Chelan July 12

Some neat clouds moved in late in the day.

A rather weird day with some people having lots of trouble getting above launch and others having no problems at all; lots of cirrus meant it was basically overcast and no shadows but there was lift anyways, dust devils etc.

We got stinkin' high over the Butte about 3500m so we figured it would be an easy glide towards Mansfield which was the first TP of the Mansfield-Douglas-LZ triangle (84km).  But gliding across to the rim it was super SE winds and we were dropping out of the sky.  I ended up making it past the powerlines no problem, but no lift to be found afterwards and I ended up landing shortly thereafter.  Bummer!

Pilots were raining out of the sky all along the courseline with people drifting back the wrong way in the thermals and doing death glides: nobody made goal...the furthest pilot was just short of Douglas.  The skies got more and more overcast until a bunch of altocumulus moved in, courtesy of the thunderstorms forecast over the next day or so.

Even though it was a short flight it was really cool to be so high over the Butte...usually we don't get so high and then leave for elsewhere so it was a treat to easily see Mansfield from over Chelan.  And the overcast conditions meant it wasn't as hot as normal so packing up in the moondust on the plateau wasn't the chore it usually is :)