Long retrieve

Doug and I with some new friend's Cindy, Allan and Co.

I hope that cat doesn't know how to use that gun.

Still hot. I picked a 130km triangle to the east. The forecast was for thunder storms late in the afternoon. I launched late because I’ve been a little nervous about launching here and don’t want to be in the way. By the time I got across the gap you could see rain to the north. I was flying slow and over development was filling in all around me. I fought up wind to get my sim’s turn point in hopes things might clear and I could get back. I knew this was wishful thinking and should have just headed straight east as you don’t need to tag the turn points if you aren’t doing some sort of closed course. I knew there would me no going back with a storm building behind me. I headed straight east after sims and crossed the lake. I got some lift on the cliff’s over looking the lake but decieded with a south wind it might not be the best place to be. If I were to tumble and have to throw my parachute I would be blown out into the middle of the lake. Not that I was really worried about tumbling but I just didn’t feel the risk was worth it. I headed towards the nearest farm and landed.

I was soon greeted by a friendly face on a quad to see how I was. I introduced my self to Cindy and Allan and then Cindy was off to grab me a glass of ice water. After I was packed up they brought me into there home and made some dinner for me. It was nice to have something to eat, I was starving after a long flight and had nothing with me. They were super friendly and made me feel at home for my four hour wait for retrieve. Doug went out to get Fiona but she got picked up. He then went and got Christine. Next was Paul but he got picked up by a friend of Martin Henry so they headed off to get me. Not knowing the area they headed down the highway next to the lake and got with in 6km of me but a the bottom of the huge cliff I was soaring. They had to drive all the way to the end of the lake to get back up on top. Cell coverage was spotty at best which made the whole thing a lot harder. Allan took me in his ’68 station wagon to meet them part way. It’s a little harder to find coming from the north. We finally got back to the farm. Christine and Paul then got to meet Cindy, Allan and all the pet’s. Two dogs, four cats (one pregnant) two duck, three geese, and two horses. They were such kind people and as I’ve mentioned in the past part of the reason I love to fly cross country.