John Kloer (aka OJ)
Saturday, 10/22/05
Pine to Ojai

Thanks for posting the pics Ron, I really liked the shots that peek through the clouds to the valley floor.  That was one of the smoothest Pine days I can remember, it was a simple one thermal ride for 1500 ft. into the convergence seam and then magic carpet lift everywhere above that.

We've jinxed ourselves in the past by predicting an easy run back to Ojai from Pine but today played out perfectly.  It was one of those special flights I'll be thinking about when the Winter rains arrive.

Vario log: 1050 fpm up, 800 dn, 4150 over launch, 1 hr. 5 min.

[Amigo] > [Ron's flight index]

Ron Meyer

Saturday, 10/22/05
Pine Mountain to Ojai

[photos] / http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/the_verve_1/album?.dir=be09&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/the_verve_1/my_photos
Ron's link now redirects to flicker's home page, but not to photo album (noted during 2015 maintenance)

If you weren't at Pine today with your wing and a gritty determination to fly, as my friend OJ might say…

"it sucks to be you"

...because we had a day of incredible flying, breathtaking views, and an easy, awesome 15 mile sled ride glide into a beautiful cloud checkered Ojai Valley to land right next to our cars and pack up on nice green grass.  Followed by high fives, cold beer and plenty of smack talkin' and shoulder slappin'.  It sucks to be you, doesn't it?

lol

Bob H, OJ, Robb Millster, Paulie, Fast Eddie and myself couldn't have timed our day any better.  We arrived at the south side launch at 12 and launched 30 minutes later.  I flew Tom Pipkin’s Summit 2 and climbed to 10K in short order on it.  Tom was gracious enough to lend me his wing and I really enjoyed the feeling of it and the awesome ‘on a rail’ like agility.  Tom has flown dozens of epic flights to far away lands on it, and I can see why. (It’s not the pilot, it’s the wing. I see that now. ;o) )

The beauty of our timing is that as soon as I busted 10K, a nice cumi began forming right above and beckoned me into her awaiting arms.  Then, seemingly out of the blue, a bunch of her sisters appeared and marked the lift for all of us.  Up elevator for everyone!  lol

I climbed to 11,400 and went on glide to NHS with a beautiful north tailwind push.  I was traveling 40 mph at times, sometimes with a 25 to 1 glide.  It just doesn’t get any easier…

Have you ever flown in a 747 and looked down on a cloudy day to see the cloud deck below you?  How it looks like a box of cotton balls?  Well, that’s what it was like as we got to the Ojai Valley.  White cotton candy straight out of a dream.  Made you wanna unclip and jump out on top of it.  Once again the timing was with us because the clouds began breaking up as we got to NHS and left gaping holes for us to fly in through, to get to the LZ.

It was a memorable day.  4 of the 5 of us arrived at NHS stinkin high and landed right next to our cars.  There’s always something kind of cool about that.  I can’t think of anything that could have made the day any better…well…maybe if you could’ve joined us.  What happened?  Well anyway, maybe next time.  It’s too bad you couldn’t make it because after all, it was a magic day.  Maybe next time you’ll join us instead of buying a new outfit or polishing your nails or whatever silly BS it was you did today.

;o)