Lest it not be evident to even the most casual observer, the reason I like traveling with Bruce is that every day is like Christmas or Hanukkah. You wake up early to open your presents. With Bruce, the presents are numerous and wonderful. This trip has a number of activities that are “firsts” (although these occur frequently with a BNEA event) and we learned a lot. We met in Albany after a show week and here are the photos and descriptions.
Let me also say that the Albany and upstate New York area is very weird. We were looking for a street in Woodstock and couldn’t find it. We couldn’t find anything in Woodstock. When we stopped for directions, Bruce said to a guy, “Nobody knows anything around here!” The guy said, “Welcome to Woodstock.”
Then we stopped at a Dunkin’ Donuts thinking we could find something to eat. We asked Ashley if she could direct us to a restaurant where we could get a pastrami sandwich. She said, “What’s pastrami?” Needless to say, we laughed, and laughed, and laughed… ! Oh, my god… I’m laughing as I write this!
The Albany Government Complex
This started out as a trip to the Corning Tower observation deck. It was a portent to the rest of the trip which consisted of a BNEA Georgia style search for everything using obscure maps. The Corning Tower is interesting because it is in the middle of the State of New York Government complex. There are some interesting buildings and architecture.
Rhinebeck Aerodrome Air Show and Plane Crash
(Click Here for their Website)
The newspaper account of the crash
Bruce started the conversation about our Albany plans with the comment, “I’ve come up with what will be the most interesting thing we’ve ever done! I sure hope you like it.” For weeks afterward, he wouldn’t tell me what it was although he finally broke down and said, “We’re taking a ride in an open cockpit biplane.” I really was looking forward to this since, in all the years I’ve flown, I’ve never been in a plane like this.
We went to the Rhinebeck Aerodrome with high anticipation and I was not disappointed, although Bruce was underwhelmed. Unfortunately, at the conclusion of the air show later that day, a pilot was killed when his plane crashed about three blocks from the field. The story is still interesting and the photos tell the story.
Aerodrome crash claims pilot’s life – By Kyle Wind, Freeman staff – 08/18/2008
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RED HOOK – The pilot of a single-engine French biplane replica died in a fiery crash in the final minutes of an air show at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome late Sunday afternoon, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office said. Witnesses said the pilot seemed to lose control of the plane during a mock World War I dogfight with a German triplane at about 4 p.m. Sunday. The biplane, a replica of a 1917 Nieuport 24, descended into a wooded area bounded by Stone Church and Pell roads near the town transfer station. “The biplane broke away and nose-dived,” said 43-year-old Robert Spanburgh of Saugerties, who was attending the air show with his girlfriend, Susan McDonough. “Then it disappeared behind the trees and never came back up.”The pilot’s identity was being withheld by authorities pending notification of family members, Spanburgh and McDonough described the accident as “devastating, surprising” and said a hush immediately came over the crowd as the Nieuport 24 dropped from view. The show was part of the aerodrome’s 49th season. “Everyone was really upset,” said Spanburgh. Sheriff’s deputies, who blocked access to the crash site with state police, later said they discovered the burning wreckage of the plane about 1,000 feet southeast of the runway. Deputy Everett Pearsall said the plane “caught fire subsequent to the crash.” Sgt. Mark Femenella of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office said he could not confirm whether the biplane crashed during a dogfight simulation, but he said it did occur sometime during the show and that “no other aircraft was near it – there was no midair collision or anything like that.” At the time of the accident, two Hudson Valley Men’s Softball League teams were facing off at a nearby baseball field off Stone Church Road. Most observers there were unsure what exactly they saw until the group was approached by air show officials. “I heard a large bang,” said outfielder Justin Wiesenthal, 27, of Poughkeepsie. “We thought maybe something had happened, but we weren’t sure because there were other (dogfight simulation-related) explosion noises.” The Rhinebeck Aerodome’s Web site said the Nieuport 24 was a fast and maneuverable fighter “so admired that (it) was directly copied by the Germans.” The replica was acquired in a trade with the Aviation Heritage Center in New Zealand and was powered by a Warner 145 horsepower radial engine. It was 19 feet long, had a wingspan of 26 feet, and its maximum speed was 110 miles per hour. The accident was the fourth at the aerodrome since 2001, but none of the others were fatal. In 2005, a pilot was injured when his biplane crashed while taking off during the air show; in 2003, a Rhinebeck Aerodrome employee suffered minor injuries when his biplane lost power and struck trees before landing. In 2001, a Long Island couple taking off from the aerodrome was injured when their plane came down in a field about 300 yards from the end of the runway. Rhinebeck Aerodrome officials could not be reached for comment Sunday. An investigator from the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the scene. Authorities said the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
The Howe Caverns Bruce was disappointed by the cleanliness of the place. He expected it to be dripping with water, oozing with mud and generally more gnarly than it was. We took the last tour and got to walk back in the dark with candle lanterns. I thought it was cool.            
