US'16 0629 -Edna/ car/ sheep/ Monroe

At 0700 we departed in the repaired van direction Mt.Edna, as Stacy told us there could be a flyable window with south winds of 12mph till about 1200 before it would OD (=overdevelop).
Just about 20mins later we got a warning light on the dashboard 'Check Gauges' and the water temperature was at the upper limit :-((

Mt.Edna (where the road 'disappears')

So we turned around and slowly headed back towards Richfield. We refilled the radiator with 1gal of water and for a moment all looked fine and we turned around again heading for Edna. But our 'luck' would hold for only a few miles, then it started all over again: overheating, turning around, refilling water, limping back to Richfield. Here in the garage they changed the thermostat. 1.5hrs later we headed out for Monroe Peak (as for Edna, the window would had already been closed when we finally would have arrived...)

Going up Monroe everything looked fine until just below the 'Monroe 10' launch, when we were stopped by a herd of sheep being driven up the mountain for the summer.

Waiting behind this flock of sheep to clear the way for us would have meant, that we'd miss also the launch window on Monroe Peak. So rather quickly and unanimously we decided that Andy and Stacy would launch from 'Monroe 10', which was just a short hike up from the road, while I would drive the car down once they had launched. This way they have been (just) barely making the window; whereas when I would have wanted to fly, we (or at least I) would have missed it: I'm just too slow getting ready and I don't want to be rushed into taking off; furthermore the launch with its sage bushes and stones is not exactly the kind I'm looking forward too ;-)

waiting for Andy & Stacy to launch

Andy

Stacy just airborne

CB's developing also over Cove...

As the OD was growing rather rapidly both decided to head out for the LZ quickly, even if it meant to get out of 4m/s (800fpm) climbs.

situation when I got to the LZ in Monroe (looking towards Edna)

Considering the adverse situation(s), I think that's the best we could have done today. And while I'm writing this blog it started to rain outside...

Answer to yesterdays 'question'; "It's both f...ing close to water"  ;-)

US'16 0628 -exploring Willow Creek Peak

Stacy (and Griff) both had proposed going up to Willow Creek Peak and explore a new site there. This (and other possible sites) lie on a mountain range to the west of Aurora and should offer East facing early morning thermal flights. Actually the best launch option lies near Pioneer Peak (see pix), is facing straight East and would allow also just a sledder out to the valley floor.

Going there was already quite an adventure. Even though there is a 'road' going up there it's not really a road you'd want to drive in your car (neither new or old): it's very steep, long, rocky, dusty, tire-eating...

We (Stacy, Andy and I) met Griff, Dillon, Jonathan, Fio and Matthew at 0830 on the outskirts of Richfield and drove with three cars to the entrance of Willow Creek. Here we left Fio's 2wd car, with was completely unsuitable for the 'roads' now in front of us. So it was Jonathans SUV and Stacy's Pathfinder which took us up the mountain.

Luckily we didn't take up Stacy's idea just to go all together in Jonathan's SUV: with 6 pilots and gear in the back it would have made a hell of a (dusty) trip...



The views on top: beathtaking and lots of flowers in bloom.

We found different launch options, though the one on Willow Creek Peak turned out to be unsuitable, as there is a ridge between the peak and any possible LZ on the valley floor, which prevents a glide out (and no good bail-out options at all).

TO near Pioneer Peak

The best option turned out to be a small 'knob' near Pioneer Peak; not too far of a hike from the road and also not even requiring a trap for launching (which most of the other options would do).

actual track of todays trip

...you might have guessed by now that there was no flying today: the weathermen got it completely wrong! Instead of East as predicted, we got a West wind blowing :-((  Furthermore it rather more quickly overdevelloped than anticipated and while we were driving down it already started to rain.

To finish the day off, Andy and I had dinner at Steve's Steakhouse and we 'indulged' in some local brew to wash down the steak (Andy) and fish (me).
Funny names for beer: 'Polygamy Porter' and 'Cutthroat Pale Ale', but both not too bad (certainly better than the usual 'light stuff'...)
By the way: "Do you know the difference between American beer and making love in a canoe?"
Answer: in tomorrow's post  ;-)

local beers

US'16 0627 -Monroe

Stacy's wife Judy offered us her car today - under the condition we wouldn't use it for driving up to Cove. As we wanted to fly from Monroe Peak, this was thus no problem. Thanks a lot, Judy, we really appreciated not having to go in the Pathfinder! 
The day looked perfect for a great flight from Monroe. We arrived on top at noon and already small CU's were forming. So there was no time to loose and I was the last to launch just before 1230.

Andy climbing in front of TO

1100m above launch

The thermals have been strong but nice and in just 10mins I was more than 1000m over launch.

heading for Cove, where I had to do some 'work' before finding a thermal, which took me to 5000m

using my O2 for the first time on this trip...

looking back to Cove (snow); Monroe Peak on far left side

5209m = 17100ft

My 'problem' on this flight: the longer I flew, the stronger and wider the thermals became and the harder it became not to bust the legal limit of 17999ft (5486m). Even doing accelerated big ears it was still going up with > 2m/s (400fpm) and I got to less than 300m/ 1000ft of this limit. (And since my accident in '12, spiralling down is not anymore a real option for me.)
Of course it would have been easy to just continue climbing as cloud base was at 20'000ft (or even higher), but for that I have been involved in aviation way too long...
But I think today would have been THE day to set a new record from Monroe Peak for any of the 'big' XC-pilots: the cloudstreets leading north towards the wasatch range and Salt Lake City.

near Koosharem Reservoir lookibg north

So after pulling big ears for quite a while in order to just get down below 16'000ft I decided the day was probably going too strong for me and finally landed on a nice field near Koosharem, where Stacy normally works.

near Hanock (left) looking south towards Parker Ridge (middle) and Koosharem (right)

waiting for retrieve; looking towards Hancock/ Fish Lake High Plateau

After riding in some really rowdy thermals, Andy decided also to land - he touched down near Glennwood (east of Richfield).

