Southwest Road Trip and BOD Austin

30 September-21 October 2015

C.J. and I had a USHPA board meeting scheduled for mid-October in Austin Texas. Since fall is a good time for travel, we considered what we might do instead of flying to Austin and back again. A Road Trip! That way we could join the AZHPA at the annual Dixon White Memorial Fly-in at the Craters near Flagstaff, visit two couples in Oklahoma, and then try to make up for the flying we missed the last time we were in OK and Arkansas. Ultimately we’d drop down into Texas for the board meeting and leave via a route through the Texas Hill Country. Three weeks would do it nicely.

9/30, Wed – Off around 0830. Pit stop at Three Pines CG in Yakima Cyn, Top up at Union Gap, got another two gallons at Fruitland, ID, across the river from Ontario, then filled up at Costco in Nampa. We pushed on to Three Island Crossing State Park in Glenn’s Ferry. It was almost dark and the tail lights were working intermittently as we drove through the town. We found a nice level site and didn’t even have to unhook. There were a few showers but no real rain.

10/1, Thu – Up at 0730 (MDT) and it was still pretty gloomy. C.J. had gotten a call from editor Nick who was leaving that day for a long-delayed trip to Iran (!) and needed C.J. to cover his job while he was gone. That meant that she would have to look at the magazine beta and make sure all the corrections had been incorporated. So we had a quick breakfast of cold cereal and got on the road as early as possible. Our first stop was at the Visitors Center in Twin Falls just over the I.B. Perrine Bridge where C.J. was able to get the beta through the free wireless access. I went off to get gas at Costco and to see if I could find an inverter so C.J. could work with her computer from the car battery. After trying Office Max, I found an inverter in the mall at Radio Shack. By 1100 C.J. had uploaded her work and we were ready to go. We got sidetracked by the frozen custard at Culvers, a restaurant we had not before seen outside of the Midwest and then headed south on Rte 93. It was another long drive and we didn’t reach our planned-on-the-fly destination at Cathedral Gorge State Park near Panaca NV until 1700. On the way we stopped at one of the only rest areas on 93, a former Pony Express way station, now just a spot on the map called Sherbourne. We filled up with more expensive gas in Ely as the headwind was really eating into our mileage. We were glad to get to Cathedral Gorge reasonably early so we had time to hike around the eroded pinnacles and wind through some of the tiny canyons. The wind finally died down after dark and it cooled off from the 80-deg temps during the day.

10/2, Fri – We drove east from Panaca through a large juniper forest over a range then south on Rte 18 through Enterprise. About 25 miles north of St. George we came upon the starting line for the St. George marathon which would be run on Saturday. The most notable feature was a long line of portapotties, then every mile along the route another scattering of several johns. We passed through St. George and went north on I-15 to Costco in Washington where gas was almost 50 cents cheaper than other southern Utah gas stations at 2.359/gal. We took exit 16 through Hurricane then drove along Rte 59 (passing the turnoff for the road to the Hurricane launch at Mollie’s Nipple) and into Arizona. We went through Colorado City and along the Pipe Springs National Monument, then along the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. We went over a 7000’-plus pass and noted a nice campground at Jacob Lake and the turnoff to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Our route took us along the Vermillion Cliffs and over the Colorado River on Navajo Bridge near Marble Canyon. Then it was another hour or so to Flagstaff where we got gas at a Maverik station and headed for the Sheba Crater LZ on Townsend-Winona Rd to Leupp Rd, then another 12.5 miles to the unpaved road into the fly-in gathering. We had forgotten that AZ is not on daylight savings time so we were an hour earlier than we thought at about 1600. The wind was strong and we asked for help when raising our Aliner roof. It didn’t look like flying would be possible but a truckload of hopefuls went up in The Beast, a huge 6x6 Air Force surplus ordnance recovery vehicle. The wind did not stop howling until the sunset so most people were disappointed even though The Beast drove down to the lower bench to find better conditions (by then it was too dark). We had dinner in the trailer and then hung out with Keri and Scott and others around a propane campfire until 2100 (which we thought was 2200). It got pretty chilly overnight, someone claiming it got down to 32 deg.

10/3, Sat – We set the alarm for 0700 but when I checked my watch it was 0715 and no alarm. Our alarm on my mobile phone knew that there was no DST so it did not go off at 0600. Anyway, we were still eating breakfast when Travis drove a load of pilots in The Beast to the summit (where the wind was already strong). Later we were ready when the next crowded load went to the summit of Sheba. The wind was way too strong for C.J. and me, and for several others, (plus the summit was covered with sharp lava gravel and thorny plants) so Travis took us to the lower launch on the northern bench (still facing W). The wind was still too strong so we rode down the rest of the way although some others launched. C.J. got to hang in her new harness on Aaron’s towing-rig truck and adjust the height of the seat. The rest of the day we hung out in the wind and sun and didn’t try flying until 1700 when a really overloaded Beast brought maybe 40 of us to the southern bench. Again it was too strong – peaking at 18 mph plus – but the mini wings were enjoying the conditions. As the sun approached the horizon the wind began moderating and I was one of the first few to launch a normal paraglider. There seemed to be plenty of lift but I wanted to be out of the soon-to-be crowded skies and pushed speed bar to get out over the LZ. Landing was mellow and the sun was already down (5 minutes?) C.J. landed shortly after I did and we packed our wings into cinch sacks back at the trailer. I disconnected the wires to the solar panel I had been using to keep the charge up on our trailer battery while C.J. tried to charge her computer with the new inverter. [It worked, but slowly; the solar charger worked great.] Around 1900 we, and everyone else, drove the dozen miles to the 2Bar3 roadhouse for dinner. We all could order a drink and any menu item, included in our $50 fly-in entry fee, which also included a t-shirt. We left around 2100 and found our way back to camp in the dark. It looked like it would be another cold night.

