New Finger Lakes Record

I'm up in Rochester at the Finger Lakes Flight park to teach a vario/XC clinic. Yesterday was looking pretty good with cummies cranking about 15 miles downwind of the field. Lake affect was kicking up so we needed to get the hell out of dodge! Wind on the ground was strong but we figured it was a local effect that didn't extend very high. Got up with Linda Salamone for some XC training and started blundering downwind.
Top of lift was between 3,300 to 3,800 for the first
15 miles or so in the blue. We didn't have any big plans as we headed south and I was dressed VERY light.

At the top of the finger lakes region my heart sank when I saw how high cloudbase was. We were now getting to over 4k and they towered above us. Linda asked me on the radio why I was upset CB was so high and I felt like a total wimp for whinning how cold it was going to be when we got up there ;). I was so cold I conceded I could only go on another half hour or so. Hands were useless brick on the end of stick.

Then, the inspiration hit. Last year Rhett egged me into trying to fly to a nearby mountain site from the park. Said it had been attempted, but never done. He challenged my manhood, teased me, and inspired me to try. Hmmm, is this his style? Thinking back I realized 30 miles was a big flight for this place.
Here we were almost that far already, at 4k, with cloudbase AT LEAST 4k higher, and a 16-20 mph tailwind.

"Linda, we can land and get picked up easy, or we can smash any record that Marty has got in the boooks?"
We were both in agreement so I started a vigorious series of isometrics to get the hands back and refocus on our new goal.

Course line was pretty much straight downwind. With such nice clouds I couldn't bare to follow major crosswind roads. Lift had been incredible consistant in the blue and this held true for the clouds as well.
Lift was so good that instead of calling out the cores I found on the radio I just put my head next to the vario and keyed the PTT so she could hear the wail! I figured the sound would make for good audio reference for what she should be looking for.

Due to difficulty to sychronize our climbs and my general wimpyness I regularly bailed out at least 1k short of CB. I could never stop shivering but at least my cheeks were warm with the ear to ear grin!

Our lines were usually good. Only once did we have to stop for a rough one in the blue before reconnecting with the solid clouds. Once we got into PA the terrain demanded a little more attention but the sky was still on fire. Somewhere along the way Linda lost a contact and I was a little concerned about the handicap this might cause. Stong winds all day and "high relief terrain" below makes for scary landings. Once past a hundred miles I grab the most beautiful field I could find after a tricky glide. I wanted long, I wanted well oriented into the wind, I wanted a soft surface, and no upwind upstructions, and DEFINITELY no powerlines. I found a great long field in a north south valley with freshly plowed dirt. If either of use got too cranked by the always possible turbulence, at least the plowed field would be soft.

Landings were rock and roll white knuckle but Linda made it look easy. The land owner thought I was joking when I asked where we were. "No no, not what town, what state!" He helped us onto his grass plot where we waited for our fearless driver Mark. He is a champ...took a hit from a state trooper while bravely racing to our rescue!

Cloudbase probably got as high as 10k and I topped a few over 9. It was C O L D! but epic. Good lift was
5-6 with every third or so good for 800. Winds were never les then 15 out of the NNE.

Kev C