Looking for ideas

[AuntPeggy]

Hubby and I will be taking 2 eight-year-old grandsons on the adventure of their lives (that's the plan anyway).

Right now, the schedule is:
1 Jul Overnight PNC Ponca City, OK.
2 Jul Overnight AEG Albuquerque, NM.
3, 4, 5 Jul OKB Oceanside, CA
6, 7 Jul CIC Chico, CA with family for wedding on 7th
8, 9 Jul Aurora, WA
10, 11 Jul Yellowstone
12 Jul PNC Ponca City

Extra days are to allow for weather.
Can you suggest fun things for the boys to do each day? Or fun places to go in the vicinity or along the path? We are pretty flexible on times except for the wedding on the 7th, which the bride will not forgive us for missing.

Our original plans to stop at Black Hills/Rushmore and the dinosaur park in Montana won't work out.

 

[AuntPeggy]

Here is a picture of the boys.

 

[SkyHog]

While in Albuquerque, I would suggest you check out the Petroglyhs right there by Double Eagle. Also - take the tram to the top of Sandia Peak. It is the worlds longest continuous tram (and its pretty neat).

 

[gprellwitz]

Might they go for Sedona or a flight over the Grand Canyon? IIRC, it wouldn't be too far from Alb. Nick?

 

[SkyHog]

Its a heck of a long way from ABQ to even the AZ state line....

Would be better to launch from Flagstaff for that.

 

[Everskyward]

Meteor crater near Winslow, AZ, even if just from the air?

 

[wsuffa]

Is there a place near Petrified Forest?

 

[Henning]

Its a heck of a long way from ABQ to even the AZ state line....

Would be better to launch from Flagstaff for that.

Yeah, but they are going to California... although I consider Bryce canyon prettier.

 

[AuntPeggy]

Thanks this is a great start.

PNC Ponca City
AEG Albuquerque Petroglyphs, Sandia Peak
INW Winslow Meteor Crater
BCE Bryce Canyon
GCN Grand Canyon
SEZ Sedona
OKB Oceanside
CIC Chico
UAO Aurora
GEG Spokane
COD Yellowstone
PNC Ponca City

Looks like Meteor Crater and Sedona are on-route. What is at Sedona? Bryce and Grand Canyons add a day of travel time.

 

[wsuffa]

Sedona is just beautiful scenery. Some decent hotels and food. Worth the stop.

If you're going to do Winslow and Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest is about 30 +/- miles away. Holbrook is the closest airport, don't know about services.

 

[Earthroamer]

The boys will like the restaurant at PNC. You just taxi up to it and walk threw a gate and enter. So, there is a parking lot for the aircraft and for cars. Other than that, it's pretty boring there at night. I have the date wrote down incase I am in the area at that time. Have fun!

I dont know where you are starting from but if 0F8 (zero f eight) is in route it might be a better stop for you than PNC. Last time I checked PNC was higher on fuel pricing. 0F8 is a NW town of Tulsa. So, at least you would have more choices for food.

 

[AuntPeggy]

The boys will like the restaurant at PNC. You just taxi up to it and walk threw a gate and enter. So, there is a parking lot for the aircraft and for cars. Other than that, it's pretty boring there at night. I have the date wrote down in case I am in the area at that time. Have fun!

I dont know where you are starting from but if 0F8 (zero f eight) is in route it might be a better stop for you than PNC. Last time I checked PNC was higher on fuel pricing. 0F8 is a NW town of Tulsa. So, at least you would have more choices for food.

The boys live in Newkirk, about 12 miles from PNC. We'll probably take the whole fam damly to Enrique's on the airport either inbound from or outbound to New York. That's 5 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, grandson-in-law, daughter & son-in-law.

We will stop in Tulsa before Ponca on the way west, or after Ponca on the way east to New York. We stop at RVS to visit daughter, son, daughter-in-law, & 2 more grandchildren.

That said, I'd love to meet with POAs. Is Tulsa better? We'll also be in Tulsa early May for a different wedding.

 

[mikea]

Hubby and I will be taking 2 eight-year-old grandsons on the adventure of their lives (that's the plan anyway).
...

...and you'll look back 16 minutes after take off and they'll be sound asleep.