4 Oct, Sun – It wasn’t as cold as the previous night so the comforter plus the quilt was a bit of overkill, and the fleece blanket was entirely too much. My phone alarm waked us at 0630 and that wasn’t any too early as people were loading The Beast before 0700. We piled on and joined the crowd going for an early morning flight before the wind picked up. As we neared the summit we could feel that we were already too late; the blasting wind was cold as well as too strong. I don’t think anyone offloaded at the summit launch and a few minutes later we ground down to the southern bench. There the wind was reasonable and C.J. didn’t wait for it to get stronger but got set up right away. There was a launch on the left that faced more into the mostly south wind and C.J. followed Ginger and a few others off for a 1:30 flight to the LZ. I had helped her get her lines untangled from the thorns and then set up my wing – it was really quick to do because I had left it all connected to the harness in the Critter cinch bag. Launch was easy, maybe the wind was not getting stronger as quickly as we thought it would. I tried going to the left a little but the slope there was too gentle to produce any appreciable ridge lift. So soon enough (3:10) I was landing in the LZ. Neither of us had taken the time to attach a white crepe paper streamer to our harness, but those who had, looked pretty impressive. Although the transport was going back up, we decided to pack up for travel; the folks whom we could see appeared to be parked, but they were getting above launch. Soon dark clouds began to cover the sky and we got the word that it was raining hard in Phoenix and that there was a 60% chance of precip. in nearby Winona (and tomorrow didn’t look much better). We took time to cook oatmeal for breakfast and then started packing the trailer. Fortunately the winds remained moderate and we were able to lower the roof without any drama. There was a sprinkle of rain which really speeded up the exodus from the campground. We were on the road by 1015 which included all the goodbyes and exchange of phone numbers/email addresses. Our route took us east toward Leupp (Lee up) in the Navajo reservation. Then we took Rte 99 south to I-40. Around noon we stopped at Painted Desert/Petrified Forest National Park. We took a moment to get a map at the visitor center and then drove into the Painted Desert part of the park (north of I-40) where we took the one-mile trail between Tawa Point and the Painted Desert Inn (now a historical building with exhibits showing what the 1921 building and 1937? CCC remodel looked like. Back at the car we headed east on I-40 and ran through a little rain as we ate lunch. Not having a destination in mind we discussed various possibilities. We gave Steve and Lily Hill a call leaving a message that we were camping near Albuquerque and could meet them for dinner. When we reached the New Mexico Welcome Center we found out that Oct 3-11 is the balloon festival in Albuquerque and there would be no camping spaces available. We tried calling a couple of places in Tijeras but they either were charging $47 or had no room. One suggested stopping no closer to ABQ than Grants. C.J. tried to reach the RV park at Sky City Casino but they did not return her call. Then we spotted a sign advertising a Good Sam CG at Grants for $20. That was a good price for the two of us who had not had a shower in several days. A call to them secured us a spot and we stopped there around 1600 (or maybe 1700, we were still a bit confused about the time zones)($22.13). Shortly after getting set up I found that the electric connection (20A) did not work. The manager could not get it working either and I had to use the 30A power outlet. About that time it started raining; then it started pouring with accompanying flashes of lightning and blasts of thunder. When the brief storm was over we were partially surrounded by deep puddles. Still, we got a good shower and later C.J. made a delicious pasta dish with the last of the chicken carried from home and our tomatoes and zucchini. Then we got to charge everything and use the CG Wi-Fi.

5 Oct, Mon – Out around 0900 and on to Albuquerque where we stopped at an AAA for SW maps and guidebooks including a $5.95 Woodalls CG guide. The agent told us more about the Balloon Festival and recommended visiting Santa Fe. We saw a half dozen balloons on the way into ABQ but none on the way out via Tramway Road. We stopped along I-25 at a TI and got info on where to park a trailer near the old town. When we got there the lot was really full but we found a spot too small for any other RV’s and squeezed into it. ($4) We walked to the stone basilica Cathedral of St. Francis and then up to the oldest operating church in the US, and the oldest house. We toured the main floor of the round State Capitol then returned to the main street, San Francisco, to window shop all the stores and markets. We came back via a different street, and nowhere did we find a good ice cream shop (except a very crowded Haagen Dazs). We left around 1415 and drove to Las Vegas NM on I-25, got a few gallons of gas at a Phillips 66 (2.395) and then took SR. 104 across the plains to Tucumcari. On the way we hit 7000 ft and saw a tarantula crossing the road casting a long shadow in the late afternoon. We got to Tucumcari about 1800, bought gas at Loves (2.179) and checked into Mountain Road RV Park, a Good Sam operation so we got our discount ($25.50). We had water and electricity and a nearby bathroom/shower so we were happy as clams. I spent the evening working on Award Comm. stuff and C.J. was concentrating on her article about the fly-ins. It got pretty chilly and we were surprised to see a large toad outside the rest room building.

