Welcome to EAA Chapter 1373!

Alas, no AirVenture in 2020. But we've already got the week off from work. What to do? Aha! Let's go to the Idaho backcountry!

Clay and Alan took off in the early morning of July 23rd with Johnson Creek (3U2), Idaho's premier backcountry airstrip, as our destination. Would the weather cooperate or turn against us? After a short stop in Burley (BYI) for fuel, we pressed on. We arrived without incident mid-afternoon.

Although Johnson Creek certainly qualifies as "backcountry", the airstrip itself is remarkably well maintained. At 3400' X 150' and 4,960 MSL, it's an excellent grass strip. However, the sides of the (seemingly narrow) valley are 3000' up and it can be a little intimidating. As well, the journey involves flying over remote, mountainous terrain. But with the proper preparation you're rewarded with an awesome experience. Highly recommended!

After leaving Johnson Creek Friday morning, we headed for West Yellowstone (WYS) only to find it fogged in for the rest of the day. So, we stopped for fuel in Dillon (DLN), and proceeded to Pinedale (PNA). Pinedale is a great little town — best salted caramel ice cream I've ever eaten! — but we couldn't find a campground or park with a grill to cook Clay's Elk tenderloin. Refusing to be thwarted, a trip to Family Dollar produced a make-shift grill from disposable roasting pans and a hotdog rack. Success! Awesome food!

Saturday brought a smooth and uneventful flight southwest over Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur National Monument only to arrive at storms over AJZ. Fortunately we were able to slip in from the west with no trouble.