Flying to Texas...recommendations?

[Jay Honeck]

We're hoping to depart for Fredericksburg, Texas (T82) next Sunday, to
pay a visit to the Hangar Hotel -- the only other aviation themed
hotel in the country (that we know of).

Fredericksburg itself sounds very neat, and we'll spend a day or two
there, but the kids want WARM weather -- and so do I. We're presuming
that we'll have to fly down to the Gulf coast to hit the really nice
weather, but there's no telling this far out.

San Antonio is nice, and we have friends to visit there, but I'm
looking for alternate suggestions. We'll be at the mercy of late
winter weather, so being flexible will be our best defense!

Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Viperdoc]

Don't your kids go to school?

[Tony]

Are your passports in order so that you might go into Mexico?

On Mar 7, 9:41 am, "Jay Honeck" > wrote:
> We're hoping to depart for Fredericksburg, Texas (T82) next Sunday, to
> pay a visit to the Hangar Hotel -- the only other aviation themed
> hotel in the country (that we know of).
>
> Fredericksburg itself sounds very neat, and we'll spend a day or two
> there, but the kids want WARM weather -- and so do I. We're presuming
> that we'll have to fly down to the Gulf coast to hit the really nice
> weather, but there's no telling this far out.
>
> San Antonio is nice, and we have friends to visit there, but I'm
> looking for alternate suggestions. We'll be at the mercy of late
> winter weather, so being flexible will be our best defense!
>
> Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> Don't your kids go to school?

"Spring Break" comes early to Iowa....
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> Are your passports in order so that you might go into Mexico?

Nope. We keep meaning to get them, and never seem to have the time.
Regardless, with the entire southern coast of the US to explore, I
hope we'll be able to find warm weather wtihout venturing out of the
country.

As an aside, for those using Google Groups, has anyone noticed the
fantastic assortment of intelligent "sponsored links" that pop up next
to any thread? I started this thread about Texas, mentioned
"Fredericksburg" -- and the links are all for Fredericksburg-area
attractions!

Say what you want about advertising, but THAT is cool -- and useful,
too.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jim Burns[_2_]]

I think you and Joe would like South Padre Island. :)
Jim

[Denny]

Jay, since you don't have passports it is moot - but friends don't let
friends go to Mexico...
The Guardia Rural watch the local airports...
Rich gringos in airplanes are seen as easy money...
A teen ager wearing a tattered uniform shirt and toting an AK47 will
be informing you that it will cost $$ american to guard your plane...
In my friends case (who speaks fluent spanish) it was $27 to make sure
no one bothered his Baron while he was inside paying the local landing
fee... The airport manager just looked amused and walked away...
It is the last time he flew across Mexico to get to his free care for
the poor medical clinic in Guatemala...

denny

[Allen[_1_]]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>> Are your passports in order so that you might go into Mexico?
>
> Nope. We keep meaning to get them, and never seem to have the time.
> Regardless, with the entire southern coast of the US to explore, I
> hope we'll be able to find warm weather wtihout venturing out of the
> country.

I took my family in to get them a few weeks back, three of us had expired
passports and one was due for renewal. $650.00 later we left with all the
applications filled out and filed. Still waiting for the passports to
arrive.

Allen

[Jim Burns[_2_]]

It took about 4 weeks for my wife's passport to arrive after filling out and
filing the required paperwork. It came Priority Mail.
Jim

[Ross]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> We're hoping to depart for Fredericksburg, Texas (T82) next Sunday, to
> pay a visit to the Hangar Hotel -- the only other aviation themed
> hotel in the country (that we know of).
>
> Fredericksburg itself sounds very neat, and we'll spend a day or two
> there, but the kids want WARM weather -- and so do I. We're presuming
> that we'll have to fly down to the Gulf coast to hit the really nice
> weather, but there's no telling this far out.
>
> San Antonio is nice, and we have friends to visit there, but I'm
> looking for alternate suggestions. We'll be at the mercy of late
> winter weather, so being flexible will be our best defense!
>
> Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

Jay,

If in your planning you get near Sherman TX Municipal Airport (KSWI) let
me know. I would like to meet you. That is where I base my plane and we
have some of the cheapest gas (100LL sorry no MOGAS on the field.) in
the area. http://ci.sherman.tx.us/airport_dept.asp There is also a
marina on the lake just north of Sherman and a good friend owns it.
There is a 3000 foot runway and a resturant about a 5 minute walk. They
have cottages right on the runway. http://www.cedarmills.com/airfield.htm

Enjoy!

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Barney Rubble]

If you want to keep the aviation theme going, head on over to Galveston.
There is a great aviation museum right on Scholes Field
(http://www.lsfm.org/) and Moody Gardens is very close by. You'll love the
hotel at T82, but it is a taxi ride into town and the restaurant on the
field is only OK IMHO. A good ariel tour of the hill country and a stop in
Llano for BBQ at Coopers would also be a nice diversion. WX is looking good
for the next 3-4 days.

