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Considering I only live a few miles from this place I know next to nothing about it, aside from what I have read here. There's a tiny (and a little pot holed) air strip just outside of town (Atomic City) and I always wondered if that thing was actually used.
I was walking my dog this morning out on BLM land and saw a small plane land on the airstrip. Five minutes later it took off again. Dropping off a Secret Squirrel, no doubt.
No doubt
Yes, Juneau, you actually picked a very interesting place to live. There was limited media coverage on this. I have a hunch it's not for medical purposes.
I'll try to learn more from my friend when I can. With the weather, I don't know if travel plans back to I.F. will be possible. But I'll email and see what I can learn, if it's not classified.
I guess what I can safely say about my friend is an opportunity was presented probably at least six months ago. When my friend decided to work in D.C. for a year, leaving everyone behind in I'D ( family, other INL sup envied staff etc.). Then D.C. wasn't ready. It was just a quirk I asked someone about two weeks ago about my friend. When D.C. was ready this person hasn't even been there a month.
It may be a fluke with the timing. Then again, it may not.
DOE is limiting this project either to Los Almos or INL. They know what they want and INL is the lead nuclear lab for the country.
The good thing about the 50-60 jobs is they are "multipler" jobs given the salaries.
We'll all stay tuned. Could be both INL and Areva might have some things happening in 2014
Happy Thanksgiving, Juneau! I hope you are enjoying every minute with your new pal. Post in "Let's Get Caught Up" so everyone knows how life in I'D is for your special delivery
Happy Thanksgiving, Juneau! I hope you are enjoying every minute with your new pal. Post in "Let's Get Caught Up" so everyone knows how life in I'D is for your special delivery
msr
Yeah, I'll post some pictures later today. She is a wonderful dog and very easy to love. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well MSR.
Hi, Juneau…
If the landing strip os on BLM land, the plane could have been on the job for BLM. They contract pilots all the time to take game surveys, check on the terrain and whatnot.
The site has a couple of strips of it's own. There are a couple of helos out there that have helo pads as well. I don't think the Atomic City strip would be used for site purposes, except for a possible rare emergency landing. All those small landing strips have emergency landings happen out here for all kinds of reasons. Most of the air traffic is civilians flying their own small aircraft. There are a lot of private business flights between here and Boise, Twin and northward, and the lavas out in the desert have no good place at all to land.
Hi, Juneau…
If the landing strip os on BLM land, the plane could have been on the job for BLM. They contract pilots all the time to take game surveys, check on the terrain and whatnot.
The site has a couple of strips of it's own. There are a couple of helos out there that have helo pads as well. I don't think the Atomic City strip would be used for site purposes, except for a possible rare emergency landing. All those small landing strips have emergency landings happen out here for all kinds of reasons. Most of the air traffic is civilians flying their own small aircraft. There are a lot of private business flights between here and Boise, Twin and northward, and the lavas out in the desert have no good place at all to land.
Well Mike, you are just going to kill speculation with that post. I was going to suggest the OR company pushing so hard for small drones might have dropped off fun things for Thanksgiving.
I saw OH and WY license plates yesterday. Those WY are really puzzling (not).
I totally agree with you. BLM and other agencies use air strips, small airports - whatever is closest to where they need to work.
With the various agencies, there are some great pilots who take on rugged situations. I really have to tip my hat to them.
While providing contract work in UT, I had pilots take 2-3 of us to a Vernal clinic, in a flight path I've never seen used. They started SLC Int'l. It's private (state) facility. Then they flew east directly over Bountiful eastward to Vernal. We were in the Governor's jet so I wasn't worried. I was surprised as to our right was the Capitol etc. bldgs. Perhaps it's a route reserved for the Governor's jet. But no sweat given taking off too many times in commercial aircraft at the old St. George airport up on a hill. If Scare West couldn't get the speed and altitude needed during the 5,000 ft. runway, takeoff either had to abort or end up having the plane crash below. That got a little unsettling the first time to have them slam on the brakes. Probably the 3-4 time it was easier to handle. But the worst was when the commercial pilots decided one day to depart North. If they didn't make that climb there was a solid red rock small mtn. we would have crashed into.
