Kite
Flyer
May 2001 Issue Route
66 Kite Club (R66KC)
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Kite Club Phoenix, AZ
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To Visit Our Web Site Click Here!
Or go to: www.tmsquared.com/R66KC.htm
(Please note that R66KC is in capital letters.)
Table Of Contents
Please note that there are several Hot Links usually in
blue and underlined for your convenience. To access these simply click on them and
they will take you there. (It is recommended that all articles be read.)
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Hot Buttons |
Descriptions
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Quick Thoughts From
The Editor National Kite Month (NKM) Events On High Sister Club Event In Two Weeks NEW Rocky Pont Event In The Fall |
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Letter From The Director And/Or AKA News Notes From The AKA Pres NKM A Shinning Success |
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This Months Flying
Schedule 05/06/01 Sunday – Fly At Riverview 05/12/01 Saturday – Sister Club Fly In San Diego 05/20/2001 Sunday – Fly At Riverview 05/26/2001 Saturday – Sprinverville Windfest 2001 |
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What Happened On
Last Months Flys |
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Long Term Dates And
Plans |
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Other Items Of
Interest Gone With The Wind Has A New Look |
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Questions To The
Club |
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Flying Tips From
The Fly’n Hawaiian Controlling The Speed |
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Tips And Tricks To Building Or Repairing
Kites Rokkaku Building Web Site |
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Fun Kite Stuff |
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Lost Puppies And
Things For Sale |
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Cover My Ass Legal
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Please Help
Yourselves |
Click
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Web Site Links
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Editor’s Notes
Hey Kiters,
Well it looks as thought the National Kite Month (NKM) was a stunning
success. Events all over the country were better than ever before, and we had
several events here in the Phoenix Metropolitan area that supported these
endeavors. Our big event, the Second Annual Plateau Park Beer / Barbecue / Fun
Fly was rather a fair success in spite of some poor planning on the local
counter parts the Arizona Free Flyers (ArFF) group who held an event on the
same day instead of supporting our event.
Well with several R66KC members in attendance, and a poor wind problem,
we still were able to entertain a large crowd of spectators. Numerous people
showed up with there own kites as well and joined us in the attempts to keep
them in the sky. In the down times, Remote Control (RC) cars and Sky Surfers
were the entertainment of the day. The Sky Surfers, (in essence a RC kite with
a make your own wind propeller), was the winner of the day with three floating
overhead on numerous occasions to the delight of the spectators. Several new
people joined in for the extra hot dogs and hamburgers that were available, and
even a few extra beers and sodas were shared with some of our new
acquaintances.
Several Boeing employees and their families (friends of the indomitable
Gadget Man) came to enjoy the fun as well. The McMullan Family being one of
them, brought a full size male poodle named Louie, who had a blast to the
amusement of the attendees, chasing one of the high speed RC trucks around the
field. Finally, when the dog was drained the truck turned face and chased the
poodle who then attacked the car. To the dogs amazement, the truck bit back
when his free leash caught on the car and Louie the Poodle did not know how to
free himself from this terror. Thanks to the quick thinking Mad Dog Dines, (the
R66KC Director and at one time, dog show champion), snatched the unrestrained
dog and removed the car before the poor dog became too frantic. After that
though, poor Louie just eyeballed the RC vehicles with concern having learned
that they do in fact bite back, and would chased them no more. (By the way, the
RC truck survived with only a few scrapes.)
As for the kites, the Pro-Wrens were a great success when the wind wasn’t
too high. And on those times the single liners, including the new 20ft Delta
Raptor leapt to the sky. Alas though, not for long. And out came the RC toys
once again.
Well On To The Future........
This is a reminder For The
BIG Second Annual
Sister Club Fly In
San Diego
05/12/2001 - Saturday
Come and tryout some
really great winds with loads of fun for the whole family. Sea World, Old Down,
Seaport Village, Mission Bay, Mission beach, the ocean, shopping, and a myriad
of other things for the family to do.
Most of us will be making the six (6) hour drive Friday afternoon/evening
to the “Beach Cottages” and then returning on Sunday. Saturday we will be
joining the San Diego Kite Club (SDKC), (http://www.sdkc.net), at their Mission
Bay Park for a Sister club fly which will include a pot luck hosted by them
(bring chips, salsa, soda, etc. to chip {ha ha} in). This event will also
include their annual honoring of those that have passed event.