6 Oct, Tue – It wasn’t too cold overnight but there was a heavy dew. We got going around 0830 back on I-40. We crossed into Texas, then into OK. We bought gas (2.195) in Elk City and stopped for ice cream at Braums in Clinton. Then it was a relatively short drive to OK City and David and Jayne’s house in the northwest part of the city near the lake. Jayne was already at work so we visited with D and worked on our computers. Around 1900 we went out to Vito’s for Italian food (calamari, ravioli, and eggplant parmesan)(48.61). David took us by The Ranch Steakhouse to see Jayne in her cute waitress outfit.

7 Oct, Wed – After breakfast and showers, Jayne took us to see a couple of the houses they own and are either renting out or remodeling. Then we continued in to OKC to see the memorial to the bombing of the Murraugh Federal Building, a nice arrangement of two gates and a reflecting pool with 168 stylized chairs representing the victims. We walked south from there and through the tall, glass Devon Tower and walked through part of Myriad Gardens. We returned to the car and drove to a Freddy’s frozen custard place for an early dessert (we hadn’t had lunch yet) ($10.46). Jayne took us into the park on the shore of Hefner Lake before returning the short distance home. Later C.J. fixed Dave and me delicious sandwiches for dinner. I had contacted Jim Reynolds earlier to let him know that we were heading down his way on Thursday. Cathy sent directions by email.

8 Oct, Thu – C.J. hung out until almost noon visiting with Jayne who had worked late the previous night. Then we got on the road south. We used SR 277 rather than the I-44 toll road until we got down to Chickasha where we stopped for lunch at Braums – just lunch, no ice cream! We continued south on the toll road (2.00) to Lawton and, after some fumbling around, found gas at a low price (2.269) but not as low as Gas Buddy app claimed. We found Jim and Cathy’s home without much trouble using Cathy’s (Jim’s) directions and visited for a while before going back to Lawton for dinner at the Golden Corral ($23.74). The variety of salads, fruit, meats, seafood and desserts was really incredible. Back at Jim and Cathy’s we talked until late with Jim, Cathy still recovering from serious repercussions due to her doctor or health plan not renewing her meds in a timely manner. Around 2330 we bedded down in one of the guest rooms.

9 Oct, Fri – We got up around 0700 and I took a shower. Jim provided quick-cooking oatmeal with his mix of cinnamon and sweetener, plus canned blueberries. We got on the road around 0900 and drove until 1200 when we stopped for gas in Atoka (2.139). We thought we could buy a rotisserie chicken at the local Walmart but there was no hot deli. We headed north on SR 69 through intermittent showers to McAlester where we shared a bacon-burger meal at Braums with a couple of small shakes (9.20?). We also stopped at the Walmart supercenter and got a chicken, a quart of yogurt and an avocado (9.37) since we were pretty much out of meat in the trailer. The last leg was in the forest and over a low point in the Jack Fork Mountains on our way to the Buffalo Mtn LZ. We missed the turnoff because we were looking for the landmark we remembered from our last trip, a tall water tower. But we spotted some streamers so we turned around and returned to the driveway, drove in to near the upper end where there was already one trailer. We parked and walked over to Ron Kohn’s cabin to talk with him about the site. Then we set up the trailer and settled in hoping for better weather on Saturday. Ron was thinking that Panorama might be flyable; Buffalo did not look good until Sunday as there was too much NW wind, a bad direction for almost all the local sites.

10 Oct, Sat – We got up about 0730 but apparently we had already missed Ron and his student. So, after breakfast of Welsh griddlecakes, we headed for Panorama, a site that had at least a chance of facing into the wind. We drove half the length of the Talamena trail before realizing we had somehow missed seeing the Panorama Vista which is the landmark for the Paraglider Point launch. When we retraced our route we found the launch and there was a vehicle parked there, so probably flying was happening. Just as C.J. started to get ready, Ron and Rena and Kurt arrived having already had several flights. Ron was willing to let us ride with his two students so we both got ready and, after a couple of failed inflations, I launched in the very light conditions. I went left, upwind, and found enough lift to keep me sinking only slowly. Then I went farther out and found several patches of light thermal lift that got me over launch   so I ended up with about 12 minutes before landing in the huge, flat, mowed field. C.J. joined me, then Kurt (a new P-2 with about 17 flts). Rena, also a P-2 had some trouble getting off launch in the even weaker conditions, but then had a good flight with Ron directing her to the lift. After packing up Ron was soon there and we took the gravel Dead Man’s Trail back to the Talamena Byway. Since it didn’t look any better at Panorama, and Ron was seeing the possibility of “south” at Buffalo, we headed that direction. We all stopped for lunch at Pam’s Hateful Hussy Café (13.11), then dropped our car and Kurt’s at the Buff. LZ. Conditions at launch looked doable, but very light. Kurt made a couple of attempts, then I tried two forward inflations; my third one got me in the air but just barely as my harness dipped into the high grass below launch. Still, there was light thermal lift out at the “wall” where the hill drops off and I circled in it enough to eke out fifteen minutes before landing in the large, grassy field. Rena landed soon after C.J. but Kurt got caught in a tree below launch so the three of us got Ron’s pole saw, piled in the Sorento, and headed back up. By the time we had reached launch Ron had extracted Kurt and his wing. Then we spent a long time sorting out his tangled lines. The conditions hadn’t changed for the better so we headed down. Ron, Reena and Kurt were heading for the local steakhouse and we had a salad since we had eaten so much for lunch. Ron let us use his bathroom and shower and that felt good since the day had been pretty hot – definitely in the 80’s. It cooled down nicely once the sun set.

