Baldy Butte Fly-in

25-26 September

Just in time the weather shifted from rain and gloom (unusual for September) to glorious fall. We dusted the spider webs off the Aliner and hitched it to the Baldy-capable Trooper for the trip, the first time we've had the trailer out since May. [first two photos from an article in the Yakima Herald (http://sportsyakima.com/2010/09/paragliding-an-air-raising-experience/)]

9/25/10, Sat - Getting out of the driveway by shortly after 0900 was the best I could do but there was no particular rush since the good conditions for flying would probably not occur until mid afternoon. We stopped for gas (2.99) in E-burg at Loves (used to be Pilot) and picked up some ten-for-a-dollar corn across the street. On arriving at the LZ, we decided to not hassle with trying to find a level spot in the parking area but use the BLM Lmuma Creek campground. Surprisingly (or not...) it was nearly full with other trailer and tent folk but we fit into a slot between Greg Adler and Bob Bunger's trailers. There did not seem to be any concern about being in a numbered site or not, and there was no fee as far as we could tell. Of course, there was no water either, but there were two outhouses and they were clean enough. Back up at The Rock, we checked in and paid our $25 pp fee, then took a stint at signing other folks in and collecting money. When a parks and recreation guy from Selah showed up and volunteered to drive back down, we decided to take a load of pilots up in the Trooper. The road was as bad (or worse) as ever and the SUV actually scraped the bottom a few times. Many pilots were waiting for it to get soarable at the south launch and were convinced that it would magically turn on at 1400.

I got tired of waiting and launched after Patty and CJ B, and Iain and others just before 1400. There were some patches of lift but not enough to really work. I flew over the ridge crest and back to the north side to see if any leeside thermals might be happening - no luck and I passed over the upper sagebrush LZ on the way to an uneventful landing not too close to the cone. C.J. landed not long after me and, while we were packing up, Dan Heath and Gloria showed up and offered us a ride up in his big crew cab pickup. Conditions were stronger on launch but no more lifty and my second flight was depressingly short, over the crest and straight to the LZ crossing the river twice (a bit gingerly since someone had landed on the wrong side of the Yakima earlier). (6 min) We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting and I worked on cutting up some wood for the campfire. The potluck feast began around 1900 with Amy Heim there to make sure that everything was organized properly. There was a plethora of tasty casseroles, salads, and a slew of desserts (which I dutifully avoided - well, mostly). Dave Norwood showed up, still in his marrying clothes with a beautiful hand embroidered (by himself) stole, and handed out prizes and certificates for the spot-landing and duration contests and for the yearly Baldy X-C League. Later, Mike brought out a bunch of West African-style drums and other rhythm instruments and conducted an hour-long facilitated drum circle. It was fun and kept most people's interest, unusual for a contemporary large-group campfire gathering.

Mike "facilitating the drum circle"

C.J. with a rhythm instrument made of dried seedpods

C.J. and I headed back to the trailer not too long after the drumming died down. An almost-full moon rose above the canyon walls with bright Jupiter to the south. The temperature was comfortable and we needed no furnace even in the morning.

9/26/10, Sun - We slept in until 0900 (cloudy) although there was a contest for the first pilot to fly off Baldy in the morning. (Bob B drove up with a full load of people who graciously allowed him to be first to launch.) Since there were lots of wind dummies flying we could see that conditions were not soarable so we did not rush to the summit. In fact as it got later and later we felt less and less interest in having another flydown. By 1400, after visiting most of the morning, we started packing up the trailer and heading down the road. As we passed The Bowl and approached the Umtamum trailhead we decided on the spur of the moment to stop for lunch and hike up the canyon. However, after lunch and crossing the suspension footbridge, we took the left fork which climbed steeply up a side canyon. We met only one party coming out so most of the folks from the parked cars must have gone up the main canyon, a relatively flat trail that appeared to go about 4.5 miles. Near the top of the climb we passed a grove of quaking aspen and, having been forewarned by other hikers, we looked for the owl. We spotted a large great horned owl and it turned its head to stare at us as well. C.J. got several photos which she was later able to Photoshop to a good close-up of the bird. Just above the aspens we came out of the narrow gorge to the rounded ridges covered with the typical dry steppe foliage of the upper Yakima Canyon. Since we had not bothered to stop and pick up our trekking poles I was concerned about how my knee was going to deal with the downhill half of our walk so we did not go much farther up onto the ridge. The walk back turned out not to be a problem and we passed the owl again and reached the Trooper with no knee pain. The rest of the drive home was uneventful with only a little traffic slowdown and just a bit of rain. I left the trailer in front of the hedge so C.J. wouldn't have to spend time in the drizzle directing me as I backed down the driveway. Despite the lack of soaring, a good fly-in with sunshine, friends, good food and entertainment.