Once you think that you have had too much fun, the Route 66 Kite Club
will host a night fly on the beach Saturday evening. This will be kicked off by
a large flaming barbecue, starting at 6:00pm with some snacks being provided.
This will be a, bring your own beer and steaks event and again the Route 66
Kite Club would like to remind you to drink responsibly.
Others that may possibly be in attendance will be the AKA Region 12 Director
Glen Rothstein as well as the Southern California Sport Kite League (SCSKL)
URL: www.scskl.com,
so come and join the fun and make this the grandest Sister Club Event EVER!
We would like to have everyone stay at the same hotel if possible for
easier logistics. The “Beach Cottages” hotel is on Mission Boulevard (858)
483-7440 and right on the beach for everyone’s enjoyment with lots of shops and
restaurants within easy walking distance. The rooms run from $75-$85/night for
hotel style rooms and up to $250/night for a two-bedroom cottage. Jane and the Gadget Man have a one-bedroom
cottage that we all can congregate for the barbecue that is right on the beach.
This make for a great starting point for the night fly as well. So our
recommendation is the cheaper hotel style rooms. Everyone should get their
reservations in early because this is a popular place. And we hope to see you
all there!
Note: The San Diego Kite Club, (our hosts) have asked for
a head count, so please contact Gadget Man Manson at thomas.manson@arz.boeing.com as
soon as is possible to let him know you are coming. This will be passed along
to the San Diego Kite Club. Thanks.
Special Note From The San Diego
Kite Club
Well, everything is all set for your arrival in May, can
you give us an idea of how many there will be, we will be doing a lunch and
would like to have an approximate idea.
Also, so that you know the May meeting is our annual meeting
where we honor those that have passed. As you know Virgil Dalton passed
away a few weeks ago, he was the kindly gentlemen that made the wind socks for
years at the club. Larry Mixon would be one of the others.
Look forward to meeting you
Neil
New Rocky Point Kite Festival – October 12th Through The
14th
We have a new event on our calendar for the Fall. The NEW Rocky Point
Kite Festival spawned by Rocky Point Howard and his lovely wife Maddy. Rocky
has really out done himself with all kinds of information on this event. The
information that he has provided would be usefull any time you might want to go
to Rocky Point so take some time and give it a read. And PLEASE note this event
on your calendars and for more information on this Fall’s event see: Future &
Annual Events
So in closing, I hope
that you all can make the weekend event in San Diego for the Second Annual
Sister Club Fly, and enjoy some really great Sea Side breezes. If you have only
flown Arizona winds, you have got to try the great winds of San Diego.
Keep’em Fly’n
Gadget Man Manson
AKA News Or
Directors Editorial
Notes From The President
Hello Fellow AKA Members!
Here are a few pieces of news that can't wait for the next Kiting...
***
RAFFLE WINNER! Congratulations to Martin Smith who bought
five tickets for the March raffle and won himself a $3000 buggy and 3-kite
package from Active People.
Our newest prize was loaded into the web site last night.
Register to win two big 252 square foot Sutton Flowforms! What a great package
for a $5 ticket!!
Next week we draw the winner for the April prize -- flock
of ten Joel Sholz Flamingos. The deadline for buying tickets is April 23. Call
the office at 800-252-2550 or purchase online at www.AKA.kite.org. We'll draw
the winner at the Galveston Festival at the end of the month.
Other prizes currently online include a set of eight great
feather banners from Get in the Wind and two 24 stacks of Dyna Kites!! Later
this summer, watch for a giant Martin Lester Top Half and a set of the Kevin
Shannon Rokkakus featured in the Neiman Marcus catalog for $2000.
Thank you Al Sparling, Kevin Shannon, Rob Cembalest, Chuck
Sigal and all of the great prize donors for making this project work. And
thanks to all of you buying tickets! You help the AKA and may be the next big
winner.
***
NATIONAL KITE MONTH SOARING! Anyone who questions the
vitality of kiting or our Association only needs to look at National Kite Month
for an answer. At the moment, halfway through NKM, there are more than 380
events on the calendar! After struggling to break the 150 mark in each of its
first two years, we set a goal of 175 events this year. Little did we know….