11 Oct, Sun – Up at 0730, up the hill with Ron and Kurt around 0930. The south wind was cycling up to 14 mph and averaging about 12 according to the anemometer Ron had attached to his iPhone. I had a good reverse inflation and got right off while going up. It was slow going heading out to the wall but I wasn’t losing any altitude. Instead of hitting big ridge lift at the edge of the slope, I just kept running through patches of lift and sink. Ron’s advice was to fly through the ridge lift and then dip back into it so that I was never too far into it in case the wind picked up. Since there was no lift band, I flew all the way out to the LZ and landed to the SW (0:10). After reporting my landing and conditions, Ron said that the trees at the wall were showing too much wind and he recommended that C.J. not fly. Of course, Ron had not let P-1 Kurt fly in the conditions we had at launch, even earlier. Back at the LZ C.J. repacked her stuffed glider and it was hot in the sun with only a light wind. Later we went over to hang out with Kurt and Ron at his cabin. Kurt was taking the P-2 test. Sometime after 1400 C.J. and I went back to the trailer where we had been charging my computer while solar charging the trailer battery. We got some of the food out from under the bed and had a chips-n-cheese lunch. After that we went outside where it was really comfortable in the shade with the wind. We looked at maps to try to figure out what we might do next if the weather continued too strong for flying. No plan yet.

12 Oct, Mon – I set the alarm for 0700 then shut it off and snoozed until 0715. Then we had a quick breakfast of granola and texted Ron that we were ready. He showed up about 10 min later and by 0800 we were on our way up Buffalo again. This time we figured we were early enough to beat the forecast strong winds. Sure enough, it was a bit lighter than the day before but I wasn’t enthusiastic. Finally I decided that it was a waste to drive up and not give it a try, so I set up and launched. Conditions were pretty much the same as the previous day and I didn’t find anything worth more than a single 360. I landed in very light SW wind after eight minutes. I was surprised to hear that C.J. had changed her mind and was going to fly. She had two aborts, one after she had gotten off the ground, but on her third one she got out to the wall and scratched out 15 minutes. I missed seeing her fly because I was back at the Aliner preparing it for moving on. I dumped the portapottie and did some repacking. After Ron got down we hung out with him for a while and took showers before saying goodbye. We left him with $50 for the four rides up the hill plus all his advice, cheap at that price! We headed down the road about 1130, stopped to fill up at the EZ station in Talihina (2.179) then changed our minds about our destination (Broken Bow and the state park on the nearby lake) to Mt. Nebo, AR, just to camp there, and just possibly to run into someone who might be flying. We made one more stop on the way out of Talihina to fill up the propane tank - 4.3 gal, $10 (a filled tank contains 4.7 gal, the tech told us, so we were pretty low). We took the Talamena Scenic Byway, stopping at all the vista pullouts including the Kerr Botanic Area where we walked a mile-long trail through shortleaf pine and oak forest. We didn’t go all the way to Mena, exiting onto SR 270 and driving through forest and small communities, most too small to have a grocery store, and certainly no ice cream shops. We reached Mt Nebo State Park around 1700 and climbed the “crooked and steep” entrance road for four miles. Check-in was at the Visitors Center but it had closed at 1700 so we apprehensively drove to the small campground (only 30 sites) and found that there were only a very few sites occupied. After setting up, hooking up to power and water and exploring the bathhouse rest rooms with shower, we drove over to Sunset Point and watched the sun set behind Spring Mountain. Afterward, C.J. prepared another great dinner with the leftover chicken and the little bit of veggies we still have from home. It’s getting to be time to do a little shopping. [When we opened the trailer upon arrival at Mt Nebo we found the refrigerator door open and some stuff loose on the floor. It could have happened on a rough road just before we turned onto the entrance road…or it could have been open all day (seems more likely considering how not-cold everything was)]

