Fly kites at Shoreline Park in Mountain View (combat kites not allowed)

Leave the ground behind and take to the sky at this relaxing get-together.

We'll meet at the dedicated kite flying lot at Shoreline Park in Mountain View. I will bring six kites to share, and you can bring any kites you have. Combat/fighter kites are not allowed at the Kite Lot. You do not need to bring a kite to attend, you can come to just watch and hang out.

Meet the kite experts

Jose and Merl* have been flying kites for decades and even build their own kites. They will both be at the Kite Lot to help everyone assemble, fly, and troubleshoot our kites! Please thank them for sharing their passion and knowledge with us.
*short for Merlin

Wind & sun

Jose says: winds have been excellent and this is the best time of year to fly a kite. Flying in the midday sun can be harsh. So wear sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, long sleeves, etc. Bring water and mosquitos repellent spray.

Barb-shaped foxtail seeds

Jose says: as it warms up, the grass field at the Kite Lot dries up and there will be millions of foxtail plants. See photo of their barb-shaped seeds uploaded to this event. This is more than a nuisance - foxtails will lodge themselves into the mesh part of shoes and are very difficult to pull out. Jose's suggestions:

• Wear leather boots that foxtails can't penetrate, or
• wear crocs or flipflops that aren't made of fabric, or
• stay on the mowed lawn or gravel road only.

Parking

Please do not try to park at the kite lot because there will not be enough room for everyone. Several parking lots for Shoreline Amphitheater will (probably) be open - I will check the day of the event and post a comment.

How you get into the Amphitheater parking lots:
- Parking lot A: enter from N Shoreline Blvd.
- Parking lot B: enter from Crittenden Ln.
- Parking lot C & D: enter from Bill Graham Pkwy.
- Parking lot E: authorized vehicles only, do not go here.

Where to buy a kite

You can probably find small inexpensive kites in stores. They probably say the material is "poly" or "plastic"; if you want a more durable kite, look for one made of nylon. I recommend a parafoil kite such as the X-Kites SkyFoil because they do not need assembly, roll up small, and are easy to fly.

If you get a dual-line sport kite: consider one which does not have any fiberglass rods because they may break or come out and get lost when you crash (which WILL happen). If you want to get really into the hobby, get a frameless dual-line kite which has several advantages: no rods to break or loose; no assembly or disassembly; it can be shoved into a tiny bag. REI has one in stores (Prism Synapse) however it costs SIXTY (60) (six zero) dollars. I uploaded a picture to this event showing how small the bag is. Also if you buy a dual-line kite, be sure to get one with wrist straps instead of plastic handles.

Costco kites

Costco has good kites for $18.54 each ($16.99 plus 9.125% sales tax). I uploaded a picture of the options and one of what the in-store display looks like.

A Costco membership is needed to buy stuff at Costco so I'm offering to get these kites for people. If you want one please send me a direct-message on Meetup, do DOT post a comment because it will be impossible to keep track of. You can pay me back using Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle. I'll bring them to this event or you can pick them up earlier from my house in Santa Clara.

The six available designs are:

• Jet fighter 3D kite (60 inch wingspan)
• Butterfly 3D kite (64 inch wingspan)
• Sea turtle 2D kite (66 inch wingspan)
• DC Sport dual-line sport kite (70 inch wingspan)
• Dragon 3D kite (78 inch wingspan)
• Macaw 3D (78 inch wingspan)

Note about the DC Sport dual-line kite: it has fiberglass rods which may break or come out and get lost when you crash, see above for why a frameless kite is better. Also it has plastic handles instead of wrist straps.