Big Johnson Fly-In... and Seafood Boil

Labor Day Weekend

Chris and Patricia called to tell us about the northenders' party and we threw our gear in the car for a spur-of-the-moment getaway. Going on Saturday and returning on Sunday (weather looked very iffy for Monday) meant that we missed the worst of the Labor Day traffic. Even so, it seemed like every pullout along the North Fork had people camping and there was lots of traffic on the gravel roads leading to favorite mountain bike sites.

We didn't arrive at Victor's property on the North Fork Road until nearly 1700. Several pilots, including Murdoch, were still folding wings from a late afternoon flight and reported rowdy conditions and had not gotten high enough (2400 ft on the 1800 ft launch) to go over the back the 3 miles to the beer shrine (North Fork Tavern). Jan gave us a quick tour of the camping area and we set up in a nice grassy area. It wasn't long before Guy and Rita were starting to prepare clams, mussels, crayfish, shrimp, crab, corn and ? to go into the big pot with water, wine and lots of garlic. C.J. made the "sweet and savory kale" dish and provided a big batch of homemade bread sticks. Other folks threw in salads, pizza and beer (from the "shrine") and other goodies.

(left to right, the boil, Rita and Guy, yummy stuff)

Chris and Patricia didn't make it back for dinner (nor did CJ B. and Derek) because Blanchard had "turned on" late and Chris was soaring until sundown. Otherwise there was a pretty good crowd with Doug and Judy and her boys, Scott and Autumn, T.J. Olney, Roger Brock, Victor and his 3-yr-old Ariana and older son Orion (but not his wife Rebecca), Paul, and probably several more I've forgotten. Missing were Sid, who had been injured at the Black Mtn. Fly-in, and Delvin and Pam who were off on a trip to Glacier NP. After dinner it was surprisingly warm sitting around the fire and even when we went to bed around 2200, it did not get cold. There was a little drizzle overnight but barely enough to wet the tent fly.

In the morning we didn't even get up until 0900 and missed the mama bear and two cubs who wandered near the camp area. Around noon the sky started looking less dark and overcast and some went to hike to the falls on Racehorse Cr, and we went with Murdoch, Jan, Guy and Rita up to BJ launch (48 51.639, 122 07.554) using the gated Sierra Pacific road because the Canyon Lake access road had a washed-out bridge (See map at http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/dyn/MyAccount/TripMap.aspx?tripId=883330&cacheBuster=b1c3fb795e774066a6b95616e7aabca8) [Oops, sorry! You'd have to log in to Backpacker .com to use that link].

I walked up the road from launch for some exercise because the sky was not clearing overhead although you could see sun on the hillsides down toward Acme. We even had some more drizzle. It was around 1400 by the time sun hit the launch but by then we had heard that Blanchard was looking better so we got a ride down with Judy as Chris, Patricia, CJ and Derek were heading there, too. We packed up as the sky cleared even more and as we pulled out we found that Guy, Doug and Jan had flown and landed and Murdoch was still soaring. Oh well! On the way to Blanchard we stopped to pick up some local corn on SR 9 near Hoogdal Road, then cut west to Bow Hill Rd and the usual route up Blanchard. We reached the top probably close to 1700 and the last pilot to fly had had a sledder, even though it had been soarable earlier. We waited a long time in partially obscured sun before the three girls decided to launch together. C.J. was last off at around 1800 and managed to find the elusive lift so she got above launch and was able to boat around for almost long enough for me to reach the LZ. Everyone else pretty much had extended sledders.

