Some more NABX photos.

Only the brave were out flying!

Grant flys the spinsock.

Ken flys with his C Quad still in the bag.

Detail of Sean's 'giftwrapped' bug.

NABX - wrap up

Day four and five of NABX blew by (ok, just had to get that pun in sometime, eh?).

Day four, Saturday, started out with light winds. I didn't waste any time getting into the bug and, powered by my 2.0 PL Hornet, headed across the playa. It was gusty at times and at other times the wind just stopped causing the kite to just drop right out of the sky more than once. Needless to say my trip was not totally smooth as I had to stop often to wait for wind so I could re-launch the little foil and then other times I slid to a rather ungraceful halt when the gusts threatened to beat me against the dry lake hardpack.

The boys at buggy camp were impressed, when I finally arrived after a slow and not particularly skilled zig zag back at camp, because I had made it across the width of the lakebed to the edge of the highway. This is a minor accomplishment for many buggy pilots but not one that I can actually fully claim as it wasn't really my goal at the start of the run and more of a result of my efforts to get in some nice long'ish controlled rides between the gusts and the lulls.

In the afternoon, as the winds again started to nuke as they had in the afternoon on previous days, I had an invite to ride tandem with one of the pro Flexifoil team riders. What a thrilling experience that was as we whizzed all over the playa with my pilot displaying phenomenal flying skills looping the kite to generate speed and then casually spinning the handles on his harness pulley, deftly scrubbing off speed when needed, and blasting past other solo bugs and two tandems as well.

The wind howled all evening and my one attempt to launch my smallest kite for a possible quick ride on the playa ending rather abruptly because of my near miss at becoming a hood ornament on Ken #3's SUV. As the kite powered up it pulled me forward and almost off my feet. I quickly dumped the kite to the ground before being towed right into the parking lot. And that was to be the last of my kiting at this year's NABX.

Saturday night featured the banquet and raffle. Good food and prizes wrapped up the evening. I came away with a wealth of new knowledge about kite bugging, a small duffle bag of new tee shirts, two of which I won at the raffle and a whole new respect for the skill and luck necessary to stay safe and injury free while partaking in power kite play.

The final day of the event and day five for me, Sunday saw most kite fliers packing up and heading home. When we reached the playa there was again no wind and although it did blow powerfully and briefly about mid day most pilots had their buggies dismantled and kites stowed by then.Before the fliers dispersed we took the time for a quick group photo on the playa complete with a fly by from on of the Dutch team riders.

I'll be kicking the dust out of my gear as best as I can this evening and then heading in for a few hours of tourist'ing in Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon before Westjeting it home late tomorrow night.

I'm mulling over my impressions of kite bugging as a sport generally and specifically how much I want to pursue it given all that I saw and experienced here in Nevada. Would I come to another NABX? Well that's a good question. On one hand it is fabulous to have such a huge open space to kite buggy and to be among such a great community of riders. But on the other hand the extremes in wind conditions are very challenging for beginners like me and it really was a lot of organization and expense for very little flying time.

I'll be spending some time this summer messing with my power kites and buggy at Gary Point and Vanier and who knows, for this newbie, maybe that's all I really need to sate my power kite appetite.

A few photos from day 3

NABX - day three

It's been another hurry up and wait for wind kind of day. We sat around in our bugs for most of the day, chatting and, well, waiting for wind, which finally arrived at 4 pm. There was a mad scramble for kites and a few peeps hit the deck as the sudden strong winds lofted them in the air and set them down none to gently.

I was somewhat overpowered even with my NPW and though I had lots of room to play at the north end of the playa, I felt worried about my rapid speed gains each time I did a turn. So finally I wrestled the wildly bucking piece of green and purple nylon into its bag and walked the bug back to buggy camp. Ken says a day without an injury is a successful day but I am a bit disappointed in not being able to get in a little more flying down on this beautiful kite playground.

Peter Lynn kites sponsored the evening's BBQ and Steve and Craig, two guys who kite buggied across the Sahara last year, provided a slide show and presentation. All in all it was a great day on the playa even if I didn't actually end up with a kite in my hands for very long.

NABX - day two

As much as yesterday had huge winds today had...well, none! So we sat and chatted and applied sunscreen and lept up for every rare and random puff. I had my 5 metre Beamer at the ready to catch even a hint of movement in the air. There were a few times I got a couple of minutes of static flying in but that was mostly a tease.

The sun was out, the temperature in the ;ow 20's and the company was good, so waiting for wind wasn't too tough. The buggies were a patient lot.

And then, when we'd all about packed it in...the wind came and it came with gusto.

No more time for causal photos, we all ran for our kites, a few experienced fliers got almost immediately turfed as they misjudged the sudden and unexpected strong winds. I grabbed my smallest buggy engine, the 3.4 NPW (Nasa Power Wing) on its short lines and postively blasted across the hardpacked lake bed. The speed was more than I was comfortable with and so after a few very fast runs, I took a break to watch the blokarts, mountain boards, coyote roller blades and every manner of buggy zip back and worth in a celebration of wind power.

As the late afternoon moved closer towards dusk the winds settled down a little and I again gave the NPW a try, this time feeling a little more in control and a little less like a slightly mad woman on the edge of calamity. After a ton of really fun runs on the playa, Ken wrestled the shortline kite out of my hands and coached me into flying his 2.5 Profoil kite saying I was 'ready for a regular kite now'. I had a good run with the gentle foil until the wind dropped even more and we were forced to call it a day, pack up and head to the BBQ hosted by Ska Beer and HQ kites. Not a bad day for my second day on the playa.

NABX - day one

Well I'm here - and so is the wind! Blowing 50 kph this afternoon saw many of the pilots looking for shelter while a handful of expert buggy jockeys took advantage of the opportunity to break a few more speed records. One of the Dutch riders went 118 kph.

Even the Westjet plane was a bit bouncy as we came into "Lost Wages" and the little rent a car that Ken kindly picked me up in took a few unexpected swerves on the highway out to the playa as the gusts hit.

The top photo shows my bug all assembled, decked out in my racing number, 237, and jonsing to go. So, go we did. I jumped into the little nylon seat, held out my arms and zoom, down the lakebed we went! Who needs kites eh, they're just for wimps, me I like to fly zen, just the bug and me and little Nevada windstorm.

The North American Buggy Expo

NABX begins today! My bags are packed and my kites and bug are already down in Nevada. I jump on the Canada Line airport bound tomorrow morning at 6:30 am. With any luck I will be able to arrange wifi at my hotel and keep this blog updated so that you will be able to peek through this virtual window onto the playa just north of Las Vegas.

This year is the 10th anniversary of this annual gathering of power kite buggy enthusiastic so its a particularly good year for a newbie to join in on the kite flying fun.

There is already news in of a new speed record at Ivanpah Dry Lake, California, this morning as the more experienced buggy pilots take to the lake bed. Winds must have been strong as a Dutch rider with a mere 2.7 metre traction kite flew across the playa at 82.9 mph!

Sheila and my kiteflying brother, Harald, aren't joining me on this adventure this time around but with any luck all three of us will be at NABX next year. So, in the meantime, I feel it is my duty to check it out, a reconnaissance mission so to speak, so that we'll be well prepared when all three of us hit the dry lake next year.

I'll try to update this blog daily. Feel free to leave comments at any time.

Good winds!
Erin