There was a lot of praying and other mention of Diety on those St. George flights into and out of that place.!!!!!
Why mention that here: 1. St. George use to be a test airport for those Navy pilots who had the same distance to safely land and take off from the Air Craft Carriers. 2. One never knows who is flying in to small airports that are more isolated. But they seem to always have suburb pilots.
Keep us updated Juneau. TO for your Thanksgiving wish.
Happy Thanksgiving, Mike and I hope you know I was just teasing you above, except about what great pilots fly state employees everywhere.
MSR
Last edited by Mtn. States Resident; 11-27-2013 at 12:46 PM..
IDK anything about this project. If someone learns more, please post.
My friend is in D.C. and traveling to various countries for a different INL mission.
That's where it can get pretty confusing, Juneau. Different employees are assigned to different projects.
But it does keep Idaho Falls interesting to learn who comes to visit or work. Ultimately, small businesses may open that one wouldn't typically see in ID. There is a family from S. Africa here. They've been featured in the Post Register, along with many others who come for various work experience at INL.
It's INL with employees usually having advanced degrees, which has made Idaho Falls have dozens of different churches, not just the LDS church. Employees come from all over the world. We don't have a Church of England, but otherwise Idaho Falls has strong congregations in many different churches.
INL also guarantees I. F. R. A. will stay open. I guess there isn't enough business need, or clout, in the State of I'D Got to keep an airline flying between Boise and Idaho Falls. The DOE probably out ranks the state of ID.
Well Mike, you are just going to kill speculation with that post.
MSR
I was going to say the same thing MSR, but you beat me to it. It's MUCH more fun to speculate about Secret Squirrels (capital S, capital S) than it is to find out that BLM-dudes are flying in to count antelope.
I walked down to the landing strip with my pup the other day. From a distance it looks like the strip is paved. I was surprised to see that the whole thing is gravel (well..........except for the part that is gravel and overgrown weeds).
Seriously though, thanks to both MSR and Mike for really interesting info. Learning a lot.
Do either of you know if civilians are allowed onto either of the Twin Buttes? I've heard varying stories. Someone said yes, go ahead. Someone told me that the one with the towers was OK, but stay away from the other one. Interested in driving to them and hiking them (or one of them) if it's allowed. Heard from one guy that he and a buddy shot a deer close to the radio tower butte and then tracked it over onto "yellow sign territory". INL guys drove up and the hunters told them they were tracking a deer. After getting a ticket (don't know how much the fine was) they were told by the INL guys that THEY would take care of the deer.
I was going to say the same thing MSR, but you beat me to it. It's MUCH more fun to speculate about Secret Squirrels (capital S, capital S) than it is to find out that BLM-dudes are flying in to count antelope.
I walked down to the landing strip with my pup the other day. From a distance it looks like the strip is paved. I was surprised to see that the whole thing is gravel (well..........except for the part that is gravel and overgrown weeds).
Seriously though, thanks to both MSR and Mike for really interesting info. Learning a lot.
Do either of you know if civilians are allowed onto either of the Twin Buttes? I've heard varying stories. Someone said yes, go ahead. Someone told me that the one with the towers was OK, but stay away from the other one. Interested in driving to them and hiking them (or one of them) if it's allowed. Heard from one guy that he and a buddy shot a deer close to the radio tower butte and then tracked it over onto "yellow sign territory". INL guys drove up and the hunters told them they were tracking a deer. After getting a ticket (don't know how much the fine was) they were told by the INL guys that THEY would take care of the deer.
Pay a fine and lose a deer. Sucked to be them.
Glad you thought about the speculation too, Juneau. It's a conspiracy against you, Mike J/K.
