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Monday looked like it might have more potential, but Sunday qualified as the weekend. Carpooled with The Spin Doctor from Carp, and loaded into Bob Peloquin's truck at NHS with Randall and Tom Pipkin. Collected Edward and got to the SS launch at Pine about 10 past 11. Light OTB, so we gave it 45 minutes and launched a bit past Noon. Too early? Dribbled down and hooked up with the convergence out front to eleven five. Headed across The Chute and on towards the 50/50, but ran into a headwind. Opted to turn back for the ridge on the north side of the Chute. Got there in the low 7s and hung on to scraps that eventually bubbled into better action. Followed the seam up the ridge to 12K, and then NE toward Guillermo. I had the glide to Guillermo, but drove out the right side of the convergence seam. Was tempted to run for the 50/50, but I had the glide to Lockwood and took it. Passed on a nasty thermal over the Guillermo meadow, expecting to find better over the top, but nada. Heavy sink to the edge of Lockwood. Latched on to a scrap below 7K and drifted from the SSE to the edge of the badlands. The scrap took me back to the convergence and I climbed to 14K. Still below cloudbase, but the upper level wind was progressively more south with increasing velocity with altitude, so I pulled out to head for Frazier Mountain. The wind on the pond at the end of Boy Scout Road appeared to be from the NW and the wind on the pond at the other end of the valley behind the quarry looked like it was filling the valley from the NE. A robust cloud mass was building over the valley and the shadows were clipping along from the SSE. The wind down lower had west in it so it was quartering downwind to the southern edge which was marked by ratty and torn swirling wisps. Ran into south wind on the south side. No clouds over Frazier, but there were some haze domes. The south wind was pushing the thermals back into the Valley. The action on the southern edge of the convergence was ratty with the occasional spanking. Got to 13K at Frazier Mountain, but down below 12 going off the eastern end. Had a quartering tailwind for a short stretch, that switched to wind from the south with associated spankage before the high school. Tried to get on the ridge east of Gorman, but it seemed to be NNE down lower so I tried downwind back across I5 near the junction of 138, hoping to find a bounce. Nothing but scraps, so I tried the southern edge of the junction before throwing in the towel to land into a 12 mph wind from the NNE. Touchdown about 2:30ish on a dirt road. Concerned about the high temperatures. It was a bit too scruffy, windy, and dirty to pack up, so I hiked upwind about 50 yards and found a pair of long flood channels and made camp in the entrance. The tunnels were about 75 yards long running east west under an earthen levee. I was on the west end and a gentle cool draft was flowing through from the east. The underground concrete channels were like a big AC unit cooling the hot desert air. Smooth clean surface to pack up and no bugs. The tunnels were so comfortable compared to the outside scorching heat that I was tempted to just take a knap until chase arrived, but Ron informed me that Bob's truck was boosting the Dry Canyon boys back to launch, so Edward was a couple hours away. Did the slow 45 minute pack and eventually opted to brave the heat and hiked over to the 138 / I5 southbound on ramp. Traffic was light, probably a hundred cars in an hour and 15 minutes. Edward arrived about 4:30 an got me out of the sun. I opted out in Ventura and called Sharon for a ride back to Carp. Home about 6 PM. |
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