Luckily, only on our way back, about 5miles out of Richfield, the transmission belt of Judy's van 'quit', so there was no more power steering and also insufficient engine cooling. But we made it back to the motel and Stacy was able to drop off the car at the garage. It's already fixed and tomorrow we should also get the repaired van back. But we'll be probably using the pathfinder in the morning to go flying. Where? It's not decided yet...

US'16 0626 -Monroe Peak, Cove

1 hour drive to Monroe Peak on a pretty good unpaved road in Stacy's Pathfinder. (We all hope that his van will be repaired by tomorrow, latest when we have to leave Richfield...)

Ecxellent conditions on launch; there is no excuse for me sinking out after getting a little above TO! Andy did a much better job and landed east of Richfield.

looking towards Mt.Edna, where we flew (or better: got blown away) yesterday

Afterwards we checked in at our new motel (Super8) (we didn't like much the Motel6, where we have stayed the last 2 nights), took a short nap and headed up to Cove for some nice evening soaring.
Conditions have been better than yesterday, so climbs to 13'500/ 4100m have been possible. I flew locally and landed at sunset in the LZ, while Andy made it to Richfield and landed close by the motel.

Pano looking east:Cove (rt) - Monroe Peak (left)

Stacy

Stacy

US'16 0625 - Cove

Our car problems persisted: while driving up to Cove Stacy's van overheated and we had to leave it parked on the road. Additionally, Doug's SUV (the repacement car) got a flat tire upon reaching launch...

Dillon and Stacy changing tire on Doug's SUV

But conditions have been ideal and everybody has been able to bench up to the top..

Mountain goat watching us closely flying by...

So 'finally' a flight which delivered what Stacy had promised it would be ;-)

US'16 0625 - Mt.Edna

A beautiful looking day; together with some other pilots we headed up Mt.Edna. Unfortunately just a few miles up the hill the radiator in Adam's SUV 'blew'. So all the gear and the pilots riding in Adam's car had to be shuttled up in Stacy's van...
Very gently conditions on Mt.Edna, Utah's highest drive-up site (3500m); though we had to walk the last 200ft due to snow blocking this piece of the road.

Tusher Lillies (?)

looking down to launch

We all had easy launches and could nicely climb on the first spin just to the left of TO. But unfortunately this was to be the only good thermal of the flight. As soon as sinking below about 3100m we encountered a strong North flow (up to > 30kmh), which blew apart all the thermals as well as our hopes for a good xc-flight,  allowing only a flight downwind with ground speeds exceeding 70kmh at times. So once out in the valley I picked to nicest field for my landing (just North of Pajute Reservoir); Andy let himself be blown to Junction (South of the reservoir), a 'town' with no cell phone reception and not even a telephone booth...

looking out to Maryvale; on the left the road to launch

US'16 0624 - Otto's ridge - Arches Nat.Park

Again an early departure. Well. it could have been even half an hour earlier as the conditions have already been quite good when we had reached Otto's Ridge. This early morning site lies west of Grand Junction (CO) and is generally flown only until the thermal activity starts: a pure soaring site (a little similar to PotM (South side) but much longer).

As predicted, the winds then became too strong for any more flying that day. We continued west on I-70 and headed for Moab (UT) and the Arches National Park.

on I-70

Delicate Arch

Double Arch

Of the many great features and arches in this NP, there are just 2 pictures (more to be found on Flickr).

We finished the evening with a nice little piece of prime rib in Richfield, Stacy's home town. We'll stay here for the next days, hoping for thewx  fcst to be correct, which 'promises' the best flying days so far on our trip...

US'16 0623 - Roan

During the night it had been raining again, so when getting up at 0530, the day didn't look to promising. We left Glenwood Springs as planned at 0700 with our van and its replaced transmission heading west towards Rifle. There was still some rain, but the further west we drove, the brighter the sky got. Also there didn't seem to have been rain out there (which would have made driving up to Roan quite difficult).

on the way to Rifle

setting up a windsock at the intended LZ

looking towards Rifle and the intended LZ

Bildunterschrift hinzufügen

The conditions on launch have been very good with light winds coming in pretty straight and steady. Andy launched first for the long glide out. Only at the very end he found some lift and was actually able to thermal up about 500m. My gliders performance is a bit lower than his and so I arrived lower and have been unable to catch some lift and thus be able to reach our intended LZ (where we had set up our windsock), so I had to land on a lower field (on private land whose access was barred by a closed gate - which we didn't know at that time). Andy decided to land also at 'my' LZ.
Only a short while after we had packed up, some gas worker stopped by and offered to drive us out towards Rifle, thus solving the 'problem' of the closed gate as he knew its code. Thanks for the ride!

landing: at 1 o'clock from the right side of my accelerator

driving on I-70 West along the Colorado River

near Grand Junction

After we left Rifle, it started raining (again), so I think we had hit the possible flying window right on the spot. We stopped for the night in Grand Junction after just 1 hour of driving. Why didn't we go further? Well, we are hoping to fly a site nearby called "Otto's Ridge".This is an early morning site (a little similar to PotM-South), which is flown in the catabatic air flow before the thermals set in.