First North Push

During most rainy weeks, we be dieing to fly.  First morning of clear skies and it's a go.  First flight was clear sky.  Wind directions looked nice but I never held on to a solid thermal. I had many opportunities but the hook never sunk.  I landed after about a half hour, only to watch a friend sky out as the development started.  He had nice flight and landed.  "A little bumpy," were the words.  Driving up for the car, the conditions were looking to good.  We got to launch and cloud base was almost a grand over head and dark.  I set up quick, preparing for a nice flight.
Right of the bat I got up.  The air was lofty, after a few turns I was looking down on launch.  I stayed above the tree line for about 30 minutes before I reach cloud base. Now that I was high, i noticed that the shear line was moving further to the south.  I was high so it wasn't an immediate concern, but I might be landing in the trade winds.  Thermaling around I must have been in the right spot, a larger back bird buzzed me, as I got a nice glimpse of a rainbow.  I decided to check out going South to a different Landing Zone, that I have walked a few times.  About a third of the way there, I didn't feel to great about it so I headed back to the shear.  Possibly facing a strong head wind and landing short I routed for my first safe LZ.  I was still in good air so I worked my way down to Wounded Knee, my home Landing Zone.  Still being on the edge of the shear in lift, I could see the flags below blowing strong trades.  This landing I haven't experienced yet, but I was prepared none the less.  Over the LZ I was still finding lift so I decided to play around at a safe distance until I was forced down.
I soon found myself in a smooth big thermal.  I was gaining a lot of altitude and not moving to far away.  Suddenly I noticed clouds around my head and different level down below.  I climbed up to 5800 ft and had a change of plans. Miles South of me was an LZ I wanted to go before.  I decided to pull my vg and head that direction into the Shear.  I crossed a new portion of the hill, but didn't feel it out as much as I ran to the safe zones.  I reached Tim's LZ with plenty of altitude.  I mapped out my approach, but still didn't feel comfortable.  I decided to take one more jump upwind.  I hit some nice lifty air and headed to Poli Poli.  With a comfortable altitude and being released from being nervous and alittle scared, I was at the Mother Hill.  I was flying high above the training hill that I spent alot of time learning the sport.  Though I had not flown here in months, I was stoked and comfortable to be landing next to four wind socks and a fresh mowed field.  A nice landing and another first for the books!

Those day where you do more than you visualized in the morning are always nice.  Got up cooked some breakfast and checked out the tile job I started in the bathroom the night before.  It looked good and was prepared to finish.  Got a quick start and few hours later I was done.  Low tide at  Kite Beach is at 11:30 and looked like some nice northerly winds.  Got down there quick, pumped up the 10m and scored a sick hour of smooth wake style with some kickers!  Wind pick up so I took off to make some lunch.  All work at the house was wrapped up and the Shear line looked high.  I decided to head up the mountain to try for an afternoon flight.  Got to the LZ and it looked doable, nothing epic but not bad.  Drove up and set up.  Wind was good and had a nice hour of thermal flying.  Just a rad day on Maui!