3-26-2007 Xanadu to the Detention Center.

[Josh Shirley]

Rick Heninger and I set out on one of the craziest landsailing adventures yet. What started off with fast slalom racing in Xanadu on a 3.0M(me) and a 4.0M(Rick) turned into landsailing through the streets and parking lots around the Ecenter and down to the Decker Detention Center.
We both arrived at the Xanadu parking lot around 10:30PM and didn't leave until 1:30AM. The parking lot there has great light but is small. Then we sailed over to the Ecenter lot and toured around it, but it has no light which makes me a little nervous. So we sailed down the street to the overflow lot and cruised around there for a while, but once again no lights. Rick noticed a lot to our east was a fully lite parking lot so we walked over the small field to that lot. After a few rides there we noticed that each lot to the north was wider and less obstructed so we kept traveling further and further downwind.
The ADP building hands down has the best parking lot. It is lite up all night and has very smooth tarmack. The building also gives a great blast of wind to slam you down.
After sailing downwind through six different lots we tacked back up the road and saw the l crux that needed to be conquered - 3100 S freeway overpass. We started by the Ecenter overflow parking lot to get our speed up then busted West through the intersection and up the hill to the overpass. Once we made it to the top the wind about launched us off the side to our deaths. My little 3.0 was fully sheeted out and my board was at top speed. We both jibed at the bottom of the hill then pumped our sails to go up the hill and get back to the ecenter.
So now after a day of work with my eyes baggy and swollen from lack of sleep I can't wait to do it again. I think on a north wind I am going to try the frontage road from the airport to the Salt Air.

Next time it is blowing like that and you don't have time to head to the lake join us in some preseason training.
Josh Shirley[/url]

[RickHeninger]

Xanadu! I can almost hear Olivia Newton John in my minds ear!

I am going to plead the 5th on some of this... But it was quite an excursion...

This was quite the workout I have to admit... Sailing upwind on the road between the ecenter and the Decker lake was a workout... The gusts were brutal between the buildings... Swirling like a tornado... I almost was carried back to kansas a couple of times... The only good thing is that if we'd have gotten speeding tickets while sailing over the overpass (hardly any traffic that time of night...) Decker Lake Lock Up was close by, we could've sailed to prison... Wait, is that a good thing?!

The wind was so strong that it made my 1990's 4.0M sail worth something again! And we were able to tool around that whole area, even sail over the grassy areas.

If you are interested in getting the joints greased by doing some landsailing, let me know... I think we're going to do a crash up derby... Throw some bumpers on your landboards, wear your hockey gear and rig up! Landboarder Cross! J/K of course...

Beginner day sometime in LATE MAY or EARLY JUNE this time...

[jason morton]

How bout some slalom racing? I'd sign up for that one. skatesailing is fun.