NVAO Members,
We hope you are having a good summer and are relatively healthy and happy.
1. With all of the fires going on out West, we’ve checked in on some of our friends and we’d like to give you a status report:
a. Wayne Worden reports that the Northern California fires are up near Chico, CA and are not expected to come close to Auburn, so he’s feeling safe.
b. Don Jenkins tells us that the Oregon fires are a couple hours away from him and it’s very unlikely for them to come near Roseburg.
c. Janet Lennox lives in Greeley, CO and is 30 or more miles from the fires west of Loveland, CO. She has gotten some smoke but she feels safe.
d. Steve Wiseman is the closest to danger. He lives on the east side of Loveland, CO and the fire can be seen from his house. It’s currently on the west side of Loveland. There are a bunch of lakes between him and the fire so he’s not real worried but he’s certainly keeping his eye on the status of the fire.
2. In the last NVAO Update, we mentioned that a quilting group in Colfax, CA (Carole Park, Mary Weeks, Carol Hunter, Leslie Rodrick, Tricia Kirk, and Marna Duncab) made 26 lap quilts. two of which were handed out by Libby and Wayne Worden to veterans at each of the hospitals and homes that we visit on the 2024 NVAR. Attached are photos of the vets who received the quilts. This is just another example of how the National Veterans Awareness Ride recognizes and shows our appreciation for veterans across the country. Thank you, Libby and Wayne and to the wonderful folks in Colfax quilting group. By the way, these quilters are part of the group that cheers on the riders from the overpass as we leave Auburn and head to Reno.
3. Also, we have an updated NVAO Members Spreadsheet. it”s up to date as of today, (Contact Jerry for a copy of this Spreadsheet). Please check your information and let us know if anything needs to be updated.
4. We’ve got 30 friends signed up for the NVAR Reunion in Colorado Springs. If you decide to attend, we’d love to see you. Below is all the information. If you plan on coming, please let us know. Also, we are planning to have a short Board meeting on Saturday at 4:30pm and we’re having it in the hotel conference room instead of in the hotel restaurant. The conference room is on the first floor of the hotel. It’s an open meeting and you are welcome to attend
Saturday, August 31: Sandy Kintzele has blocked 20 rooms at the Holiday Inn Colorado Springs Airport, 1855 Aeroplaza Dr., Colorado Springs, 80916, (719-380-8526). It has a swimming pool, fitness center, restaurant, bar, free breakfast, shuttle from airport, free parking, etc. The rooms are blocked for Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1. The official check-in time is 3pm but you can probably get in earlier. The price is $129 plus tax per night but you must use the code: NVAO. If you want to book online, you can use this link: NVAO Booking Link. It looks to me like if you only want to book a room for one night, you may have to call and do the reservation over the phone. The hotel will hold the block of rooms at that price until August 1 at which time any rooms left will be released to the public. To be sure of a good room rate, call the hotel in the next day. They might hold the rate but you can’t be sure.
We will have a short Board Meeting at 4:30pm on Saturday in the hotel conference room The meeting will be open to everyone.
The main day for group activities will be Sunday, September 1.
9:30am: We will meet at Dragonman’s Military Museum at 9:30am and buy our tickets for a tour of the museum. This is an extraordinary, private collection that rivals any other military museum in the United States (and probably the world). The museum is at 1200 Dragonman Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920 (719-683-2200). That’s 13.5 miles/19 minutes from the hotel. The price of admission is $20 per person, payable at the door (Ticket purchase must be in cash. No credit cards accepted.).
10:00am – 12:00 noon: Lunch at The Airplane Restaurant, 1665 Newport Road, Colorado Springs, CO, (719-570-7656). This restaurant is about 20 minutes from Dragonman’s Museum and features great food and a ton of cool, aviation memorabilia and history. We will block off seating for the group. Separate checks will be requested for the lunch.