Each event is an opportunity to reach new converts. The
Smithsonian Kite Festival received TV coverage on ABC’s World News Tonight and
was picked up in 60 other large media markets. The Associated Press will be covering
the Little Acorns Festival in Miami for a national wire story. Newspapers
across the country, from the New York Post to the Burlington (Iowa) Hawkeye
have run stories about NKM and kiteflying. An article about kitesurfing
appeared in Newsweek.
The AKA affiliated club that sponsored the most events
(27), thereby winning a very cool Felix Cartagena bubble machine, is the Rogue
Valley Windchasers of Oregon. They're doing kite flys in conjunction with beach
cleanups and kite displays at places all over southwest Oregon. In second place
(14 events) is the Richmond Air Force. More than 40 kite clubs are hosting
events, including several new clubs. Great job everyone!!
And all of you seem to be having fun! Here’s one example
-- At the WACKOS 3rd Annual NKM Fun Fly near Charlotte, NC, the owner of the
first kite down in the rok battle had to wear a hat with my name on it...
The contest between AKA Regional Directors to see which
region has the most events was won by Steve Santos of New England. His members
have 59 kite activities on the official schedule. Last year’s runner up, Al
Sparling of the MidWest is again in second place with 55 events.
There are kite events planned in 44 states and 7 foreign
countries. Three individuals have each organized more than 10 events. Well done
to coordinator Phil Broder and steering committee members Lolly Hadzicki and
Sharon Musto! Thanks to Jim Miller for his extra efforts keeping press releases
flowing. Thanks to Susie Edison for sending membership materials to all the
events. And thanks to all of you for exceeding all of our wildest expectations!
National Kite Month is a joint project of the AKA and the
KTAI. Check out the entire calendar on the NKM web page link at
www.AKA.kite.org.
David Gomberg
President
National Kite Month A Shining Success
We've passed the halfway mark! A couple of NKM updates....
There are 381 events registered for NKM. Considering our
goal was 175, all we can say is WOW! You event organizers are great.
58 of those events are in AKA Region 1 (New England), so
Regional Director Steve Santos wins a bunch of prizes donated by Jose Sainz,
Marc Ricketts, Craig Wilson, Scott Skinner, and Charlie Sotich.
27 events are sponsored by the Rogue Valley Wind Chasers club
in Oregon, so they win a Felix Cartagena bubble machine.
There are more prizes for the club that recruits the most
new AKA members. Also, everybody who enlists a new member will be entered in a
drawing for a 9-cell AKA logo kite by Glen and Tanna Haynes.
Finally, very few people have returned their event
evaluation forms. Please, we need those back! If you lost the form and need
another, let me know and I'll dash one of to you. But if you don't let us know
what worked and what didn't, we can't make improvements for the future.
Keep flying, and thanks for your help.
Phil Broder, NKM
Coordinator
Upcoming Flying Events
Note: All flying events will be from
12:00 noon through 4 or 5 p.m. unless otherwise posted.
05/06/01
Sunday – Fly At Riverview: (See web site Kite Field Recommendations
for maps.) As per usual the fly times are from 12 noon to about 5pm in the
afternoon. Let’s try to do
dinner and drinks after.
Riverview Park (Southeast) This Park is located approximately one quarter
of a mile south of Highway 202 on Dobson Road. Take the 202 to the Dobson Road turnoff
and head south. The park is on the west side of the road.
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Rating: |
Good |
Restrooms: |
South Side |
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Kiters That Can Fly: |
30 |
Drinking Fountains: |
South Side |
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Non-Kiter Visibility: |
Medium |
Park Benches: |
No |
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Distance To Amenities: |
3 Miles |
Shade Available: |
Lots |
This is a reminder For The
BIG Second Annual
Sister Club Fly In
San Diego
05/12/2001 - Saturday
Come and tryout some really
great winds with loads of fun for the whole family. Sea World, Old Down,
Seaport Village, Mission Bay, Mission beach, the ocean, shopping, and a myriad
of other things for the family to do.
