| Author |
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| Ernie Camacho
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Saturday, June 22
Kurt, Jon James and I take to the road in Kurt's big red Ford F250. We meet up with Bob Stanley on the road and convoy to Wells. We make contact with
Todd and Charley, but they're going to drive straight through to Moore while we'll spend the night in the desert outside of
Wells.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Sunday, June 23
We arrive in Moore to find that there is no one at the town park. We drive out to "Camp Leo" and find that everything is
wet because of the rainstorm that ended only an hour or two before we'd arrived. The ground is covered with cow pies, wet
and steaming in the afternoon sun. Jon starts shoveling them into a big pile while the rest of us decide to look for a
more-hospitable camp site. We eventually settle on the BLM camp site a couple of miles up the river. Todd an Charley have
already staked out a spot on the other side of the river.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Monday, June 24
It looks like a route 3 day. We all decide to use the lower launch, which is where we'll launch from for the entire week.
By the time I get up and over the top of King, most of the others have already bailed over the back. I hang out, trying to
get as much altitude as I can before bailing.
Finally I leave at around 10K or so. With the faster speeds and lighter bar
pressure in my Laminar, I find the crossing over valley 2 (Lemhi Valley) much easier than in previous years. I stop a couple
of times to work lift but after getting halfway across I find no more. I'm heading for Saddle Mt. but as I approach,
getting lower and lower, I change my course more to the right so I'll come in over the ridges leading up to the summit.
I'm hearing on the radio that others are getting up and over so there's got to be some lift along here soon. Nope. I ask
for advice on where the lift might be, but I get no answer. I suspect I'm having a problem transmitting. I try a couple
of radio checks with no luck. Damn! I can't transmit, but at least I can still receive. I continue angling more toward my
right, away from the peak and toward the ridges sloping away to the South. I arrive over the first ridge, still nothing.
I continue to the second, larger and rockier ridge, coming over the top of it as high on the ridge as I can. Then I turn
to follow the
ridge out to the valley and the irrigated fields near Howe. I'm going as slowly as I can, hoping for a nudge of bouncy air
signaling some lift. As I approach a rocky point in the ridge I feel a little something, but it isn't much. I continue on,
hoping to find more over that point. Nothing. Then I hear Kurt on the radio telling me to turn back, that I've gone too
far. It seems that he's been watching me as he climbs out over the peak. He got up from the same ridge I was on and knew
where the thermal was. I had just decided myself to turn back since going beyond that point in the ridge was pretty much a
decision to go out and land. So, I turn back, figuring I'll follow the ridge until I get as low over it as I dare, then
reverse course and head out to the valley. When I get to the spot where I'd felt that small bit of bumpiness, I feel it
again. Great! It's still there! I crank it over and hope I can find enough up to get me up. Yes, I'm going up, slowly.
Kurt radios that I'm in the right spot. I'm glad that he's talking to me even though he's getting no response from me.
I'm saved. Slowly, slowly I climb up and over the top of Saddle Mt. and head out over valley 3.
I'm by myself again
since everyone is further on course. Crossing valley 3 and hwy 28, I find myself in the same situation as before: I get
a bit of help crossing the valley, and then no more. As I approach range 3, I once again veer off to my right but this
time there aren't really any ridges for me to aim toward. Instead I work my way around the point of the range toward
the highway (highway 22), and once over the highway, along it towards the east as far as I can go. The air is somewhat
buoyant so that I can glide for quite a way, but I find no thermals to get me back up. Finally I pick a nice field
alongside the highway. My vario tells me that the wind is coming from the south, across the highway, so I set up my
approach so that final has me crossing the highway. As I'm coming in, I notice a fence alongside the side road on my
right. There are white spots on it. On second look I see that they are insulators - the fence is electrified. Up
ahead at the far end of the field is that same electric fence. I don't want to land behind an electric fence so I
extend my glide as much as I can, just clearing that fence for a nice touchdown. The only trouble is that I'm about
100 yards off the highway and no one knows where I am.