Kids are hard to impress.

 

[SteveW]

What is at Sedona?

Sedona is perched on top of a Mesa. When the winds are right you can experience significant wind shear right at the thresholds. Nothing to worry about as long as you are aware/ready for it and don't get startled. (Oh, and don't forget to get the gate combination before exiting the ramp -- it's only written on the ramp side of the gate)

 

[AuntPeggy]

...and you'll look back 16 minutes after take off and they'll be sound asleep.

Kids are hard to impress.

This will be their second flight. Last Thanksgiving we flew them from Ponca City to Tulsa, about a 1 hour flight. They were animated and excited the whole time and were just barely able to honor our "sterile cockpit" requirement when landing.

Probably some time within their 12-day adventure they will become bored, but we expect them to remember forever that Grandad took them all over the West in his airplane. Hubby still remembers the awesome time his Grandad took him flying at the age of 8.

 

[jkaduk]

I see you'll be in Oceanside for three days. I assume you are staying near OKB. This list is sorted by distance from there off the top of my head.
Beaches
Lego-land
San Diego Wild Animal Park
Sea World
San Diego Zoo
Disneyland
Knott's Berry Farm
That should get you started.
Most of these will be very crowded that time of year so if you are interested in some other stuff off the beaten track, let me know what they like to do and I'll let you know.

 

[Bob Bement]

Peggy---- I see you are going North of us on your trip from Washington to Wy. If you could stop by S49 I could give you a tour. We have a lot of Oregon Trail stuff in our little town. We have 20 sometning building sized Murals. (Pictures ) Bob

 

[SteveW]

I see you'll be in Oceanside for three days. I assume you are staying near OKB. This list is sorted by distance from there off the top of my head.
Beaches
Lego-land
San Diego Wild Animal Park
Sea World
San Diego Zoo
Disneyland
Knott's Berry Farm
That should get you started.
Most of these will be very crowded that time of year so if you are interested in some other stuff off the beaten track, let me know what they like to do and I'll let you know.

And if you get stuck for time in San Diego, make sure you go to the Wild Animal Park vs the Zoo -- difference in quality is like night and day. And the Pacific is not like the Atlantic -- you might want a wet suit or something else warm for the Pacific

 

[One Short]

Cody has a gunfight in the streets by the Irma Hotel. I think it starts about 6:00pm. Old Town has old cowboy era buildings--Butch Cassidy's hide out and an old saloon with bullet holes in the door, and a huge pile of elk antlers. Down the road a little is a museum with little miniature characters showing the history of the area with Indians and Cowboys and stuff and the gift shop has cool things for 8 year olds(at least I liked the stuff ). And there is the big Buffalo Bill Museum-one part had a lot of wildlife stuff with interactive things to do. I thought Cody was a cool place to hang out. There is also a herd of wild horses 18 miles out of town on the road to Greybull on the left hand side (right where the lady at the motel said they would be.)

Barb

 

[Bob Bement]

Hubby and I will be taking 2 eight-year-old grandsons on the adventure of their lives (that's the plan anyway).

Right now, the schedule is:
1 Jul Overnight PNC Ponca City, OK.
2 Jul Overnight AEG Albuquerque, NM.
3, 4, 5 Jul OKB Oceanside, CA
6, 7 Jul CIC Chico, CA with family for wedding on 7th
8, 9 Jul Aurora, WA
10, 11 Jul Yellowstone
12 Jul PNC Ponca City

Extra days are to allow for weather.
Can you suggest fun things for the boys to do each day? Or fun places to go in the vicinity or along the path? We are pretty flexible on times except for the wedding on the 7th, which the bride will not forgive us for missing.

Our original plans to stop at Black Hills/Rushmore and the dinosaur park in Montana won't work out.

Peggy, You have Aurora (UAO) in Wahington. Aurora (UAO) is in Oregon. I think you meant Washington didn't you. Bob

 

[AuntPeggy]

Peggy---- I see you are going North of us on your trip from Washington to Wy. If you could stop by S49 I could give you a tour. We have a lot of Oregon Trail stuff in our little town. We have 20 sometning building sized Murals. (Pictures ) Bob

Those legs from Spokane to Vale to Yellowstone might be kinda mountainous. Is there a site where I can plot this route and see terrain?