13 Oct, Tue – Up at 0715 or so. After breakfast, which we ate outside at the picnic table, we went over to the visitor center to pay for camping (16.68 with the 25% discount for seniors (S-Th). We noted that Philip Morgan had signed in to hang glide on 10/11 and the next most recent sign-in was Mark Stump on 9/27. A breeze seemed to be coming up the launch just around back of the VC. On the way back to hook up the trailer we drove out to Sunrise Point where the LZ looked even farther away than the one(s) at the VC and the wind was clearly out of the west, not NE, and not even SW. We were on the road shortly after 1000 and stopped for gas in Dardanelle at Walmart (2.079). Then we drove down scenic byway 7 to 28 and south to Mena. Since there was no obvious ice cream shop there we continued south then west on SR 4 into OK. We drove through some of the Ouachita National Forest and then into what looked like a resort area along the road accessing Broken Bow Lake and State Park. We were unsure where to camp since there were many CGs so we stopped at the VC/Heritage Center and got directed to the Cypress Camp where there were many sites available. We even got one that we could treat like a drive-through. Just down the camp road from us were two other A-frames, Rockwoods. After setting up we went back and toured the Timber Heritage Museum then drove to the trailhead for the Cedar Bluff trail and walked the one-mile loop which had one steep climb at the beginning leading to a view down to the Mountain Fork River. Later we drove to a place where the road had washed out during the big rainstorms of May ’15. Back at camp we visited with the folks with the Rockwoods then sat outside enjoying the early evening with a drink and chips. C.J. made a good dinner of chicken, refried beans and cheese rolled up in tortillas and fried. We discussed where we might head the next day to get closer to Austin. Ennis has a couple of Corps of Engineers CGs that might work. It’s about 389 mi, 7 hrs to Austin from the Beavers Bend State Park near Broken Bow, a long day, particularly if we want to arrive mid-afternoon.

14 Oct, Wed – Woke up at 0730 and stepped in some water on the floor. Uh-oh! A quick check showed that the high-pressure water had caused a slow leak into the front storage area on the left side. Anything cardboard was wet and we had to do a thorough unloading of that area as well as check the battery compartment and the water tank area. The old Puyallup Fair “shamois” soaked up the water and we put everything out to dry. After breakfast we left the stuff to dry and went for a hike up and over a ridge to Beaver Creek, about a half hour. Instead of retracing our steps we thought we could cut cross country and hit another trail back to near our camp. We crossed the creek and found no trace of a trail so we thought it might be on top of the ridge. We climbed a fairly steep slope to the ridge top and hunted around but did not find what should have been an obvious trail. Rather than give up we started down the other side in more-or-less the right direction. We never found the trail but we did come out on the road right by our loop, and the whole hike took only an hour. Everything was mostly dry so we packed up and were on the road by 1215. The Rockwood A-frame folks had stopped by and we checked with them about camping at Ennis. They also mentioned their favorite place which was west of Lawton in the Witchita Mountains, a game reserve – lots of elk. Around 1300 we stopped near Broken Bow for gas at the Choctaw Casino (2.159) then drove on to Idabell where we got some groceries at Walmart (4.46). We felt pretty ice cream-deprived after several days without a fix so we looked at a Sonic menu without getting enthusiastic. Fortunately just down the road a short ways we spotted a Braums and got two shakes (5.88) for lunch. Pretty soon we were crossing the Red River on Rte 589 and entering Texas. We took I-30 as far as Exit 93 where we got on Rte 34 and took it all the way to Ennis and four miles beyond to the Corps of Engineers High View Park (8.00 w/park pass). We had a good site just above the lake but there was no shade. We left the refrigerator plugged in and the fan running and took a walk along the lake and out on a peninsula, then back along the other side past a marina. When we got back the refrigerator didn’t feel cold – I had plugged in the 20A 110V line but not turned on the refrigerator. I turned on the propane power for the refrigerator and it cooled down pretty well and was good and cold overnight. We had a nice pasta salad with the last little bit of the chicken we had bought back at Walmart in McAlester just before we reached Buffalo. It was still warm enough in the trailer that we left the fan running until early morning. There was a great sunset followed by a little sliver of moon setting into the sunset glow.

15 Oct, Thu – Since it was only a little less than three hours to Austin, we didn’t try to make an early start but we were on the road by 0915. We stopped a few miles up the road in Italy to get gas at Shell (2.049) just before we got on I-35. But down the interstate a bit farther we noticed that gas prices were below $2. We didn’t stop again until we reached Round Rock where there was a Freddy’s Frozen Custard. We shared a California Steakburger with skinny fries. Then we had mini sundaes for dessert (15.32). We wouldn’t need much to eat for dinner! Once we got to Austin we found the Crowne Plaza where the board meeting was taking place and the EconoLodge where we were staying about a half-mile apart, pretty convenient. The motel looked pretty good and our room was small but clean and looked out on the pool. After checking in and moving most of our stuff from the car to the room we drove over to the Crowne Plaza and joined most of directors in a meeting about what to do about our liability insurance. The cost has been doubling just about every year. Tim Herr’s suggestion is that we form a self-insurance corporation(risk retention group) in Vermont with $2M capitalization (from USHPA, the FFF, and some large schools) and insure up to four $250,000 claims per year, anything over that would be covered by Lloyd’s of London. Tim claims that our present insurance companies won’t fight claims in court, and settle the case with a payment to the plaintiff. He figures that we may be starting to look like a pushover for claimants and that we should fight all suits in court. It all sounded very logical but it made me think that Tim would get a lot more court time (and pay) under this new system. Later we had the traditional icebreaker party with light snacks and a no-host bar. We noticed that Julie was drinking a margarita; she told us that happy hour at the lounge went from 4 ‘til 7 and the drinks were half price. I went down and got C.J. a ($5.50) margarita. Afterward we had a presentation of Ryan Voight’s film on what a student should expect at his or her first hang gliding lesson. Then Julie presented the beta version of the new USHPA website. We got back to the motel before 2100. Jug won’t get in until after midnight.