- Barney

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> We're hoping to depart for Fredericksburg, Texas (T82) next Sunday, to
> pay a visit to the Hangar Hotel -- the only other aviation themed
> hotel in the country (that we know of).
>
> Fredericksburg itself sounds very neat, and we'll spend a day or two
> there, but the kids want WARM weather -- and so do I. We're presuming
> that we'll have to fly down to the Gulf coast to hit the really nice
> weather, but there's no telling this far out.
>
> San Antonio is nice, and we have friends to visit there, but I'm
> looking for alternate suggestions. We'll be at the mercy of late
> winter weather, so being flexible will be our best defense!
>
> Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 13:01:13 -0600, "Barney Rubble"
> wrote:

> If you want to keep the aviation theme going, head on over to Galveston.
> There is a great aviation museum right on Scholes Field
> (http://www.lsfm.org/) and Moody Gardens is very close by.

There's also the Schlitterbahn water park within a very short walk of
where you park your plane at GLS... It doesn't have as much variety as
the one over in New Braunfels, but it's heated in the winter... Or at
least a certain portion of it is... I haven't been there in the
winter, so I have no first hand knowledge of this though...

http://www.schlitterbahn.com/gal/

I've only been there once with my family, so I wasn't sure how close
it was to the airport, so I drove... Turns out that if I had flown, we
would have had to walk less than where I ended up parking my car...

The airport is within walking distance of the Galveston beaches --
about 1.5 miles... The road along the beach is considerably longer and
if you were wanting to explore around, bikes or a car would be nice to
have... Although I'm sure the weather is warmer than you're probably
experiencing in Iowa these days, it's not warm enough that a dip in
the ocean is all that enticing for us at least... Water temperature is
probably close to what the NOAA Galveston buoy is reporting...

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=42035

Currently, low to mid 60Fs... Of course you could look at it on the
bright side -- it's 30Fs warmer than what you have in Iowa... <grin>

Even if you go all the way down to Brownsville, the water doesn't get
that much warmer... The best you can probably hope for is around
70F... If you want truly warm, keep heading south and stop around
Cozumel...

[Danny Deger]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
oups.com...
snip

> Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?

Corpus Christi has beaches, dolphin watching and a museum aircraft carrier.

Danny Deger

[Dan Luke]

"Grumman-581" wrote:

> Although I'm sure the weather is warmer than you're probably
> experiencing in Iowa these days, it's not warm enough that a dip in
> the ocean is all that enticing for us at least... Water temperature is
> probably close to what the NOAA Galveston buoy is reporting...
>
> http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=42035
>
> Currently, low to mid 60Fs...

My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we were high
school kids. We wore full wet suits. 60 deg. F water will turn your grapes
to raisins in no time.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

[Matt Whiting]

Jay Honeck wrote:
>> Don't your kids go to school?
>
> "Spring Break" comes early to Iowa....

If only spring itself came early! :-)

March has started out pretty wild here in PA as well. It was -8F two
nights ago and 0F this morning. That is just not right for March!

Matt

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

Dan Luke wrote:
> My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we were high
> school kids. We wore full wet suits. 60 deg. F water will turn your grapes
> to raisins in no time.

I dive and 65-70F is acceptable with a 3mm wetsuit, even at depth... I
currently use a 5mm FJ style, thus 10mm in the torso area... It's quite
acceptable for 70F Florida caves even when you're down for an hour or
so... We used to do those same caves without a wetsuit, but after hiking
a mile through the woods to get to the cave in 95-100F weather, the 70F
water felt really good...

[Dallas]

On 7 Mar 2007 06:41:40 -0800, Jay Honeck wrote:

> but the kids want WARM weather -- and so do I. We're presuming
> that we'll have to fly down to the Gulf coast to hit the really nice
> weather,

Jay, March in Texas is not winter... it's spring here and I'm not kidding
when I say that we've be working on our tans for a couple of weeks.

The weather has be nothing short of delightful for weeks with severe clear
and mid 70's. Now comes the bad news, NOAA is showing a Pacific front
moving through over the weekend complete with spring thunderstorms so keep
your eye on the weather.

If you want a beach vacation you'll have to fly down another 265 nm to
South Padre. Any place further up the Gulf Coast you'll find disgusting.
The beaches are brown from the Mississippi mud and generally not charming.

Avoid Corpus Christi aka the "Redneck Riviera", it's a dump. A picture is
worth a thousand words:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/Dallas52/Dallas/RedneckRivieraE.jpg

Something happens at the very tip of Texas that makes much nicer white
beaches. The South Padre area will remind you of a poor man's Florida with
orange groves, palm trees and condominiums.

