UPDATE AND ANALYSIS OF THE DAY...

Well,

The Great 1000km triangle day was a let down.

My forecast analyses relied heavily on thermal heights and cu cloud coverage with high bases. What I noticed during my flight was weaker than expected climb rates once I reached the southern Sierras NE of Kernville... only 4-5kts average and lots of circle tries to center things (cloud bases 15500.... 17500 later in day). With the SE flow aloft, there was no convergence zone along the Sierra crest, so cu were concentrated only over heated terrain well west in the Sierras.

Perhaps, not having the SW flow aloft (climatological normal over the Sierras during summer) and light E-SE low level flow just east of the Sierra crest was the key. My experience shows in the "normal" situation is to find strong lift along the Sierra crest with 7-12kt climbs.... almost completely absent on Sunday 07/13.

For my 1000km flight, the first leg was slow and then blue and low until I turned around just short of Lake Crowley (near Mammoth). From my fellow glider pilots, it sounds like the Inyos and Whites were quite good with isolated cu. Not sure how things were further east on my second and third leg toward Las Vegas and return.