My wife an I would like to attend this outing, do you think that a Maule with a nose wheel will make it in there?

tucsonwis

Another web site describes it as "packed gravel."

Just looked at a photo of the Dolores Point airstrip on top of the Mesa a few miles away. Looks like a great place to fly for lunch on one of the days.

Your maule will have no problem. IMHO As always , keep as much weight of nose as long as posable but the strip is fine.

Lunch up there sounds good. I also thought about camping up there one night. I thought the canyons might be pretty good looking in the full moon light Gary

This sounds like the makings of a really good trip. Short, I like your thinking. Tuscon, Drop me a PM if you would like to swing through Phx and pair up from here. I have another friend with a cub I will try and bring. Once, lunching out, or fly outs would be great....

Tucsonwis, when you touch first main on landing, run the flap lever from full up 40 or 48deg to -7deg. This will stop the 'residual rollout airflow' from rotating aircraft weight onto the nosewheel and taking needed braking weight from the mains. With judicious flap management you can 3 point land the trigear Maule. The tail tiedown can cut into soft ground and to thus prevent scraping lower rudder, you can make a broader shock absorbing skid from an old worn taildragger lower spring leaf. You can have the best of both worlds, a taildragging trigear and stop in 250ft.
Jeremy

shortfielder wrote:I got a great spot for ya. Gateway(Hubbard) Colo. Nice BLM strip. River camping, great resort w/old car museum and a good restaurant w/great margaritas and beautiful southwest red rock canyons. dirt strips and rivers.

Ooooo. This sounds *great*!

I'd love to fly that area in the springtime. Can't come sooner. What's the chance of arranging a trip there for late March of '07, or so?

Enjoy, Berk

Rob wrote:This sounds like the makings of a really good trip. Short, I like your thinking. Tuscon, Drop me a PM if you would like to swing through Phx and pair up from here. I have another friend with a cub I will try and bring. Once, lunching out, or fly outs would be great....

Rob......

We could swing through Phoenix or another option might be to meet at Payson and and have breakfast up there.

Jim

Hi Tuscon,
was taking advantage of the cooler evening temps and camped out at Red Creek. Just amazing how close that place is and how remote it can feel when you're camping there. Quail talking, coyotes singing, couldn't get the smallmouth to bite to save my life though

PAN would be a logical meeting place, We'll have to keep in touch and fine tune as it gets closer.

Take care,

Rob

Berk Spring may be fine for season opener, but something further south might be better that time of year. Just have to check temps. damage to strips from winter and mud. Gary

All-

I'm leaving tomorrow to fly NWA to Kalispell to pick up the bird. Still interested in attending if others are. I'll be spending this weekend around Kalispell then will be flying to Boise to get my prop repitched, then to U07 for a few days. Would love to hit Gateway for the weekend of the 6th on my way back north. I'll be traveling a little light with basic camping gear and a cooler (and a folding bike.) Who's bringing the smoker and the beer keg?

Response has been pretty week sofar. I'm guessing weare looking at 8-10 planes. I guess we'll try and firm it up a little next week and see if we should plan a community dinner. My tentatve plan will be to get over there Friday and eat at there restaurant Fri. night. I'll probably move my camp up to Delores Point Sometime Sat. and camp up there Sat night. It's onl a couple miles away, but on top of the rim. I think with the full moon it could br pretty interesting at night up there. I've emailed Needles Outpost to see if they will still be open, no reponse sofar. I'll give them a call tomorrow and see if they are around. It would make a good breakfast flight if they are around. Hope more start showing some interest. Gary

Gary, do you guys have a definite date/location? If so, I will post on the homepage.

Hey Zane Yes the dates are Oct 6,7 and 8. Thanks Gary

<crickets>

What are folks thinking?

Forecast is for chance of rain or t-storms in the area on Friday, but much better on Saturday and Sunday.

I have only heard from one that is going. I live in Durango so I am pretty close. I've seen the reports for afternoon thunder showers but they haven't materialized around here. I called the outfitters over there last night and they say even if they get rain it dries very quick. The trend in the weather seems to be improving, so I feel that it will probably be fine. As you say Sat. and Sun. look great. Fri. a little iffy, but seems to be improving as the week goes on. My plan is to leave around noon on Fri. for Hubbard(Gateway) Gary

OK, durnit, I'm in!

Assuming no weather woes or plane malfunctions, I will be there Friday sometime. Tomorrow I'm flying to Stevensville for a prop balance and repitch, then on to some halfway stop somewheres in Idaho or Utah. Will be spending Thursday night at U07 on Lake Powell at a friend's house, then on Friday morning I'll stop for fuel at Blanding before flying on to Hubbard. I will be easy to recognize - just look for the plane doing the gawd-awful wheel landings

We should definitely plan on a dinner Friday night in Gateway, with anyone who has arrived by then.

I will be leaving Friday am, will be in sometime in the late afternoon, weather permitting

Jay

Sounds good Guess everyone will be watching the weather. I just got done watching it for this morning. Sat. and Sun. still looking good, Fri. they are saying scattered PM thunder showers. If it does get nasty on Fri. so that we can't get into Hubbard, anyone is welcome to come to Durango and stay at my place and head over to Hubbard Sat. AM. My Cell phone number is 970.749.1844 incase there are any last minute concerns. Gary

Thanks
I have an old mining partner in Cortez also. I will start watching in the morning, hopefully it will bring a tailwind for coming off the desert. I am going over to L77 friday early to pick up a grand kid and will strike out from there. I have this feeling that we are in for chamber of commerce weather. The moon was REALLY bright las night.