TWO

The new group settled in late last night tired from 36 hours of travel for some, and somehow slept through the loud disco music here at the hotel and yet still showed up at 7am for breakfast.  

Our in-house disco, complete with two mirrored balls!

The day looked odd as ever when I woke, but improved right on cue as we arrived at launch. Nice. 

A pit stop to view landing areas took a few short minutes on the way up. 

Everyone got their gear ready to go after the strenuous hike up the stairs from the parked jeeps below. Another short briefing and it was time to launch!

The air became windy and it broke up the thermals making this the most turbulent and difficult day by far. It was a real challenge to get us all established.

Some had short flights but many made the trek back to our small town and beyond. I landed with two of the three pilots I was guiding and of course my tandem passenger/pilot who wisely chose to fly with me as he was still tired from his journey here from Alaska. 

It was all smiles at the soccer field for Team Monkey as Sam made the trek with us and his guide, Brian as well. 

School must have adjourned for the day as a few students came to chat up my passenger Ryan and me. Cute. 

A short walk had us eating lunch at our favorite spot in no time with fresh made grape and pineapple juice.  Amazing. 

Cipriano (chip re AHN-no) was outside to load our gear and take us to the bank and store so everyone could grab bottled water and cash. 

Soon we were back "home" to shower and take a dip in the pool or just relax under a perfect sky. 

Soon it will be dinner time and after that we'll likely have a talk by Rob or me for the group. 

Edwin, a local boy we often see, said he loved my T.V. debut last night at 8pm. We weren't able to see it at the house but he assured me I did a great job. Sweet!

Ciao for now!

Bye

Today is transition day. Group one leaves and group two arrives late. There was much celebrating last night at the discos with dancing  until the wee hours.  I opted to rehab my knee and try to get it well ASAP.  Everyone looked like they had truly vacationed this am, and will likely sleep very well on their flights home. 

Rain soaked the umbrellas and rooftops this am and it felt like a refreshing way to bring the first chapter to a close, and start a new one. 

Those staying on for more than one tour are going to the city to shop and look around. I'll probably hobble on down too. 

The weather should improve, so the new group will hopefully feel rested just in time for the flying fun, even if they have to wait a day. Cheers!

WET

The day looked similar to days before but one of the retrieve drivers indicated it was a bit too cloudy. Uh-ohh. 

We got out right on time and headed for the higher launch to avoid the comp and their last day. We were surrounded by clouds on take off but readied ourselves nonetheless. A horse showed interest and joined us for a group photo while there. 

FarmerChris. 

Bradley was off first and found lift out front where te clouds weren't touching the terrain. He would eventually fly back to La Union, followed by John B who landed about half way there. Josh and Arry launched too landing in Roldanillo. I became a passenger for Dawn, who was working on her tandem. We took off just as it began to rain. We flew out in light drizzle, found a climb, still raining, then mad a glide to try and get upwind of the wet.  No dice.

We landed nicely on the edge of Roldanillo and had to cover the gear once more while we waited for yet another sprinkle to stop.  Everything was damp, but we packed up anyway, and walked a few blocks into the town center and had a nice lunch at the favorite chicken spot. 

 We caught a bus back with josh and Arry and had plenty of time to flake out the tandem gear and let it dry before repacking it. 

The wind in the downstairs dining area did a great job and it was ready in no time.

Meanwhile, as we sat by the pool, petting Negrito the hotel dog, the others didn't fair so well up top, crowding into the small shack on launch, after covering gear with plastic bags given to them on the first day for situations such as this. 

Later we found ourselves in the town square, people watching and being watched. In fact, a local news guy rode up on a scooter and asked if I spoke any Spanish.  Moments later he pulls out a small cancorder and starts interviewing me as spokesman for for our group. We are supposed to air at 8 pm the next day on channel 22. Who knew?

My knee still hurts but I plan to hydrogen peroxide it today and stay on top of it. 

All good.  Cheers!

FAR

We mixed up the pilots a bit in order to accommodate tandems and keeping eyes on our guests.  We also retuned to the comp launch for another go. The call for Farmer's and my group was to go long today. 

Tamales started us out with fresh pineapple juice and mangoes along with the famous Colombian coffee here. Delightful!

