The Saratoga region is home to rich history, interesting sights, and one of the best kept Victorian cities in the east. www.saratoga.org Renown as a health resort and dubbed, the 'Queen of Spas', Saratoga is host to several natural mineral springs and two historic spas. It is also home to the oldest thoroughbred racetrack in the U.S. Pivotal battles of the American Revolution were fought in the area and historians consider the Battle of Saratoga www.nps.gov/sara/index.htm the turning point in our War of Independence. Monuments, museums and battlefields illustrate the stories of our nation's first steps.

Plan to come early or stick around because you can't even scratch the surface in a weekend. Also, the fall foliage will be at or near the peak of color in the end of September. www.saratoga.org Plan a side trip to the beautiful Adirondack mountain region www.lakeplacid.com, the Catskills, the Green Mountains of Vermont, or the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. Also, the Atlantic Coast is a short ride east in a 195. Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, and Nantucket are all beautiful stops on an air tour of the northeast. By air the beautiful state of Maine is a short hop, but too long in a car (you can't get thar from hyar). The Baseball Hall of Fame and Glen Curtis's early workshop are in New York's Finger Lakes Region, a relatively short drive away. If history is your thing, try the Saratoga Battle Field-turning point in the Revolution, the Fort at Ticonderoga, the Museum at Shelburne, VT. or the Hudson River Valley which is filled with history and beauty.

But don't plan any of those activities during the weekend because we have a great agenda lined up. Plan to arrive by Thursday night for club activities on Friday and please don't leave before late Sunday so you can experience a great fly-out to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

Our base of operations will be the Gideon Putnam Hotel. www.gideonputnam.com Built in the 1930's, the hotel bears the name of the founder of Saratoga Springs. The hotel is a beautiful Georgian Revival structure situated within the 2500 acre Saratoga State Park.

On Friday we have planned a fly-out to the New England Air Museum. NEAM is a very nice museum with lots of exhibits including a beautifully preserved Sikorsky Flying Boat and a B-29. It is a very pretty flight from Saratoga to Windsor Locks, CT.

A private reception is planned on Friday night at the Saratoga Auto Museum. www.saratogaautomuseum.com The Museum is housed in the totally restored and renovated Saratoga Bottling Plant, built in 1934 on the grounds of the 2,500 acre Saratoga State Park. You can't imagine a better setting for a room full of good-natured Cessna 190/195 lovers, a cash bar, and heavy hors d'oeuvre. And it's an easy walk home to the hotel.

On Saturday our focus will be firmly on the 190/195. Having The 195 Factory, LLC in Saratoga's backyard, actually it is our backyard, gives an opportunity to transform the usual maintenance session into a valuable and highly effective educational opportunity. Come learn lots more about the 190/195 from all the experts in the field in a technical setting with actual hardware and hands on workshops. Tired of getting not enough detail in too short an amount of time? This is an opportunity to hear AND see information on the care and feeding of these fine machines with plenty of time and lots of hands on opportunities. Now you can see and touch all those tips, tricks, myths and pointers you've heard over the years. Every owner needs to be informed on the special needs of the 190/195 as fewer and fewer FBO technicians have the exposure to these fine and aging aircraft. Most technicians are anxious to do the right thing and an educated owner is becoming a more and more important resource. Don't worry, if a maintenance conference isn't your thing (though I can't imagine why) there are lots of opportunities to explore the local area.

Don't even think about heading home early on Sunday. We will fly down the Hudson River Valley to visit Cole Palen's Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. The Old Aerodrome not only focuses on antique aircraft, it is itself a piece of aviation history. Cole Palen's dream lives on into its 46th Airshow season. If you haven't heard of this wonderful aviation enterprise, give it a look. www.oldrhinebeck.org We will fly-out, or drive if you wish, to see the Old Rhinebeck collection and take in one of their hilarious weekend airshows. This is not to be missed.

Registration materials will be distributed on the Club web site in the coming weeks. Jeanne and I look forward to seeing you in the beautiful Northeast; please join us in Saratoga. What better reason could you have to use your 190/195 for its intended purpose; a good cross country that brings people together?