Annual Meeting

The 2005 AESE Annual Meeting will be held in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, on September 6-10, 2005. Please mark your calendars now, and check back with this page later this year for more details!

Information from the 2004 Annual Meeting:

The meeting was held in Estes Park, Colorado on November 3-6, 2004. The meeting headquarters were The Stanley Hotel, which boasts of views in every direction and is less than six miles away from Rocky Mountain National Park.

Thank you to our program and field trip sponsor Vision Graphics!

Registration
Area details
Hotel
Directions
General program (requires Adobe Reader)
Contacts

Registration

Click here to download meeting registration form (requires Adobe Reader).

Meeting Costs:
The registration fee is $295 (or $345 if you register after September 21, 2004). This includes the field trip and all scheduled meals: the Wednesday night icebreaker (hearty appetizers, wine, and beer); Thursday mid-morning break, lunch (Business Meeting), and mid-afternoon break; Friday mid-morning break, mid-afternoon break, and Awards Banquet Dinner; and Saturday field trip box lunch and dinner.

Back to top

Area Details

Estes Park, Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park and Roosevelt National Forest surround the village of Estes Park, Colorado, with spectacular mountain scenery, abundant wildlife habitat, miles of hiking trails, and scenic drives, including Trail Ridge Road over the Continental Divide and the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway.

The Stanley is within walking distance of the town of Estes Park. Estes Park has an incredible variety of small shops and friendly shopkeepers. Sample the variety of shops, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, and special events offered in the town of Estes.

For over ten thousand years people have visited this valley we call Estes Park to enjoy beautiful mountain scenery, moderate climate, and abundant wildlife. Some things never change. Come and see for yourself!

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park contains 415 square miles of the most spectacular mountain scenery in America. With its granite summits towering over broad, forested valleys, the landscape inspires a visitor with its immense size and beauty. The Park straddles the Continental Divide, the rooftop of America where melting snows and rainfall flow westward to the Pacific Ocean or southeast to the Gulf of Mexico. Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved highway in the United States, travels through the heart of the Park providing access to the delicate beauty of the Alpine Tundra, which comprises a third of the Park's area. The route, with 11 miles above tree line, climbs from Estes Park at 7,522 feet above sea level to a high point of over 12,000 feet. The road is open from Memorial Day until late fall when heavy snowfalls at the summit make it impractical to clear the route.

Old Fall River Road, a popular trip for more adventurous motorists, is a dramatic 11-mile journey uphill past waterfalls, glacial deposits, icy pools, and breathtaking views. Sheer cliffs rise from the edge of the road to towering heights above. The circle is completed with a return trip on Trail Ridge Road.

Bear Lake Road follows Glacier Creek through 9.5 miles of spectacular scenery to Bear Lake, one of the few sub alpine lakes that is directly accessible by car. This is one of the most visited areas of the Park. Nestled in a glacial valley at 9,500 feet, the area puts the visitor within touching distance of some of the Park's most spectacular scenery and serves as a hub for hikes to many glacial lakes that dot the area. One of the more popular hikes takes visitors to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes offering dramatic views of Hallett Peak and Longs Peak. Accessible all year, the Bear Lake area is an ideal starting point for cross country skiing, or snowshoe outings.

Rocky Mountain National Park was selected as one of the top 10 National Parks by National Geographic Adventure magazine in their May, 2002 issue.

Weather

Wintertime storms come from the west, but the high mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park protect the Estes valley and make our winters relatively mild. In fact, we average over 300 sunny days every year, so remember to bring the sunblock!

Combat Altitude Sickness

The best method to combat Altitude sickness is to start before you leave your home. Eat foods high in carbohydrates, reduce salty foods, and limit alcohol and caffeine consumption. Most importantly be aware of your physical capabilities and increase fluids, especially water. Symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, and trouble sleeping. Most people experience the symptoms within the first three days of arrival. The symptoms usually go away by the fourth day.

