13th World Championships - Sunday 23rd July

We woke to rain this morning. No surprise that this called for a "no fly" day today.

The photo below is of one from previous days. I had never encountered large dust devils until I came here. This one rose higher than a skyscraper in the flats in the valley and lasted for some 20 minutes until dissipating. No surprise the same day this was taken, our task was cancelled. On that day, some pilots almost lost their flying gear as it was tossed like a feather into the air and whisked away to another valley in a thermal. This was the day that I saw with my own eyes, a pod harness and glider fly on its own accord, like a rag doll, swirling without its pilot, until the convergence decided to toss it to the ground in a frustrated rage.

Big "dust devil" going off in the valley

That aside, today, and this afternoon in particular, the skies cleared out and I went to the local swimming pool, swam some laps to burn off energy, then sat with friends and "set the world to rights" over a diet coke.

Later that evening, dinner in a new venue in town.  Not bad, although I am still to find that elusive rump steak I've been dreaming about....