But, again you're pressing your luck a bit because it will be spring break
and just about identical to Fort Lauderdale in insanity. (I personally
don't mind 19 year olds in thongs, but the family might not find it so
interesting.) If you can rent a car and drive across to Matamoros, Mex
you'll find good food and fun... (Assuming nothing has changed since my
last visit 12 years ago.)

http://springbreak.sopadre.com/

All I can say is keep your eye on the weather and best of luck.

Dallas

[Dan Luke]

"Grumman-581" wrote:

>> My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we were
>> high school kids. We wore full wet suits. 60 deg. F water will turn your
>> grapes to raisins in no time.
>
> I dive and 65-70F is acceptable with a 3mm wetsuit, even at depth... I
> currently use a 5mm FJ style, thus 10mm in the torso area... It's quite
> acceptable for 70F Florida caves even when you're down for an hour or so...
> We used to do those same caves without a wetsuit, but after hiking a mile
> through the woods to get to the cave in 95-100F weather, the 70F water felt
> really good...

I don't remember the specs on the wetsuits we wore. I do remember trying to
stand up on the board and not being able to feel my feet.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[john smith]

In article . com>,
"Jay Honeck" > wrote:

> Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?

Houston... NASA & Mission Control
If you have to divert west for weather, Carlsbad Caverns, NM
Conferate Air Force HQ (or whatever its called now) Hondo TX (?)
Mooney Plant, Kerrville TX

[Blanche]

Barney Rubble > wrote:
>If you want to keep the aviation theme going, head on over to Galveston.
>There is a great aviation museum right on Scholes Field
>(http://www.lsfm.org/) and Moody Gardens is very close by. You'll love the
>hotel at T82, but it is a taxi ride into town and the restaurant on the
>field is only OK IMHO. A good ariel tour of the hill country and a stop in
>Llano for BBQ at Coopers would also be a nice diversion. WX is looking good
>for the next 3-4 days.

Definitely go to Galveston. Then take the crew car (if you can) for
the short drive up to JSC and take the tour. Back to Galveston for
fresh seafood. Don't forget to pick up one of those cheap foam
coolers to fill with ice and fresh, live shrimp (are we in season yet?)
to take home. Wrap in a big plastic garbage bag, no problem with
the smell.

[Viperdoc[_4_]]

On the way down you might stop at Midland and see the CAF. The FBO in MAF
is great.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN[_2_]]

Dan Luke wrote:
>> I dive and 65-70F is acceptable with a 3mm wetsuit, even at depth... I
>> currently use a 5mm FJ style, thus 10mm in the torso area... It's quite
>> acceptable for 70F Florida caves even when you're down for an hour or so...
>> We used to do those same caves without a wetsuit, but after hiking a mile
>> through the woods to get to the cave in 95-100F weather, the 70F water felt
>> really good...
>
> I don't remember the specs on the wetsuits we wore. I do remember trying to
> stand up on the board and not being able to feel my feet.


I made a trip to a rock quarry in wintertime back when I was young and stupid.
When I got there, I discovered I'd forgotten my booties. Well, damn! It was a
2.5 hour ride so there was no way I was going to leave without going diving. I
used socks instead. Later, after I crawled out of the water on what felt like
stumps, somebody expressed amazement that I'd dived in 42F degree water without
boots.

"Hell", I said, 'it was fine after my feet went numb".

For the Florida springs we generally used a 1/4" farmer john without the jacket.
For the quarry, I used that same farmer john... with the overlying jacket, hood
and gloves. And I wished to hell I'd brought my boots.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

[[email protected]]

Jay Honeck > wrote:
> San Antonio is nice, and we have friends to visit there, but I'm
> looking for alternate suggestions.

It sounds like you've been to SA before, and you may get in trouble with
the kids for inadvertently exposing them to something educational while
on break, but the Alamo is an interesting place to visit. It was
interesting in at least two ways to me: first, because it was the site
of a battle, and second, because of people's reactions to it. When I
was there, I noticed that the visitors seemed to fall into two broad
categories. One group was reading all of the displays, taking photos,
discussing the history with each other, etc: the "tourists". The other
group took off their hats as soon as they came in the door, moved around
silently, and generally acted like they were in church: the "native
Texans".

> Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?

My grandparents spent many winters in the Harlingen/Pharr area and we
visited them over Christmas once. We left Missouri with snow and ice on
the ground, and arrived in Harlingen to 65 degrees and grandparents who
were apologizing for how cold it was. This was about 20 years ago, but
I remember that we went over to the beach on South Padre Island and it
was quite nice. We flew commercial, so I don't know about the airports
in the area.

Matt Roberds

[tony roberts]

> San Antonio is nice, and we have friends to visit there, but I'm
> looking for alternate suggestions. We'll be at the mercy of late
> winter weather, so being flexible will be our best defense!
>
> Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"

Have you checked with MX?
Maybe he'll let you borrow his sim for a dry run.

