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UID:ae9c20076a16b5b0a3ac18eab39d20b6
CATEGORIES:Weekend Getaway
CREATED:20121016T210710
SUMMARY:Weekend Getaway: Carlsbad Caverns National Park
LOCATION:Carlsbad Caverns National Park
DESCRIPTION;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:Weekend Getaway Flights:\n\nCarlsbad Caverns National Park (in Carlsbad, NM
 )\nby Craig Albright, Cirrus N857CD @ KCHD, CFI/II\n\n \n\n\n Our next Week
 end Getaway: Carlsbad Caverns National Park on Nov. 24-25  Yes, this is rea
 lly a 2-day trip… time to stretch our legs a bit! And, it really is on the 
 weekend following Thanksgiving. So, if you have out-of­town guests, invite 
 them along! We’re going to tour world-famous Carlsbad Caverns, located unde
 rground in the Guadalupe Mountains, a small mountain range running from wes
 t Texas into southeastern New Mexico.  Arrive:  Saturday, 11/24 by 10:00 AM
  (1700Z). Flying from Chandler (my home 'drome) and assuming that the Restr
 icted Areas are “hot”, one possible route would be KCHD-E77-SSO-EWM-WHOLE-K
 CNM for 402 nm. Admittedly, we may be able to fly through the Restricted Ar
 eas on the weekend, but going “direct” only cuts off about 15 nm.  So, I in
 tend to fly around them. \n\nFBO @ Carlsbad:  Chandler Aviation (575-887-15
 00).  Avgas is readily available, and we're getting a $0.10/gal. discount b
 ecause we're members of APA.\nGround transportation in Carlsbad:  The FBO h
 as two cars that rent for $60/day.  (I forgot to check about a 1/2-day rate
 .  However, I doubt that they have one...)  Each car will seat 5, perhaps 6
 .  At this point, I've reserved both of them for us. \nLunch in Carlsbad:  
 There are several places near the airport.  The FBO recommended Happy's, an
 d a quick, on-line check looked pretty good.\nActivities:  Tour the caverns
 !  After an early lunch, I anticipate that we’ll do the self-guided tour of
  the Big Room.  (Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.) The ca
 vern consists of multiple underground chambers with the major structure 750
  ft. below ground.  (Don’t worry about claustrophobia; the chamber is huge!
 )  It’s accessible to the public via an elevator or a series of paved switc
 hbacks from the surface.  And, it really is BIG -- the 3rd largest undergro
 und formation in North America and the 7th largest in the world!  The self-
 guided tour costs only $6.  (And, if you have a Senior Pass, it's free.)  L
 ike many federal parks, they also have audio guides for rent.	\n - Apparent
 ly, their main elevator is undergoing renovation.  So, most tourists use th
 e service elevator which holds fewer people.  Thus, ingress/egress may take
  a little longer than normal.  If anyone feels like walking, you can enter/
 exit the old fashioned way -- by foot.  The paved set of switchbacks are so
 mewhat steep but quite smooth.  Walking down it easy; walking back up is mo
 re strenuous.  I've done both and survived.  YMMV.	\n - Currently, we have 
 4-5 aircraft on the trip for ~10 people.  And, although we may have a few m
 ore sign-ups before the event, I don't anticipate a cast of 1000s.  We can 
 stick together while subterranean or wander about individually -- your choi
 ce.  (This is a national park -- getting lost is virtually impossible.  Thi
 s isn't a spelunking expedition.)  If we decide to separate, we'll simply s
 et a rendezvous time for meeting on the surface.	\n - Questions on the Cave
 rns?  Check out their website at:  http://www.nps.gov/cave/faqs.htm .Depart
  Carlsbad:  Mid afternoon.  Rather than fly all the way back to the Valley,
  we'll stop at Las Cruces, NM (KLRU) and spend the night. That way, we can 
 enjoy some great Mexican food and a margarita (or two). That flight (KCNM-W
 HOLE-EWM-MOLLY-KLRU) is only 146 nm., easily made before sunset with a mida
 fternoon departure from the caverns. (The airport is about 9 nm. west of to
 wn; I’ll arrange ground transportation between then and now.)  Of course, f
 olks don’t have to spend the night in Las Cruces. It’s 261 nm. back to Chan
 dler AZ – a nice evening flight after dinner!  But, they’ll miss out on the
  margaritas!	\n - Overnight lodging in Las Cruces:  La Quinta provides a di
 scount to pilots and is relatively close to the airport.  Their standard, 2
 -adult, non-smoking room is $61.83 with taxes.  Call (575) 524-0331 and mak
 e a reservation for those in your aircraft -- I made mine this morning.  Be
  sure and ask for the "pilot rate".  That price includes a continental brea
 kfast.	\n - Ground transportation in Las Cruces:   There's only about one h
 otel in Las Cruces that picks up at the airport.  And, they're quite expens
 ive.  So, to get around, we'll need to rent ground transportation.  Enterpr
 ise has vehicles, and they are right at the airport.  This morning, I calle
 d them ( 575.525.1778 ) and spoke to Kerry.  They have a 15-passenger van t
 hat rents for $153.95.  And, cars go for $57.14.  So, depending upon group 
 size, we can go either route.  Hence, please confirm your attendance with m
 e ASAP so I can make a rental choice.	\n - Dinner in Las Cruces :   TBD at 
 the moment -- lots of yummy options!An optional stop on our return flight: 
  I've been in contact with Cathy Myers, President of the New Mexico Pilots 
 Association, with respect to our Weekend Getaway; Cathy was extremely helpf
 ul with identifying resources in Las Cruces.  (Thanks, Cathy!)  And, she ma
 y even be able to join us on our Weekend Getaway!  In her most recent email
 , she mentioned a potential stop on our return flight!  Here's what she had
  to say:  	There is a real nice treat down at 5T6 on the westside of El Pas
 o and 18 minutes by air from KLRU.  The War Eagles Air Museum is one of the
  best kept secrets for private museums.  I worked there for about 16 months
  and it has a wonderful display of fighter aircraft, all vintages, old moto
 rcycles, automobiles and a great gift shop.  Nice airport and you can park 
 on the ramp right outside the museum.  Opens at 10:00 am and closes at 4:00
  pm  $5.00 per person entry (hard to believe).  You might consider dropping
  in on your way back from Carlsbad - contact ATC El Paso or flight followin
 g for 5T6 through Newman pass in the Franklins north of El Paso, take a lef
 t when through the big pass and head south. There is 5T6 Dona Ana Country A
 irport. Even if you skip The War Eagle, brief your folks on the restricted 
 area that is north of El Paso and always hot. You will fly parallel to the 
 southern edge of the area as you go east to west through Newman pass.   Dep
 ending upon when we leave Carlsbad, we could stop at the War Eagles Air Mus
 eum while enroute to Las Cruces.  Let me know if this is something you'd li
 ke to do.  The only reasons that I've been concerned about getting to Las C
 ruces before sunset are (1) some APA members fly planes without lights and 
 (2) I don't know about anyone's night currency... \n\nI look forward to hea
 ring from everyone! \n Blue skies,\n Craig\n\n\n\n \n
CONTACT:Craig Albright: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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		 or 480-776-9358
DTSTAMP:20260418T164750Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20121124T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix:20121125T120000
SEQUENCE:0
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