Flying to Texas...recommendations?

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

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

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

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

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"

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"

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"

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 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

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"