Monthly Archives: July 2013

Luling to Dale

An unepic adventure and epic fun.

A journey with a friend always tops the journey made alone.

On July 11th, Mark and I towed up with the mindset of get high, go far. I had going east around Austin in mind.

After I finally got a good climb, Mark came in way under me, eventually climbing over me at 6500ft. At that point, string was pulled and miles were covered. 5 miles out, I turned in lift, gaining 1000ft, then raced off into what turned out to be the ground at Dale, Texas – a mere 15 miles straight distance. As a dog leg, more like 20 miles.

In true form, I was picked up by a local drunk, taken to the beer store a mile away and went off in search of Mark who was gracious enough to land near me.

Lessons learned…..

1. Every day is different. This day was higher pressure with sharper edges and severe sink. Being cavalier on buoyant air days can work….. on days with severe sink, despite higher than normal lift, being cavalier will put you on the ground.

2. Beware of which car you get into. The operator may be drunker than you think!