This year, Colorado Springs, Colorado has been selected as the location for our fourth annual National CruiseFest to be held on June 27 - 29, 2007.
Mark your calendars now- CruiseFest IV will be held June 27 – 29, 2007 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, home of the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb race. Events are currently being organized, but some of the offerings we can tell you about include:
Caravanning to Cripple Creek, Colorado - a genuine old west mining boomtown that's now seen new life as one of only three locations in Colorado where gambling is permitted. Depending on interest, we can even work in as part of the trip a chance to have lunch at the Imperial Hotel and Casino and go see the Imperial's summer melodrama play - cheer for the hero, try to warn the damsel in distress, boo at the mustache-twirling villain in the black hat. And afterward, enjoy a few hands of blackjack, poker or the slots!
Visiting the US Olympic Training Center in downtown Colorado Springs and see our athletes training to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Team going to Beijing, China. The Olympic Training Center will be a flurry of activity in the last summer before the next Olympic Games begin, and this tour will give a unique glimpse of how our athletes train, at altitude, for the competition.
A trip down to the world famous Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, spanning the chasm cut out by the Arkansas River. CAC members who go on this trip will have the opportunity to drive their Corvettes over the bridge, and see the thousand foot drop down to the bottom of the canyon. But there are a whole host of other activities at the Royal Gorge Park you can engage in, too: a rail road that takes you from Canon City through the Royal Gorge canyon and under the bridge. There are also helicopter tours of the Park and white water rafting trips down the Arkansas River that will take you under the Bridge. For those who don't want to partake of any of these other activities, a Corvette run through Hardscrabble Pass, and a nice cruise along the up-stream portions of the Arkansas River can be selected.
The summit of Pikes Peak - by Cog Railway! While you can drive to the top of Pikes Peak, we don't recommend it. The upper two-thirds of the Pikes Peak Highway is unpaved, and the trip back down the mountain has a tendency to see first time drivers on this stretch of road riding their brakes- not a good idea when you're at 14,110 feet above sea level. Instead, take the cog railway from Manitou Springs, and enjoy the scenery as you climb up the side of the largest mountain on Colorado's front range.
(Note to people who take this tour- 14,110 feet above sea level takes some getting used to. We highly recommend that you keep yourself well hydrated and don't over exert yourself at the top- the biggest cause of altitude sickness is fatigue and dehydration.)
A caravan to the United States Air Force Academy - one of the three service academies in the United States. Situated right up against the front range foothills north of Colorado Springs, the Air Force Academy was built in the late 1950's (making it younger than the Corvette!) and is probably the most architecturally distinctive of the three military service academies in America. Our visit will include stops at the Academy field house- a structure that includes indoor track and field events, ice hockey rinks, basketball courts, tennis courts, weight rooms and other facilities all in one incredibly large structure. We'll continue with a trip to see the Cadet Chapel, a pan-denominational chapel partially fabricated out of aircraft parts, and featuring an impressive overlook of the cadet parade grounds and dormitories. And finally, we'll stop at the Academy visitors center so you can get a perspective on the history of the Air Force Academy. Whether you're active duty military, retired or a civilian who supports our armed forces, this is one tour not to be missed!
One of the most distinctive natural areas in Colorado, the Garden of the Gods was revered by the Ute Indian Tribe as a holy place. And when you see the distinctive red rock formations like the “kissing camels” or the balanced rock, you'll see why. There are very few places as picturesque and stunning for their natural beauty- what better place to hold a car show that features six generations of Corvette?
And we're working on other events of interest, too! Expect a CAC member survey soon to help guide some of our efforts. The hotel we'll be staying at is the Silverwood Hotel & Conference Center, which includes a convenient restaurant that will provide breakfast for all members who attend- although there are several other restaurants nearby, too, for those who want to plan meals on their own. The Silverwood is located right off Interstate 25, and offers not only great access around town, it has a number of other amenities for guests.
Each year we try to do a little something for the National Corvette Museum and this year is no different. Since we aren't holding the event in Bowling Green this year so that could give folks that live in the western part of the U.S. a chance to experience CruiseFest, we will be holding a special raffle with all proceeds to benefit the National Corvette Museum. One of the items that will be raffled off is a special C6 Corvette Convertible waterfall that has been donated by the generous folks of the Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, KY. We are working on acquiring more items so stay tuned!
So mark your calendars for June 27 - 29, 2007 now, and expect additional updates soon.
The Corvette Action Center's CruiseFest IV will take place Wednesday, June 27, 2007 through Friday, June 29, 2007 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It's time to experience CruiseFest with an Altitude!
A poll to help us plan events that will be of the most interest will be put up soon, but we wanted to give everyone some advance notice of the accommodations that have been arranged for CruiseFest. A block of rooms has been arranged at the Silverwood Hotel and Conference Center, conveniently located in Colorado Springs right off Interstate 25 and Garden of the Gods Road, making it the perfect spot to launch caravans going off in Cruises to the Royal Gorge, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, the Air Force Academy or Cripple Creek.
Silverwood Hotel & Conference Center
505 Popes Bluff Trail
Colorado Springs CO 80907
866/602.8120
719/598.7656
Rooms are $89.00 per night, and that rate includes both a free hot breakfast in the Bucking Toad Saloon. It also includes two hours of free cocktails at the nightly Manager's Reception.
The Silverwood is also conveniently located in an area with several restaurants: Applebees, The Black-Eyed Pea, and Antonio's Italian Restaurant, to name a few. But if you don't want to go looking for a restaurant, no worries! The Bucking Toad Saloon has recently been remodeled and offers great American fare, and even has a small stage in case there's an interest in a 2007 CruiseFest Idol competition. For those of you intent to keep your ride looking spotlessly clean after a two day cross-country trip, fear not! Within a three mile radius, there are several self-serve car wash bays with high pressure water guns as well as full service car wash operations.
When you make your reservations, make sure you mention you're attending the Corvette Action Center's CruiseFest to get this package rate. And if you have any questions about the Silverwood, or need additional information, post in here or send me a PM, and I'll see what I can do to answer your questions.