We have the same problem in Central Oregon. Although there is a hobby shop in Bend (a 30-mile drive), they rarely have what most of us in our club need. Their mantra is that "oh, gee, is that out of stock? We can have it by next Thursday." The only good hobby shops are in the Portland metro area, at least a 3-hour drive. So, obviously, most order by mail. Which brings us to the chicken/egg question "Did the hobby shops close down because of mail order, or did mail order happen because local hobby shops didn't stock what hobbyists needed [&o]? Pretty easy to argue both sides on this one. Lee