After packing up we made a beeline for home in time for a late dinner. It was a fun time with the northenders and we'll have to make an effort to get up there more often.

[In addition to finding out that the Canyon Lake access road was closed, we found out that the road up the front side of Stewart was closed and the way up the back is very long. We hadn't realized that Sierra Pacific required all pilots have USHPA membership/insurance, - that's Black, Big J and Stewart, at least. Blanchard launch (Samish Overlook) looked cleaner than I've seen it before with no fire rings on the launches at all. there was, however, a new brush fire burn just behind the west launch. James was there picking up burned cans and bottles from that area.]

Oregon Coast and Woodrat Mountain

August 24-30 2010

(C.J. and Paula, above)

This was a long-planned trip. After meeting Paula and Stephen at Yachats last August, we wanted a replay. So when the Goldmans let us know they had finalized their plans we contacted Barbara at Woodrat to see if we could get together afterward and fly "The 'Rat". It all worked seamlessly. Well, except for the weather which turned unseasonably cool with a really unusual dash of rain thrown in.

25 Aug, Wed - We left around 0845 in the Trooper and got gas at Costco in Tumwater, where we also got some fruit at the nextdoor Fred Meyers. We left I-5 at Tigard and drove past the McMinnville Air Museum with its Spruce Goose exhibit (have to stop there one of these days) to Lincoln City then along the coast in glorious sunshine. We made a quick stop at the Newport docks to pick up some tuna that Heather had ordered (fresh, line caught, under 30 lbs); it turned out to be delicious cooked lightly on the BBQ grill at the rental house in Yachats. C.J.'s birthday cake was a big hit also, especially for almost-four-year-old Sylvan who had never seen canned whipped cream before (I hope we haven't set him on the downward path to junk food!)

26 Aug, Thu - C.J. and I got up at 0800, early enough to get out of the living room where we had slept, and went for a walk on the rocks. It was a minus tide and there were lots of tidepools with anemones and starfish. When we got back everyone was up and we had a big communal pot of oatmeal for breakfast. We didn't leave until 1300 but clear, sunny weather kept us on the coast all the way down past Brookings into California. We stopped for gas in Florence where gas prices were unusually low for the coast ($2.849) and had a DQ snack in Gold Beach. The drive up through the redwoods and then through the coast range was marred only by the smoke of a forest fire (and the length of the drive). We pulled in to Barbara's yurt around 2000 and cooked up some dinner.

27 Aug, Fri - Barbara came in late last night after a Britt performance by Garrison Keillor. We slept in until almost 0900 till it warmed up a bit (Is it always cold at the yurt?) and then cooked some oatmeal. Around 1115 the three of us drove over to the Woodrat LZ and met up with Rick Ray, Debbie V. and Anne __. Kevin and some of his students were at Mid-launch. Christian and Nick Crane were on launch with tandem students and soon launched to show us what the air was doing. We waited a while for the high cirrus to burn off. I launched at about 1400, found lift and eventually got to 5800, not quite as high as C.J. A few pilots looked low at Rabe's so I didn't go there. I went to the S peak of Woodrat, then back, and crossed to Burnt where I got high enough to make a crossing to Rabe's. On the ridge and toward Rabe's Peak I found some small but strong thermals and one gave me a reported 75% collapse of my left wing. There didn't seem to any easy lift on the way to Rabe's Pk so at 4000', I turned south to Longsword Winery. I ran into wind and landed, farther out than I had planned, in some starthistle. I waited at the winery while C.J., who had landed before me, and others went to retrieve the cars. Apparently the local wisdom is to land at Longsword if you fly in the middle of the day, thus avoiding the usual turbulence of the Hunter LZ. I called Stephen back in Yachats to see about getting my fleece jacket back which I had left hanging by the door when we left. I also called the Medford Costco pharmacy to see about getting some Metformin since I had not brought enough with me. Later C.J. and I went to get some fresh veggies at a farm near Cantrall Buckley and back to the yurt. We mixed up a dinner of leftover salmon, eggs and veggies and ate inside on our table as the temperature had dropped markedly.