The day started a little dark as is the norm. We got off th hill with no time to spare as the comp was moving up their start. Conditions were more challenging in that if you got a climb to cloud base it was easier to lose it all, and if you didn't get a climb right away, you were more or less on your way to an early landing, and this thinned the groups early on.

Once on course to the south, our gaggle moved well together and we were able to  regroup occasionally and let everyone catch up. After a while we encountered hang gliders and towering clouds over the terrain on the west side of the valley. It was time to make our move to the flats. We all committed to the glide and got up after a long patient climb. 

We fanned out into a fabric armada and glided quietly south, thousands if feet off the ground, enjoying the spectacular view, looking ahead for birds, smoke or other pilots indicating our next climb. John Black had his personal best, and Farmer rocked the tandem, landing next to John with an elated and tired Elizabeth   as his passenger. Dawn and Jim landed past me but short of Farmer and company. They were on a bus in no time and beat everyone home.  Personal best flights for many, disappointingly short flights for others. Acceptance and gratitude are key. 

I landed in this field short of the others a few miles, filled with what I thought were cows.  Turns out they were all bulls, but I was able to make a hasty escape under the fence before they came too close. 

Whew!   Then began my odessey back, involving playing frogger on the freeway to get to the Northbound lanes after a ride in the back of a dumptruck to the main road.

Later I was able to flag down a bus to Tulua, where I then transferred to a bus to Roldanillo.  While I paid for my bus ticket I enjoyed some fresh cane juice with lime in it. Yum! Here is the press that made it:

Soon I was on the Roldanillo bus and chatted up a young man hoping to one day go to Miami Florida. Another bus took me to La Union where a tuk tuk got me back to the hotel just in time for 7pm dinner. Rob gave a great talk about various things after dinner and I was ready for bed.  My knee was hurting so I iced it and had some Advil before bed. 

Turns out when I rolled under the fence to escape the bulls, I jabbed a huge thorn  into my knee and it of course was broken off in there.  Nothing my Swiss Army knife can't handle, and a little neosporin too. Hope that was all of it! Cheers!

Feeling very fortunate.  

NEW

After several days of launching ahead of the local comp, we went to a new site (to us) directly behind Roldanillo to the west. 

A tandem took off early and got up to cloud base just a few hundred above us at 6000'. The glide to the city looked far away but after flying a while it was clear we could make it. Several other pilots displaced by the comp were there too. 

Going north proved more difficult for me on tandem with Elizabeth, who flew with Bradley the day before. We managed to cross to the first ridge, and then the second, but it was tricky to get back all the way to our town. We landed short, packed up and got a ride within 15 minutes from retrieve. Nice!

They dropped us at the lunch spot where we ate to excess, realizing the others had crossed into the flats and gone big (we hope). 

Back at the hotel now, showered, napped, and unable to leave the fan above my bed.  The pool guy just added a bunch of chlorine, so tomorrow looks good for a swim! Ahhhh. Cheers!

Yes!

We were greeted with clearer skies and lots of cumulus this am. 

Though our early start was more challenging, we fared far better than the poor comp pilots who were forced to take off later, losing half the field to the landing zone directly below launch.

Eventually the flats turned on and we chased puffy clouds around the sky.  

We were in the air for 4 hours today, crossing the flats, going South a bit and then back North towards 'home'. 

Most made it to the final stretch back North but only 5 of the 13 in the gaggle at Salazar made the last climb to base allowing 4 to make it to the soccer field goal (Rob, Marite, John Blake and myself) while Farmer opted to chase the task to goal and visit with Jamie and Isabella before they have to fly home. 

The flats were so much fun and the Eagle team really stayed together well and are flying better each day.  Good times!

OVC

Day three was plagued by South wind and high clouds but not until we were all in the air trying to get past our home city of La Union.

 

Wrist burns got Jason (where light jacket meets gloves). Ouch!

Most landed at the town soccer field except for Brian and Bradley and Jason who drifted to the next city to the north. 

Though most of us got about an hour in the air it was a short day by our standards, yet much was learned with respect to flying in wind and drifting thermals. We rested up and prepped for another great day tomorrow. 

Hasta mañana amigos!