Sunday, 12/1/02
Skyport Past Fillmore
~ 48 miles, 5+ hours
1 Top Landing
Bonanza
Got to launch well before 9 and waited for it to build. Hooked in at 9:30, but needed to wait 5 or 10 minutes for a cycle. Fun launch, and got 25 over right away, but struggled. Finally forced out front a bit and hooked a full size thermal up to 35. A little drift from the east, but cloudbase was low off to the west and I wanted to beat potential OD in The Pass, so I moved over to The Factory
The glides were ok against the light headwind, and the low cloudbase seemed to be high enough. Made all the early connections ok. Better sun off to the east and higher bases. 5+ from Noon. 5ish at West Divide. Due the slow glide against the light east, I stop at East Divide to worked up high on the spine to 5 again . Arrived on the SW cliff at White Ledge and tried to drive up, but had to fall back. Got up enough to get around. There was better sun out front and reached cloudbase above 5K out on the front point.
Not much wind on the glide so I went into bump 3. Got back to 45 and came in on the Nut House with 500 over launch. Despite full sun and a good lapse rate, there was no movement and little action. Lost 200 and decided that if I couldn't stay over launch I'd ditch it and wait for it to turn on. Finally started to hold my own, I figured it was better to struggle. Took about 10 minutes to finally get up to ridge line. South Side passed me but fizzled down from mid spine on Spine One and was hanging on low. I took my time milking over. Got back up into the low 4's over Spine One.
5+ over the front point down the spine from Nordhoff Launch. Passed directly over The Stooges, but nada. Got to the west spine of Twin Peaks low with little to no wind. Had to get out front and hang on to a scrap until something better rolled up. It was weak down low with no clouds on the front points, so I drove up the spine for a top landing at Chiefs, figuring I could take the high route after a re-launch. Scotty hollered down from his overhead flyby and took the lead.
Off again and take the high route toward The Repeater and The Bluffs. The whole valley seemed to let off at once and ODed quickly. Base was above 6, but I got caught in the suck and ended up above 7, so I had to fade out front to get oriented. Topped above 6 again off Puckers and took it over to Santa Paula Ridge. Worked up to the top, got on the high ridge and up to base in the low 5s. Didn't want to get whited out and disoriented, so I stayed below the suck. Little lift up on the ridge after diving out of the cloud suck, so I had to fall off before reaching the Peak. Blew another 500 looking south down a spine to a front point that had a cloud overhead. Got over to the SE spine in front of Santa Paula peak, and climbed back up to 46. Looked up hill and lost it. Left badly and ran for Bo's thermal in front of San Cayetano. Bo toped in the low 4's but I arrived with 35 and could only get a hundred.
Got a good glide toward Jacks place, but still didn't have enough to get on top of the cliff. Limped along the edge toward the SE. Down to 1100 msl and finally found a scrap. Climbed back to 14, but lost it and was back down to 12. Found another and got to 18, but back down to 16. Finally got up to about 25, drifting up the canyon. It had shaded in an gotten weak. Looked out front and over by the F. Fizzled up the river and landed about 1/2 mile short of the RR crossing just west of Rancho Sespe. 2:45.
Caught Diablo's bus on it's way back and shared stories with Tony, John Scott, Scotty, and Bo. Stopped by the club house (Sharon Sweeney's) for more tall tales with Tom P and Chris Grantham