28 Aug, Sat - It was warmer last night, probably because it was cloudy. After a cold cereal breakfast we drove in to Medford to get my Metformin prescription, gas and some groceries. By the time we got back to the LZ no one thought that flying under the overcast with "proto-mammata" looked like fun (although Deb and Don had had flights from Mid). A group went to visit recovering PG pilot Bill, and we went to Eve's Cafe to have lunch (and to check our email). Barb met us there on our way out but stayed to chat with Anne and Doug while we went back to the yurt to read and relax. There were some rain showers. Barb came over to look at C.J.'s scrapbook. Everyone is hoping for better conditions on Sunday.

29 Aug, Sun - There were more showers overnight so it was pretty cold and damp. C.J. cleverly held off on taking a bath until the morning so she could go up to the cabin which was, compared to the yurt, toasty warm. I tried preparing oatmeal and milk over the double boiler and it worked well (as long as you weren't in a rush). Just after 1115 the sky started to clear and we headed over to Woodrat to catch the shuttle to the top ($10 ea for non-locals). The shuttle is just a regular open-back pickup pulling a trailer with some telescoping HG racks but it has been carrying folks up the hill on flying season weekends for a couple of years now. Sam Crocker, Jim Tibbs, Dave (Fiasco Winery) Palmer, Randy, Barb, and Don (Donato) Fitch and a few others rode up in/on the shuttle. Deb and Rick met us on top. We waited until 1330 or so to launch. I climbed slowly above launch and at 4600 went to Burnt but sank to where I thought I was going to land at the Old folks Home. But I caught a very low save and climbed quickly to over 5K and crossed to Rabe's. I pushed up the ridge in mixed lift and reached 6400 above the Bunny (-shaped) Meadow. Deb and Rick came in above me (reporting cloudbase at 7100') and I got as far as a half mile from Rabe's Peak. Then I turned for Burnt thinking about trying for Donato's as a goal, but I was not able to find any lift on my line so had to run for Mid where I got up to 5K again. I flew over to Squires Peak and then headed west toward Cantrall Buckley. I was slowed by the headwind and didn't find any lift so I turned N for Longsword and landed there in strong-enough wind to make for a very slow final glide. C.J., Barb and Jules and a few more were already there. C.J. got a ride over to the LZ to retrieve the Trooper and we went back to the yurt for a late lunch and rest. Barb stayed for a HG flight with Jim Tibbs, who was working on his tandem rating. I downloaded my track logs and the photos from Yachats, and recharged my radio and C.J.'s cell. Barb came by after a late dinner and reported on her flydown (!). Some PGs had had hourlong flights but it wasn't really glassoff conditions.

30 Aug, Mon - It rained during the night somewhat more than showers so there are some puddles on the deck - strange weather for southern OR! After pancakes (made w/o milk from a Canadian baking mix), C.J. came back from cleaning up at the cabin with a weather report of showers and below normal temps until Wed or Thu. We packed up and were out by noon. I had been hoping to go to Whaleback to fly and camp and then up to Pine Mtn, but the forecast was just too adverse. On the way through Grants Pass we saw a whole posse of teddy bears on motorcycles, probably the signature art for 2010. We stopped at Eugene to pick up my fleece jacket at Heather and Ryan's beautiful craftsman-style 1941 house. We were going to be too late getting home so we pulled into a Quiznos in Centralia for a quick dinner. The weather changed to mostly clear and sunny from just south of Eugene all the way home. Arrived home at 2120 after gassing up at Costco in Covington.

And, yes, it did rain overnight and on through Tuesday.

Cooper and Pete Lakes

16-17 August



As the heat wave continued C.J. and I decided to get out of town and go camping somewhere in the mountains with a lake. Cooper Lake won the toss on a recommendation from our investment counselor, an avid fisherman.

