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 19th. 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
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
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
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.
