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Hangola January 22, 2000

We were packed up and ready to go at 9:00 am yesterday so we wouldn't be the last ones to arrive at the rock. However, the Wash Times photographer had been out partying all night and didn't make it to our house until 10:00. So, once again, we were the last ones there. As predicted, it was crossing slightly from the West but there was plenty of thermal activity. Sparky got off first and had a nice flight of about 45 minutes, 600 over. Kelvin joined Sparky and spent most of his flight thermalling out in the valley. By the time the rest of us got our acts together, Allen and Kelvin had gotten cold and landed-- it was about 20 degees at most. Tom, Marc and I went off next and played dodge glider in some of the choppy thermals. Tom kept trying to fly out over a field that was being fertilized and catch the manure thermal. I guess the thermals on the ridge wern't sh*tty enough for him. Mike Balk joined us and suddenly the skies seemed crowded as the lift diminished. Brian VH launched just in time for the flush cycle. I got lucky and blundered into a big fat thermal that took me to 1000 over just as everyone else was sinking out. But I was soon back down to a few hundred over working little bumps. After I got an hour, I was just about to head out to land when I blundered into another big one and climbed up to 1100 over. But cold and having the photographer waiting in the LZ for a landing shot, I headed in. Karen and Ellis got off in the second round when a crew FINALLY headed back up to launch. But it had completely shut down by then and they both had sleds. At about 2:30, the winds then shifted to be out of the SW. It was weird having the weather follow the prediction so accurately. The photographer took six rolls of film; but I have no idea which ones the paper will use. Marc buzzed launch a bunch of times, at my request, so he'll probably make it. And since I was the only one to be photographed landing, I might make the cut too...

Matthew (too tired to ski today, of Karen and Matthew)

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This page last updated January 23, 2000