2011 Red Baron Fall Tour

We missed the tour last year but no way we were skipping out this year. We look forward to meeting up with our “sporty” friends each year for driving around the best country roads and seeing the gorgeous Fall scenery. This year, the tour was in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

We were going to see the Aerodrome museum and the Air show in Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. The focus was on the history of flight from 1909 through 1939 featuring performances of early World War 1 biplanes. But first – arrival reception…

Our accommodations would be the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa. Based on the scenery leading to the resort, both Ted and I expected a cobblestone style mansion resort. Instead, the building seemed austere in style compared to the rest of the area .

The lobby was expansive and welcoming (I think the welcoming part had something to do with the bar visible at one end of the room).

We were checked in immediately and situation in our room on the 6th floor. There was a nice view of the area but one problem,

the concave bed. I swear that is not my photographic “prowess” you’re looking at, that’s the “dippy” bed. It wasn’t going to be the good nights sleep I was looking forward to after starting my day with a 17 mile run at 4 am.

As usual with the Fall tours, the meet and greet reception began at 5:30pm with a lot of receiving hugs, catching up conversations, homemade munchies, beer and box wine.

As much fun as socializing was, Ted and I were starving for a nice sit down dinner. We retired to the hotel restaurant called appropriately, “The View”.

We ate…

we went to our room and were asleep in our geometrically challenged bed by 8:30 pm. Party poopers? You might say that.

The Fall Red Baron Tour – all the fun was to be had on Saturday at Cole Palen’s Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

We took the scenic route to the museum (crossing the Hudson)

and assembled for group photos on the lawn – not “people” photos but more importantly, group CAR photos. After all, these mechanical classics were the reason we all get together.

We toured the museum and listened to our guide recite the history of the planes.

Next it was lunch on the lawn. An hour later, the PCA group paraded along the air field to show off the cars. We were the “opening act” for the air show.

Ted and I meandered to our seats, not knowing what to expect but were quite entertained for two hours while planes took to the air, doing flips, vertical assents and descents, flying through the air trying to rip through toilet paper thrown by the pilot,