16 Aug, Mon - We weren't in any particular rush but we were already beyond Easton at 1230 when brake lights went on as drivers slowed down to merge into one lane. No worries; it was a good time for some lunch anyway. By 1400 we had followed a paved USFS road from Salmon La Sac almost to Cooper Lake, finished the last mile on dusty gravel and found the small campground. We were slightly taken aback to realize that it was a "walk-in only" campground, but since we were traveling lightly, that wasn't a problem. There was plenty of selection as there were only a few of the nearly 20 sites occupied and we could have chosen a more secluded site, but we opted for one with good access to the water. [Speaking of water, except for the lake, there wasn't any. But there was a handy outhouse.] After setting up our tent we drove the short distance to the boat launch where we had a shorter and gentler walk to the water. Leaving the sprayskirts behind we paddled off to do a leisurely counterclockwise tour of the lake. We didn't see the beaver who must inhabit the huge, old lodge near the inlet but we did spot an osprey nest with a young bird. Perhaps he was considering his first flight. A mature osprey flew slow circles above the clear water but apparently saw no fish near the surface to prey on. At the outlet end of the lake a few private cabins had gorgeous views of Chickamin and Lemah Peaks. Back at camp we lazed around until supper and the already-early sunset and darkness. Since we didn't even bring a tent lantern, we went to bed "with the chickens" and planned to get an early start in the morning.


17 August, Tues - It was comfortable sleeping after it cooled down and we were ready to get up as it got light around 0600. A breakfast of fruit and granola got us out of camp early and to the trailhead for Pete Lake by 0725. Not having planned to do any serious hiking, we had only one rucksack and a beltpack to carry our extra clothes and gear. We soon warmed up, shedding our morning fleece, even though the trail gained hardly any elevation at all - a total of some 200 ft in the four-plus miles. Unfortunately, as soon as we removed a long-sleeve layer, the mosquitoes swarmed us, C.J. especially. The trail was pleasant enough through the forest, but a bit dusty probably due to the pack trains supplying the USFS trail crew working on the Pacific Crest Trail around Spectacle Lake, a few miles beyond Pete Lake. About two miles in we passed into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and two miles later, after a short final climb, reached Pete Lake where the bugs were blessedly absent. There were a number of campsites scattered along the trail around the lake and we met groups of backpackers, many of whom were doing the Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass hike. Tough for them - there was a major detour around the Spectacle Lake re-construction all the way to Cooper Lake and then a road-walk back to the PCT. Beyond the end of Pete Lake we took a break overlooking the river and had a snack before retracing our steps. It was warmer now, at 10:00 or so, and the skeeters were even worse, or maybe we had just sweated off the bug dope. It was slightly downhill and we beat feet pretty quickly to get back to the relatively bug-free Owhi campground. On the way out we met a pack train of horses and mules heading in to resupply the crew camp. After a rest in the shade back at Owhi we loaded up the kayak at the boat ramp and broke camp for the drive home. We may have left just at the right time because we met a school bus from Seattle Academy as we crossed the Cooper River. Back down at Salmon La Sac we were surprised to see so many people playing in the water.

Tiger Mountain Fun Fly-in

31 July 2010, Saturday








(photo, left, back of t-shirt, "Load the van!" in
Russian. Thanks, Matt!)






