Heber 6/23/07

The whole gang showed up on Saturday for a potentially great XC day, with possibly Evanston Wyoming and beyond a goal. Greg, Cody, Jeff O, Steve and myself found ourselves at the top of Heber launch around noon with drivers Dorthy and Chickadee in tow. As we were setting up, high level cirrus clouds began spreading out, thwarting our chances for good thermal production. However, one by one we committed to the air sustaining two to three hundred feet above launch in ridge lift - very few thermals. It wasn't until an hour after launch the high clouds began dissipating and we began climbing out in moderate broken thermals. Cody, Jeff and Greg got the first good thermal. I watched from below as the crew circled higher and higher, drifting back behind launch. As Steve and I were working the leftovers, I heard Cody on the radio. He and the others were at eleven five and heading over the back toward the 40 -I80 junction. Steve and I managed to eke out ten five, and headed over the back. Only a mile behind launch, Steve and I found a great thermal that took us within gliding range of Park City. Steve continued to work the lower part of the thermal and managed another 20 minutes in the air before landing just southeast of town. I was able to hang on in the better part of the lift and managed eleven and some change. Greg and Cody had Wanship on glide. With a bit of an altitude edge I decided to make Chalk Creek my next waypoint along the route. Jeff was satisfied with making the junction his goal, making a shorter day of it and earning brownie points with his wife.

The route to Evanston from Heber is a complex line that requires an intelligent strategy. Fortunately I was able to cash in on some great info, thanks to Steve's willingness to share some of his knowledge of the route. My track continued 10 miles past Chalk Creek and just short of Evanston by fifteen miles. I landed in a small flat field by I80, full of cows. A whopping 39 miles. Cody followed close behind me, landing in Chalk Creek for a twenty nine miler. Greg decided to cut his losses and backtrack a bit, landing at the junction (by his truck).


It was one of the quickest retrieves thanks to Dorothy. At seven pm we were at Greg's house in Park City enjoying a great evening of food and friends.