USS Ranger (CV-4) Reunion Group

Reunion
 

The reunion will be September 24th – September 28th, 2008 in Colorado Springs, CO.

The Best Western Academy Hotel

8110 North Academy Boulevard

Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Telephone: 1-(719)598-5770 Toll Free: 1-(800)766-8524

Website: www.theacademyhotel.com

 

     The rate is $89.00 plus 9.4% state tax.  This rate is good for a single or double accommodation. Please make your reservations by August 24, 2008.  The rooms blocked for this reunion will be released after this date, so it may be hard to get a room after the August 24 cutoff date.

 

Here are the descriptions of the tours we are working on for your pleasure:

  • AIR FORCE ACADEMY & GARDEN OF THE GODS - Enjoy a relaxed, hassle-free tour to the 18,000-acre Air Force Academy.  After we pass through the North Gate, you will view Diamond Lil, the B-52 Bomber.  Next - a lovely scenic overlook off North Gate Road. You're in for a treat in visiting the exquisite 17-spired, interdenominational chapel, where the cadets march in their inspiring Noon Formation.  Other attractions today include Falcon Stadium, the cadet glider port and the new 3.8 million-dollar visitors’ center.  Afterwards, you travel to the Garden of the Gods Park.  Not surprisingly, the Garden of the Gods is the most photographed site in the United States.  Bring lots of film!  One of the world’s greatest natural wonders, this gallery of amazing red rock sculptures was created more than 300 million years ago by violent geological forces.  Fantastic formations jut skyward at heights of over 300 feet.  Several stops will be made to view such spectacular monoliths as Balanced Rock and the Kissing Camels.  Lunch will be included at a location in the Academy compound.

  • FLYING W RANCH - Have you ever dreamed of cowboys and Indians, covered wagons and chuck wagon suppers?  Then come along to the Flying W, a working cattle ranch that has specialized in western food and entertainment since 1953.  The Wranglers will dish up a delicious supper of barbecued beef, baked potatoes, the famous Flying W beans, applesauce, Dutch oven biscuits, spice cake and coffee.  After supper, enjoy a rip-roaring stage show, with real cowboys singing songs of the Old West.  The show is filled with great music, laughter, and Western entertainment.  All of this will happen under the Colorado Sky at dusk if weather permitted.  So get out your best western outfits for a rip roaring good time.  Dig out those red bandana’s from the Kentucky Horse Farm to complete your attire.

  • U.S. OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTER & COLORFUL COLORADO SPRINGS – Your day will begin with a tour of the US Olympic Training Center.  This $30+ million dollar center is home to many Olympic athletes.  This facility includes an Aquatics Center, Olympic Shooting Center which is the largest indoor shooting facility in the Western Hemisphere, multi-sports gymnasiums, weight rooms, visitor center, dining hall and residence halls.  This center sits on the former ENT Air Force Base and the headquarters of the North American Defense Command.  Your visit will include a short video and a walking tour of these facilities with a USOC staff member who just might be a future Olympian.  Traversing the Gold Camp Road, we will experience mountain travel, breathtaking scenery, a waterfall and North Cheyenne Canyon.  As we tour through the Broadmoor area, history is visible to all in viewing the 5-star hotel and the estate homes that surround it.  This tour is designed for leisure, and a love of Mother Nature’s wonders.   Lunch will be included at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post’s Balanced Rock Cafe. A simple trading post in the 1920’s now after several expansions it’s now known as Colorado’s largest Trading Post.

  • IRON SPRINGS CHATEAU - All ages can appreciate an evening of hilarious entertainment at the theater.  This theater has been providing the Pikes Peak Region with quality entertainment for more than 30 years.  Your delightful evening begins with a family style dinner.  This consists of delicious barbecue beef ribs and oven fried chicken, complete with all the trimmings and free seconds.  The exciting show is a fun filled comedy melodrama.  Audience participation is encouraged!  Following the melodrama is a foot stomping sing-along and a vaudeville-style olio.

  • ROYAL GORGE BRIDGE - We travel south by Motor Coach from Colorado Springs past Fort Carson and NORAD.  Turning west, we pass through scenic Red Rock Canyon and Canon City, located at the entrance to the Arkansas Valley---and on to the Royal Gorge!  Eroded over the millennia to a depth of 1,055 feet by the turbulent waters of the Arkansas River, the Royal Gorge is spanned by the highest suspension bridge in the world.  We will experience two exciting rides, the aerial tram and the incline railway.    A meal voucher will be provided for your choice of a delicious lunch at the Gorge.  Our Motor Coach awaits us at Royal Gorge Park.  This tour will be offered on Sunday for our guests who are not scheduled to leave on the last day.

Check the Links Page for Websites of Tours

     The prices haven’t been set yet but they will be appropriate for the value that you will receive.  The price tag for each tour will be an all inclusive price that will consist of motor coach fee, tour guide, admission charges, meals, taxes and gratuities.

     One attraction you did not see here but is the number one attraction of the area is Pike’s Peak.  The elevation of “American’s Mountain” is 14,110 feet above sea level.  It is the most visited mountain in North America and second most visited in the world after Japan’s Mount Fuji.  Because of the high elevation there are health concerns.  People with cardiac or respiratory problems are recommended not to make the trip up the mountain.  You may experience altitude sickness which includes headaches, dizziness, weakness, poor appetite, nausea, impaired judgment and shortness of breath.  For this concern we did not want to offer this tour but you may do this on your own.  Plan on taking advantage of the hotel rate to arrive early or stay a couple days later and take a tour up this mountain for a great experience.  Gray Line tours will provide you door to door service with either a motor coach ride up the 19 mile highway up the mountain or try the Pikes Peak Cog Railway.  Enjoy the great views surrounding the region as you travel on the world’s highest cog railroad.   (Gray Line Colorado Springs 1-800-345-8197) We’ll try and see if Gray Line can offer a discounted rate and will post it in the next newsletter.