N O V A

[BansheeOne]

Since two participants have declared no interest in shooting and some might bring their own guns, "a couple" AR-15s should suffice. And since I grew up on 7.62 mm, I could take the AR-10 while the rest use the girl guns.

 

Fritz and I toured USS New Jersey last year. It's highly interesting, but you have to pass Mogadishu-on-the-Delaware to get there.

 

If Quantico is too tight for arrivals on Friday morning, we could just do it on another day, maybe coupled with a visit to Manassas. Or make it an all-day activity and do Manassas on Friday morning before going to the VMMV. Even Udvar-Hazy is not fixed for Saturday if those who have seen it before and only attend around the weekend would rather prefer something else. For the stuff close to base, I'm rather open about when to do it.

[sunday]

Since two participants have declared no interest in shooting and some might bring their own guns, "a couple" AR-15s should suffice. And since I grew up on 7.62 mm, I could take the AR-10 while the rest use the girl guns.

 

Fritz and I toured USS New Jersey last year. It's highly interesting, but you have to pass Mogadishu-on-the-Delaware to get there.

 

If Quantico is too tight for arrivals on Friday morning, we could just do it on another day, maybe coupled with a visit to Manassas. Or make it an all-day activity and do Manassas on Friday morning before going to the VMMV. Even Udvar-Hazy is not fixed for Saturday if those who have seen it before and only attend around the weekend would rather prefer something else. For the stuff close to base, I'm rather open about when to do it.

 

You did not go to see USS Olympia, I think...

[rmgill]

 

Marc Says Friday, late afternoon. Controlled group. 2-3pm.

 

No cat herds please.

 

The VMMV location is HERE:

AKA Aden Field. Locals will know of it as the Tank Farm. It's near the Marine Corps Museum so we could do that before.

Is that Friday the 19th or Friday the 26th?

 

19th.

[Allan W]

I don't arrive till late afternoon, so I will miss that. No worries though.

[BansheeOne]

Maybe everybody should indicate when he'll leave, too, so we can better match their interests in activities to the days they're there. I gather Harold will be there all week like Sunday and me, while Fritz will be gone by Wednesday for example.

[Fritz]

19, 20, 21, 22, that's all for me.

 

So I'd be happiest if we fit in these days the stuff that I haven't done (I've done Udvar Hazy, BB62 and DC Mall museum stuff).

[Allan W]

I fly out the morning of Saturday August 27.

[Harold Jones]

I fly out the morning of Saturday August 27.

Same

[BansheeOne]

Okay, so we have plenty of leeway. VMMV is of course pretty much fixed to Friday afternoon, range time to Sunday and one DC day to Tuesday already. The National Electronics and Cryptology Museums are actually quite well-placed on Monday since they already close at 1400 on weekends and they're on the way home for Fritz (and close to each other). This leaves Saturday as the disposable day for the weekend attendees.

 

One decision point could be matching indoor and outdoor activities to weather; per the 14-day forecast it currently looks like the weekend will be very hot, and the week thereafter a bit cooler, better for running around open-air exhibits and battlefields. AFAIK the Mariner's Museum with the USS Monitor Center includes some of the former (it also looks like a day trip to Newport News), while Udvar-Hazy and the USMC Museum don't.

 

Another question is whether the Navy Museum is better done on the weekend (then another DC day, but the hottest of all) or not; I find you need a person with a military ID to enter the Navy Yard (I guess Harold fulfills that requirement) who can also park for free in the yard lot on weekends, while museum staff is then not allowed to escort visitors without such ID.

 

Of the battlefields, as noted Manassas is close to the VMMV and USMC Museum, while Harper's Ferry could be combined with or be alternate to the shooting event in Rippon. Gettysburg is probably better left for a separate day during the week, unless Harold sticks to his initial plan to go there straight after arriving on Friday.

[Harold Jones]

I don't have an ID since I'm not active or retired military. For Saturday I suggest this http://www.riverriders.com/tubing

[Fritz]

My friend is not coming on the 19th so I'll be driving straight to staging area (hotel? Gettysburg??)

 

That also means I can ferry 3.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Fritz

[CT96]

We are confirmed for a Range Day 2016 Aug 21 at 0900 in Rippon, WV. We will have the range to ourselves until 1200 when it opens to the public.

 

Rally point and departure for the range (transportation, equipment etc.) will need to be planned among those of us who are attending. If I need to change the time, speak now so I can do so, or forever hold your peace.

[Fritz]

I still don't know where I'll be meeting you all on the 19th.

[Allan W]

What's the plan for the afternoon of the 21st? I will probably skip the range depending on what the plans are for the rest of the day.

[sunday]

I still don't know where I'll be meeting you all on the 19th.

 

Sheraton Reston would be the most reasonable. They have even a long-term car park.

