QF - July 2nd & 3rd - Indiana Dunes

[Elix]

Hola Clubbers,

My family and I will be on the sands North of Valparaiso Saturday late-afternoon and most of the day Sunday. I am new to the club and quad flying and would be happy to meet any members in the area. I'm tech-friendly and will be checking this thread all weekend for anybody looking to meet up and show me how it's done.

Also heading for Giordano's stuffed pizza Sunday night in Mokena if anyone wants to stop by and share stories/advice. No official time on the pizza yet, but maybe around 6 or 7pm. Might depend on the crowd and reservations.

Hope you all have great winds wherever you end up!

[Mike]

I've never been there. Can anyone comment on this article?

I don't want to put a damper on things, but it's a long drive for me.
"By 10 a.m. the park was full and closed to new admissions."
http://www.examiner.com/outdoor-travel- ... state-park

The fireworks this year seem to be on Friday (http://www.duneland.com/calendar/2011/j ... ront/2143/)
So maybe crowds wont be a problem?

[Elix]

Wow, thanks for the heads-up Mike. I'll report back here on the Saturday crowd, and then make sure our family gets to the beach early on Sunday, though as you say, crowds shouldn't be as bad after the big show has passed. It's still gonna be hot & beautiful weather for the beach. Water temps are getting up to nice ranges as well.
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/glcfs.php?lake=m&ext=swt&type=N&hr=00

[goestoeleven]

Well, I can't make it due to other plans made long ago, but please report back on the flying space and conditions there. Take some pics & post them up if you get a chance. I've thought about the dunes as a possible place to go flying, but have never ventured over there to try it out.

Edit . . . plus I really like Giordanos as well . . . so that makes it even more appetizing as a flying location!

[Darkspark]

Both Saturday and Sunday have good wind forecasts. Sunday's is from a much better direction for the dunes. Either day would work for me, but if we did Sunday I would have to be up there early. We have to be home to pick up my mother-in-law from the airport at 4 or so. so I would have to leave by 1 or 2. Either way is fine. It will probably be too hot to fly long anyhow. Have you figured out what part of the dunes you are planning on going to? let me know and I will plan accordingly. Look forward to meeting you, Mikey

[Elix]

Well Mikey, Shauri, and I met up for a short little session this Saturday evening on the sands. We went to the Indiana state park area. The breeze was cool, smooth, and slowly varied between full vent and mid vent levels. The crowd wasn't bad and it didn't take long to walk to a good piece of sand. The parking lot seems a little small though. I imagine because we parked at the area where swimming is allowed. The lot is likely sized to be full once the beach is. My family and I will be back out there again tomorrow, though we'll probly try to see several different beaches throughout the day.

Shauri wowed the beach crawlers with a dark xtra vent for as long as the winds allowed. Mikey danced in and out of the water out by the shoreline in a blue themed full vent. Mikey let me fly their black-rainbow full vent B Series and whew, was it awesome. Suddenly reverse flight and sideways hovers were possible! Mikey also gave me some IKE business cards to hand out to potential future members. Now I must go out and spread the good word. Thanks again you two for the flight time. It was great to meet you. =)

If anyone makes it out Sunday, wind permitting I'll have a red/white/blue SLE. It's a full sail though, which will work great back home, but might be a bit of an arm workout on the lake.

[Jeff]

Glad to hear you had a good time.

[Darkspark]

Just Got back from a fantastic afternoon of flying. Nice to meet Chris and his family. Got there about 4 and flew till the sun set. It was perfect. Good clean cool offshore wind. No bumps or turbulence. It was Hot until we got to the beach. I think the wind off the water cooled it down almost 15 degrees. I will post some pics tomorrow when I am not so sleepy. It is actually a great place to fly. Of course I was so busy when Chris was there I forgot to get any pics of him flying.
Nice to meet you Chris.

[Elix]

OK, we're in a line of traffic waiting to get in the park this morning and it's painfully slow going. I am not even sure we'll get in.

[Darkspark]

Tried to post some pics but they are too big. Anyone who is more computer savvy got any suggestions?

[Elix]

Ended up at the Washington beach in Michigan City. 6 bucks to get in, and the place is great! Lots of parking, a zoo, small dunes to climb, long and wide beach, and lots of pretty girls

[Darkspark]

Here is a public link to my photos from yesterday.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 7bb5fe6b8b

[Elix]

Well, rats... the winds just aren't blowing today. Lifted a full sail off the ground but it just wouldn't stay up without walking backwards. And with the winds coming straight off the water today... well you can only go so far.

Nice photos Mikey. Can't believe I didn't think to get a couple shots of us together. Next time!