Day 3 at Mifflin 15m Nationals

Well, this day was a real downer for me.  Landed out on the way to the first turnpoint, only to find out that not only did most of the fleet get around, there weren’t enough landouts to even devalue the day – bummer!  I think it’s time to seriously consider a shift to a different sport – maybe competitive knitting, or extreme C# programming :-).

The day was forecast to be blue, with a sharp cap at 5000′ msl, and that’s pretty much how it went.  The task was a 3:00 hr MAT east to 19 Wagoner’s Gap, then west to LockHaven, then east to Three Barns, east again to Penns Cave, then home or whatever you wanted to do.  We all started out blobbing around on Jack’s mountain, climbing in 1-2kt with 40 gliders or more in a single gaggle.  Nobody wanted to leave when the gate opening, hoping for someone else to lead out the furball.  I eventually went out on course, got exactly one climb, and ended up in a farmers field short of the first turnpoint –  ugh.

The good news is that the farmers in this case were very friendly, and had no problems with my temporary use of their field or their hospitality.  The farm is owned by grandpa Stahl, and farmed by his son (not present at the  time) and his two grandsons Chris (16) and Andy (12).  Chris kept me company most of the time, and was proud to tell me about their farm – they make their entire living from the farm, with no outside jobs or employment necessary.  They rotate 4 crops (hay, wheat, soybeans, and corn) on a 450 acre holding that is just eye-wateringly beautiful.

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Tim Welles (W3) crew person David Ritting graciously agreed to come get me, after making sure his pilot was already back home safely, and so I was back in time to partake of the Harris Hill Dinner Event, sponsored by Harris Hill Soaring Club, ClearNav, Inc, and  See You.  I wasn’t in much of a party mood, but I did make a good start on drowning my sorrows in beer!

Frank (TA)

 

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