13 - Oshkosh, WI



The Brown Arch, you know you're in the right place when you see it!

Oshkosh is a place that holds special meaning to many pilots. As Dave likes to joke, it's the "mecca" in aviation, especially for homebuilders of experimental aircraft. It is a place where ideas, innovations in technology, educational forums and lots and lots of pretty airplanes come for the week. The town, (population 66,000) goes from normal to the worlds busiest airport at the end of July.

Camping under the wing....my queen sized bed in the rv is looking more & more appealing!

 In the past, we have been one of the many planes to fly in (approx. 10,000-15,000 aircraft), but this year we decided to camp out for the week in our rv with the tens of thousands of campers there also.  In the past we have only stayed for 3 days, since there is a limit as to how much airplane 24/7, coupled with sleeping on the ground in a tent in a field that always has something going on (and that means not much sleep happening)... Now that we have our home away from home, I figure I had a place to retreat to coupled with the truck - perhaps Catalina and I would take some day trips around the area.



Our neighbor's Paul & Louise's latest addition they built together, Tsamsiyu, (Avatar inspired "Sam")



The purpose of coming to Oshkosh for the third time in four years is for Dave to check the pulse on what's new in aircraft designs that would capture his heart and pocket book... We have a fast 2 place plane, we have a plane that lands on water, so what does the next plane need to do, or have that the others do not? 



Synergy, a concept plane still in development, but we're keeping an eye on it!



 Another fun aspect of Oshkosh is that many of our friends and neighbors also attended it which made it a great opportunity to catch up with some people we had not seen in a few months! Our nextdoor neighbors were even kind enough to bring us all of our mail!

Good friend & champion hugger, Ernie Butcher was a key player in restoring the RV1 aircraft & donating it to the Experimental Aircraft Association. Pictured with Ernie is Dick VanGrunsven, RV1 creator & Rod Hightower, EAA president.



Night time airshow act! An amazing show that is worth seeing!



The weather was extremely hot at the beginning of the event. Fortunately Catalina managed well in the trailer during the morning with windows open and was treated to generator a/c in the afternoon.  The campsite we were at is just an open field, so no electricity, water or sewer hookups. We had to keep an eye on our water consumption and try & stretch things out for the week. As we arrived in Oshkosh, our grey water tank that drains water from the shower & bathroom sink cracked and needed to be replaced. We used this opportunity of knowing we'd be in one location for an extended period of time to have a new tank delivered and arranged a local repair shop to do the work.

Oshkosh's Seaplane Base



After 7 days Oshkoshing, no new project found, pocket book intact, we watched the trailers leave our campsite until we were the last one in our field. After 2 more days we headed to the repair shop (it was the earliest he could do the repair). We did spend one day driving through Door County which takes you up Green Bay and down Lake Michigan, a very scenic drive.

 

Hey, where did everybody go???





Peninsula State Park, walking along the 2.5 mile Eagle Trail



Ephraim, WI, a pretty seaside town on a pennisula W of Lake Michigan

Sand Dunes Park, WI overlooking Lake Michigan


NEXT STOP?
Dave figured I needed to pick the next destination since I managed over a week in Oshkosh. Chicago is nearby and a place I have not seen but want to check out. So Southward we travel!