Tony
(just trying to be helpful :)

--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

[Jay Honeck]

> If in your planning you get near Sherman TX Municipal Airport (KSWI) let
> me know.

Thanks, Ross! If we end up in the Dallas area, I'll let you know.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> Although I'm sure the weather is warmer than you're probably
> experiencing in Iowa these days, it's not warm enough that a dip in
> the ocean is all that enticing for us at least... Water temperature is
> probably close to what the NOAA Galveston buoy is reporting...
>
> http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=42035

Well, hell's bells -- now even buoys have their own websites
nowadays! Who'd a thunk it?

And that 60 degree water sounds pretty good. Shoot, we used to swim
in Lake Michigan, so you KNOW cold water ain't too much of a
deterrent...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> Houston... NASA & Mission Control
> If you have to divert west for weather, Carlsbad Caverns, NM
> Conferate Air Force HQ (or whatever its called now) Hondo TX (?)
> Mooney Plant, Kerrville TX

We flew the kids to Carlsbad Caverns a couple of years ago -- it's
definitely worth the flight. In fact, it's one of those places to
"See before you die...".

I'd like the see the Confederate Air Force HQ, and check out how
"Fifi" is doing...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> Have you checked with MX?
> Maybe he'll let you borrow his sim for a dry run.

Got my own, thanks.

http://alexisparkinn.com/flight_simulator.htm
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Beckman]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
ps.com...
>> Although I'm sure the weather is warmer than you're probably
>> experiencing in Iowa these days, it's not warm enough that a dip in
>> the ocean is all that enticing for us at least... Water temperature is
>> probably close to what the NOAA Galveston buoy is reporting...
>>
>> http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=42035
>
> Well, hell's bells -- now even buoys have their own websites
> nowadays! Who'd a thunk it?
>
> And that 60 degree water sounds pretty good. Shoot, we used to swim
> in Lake Michigan, so you KNOW cold water ain't too much of a
> deterrent...
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"


The only time I've ever actually thought I was going to die:

My then girlfriend and I flipped a Sailfish in Grand Traverse Bay in early
June. Holy sh*t was that water cold!!!!! It was actually difficult to
breath due to the shock.

Jay B

[Dave S]

Jay..

I second the Scholes field thing. Lone Star flight museum is on field.
Moody Gardens is 2 blocks away (actually built on former airport
property). Schlitterbahn is right across the street (built on the site
of a former hangar.

The historic strand is a cab or car ride down the road.. 8 miles max.

Up in Houston, close to EFD, NASA Johnson Space Center has the "Space
Center Houston" attraction for kids. Kemah has the Boardwalk, a
collection of 10 restaurants, some themed, on the clear creek channel
where clear lake exits to Galveston Bay.

Weiser Field (EYQ) has Carls bbq on field.

Brenham has a 50's diner on field

If you end up in the Houston area, let me know, I'd love to meet you
guys for lunch or dinner one night, or even be tour guide for a day if
you wanted.

Dave

Barney Rubble wrote:
> If you want to keep the aviation theme going, head on over to Galveston.
> There is a great aviation museum right on Scholes Field
> (http://www.lsfm.org/) and Moody Gardens is very close by. You'll love the
> hotel at T82, but it is a taxi ride into town and the restaurant on the
> field is only OK IMHO. A good ariel tour of the hill country and a stop in
> Llano for BBQ at Coopers would also be a nice diversion. WX is looking good
> for the next 3-4 days.
>
> - Barney
>
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
>>We're hoping to depart for Fredericksburg, Texas (T82) next Sunday, to
>>pay a visit to the Hangar Hotel -- the only other aviation themed
>>hotel in the country (that we know of).
>>
>>Fredericksburg itself sounds very neat, and we'll spend a day or two
>>there, but the kids want WARM weather -- and so do I. We're presuming
>>that we'll have to fly down to the Gulf coast to hit the really nice
>>weather, but there's no telling this far out.
>>
>>San Antonio is nice, and we have friends to visit there, but I'm
>>looking for alternate suggestions. We'll be at the mercy of late
>>winter weather, so being flexible will be our best defense!
>>
>>Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?
>>--
>>Jay Honeck
>>Iowa City, IA
>>Pathfinder N56993
>>www.AlexisParkInn.com
>>"Your Aviation Destination"
>>
>
>
>

[Jay Honeck]

> If you end up in the Houston area, let me know, I'd love to meet you
> guys for lunch or dinner one night, or even be tour guide for a day if
> you wanted.

If that comes to pass, we'll try to let you know!

Thanks, Dave.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jim Macklin]

Caution about flying in Texas south of Dallas, the roads are
not east-west/north-south, makes pilotage a challenge. GPS
is handy.

Watch out for the killer bees and the red and yellow fire
ants.