2:00pm – 4:30pm: Free time, dip in the pool, read a book, take a nap. The distance from The Airplane Restaurant to the hotel is 1 mile, about 4 minutes
4:30pm: Depart hotel for the Flying W Ranch, 3330 Chuckwagon Road, Colorado Springs, CO. (719-598-4000). This is about 30 minutes from the hotel. The Flying W Ranch is a working ranch in the foothills on the far west side of Colorado Springs. The gates open at 5:00pm and before dinner there are a number of fun activities to do before we eat, for example, view/hike around the Red Rock formations, watch the Sweetwater Plains Dancers and the Navajo Rug weavers, participatory axe throwing, archery, hugging various ranch animals.
Each person must make their own reservation online for dinner. (Go to flyingw.com, click on Chuckwagon Supper Shows, Click on Buy Supper Show Tickets, Scroll Down to Sunday, September 1, Click “Select” and buy the appropriate number of tickets that you’d like. In the Comments box, type NVAR Group so the ticket people at the ranch will know to seat us together.) When we arrive, Jerry will go to the ticket counter and pick up all the tickets for our group. Each of you will have already paid for the dinner/show.
6:30pm: A chuck wagon dinner will be served. The menu choices are Smoked Brisket, Berbere Chicken, Smoked Hatch Green Chile Sausage. There is also a vegetarian menu.
7:30pm: a western musical stage show will be presented. Good music and lots of laughs.
8:30pm: The show is over and we’ll head to the hotel.
If you are going to join us in Colorado Springs, please respond to this email so we have an idea of how many people to plan for.
We look forward to seeing you.
If you have any questions, please contact either Steve or Jerry.
NVAO Members,
After sending out the 7.31.24 NVAO Update earlier today, we received several emails that I thought I’d share with you:
1. First is an email from Jeff Gowing from Cottage Grove, Oregon. Following is his email:
“This is Jeff Gowing, The Mayor, we have a fire about 20 miles away from Cottage Grove Oregon, 1900 acres and 0 percent contained. We had one about 5 miles from my Central Oregon home but they got it out fast. I’ve never seen fire season so early and it doesn’t seem to be showing any improvements anytime soon. Sorry I won’t make the reunion, I have a family camping trip that weekend. Hope everyone is well. Jeff.“
2. Second is an email from Larry Stein. He shares with us his and his wife’s experience working with the U.S. Forest Service. Following is his email:
“Jerry, I was glad to hear that few of our friends were directly threatened by fires at this time. Please remind all who can see smoke from their homes and everyone in a fire potential area that a personal evacuation plan is a GOOD THING! I worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 25+ years and have come to understand that fires and fire weather are very unpredictable. Because of that, I urge everyone to develop their own evacuation plan. This plan should involve a quick way to gather all important family documents and all necessary medicines plus a couple of changes of clothing. That may seem unnecessary today but when you get that reverse 911 call or answer your door to find a sheriff telling you that you have 30 minutes to evacuate safely, that’s NOT the time to assemble your “to go” supplies. Everyone thinks that fires are like cancer, they happen to “someone else” but that’s not the case. My wife and I were both working for the Forest Service when the Cedar Fire came through our town of Ramona. We were both assigned to the fire and her mother was watching our two boys and the house. When the sheriff knocked on our door, grandma was panicked and called us just to be reminded that we had all our documents in a fireproof box in the trunk of our Crown Victoria, backed into our driveway and the boys had to go bags packed. We didn’t have to evacuate but we were ready. I encourage everyone to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. The worst is a hurried evacuation for which you are not prepared. I pray for the safety of every fire fighter working in terrible conditions and all the people who find themselves in the way of that unstoppable monster called fire. Feel free to share this warning. Larry (Bigfoot) Stein.“
3. Third, I was notified by several friends that the phone number of the hotel in Colorado Springs, where we will be gathering for the NVAR Reunion is incorrect. The correct phone number is 719-380-8516. You may also reserve your room online by using the link in the NVAO Update email. Normally, I would blame Buzz Neeb for this typo but he had nothing to do with it.
Everyone, please be careful out there. Whether it’s fire danger or car drivers who are not paying attention…be careful.
Jerry
