July 4

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filthy
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Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2005 12:05 pm

July 4

Post by filthy »

So I'm thinking we head up Thursday the 2nd to Lake Tahoe for 1 night, and fly Slide Mt. Friday. After the flight drive to Lake View Oregon for 2 nights. Then fly Sugar and or Black Cap one or two days then back to Tahoe for one night. I like the idea of not driving all 11 hours in one day. What do you think?
jdelear
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Re: July 4

Post by jdelear »

Phil, I would like to join you for Friday at Slide. I'll be on a road trip,We'll be in the Tahoe area on Thursday. And then on to Lakeview for a Saturday flight.
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gregangsten
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Re: July 4

Post by gregangsten »

I'm in. I have room for Tony's glider and others, for that matter.

I've been looking into camping sites and wrote to the Lakeview fairgrounds for some info. Here is the reply:
Yes it's open...and I don't think you'll have a problem with a non hookup space. Dry camping is $5 night and our restrooms/showers have limited hours due to cocos restrictions.
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gregangsten
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Re: July 4

Post by gregangsten »

...thanks to Fred B for pointing out the campground near the McClellan LZ.

http://parks.nv.gov/parks/washoe-lake

https://www.campsitephotos.com/campgrou ... e-park-015
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gregangsten
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Re: July 4 epilogue -- more than you want to know

Post by gregangsten »

It was an interesting and fun trip.
Wed. July 1: Greg A., Steve M and wife Pat, Sujata, Arthur and Lisa all head north and rendezvous in Bishop for a possible late flight at Flynn's. It's blowing hard south though and on launch we decide that 25 cross from the south will not be fun and scratch the idea (over Su's objections, of course.)
A, L & G all head for a hot spring pool near Mammoth airport which we share with an entertaining well-tatooed lady in need of a dentist. From there we move on to Bridgeport where we camp at Travertine Hot Springs while the others motel in town.

Thurs. July 2: We rendezvous for a soak at the marvelous hot springs in the morning. Afterwards, while waiting for Steve and Pat in town, Pam and Steve, a Bridgeport couple walks up and asks if we are pilots cuz they are. We talk for awhile and they discuss flying the Sweetwater site nearby which sounds interesting. Still, we head out to Slide and McClellan. Reports from locals are unfavorable for winds though. I meet Jim Delear and family at the McClellan LZ in Washoe Lake State Park. It's a perfect campground by the lake with a groomed LZ but no spots are available. Jim says he has two ticking time bombs in the car and he leaves to feed them and go on to Lakeview. The rest of us decide we have better odds at Hat Creek Rim and leave for there, several hours away. We all have very nice glass-off flights with views of Lassen Peak to the left and Mt. Shasta to the right. Lots of people camping and flying there for the holiday weekend.

Friday July 3: I have a Huell Howser moment at the nearby Burney Falls State park in the morning. Prettiest waterfall you'll ever see. I then drive a few hours through the State of Jefferson (try Wikipedia) and arrive in Lakeview. I mess around getting a campsite and a broken refrigerator cord fixed while Steve, Arthur and Co. head for Sugar hill to fly. Later I head up Black Cap right above town and run into an old timer (whose name this old timer cannot remember) who is setting up a glider with his wife. She says she will drive me back up for my car so I fly too. Actually I fly alone because he breaks 2 batten tips setting up. The flight is rough, I never get up high enough and eventually skidaddle to the pasture LZ. After breaking down, Phil and Cathy show up for a glass-off flight and we do it again. Lovely, buoyant air we boat around in for an hour a couple grand over launch and the town. Arthur arrives late and flys too.
Breaking down in the LZ, I discover that my car keys fell out during the flight and are gone forever. The only locksmith in town moved away so for the next 4 days my car sits on top of launch while my wife's keys are FedX'd to me. (4 days is overnight in Lakeview)