"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
oups.com...
|> If you end up in the Houston area, let me know, I'd love
to meet you
| > guys for lunch or dinner one night, or even be tour
guide for a day if
| > you wanted.
|
| If that comes to pass, we'll try to let you know!
|
| Thanks, Dave.
| --
| Jay Honeck
| Iowa City, IA
| Pathfinder N56993
| www.AlexisParkInn.com
| "Your Aviation Destination"
|

[Ross]

john smith wrote:
> In article . com>,
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote:
>
>
>>Any other Gulf coast destination recommendations?
>
>
> Houston... NASA & Mission Control
> If you have to divert west for weather, Carlsbad Caverns, NM
> Conferate Air Force HQ (or whatever its called now) Hondo TX (?)
> Mooney Plant, Kerrville TX

Isn't the CAF at Midland, TX. Hondo is now the home of the Southwest
Regional Flyin.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Ross]

Blanche wrote:

> Barney Rubble > wrote:
>
>>If you want to keep the aviation theme going, head on over to Galveston.
>>There is a great aviation museum right on Scholes Field
>>(http://www.lsfm.org/) and Moody Gardens is very close by. You'll love the
>>hotel at T82, but it is a taxi ride into town and the restaurant on the
>>field is only OK IMHO. A good ariel tour of the hill country and a stop in
>>Llano for BBQ at Coopers would also be a nice diversion. WX is looking good
>>for the next 3-4 days.
>
>
> Definitely go to Galveston. Then take the crew car (if you can) for
> the short drive up to JSC and take the tour. Back to Galveston for
> fresh seafood. Don't forget to pick up one of those cheap foam
> coolers to fill with ice and fresh, live shrimp (are we in season yet?)
> to take home. Wrap in a big plastic garbage bag, no problem with
> the smell.
>
>

A bicycle trip around the historic homes is beautiful. My sister lives
there.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Ross]

Jim Macklin wrote:

> Caution about flying in Texas south of Dallas, the roads are
> not east-west/north-south, makes pilotage a challenge. GPS
> is handy.
>
> Watch out for the killer bees and the red and yellow fire
> ants.
>
>
>
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> |> If you end up in the Houston area, let me know, I'd love
> to meet you
> | > guys for lunch or dinner one night, or even be tour
> guide for a day if
> | > you wanted.
> |
> | If that comes to pass, we'll try to let you know!
> |
> | Thanks, Dave.
> | --
> | Jay Honeck
> | Iowa City, IA
> | Pathfinder N56993
> | www.AlexisParkInn.com
> | "Your Aviation Destination"
> |
>
>

And the TFR if the President is in Crawford, TX

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Dylan Smith]

On 2007-03-07, Jay Honeck > wrote:
> We're hoping to depart for Fredericksburg, Texas (T82) next Sunday, to
> pay a visit to the Hangar Hotel -- the only other aviation themed
> hotel in the country (that we know of).

Fredericksburg is a nice town. I went to that field a few years ago
(with my bike in the back of the C172).

Other destinations you should visit:

Go to Corpus Christi Intl. and visit the USS Lexington. That's a very
good day out.

If you want to go to the beach, Mustang Beach is just up from Corpus,
and the beach is perhaps three minutes walk from the airfield. (The
airfield didn't have fuel last time I went there, but it's pretty close
to Corpus).

Fly into LaPorte near Houston and visit the Battleship Texas - another
good day out, and you can also sit on the AA guns and pretend to shoot
down passing aircraft :-) You can go right down into the bottom of the
engine room, too.

Also, the Johnson Space Center. Houston Gulf used to be the airport to
visit from this but it suffered the same fate as many private airfields
- now covered in tract housing.

Galveston Scholes has the Lone Star Flight Museum on the airfield. Most
of the planes aren't static displays, but flying examples. They also
have a Hustler there that was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis IIRC
(it had been set up for photographic reconnaisance and was nicknamed
'Peeping Tom'). Also, the Moody Gardens are well worth a visit if you
have the time. If it's IMC, you can tell when you're at the outer marker
- just wait for the foul smell of the Texas City oil refineries!

Good lunch stops - Victoria (Leo's Food Lot, traditional big lumps of
meat steak house, walking distance from the airfield), Weiser airpark
(Carl's BBQ, on the airfield), Brazoria County (food available on the
airfield), Brenham (a very good '50s diner, complete with waitresses in
poodle skirts and apple crumble to die for).

--
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.
Oolite-Linux: an Elite tribute: http://oolite-linux.berlios.de

[Gig 601XL Builder]

Dan Luke wrote:

>
> My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
> were high school kids. We wore full wet suits. 60 deg. F water will
> turn your grapes to raisins in no time.

Just for the record I had to read the first sentance above twice before I
saw it in say anything other than...

