Sleepy

Two weeks of flying, partying, and being active was finally catching up with me.  Instead of sleeping in on Wednesday, I was up at 5:30am taking PK to the shuttle stop so he could head home.  I was wide awake when I got back so no more sleep.  While other pilots set up their gliders after landing out on Tuesday, I fell asleep on the bench of the picnic table.  I was ready to go back to sleep when Mike roused the troops for a trip to the Florida Ridge, a little over 100 miles (160km) to the south.  The nap would have to wait.

Once again I pinned off into a climb to base.  Mike, and then Aric, took off, but I waited for Jason who was climbing to the northwest.  While Aric and Mike cruised south along the east side of Route 27, Jason and I flew along the west side.  Mistake.  I watched Aric bop from cloud to cloud while we struggled with weak climbs.

Meanwhile Rodger relaunched and was heading south.  The drivers, Dennis and Wayne, were getting ready to chase.  Jason and I finally started moving again and did OK until we flew into the Lake Wales area.  Jason was ahead of me a few miles, but neither of us could put together a reasonable climb over 3500 feet (1000m) while the clouds teased us above at 6500 feet (2000m).  Aric and Mike continued to widen their lead while the drivers were soon directly underneath us.

Persistence paid off and I started moving again, drifting over the airfield at Avon Park at 7000 feet (2100m).  However, my shoulder was starting to hurt and I was loosing interest in fighting for climbs.  After a couple half-hearted attempts, I stepped over tall power lines, scared a few cattle, and gently touched down south of Sebring.  Unlike most landings, I wasn't upset to be on the ground.

I zipped up the glider bag just before the drivers pulled up in Jason's truck.  Speaking of Jason, he was flying overhead so we drove back to Route 27 and headed south to Lake Placid.  We stopped to water the drivers at The Royal Palm Cafe and waited for the pilots to check in.  As usual, the day waned and pilots started dropping out of the air.  Mike squeaked into the Florida Ridge after climbing out from 350 feet (100m) near the canal, Aric landed just shy of the 100 mile (160km) mark north of LaBelle on Route 29, and Rodger landed behind us at the airfield in Avon Park.

I assumed driving responsibilities and was pulling out of the cafe when Jason reported he was south of Lake Placid, about 32 miles north of the Florida Ridge.  I did some rough calculations and figured he was actually on the south end of Lake Placid.  I asked Dennis and Wayne to look out the window and see if they could spot him.  Sure enough, Wayne spotted him flying directly over us at 500 feet (150m)!  We drove a couple hundred yards to the north and watched him land.  Everyone helped him quickly pack up.

Jason

Unique spot for a falcon nest!

Since Rodger had access to a pilot's lounge and food a short walk away, we decided to continue south to pick up Aric and then Mike. We took a few minutes to say hello to friends at the Ridge and a grabbed a quick bite to eat in LaBelle before heading back for Rodger.

We got back to Wallaby Ranch at a reasonable time given the distance everyone flew and I finally got to take my nap at midnight.

Duration: 3:15, Distance: 60 miles