Most of us will be making the six (6) hour drive Friday afternoon/evening
to the “Beach Cottages” and then returning on Sunday. Saturday we will be
joining the San Diego Kite Club (SDKC), (http://www.sdkc.net), at their Mission
Bay Park for a Sister club fly which will include a pot luck hosted by them
(bring chips, salsa, soda, etc. to chip {ha ha} in). This event will also
include their annual honoring of those that have passed event.
Once you think that you have had too much fun, the Route 66 Kite Club will
host a night fly on the beach Saturday evening. This will be kicked off by a
large flaming barbecue, starting at 6:00pm with some snacks being provided.
This will be a, bring your own beer and steaks event and again the Route 66
Kite Club would like to remind you to drink responsibly.
Others that may possibly be in attendance will be the AKA Region 12
Director Glen Rothstein as well as the Southern California Stunt Kite
Association. So come and make this the grandest Sister Club Event EVER!
We would like to have everyone stay at the same hotel if possible for
easier logistics. The “Beach Cottages” hotel is on Mission Boulevard (858)
483-7440 and right on the beach for everyone’s enjoyment with lots of shops and
restaurants within easy walking distance. The rooms run from $75-$85/night for
hotel style rooms and up to $250/night for a two-bedroom cottage. Jane and the Gadget Man have a one-bedroom
cottage that we all can congregate for the barbecue that is right on the beach.
This make for a great starting point for the night fly as well. So our
recommendation is the cheaper hotel style rooms. Everyone should get their
reservations in early because this is a popular place. And we hope to see you
all there!
Note: The San Diego Kite Club, (our hosts) have asked for
a head count, so please contact Gadget Man Manson at thomas.manson@arz.boeing.com as
soon as is possible to let him know you are coming. This will be passed along
to the San Diego Kite Club. Thanks.
05/20/2001 Sunday – Fly At Riverview: (See web site Kite Field Recommendations
for maps.) As per usual the fly times are from 12 noon to about 5pm in the
afternoon. Let’s try to do
dinner and drinks after.
Riverview Park (Southeast) This Park is located approximately one quarter
of a mile south of Highway 202 on Dobson Road. Take the 202 to the Dobson Road
turnoff and head south. The park is on the west side of the road.
|
Rating: |
Good |
Restrooms: |
South Side |
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Kiters That Can Fly: |
30 |
Drinking Fountains: |
South Side |
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Non-Kiter Visibility: |
Medium |
Park Benches: |
No |
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Distance To Amenities: |
3 Miles |
Shade Available: |
Lots |
05/26/2001 Saturday – Sprinverville Windfest
2001:
Roman
has found something in the Eastern Part of our State. So if you are in the
area, you might want to take a detour for this new event. If so, please give us
a fly report so we all can know what is available for next year.
SPRINGERVILLE:
Windfest 2001 & Kite Festival - Municipal Airport, festival and trade show
featuring wind uses, kite competition, vendor booths, wind usage
demonstrations, free, 10 am - 3 pm, 520-333-2123 or
www.az-tourist.com/eventcal01.htm or http://www.azcentral.com.
I
wonder what kind of kite competition they're having up there?
Rome
The Fly’n Hawaiian
Note: By popular demand and the desire
to socialize after a fly with a meal and possibly drinks, the club flying
events will be moving, periodically,
to SATURDAYS!!! Stay tuned as to when
this will start. Park selection will be
alternated so that no single group of individuals will have to drive a long way
all of the time.
Special
Note: Lady
Hummingbird and the Gadget Man have purposely bought three indestructible Beetles for guests! Please do not hesitate to ask for them when you have a
guest attending our events.
Latest Fly Reports
National Kite Month (NKM) Events
04/01/01
Sunday – April Fools Day Fly At Riverview Report
Even though the official thermometer said 88 degrees, it somehow
felt like 95 yesterday afternoon. Thanks to the "Goofy" hats though,
the coming summer temps were abated with a little Goofy Hat Shade. Summer has
indeed been seen, climbing over the back fence!
Riverview Park was quiet and serene, with picnickers
quietly enjoying themselves in selected trees offerings of shade. The
"historic" Riverview Kite Tree, is now one branch shy. The
"Broken" arm of welcomed shade has now been removed, leaving a gaping
hole for the summer sun to tan the hapless kite flyer who camps under it.
