Siete

Wet umbrellas and tiles around the pool suggest that it rained last night or early this am. The sky seems to concur. 

While this normally doesn't mean a thing here, it does make me wonder about the day considering the weather of the prior two days. 

Yesterday was a blast from the past for me. I saw my friend Carlo Borsatino on launch. He was here attending a trip with Jocky Sanderson's group. I met Carlo in 1999 or 2000 while attending the X-Ceará meet in northern Brazil. He was flying an Apco Bagheera, and I was on a Windtech Quarx, along with my friend Ryan Swan. In fact Gabriel Cañada the co-owner of Windtech was there too. Carlo would go on to open a school in the UK called fly bubble and carry Windtech products.  It's like a family reunion here for me. I've fallen out of touch with both Ryan and Gabrielle. I wonder how they are doing?

Breakfast included two eggs sunny side up, but I asked for more "fuego" on mine and flipped them over to solidify them more. Veggies and a roll completed the dish.  Interesting combo, and I polished it off with some café con leche and a fresh smoothie that is prepared each morning. 

As we readied ourselves to load up and go, it began to drizzle and a quick phone call to friends in Roldanillo confirmed it was more even more widespread. We pushed back the departure time and the drivers packed the wings in tarps to be safe in case of more rain. 

After an hour or so of light drizzle,we had a meeting and decided to have a presentation about logging flights online and planning flights as well. Our youngest participant Collin led the discussion and did a bang up job!

Negrito, the little black dog waited with me and kept me company. I miss my pooches at home. Maybe he knows?

As we finished the talk the sky lightened up a little and we jumped on the Cipri to make our move to the mountains. Once there it started working but never fully cleared up. We cautiously readied our gear unsure if the weather would hold. 

Unloading the rain-proofed gliders

Several other pilots launched and began to soar, even though cloud base wasn't very high, some were able to surf the lift up the side of the cloud on the south side well above base. 

A hand full of our pilots launched and experienced a variety of conditions including sink, wind, lift and turbulence. Most headed out to get more terrain clearance, taking the advice of the guides via radio still on launch as we shut down the launch and waited to see if conditions would improve. It began raining in Roldonillo and the wind started to increase over the back of the hill. The pilots in the air landed out front without incident and kited their wings for fun and practice in the valley landing zone we call Oscar's. 

Putting it all back in the bag. 

We packed up and walked down to the Cipri waiting near the bottom of the stairs. 

Cipriano showing Rob his lashing skills for the wings on the Cipri. Not bad for a 70 year old!

So in the end, a few flew, and most did not. It was a great lesson in patience, observation and safety-based decision making. All pilots are accounted for and happy. Tomorrow this group leaves and another will arrive late so we can go flying again on Monday. Some folks are remaining here for more than one tour and will have an official rest day, as will the guides. It should be a fun send-off party tonight at the hotel. "Live from La Union, it's Saturday night!"

The view from the Cipri on the way home. Looks like we avoided a car wash with the wings uncovered on top!

Yours truly modeling some $2000 Cp ($1 USA) reading glasses from town. I added the Niviuk logo for style points with a black sharpie

Cheers from Colombia!

Marty

Sies

The sky is dark today. 

It could mean a slower heating day and better flying. Yesterday started cloudy but sunned up so abruptly that clouds overdeveloped and rained until the sky once again clouded over and mellowed out. 

Oatmeal or porridge with apple and guava chunks made for a tasty breakfast today. Ali our cook is flying tandem with Rob. She has flown once before with Rob tandem in Santa Barbara and flew to 9000', a personal best for Rob at the local site and a heck of an intro for her. 

The Cipriano vehicle or "chipree" as we call it is right behind us in the way up as usual.  The guides usually ride in Flacko's vehicle. 

Flacko's jeep. 

Flacko goes by several names such as John or John jeep, Freddy or Freddy Flacko. It took me a while to put it all together that it as all the same guy. He is an accomplished pilot as well and flies tandems as a local guide too. He takes great pride in his work as retrieve and coordinates with Cipriano to pick everyone up as soon as possible. It is really impressive. 

The man who is Flacko. 

Everyone sends him a text with their full name and gps coordinates. He looks on his map and fetches the hard to reach guys while Cipriano scoops up groups of pilots from Flacko at the main road rendezvous spots when he is full so he can go back on chase for more. 

John Spitzer finishing the hike up to launch. 

The sky stayed overcast and dark as we sat surrounded by cloud on launch with the wind blowing from over the back of the hill at up to 8 mph.  It made for a much cooler hike today but there would be limited soaring. 

The easy way to deliver gliders. 

I saw this cool bug on launch. 

After an hour of patient cool waiting, brad and Koyoko launched into a hole in the cloud followed by others soon after. A few made it back to our town, the rest and I landed directly below.  We packed up on grass and were picked up a few minutes after we hiked to the road. We headed straight to my the chicken place!

We nearly cleaned out the rotisserie chicken place.  It was amazing as usual. 

We ate like savages and the got back on the Cipri back to the hotel. Brian bought a horn at a store that sounds like a ocean ship at sea.  Can't wait to hear it at cloud base!  

Now I'm hanging up my laundry that I washed while in the shower. I have a fan in my doom and everything will be dry before I go to sleep. 

I miss my family and our two cute dogs too! I love you Mia and Darla, Joe and Andrea, my sweet Carmen and the pooches Sam and Rosie! Thank you for letting me be here living my dream. 

"Con abrazos y besos" 

Ciao,

Marty