Soliciting Geezer Getaway Ideas

The following is from Grand Geezer Bud Wall.  If you aren’t familiar with the Geezer’s Grand Getaways, this is yet one more reason you need to come to the August NCA meeting.  You can likely count on Grand Geezer Bud discussing past Getaways.  All those who have gone on a Grand Getaway enthusiastically report they have had a fantastic time and all look forward to the next Grand Getaway. 

The objective of this mailing is twofold: 

   1.  The Geezers have been asked to make suggestions for the 2014 trip destination.  The older Geezers have probably forgotten where we have been and the newer Geezers have only heard rumors about past trips.  So, in order to pick a destination that is different from those in the past, the Summary should be helpful.  Make your suggestions known to me and I will pass them on to the Travel Committee.

  2.  The newer members of NCA may not be familiar with "Geezer's Grand Getaways" and the Summary may be helpful in that regard.  To clarify, age has nothing to do with participating in a Geezer Getaway, though most participants tend to be "older than middle age."  It is only by participating in a Geezer's Grand Getaway that the prestigious status of "Certified Geezer" is achieved.  Over 100 members of NCA qualify for this special status, though many choose to not advertise the fact...it is not our purpose to create envy among our younger NCA members.

Geezer Bud

aka:  The Head Geezer

ada:  The Grand Poop On

BRIEF SUMMARY OF NCA GEEZER’S GRAND GETAWAYS 

AND SOME OTHER GEEZER TRIPS 

 

2003 – May 24-26: Memorial Day Weekend (3-day trip, with lodging at Hot Springs, 

S.D.) Random site seeing of the Black Hills area on Sunday. 12 cars and 23 people 

made the South Dakota trip. Original Travel Committee organizing this trip and all trips 

through 2009 were Martindales, Kuglers, Svobodas, and Walls. 

 

2004 – May 29-31: Memorial Day Weekend (3-day trip, with lodging in Greeley, CO) 

Random site seeing on Sunday including Estes Park. 9 cars, 18 people made the trip. We 

hooked up with the Greeley Corvette Club for an evening social. 

 

2004 – September 12: Geezer Reunion Picnic at the Struve home in Deshler with 9 cars 

and 18 people participating. 

 

2005 – May 28-30: Memorial Day Weekend (3-day trip with lodging Saturday night in 

Des Moines and at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa, on Sunday night) 14 cars and 28 

people participated in the Iowa trip. On Saturday had breakfast at the Lied Center in 

Nebraska City, lunch in Creston, Iowa at the Windrow Restaurant, toured John Wayne’s 

birthplace in Winterset, dinner at the Mondo Restaurant in Des Moines. Sunday rode an 

historic train in Boone, stayed in the unique Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa. Monday drove 

the scenic route to Omaha. (Hotel Pattee is now under new ownership.) 

 

2005 – October 29-30: Fall 2-day trip. (11 cars, 20 people participated) Saturday drove 

York to Niobrara State Park. Lunch at Two Rivers Saloon, Hotel and Steakhouse in 

Niobrara. After touring the park drove scenic route (stopped at the dam) to Yankton; ate 

at Jo Dean’s Restaurant, lodging in Yankton. Sunday went to Ponca State Park, then 

scenic route through the Indian reservation via Highway 75 to Blair and then to Lincoln. 

This trip was not initially promoted as a Geezer Getaway but all the participants were in 

that category. 

 

2006 – May 27-29: Memorial Day Weekend (3-day trip) 8 cars, 16 people made the trip 

to Kansas. Saturday drove from York to Lindsborg, KS, for lunch, then toured the 

Cosmosphere Space Museum in Hutchinson, dinner and entertainment at the Prairie Rose 

Restaurant in Benton, overnight in El Dorado. Sunday scenic drive to Abilene; toured the 

Eisenhower Museum, lunch at the historic Kirby House, toured the magnificent Seelye 

Mansion; dinner and overnight in Manhattan; Monday scenic drive to Marysville for 

lunch, then back home to Lincoln. 