Hopefully it will grow back and fill in with leaves during the coming summer.
The winds were nice and cooling though, seems that even if
it's 110 degrees out, if there is wind, it's not bad at all. Thanks go out to
everybody who made the trip out!
I flew my new T-n-T Competition exclusively, as a matter
of fact, couldn't put it down!. This kite is quickly replacing my
"Illusion" as the first kite outta' the bag. I flew on 75lb. 75 foot
length lines to much personal enjoyment and notice from shady picnickers alike.
I love this new kite, and it's light wind abilities are very good as I found
out by flying it all day Saturday at the Anthem (the first time I ever flew
it). Fly's great right down to +-3mph!
Anyway, thanks for coming out!
-Dave From ArFF
04/07/2001 Saturday – First Annual Jim Jennings Park Fun Fly Report
No Fly Report Avalable.
04/15/2001
Sunday – Easter Ascension Tradition Report
I hope that everyone had
a chance to get a kite in the air for the Easter Ascension Tradition. Keep the
faith baby.
04/22/2001
Saturday – Club Sponsored
Second Annual Plateau Park Fun Fly Report
This Is The Route 66 Kite Club’s Big
(NKM) Event
Repeated
From The Editors Note Section With Additional Comments
Well it looks as thought the National Kite Month (NKM) was a stunning
success. Events all over the country were better than ever before, and we had
several events here in the Phoenix Metropolitan area that supported these
endeavors. Our big event, the Second Annual Plateau Park Beer / Barbecue / Fun
Fly was rather a fair success in spite of some poor planning on the local
counter parts the Arizona Free Flyers (ArFF) group who held an event on the
same day instead of supporting our event.
* * * * *
* Additional Comments * * * * * *
The Arizona Free
Flyers (ArFF) group, it appears, purposefully scheduled an event at the same
time instead of supporting our main event of the year. Granted there has been
some bad blood and/or legacy politics that has been used as an excuse by the
ArFF group to not attend the R66KC events in the past, event though we have
always supported their events. This is the first time that they have scheduled
an event at the same time in an attempt to draw attendants away. A lack luster
move at best and not a glowing moment on their parts. In-spite of this we had
just under ten R66KC members in attendance or just under a third of the total
membership. Unfortunately their spite has gone even further with the removal of
all R66KC events from their schedules as well as our web site links. Their
efforts have even gone as far as banning all postings from R66KC and it’s
members on their bulletin board. So it seems that the Free in “Arizona Free
Flyers” applies only when you are in full agreement with their agenda. (Whatever
that may be.) It also appears that the bad blood from over a year ago has not
washed under the bridge as we had worked so hard on for this past year, and the
petty games will be continuing. It’s just too bad that bygones cannot be
bygones and we cannot all get along and just fly kites.
On the lighter side, the R66KC will not stoop to these types of tactics
and we will continue in our normal vein by supporting ALL Kiting events in
Arizona, including the ArFF events. So in keeping with the positive upbeat attitude
the Route 66 Kite Club has always shown, we will continue to promote kiting
through the American Kiters Association (AKA) and it’s ideals, through
membership there in, and in the full attempts to keep this club simple so that
bad politics such as these do not corrupt this club once again. (In other
words, let’s just Keep’em Fly’n!!!)
* * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well on with the report....
Well with several R66KC members in attendance, and a poor wind problem,
we still were able to entertain a large crowd of spectators. Numerous people
showed up with there own kites as well and joined us in the attempts to keep
them in the sky. In the down times, Remote Control (RC) cars and Sky Surfers
were the entertainment of the day. The Sky Surfers, (in essence a RC kite with
a make your own wind propeller), was the winner of the day with three floating
overhead on numerous occasions to the delight of the spectators. Several new
people joined in for the extra hot dogs and hamburgers that were available, and
even a few extra beers and sodas were shared with some of our new
acquaintances.
Several Boeing employees and their families (friends of the indomitable
Gadget Man) came to enjoy the fun as well. The McMullan Family being one of them,
brought a full size male poodle named Louie, who had a blast to the amusement
of the attendees, chasing one of the high speed RC trucks around the field.