Innisfree Garden We were dodging the rain and by the time we got to this wonderful place, dodging was no longer an option. Getting wet was not a big deal since I had an umbrella and Bruce had a jacket. The garden is a former private estate and it is quite spectacular in its setting.                     
The Woodstock Museum If there is any other reason to hate Time Warner than this museum, I can’t think of it. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the museum is spectacular. It traces the history of the Woodstock Concert which took place 39 years before we arrived at the site. The exhibits are tremendous but the people who run it (with the exception of the young lady who checked us in) are kumquats. (Ask Joe Huston what that means.) The gift shop is exactly what you would expect from Time Warner… a total rip off. What they have is nice but the prices will kill you. Four people we met in the parking lot all agreed that everything in the place was, at a minimum, overpriced by 30%. Needless to say, we didn’t buy anything. Also, you cannot take photos in the museum. That, of course, only applies if you believe in following the rules. Since I don’t, you can see some blurry photos of the inside. Next time, I’ll really screw with them and take really good pictures. (Don’t ever tell me I can’t take a photograph.)           
Adirondack Animal Land This is a nice place if you have kids. We thought it was going to be a Fossil Rim type place but it turned out to be a kid-friendly zoo. It is worth a trip if you are in the area.            
5 Rivers Environmental Center BNEA wouldn’t be BNEA without a place like this. It had some very nice flowers and paths and, of course, bugs. I hate bugs. I tried to get in touch with my inner bug but it was very hard. Great stuffed animals, though. No adventure would be complete without some nice young women on the page. We had four that were mention-worthy. We start with Dana. She was checking us into the Residence Inn Poughkeepsie and her name tag said she was from Schenectady, NY. Bruce asked her how it was pronounced and she did a little demo, telling him that it was “Skin Neck Titty”. We hope Tim and the kids appreciate her because she is one-of-a-kind in our book. You know that someone is special when they not only get a photo but a demonstration picture on the trip website. “Here’s to you, Dana… we really liked meeting and speaking with you.”               
Girls and Women of Upstate New York No adventure would be complete without some nice young women on the page. We had four that were mention-worthy. We start with Dana. She was checking us into the Residence Inn Poughkeepsie and her name tag said she was from Schenectady, NY. Bruce asked her how it was pronounced and she did a little demo, telling him that it was “Skin Neck Titty”. We hope Tim and the kids appreciate her because she is one-of-a-kind in our book. You know that someone is special when they not only get a photo but a demonstration picture on the trip website. “Here’s to you, Dana… we really liked meeting and speaking with you.”  No adventure would be complete without some nice young women on the page. We had four that were mention-worthy. We start with Dana. She was checking us into the Residence Inn Poughkeepsie and her name tag said she was from Schenectady, NY. Bruce asked her how it was pronounced and she did a little demo, telling him that it was "Skin Neck Titty". We hope Tim and the kids appreciate her because she is one-of-a-kind in our book. You know that someone is special when they not only get a photo but a demonstration picture on the trip website. "Here's to you, Dana... we really liked meeting and speaking with you."  She demonstrated the name: Schenectady  Arlene, Bruce and Ariana. Rhinebeck Aerodrome runs entirely on volunteers. These girls were the nicest people we met there.  Courtney, at the Friendly's Restaurant in Kingston. We had lunch there because Dallas Hot Wieners was closed. We like Courtney because she told us the truth about Judy's Ice Cream.  The hostess at the Coyote Grill. Nice girls, nice food.
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