Breakfast at Marble

[rodsmith]

My friend Ted with the SQ Cub invited me to fly to the Marble strip and walk the mile into town for breakfast. He had a passenger and I tried to talk my wife into going but to no avail. She has seen it from the ground and realizes what a tight valley it is in between an 11000' ridge and 12000' peaks on the other side. It is a lightly visited gem of a back country strip. Privately owned by the Walton's of Walmart fame. You have to go on the RAF airfield guide and sign a liability waver, before each time you go in there. They have it set up great for camping there. There is a gas barbecue, smoker, picnic tables, and hot showers! and wifi. There is a caretaker that looks after the strip and facilities. Marble is named for the mine which produced marble for the Lincoln Memorial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and buildings throughout the country. The strip is 3600 long at 7800' elevation. A tight pattern is required to avoid the mountain sides on both sides of the valley. Its only 30nm from my place, so a quick flight if you aren't following a Cub with 35" tires. I told Ted when we got on the ground that I was at 14" and 1800 rpm to stay with him. Will be doing some camping there this summer.

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