Finally, when the dog was drained the truck turned face and chased the poodle
who then attacked the car. To the dogs amazement, the truck bit back when his
free leash caught on the car and Louie the Poodle did not know how to free
himself from this terror. Thanks to the quick thinking Mad Dog Dines, (the
R66KC Director and at one time, dog show champion), snatched the unrestrained
dog and removed the car before the poor dog became too frantic. After that
though, poor Louie just eyeballed the RC vehicles with concern having learned
that they do in fact bite back, and would chased them no more. (By the way, the
RC truck survived with only a few scrapes.)
As for the kites, the Pro-Wrens were a great success when the wind wasn’t
too high. And on those times the single liners, including the new 20ft Delta
Raptor leapt to the sky. Alas though, not for long. And out came the RC toys
once again.
(Special Note: We need to find more parks with an audience to introduce
more non-fliers to the sport. Some discussion at the last fly was made of
parks that might fit the bill. Please send in your recommendations ASAP
so that we can start trying them out. R66KC@TMSquared.com.)
Future & Annual Events
09/21-23/2001 – September
San Diego Sister Club Fly in San Diego w/ the San Diego Kite Club Event
More information to follow when available. See the May event below for
lodging information.
10/07/2001 – One Sky One World (OSOW) Annual kite event for world
piece. More to follow as information becomes
available.
Rocky Point
Kite Festival – October 12th Through The 14th
Hi guys,
Just got back from Rocky Point and catching up on lots of e-mail. Had a wonderful time in R/P. Flew every day but one -- cause the wind was way too high. Flew just about everything including fighters, dual lines, my Rev and a few single line kites I made. Beaches were relatively empty except for the weekend. Lots of kids off from school for Easter recess. Did not meet a single flyer during the entire week stay. Usually I'll catch one or two serious flyers on the beach, but not this trip. R/P is a wonderful place for kite flying and I'd like to suggest the following in order for the entire club to enjoy.
Per our discussion, lets reserve the weekend of October
12, 13 and 14th for a club fly at R/P. Here are some details to consider
relative to that weekend:
1. The trip to R/P is a 4 - 4 1/2 hour drive from
Phoenix. Roads in Arizona are mostly freeway. In Mexico, it's a 60 mile drive from
the border on a well maintained 2 lane paved road. To get to R/P from east
valley, take Maricopa Road exit on I-10 about 35 miles to Rte. 8, west about 35
miles to Gila Bend . South on Rte. 85 for approximately 75 miles to
Lukeville/Sonoyta border crossing. South on MEX. 8 for about 60 miles to R/P.
From west valley, take I-10 to Rte 85 and south through Gila Bend.
2. Mexican auto insurance is required when driving in
Mexico. This can be purchased in Ajo and will cost between $50.00 - $100.00 for
a weekend depending upon value of your vehicle. This covers everything,
including towing in Mexico should you get stuck. I suggest car pooling and
sharing insurance costs (providing there is room for lots of kite bags in the
vehicle).
3. Crossing the border at Lukeville is a 2 - 3 minute
affair. Sometimes you might be asked to open your trunk and this adds about a
minute to the process. Remember, no guns, no drugs, no exceptions!
4. We can rent a beautiful 6 - 8 bedroom fully furnished
house directly on the beach for between $100.00 - 150.00 per night, per couple.
The difference in costs would depend upon how luxurious the accomodations are.
Most rooms have double beds and private baths. Generally there is a community
kitchen with full cooking facilities. We must bring our own food. Cooking
utensils are provided. To get an idea of what houses are available, go to
RockyPoint Reservations on the internet. Lots of pictures, etc.
5. For the budget minded, hotel rooms are available
generally a few blocks from the beach and run between $50.00 - $80.00 per
night, double occupancy. Drive time to beaches usually are about 2 minutes,
unless we are way out of town, then
about 15 - 20 minutes.
6. Resturaunts abound in R/P. Breakfast runs about $3.00
per person, lunch about $ 6.00 per person and great dinners for about $12.00 -
$15.00 per person. If we cook our own, lots of groceries are available for beer
and chips. R/P is a small town, no Wal-Marts, Costco, Safeway or Blockbuster.
If there are things you can't live without, bring them from home.
