On to Itamonte

We left Rio night before last for the first part of our roadtrip to Brasilia. It was quite an adventure. We were bringing an old car of Konrado's to leave in Andrades to be repaired. Needless to say, the car wasn't running perfectly. Getting out of Rio it wouldn't go much faster than 40kmh, so we decided it was best to tow it with the good 4x4. This was hilarious....kind of like towing a hang glider with a climbing rope tied around the base tube...no release, no weaklink, no safety margin (short roap about 5 feet from bumper to bumper). So, while I thought that was going quite nicely, those in the car being towed didn't care for it much, so we finally left the car at a truck stop and drove the rest of the way to Itamonte where Conrado's family farm is without the car.

Konrado has a beautiful spread up in the mountains with a giant house that could easily be a hang gliding lodge. There are rooms and beds enough for 20 or so and the launch is just a short drive up the hill. We arrived on launch a bit late yesterday, so conditions weren't the best. Konrado was the only one willing to hang out on launch for a half an hour waiting for just the right cycle to get off into. Everyone else packed up and drove down the mountain.

After a little stop at The Rock, we made our way to Andrades last night.



Now we're up on launch watching conditions and deciding where to fly to. This launch is plush! Nice parking lot surrounded by manicured hedges, green grass covering the whole set up area and yes, open wireless right here at a nice little picnic table. What more could a hang gliding bum ask for?



This shot is looking out from the north facing launch.