"My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we were
high"

[Blanche]

Dave S > wrote:
>Jay..
>
>I second the Scholes field thing. Lone Star flight museum is on field.
>Moody Gardens is 2 blocks away (actually built on former airport
>property). Schlitterbahn is right across the street (built on the site
>of a former hangar.
>
>The historic strand is a cab or car ride down the road.. 8 miles max.
>
>Up in Houston, close to EFD, NASA Johnson Space Center has the "Space
>Center Houston" attraction for kids. Kemah has the Boardwalk, a
>collection of 10 restaurants, some themed, on the clear creek channel
>where clear lake exits to Galveston Bay.

Just a reminder, NASA JSC is NOT in Houston, it's in Clear Lake.
Depending on where you are in Houston, it can be a 2 hour drive or
a 30 min. drive. Yes, I know that the "address" is Houston. But
it's almost 40 miles from Galveston to JSC. From where I used
to live (Fondren & Westheimer) it was 36 miles and could easily
take over an hour. The beltway was built after I left (escaped?)
from Houston, but it's still a long drive.

[Dan Luke]

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrote:

>> My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
>> were high school kids. We wore full wet suits. 60 deg. F water will
>> turn your grapes to raisins in no time.
>
> Just for the record I had to read the first sentance above twice before I
> saw it in say anything other than...
>
> "My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we were
> high"

Well, uh, actually...never mind.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[Gig 601XL Builder]

Dan Luke wrote:
> "Gig 601XL Builder" wrote:
>
>>> My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
>>> were high school kids. We wore full wet suits. 60 deg. F water
>>> will turn your grapes to raisins in no time.
>>
>> Just for the record I had to read the first sentance above twice
>> before I saw it in say anything other than...
>>
>> "My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
>> were high"
>
> Well, uh, actually...never mind.

What years were you surfing down there?

[Matt Barrow]

"Gig 601XL Builder" <wrDOTgiaconaATsuddenlink.net> wrote in message
...
> Dan Luke wrote:
>> "Gig 601XL Builder" wrote:
>>
>>>> My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
>>>> were high school kids. We wore full wet suits. 60 deg. F water
>>>> will turn your grapes to raisins in no time.
>>>
>>> Just for the record I had to read the first sentance above twice
>>> before I saw it in say anything other than...
>>>
>>> "My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
>>> were high"
>>
>> Well, uh, actually...never mind.
>
> What years were you surfing down there?
If they were high, wouldn't the proper question be, "What years were you
surfing UP there"?

[Dan Luke]

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrote:

>>>> My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
>>>> were high school kids. We wore full wet suits. 60 deg. F water
>>>> will turn your grapes to raisins in no time.
>>>
>>> Just for the record I had to read the first sentance above twice
>>> before I saw it in say anything other than...
>>>
>>> "My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
>>> were high"
>>
>> Well, uh, actually...never mind.
>
> What years were you surfing down there?

Mid sixties. Our idea of "high" came from a bottle of cherry vodka. Yech.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[Jay Honeck]

> Mid sixties. Our idea of "high" came from a bottle of cherry vodka. Yech.

Hey, at beach parties ten years later, we were swilling "Boone's Farm
Strawberry Hill" wine... Blech!

Within a year, however, we had progressed to Canadian Club Whiskey,
poured directly into a half-empty quart (not liter!) bottle of 7-up.
Shake gently, consume entire quart, then try to find way off of beach,
up rocks and brambles. Later, count potato bugs in carpet, then
worship porcelain god.

Ah, to be young again!

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[[email protected]]

On Mar 7, 10:57 pm, "Jay Honeck" > wrote:
> > If in your planning you get near Sherman TX Municipal Airport (KSWI) let
> > me know.
>
> Thanks, Ross! If we end up in the Dallas area, I'll let you know.
>

Jay, the Lake Texoma area (Sherman, Dennison, Gainesville) is probably
right directly under your flight path from KIOW to T82. Gainesville
and Sherman usually have the cheapest fuel too in all of northern
Texas. If you do decide to stop in there, let me know too, and I'll
try to see if I can fly over there from Wichita Falls to meet up with
you and Ross.

I bought my old plane back, and am back in the air again!


Neal Howard
Cherokee N4646R
(Formerly the "CheckerBird", now just a blue and white Cherokee)

[Dan Luke]

"http://tinyurl.com/33fynb

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 13:33:41 -0000, Dylan Smith
> wrote:
> Also, the Johnson Space Center. Houston Gulf used to be the airport to
> visit from this but it suffered the same fate as many private airfields
> - now covered in tract housing.

Although Houston Gulf was probably closer, Ellington is probably the
closest these days... Technically, there's probably enough room on the
empty fields around NASA to land there and there's even a bit of
pavement where they supposedly tested rocket engines many years ago
that probably is long enough to land on... There's a tower at one end
of it... They probably won't be all that receptive to you landing
there... For some reason, security personnel don't seem to be issued
senses of humor...