7. While we are there, we can meet with representatives of
Sonora tourism, the mayor and other dignitaries to discuss a kite festival.
They are eager to meet with us to discuss a mutually beneficial
relationship.
8. The winds generally blow pretty constant from morning
till evening, varying from light in the AM to about 5 - 8 mph in the PM.
Sometimes, winds do get to 15 - 20 on rare occassions. Weather in October is
beautiful. This is prime season therefore, I will need a committment from the
club now in order to reserve a beach house or hotel rooms.
We have been going to R/P 6 - 8 times per year for the
past 5 years and each time we go, we enjoy it more than ever. I'm sure those
who have never been there will be impressed with the country, the people and
their culture.
If you have questions, please e-mail (howmad@aol.com).
Rocky (Howard)
- - - Ideas For New Events - - -
We need help with these so if you have any ideas that
will support this event, please let us know by dropping us a line at: r66kc@tmsquared.com
Sunshine
Acres Children’s Home/Orphanage Charity Event – We need help in
coming up with ideas for this charity. I
have raised $10,000/year for this Children’s home through the Harley Owners
Group (HOG), but do not have a clue as to how the R66KC can raise money for
these needy kids. Please send your ideas to r66kc@tmsquared.com
Thanks.
Well you guessed it, I finally came up with an idea. With
all of the events that enjoy having us signal their events with a kite, would
could request donations to our charity on our behalf for our efforts! (yea like
right, what effort... ha ha). So keep this in mind and perhaps we can get more
big event planned, and some real monies for the Sunshine Acres Children’s Home.
We still need
ideas for this Charity Event!
Any thoughts
anyone?
- - - Next Year - - -
01/01/2001
Tuesday - New Years Day Fun Fly (For those of us that can function that is.)
04/14/2002 - Easter Assention Tradition
One of our members,
Juan, states that he has a tradition in the country that he is from, Guyana,
which is to fly kites during Easter, especially Easter Sunday. Actually, this
is the only time kites are flown in Guyana he states. The reason being that
sending a kite up into the skies is significant of Jesus's resurrection and
ascension to the Father. He keeps this tradition with his family and plans on
flying Easter Sunday. We may or may not plan a fly on Easter each year, mainly
because lots of us plan on being together with family on this special day, but
we will all be with Juan in spirit. If you remember this tradition from Guyana
on Easter, try to get a kite up and think of this tradition.
If anyone has or knows
about traditions such as this, please send them in so that we can share them
all with the rest of the club. And let’s all join Juan and Guyana in this
wonderful Easter Ascension tradition!
05/11/2002 –Second Annual Sister Club Fly In San Diego
Come and tryout some really great winds with loads of fun for the whole
family. Sea World, Old Down, Seaport Village, Mission Bay, Mission beach, the
ocean, shopping, and a myriad of other things for the family to do. We will be
joining the SDKC, (http://www.sdkc.net) at their Mission Bay Park for a Sister
club fly on Saturday, with a night fly on the beach Saturday evening hosted by
R66KC. A Saturday evening barbecue will be promoted as well. We would like to
have everyone stay at the same hotel if possible for easier logistics. The
“Beach Cottages” hotel is on Mission Boulevard (858) 483-7440 and right on the
beach for everyone’s enjoyment with lots of shops and restaurants within easy
walking distance. The rooms run from $75-$85/night for hotel rooms through
$250/night for a two-bedroom cottage.
Jane and I have a one-bedroom cottage that we all can congregate at, so
my recommendation is the cheaper rooms.
Everyone should get their reservations in early because this is a
popular place. Hope to see you all there!
Note: Any ideas for events, please
contact the Gadget Man at: R66KC@TMSquared.com.
Other News
Gone With The Wind Has A New Look To There Website
This wonderful
website, with the best all around selection of kites, at some of the best
prices ever, has had a face lift. Take some time to jump over to this great
website and take a gander at all they have to offer and check out the prices on
you favorite kites. You won’t be disappointed.
New Questions
Reminder: Renewal Registration For
R66KC
It has been determined
that it would be too difficult to track and contact each one of you
individually, as to when your Club dues become due. Due to this, the May
timeframe has been selected as the date for club membership renewal. Also, dues
collected at any other time of year from new members will not be pro-rated. Our
intent is to keep the process simple, and keep the dues down to
$5.00/person/year, which is cheep compared to some clubs that charge as much as
$25.00/person/year or more. If anyone has any problems with this please contact
me at your earliest convenience.
