This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on a widely-wandering grizzly bear. (See the Idaho section.)
Region-Wide
Reader Tim J. sent us this: Some great aerial photography, showing life on the Palouse: Ag Pilot/Crop Duster “Day in the life of”. He operates primarily in eastern Washington and adjoining Idaho. As you watch this, take notice: The narrow runway (I’ve seen wider taxiways), a very tight turn-round at the ag chem site (note the small gap between the wing tip and the building), and some precision low-level flying with zero margin for error!
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Radio Free Redoubt: T-REX 2019 Countdown and America Love it or Leave it
Idaho
This retreat home property offered for sale is roughly half way between Sandpoint and Athol: Off-Grid Homestead, Cocolalla, Idaho. JWR’s Comment: Coincidentally, I stayed at this home as a guest, back around 2003. Even then, it struck me as a quite viable retreat. With the many improvements since then, it is undoubtedly an even better retreat now.
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Wandering grizzly still in upper Lochsa River region
Montana
Bear activity spikes in Lolo prompting concerns over garbage
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Montana searchers find body of missing Oregon child
Eastern Oregon
Idahoans help Ontario’s first pot shop have booming business on opening day
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Plea hearing set for alleged Nyssa shooter
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Oregon company wins auction for The Bulletin
Eastern Washington
Three more Kennewick park shooting victims named. All linked to gangs
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Trial date set for Clarkston man whose video of police altercation went viral
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Amazing Water Follies 2019 photos and videos
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Greater Spokane Meals on Wheels bookkeeper who stole more than $88K faces up to 20 years in prison
Wyoming
Wyoming School District to Allow Teachers to Carry Guns
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Wyoming Game and Fish tries to keep Jackson office open amid housing crisis
Send Your News Tips
Please send your American Redoubt region news tips and event announcements to JWR. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.
My dad was a crop duster back in the 50’s and 60’s. He had a Piper Super Cub that he converted to a duster, and an old Steerman that was converted to a sprayer. He had a nice runway, next to our house, but he did a lot of work in Pine Island NY. I went with him one day to set up the pumper for the next day and asked him where was his air strip. He showed me a dirt road between two main ditches. Had a lot of respect for my dad and what he did to make a living back before these new machines.
Seeing all those endless fields of food is also inspiring. I did not know that there was such high tech bi-planes.
Jim’s Smith’s Airplanes by Kendall Hopkins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiZ7QP5acfs
Here is a mostly unknown private air museum, and airport large enough for jet aircraft. There is also lakes, and an 18 hole, world class golf course, and replica of Stonehenge at his Crystal Lakes Estate. It is worse than a sand trap. It is a Jay Leno class collection of flying aircraft that Jim Smith personally flew in. However, some of his staff can also fly these planes. There are also several hangers, and aircraft not in the museum, and not on this video. The museam is open to the public, yet traffic is almost nonexistent, and tours are guided, so it is virtually a private tour for 10 bucks, complete with golf carts. It is located just few miles south of Eureka, Montana on Hwy 93, at Crystal Lakes.
It might be of interest that Jim Smith also has a sense of humor, as well as a sense of community, and removed the ‘U’ from the decals of a former U.S. AIR FORCE jet, and replaced it with a ‘J’, so that it reads, J.S. AIR FORCE. Hey, it is legal! Unfortunately that plane is not on the video either. And neither is a DC-3 in OD green.
If you visit, be careful not to trip over the various spare jet engines lying around on the floor. And even if you do not like planes, the music in the vid is a Bach fugue, with an awesome Trumpet in A. It would be a first class experience.
Correction: There are at least two jet aircraft labeled J.S. AIR FORCE 1, this one is in white, and found here, https://youtu.be/TiZ7QP5acfs?t=199.
Just like Jay Leno’s place, it is an endless parade. Who knows *what* is hidden in those huge hangers!
We use the AirTractors up here to haul fuel out to the bush. It can deliver 1,000 gallons at time getting into remote bush areas. They are fast and very efficient.