[Gig 601XL Builder]

Dan Luke wrote:
> "Gig 601XL Builder" wrote:
>
>>>>> My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
>>>>> were high school kids. We wore full wet suits. 60 deg. F water
>>>>> will turn your grapes to raisins in no time.
>>>>
>>>> Just for the record I had to read the first sentance above twice
>>>> before I saw it in say anything other than...
>>>>
>>>> "My buddies and I surfed at those beaches this time of year when we
>>>> were high"
>>>
>>> Well, uh, actually...never mind.
>>
>> What years were you surfing down there?
>
> Mid sixties. Our idea of "high" came from a bottle of cherry vodka. Yech.

Thank God. I asked because my wife used to hang out down there (Early
80s)with the surfers before we were married or even new each other. The
thought she was down there with somebody else from the rec.aviation
community was going to be way more than I could handle.

Though after 21 years of marriage it would probably be worth a laugh or two
at OSH one of the days.

[Morgans[_2_]]

"Dan Luke" > wrote in message
...
>
> "http://tinyurl.com/33fynb

Amazing. I have been to several different beaches on the Gulf, and had
never seen a wave of even half that size. I though Gulf waves were always
in the 3 to 3 foot rang, unless there was a gale or a hurricane coming in.

How often do waves get to the 6 foot and larger variety, and how big do they
get, without a big storm?
--
Jim in NC

[Dan Luke]

"Morgans" wrote:

>> "http://tinyurl.com/33fynb
>
> Amazing. I have been to several different beaches on the Gulf, and had
> never seen a wave of even half that size. I though Gulf waves were always
> in the 3 to 3 foot rang, unless there was a gale or a hurricane coming in.
>
> How often do waves get to the 6 foot and larger variety, and how big do they
> get, without a big storm?

Three of those four pictures are storm surf. Gulf Coast surfers live for
tropical storm season. Storms in the central or eastern Gulf will send great
swells toward Texas for days..

It can also get head high in the spring and fall when strong onshore winds
blow for 2-3 days before a cold front. When the front passes, the waves will
be good for a day until the offshore winds flatten them out.

Being a surfer on the Gulf Coast requires patience and the ability to drop
everything and go when a good day happens. I lost a couple of after-school
jobs because of this.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[Dave S]

Grumman-581 wrote:
> On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 13:33:41 -0000, Dylan Smith
> > wrote:
>
>>Also, the Johnson Space Center. Houston Gulf used to be the airport to
>>visit from this but it suffered the same fate as many private airfields
>>- now covered in tract housing.
>
>
> Although Houston Gulf was probably closer, Ellington is probably the
> closest these days... Technically, there's probably enough room on the
> empty fields around NASA to land there and there's even a bit of
> pavement where they supposedly tested rocket engines many years ago
> that probably is long enough to land on... There's a tower at one end
> of it... They probably won't be all that receptive to you landing
> there... For some reason, security personnel don't seem to be issued
> senses of humor...

Ballunar Fest is held out there every october. We contemplated, and had
preliminary permission to land some fixed wing stuff out there for some
of the mid-day non-balloon activities. The pilots walked it, and said no
way. Too many drainage troughs in just the wrong places.

There were ultralights, and ultralights towing hang gliders, and one
auto-gyro operating off the back 40 during the event though.

Security is never a problem with "prior permission"

And yes. Ellington is closest, La Porte is #2 and Pearland Regional is
#3 closest.

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Sat, 10 Mar 2007 08:05:53 GMT, Dave S >
wrote:
> Ballunar Fest is held out there every october. We contemplated, and had
> preliminary permission to land some fixed wing stuff out there for some
> of the mid-day non-balloon activities. The pilots walked it, and said no
> way. Too many drainage troughs in just the wrong places.

I've seen it from the air at 1000 ft and outside of the Ellington
airspace... The arrow shaped pavement area was very noticeable... From
that altitude, I could not see any drainage troughs across it...

> Security is never a problem with "prior permission"

When I used to work over at NASA, I tried to get permission to land a
gyro over there... This was back before the Beltway made it easier to
get across Houston on the south side... At that time, the only option
was a 2-lane TX-6 to Alvin and then FM-528 to NASA Road 1 in
Webster... Slow traffic and nowhere to pass... Couldn't get
permission...

[Danny Deger]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> We're hoping to depart for Fredericksburg, Texas (T82) next Sunday, to
> pay a visit to the Hangar Hotel -- the only other aviation themed
> hotel in the country (that we know of).
>
> Fredericksburg itself sounds very neat, and we'll spend a day or two
> there, but the kids want WARM weather -- and so do I. We're presuming
> that we'll have to fly down to the Gulf coast to hit the really nice
> weather, but there's no telling this far out.
>
> San Antonio is nice, and we have friends to visit there, but I'm
> looking for alternate suggestions. We'll be at the mercy of late
> winter weather, so being flexible will be our best defense!

