F I N A L > Tom Galvin
It was a Friday evening when, after many enthusiastic
posts from other pilots on the Villa Grove Telegram chat,
walk-through for Kennedy. We then took HG legend and LZ owner, Larry Smith, up on his invitation to stop by his
I replied: “Against my better judgment, I will plan on join- place next door. After introductions, chats about mutuing you tomorrow.” Almost three feet of snow had fallen
al friends, and discussions of local flying prospects, we
on the San Juan Mountains of Colorado the night before,
abandoned our plans for Villa and instead headed across
and all the weather models for the next day showed little,
the valley to Ute Pass.
if any, lift. Added to that, the temperatures were not projected to reach above freezing. The next morning, the thermometer outside my living room showed -18°F as I loaded my glider on the truck,
A herd of over 20 pronghorn antelope trotted away as we arrived at the LZ. After parking, planting a windsock, and transferring gliders to my truck, we headed up to launch. Ute Pass is actually behind the ridge of Saguache
PILOT: ANGIE KENNEDY
shaking my head. After traversing the Continental Divide
Peak (10,550 feet). Launch lies on the west end of the
and descending the icy pass along the south fork of the
ridge (38.1602438, -106.1287742) and faces SSE. The
Rio Grande, I crossed the San Luis Valley. I arrived at
two-wheel-drive county road 46AA takes you up to just
Villa Grove to find only an inch of snow, which lifted my
shy of the ridge top at 10,330 feet. The last turn out of the
expectations some. I pulled into the Villa Grove Trade
ponderosas forest onto the launch provides a panoramic
parking lot shortly after 9 a.m. to meet up with Angie
view looking south into the San Luis Valley.
Kennedy and Kristian Sandberg. Over breakfast, we discussed the weather and the pros-
Mountains to the west and the Sangre De Cristo Moun-
pects for flying at Villa Grove, Moon Creek, or Ute Pass.
tains to the east, one can only be awed by the world’s
Sandberg, a newer P2, had recently enjoyed an evening
largest alpine valley. In the hazy distance, the peaks con-
sledder at Villa the month before. Kennedy was an H4
tinue into New Mexico over 90 miles away. Being more
pilot who had lately returned from a 20-year break but
than three hours from any city, Ute Pass is rarely flown,
had never flown in Colorado before.
though it provides flying experiences to rival any other
After breakfast, we went to the Villa Grove LZ for a
66
Bounded a mile high on each side by the San Juan
US HP A P I L O T
site in Colorado. Today would not be epic XC flights, but