Expecting a hot, sunny day I had dragged out our old 11’x11’ dining fly and our new Alps Mountaineering dome fly to set them up for practice on Friday. However, Saturday dawned cool and cloudy making the shade probably unnecessary. I threw them in the Trooper (and later set the old fly up anyway). There were a couple dozen pilots listening to Matty and Wheely talk about XC tactics and competition when we arrived around 1045. Amazingly we lucked into a parking spot in the lot even though the roadside strip was already filled. We had already figured that the van would be overfull for the ride to the shuttle so we sent our packs up to launch and then set off to walk up the trail. We were passed by three of the pilots in the “hike and fly” race and some hikers going up and down. Launch was still above cloudbase with streamers of clouds drifting quickly up the slope. However, the horse farm below the south launch was occasionally visible and the clouds were breaking up to the north. We hung around for several hours while some tandems and a few individuals took off. Eventually it cleared but very few pilots managed to soar. And the launch conditions often left much to be desired. Then David Byrne launched and found lift and disappeared over launch. By that time it was 1600 or so and the hamburgers and other lunch goodies were calling so we launched even though the cycles had really become light (…but at least they weren’t east anymore). Five or six minutes later we were on the ground…and Dave Byrne was high over the towers. If the flying (for most) wasn’t great, the t-shirts and hamburgers almost made up for it. And the price was right – only $25 for a family and that included three shuttle rides to the top plus a t-shirt and lunch. Organizer Ralph Boirum certainly deserves a round of applause.

A Few More Days at Chelan

24-28 July 2010

Ginny and Wally left San Anselmo on Tuesday, a bit later than they had planned. After a stop to visit Page at Hat Creek and a couple of days camping at Lakeview (and a great flight from Sugar), they headed up to Ephrata and then to Chelan on Saturday. Wally could count it as a business trip since he was meeting with his Swing PG company rep from Germany. Meanwhile, C.J. and I could go to Chelan and see what a PWC (Paragliding World Cup) was like.

23 July, Friday - At the soccer field LZ in Chelan Falls we were in time to see the leaders fly into goal - pretty impressive landing speeds on those competition wings; most skied along the grass on their feet but Jack Brown, arriving first, just lay down on the back of his pod and slid in. Dave Norwood asked C.J. to fly tandem with him for one of his required T3 flights and I went up with them for a late sledder to the soccer field. Later we checked into Tom and Lori's house where Ginny and Wally had arranged to stay when they arrived.

24 July, Saturday - We went for a paddle from Lakeside Park across the lake with Tom and Lori, returning via the Lady of the Lake dock. Around noon we got up to launch and helped lay out the wings of the PWC competitors. After everyone had launched we helped dismantle the infrastructure - Red Bull tent, railings, shade structures - and empty out the storage shed. We took a bit of rest and met up with Ginny and Wally at the house, then drove down to the goal at the soccer field LZ and were lucky enough to catch the first pilots to make goal. Doug had said he could use some help before the awards party so we went to Riverwalk Park and did a couple of minor tasks. That put us in the right place for the dinner catered by Country Boys Southern BBQ of Cashmere. The awards ceremony got underway shortly before 2200; the top pilots were Josh Cohn, Yasushi Kobayashi, and Nick Greece, with the USA walking away with the team competition.

25 July, Sunday - C.J. and I launched our kayak at Park Street and paddled to the dam then back up the lake along the north shore to where we cut over yesterday near the derelict cabin, then crossed back to Park St. When G & W got back from breakfast with Torsten, we all went up to the Butte for a flight, Wally's first at Chelan. Conditions were about perfect with cycles coming up Between the Rocks. I was first off and lucked into a thermal that took me to 5K. After some ups and downs we all reached 6K but could not break through the inversion. Then the air began to feel trashy and I headed out to land (:55). Ginny picked us up and we returned to the house for some rest and to get out of the heat (after an ice cream stop downtown and some grocery shopping).

26 July, Monday - When Ginny and Wally got back from breakfast, we took our tandem and the two plastic kayaks belonging to Tom and Lori and put in at Lakeside Park. We all paddled across the lake then Wally, C.J. and I continued another couple of miles along the north shore while Ginny crossed back to the south. After a stop for lunch under some small trees, we paddled more or less directly back to Lakeside, a total distance of about 5.7 mi. We hung out at the house where it was relatively cool in the basement until time for dinner. Ginny and Wally took us out to eat at Tin Lilly which has a pretty eclectic menu and outside dining - perfect for summertime in Chelan.

27 July, Tuesday - After packing the car and cleaning up the house, we drove back to North Bend via the usual route. Wally and Ginny headed into town to pick up a new inflatable bed for camping, a pair of pedals for his bike and some groceries. We had a dinner of Ginny's lamb stew and C.J.'s fresh bread and salad on the deck outside where it was comfortably cool after a hot day.

