After the absymal snow year here in SE Idaho, even at 5400', I had to make a run up to the Island Park high country area near the Montana border and get some last of the season snow action in. Finding and landing a site by a friends cabin was fun, but the temperture was rapidly rising so I was very cautious, fearing the snow would soon turn rotten.

Leaving his place I spotted a kite skier, and since I had always wanted to check out one of these large traction kites I landed and got to know Paul from New Jersey, who sells dairy equipment, who's just moved to Bozeman. After complimenting each other on how we were enjoying the great day I took off again (he sailed off first, something issue he had about my prop blast made him want to exit the area first), I headed towards the airstrip at Henry's Lake, but knowing the pretty brisk wind was direct cross, and ski cross winds are something to be approached with caution. In making my approach I got all into making sure I would be able to maintain directional authority without ending up in the fence line, while doing this I gradually realized that the snow had, as I feared with the higher temps, turned rotten. When bs'ing with the kite skier just a short while earlier, I had noticed about every fourth step my foot would sink into the snow to the ground, the snow was losing whatever structural integrity it had.

At Henry's, while still going about 15 mph I could feel the grabbiness and decided to abort the landing. 700' later, still going 15 mph, I realized I was running out of runway, so I made a 180, slowing down, (at near full throttle mind you, it was like taxiing in glue) to even slower, but once back in my track and even then after a run of over a thousand feet finally got the speed needed for lift off. Screw this, it was time to get the hell out here, and I bagged my plan to drop into nearby West Yellowstone and within in an hour I was flying over brown fields with no trace of snow, with the cabin heat OFF and the airvents open, wearing just a T-shirt! Hell, I was even getting thirsty.To further illustrate the change of seasons, upon arriving at my strip I noticed a neighbor below my property had managed to start the first out of control brush fire of the year, time to take the skis off Bad pictures.....due apparently to a low battery?

Yep, ski and sled season is about over. Time to put the big tires back on your plane. I was going to head down to the river just above American Falls reservoir yesterday, looks like some very land able gravel bars down there.

The snow left here this week with the unusually warm temps. The ice on the lakes is not fit to be on and will probably be gone a month early this year. Yesterday we took the skis off the PA12 and put on the floats. Ready for open water.

Steve

whee wrote:Yep, ski and sled season is about over. Time to put the big tires back on your plane. I was going to head down to the river just above American Falls reservoir yesterday, looks like some very land able gravel bars down there.

I've always stayed clear of the gravel bars within the Res, I don't know who's "in charge" of a gravel bar, but have a feeling the tribal members feel they are. The most consistant bars seem to be n and s of Blackfoot, as they come and go through the year it keeps things interesting!

Skis are off.......and going from the 6:00's required for my ski ops back to the 29" Airstreaks is a sure fired grin maker

Good point CG. Most of the spots I'm looking at are between Pingree and Firth. All the bars by Pingree are on the west side of the river so they are outside the reservation.

Sure is a lot easier to jack the plane with that gear huh Tom?