I can't really speak for the community. I have been to a couple of businesses that have autographed pictures of the crew on the wall. The Hoffman's own a local private airport, and the Turin name is pretty well known through the family paving business. I had them put in a long asphalt drive a few years back when I had a shop built in back of the property. I am barely related through a series of marriages (so not at all) to another Turin brother and yet another brother and I had kids in sports at the same time so I knew him. Nice guys. My club used to fly right at the Sandy River Airport for a year or two, but we had another field as well and we voted to not pay two leases on two sites. I would see Jack or Todd when I was down flying, but just to say a quick Hi, how's it goin'. They have a big banquet room on the airport property that we used for our meetings, and Jack spoke to us at a banquet a few years back and the subject was Alaska. Mining (he had done it before) and flying. He is a private pilot who has some Alaska flying experience. He wrapped it up by saying he was planning to go back and gold mine, but I didn't think about it one way or another at the time. I just happened to show up one day to fly, and as I drove past the hangars, I saw heavy equipment being loaded onto trucks and big flatbed semis and they were being filmed (taped?) by a couple guys with cameras, and it still didn't click with me what might be going on. It wasn't until I watched the first season that I realized I had been there when those early scenes were being shot. As for the show, my wife and I watched the first two seasons but I guess we just got tired of it. I think all those shows are the same. I don't really watch any of them, but I did do a couple seasons of that one and the one in Alaska that featured Era Air. Completely fake "reality", but nicely shot and fun to watch. I can tell you this based on what I know, the mining came first, then the show. They were going to go anyway, and Todd found a company online that was looking to film something, anything, and do a reality show. He applied and they were interested. It is my opinion after seeing some of the later seasons that this has changed completely, and the show comes first above all else, which is why it feels to me to be so produced and acted out. Because I think it is. But aren't they all? Very formulaic and boring to me.

The last time I saw Todd was at the health club. No, he wasn't working out, his kids were swimming in the pool. After season 1, we walked into the local Thai food joint and Jack and wife were there. The place was kinda full, but they recognized us from the club meetings and banquet and we joined them for dinner. The show didn't really come up much. Jack told us about the back problems he had been having, and told us the story of how he obtained his dog, Blue. That was about it. I think I read recently that Blue wasn't long for the world. I loved that dog. He could play fetch until your arm wore out. Good ol' Blue, who you see often in the first couple seasons.

Now I've gone WAY OFF topic!