28 July, Wed - I cooked up a batch of fresh blueberry pancakes for breakfast. When Ginny got back from her morning walk, we took the Trooper to Tiger. C.J. and Ginny decided to walk to launch while Wally and I and Wayne's gear took the road having missed the 1230 shuttle (which may not have run because Mike had some kind of medical emergency - we saw the rescue truck pulling into his driveway as we went by). Two tandem flights launched a short time after we arrived and scratched up and over launch then disappeared. We waited a while longer until C.J. and Ginny arrived then I got my wing ready. Cycles had gotten lighter but I took off anyway and found nothing to the left, middle or right and had to grovel on the Yaher Wall. Eventually C.J. and I found a thermal good enough to get us up and I went left to the ridge. It was a lot of up and down and I never got much over 2800 msl. Wally launched in what must have been a down cycle and scratched his way tenaciously to the LZ. In the distance, there was big overdevelopment above the Cascades and some of the clouds were stretching toward us. Shortly after the next batch of pilots launched (including Wayne on his Sky) both C.J. and I headed for the LZ. I first flew to Squak finding nothing then had to maneuver a bit for landing space with another wing approaching at the same level. No problem and we both had good landings. By the time Ginny got to the LZ (She drove the Trooper down, bless her heart!), it was getting late enough that we had to scramble home to get showers and change for dinner with Uncle Harry in Puyallup. We had a great meal at Mama Stortini's and then got a tour of Uncle Harry's retirement residence, Willow Gardens. We got back late and had to save C.J.'s blueberry pie for G&W's send-off breakfast on the 29th.

Tiger South

16 July, Fri - Scott Ernst stopped off at Tiger on the way to Seattle and his flight home to Santa Fe, so we joined him with high hopes for a good flight. First off we were surprised that the wind in Issaquah was from the south rather than the north as it was at home in North Bend. Nevertheless people were soaring so we loaded up the Trooper for our first drive up to launch in a long time. The road is still good even if the blackberry vines are starting to encroach a bit. We stopped to show Scott the north launch then parked at the south where pilots were just hanging around rather than launching. Sparky, however, was soaring out front and above launch. Later a bunch of folks launched but Mike Daniels had called Heckler and got a report that the conditions in the LZ were strong and switch-y. When three good pilots launched and seemed to be sinking out, C.J. and Scott (and his Seattle friend, James) decided to hike down and I put my gear back in the vehicle and drove down. About three miles from the gate I stopped to ask a family of five if they'd like a ride. The kids were ready for a break and piled in, and Mom and Dad were really grateful also. It was nice to be able to spread some good will among the hiking community. Back at the LZ the last guys to launch hadn't sunk out and were just landing in what appeared to be reasonable conditions. Looks like we may have guessed wrong about not flying.

18 July, Sun - C.J. and I had invited Luis Rosenkjer to stop by on his way to SeaTac from Chelan and he got to North Bend in time for us to regroup for a trip to Tiger. Since it appeared to be another southwind day I drove the Trooper up while C.J. and Luis hiked. This time the clouds dissipated to weak cumulus and we were all able to launch. C.J. and I got up in lift south of the Yaher Wall and I crossed over to the main ridge at about 2500'. After some ups and downs I got to 2800' at the top of what seemed like a pretty solid inversion. Meanwhile Luis had headed way out in front and seemed to be getting higher; apparently he was using the haze domes that I can't even see. We found out later that David Byrne was out there with him. After just over an hour I sank out to the LZ leaving the Trooper on top. C.J. volunteered to fold my wing so I started to hike back up. I didn't get very far before Luis called on the radio to report that he had successfully toplanded and would drive the Trooper down. After gathering again at the LZ, we all went to dinner at Billy Bob's BBQ on Gilman Street for burgers and pulled pork - yum. After visiting for a while back home, Luis got to test out the Aerobed in the front room. We were really glad to be able to host Luis and Scott as they have both been very welcoming to us when we have visited them on our travels.