July 4: We head for Sugar. I'm a bit intimidated by the miles of trees I need to cross and not feeling it, so I don't fly. The air looks too rough to Phil so he doesn't fly either. Su launches but sinks out to the now forbidden bail-out below and hides in the bushes. Steve and Arthur get up but land in the legal but sketchy bail-out LZ. Rick Christen, a Bend OR XC hound flys past Lakeview with his Exxtacy, but goes weightless a dozen times and says it was the worst flight of his life. No explanation as to why he would fly past Lakeview while having the worst flight of his life.
In the evening, Phil, the social butterfly, organizes a party at my campsite and firepit, brings food and we have a great evening with all the pilots from all over and others while the drive-in fireworks show explodes in the distance.

July 5: Steve reports he has a flat and needs a new tire. He and Pat decide to leave for Reno and a tire and call it a trip. Phil also heads out for home. Arthur and Lisa seem to disappear, so that leaves Su and I and Bend OR Rick. Nora, a teacher looking for summer adventure who joined our party the night before foolishly volunteers to drive for us so off we go for Sugar again. We watch 4 paragliders do poorly though they make it out to decent LZs.
We then check weather reports which all tell us the wind is actually quartering over the back, even though it seems like it's blowing in nicely. Maybe it's wrapping around from the valley to our left and giving us the wrong message? Rick decides to launch after we wait for things to build. He launches, ekes along the ridge back and forth a bit without gaining much. Then he heads left again and falls some, forcing him to head out a bit. He then proceeds to get the worst drilling I've ever seen, thousands down, all the way to the 395 and The LZ Which Must Not Be Used. "Well, that does it for me" I say, and walk back to break down. Su comes up and says, "Will you launch me?" "After watching that!" I say. "Yes" she says. She then proceeds to launch, runs along the ridge, climbing all the way, reaches the point, hooks one and instantly climbs to 12 grand. Hmm.
I reconsider, launch, and after scratching for 15 minutes, move out front a bit, find one and finally get away. Not as high though, I need to follow the road more to the front of the next range, unlike Su who is skipping along merrily down the back peaks. I do get in one memorable thermal that beats and scares the hell out of me. For awhile I am thermalling with a bald eagle but after getting pitched over repeatedly, I decide the flight is not worth dying for and bail. I end up landing 2/3 of the way to town. Su, of course, lands in Lakeview and kicks my ass. I then hang around the campsite the next day, waiting for my keys which finally arrive Tuesday afternoon at the now vacated campground.

Epilogue to the Epilogue: Driving home through Bridgeport, for the hell of it I stop at the aforementioned couple's house and ask if anyone wants to go flying. Pam says that her friend, Scott Huber was going to drop by today for a visit. Pam and Steve end up driving for Scott and I and we have an excellent flight from Sweetwater, flying about a dozen miles back to town to land by their house. Considering the serendipity, it was the nicest flight of the week.
Last edited by gregangsten on Thu Jul 16, 2020 12:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Steve90266
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Re: July 4

Post by Steve90266 »

What a wonderful synopsis of the trip, Greg! My most memorable moments from the trip were the evening flight at Hat Creek Rim, this one screaming thermal I caught over Sugar, watching Sue sky out (she's fearless) over Sugar, and hanging out with you and everyone else at the RV park for 4th of July. All in all, a great trip!
Steve Murillo
suesen
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Re: July 4

Post by suesen »

I loved your synopsis Greg! You forgot to add my horrifying launch but awesome glass off flight at Black Cap :D July 4th
Wish i had been there for Sweetwater! What an amazing find!
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gregangsten
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Re: July 4

Post by gregangsten »

suesen wrote: Mon Jul 13, 2020 12:50 pm I loved your synopsis Greg! You forgot to add my horrifying launch but awesome glass off flight at Black Cap :D July 4th
Wish i had been there for Sweetwater! What an amazing find!
Also left out your other flight from Sugar to get half way home on your first try. Glass offs were nice there at Black Cap. I wanted one more to try landing at the campsite.
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