By Leanne Tawoda
Thank you to all pilots and APA members that joined Young residents at Pleasant Valley, 24AZ, September 29th through October 1st, 2023. Young, Arizona has much to do that you may not know about. A museum, open on Saturday. ATV/4X4 rentals. Hiking. Rock Climbing. Are you aware that Young has a vineyard? Bruzzi Vineyard is located about 4 miles south on Rt 288. At the vineyard there is wine tasting, a restaurant, and I have heard the Sunday brunch is fantastic (reservation required). Some eating establishments include Pleasing Palate, Hitching Post, and Antlers.
The condition of the airstrip was great and made for a smooth landing. The dirt berms, that had developed on both sides of the runway, were leveled near the middle of the runway on both sides. This allowed parking on both sides and 7 planes handled the 10-15 knot crosswinds on Saturday. Jim and Diane Wisda, with two friends, Tom and Vanessa from Tucson, drove in and camped Friday and Saturday. Diana and Mike Andresen joined us on Saturday. Other Saturday arrivals were Kelly and Kelly McCurdy and Bill Miller (and his funky dome tent).
Thanks to Tommy and Jeff for flying in on Saturday and putting up the new windsock. It was tested on Saturday and Sunday, as, unfortunately, the wind picked up. In spite of that, some pilots came for the day on Saturday, while there were 3 of us that camped overnight. Although it was breezy, Saturday started with a great breakfast for those of us that had come in the night before. Then APA sponsored lunch, and some of Young’s residents joined us. Thanks to Charles for the music and entertainment.
Local helpers Vern Van Voorst and John McMahon participated in making it a great weekend. Both men were a wealth of information about Young and Pleasant Valley. For those that enjoy podcasts, there is a great program you may want to check out called AZ, The History of Arizona by David Rookhuyzen. There are 8 episodes alone about Pleasant Valley War during the late 1800s.
The local restaurant owners really enjoyed having us taste their wares. Five of us enjoyed dinner Friday night at Pleasing Palate, so thanks Marla. 11 of us enjoyed dinner on Saturday night. The prime rib was a hit. I don’t know the number of ounces, but it was 1.5 inches thick!
On Saturday, John took some of us up to a canyon on a 4x4 road. It was a fantastic rock climbing area and was easy to walk down a path to the bottom of the canyon. John knows the roads and trails better than anyone. Both he and Vern would love pilots to visit the area and they may be able to offer you transportation
I would like to plan for another fly in next fall, maybe later in October. If anyone has comments or suggestions, please email. Hope I see you at Grapevine this season!