Warning: We need responses to the following questions in a
timely manor, from all of the
membership. If we cannot get the needed responses, we may have to call an
actual meeting, eeeeeeuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwww. :-(
No new questions at this time.
Tips
and Tricks from our own club expert, Roman (The Fly’n Hawaiian) Trugillo.
The Smile Factor
(By
Our Fly’n Hawaiian)
I fly
for the smiles :)
The smiles I get when I pull off a double axle
with practically no wind....
The smiles I see on a kid when he sees a colorful
kite in the air....
The smiles that go around when meeting new kiters
for the first time....
The smiles that go around when you meet up with
long, lost kiters....
The smiles that are anticipating the next kite
you pull out of your bag....
The smiles that are brought to a special kiting
event....
Start racking up some frequent flyer smiles!!! Go
and fly a kite!!
Aloha
Roman
The Leading Edge
Aloha,
Kite Flyers! This month I want to talk
about the importance of controlling the speed of your stunt kites. Of course, most of the time the speed of
your kite is dictated by the speed of the wind. However, placement of the stunt kite in the wind window and the
mobility of the kite pilot also have an affect on kite speed.
Beginners
are always concerned on keeping their kites up in the air and want to prevent
hard nose-dive crashes into the ground.
Flying the kite to the edge of the wind window reduces the pressure
against the face of the kite and, thus, slows the kite down. If the kite is flown closer to the ground it
will have a nice soft landing at the edge of the wind window.
For
intermediate and advance stunt pilots, adjusting the speed of their kite can
have a great affect on your tricks.
Forward movement of the pilot with the kite in the power zone of the
wind window can make a nice stall or hover.
A side slide is achieved by the pilot moving side-to-side along with the
kite and at the same time balancing the wind against the kite by walking
backwards or forward. On windless days,
the kite pilot flying a helium-inspired, zero wind or near-zero wind ultra-light
can control the speed of kite with mere arm movements.
Try
out your movements on the kite field and explore every bit of the wind
window. This will help you with
controlling your speed in every type of wind condition.
Until
next time, I’ll see you on the Leading Edge!
Straighten up and fly right!
The Flyin’ Hawaiian
Note:
Please feel free to give Roman holly hell the next time you see him. He has
reported that he will be spending the New Year celebration in Hawaii!!! And he
has indicated that he does not need a manservant to carry his bags for him,
(boo hoo).
Kite Bulding
And Repair Tips
A Really Good Website For
Rokkaku Building
Good
dimensional formulas and tips for building those really great Rok Kites.
http://www.users.qwest.net/~ddkites/Rokkaku1.html
Flick Flacks
And Other Fun Stuff!
Used Kites For Sale And Lost Kite Listing
Nothing
lost or for sale at this time.
Disclaimer
The Route 66 Kite Club (R66KC), the editors of the “Route 66 Kite Club - Kite Flyer” (currently Thomas Gadget Man Manson), the American Kitefliers Association (AKA), and any contributors to this editorial, make no claims concerning the accuracy of materials appearing in this publication. Any and all information relating to kiting, rumors or otherwise, will be published without efforts in authentication or verification of the source. Efforts will be made to screen out items of malicious intent, without any guarantee of the success of these efforts. Updates or clarifications of previously posted information or rumors, are requested, and will gladly be posted in the following edition.
Reminder: I will be publishing anything and
everything that comes my way that relates to kites. If you wish to communicate
with me, and DO NOT want something
used in the Kite Flyer, please indicate what part of your E-mail is private.
Otherwise, everything is fair game. Send me something, come on, I dare
you! In any event, I could really use the help so send your articles to: R66KC@TMSquared.com.
Copyright
NON-Restrictions
Reprints or redistribution of
this publication ARE permitted.
Notification of the editor is required, and the “by line” or “photo by”
required for all reprints. Default to: “Reprinted from Route 66 Kite Club-Kite
Flyer By Tom Gadget Man Manson” unless otherwise specified. So help yourself!