The Marble Colorado fly-in is a yearly event that many pilots look forward to every year. But we had never gone. This year everything came together and we were destined to go. So we went!

The elevation is 7,800 feet MSL which isn't too high and the length of the strip is 3,800 feet long which isn't too short. But it is in a mountain valley and so the weather is always a strong factor. Bob had flown into there once before ten years ago but had not been back for a decade.

For our first trip into Marble for the fly-in the weather was perfect. Our flight from Fort Collins was in crystal clear air with a few misty clouds over the mountain lakes. It was simply a gorgous trip over! And of course we had our camera, carefully packed in our baggage and completely inaccessible! But we ended up taking enough pictures all total that this is okay.

	Stole this from Jer. On the way West over the Front Range. It was a gorgeous day for a mountain flight.	High terrain all around in the Crystal River canyon to Marble. We are at 9840 feet MSL and descending into the valley. That is McClure Pass ahead and to the right at 8755 feet MSL.	Marble, Colorado back-country Fly-In - 7,800 elevation, 3800 feet long	N319SA. A plane on downwind for landing.	N7390K, N9513G and N5871C in a row (Hawk XP, C206, C182)

	Gorgeous grass strip.	Tundra tires and a big engine make this takeoff look easy for N180C.	A Cessna 140! N89983. Can a C140 take off from Marble?	Jer/, John and Bob inspect the C140.	Just like Bob and Jer/'s C140 "Redbird" but this C140 has a bigger engine, necessary for this high-altitude strip.

	Three happy planes from FNL, all in a row. We're on the east end of the strip.	One guy said it was 3 miles into town, felt like only 2 to the other side of town (Beaver Lake).	Marble, CO.	Population 85. One general store, parks with picnic area, one good BBQ restaurant, no gas station.	Hiked into town and saw this "angel" along the way. Odd... And a large block of marble used for this angel. I guess you can do that when large blocks of marble are just laying around!

	Best marble in the world here so lots of statues / carvings.	Musuem is open Sat-Sun 11am-4pm. It's 12:20pm and it's closed. Waah.	Better looking carvings here.	"W Main Rd" - I (Sue) haven't been to too many towns where Main Street is gravel.	A classic scene from yesteryear.

	We had BBQ from here Sat eve, good food!	Jake, Micah, Sue, Jer/.	Jer/'s bike needed work so Bob pulled out his Leatherman. Jake's did too so Sue pulled out her Leatherman. The hikers are prepared for anything!	Bob (Jake took this picture)	Beaver Lake is just up the road, Schofield Pass is serious 4wd.

	Huge houses on the hillside, Bob noticed the ladder especially.	Vic and John bicycle down the road from Crystal back to Beaver Lake.		Oh man Beaver Lake is gorgeous!

			Even the cliffs are beautiful!	Picnic lunch with Vic, Sue, John.	Vic, John, Bob. The town newspaper (monthly) was pretty good!

	General Store.	The Marble tourist map was simply adorable, drawn by the K-3 class.	Chunks and blocks of marble debris everywhere.	Pretty vista - south side of valley looking west.	N78AT - an Alaskan Tern.

	N319SA.	N4683K.	N7914V.	N180C.	N2560X.

	N5074X.	N45GK.	N1505T.	Jer/ and the kids (they're really 21ish and not kids, but to me they're kids) do more bike maintenance.	Vic and John.

	West end of the strip looking north-west, tons of planes!	Lots more on the south-west side, and lots of camper trailers too.	Hiking up to the local waterfall - John scampers on ahead while Sue stops to admire all the chunks of marble in the river.	Bob and Dad2.	Far (west) side of the ravine is just solid marble.

	WOW this is a gorgeous waterfall!	It's about a 20 minute hike from the airstrip - go out the south-west gate, turn left on the road and go over the bridge, take first left, then first right on Private Drive, then at a left curve take a right onto "Deer Trail" single-track trail.	Bob walks across the lower log. There is an upper log about 20 feet in the air but my camera batteries died here.	Saturday evening BBQ.	Sunday morning, 7390K on the takoff roll, John taking Sue Blue up for a ride.

	Not off the ground yet like a SuperCub, but will make the takeoff easily.	N7390K climbing out.	Nice guy from an Outward Bound reunion (didn't catch his name) petting Mollie, with Bob and Cary looking on.	N89983 C140 taking off.	C140 got into the air sooner than the C182's and 90K. Has to be a 150 HP engine!

	N9513G fired up, heading to Kremmling for breakfast.	Dusty!	N9513G on takeoff roll.	N9513G lifts off and stays in ground effect.	N970MC, Mel and Taylor with his Glastar from FNL.

	N970MC at Marble Colorado	N970MC with Mell, Taylor and Sue			John returns in N7390K from giving Sue a ride.

		Sue and John in N7390K just after their flight.	Sue and John in N7390K.	Vic with an aircraft climbin out behind.	Vic and John pack up N5871C.

	Shiny!	This was our campsite.

	Supercub on takeoff	Supercub making takeoff look easy with miles of runway ahead.	Looking east at N7390K with our campsite behind.	Bob and Sue in N7390K with the Marble runway behind.

	RV on takeoff roll.			John and Vic about to engine start.	Bikes are light but take a lot of room.

			On our takeoff roll.	Climbing out.	High terrain all around on departure from Marble.

	McClure pass on the left (with the road snaking up to it).	N652CP at Glenwood Springs, Jim Schinnerer, John Owen, Terry Thompson doing mountain flying training.	N652CP in front right, far back left is Mel's Glastar, middle left back in N7390K.	Departing Glenwood.	Pass a few miles north of Corona/Rollins. Commanche Pass?

		Fire west of Loveland - Got the TFR info from Denver Radio but it wasn't on XM yet.	More smoke up by Estes - Longs Peak is the tallest one on the left, Twin Sisters in the middle.	Four Mile Canyon fire burn spots. We're at 13,000 feet, above its TFR.

	Still at 13,000 feet about 10 south of the Loveland fire.	With no zoom		With lots of zoom.

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