Texas has lots of military flying and very active MOAs. Watch out for them.
If you go IFR you will be OK. If VFR, I recommend staying out of any MOA
that is active. Call the local FSS for status of any MOA.

Danny Deger

[Jay Honeck]

> Texas has lots of military flying and very active MOAs. Watch out for them.
> If you go IFR you will be OK. If VFR, I recommend staying out of any MOA
> that is active. Call the local FSS for status of any MOA.

We always use Flight Following, which keeps us apprised of the MOA
status.

Looks like our plans for flying to Texas tomorrow are scrubbed --
crappy weather coming for the next few days -- so we're heading to
Kitty Hawk instead, and maybe into Virginia.

If Texas clears up, we might catch it on the way back...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Dylan Smith]

On 2007-03-10, Dave S > wrote:
> of the mid-day non-balloon activities. The pilots walked it, and said no
> way. Too many drainage troughs in just the wrong places.

Gosh, if only I could bring the Auster to Houston. Normal power off
approach speed is 50 mph. With a bit of power you can go a bit slower
still, and get stopped in about the length of two postage stamps :-)

--
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.
Oolite-Linux: an Elite tribute: http://oolite-linux.berlios.de

[Ross]

Danny Deger wrote:
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
>>We're hoping to depart for Fredericksburg, Texas (T82) next Sunday, to
>>pay a visit to the Hangar Hotel -- the only other aviation themed
>>hotel in the country (that we know of).
>>
>>Fredericksburg itself sounds very neat, and we'll spend a day or two
>>there, but the kids want WARM weather -- and so do I. We're presuming
>>that we'll have to fly down to the Gulf coast to hit the really nice
>>weather, but there's no telling this far out.
>>
>>San Antonio is nice, and we have friends to visit there, but I'm
>>looking for alternate suggestions. We'll be at the mercy of late
>>winter weather, so being flexible will be our best defense!
>
>
> Texas has lots of military flying and very active MOAs. Watch out for them.
> If you go IFR you will be OK. If VFR, I recommend staying out of any MOA
> that is active. Call the local FSS for status of any MOA.
>
> Danny Deger
>
>
Easiest way it to use VFR flight following.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Ross]

Jay Honeck wrote:

>>Texas has lots of military flying and very active MOAs. Watch out for them.
>>If you go IFR you will be OK. If VFR, I recommend staying out of any MOA
>>that is active. Call the local FSS for status of any MOA.
>
>
> We always use Flight Following, which keeps us apprised of the MOA
> status.
>
> Looks like our plans for flying to Texas tomorrow are scrubbed --
> crappy weather coming for the next few days -- so we're heading to
> Kitty Hawk instead, and maybe into Virginia.
>
> If Texas clears up, we might catch it on the way back...
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

Jay, you use a different map. Texas on the way back from Virginia to Iowa?

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Montblack]

("Ross" wrote)
> Jay, you use a different map. Texas on the way back from Virginia to Iowa?


http://www.hangarhotel.com/about.htm
This is Jay's umpteenth attempt at flying to the Hangar Hotel. Weather, or
schedule, has always blocked his path.

So yes, Texas is on the way home. <g>


Montblack

Mario Andretti wouldda sure been proud
Of the way I was movin when I passed that crowd
Coming out the door and headed toward me at a trott

Now I guess I should of gone ahead and run
But somehow I just couldn't resist the fun
Of chasing them all just once around the parking lot

I had them all out there steppin and fetchin
Like their heads was on fire and their asses was catchin
then I figgered I had better go ahead and split before the cops got there

When I hit the road I was really wheelin
Had gravel flyin and rubber squeelin
And I didn't slow down till I was almost to Arkansas

I think I'm gonna reroute my trip
I wonder if anybody'd think I'd flipped
If I went to L.A., via Omaha

"Uneasy Rider"
Charlie Daniels Band
<http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Charlie-Daniels-Band/dp/B000066AUU>
Go to "Listen to Samples"

[Jay Honeck]

> > Jay, you use a different map. Texas on the way back from Virginia to Iowa?
>
> http://www.hangarhotel.com/about.htm
> This is Jay's umpteenth attempt at flying to the Hangar Hotel. Weather, or
> schedule, has always blocked his path.
>
> So yes, Texas is on the way home. <g>
>
> Montblack
>
> Mario Andretti wouldda sure been proud
> Of the way I was movin when I passed that crowd
> Coming out the door and headed toward me at a trott

Ha! We listened to that song on the way down. I still know EVERY
WORD of that song, and yet I had NO idea that it was performed by
Charlie Daniels! XM radio displays the "artist" in the digital
display, which has really been handy for those weird songs that you
love (from decades ago), but don't know who performed them...
--
Jay Honeck
Currently in Memphis, TN
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"