PNC=Ponca City
AEG=Albuquerque ---Petroglyphs, Sandia Peak
INW=Winslow ---Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest?
SEZ=Sedona---Scenery
OKB=Oceanside---Beaches, Lego-land, Animal Park
CIC=Chico
UAO= Aurora
GEG=Spokane
S49=Vale---Oregon Trail
COD=Yellowstone---Old Town, Buffalo Bill Museum
PNC=Ponca City

PNC-AEG-INW-SEZ-OKB-CIC-UAO-GEG-S49-COD-PNC

 

[AuntPeggy]

Peggy, You have Aurora (UAO) in Wahington. Aurora (UAO) is in Oregon. I think you meant Washington didn't you. Bob

Somehow, I scrunched Aurora and Spokane into one place. Pretty inventive, huh?

 

[Bob Bement]

Peggy----- From Vale to Yellowstone you can stay over the Snake River Valley and avoid the high country. If you go straight from Spokane to Yellowstone you will encounter some high country. That route will take you over the LoLo pass road and over Hamilton Mont. which is real pretty country but some of it is high. 9500'. We would love to have you stop by Vale and spend a while. Bob

 

[jesse]

That said, I'd love to meet with POAs. Is Tulsa better? We'll also be in Tulsa early May for a different wedding.

Depending on when you are there we may be able to meet up with you. I go down there once a month to see Tristan. She is going to school @ KSWO which is just south of Ponca City.

 

[Areeda]

How about a fly-in when you're in SoCal? I don't think OKB has a restaurant but plenty of places near by. MYF, John's backyard has a good Mexican place.

Joe

 

[Joe B]

Those legs from Spokane to Vale to Yellowstone might be kinda mountainous. Is there a site where I can plot this route and see terrain?

Uh, you might find a few rocks between Yellowstone, Cody, and Ponca City, too.

These sites let you do free flightplanning, but I've no idea to what extent they support terrain profiles or mapping:
http://www.fboweb.com/
http://www.fltplan.com/

These sites let you look at electronic sectionals, but don't support flight planning:
http://maps.myairplane.com/
http://skyvector.com/

My favorite for starting these kinds of trips is the JNCA-5 Planning Chart from Sporty's. It's the whole Lower 48 on one VFR chart, costs about $5 plus shipping & handling.

------------------------------

I second the motion for Cody. We stopped there last summer - the kids had a great time. In addition to what Barb listed there's also a rodeo every night during the summer which is quite a treat if you've never been to one.

What's the attraction in Aurora? At population 655 it doesn't look like the place I'd want to stop with two young kids that had been cooped up in a plane all day. Unless the boys are into antiques? Different if you know someone there, of course.

Regards,
Joe

 

[AuntPeggy]

What's the attraction in Aurora? At population 655 it doesn't look like the place I'd want to stop with two young kids that had been cooped up in a plane all day. Unless the boys are into antiques? Different if you know someone there, of course.

Regards,
Joe

Grandad's next airplane.
http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/tourdemo.htm

 

[Joe B]

Oh, well in that case teach the boys riveting and put them to work!

Sounds like fun.

Regards,
Joe

 

[One Short]

Spokane to Cody would be easiest if you visit Bob in between. Fly down the Snake through Hells Canyon(deeper than the Grand Canyon but not quite as pretty. Stop at Vale and see Bob. After Vale, fly east through the Boise Valley, then over Yellowstone(fly around, look for Old Faithful and fields of buffalo), then fly the east road out of Yellowstone and follow it into Cody. It is a nice pass through the mountains. On the way to Yellowstone, Driggs(DIJ) has a small private air museum and cafe on the field. Driggs is where to Not So Rich and Famous land to get to the Teton/Jackson Hole area.

Landings.com has a flight planning part that lets you see terrain if you choose.

Barb

 

[Tristar]

I'm going to school about 40 miles south of Ponca City. I'm not sure of much you can do there other than there is a friendly mexican restaurant on the field. Tulsa seems like the place to be. It ice skating rinks and a bunch of museums including an aviation one on the field. The trouble is, I dont know what they like either.