The Journey Begins

We arrived in Frankfurt at 7pm on Monday night (local time). We descended through some grey cloud that blanketed the whole of Germany. We have been here for over 24 hours and it has only just stopped drizling. Coming from a dry summer in Australia, it is quite enjoyable. We went instead to see if we could find a car for our trip. We saw a few potential ones but can you really trust a used car salesman. It looks like the Turks have taken over the used car market in Frankfurt. My gut was uneasy. We bought a car later on at a private sale. I also got my first taste of doing 180kph on the autobahn.

The trip over was good - especially the thai massage we had during the stopover in Bangkok. 20 Bucks for an hour was a bargin in my books. We got quizzed a couple of times as we were going through immigration in Melbourne and Bangkok why we had radios and GPS's in our hand luggage. They couldn't really back up their concerns so they let us through both times.



We got picked up at the airport by an ever smiling Olli. Sarah (Sam's friend) also came rushing forward with a big hug for Sam.

Hopefully the car turns out ok (after we fix a few minor problems) and we head south tomorrow.

One last fling

My flight isn't till 11:30pm tonight (Sunday) and there is only so much you can pack. So I decided to not to worry about packing on Saturday and went for one last fling at Three Sisters. The day was glorious but the wind once again didn't match the forecast. It was a lot lighter than expected. There was a lot of hesitation on launch but the paragliders that went off seem to be maintaining - but only just. I decided to clip in and have a go as nobody else seemed keen. I did a few passes and managed to get a good cycle which got me to about 500 above. One other hangie joined me and for about 20min we have a great time in really soft lift. But then it all went bad. The lift went, about 6 other gliders launched and we all muddled around launch height. After about 5 mins, I thought I better get out of the way and land.


It was gorgeous afternoon and it is great to see a green landscape again. As the sun was going down, one paraglider was in the air enjoying the afternoon lift.

One of the worst AFL games in History

I don't really follow AFL all that much but decided to head along anyway on Sat night to the St Kilda and Hawthorn game with a few St Kilda supporters and one Hawks supporter. I read today in the paper that it was one of the worst games in history having scored only 4 goals by half time.


At 3/4 time I was thinking that either team would be lucky to make it to 50. It really didn't worry me. I thought it was quite funny. Instead I just spent my time trying to steal Kyles hat and chips. Kept me amused for a while.


I also spent a bit of time over the weekend helping Sam make a camera mount for the hang glider. Helping is a bit of a loose term. It was more like errand boy going to the hardware store for a couple of bolts we needed and then going to get lunch. We all have our uses. I definitely didn't get my Dad's handyman genes!


And this is the end product. I have given it a paint job but it gives you an idea. Will have to wait and see if it actually means we get some good footage. It is mainly for video as it allows you to turn it in different directions when flying.

Sara

I met Sara a few years ago when I did a Cross Country Hang Gliding tour in the middle of Victoria. The course was for 7 days. We had great flights. After that, we hooked up regularly to go flying together. Going flying with Sara was good because she bought a different perspective to flying. A girls perspective. You don't get other guys talking much about fear, the challenges they face, the in-decision. The majority of guys have a more gung-ho attitude. Sara was the one who introduced me to Bright and some of the locals and for that I will be forever grateful. We have had some great times doing all the things you do up in Bright. This is Sara before a flight off Mt Buffalo.


Sara has been living over in Saudi for the last couple of years but occasionally she comes back for a visit and we often head up to Bright for some time off. She's met a Swede - who's knows whether she will make it back permanently. My bet is that Bright might bring her back.

Three Sisters

Three Sisters is the name of one of the closest flying sites to Melbourne. It is a great winter site as it faces north and there are quite a few northerlies during winter. The forecast was for 10-20 kts and it was looking good on the way up as we drove past areas that were blowing close to 20knt. But when we were actually standing on launch the stillness was deafening. I can tell when people aren't ready to fly as instead of the gliders being pulled off the car, a picnic rug was instead. It's not a bad place for a picnic but I still wish it was windy.


After a few minutes of watching a paraglider play around, I decided I would rather fly down than drive down. The bets ranged from 4min to 7min on how long it would take for me to get down. It took 3mins and 28sec.



I got a lift with Rob and Joely. Joely has a thing for cows. And there are some pretty damn cute cows here apparently.


This is them all lining up for a photo.

Autumn Bright

Headed back to Bright for one last time this season. The purpose this time was for a club meeting but also to say goodbye as winter approaches. The autumn colors are coming out, the grass is getting greener, the temperatures cool and the thermals get lighter. You would think that it wouldn't be that busy but the tourists are still here watching the trees change colors. I was exceptionally lucky to catch the autumn parade down the main street. Did I say lucky.


I didn't get a fly on the Saturday as it was very overcast so Carol, Heika and I went for bike ride instead. Given the weather, it was probably the better option. Sunday fined up a bit and John and I headed up the hill not expecting much. The paragliders were having sleddies. I launched and managed to find something on the right. It was just enough to get above the hill but once there the bubbles just kept coming through and it was easy to stay up. 4 paras joined me.

Afterwards, I joined a few others at the Buckland cafe for waffles and hot chocolate. Haven't been there before, but the view was exceptional down the buckland valley.