I pull out my hot rod antenna, put it on my radio, and try to
raise the chase vehicle, only to find that my honk'in 12 volt gel cell battery is dead! Damn! Oh, well, I can
break down my glider, then run out to the road and flag down the chase vehicle as it comes back from retrieving the
other pilots. So, I hop to it, glancing out at the road every few seconds to make sure I spot Kurt's red truck as
soon as it comes into sight. Then I have to get down on my knees to tuck the glider into the bag. I can't see the
road for a minute. As I get back up, I see the red truck, past me, headed on down the road. Damn! I grab my
radio and run out to the highway. It takes way too long before a truck comes along. I wave it down and ask the
guy if I can plug my radio into his cigarette lighter. He motions toward the dashboard on his beat-up old truck
- no lighter. After another long wait another car comes along. The couple are a bit apprehensive, but they
figure I'm not dangerous and let me plug in. I raise chase, dash off a few sentences about where I am, then
unplug and run back to my glider. As I finish packing and carry my gear bag out to the road, I start thinking
that maybe I should have spent a few more seconds giving clearer directions to my position. You guessed it.
The truck came back for me, but then thought they'd gone too far and turned back, just a half mile before reaching
me.
I waited out there for them to go all the way back to Howe, get some gas (an adventure in itself), then come
back down the road, far enough to see me. We get back to Howe, past dinner time, and still we have to go out
and retrieve Bob Stanley and ?? (I can't remember who, now) who had bombed out on that same ridge where I had gotten
up
with Kurt's help. They had landed in the fields out in the valley. We finally got everyone picked up and back
to Moore around 10 or 11. All in all, a great day!
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| Ernie Camacho
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Tuesday, June 25
We fly. I land on Pass Creek Rd.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Wednesday, June 26
First competition day.
I land at Mackay Airport
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| Ernie Camacho
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Thursday, June 27
2nd comp day.
Route 2 is called. I land in Pass Creek almost into valley 2.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Friday, June 28
3rd comp day.
We fly.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Saturday, June 29
4th comp day.
Day is called `cause of weather. I go to Craters of the Moon.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Sunday, June 30
Last day of comp.
I go down at Mackay Airport. We chase Kurt and Bob to May.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Monday, July 1
We arrive at Crawford Mts. Check out takeoff. Set up camp.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Tuesday, July 2
We fly Crawfords, ridge soaring, trying to find a thermal to take us away, no luck.
John Blacet says:
The Crawfords was nice with a late afternoon flight to 11K or so. Camping was bad: hordes of mosquitoes at night due to swampy wetlands/river below.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Wednesday, July 3
We travel to Dinosaur.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Thursday, July 4
Fly Dinosaur. I drive.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Friday, July 5
No one flies. T storms.
John Blacet says:
Kurt and I had 24 and 20 milers from Dino on Friday. It was a bit smokey and high cloud cover but Kurt made it to 16.5K!
I stopped at about 14.5K. A bit of work getting up initially but very nice lift.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Saturday, July 6
Others left for home today. I fly, land in corral bailout. Nicki and I chase Kurt and Skip.
John Blacet says:
Saturday, it OD'd early. Jon flew a bit and landed on top.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Sunday, July 7
Nicki and Skip leave. I fly twice, top land first time, 53 miles 2nd time.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Monday, July 8
We leave for Utah. Check out point of the mountain. Decide not to fly - too hot and high-pressure. Head south for Echo
Cliffs. Spend night at KOA.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Tuesday, July 9
Arrive at Echo Cliffs. Check it out. Don't feel up to flying today. Make camp at Lake Powell.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Wednesday, July 10
Try to fly Echo Cliffs. Set up and wait. Nice clouds but blue overhead. Finally Kurt takes off first, only to discover a
big T-Cell coming from behind us. Sled ride to the bottom. I break down.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Thursday, July 11
We leave, go to Las Vegas and play tourist. Leave Vegas at 8PM, and drive to Crestline / Marshall LZ, arriving after
midnight.
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| Ernie Camacho
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Friday, July 12
Crestline. Kurt flies, I decline. Kurt stays up for a couple of hours in the inversion/smog/trash air. We leave at 4PM
for home. I get home at 1AM.
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