 

2007 – May 26 & 27: Memorial Day Weekend (2-day trip with lodging in Thedford 

Saturday night) 12 cars, 24 people participated in the Nebraska trip. Stops included the 

Country Neighbor Restaurant and Fort Hartsuff near Elyria and Uncle Buck’s Lodge in 

Brewster. At Mullen, tank ride down the Middle Loup River. Scenic route from Mullen, 

through Tryon and Arnold, en route home. 

2008 – May 24-26: Memorial Day Weekend (3-day trip with lodging at The Elms Resort 

& Spa Friday and Saturday nights in Excelsior Springs, MO. 18 cars, 36 people 

participated. Fantastic customer service and everyone stayed on the 5th floor which had 

its own continental breakfast and complimentary happy hour. Route went through 

Marysville, Hiawatha and Atchison. Random site seeing on Sunday. (The Elms has since 

come under new ownership and has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation.) 

 

2008 – November 1-2: A spur-of-the-moment trip to the “Middle of Nowhere” 

(Ainsworth, NE) with 5 cars and ten people participating. Watched the Nebraska football 

game at the motel, met with some hunters using falcons, drove the SORC race route. 

 

2009 – June 4-7: Four-day trip the weekend after Memorial Day to Pueblo, CO. Stayed 

at the downtown Marriott and attended the Annual Boats-Blues-BBQ Festival and toured 

several sites around Pueblo, Colorado City and Colorado Springs. Highlight was a social 

at the Schneberger’s home. 20 cars and 40 people attended this trip. Some members of 

the Pueblo Corvette Club joined us at the social. 

 

2010 – May 29-31: Memorial Day Weekend. 3-day trip to Cheyenne, WY. 15 cars and 

30 people made the trip with some staying at the Nagle Warren Mansion Bed and 

Breakfast and some staying at the historic Plains Hotel. Saturday had a coffee stop at the 

Coffee Cottage in Lexington, lunch on Front Street in Ogallala, a stop in Sidney at 

Cabela’s and drive by at the Cabela Mansion downtown. Sunday site seeing included the 

Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne, train depot and driving some scenic roads. Some 

people opted to take the Poudre River Canyon drive to Steamboat Springs on Monday 

and return home on Tuesday. (Trip organized by Rick and Laura Williams.) 

 

2011 – June 3-6: Weekend after Memorial Day. 20 cars and 40 people participated. 

Four-day trip to Illinois with travel days Saturday and Tuesday, site seeing Sunday and 

Monday. Lodging on Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights was at an Irish motel in 

Galena, IL. In addition to site seeing in the area, our members joined up with members 

from the Key City Corvette Club of Dubuque, IA for a scenic drive and lunch at a neat 

restaurant by the Mississippi River. (Trip organized by Bob and Chris McCollough.) 

 

2012 – June 1 & 2: 15 cars and 30 people participated. Two day trip to South Dakota 

and Crofton, NE. Friday had lunch at Bev’s on the River in Sioux City, visited Jerry’s 

Chevrolet Corvette Center in Beresford, SD, lodging and dinner at the historic Argo 

Hotel in Crofton, NE. Saturday breakfast at the Argo Hotel, visited the Antique Mall in 

Crofton, toured Gavins Point Dam area, lunch at Yesterday’s in Yankton, toured the 

Cramer Kenyon Heritage House in Yankton, evening meal in Norfolk. (Trip organized 

by Jim and Linda Martindale.) 

 

2013 – June 6-9: Springfield, Illinois. 25 cars and 50 people participated. Four-day trip 

included a brief stop in Hannibal, Missouri (Mark Twain country), with the base 

destination being The Hilton Hotel in downtown Springfield, IL (Abraham Lincoln and 

Route 66 country). Tour stops included New Salem Historic Village, The Lincoln 

Presidential Museum, Lincoln Library, The Lincoln Home, Lincoln’s Tomb and Oak Ridge Cemetery, The Dana-Thomas House, etc. Some participants also traveled to 

Decatur, IL, to tour the Chevrolet Hall of Fame Museum. 13 cars also stopped at a 

retirement home in Springfield to interact with the residents and it was obvious that really 

old Geezers love Corvettes, too. (Trip organized by Jim and Linda Martindale and Bud 

and Luana Wall.) 

 

2014: ??????