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