Magdalena Rim NW of Las Cruces NM (USA)

[Bill Cummings]

On February 28, 2022 I drove to the Mag Rim (Matt’s Mountain) landing zone (LZ).
The last time that Robin Hastings and I had worked on the arroyo road to the LZ
was late 2020. Robin referred to the road as, “THE ANN DUNLAP MEMORIAL HIGHWAY.”
(We lost Ann to skin cancer.) Robin and I had made Boulder dams on the down river side
of the road. The plan was to slow the current so that the silt and sand would settle
out on the up hill side of the dam and build up rather than erode deep cuts where
we wished to drive. IT WORKED with each rain storm nature fixed the road instead of making
a canyon. Two years later the water started going around the dams and started returning to
it’s canyon making task. So more work is required before an parallel canyon is formed.
There are 19 dips on the paved road leading to the LZ road that when maintained properly
will allow rushing drivers to go 30 mph but the majority of the 19 dips have sand washed into
them requiring speeds below 15 mph to prevent much lament and remorse. There is a Glory thorn
that needs a hatchet or shovel taken to it. It’s waiting with two inch needles across one
tire track of the LZ road. I ran out of daylight before I could check out the rest of the way
to launch.

[Bill Cummings]

RGSA President Steve Crye is making arrangements with
Stephen Jensen to store the RGSA’s portage cart. The cart comes in
handy for transporting hang gliders up to the Mag Rim Launch.
Robin Hastings built this two glider portage cart for the club.
Robin succumbed to pancreatic cancer September 6, 2021.
A little after his passing Nancy gave away most of the HG equipment to
Chris Grotbeck for his planned HG Museum at Albuquerque NM.
Since then I’ve been storing the cart at my house but either one
of the Steve’s will be the go to pilots to contact to use the cart.