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North Fox Island

petehowell

petehowell

Well Known Member
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Andi, Gizmo, and I made it out to North Fox this weekend. We had beautiful weather and tailwinds in both directions, but the trip home got warm and bouncy. Big thanks to the RAF for opening and maintaining the strip - it is a lot of work! Get a brief before you go from the RAF website.

We will certainly be back! Only one snake spotted, and the bugs were not as bad as expected- but the deafening quiet and the views of the Milky Way are world-class!!

Gizzy likes a good campfire.........
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New Friends!
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The 9A is no 182, but we do ok with 100 lbs of stuff - Moonrise on the eastern horizon
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A Dew-Drenched Sunrise over North Fox

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Fuel Stop at KPBH conveniently has a pub across the street - Gizmo needed a Sunday morning Bloody........
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Only saw one snake? That's just something you told Andi, right? And then took away her glasses?

(Readers, do not fear. Both kinds are non-lethal. However, the little garters will slime you with stinky stuff if you pick them up. )

IMG_20230610_172459969.jpg
 
DanH said:
Only saw one snake? That's just something you told Andi, right? And then took away her glasses?

(Readers, do not fear. Both kinds are non-lethal. However, the little garters will slime you with stinky stuff if you pick them up. )

View attachment 69343
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As an Iowa girl that grew up detasslin' corn, Andi made peace with snakes long ago-we only saw one little garter buddy near the woods!
 
Was just there Monday. Awesome place!

Some say it should be called “Snake Island”. After spending the day hiking all the trails, I think a better name might be “Chipmunk Island”. I only saw three snakes (and I was looking for them) but saw many chipmunks and heard even more.
 
Looks beautiful. Had to google this to find where it is (an airport identifier (6Y3) or state/body of water would be helpful). What is RAF (Rutan Aircraft Factory?) and how is the grass runway there (smooth, soft,...)? I can get there fast, but would probably never try landing there... the nose gear is the Velocity's Achilles heal. Hit one good hole, nose gear comes off and goes through the prop... Best left to the tail draggers and those with flaps...
 
petehowell said:
Andi, Gizmo, and I made it out to North Fox this weekend. We had beautiful weather and tailwinds in both directions, but the trip home got warm and bouncy. Big thanks to the RAF for opening and maintaining the strip - it is a lot of work! Get a brief before you go from the RAF website.
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Fox Hollow to Fox Island? I detect a theme….

It would be a great trip, but my wife’s first question would be “where do I plug in the hairdryer?“.
 
MacCool said:
Fox Hollow to Fox Island? I detect a theme….

It would be a great trip, but my wife’s first question would be “where do I plug in the hairdryer?“.
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Good Point If you go - know there is no electricity, no potable water(unless you filter it), and little to no cell phone coverage.

That said, it is really cool!
 
Looks like a fantastic camping trip. There are many such great adventures like that here in the Up North part of the country.

Hair dryers aside, I've finally had to declare a personal moratorium on grass fields due to my record of poor decision-making regarding grass fields. Wheel pants fiberglass work has become a too-big part of my winter and I'm getting tired of it. Fortunately, this year's project is nose gear-only from a local fly-in in July.
 
Don, indeed it is 6Y3 and is located in Lake Michigan, just west of Beaver Island and about 30 miles north of Charlevoix, MI KCVX. RAF is the Recreational Aviation Foundation, (https://theraf.org/) which is a group dedicated to keeping airstrips like North Fox open, not to mention lots of great people. The grass is pretty good, but my buddy with a Velocity will not go on grass in any situation and he wants more than 3000 ft. It's perfect for our Europa and we go often.

Jim Butcher
 
h&jeuropa said:
Don, indeed it is 6Y3 and is located in Lake Michigan, just west of Beaver Island and about 30 miles north of Charlevoix, MI KCVX. RAF is the Recreational Aviation Foundation, (https://theraf.org/) which is a group dedicated to keeping airstrips like North Fox open, not to mention lots of great people. The grass is pretty good, but my buddy with a Velocity will not go on grass in any situation and he wants more than 3000 ft. It's perfect for our Europa and we go often.

Jim Butcher
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Very cool! I'll have to dig deeper into the RAF website. Thanks for the link.

I agree with your buddy... 3000' is my normal cutoff, except in winter; and even then I take out the back seats and go in as light as possible. Those with constant speed props can do smaller.

Thanks,
 
The sides can get a bit soft after rain - but the middle of the strip is smooth and firm. The north side "seemed" to be a bit higher and maybe firmer. There is a ton of room for parking and camping.

The RAF Michigan Liaison is a great source for the latest conditions. His email is on the RAF site.
 
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