16 Oct, Fri – Jug must have used a stealthy entry because I didn’t hear him come in but he was there in the morning when we got up at 0630. Breakfast was forgettable, the usual carbohydrate overload. C.J. had made overnight oatmeal for herself and there was some fruit, but no hot chocolate. Anyway we drove over to the Crowne Plaza in time for the 0745 meeting for committee chairmen about the new online comm. report. The Awards Comm. Mtg didn’t begin until 0915 and then we took an hour and a half to choose the recipients:

Bettina Gray Award (photography): Jonathan Dietch

Best Promotional Video: "8 Days at Base" by Ross Smith

Chapter of the Year: Rocky Mountain Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association

Commendation: Reed Gleason, Roy Warren, T.J. Olney, Kit Martin

Exceptional Service: Rick Ray

Hang Gliding Instructor of the Year: Bart Weghorst

Paragliding Instructor of the Year: Brad Hill and Maren Ludwig (team)

Rob Kells Memorial Award: Mike Meier

Website of the Year: Rocky Mountain Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association

After the meeting some of us stuck around to watch the rest of the “8 Days at Base” video. [It was very long and I contacted Tiffany/Larry about editing out much of the music and dancing.] Then Mark, C.J. and I went out to “lunch” at Amy’s Ice Cream, about a mile away (15). Back at the hotel there were other meetings which I sat in on but spent my time typing up the report for the Awards Comm and catching up on the georges email account. When I got excluded from the Tandem Comm, during a hearing about Mitch Bogden, I went over to the Accident Review Comm. chaired by Mitch Shipley. After the meetings were all over we went for dinner with Jug at Pappadeaux just a short walk away. C.J. and I shared a Pasta Mardi Gras and a Greek salad with a very citrusy IPA. It was pretty reasonable because seniors could order from the lunch menu 24/7 ($40).

17 Oct, Sat – General Session, president’s report, Exec Dir report, then reports from the committees. After lunch (leftovers back at the EconoLodge) there were more reports. Gabriel Jebb cornered me to tell me how disappointed he was, since he was obviously the best candidate for the PG IOTY. Then we heard from the Financial/Insurance/Risk Management Comm. about what the RRG was going to cost – an increase of dues to $125, Instructors to 350, 30 day waivers to $8, Site insurance to 200, 500, 1500 depending on how popular the site is, tow operations to $500/yr. Much discussion ensued, then the matter was tabled. Later Paul Murdoch of the Financial/Insurance/Risk Management Comm. came back with a different proposal – “up to” $149 individ, “up to”                $350 inst, $8 for 30-day mem. USHPA needs an agreement soon so Tim can deal with Lloyd’s of London for excess (over $250,000) insurance. The membership will be notified that the board is going to vote on this increase in the next 10 days. The meeting wrapped up with elections. Jaime and Greg Kelley are in as directors-at-large while Ryan is out and Dennis Pagen, who was not present, had resigned. Paul Murdoch is the new president and Jamie is the VP. C.J. and I hung around after adjournment at 1700 and eventually went to dinner at Pappadeux’s with the office staff (Julie, Beth and Ashley) and Greg Kelley. We had a wait of more than an hour but the food was still good. Actually, the blackened Costa Rican mahi was excellent! C.J. ordered a cup of the sausage and shrimp gumbo and the “small” Greek salad. The gumbo was a bit too spicy for her but I ate my share. We shared a crème brulee and got to sample the pecan pie and banana pudding with vanilla wafers that other people ordered. It was after 2200 when we got back to the room and we still had to decide which route we were going to take to go home. Google Maps had shown a very direct route which was supposed to take 32 hrs. The only problem was that it retraced much of routes we had taken on other road trips. But that was better than our car GPS was showing –all interstates and no diagonals. We had the room to ourselves as Jug had left for home (Santa Cruz) around 1530.

