In Refugio, we will be at Rooke Field, a nice airport with lots of space for dry camping. To get to Rooke Field from Houston take Hwy 77 south out of Victoria. Just past the town on the right is a huge oil storage tank, turn right on Kelley Road just before the tank. There is a small sign for the airport too. Follow the road to the airport on the right. We will meet at 11 AM and have a club provided lunch at noon.

Saturday night we are planning a shrimp boil. We would like a head count for this dinner. Plan on being there for great food and great flying – in Refugio.

There are 3 hotels in Refugio, you be the judge.

Best Western Refugio Inn

U.S. 77, Refugio, TX 78377

(361) 526-4600 ‎ book.bestwestern.com

Review:

“What a nice place! Since this is such a small town, we didn’t expect much from this hotel…What a pleasant surprise! The facility is small, but very well kept. Our room was clean, and comfortable. The staff was so friendly and helpful. We had everything we needed to feel at home. This is a nice place to stay!! “

Budget Inn

804 South Alamo Street, Refugio, TX 78377

(361) 526-4656 ‎ budgetinnrefugio.com

“ When my parents got married in 1957, the wedding parties stayed here. My dad and I stayed here in 2007 during a hunting trip and he said nothing had changed, it was just the way he remembered it. Take that for what it is…. But really, the beds were comfortable and the bathroom was very clean.”

Relax Inn

807 N Victoria Hwy, Refugio, TX 78377

(361) 526-5331 ‎

no reviews.

See you in Refugio.

Lowell

BARF has been busted from Lake Whitney. We will not be allowed to “drive” our PPCs on any road surface that is for automobiles. We will not be able to drive them on the grass beside the road, cannot be escorted to the site, cannot camp at the runway site, cannot push the PPC to the runway, cannot tow the PPC by hand or automobile on the road surface or grass. The only way to get to the runway will be to trailer the PPC to the runway on a road surface legal trailer. If that is too much legaleeese for you, you should have heard it as my wife did and then I called again 2 hours later to protest. We had been allowed to taxi 2 previous times on the road – but not again per the new park ranger. Here is the number 254/694-3793, but I can tell but I can tell you that they are adamant about this “law” and will be watching us very close for violations. So,

Lake Whitney has been canceled.  

BARF is headed to Mathis TX, Emerald Hill RV Park for the April 21st meeting. This is on Lake Mathis northwest of Corpus Christie TX. Here is the website, http://www.emeraldhillrvpark.com/4852.html, for the map of the RV site but please Google “cr 704 Mathis, TX 78368 “for the road map to the location. From the town of Mathis TX, follow cr 704 (cr 4) west about 1.25 miles to the caliches road on the right with the sign “Emerald Hill RV Park”. Turn right and follow the road to the RV Park.

The park is on the lake and a good area with friendly folks that want us to visit. It is privately owned, not in the state park, not an airport, but has a large field that will be mowed prior to our arrival. We have 6 sites reserved together now. Please let me know if you can make this fly in and want a site.

 Sorry for the change of location but the powers that be in the Texas Parks System will not budge.

 Lowell Henderson

This is the FLY YOUR WHEELS OFF ANNUAL EVENT. In honor of Bill Alcorn and now Kirk Carkenord (Port Mansfield Fly In) both brave pilots that safely landed their aircraft as their wheels fell off. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Will there be more inductees this year??

Smithville is the location of the Luecke Ranch, a modest Texas spread of 5000 acres north of town. Unique to his ranch is his name is bulldozed into the landscape and trees on about 500 acres. It can be seen from space by satellite!  It is on the Top 10 sites for Google Photos!    http://best0f.com/top-10-google-maps-satellite-photos/   This will be worth the trip alone. From the NASA journal: “By clearing forest so that a pattern would be visible to landing aircraft, a landowner…created a target that is also useful for evaluating spatial resolution of astronaut photographs. The forest was selectively cleared in order to spell the landowner’s name ‘LUECKE’ with the remaining trees”  http://wonko.com/post/luecke

Bastrop State Park was the site of one of the worst drought related fires this past summer. The landscape should tell it all, especially from the PPC view.  

