New personal best distance.

With a great looking soaring forcast I wanted to get an early start. I was the first one to tow up at 12:30. I towed up into a blue sky with nice looking clouds to the north. I got under a the only wispy cloud just starting to form over the tow road. I climbed to 9000' and headed off to the north. Leaving early and flying into the blue I started off cautious. Turns out I didn't to as their was plenty of lift already.

As I crossed over the Red Deer river a large cloud started devloping from the west and was shading the ground below me. I was able find good lift in the shade and got high again before flying back into the sunshine.

I got really low over Big Valley. I spotted a ridge on the west side of town and managed to gain some height to stay in the air. I continued north looking for better lift to get me going again. At about a thousand feet just north of Big Valley I hit my best climb of the day. I flew straight into the core and climbed at 1000 ft/min all the way to 11 000'. When I pulled out I had the bar stuffed and still climbing. I ran until I got away from the lift. After that I stared leaving at 10,000'. That's getting back in the game in a hurry.

The first time I recognized where I was from the air since I crossed the Red Deer river, was when I was climbing over Stettler. I know the city quite well and knew I was close my longest open distance flight. I was cruzing along nicely thinking it would be great to fly to Double Dam. This is where the Miles in May comp. started and our prefered tow site in northern Alberta. I didn't think I was there yet but saw a little town on the high way in a river valley I was flying over. I started looking at the ridge trying to find our ridge soaring site. I headed a little east looking for the golf course. Scanning for the pavement heading east from highway 56 I was sure I wasn't far enough yet. I was low and needed to be looking for lift not trying to figure out where I was. Now I was looking for a landing field. I landed after 4 1/2 hrs 200km from take off.

Leif was towing guys from Double Dam just 10km from where I landed. They ended up flying 146km further north. Cal came and picked me up after he was retrieved and drove me back to Calgary. Nothing like flying 200km to another flying site and have your buddys there drive you home. Micheal landed in Viking 3hrs after I landed for a distance of 250km. What a great day.