18 Oct, Sun – We packed up and moved everything to the car and trailer (mostly stuff from the motel fridge to the trailer fridge), hitched up and parked in the Crowne Plaza lot. Paul Voight had given us his breakfast buffet tickets since he and Ryan were leaving too early on Sunday to use them. The buffet was a LOT better than the one at the EconoLodge (It had been even worse on Sat when there were many more guests, some of them young and hungry athletes). We snagged a couple of really good chocolate muffins, and had scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, fruit. I had a slice of French toast, and the waitress brought us cups of hot chocolate. We said goodbye again and started off around 0800. To avoid some toll roads we drove south on I-35 then NW toward Abilene and Lubbock. We had a short stretch on I-20 and we bought gas twice (2.159 in Llano, 1.995 in Snyder). We crossed the border into NM near Clovis and hit the local Walmart for a bathroom break and to grab a rotisserie chicken and, I hate to admit it, a marked-down selfie stick for five bucks (10). It was too early to camp in the Walmart Lot, our undependable taillight would not allow a two-hour drive to the nearest open state park, and the local RV parks seemed expensive. We started off toward the Santa Rosa Lake State Park anyway thinking we might have to stop at a nearby rest area, but then we saw a sign for Oasis State Park, south about 10 miles toward Portales. A moment later we saw Travelers RV Park and decided to save the 11-mile trip down and back and stay in the RV Park where C.J. could finish editing whatever articles were still on the server and then could upload them without having to find a Wi-Fi venue on Monday (26.78). C.J. had been working on her computer most of the way from Austin.) The office was closed but there were directions for campers arriving late and we got a pull-thru and got set up for the night. Naturally, there was a somewhat busy RR track right behind the camp and the main highway to the west was on the other side of the park.

19 Oct, Mon – Up at 0630 although we were awake earlier - it was either the trains, the traffic on the highway or someone starting up a noisy car. We hit the road about 0800 and drove over the llano estacado to Fort Sumner (Home of Billy the Kids Grave! the billboards said) where we got gas (2.159). C.J. spotted a couple of small herds of pronghorn antelopes as we continued west, then north to hit I-40 at Clines Corner. We drove through Moriarty and Albuquerque and turned north on I-25 for 15 miles to Bernalillo. We got gas at a Warrior Fuel station ($1.979) and continued northwest on 550 to Cuba. We had used up the last of the cheese we brought from home on Sunday so we either had to buy groceries or grab lunch at Subway. The footlong ham and cheese toasted Subway was actually quite tasty. When we reached Farmington we did stop at Safeway and bought cheese (it was on sale) and a half gallon of milk (we’d need it when we got home anyway). As we headed west we could see Shiprock; then we turned north and in 20 miles crossed the border into Colorado. A few miles more and we stopped at the Mountain Ute Casino for gas (2.209) and a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. From there it was 100 miles to Monticello and another 54 to Moab. I was concerned about making it to Moab in the daylight since we were having trouble with the tail lights on the trailer – they were working only intermittently. Since we hadn’t figured out where the USFS campgrounds were outside of Monticello, we pushed on north toward Moab. It was 1845 before we reached the town and the sun had set at 1831; fortunately the lights were working and it really hadn’t gotten dark yet. Apparently fall is the time to visit Moab because the town was bustling and the campgrounds up the Colorado River canyon were full until we got way out to Upper Drinks, the same place we had stayed last time we camped here. We found a single empty site with a permit slip showing that the camper had checked out on the 19^th. It was full dark by the time we had maneuvered the trailer into a reasonably level position but we were just glad we had a site. Moments after setting up and paying the (7.50) site fee, a thunderstorm hit and there was a brief, but heavy shower. C.J. whipped up another skillet meal with the chicken, potatoes, carrots and zucchini and served it with chips and our small bottle of red wine. It was an eleven-hour day and we still have two more driving days to go, and at that we will be getting home a day later than I thought we would. What was I thinking about how long the return trip would take?

20 Oct, Tue – Awake at 0530 but got up at 0630 and it was still quite dark. I got a couple of photos of the bright star/planet high in the NE above the canyon rim. We had scrambled eggs for a change, cleaned up and were gone by 0730. It was interesting to note some of the new tourist facilities in place since we were through here last time. We both want to come back and do more than a quick overview.  There was some rain and a rainbow near Green River. We stopped for gas just before Price – just a few gallons at the highest price of the trip (2.759). Then we blew on to Sandy where we tanked up at yet another below-$2 price (1.979). We went in to use the restroom and to grab a jar of unsalted cashews for Nick. He had invited us to stop by at his new residence in north SLC and pick up a computer monitor that he was no longer using. He also invited us to lunch but when we got there around 1230 he was busy on the phone and couldn’t get away. We ate lunch on the road while driving up I-15. The crossing over into Idaho was enlivened by seeing the clouds rolling over Mt Harrison and dropping rain. Finally we reached Twin Falls and got gas at Costco (1.939) and our frozen custard fix at Culvers (5). Our plan at that time was to head for Boise and stay at a Walmart near Costco, but the lure of the new made us leave the interstate at Hammett and drive to C.J. Strike Dam and find the campground right below the dam just about at sunset. The camp fee was only $10, and there was a fifty percent discount for any level of veteran disability ($5). The small, flying bugs were swarming but the wind kept them from being totally awful. As soon as the sun went down and it cooled off, the bugs disappeared. We walked around the campground and C.J. spotted a river otter in the water; there were lots of jumping fish for sure. Most of the water was coming out of the powerhouse, with very little coming over the spillway. There is a bridge across the Snake just downstream of the dam where you can drive over to another campground which may be where the LZ is for the launch that faces east from the bluff on the north side of the river/lake. There was also a BLM campground back to the east; we passed it on the way to the C.J. Strike dam area. Wednesday we should make it all the way home. Then clean up on Thursday and see if we want to leave for the Women’s/Halloween fly-in at Chelan on Friday.

