XC Skies showed the day to be somewhat promising, but then again, Mother Nature can always have other plans.
We caught a ride to the top in Rick's truck and through the shuffling of gear, I managed to leave my vario in my truck, which was in the LZ...note to self...keep everything in your harness bag like you always do!
Karl was nice enough to loan me a little helmet mount vario that was barely audible inflight. So, tracking the moody thermals was a bit tough at first.
Within a few minutes I was able to get above launch where the thermals were more developed and less "moody"...
Once above launch, the key was to stay above launch...
The higher you could get, the better...
Thermals were really punchy with sharp edges...I found myself still wishing I had not forgotten my vario and was still struggling to hear my on-loan mini helmet vario. It was hard to relax this flight, but at least I remembered my GoPro! I set the camera to take a picture in 1-minute intervals to keep track of my flight time.
The day was nice and bright. The snow-capped Sierras were off in the distance, and every once in a while I could relax and take in the scenery.
There was still more flying to do, though...
Climbing with Ben...
I topped out at about 6800' according to Ben's vario...give or take a 100' or so.
The ACP solar eclipse...
After a couple hours of punchy thermals, it was time to head out toward the LZ where there was plenty of sink to get me down to the beer.
This was a great daytrip and some great flying in challenging conditions. Ben and I headed home together while others (Bob, Carm, and Ann) headed on down to L.A. for more flying in that area.
Flight time: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Altitude: 6800' (+/- 100')