Fire in the Orchard

We didn't see any signs of lift in the blue sky on Saturday and no one wanted to prove it was, or wasn't, soarable.  Nick finally launched and managed to keep his feet off the ground, so the launch line started to form.  The climbs were weak and squirmy but Paul dropped me off in a useable but anemic thermal so I slowly floated upward.  3 hot fires in the orchards to the west of Wallaby Ranch provided a safety net for most of the afternoon.  We also got an aerial view of all the flooding from the massive rains on the previous days.

Fire and water

Fillepe

It got progressively more difficult to stay airborne and pilots started landing.  I snagged a strong climb that allowed me to survive the last flush cycle as a cloud field slowly built southwards towards us.  A bit later the clouds started forming overhead, climbs topped out at 5600 feet (1700 m), at least 1000 feet (304 m)higher than our previous climbs, and the thermals were strong, rowdy, and abundant.

I played for another hour and then searched 15 minutes before I found sinking air so I could land.

Later that evening the crew rolled out for tandems and practicing new skills.

Carolina and Zephyr

Aric and Clay

We topped off the day with a delicious "Southern Boil" provided by Harry with shrimp, crab, sausage, corn, onions, and potatoes served "on the table".

Flights: 1, Duration: 3:06