Archery update

Here's the latest from the archery world for Phillip: since the last archery post, in which we posted pictures of me, Kimberly and Joy at the archery range, I've been back to the range a number of times, learned some things, and had a great deal of fun (I was there when the Rose Bowl game started not more than a mile or two north of the range).

For example, one thing thing that I've learned is that the range is much larger than I initially thought.

This picture is a satellite image of the range where we shoot (compliments of Google maps). Running down the center of the picture is the drainage canal that runs through the Arroyo Seco, and to the right of it is the parking area. On the left side of the image is a row of five or six blobs that are casting shadows behind them. Those are the hay bales where Kimberly and I had shot previously. However, on one of my trips there, another archer informed me that there were a whole bunch more targets farther down the arroyo, with varying shot lengths up to 80 yards.

I decided to find out what these other targets looked like, and boy, did I find that the range is large! In the following image (again, courtesy of Google maps), the original set of bales is near the top of the picture, and the network of lines all along the left of the drainage are the paths to the rest of the bales - some 25-30 targets total.


Since making that discovery, I've been back to the range once or twice. I've gotten my sights better adjusted, and started to get a nice grouping of arrows, at least from 20 yards. Something that's very satisfying is to shoot from 60 or 80 yards, watch the arrow arc through the air, and then hear the "thunk" as it hits the target. I'm going to have to keep doing this!