There are a few “givens” that you must know first.

1. I live at the Priest River, Idaho airport
2. I work 25 miles away at the Sandpoint, Idaho airport
3. I have been keeping a friend’s 160 HP Super Cub for the winter, and I have the normally associated flying rights.


It was a typical spring day in northern Idaho. The snow is melting at a fast rate and your spirit starts to come out of hibernation, and you are hungry for activity. So on this Sunny Wednesday morning, I packed my lunch in the Cub and headed to work. I always land in the grass and park right next to the building, and today was no exception.

During the summer months it would be a common occasion to fly to the Noxon Café for breakfast or lunch. Noxon, Montana is about 45 miles away and has a very unique airport. The airport is actually a narrow section of abandoned railroad track levy. After touchdown you roll out into the city park, and after getting out you notice Toby’s Tavern. In Montana and northern Idaho it is common knowledge that the local taverns are the most import businesses around for the logging community. Toby’s has become an important part of the local aviation community as well, since it is this green roof that holds the windsock. Now, this is fun!

I have given enough rides to the kids and patrons of Noxon that I tend to be treated like the Mayor. I have a few phone numbers for businesses and friends that makes it easy to get weather and current condition reports. This particular Wednesday wasn’t going as well as I’d like, so I decided to call Noxon for a condition report. Leslie answered at “Sneakers”, another pub in this 350 person town. Leslie reported that she could see the railroad levy out of her window and it was clear of snow, Yeah!

I have now abandoned my frozen meal I packed for work this morning. I find Danny and ask if he’s up for the jaunt. Danny is our production manager and ex-VP of Aviat Aircraft. This will be a long lunch, but with Danny going, there will be “no questions asked”. Danny’s only concern was that he only had $12.00 on him. I was quick to say not to worry, the Café takes credit cards. So off we go.

Even with two people and full gas, this Cub really performs; which turned out to be a good thing on this day. As we approached, I could see lots of snow on the runway. Getting closer I was able to see that Leslie had not lied to us. The 450-500 feet in front of her window was clear, and we used most of it. It was a great day for the ½ mile hike to the Café. We just started our walk when an 8 year old on a bike approached us with questions about airplanes. This was lucky for us as John told us early on that the Café had closed up. I think this is a common thing among companies that don’t serve “fire water”.

I knew “Sneakers” didn’t serve food, so I asked John if we could get a bite somewhere, and he said Toby’s was our only choice. He was also excited to add, “Toby’s back in town”. Toby evidently is the Noxon celebrity, having traveled the world hunting all species of animals. The building was built in ’39, and I think Toby moved in about ’45 for so. So I wasn’t too surprised when I read his shirt made with iron-on letters. It read, “Toby’s Dollies”, and on the back it made reference to Las Vegas 1983! No doubt, this is a place of class! After all they don’t want to discriminate, as you look around at all the memorabilia you will find a few pictures of naked men as well as expected naked women.

We were a little skeptical of the noon crowd at the bar that couldn’t remember how many beers they had when it came time to pay up. I casually asked Toby if we could get something to eat. Toby did not waste anyone’s time by handing out a menu. After all, he only serves 3 things, “breakfast, lunch or dinner”. So his only response came as a question when he said, “2?” I said, “Yes”, and we sat down at a table. The waitress brought us two Pepsis and I was pleased that she assumed we wouldn’t want a beer because of the airplane we arrived in.

As we finished our lunches, made up of 2 hamburgers with steak fries, I said it’s time to settle up. Well, our comfort level went away with the closing of the Café. We still only have $12.00 between us and credit cards. I thought we were OK as she added up 2 lunches at $6.00 a piece, but then two sissy drinks added up to $14.00 plus tips, oops! I figured two things about Toby right away: #1 – I don’t want to owe him and #2 – I don’t want to work it off for him either.

So, as Danny stood in the shadows, I made a break for it. I ran next door and found Leslie. I didn’t explain a thing, just told her I needed $5.00 to bail my buddy out of Toby’s. She didn’t ask a question one, she just handed me the money. I asked sheepishly, “Isn’t this embarrassing?” She responded with a quick wit, “not for me”. I walked away knowing there would be people laughing at me while drinking at the pub that night, don’t ya think?

The flight home, by comparison, was uneventful.

This was the short version of the story. I removed all of the parts about the 8 year old that stood at our table the whole time. I thought I knew a thing or two about airplanes until I heard his non-stop questions for over an hour. Don’t worry about the 8 year old in a tavern; his grandparents were sitting at the bar.

In conclusion, I learned two things from that kid.

#1 – Why his grandparents were drinking at noon.
#2 – I now understand why tigers ear their young! Ha!