I understand, much of my stuff has come from the interweb.  Good camera shops are hard to come by in flyover country.  But you are not talking about a $17.99 tripod at Kmart, you really should be able to find a place that would work with you.  I am in the market, eventually, for a better aircraft/wildlife lens, but I'm going to drop $50ish for rentals 3 or 4 times this summer to try more than one out at some different venues before I make a decision on which way to go.