. pilots meeting. Light east wind on launch again today. Several wind techs launched and then around 1255 I got ready to go. Mike H suggested that it would help the most if I went around to the right from the north launch and worked the ridge combination over there. So I did that and found lift over the launch for a while before sinking back down about when Wade, this year’s garbage removal volunteer, launched and went scratching around the treetops in the same area. I went out to the spine and got up to 4200’ and crossed almost to Rabe’s Ridge but turned back when I was getting low without any lift. The valley wind was strong from the north and the LZ was bubbling with lift. I got back a bit too far and found myself stuck over the powerlines and had to slide east to get away. I was considering getting my hands on my C-risers when I took some big surges and decided to just fly with my brakes as usual. Landing turned out to be uneventful and I folded up in the shade. None of the wind dummies wanted to go back up to fly in the rough air (especially at the LZ) and eventually Mike called the day. C.J. got a ride down. After the mentoring session (Chris Galli of XC Skies presented “the Next Generation of Local Forecasts”) we picked up some baby back ribs and tortellini salad from the Ruch store and prepared dinner outside the yurt.

12 July – This was the last day of the Rat Race so Mike got all the thank-you’s out of the way at the morning pilots meeting. After a tasty chicken wrap lunch, I helped fluff wings again until everyone had launched then I flew and got up above launch, crossed and scratched up on Burnt, left at 5500 ft when the big boys in the lead gaggle caught up to me, and didn’t find anymore lift all the way to Poorman’s (the longhorn LZ) where I landed all by myself. I caught a ride in the Civil van to Donato’s, the goal LZ, stopping along the way to pick up one pilot who landed along Griffin Cr. Rd at a wedding. The closing party/BBQ was excellent, and the amazing Magic Mike performed his incredible sleight-of-hand for everyone who had not already left for home. Mike and Gail presented the awards afterwards and C.J. got recognized as fifth place in the women’s division (Melanie was first). Marty DiVietti was Open Class winner, Brad G in second place, and local pilot Paul Murdoch was the Regional Champion.