6/23 Big Sandy Res. Wy. 15m

[jason morton]

Decided to get out of the heat and head to granny's cabin in Bondurant and do some exploring of Wyoming's high plateau. Arrived to Big Sandy Res. Sat. afternoon to a very windy lake. Looked like 11m wind for me. Launching looked bad. Finally drove on the beach to the west side of the lake where it was shallow with a nice sand/mud beach and side off winds. Wind seemed to back off so I put up the 15m and took off. Got hit by a gust that scared the shit out of me. Got totally yanked. All I can say is that Wyoming is sketchy to kite. Very gusty. I figure it was blowing 10-35 mph. The wind also seems to shear. All these weird vectors. I think being higher in elevation and closer to the jetstream makes it very gusty. Limped back to Pinedale and drowned my sorrows at the Bottoms Up Brew Pub. The best micro-brew I have ever had. On sun., after a fine morning fly fishing and going to the annual Bondurant barbecue, I said goodbye to the family to explore the kiting potential of Seedskadee (Fontanelle Res). Arrived to basically the same wind pattern. Very windy and very gusty. No thanks. I still want to check out Buffalo Bill Res. and some other lakes in Wyoming but I am not highly optimistic.