 

BTW, have you booked a hotel, or will you commute to NJ every day?

[sunday]

What's the plan for the afternoon of the 21st? I will probably skip the range depending on what the plans are for the rest of the day.

 

Harold told me he will skip the range.

[Fritz]

 

I still don't know where I'll be meeting you all on the 19th.

 

Sheraton Reston would be the most reasonable. They have even a long-term car park.

 

BTW, have you booked a hotel, or will you commute to NJ every day?

 

 

LOL that would be some extreme commuting. I can sleep in Baltimore which is much closer but I will probably book the hotel for 1 or 2 nights. Sat night at least makes sense since we'll have to go early to the range on Sunday.

[BansheeOne]

As Gettysburg looks like an all-day trip, I don't think anybody's going to do that before the VMMV, so we could meet at the hotel on Friday noon, then set off for the museum. OTOH, Harper's Ferry looks like it could be easily done after/instead of the range event on Sunday morning.

 

We're still somewhat open for Saturday. The weather forecast is naturally oscillating somewhat, but at this point the weekend and Monday actually look reasonably temperated, rising during the week; so supposedly even an outdoor activity like Gettyburg or Harold's proposed tube rafting were a possibility. But luckily it doesn't look too extreme anyway - at one point humidity during the week was projected in the 80-percent range, with heat feeling like 50-plus centigrade.

[sunday]

 

 

I still don't know where I'll be meeting you all on the 19th.

 

Sheraton Reston would be the most reasonable. They have even a long-term car park.

 

BTW, have you booked a hotel, or will you commute to NJ every day?

 

 

LOL that would be some extreme commuting. I can sleep in Baltimore which is much closer but I will probably book the hotel for 1 or 2 nights. Sat night at least makes sense since we'll have to go early to the range on Sunday.

 

 

If you are not in the AAA, you may want to enroll in it. There are nice discounts in hotels (Sheratons included) and the like.

[Harold Jones]

I'm fairly flexible still but here is roughly what I was thinking about doing for the so far unscheduled days. Manassas on Sunday then meeting up with the range guys when they are done. I was thinking the baseball game on the 24th. It would fit in with spending the day at Spotsylvania/Fredricksburg. Gettysburg on the 25th and the USS Monitor Center and Wisconsin on the 26th. We will go to the Wisconsin first since that will allow for the various below decks tours and I don't expect the Monitor to take a ton of time.

[Fritz]

 

 

 

I still don't know where I'll be meeting you all on the 19th.

 

Sheraton Reston would be the most reasonable. They have even a long-term car park.

 

BTW, have you booked a hotel, or will you commute to NJ every day?

 

 

LOL that would be some extreme commuting. I can sleep in Baltimore which is much closer but I will probably book the hotel for 1 or 2 nights. Sat night at least makes sense since we'll have to go early to the range on Sunday.

 

 

If you are not in the AAA, you may want to enroll in it. There are nice discounts in hotels (Sheratons included) and the like.

 

 

I am actually. I'll keep it in mind.

[sunday]

 

If you are not in the AAA, you may want to enroll in it. There are nice discounts in hotels (Sheratons included) and the like.

I am actually. I'll keep it in mind.

 

I wrote that because once booked and paid the hotel room, I enrolled on our national motorist club, as they have very good travel insurance, only to find they have an agreement with the AAA, so all members also enjoy AAA benefits in the States.

 

Well, looks like I could have almost paid a year membership with only the savings on the booking of the Sheraton...

Edited August 15, 2016 by sunday

[Harold Jones]

AAA rate I got at the Sheraton also included free parking.

[BansheeOne]

Plugging stuff in as before.

 

Wednesday, 17 August - Banshee and Sunday arriving IAD at 1555

 

Thursday, 18 August - European contingent decompression routine; possibly Arlington National Cemetery

 

Friday, 19 August - Harold arriving IAD at 0500, Fritz noonish, Allan in the afternoon; USMC Museum in the morning, VMMV at 1400-1500 (this would make the latter the meeting point)

 

Saturday, 20 August - Udvar-Hazy Center

 

Sunday, 21 August - 0900-1200 range event in Rippon; alternately Manassas in the morning, Harper's Ferry in the afternoon

 

Monday, 22 August - National Electronics and Cryptology Museums; Fritz leaves from there

 

Tuesday, 23 August - Tour of US Capitol at 0940, walk National Mall with Smithsonian museums of choice

 

Wednesday, 24 August - Spotsylvania/Fredricksburg, baseball game in Woodbridge

 

Thursday, 25 August - Gettysburg

 

Friday, 26 August - USS Wisconsin, USS Monitor

 

Saturday, 27 August - Banshee and Sunday leaving from IAD at 1525, also Harold and Allan

 

We can still switch stuff around of course, even before leaving each morning.

[sunday]

Well, at last we got der Zeitplan!