Other areas of interest are the Colorado River, Shipp Lake to the southeast, Buescher Lake and Buescher State Park to the north.

We will camp at the airport, no hookups. Motels are limited to the Bastrop area mainly and nearby state parks.

This is not the weekend of the MS 150 Bike Ride.

For supper Saturday night we will be at Phil and Lynn Comparetto’s Ranch House. We had a great time there last year with more than enough food for everyone. Bring your favorite desert, a chair, a drink and your tallest tale to share after dinner.

See you in Smithville,

Lowell

Yesterday, February 22nd was her birthday and of course brought some tears.  I took off half a day from work as I was in a funk and basically needed some time to breathe.  I went to the mailbox and found a generic envelope addressed to me.  I opened it to find cards from the BSA Hospice of Pampa.  We had asked that if you wanted to send a donation in lieu of flowers that it should be to them.  They helped out when my Grandfather was dying and my Mom could never thank them enough.

When I started going through the cards, I found some from her friends, and then got to one from the Bay Area Recreational Flyers…  it truly touched my heart.  I thank you all as a group and as my friends.  It made my day.

I hope to see most of you at the next meeting!

Jack

The airport offers a large grass strip and nearby sights of Trinity Bay and Lake Anahuac. That is where the gators will be hiding, the hogs running, and the swamp boats skimming across the tall grass.

This is a fun flying area with lots to see.

The Rotorcraft – Gyro pilots will not meet at this location on Feb 18th. But, they will let us use their hanger for the meeting and lunch. So, we will have the airport to ourselves.

Plan to fly Friday to Sunday.

Dry camping at the airport.

Directions: Interstate 10 East from Houston to FM 563. Turn right (south) on 563, go about 4 miles until the stop sign at road 61. Turn left (east) on 61 and go about ½ mile, the airport is on the right. We will park at the west end of the runway where there is lots of pavement and the grass strip is close by.

Lowell

The location is 16500 Westheimer Pkwy Houston, TX 77082-1608, (281) 556-8086. 

There will be a concert by Mark Chestnut Saturday night and lots of fun things to do and see during the day.

Thanks and respond to Corinne at: cbailey@totalsafety.com 

 or lowellh492@sbcglobal.net

Hope to see you there. – Lowell

Click Here for the “Homes For Our Troops” Website

For now, here’s the one I have completed: http://www.lulu.com/product/calendar/powered-parachutes-2012/18666216?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/2

There is an RV Park next to the airport:

R & R Campground  (956) 944-2253

Mansfield Dr, Port Mansfield, TX 78598

This is where the toy haulers will be.

If you need a hotel, there are hotels in Port Mansfield. Here are a few and there may be others.

The Anahuac Gatorfest is that weekend, September 16 – 18^th.  http://www.texasgatorfest.com/

This is a great place to fly, lots of interesting waterways, landscape, and of course, GATORS.

The festival is held during gator hunting season to award prizes for the biggest gators.  http://www.alligatorhunting.net/alligator-hunting-texas/

I just want to fly over, take pictures, and wave at the gators, thank you. Photo-ops are available with the big gators caught but not for me, maybe the other L.H. will do it again.

The airport has a big hanger we can use – and we will have company. The PRA Chap 62 (Gyroplane) group will be there too. This should be interesting.

Original email from Steve Weir:

Hi, my name is Steve Weir and I am with the PRA Chap 62 (Gyroplane) here in the Houston area. We will have a fly-in at Anahuac T00 on the Gatorfest weekend and would love to have you guys join us. We are located in the hanger by the fuel pumps. After having been to Mentone, Indiana the last couple of years and joining in with the powered parachute folks there we would like to see you here in Anahuac on the September 16,17,18 weekend.

Our website is: http://www.gyrosaway.com 

Hope to see you there! Please contact me if you have any questions.

Steve Weir

832-457-1785

See you in Anahuac for the meeting,

Lowell.