April 26 – Akron, CO (KAKO). April 26 – Akron, CO (KAKO). Visit the Hayes Aviation aircraft painting facility. See demonstrations of every aspect of the process from control surface removal to paint stripping, metal and fiberglass surface preparation, filling imperfections, masking, spraying primer and different topcoats on sample aluminum and fiberglass coupons. Learn about different topcoats like clear, metallic flake and whatever else is the latest. See examples of good and poor paint application (like runs, dry spray and orange peel) and what causes them plus control surface balancing when needed. Lunch at the airport provided by Hayes Aviation. Host Bill Marvel (310) 293 2013, rv8tor@msn.com.
May 30-June 1, Durango, CO (00C, Animas Airpark). Arrive at Animas Air Park (00C) and stay in downtown Durango. Enjoy an e-bike ride along the river with a picnic lunch or take some time to explore the train museum and browse the downtown shops. Dinner at the Bar D Chuckwagon. On Saturday, take a scenic drive to Silverton for breathtaking views, a Gold Mine Tour, and lunch. Return to Durango for dinner. For those interested, you have the option to arrive a day early to enjoy mountain biking, road biking, and/or a visit to the Durango Hot Springs. Host Colleen Leppert (602)692 0807, colleenleppert@mac.com.
June 13-15, Hot Springs, SD (KHSR). First CPA trip to this destination. Stay at the fully remodeled Hot Springs lodge at $129 a night. Visit Wind Cave National Park, Moccasin Hot Springs, Mammoth site indoor excavation, World Fossil Museum, Fall River Pioneer Museum, Badlands Traveler back country aircraft facility, 30 NM flight over Mt. Rushmore, group dinner, Whiskey River Tap Room with 20 beers on tap and Two Cows Creamery with 84 ice cream flavors. You’ll be busy with these many options! Host Bill Marvel (310) 293 2013, rv8tor@msn.com.
June 21-22, Kremmling, CO (20V). FLY or DRIVE to Kremmling, a short flight or drive from Denver. Enjoy a float trip on the Colorado river on a sunny, warm June afternoon. Viewing wildlife, natural beauty, hot springs, passing by cliff jump sites and playful rapids will be a memorable half-day on the river. Our raft trip will be followed by our usual happy hour then a short walk to a local restaurant. We have 10 rooms reserved at the Allington Inn & Suites for the great price of $124/night. After breakfast, a short flight or drive back across the mountains to home.
Host Jan McKenzie (970) 568 6411, jan.mckenzie99@gmail.com.
June 25-27, Coeur d’Alene, ID (KCOE). Visit charming lakeside Coeur d'Alene Idaho. We will stay in the historic Blackwell Inn in downtown Coeur d'Alene, just blocks from the gorgeous Lake Coeur d'Alene. We will enjoy a boat tour of the lake and then, of course, our Happy Hour on the gracious veranda of the Inn before dinner at a nearby brew pub. The next day includes lunch and a tour of the famous 'Bird Aviation and Invention Museum', time to explore downtown shops and parks, and a group dinner near the Inn. Host David Ladd (303) 915 5877, Dladd765@yahoo.com.
July 3-6, Butte, MT (KBTM). Join us for a 3-night trip to Butte, Montana (1 of the 2 cities recognized as a National Historic Landmark). Activities include Butte’s Freedom Festival with a 4th of July parade, fireworks, music and food, the World Museum of Mining including an underground mining tour, Old Butte Historical Adventures where you’ll see the underground Hirbour Barber Shop and hidden prohibition illegal drinking establishment, below ground level city jail where Evel Knieval served time, and the elegant Rookwood Speakeasy featured on the History Channel including the underground sidewalks, and Lewis and Clark Caverns Tour to name a few.Host Kevin Condroski (303) 466 4801, kevin@condroski.com.
August 22-24 Sheridan, WY (KSHR): Visit beautiful Sheridan, Wyoming which sits on the east foothills of the Bighorn Mountain Range in Northern Wyoming. Attractions we’ll enjoy are the Trail End State Historic site which is a 14,000 sq. ft. mansion that you will thoroughly enjoy; Kendrick park’s Ice Cream Stand; Forrest Mars’ (of M&M and Mars Bars candy fame), Brinton Art Museum (built in 2015), and adjoining ranch house. See works by Remington, Russell, Audubon and Hans Kleiber. Finally, the downtown Mint Bar and dinner at Eaton’s Ranch (oldest dude ranch in America), round out our stay in Sheridan. Note: The fabulous Sheridan Best Western Hotel is our base of operations at only $109 per night. Host: Bob Kinney at 303-887-3328, twinlake1@aol.com.
September 12-14, Alamogordo, NM (KALM). Visit White Sands National Park, Pistachio Farm Tour, Tularosa Museum of Space History, IMAX theater and planetarium, Toy Train Museum and White Sands Missile Range Museum. Highly unusual, this national park is enclosed within the restricted area of the White Sands Missile Range. Group dinner, happy hour and ice cream! Host Bill Gust (719) 482 6810, garbona@msn.com.
September 26-28, Nucla, CO (KAIB). Take a step back in time to 1894, when a group of like-minded families decided to escape tyrannical landlords in Denver and formed the Colorado Cooperative Company. They then headed over the Rocky Mountains to Southwest Colorado to build their utopia. Throughout the area you will visit old ditch camps, and the historic town of Pinon. Retrace their steps over 9 years as they collectively carved out an 18 mile mostly hand dug irrigation canal from the San Miguel River to the Town of Nucla on Tabeguache Park. Visit the Cottonwood Syphon that was once the largest trestle in the United States. Following the river, you will visit the headgate of the Colorado Cooperative Company and learn about the hardships of the colony and the natural disasters that continually threaten the canal's operation. This Fly-in event is a spectacular celebration of what people can accomplish when they work together. Host Aimee Tooker (970) 428 7750, vestalhousenucla@gmail.com.
October 10-12, Hutchinson, KS (KHUT). CPA returns to Hutchinson, KS after 8 years. After arrival at KHUT and lunch at the Airport Steakhouse, our trip will take us 650 feet UGL (under ground level) to explore some of the over 150 miles of tunnels that make up the Strataca Salt Mines. We’ll enjoy an aviator happy hour at a local brewery, and ice cream at Bogey’s (famous for its 101+ flavors of ice cream shakes). The main event is the Kansas Cosmosphere, a world-renowned space museum, where you can see one-of-a-kind exhibits, such as the Apollo 13 Command Module – Odyssey, Liberty Bell 7, Gemini X, a rocket gallery, SR-71 Blackbird, and so much more! We’ll enjoy group dinner at Carriage Crossing in the nearby quaint Amish community of Yoder and it’s all but certain your host will pick up the donuts for the early risers from the popular staple, Daylight Donuts. Host Andy Holmes (719) 330 4185, andy@holmesaviation.net.