Time to Edit the MRAT fan club blog

The France Tour 2008 of the MRAT fan club is now over... The team spread all around the world but trip ideas for the 2009 tour are already emerging. The details of the 2008 edition will little by little be added to the MRAT Fan club Blog Fan club blog as we have been focusing on flying and eating and enjoying the trip last week and very little on blogging ... But I think we have enough material for documenting that trip properly :-)

Stay tuned

Renaming my Blog ...

I just changed the blog name from Antoine in California to just "Antoine". I was wondering if I should name it "Antoine in France" or "Antoine next step" or "Antoine at the farm" (this last one is a reference of a famous french comic that all little girls have read called "Martine at the Farm" and has nothing to do with my original point ...)

The point being that after giving it a thought, the location is not such a big deal. This is the continuation of the journey. Thus this will now on be just Antoine.

I am about to go for 3 days in a business trip in Europe. I will get a chance to see some old friends and that is just perfect. Veronique is on the way to the south of France and we wil meet again for the weekend. Time is flying so fast.

I can't stop reading the blog of Nova. This is such an experience that he is going through this year. Respect Man ! All the best to you and I am sure that we will meet in August. Our trip is shapping really well. I was discussing with Michele yesterday and it seems that we could eventually start by going to la Drome. I want to fly in Laragne but Michele also said that she had found another fantastic site that we must absolutely do... All sounds good.

Back to France

After 12 years. 3 countries and many experiences : here I am back in France. This is a new step in my life a the promise of being a good one looks pretty damn good !!! No pictures yet but already a lot of good things. For the folks visiting from the USA in couple of weeks, I need to tell you about the good things you will have to face : Religieuse au Chocolat, Terrasse de cafe et lunettes noires, Rillettes du mans et cornichons Amora .... Be aware that once you tested this, you are adicted :-)

So far , so good. Tomorrow we go and check the Van for the summer trip as well as enjoy a good lunch at Vero's sister. I hope that my stuff that is supposed to arrive by air will be here soon, otherwise I will be missing couple of things for the trip. But nothing critical since I took my wing with me :-) Vero is super excited about flying with us. We are looking for apartments in Paris and hopefully will find something nice.

More news of the Paris step to come ....

Soon time to leave ...

I finally got a chance to take my N95 with me while flying. For some reason, I always forgot to leave it in an accessible pocket. Maybe because this is one of the only place where I don't want to be disturbed by a phone call.

Anyway, here are few clips and comments (French and English .. some time mixed :-) about flying at Mussel Rock. This was a typical day, with sun but also fog layer above the cliff. What was unusual though, were the two whales that were jumping in the water. Sorry that they appears as little white spots only on the clip, but that was an amazing feeling to see them while flying. Believe me they are big !

So long pals... I promise to put my wing in the plane next time I visit.

Pictures and videos from this weekend in Hat Creek...

This weekend was just great. I managed to escape from the office early with the promise that there would be WLAN in the campgound. That was a hard bet, considering that there is no cellular network coverage in that area. I wrap up my stuff, rush home where I pack in 2" before Craig arrives to pick me up. I don't recall I left a place so fast :-)

Normally, in order to catch the glass off in Hat Creek, one need to leave SF at 12h30 latest. We left at 2.30pm. But call it luck (light traffic) and also not pit-stop, we arrived on site at 7.30pm. Just in time to capture that video of a BAPA member taking off...


This is Hat Creek ! We got a good 30 minutes flight in the evening warm air until the sun goes down. The weekend starts well.

Saturday was another story. Even though the weather forecast had predicted good air, what we saw was a strong south west wind carrying T-Storm after T-Storm. It was OK for Craig and me in the campground, but ask Monica, Richard and Erik who went to climb the Mount Shasta that morning (more than 4000m) and slept outside without a tent ! They did the summit in a strong wind and joined us for the dinner at the camp. That was a super evening.



You can see, Starting from the left: Erik, Monica, Richard, nice stranger and Craig at Potatoe Hill where we drove to this morning for a great thermal flight. Big blue thermals that took Craig and me way above the launch. Erik was less lucky, but hada great time.

Way better time than this dude from another group of pilot that probably got surprised by the thermal activity.

I promised to post those pictures so that the pilot could get a souvenir. As we say, you can only be considered as a true pilot if ou have landed in a tree. With this cateegory of tree we have a future champion :-) I am still a beginner, I only managed to go through a tree few years ago.








You can see the wing in the tree, almost in the middle of the picture. Bets are open if the will will be recovered.


I forgot to mention : the pilot is fine !

Next time, bigger team and we do it again.

It will soon be time to leave California for new adventures. In the office, there is a tradition to make a drawing of the team members. Here is what one of the designer came up with :-)




This is from the movie I am a legend with Will Smith... I love the Eiffel tower in the back.

Thanks guys, I'll miss you.

Arnel "The Artist", kitting at the Dump

No edits on that video ... just music.

The weather this week was jut perfect for paragliding.

This gives a good idea of what flying is like.

Big production,... Big Stars,... Big budget ...

Arnel, Christophe, Arturo, Nova, ... Only good stuff :-)

hectic time ...

Too much stress,.. too much work,...too much travel,... but all in all I guess this is a real positive life experience ... I was discussing with Hussein tonight at the paragliding site and he was telling me that his secret for flying so well was that he accepted the suffering that went with it. He told me that the Flying was the good part, and that he accepted the walking and the sweating. I answered him that the flying was the nice part, the walking and sweating was actually the good part. He agreed :-) I guess that was a highly philosophical moment that pushed me to make a post again ...

Just before that conversation with Hussein, I took that video...




I also took that one ... and Arnel is still once again showing his skills ... I made a terrible flight :-(

5h30 Barcelona airport

There was a army of taxis flooding the airport this morning. Every one wants to go home after 3gsm. The airport is packed.

Another view of the cafe

Last night in Barcelona

I am exhausted! That was a tough week! Lots of actions but tough. I deserve a good cervesa and great range of tapas. Tortilla de espinaca, calamares a la romana and THE chorizo ! In a great, authentic, full of smoke cafe with loud local catalogna music. I love the carrelage on the walls. I would be here every evening if I would leave nearby.

With day light and working suits

From barcelona...

Madrid...

I am working... Hard... I promise...

The same in the evening.

But this time the Eiffel tower is blinking... Really nice.

Eletator date

When waking up in concord lafayette in paris , you can't be misstaken for what day of the week it is...

From paris...

Kaarle xii :-)

Cricri & Amelie

Best pictures of the trip

This is an early Sunday morning, so I thought I'd take the time to post some of the nicest pictures from the trip... It is a combination of cameras and photographers :-) Ted, Cristy, Arturo,...

They are not in the right order, and might even twice, but who cares... They are nice :-)

And to start with the lexicon of the fantastic seafood we had during this trip where I discovered the amazing Ceviche and drunk a of Pisco Sour... and the amaaaaazing "Machas" (I am not sure of the name, Arturo) that Maite prepared for us !!!








Arturo's feet above Iquique

Palo Buque before flying ...

Masha and Paulina
Antoine, Cristian, Masha and Arturo