Wow, about the "yellow zone kill, that is new to me. Also part of what is interesting. INL has their own security. I don't know anyone connected. Depending on what is being tested/researched, I know the Navy M. P.S use to do their security. Potentially, other military services do too, but I think it's private currently.
Maybe that is part of the reason locals are building a shooting range and gun supplies store is going to start construction in Feb. 2014. It will be in Snake River Landing.
Maybe Mike or someone else will know. I can think of at least 4 reasons that might have happened, about security and the animal. We're they armed? Or stated more appropriately, how and what did they have for protection?
I'd call INL and ask if hiking can happen at X location.
Keep us updated.........
MSR
BTW - for the few who know who Neil Peart is, it is a FACT he visited Arco and Atomic City. He did it in his BMW motorcycle trip from L.A. TO Yellowstone the week before his second daughter was born. HE likes back roads and was fascinated to read about INL, given the lyrics he wrote to "Manhatten Project," decades earlier.
Glad you thought about the speculation too, Juneau. It's a conspiracy against you, Mike J/K.
Wow, about the "yellow zone kill, that is new to me. Also part of what is interesting. INL has their own security. I don't know anyone connected. Depending on what is being tested/researched, I know the Navy M. P.S use to do their security. Potentially, other military services do too, but I think it's private currently.
Maybe that is part of the reason locals are building a shooting range and gun supplies store is going to start construction in Feb. 2014. It will be in Snake River Landing.
Maybe Mike or someone else will know. I can think of at least 4 reasons that might have happened, about security and the animal. We're they armed? Or stated more appropriately, how and what did they have for protection?
I'd call INL and ask if hiking can happen at X location.
Keep us updated.........
MSR
BTW - for the few who know who Neil Peart is, it is a FACT he visited Arco and Atomic City. He did it in his BMW motorcycle trip from L.A. TO Yellowstone the week before his second daughter was born. HE likes back roads and was fascinated to read about INL, given the lyrics he wrote to "Manhatten Project," decades earlier.
If you're lost - no problem.
MSR
Where is Snake River Landing?
The INL guys were security, so I am assuming that they were armed.
Truthfully I didn't feel too badly for the guy who was telling me this story. He was not from Atomic City but was a friend of a resident here in town. He was wandering around town during hunting season "looking" at the deer we have, that pretty much live in town. That, even though he had a hunting rifle sitting on his front seat. Me and my husband (as well as a good number of other residents) spent much of hunting season this year confronting strangers dressed in camo, with hunting rifles, with spotting scopes, who were just "looking at the deer". Fish and Game was called out once for someone who shot in town - an elderly man who said that he has been doing it for years and was related to someone who lives here. Another resident reported seeing a couple of vehicles driving down back alleys, trying to herd the deer out of town.
City ordinance at the time was "no hunting within 1/4 mile of the city limits". That has since been changed to a one mile zone - a result of a whole lot of strangers wandering through town wanting an easy kill.
Residents in town have a love/hate relationship with our city deer. There are two separate herds that reside in town (about 15 in total). Some hate them because they eat folks trees, flowers, vegetables. Others love having them here and they're almost like town pets. I'm in the second category. They bed down in our back yard often at night. Regardless of whether they love them or hate them, most residents think of the deer as "ours" and ultimately care about them.
I see them every evening nowadays. There's one big buck and one younger buck that we didn't see through the summer but who are now in town trying to make nice with the girls. Yeah..........that time of year. Kory (my dog) and I, can get within 10 feet or so of the herd(s) without them running off.
There's one doe who obviously has had a broken leg in the past because she limps very badly and is always pulling up the rear when the herd is on the move (which, when I see them, often means just moving from one yard to the next). I wondered if she would make it through hunting season and I was pleased to see that she did.
I'll call INL directly to find out the story on hiking either of the Twin Buttes.
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Hmmm
I was going to suggest the OR company pushing so hard for small drones might have dropped off fun things for Thanksgiving.
Kory (my dog) and I, can get within 10 feet or so of the herd(s) without them running off. 
