Visa Update...

Still trying to get our visa invitation.  I did get a fax number and faxed my request.  Amazingly, I received a call back from a very helpful person named Natasha.  Unfortunately, I had the wrong department, but she gave me the fax number of the right department, so I faxed my request.  Its amazing that just getting a fax to go through and have someone respond gives one encouragement!

By the way, we got our first phone bill.  At $5 per minute, we had $130 of calls to Russia on this bill (there are more coming).

Gear

Started turning more attention to getting gear together for the trip.  Both Canada and Alaska have requirements for survival gear on board your plane when traveling cross country.  It includes things a like two-week's supply of food for each person on board, fishing equipment, signaling devices, blankets/sleeping bags, etc. (see Emergency Equipment).   

Besides Emergency Equipment, we have been gathering the requisite charts, FAR/AIMs, Canadian Flight Supplements, etc.  There is a new chart for the VFR route from Nome to Provideniya and we learned that the Alaska Airman's Association has a supply of them, so we'll be contacting them this week.