I've given some memorable rides, but nothing to compare to that! Are
sure that you didn't just have some of that LSD and dream up the rest?Â*
Dreams, either way...

Anyway...

At the end of a typically good day out of Black Forest, Tom Serkowski in
has ASW-20, I think it was a b model, had stiff wings, and I in my LS-6a
met over the front range around Cheeseman Reservoir.Â* Time to go home
and one or the other of us asked if there was anything else to do.Â* I
think it was I who asked the question and Tom's answer was something
like, "Let's race to the top of Pike's Peak."

Well, we had glide to Black forest, but not to the Peak but, what the
hell.Â* We headed south.Â* The lift was good and we were able to pretty
much maintain our altitude, hitting the north buttress of Pike's Peak
just about at ridge level, maybe 10,000'.

We were on the west side of the ridge and the wind was blowing
perpendicular to it.Â* Ridge lift was good.Â* We were gaining altitude at
the same rate as the terrain was rising and going fast!Â* We could see
cars on the road up the Peak stopping to watch as we flashed past.

My heart was pounding and my breathing was deep and fast.Â* This was my
first real experience with ridge flying other than a couple of flights
on the North Shore of Oahu which is nowhere near the same. As we reached
the top of the mountain at 14,115' MSL, we each did a pull up and, IIRC,
turned in opposite directions.Â* I don't recall which one of us got there
first and I don't really care.Â* I had so much adrenaline pumping through
me that my hands were shaking and I told Tom that I couldn't take any
more and was heading home.Â* I think he hung around the Peak for a little
bit to have some more fun.Â* Maybe he could join in and give his side of
the story.

As I took up a heading towards Black Forest, I noticed a bunch of
tourists at the visitor center on top of the mountain.Â* I opened my side
window and let out a loud whistle and saw faces and cameras rise to the
occasion.Â* I did a steep turn circling the visitor center and a plunge
down the sheer face on the northeast side with a pull out about a
thousand feet below and an easy glide home.Â* My heart was still pounding
when I got there.

Then there's the story about the red headed Irish lass, but that's for
another time...

On 4/12/2020 4:45 PM, Nick Kennedy wrote:
SEX DRUGS AND ROCK N ROLL

So one Saturday morning, back in say 2003, I'm in the backseat of our ASK 21 here in Telluride Colorado giving hour rides. Jeff Campbell is the towpilot this day.
A couple of times a year in Colorado we can get these very strong thermic conditions, very strong with no OD. This was one of those days. We started at 9 am and things were fine when at noon this couple appears for the 12 oclock and 1 Pm ride. This women was striking, looked like Dolly Parton only bigger, everywhere. I take her husband up and it is getting too rough, like 15-17 knots up and down, but not much wind. So we land I decide to shut it down. I tell this gal this and she is so deflated, telling me how she had looked forward to this day for so long. She asks me why we can't go? It's not raining and the winds are light on the ground. I talk to Jeff, who knows how strong it is, and he says what the hell lets go. She impresses on me that she is a bit of a dare devil and is not afraid of rough air.
She was Sooo sexy, Huge blonde hair, Huge boobs, wearing a thin cotton dress, like the gal in Cool Hand Luke,she was from Atlanta a real southern bombshell.
So we push the K-21 out to the runway and I wonder if she will even fit in the front, shes like 6'1" maybe 200+ but beautiful.Bright red lipstick too. So I help her in and she just fits and I'm putting her belts on looking down what looks to me to be the Grand Canyon, she knows I'm having a total perve on her and shes just laughing and I'm thinking about what it would be like spending a couple of days with her in a Cabo condo drinking and doing some LSD, wouldn't that be fun?? I get her a couple of sick sacks but don't dwell on that issue. I shut her canopy and get in back and belt in and realize her hair is so big it fills the whole front view!
Campbell takes out the slack and off we go in out C 150/180 with a density altitude on the sign showing 12, 450'.
On the downwind departure leg we fly into this mile long thermal going up like 1700. Campbell does 2 reversal turns in it and I'm off at 12,000. I ask her if she wants to go high or cruise the ridges and she says she would like to do both please. So I head to the ski area and I swear to god I never did a 360 and I get us up to 17k in about 15 minutes flying straight and doing some 180's.
We have this cirque about 20 miles long that goes clear around Telluride that is spectacular, So I find some strong sink, did I mention it is really really rough?, and get down on the cirque, fly the whole thing and go into land.
She gets out and is just beyond herself and hands me a 200 dollar tip and asks me to split it with the tow pilot.
I still think about that ride.

--
Dan, 5J