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Tuesday, October 10, 7:31 AM. I awoke this morning to damp skies.
It was practically drizzling, sort of a low altitude condensation. As I drove to the restaurant, I found news and weather reports
and heard that it was expected to remain "cloudy" through
the morning, and that all balloon activities were canceled for
the morning.
When I came out of Jerry and Michelle's
tent trailer, I noticed that perhaps 20 or more balloon-related
vehicles had were already parked around the perimeter of the
flying field, so at least they were not feeling 'canceled' yet.
But it was a little damp to lay out
my wing, and with camp broken, there was no coffee on site, so
I decided this was a good day for a sit-down breakfast.
So, while I'm here, para-waiting, I
thought I'd write about what it's like to fly the desert washes...
These washes, as I call them (perhaps
they are properly called arroyos), are like creeks, except that
they are usually dry except when it is raining or just after
a rain. They form cuts in the otherwise-smooth desert surface. They often have sheer vertical walls, two to twenty feet high,
(at least those out by American Flyer's 19th avenue flying field). These 'washes' meander across the desert floor, turning left
and right, their walls going up and down relative to their floors,
which are usually sandy, smooth and flat. They tend to start
off narrow at their 'headwaters' and widen as they move downstream.
These washes or arroyos provide a delightful
flyway for the aspiring precision-powered-paragliding student. One can attempt to follow their course as they wind through
the desert and easily gauge how well one is doing. It's not
an easy course, but it is a forgiving one if one maintains enough
elevation and flies them in the upwind direction. On the other
hand, insufficient elevation and imperfect maneuvering could
lead to a close encounter with a sandy cliff or an abandoned
refrigerator...
In any case, I had a blast trying to
fly these washes, arroyos, or whatever you choose to call them. I flew every one near the flying field, at different elevations
AGL and in different wind conditions and found that they provided
the perfect stone against which to sharpen my skills. Just when
I would feel like I had it dialed in, knowing just how much brake
to apply just how early in front of each turn, the arroyo would
make a sudden turn that left me flying out over the desert, or
maybe tumbling rotor from upwind would teach me that I was not
such a master as I thought. Like the perfect teacher, these
washes were alternately rewarding and humbling, inviting the
student to try, again and again, to complete their course with
a more perfectly than before. If there were winds, one had
to fly higher and with ground effects one's course was less perfectly
matched to the center of the wash, but it was still a challenging,
humbling, and satisfying experience for me, though my favorite
runs were done in no wind conditions, low, flying down in the
slot with the desert floor at eye level, the banks flying by,
bushes above my head, feeling at one with my glider and motor
as I would gently apply just enough brake, just enough in advance,
to stay close to the center of the channel as it curved before
me, all the while attempting to maintain a constant elevation
above the sandy bottom but always ready to either climb out or
cut power, flare, and land if I could not follow the curves in
the course.
I have a favorite wash that I'd like
to encourage you to enjoy if you are in Jerry and Michelle's
neighborhood: from the 19th avenue flying field, proceed South East
to a big man-made basin where two or three of these washes or
arroyos converge. This basin is large enough to land and take
off from if necessary, but it probably won't be necessary. From
here, fly the southern-most arroyo up toward the West and you
will enjoy a course that grows increasingly challenging as you
proceed up-canyon until you either pull out, unable to negotiate
the ever-sharper turns, or make it to the highway near the launch
site and have the chance to practice your touch and go's or road
tracking skills on your way back to the bottom of the wash for
another go-around.
Jerome |
