The Lake Minchumina strip is huge and table-top smooth; you could land a 727 there. There is a old, shorter strip there too, that is not maintained. Would be an easy hop for me, as I'm based at 5Z5 (Kantishna) during the summer.

Fuel in McGrath, Manley Hot Springs, Fairbanks, and I think there's some in Healy, or arrangements could be made. Probably could get some to Minchunima in drums as well, the Greens may even have some drums available....

No fuel in Healy. At least there was no fuel last summer.

I have talked to a resident out at Minchumina, and they'd love to have us for a weekend get together... Gas could be arranged for out there if we had a pretty close idea how much would be needed? They say the price would be about a dollar more a gallon then here in FAI? We could probably also get some out there on empty back hauls, and also onboard some of the Maules flying in from FAI...

OK, so Lake Minchumina seems acceptable to everyone. What about dates? Should we be specific or pick several alternate dates to account for possible weather?

Lakes can have ice out there until end of May depending on winter, how about planning first weekend of June with second weekend as back up if lousy WX? Or any other suggestions?

How are the bugs that time of the year? I don't mind a few mosquitos but I don't want everyone to be miserable... I've been in the park when it was no fun at all but I'm not familiar with the area around the lake.

I'm sure bugs will be heavy thru out the summer out in that area.. They start thinning some up here around end of July or August and don't really go away until we start getting some frost... But wind helps as well a hot summer days so it would kind of depend upon what the WX does? I usually just load up with the HIGH TEST 95% DEET on clothes and hat which kind of does the trick most of the time? I chartered out some Morrell Mushroom commercial harvest teams near that area a couple years ago and about 50% of most of the crews quit and flew back home to Oregon in fairly short order! I don't think they were very prepared for all the critters they ran into though!! If that's an issue we could do trip before breakup and have no bugs, and WX is usually nice, but it would have to be skis and wheels?

Juneish sounds good to me. Third co-plot is due beginning of May so I might miss Valdez this year. The fly-in would be a great substitute. Spring ski fly-in would be a blast but not sure how fun the overnight part would be especialy for the little ones. June would enable us to spend one or two nights out there. I can tough through the bugs in good company;-)

i would be more open to go in the march or april timeframe on skis.

too busy as a 135 slave after may hits.


i have also always wanted to check out one of the hot springs north of fai for a long weekend in the winter. anyone want to plan something like that?

Should we start talking about this again? Still an interest. What dates work for everyone?

I have talked to the powers that be out at lake Minchumina with both floatplane and wheelplane access, they'd love to have us in either June or August? July they do the rock skipping context... Heavy skeeters in June, but I'm game. If there's interest, let me know as I was thinking might be nice to do a BBQ on Saturday night maybe roast a small piglet dependent upon interest and numbers with pot luck sides, BYOB? They do have a couple of boats available which I think we could fanagle for the fishermen out there. Rooms are somewhat limited so would require camping... If this sounds like something of interest, let me know and I'll continue with some planning and dates, etc, etc...

I'm down for either though I'd probably prefer Aug.

I'm in, though it might be for a brief visit or two, depending on work. I fly for an air taxi out of Kantishna, only 20 or 30 minutes away, but that is of course our busy season. August is slower, and therefore better, than June for me.

August would be better month for me as well, and on the plus side, a lot less in the way of the Alaska State Birds flying around? Although that's about when the no-see-ums start getting active... Also depending upon fire season, although most every area up that way has burned in past few years, but everyone knows what the smoke can get like if it's a bad year? I'm not seeing the interest or input posted that I thought we had earlier?

Another option might be the Talkeetna Airshow in the middle of May as for us up here that's probably too early for floats and most Maulers would be on wheels?