Smart Choice!

As usual, I was awoken by the church bells at 7.00. Instead of going back to sleep I got up this morning to look at the sky. After the previous evening's thunder-storms, all the hills were covered in clouds, but directly overhead the sky was blue. I got up, had a quick breakfast, worked for a couple of hours and started checking the forecasts. Still pretty good, but today had been downgraded to a 3 out of 4 day by a local club. The clouds had burned off the hills, it looked good.

I walked up the hill, wanting to get up early. Just as I arrived on launch, a student launched and had a smooth sled ride down to the LZ; none of that nasty lift stuff to disturb his flight. Hmm, that wasn't part of the plan! There were 5 other pilots on launch, 3 of whom were hoping to go XC. As usual, there were big clouds to the S (caused by the sea breeze from the Med), up to the North it was blue.

Things slowly strengthened. The two non-XC pilots launched, but it was still too early and they headed to the LZ. The first little cummies appeared to the N and shortly after we launched. I spent 5 minutes around launch height before I found a nice thermal (my first of the year) and pretty much rode it for a vertical mile. It was very cold up there (I need to get some good electrically heated gloves!).

I had an evening meeting, and didn't really want an epic retrieve situation. So I had more or less decided to try a triangle (though I was tempted to keep heading North). Surrounded by magnificent views, I thermaled over Cheval Blanc with 3 vultures before heading W to Tartonne. I had hiked there 8 days earlier, and it was interesting to look at my hike from the air. I had hoped to fly back to St Andre along a ridge to the West, but failed to get established on it and ended up landing at Lambruisse. I hiked for about 1 hour before a local took me back to St Andre.

Great!

Pics -  http://picasaweb.google.com/DMMullin/StAndreFlight19April2010#
Tracklog -  http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/318339