20 Oct, Wed – It was pretty chilly overnight and we used the heater in the morning for the first time in many days. On the way out we talked to an Idaho Power employee and asked if he ever saw anyone fly HG or PG from the bluff. He had never seen anyone there but had seen people fly downstream near Swan Falls. We got going after 0800 and drove through the sugar beet farmland and a couple of small towns including Murphy, the county seat of Owyhee County. C.J. got a text from Nick asking her to do some editing so when we reached SR 45 which crossed the Snake and headed north, we drove up to Nampa to find the nearest Starbucks. I dropped C.J. there to get the articles proofed and uploaded while I drove the mile or so to Costco to fill up with not-as-cheap gas (2.239). The rest of the day was just driving on Interstates except for the usual trip through the Yakima Canyon to avoid going over three summits on I-82. We got gas at Pilot near Stanfield, OR, which was just as cheap as Costco in Union Gap (2.159), clearly gas is going to be more expensive in the NW. We got home around 1715, missing the 1730 shutdown of I-90 at Keechelus Lake for blasting. The whole yard was buried under leaves and walnuts so there will be lots of cleanup to do Thursday. But first I need to take the left trailer tire to Les Schwab to see if they can do anything about the wear on the outside part of the tread. Otherwise, I’ve got to at least replace it with the spare tire. Anyway we got unloaded, both the car and trailer, and made a big pile of dirty clothing in the living room. Thursday definitely has to be laundry day.

Back at home

22 Oct, Thu – We got the washing machine working early and did several loads. While waiting for the leaves to dry out somewhat, I removed the left tire from the trailer and took it over to Les Schwab. The tech told me that I needed a new tire for sure. I guess that’s not unreasonable since the tire is more than five years old and has lots more than 20,000 miles on it (NM, cross country to NH, a couple of trips to San Bernardino, plus two Labor Day trips to Montana, not to mention all the short hops to Dog and Chelan – hmm, maybe I’d better replace the right-side tire, too). I got a lot of leaves ground up with the mower, and a pile of walnuts into the yard waste container. I didn’t want to do a serious cleanup because there were still lots of leaves on one of the trees.

23 Oct, Friday – I scrubbed the bugs and road grime off the trailer, and went shopping in Issaquah (plus gas at Costco), but we didn’t leave for the Women’s/Halloween Fly-in because the weather looked chancy.

Women's/Halloween Fly-in

24 Oct, Sat – Even though it looked to be too windy and/or from the wrong direction, we threw our overnight stuff in the car and headed for Chelan. For one night it didn’t seem worthwhile towing the trailer, especially if we might end up going to Saddle to fly on Sunday. I booked a room at the Apple Inn over the Internet (51). We got to the soccer field LZ pretty early but people had already gone up to fly. However, the Sunnyside launch was one of the areas on the Butte that had burned so PG people were not eager to spread wings out on the ash. A hang glider pilot, however had no such qualms and got an extended sledder. Then folks started launching from Ants, and we heard that Lakeside was launchable as well with sledders to Lone Pine. C.J. and I drove up to town to see if we could get into our room and drop off everything we didn’t need for flying – not our warm clothes because it was cold and damp. It was around noon when we got to the motel office and our room wasn’t ready. We drove over to Lakeside Park just to look at where the fires had burned, then we went to Walmart to get some crackers and stuff. By then the room was ready. Later we drove up to launch. No one was there but it was blowing in lightly on Lakeside so C.J. got set up. Just as she was ready to launch several more vehicles arrived with Meredyth, CJB, Susan, Derek and others. They all set up and C.J. got launched for a good flight to the Lone Pine tall grass. I stuck around to help Susan and then another couple who decided to launch Ants where the wind appeared calm even though people were taking off from Lakeside. [Their reasoning was that they had left their retrieve car down at the soccer field.] The guy made it off but the girl had to give up after several tries when the downhill breeze started to be obvious. I picked C.J. up at Lone Pine and we returned to the motel to change for the party. This year we recycled an old couples costume – I was the fish and C.J. the fisherperson. There were lots of interesting costumes among the forty or so people who came to the party – Bo-Peep and family (the Heims), coneheads (Jan and Murdoch), thundercloud and victim (Tina and Larry), Wizard of Oz characters (the Swepstons and Brian), Scots couple complete with claymore, and Gordon Grice as Darth Pro, in black and covered with GoPros. The chili cookoff provided ample food with the potluck salads, crackers, dip and cheese. Plus, there were more desserts than the group could eat! We left before 2130 and had a nice rest in the comfortable motel room, a pleasant change from the tiny trailer.

Saddle Mountain Blowout

25 Oct, Sun – Conditions looked not so good for flying in Chelan so we took a cue from Meredyth who was heading for Saddle where it was forecast to be north at 7-8 mph. We stopped for gas in East Wenatchee at Costco (2.___). Flags and trees along the way looked promising so we met Mer at the LZ and carpooled to launch. On the way up we met a BC couple coming down who reported great flights the day before. When we reached launch we found that the wind was north at 15-20 gusting to 28. We sat in the car and waited at least a couple of hours. By then the velocity had decreased to almost-comfortable, but the sky had darkened and it looked like a storm was on the way. We bailed and headed for home.