Remember to follow the advice below:
o Carbohydrate consumption increased
o Reduce Alcohol and Caffeine
o Activity in moderation
o Salt intake decreased
o Have more Water

Back to top

Hotel

reservations@stanleyhotel.com
www.stanleyhotel.com

History of Stanley Hotel

The Stanley Hotel, built by F.O. Stanley, opened its doors June 22, 1909. Its striking Georgian Colonial Revival buildings and magnificent setting have made it one of the Rocky Mountains' best loved hotels.

F.O. Stanley, living in Colorado because of tuberculosis, arrived in Estes Park on his Stanley Steamer on June 3, 1903. Already known worldwide for its beauty and climate, Estes Park was nonetheless a tiny rustic town with few amenities.

By his last summer in 1940, F.O. had not only created Estes Park's crown jewel, the Stanley Hotel, but also the physical and recreational infrastructure of the town. He built the road from Lyons, set up water, power and sewer companies, as well as building the first bank.

At the recreational level, F.O. provided two golf courses and oversaw the establishment of the Estes Park Protective and Improvement Association that brought fish back to the rivers, elk back to the region, and started Rocky Mountain National Park, opened in 1915. His final gift was Estes Park fairgrounds, Stanley Park.

F.O. Stanley's wealth came from the Stanley Dry Plate Co., sold to Kodak in 1904. With his identical twin brother, F.E. Stanley, F.O. was also manufacturer in Massachusetts of the famous Stanley steam automobile. In 1907, he redesigned the company truck to create the first motorbus, called the Stanley Mountain Wagon. This steam "bus" transported visitors from Lyons, Loveland, Longmont and other Front Range railheads to Estes Park and to the Stanley Hotel.

In 1997, the Stanley Museum was invited to come to The Stanley Hotel to set museum exhibits and to manage the historic and ghost tours of the Hotel. (We will be arranging small groups of six to ten people to go on tours Thursday evening).

In the tradition of Grand Resorts, it has seen its share of famous visitors, from Molly Brown, to the Emperor and Empress of Japan, movie stars, and Stephen King - inspired here to write The Shining.

Back to top

Directions

Getting to Estes Park

Denver International (DIA) is the fifth largest U.S. airport in passenger volume. Fifteen North American airlines serve DIA. Inexpensive fares are usually available from a large number of U.S. cities to and from DIA on ATA, Frontier, and Jet-Blue. Rental cars are available at DIA. Estes Park is an hour and a half from Denver International Airport.

Directions from Denver International Airport

• South on Pena Blvd.
• Turn right on Tower Rd. (north)
• Turn right on 104th Ave. (west)
• Turn right onto I-25 (North-bound)
• Exit #243, which is Hwy 66. There will be signs for Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. After exiting, turn left (west)
• Continue approx 20 miles to Estes Park on Hwy 36
• Turn right (north) onto Stanley Avenue and follow the signs towards registration

Directions from the Stanley Hotel to the Denver International Airport

• Turn left onto Hwy 36 (East)
• Continue (east) approximately 20 miles towards Lyons
• Take a left onto Hwy 66 (East)
• Exit onto I-25 (south-bound)
• Exit and turn left onto 104th (east-bound)
• Turn right onto Tower Rd. (south)
• Turn left onto Pena Blvd which will lead into Denver International Airport

Drivers coming from Denver may choose to take US-36 through Boulder to Estes Park rather than the I-25 route described above.Visitors coming through Wyoming will drive south on I-25 to Loveland, then west on US-34 through the dramatic Big Thompson canyon to Estes Park.

Travelers coming on I-80 through Nebraska may take I-76 to US-34 to Estes Park.

Drivers coming through Kansas on I-70 can use the I-25 - CO-66 - US-36 route.

Drivers on I-70 coming from the west can take CO-6 east of Idaho Springs to the Peak to Peak National Scenic Byway (119 to 72 to 7) that enters Estes Park from the south.

Airport Shuttle Service

The Estes Park Shuttle Schedule:

One way is $39 and round trip is $75.

For reservations (970) 586-5151.
DIA Pickup Level 5, Door 511.

The Estes Park Shuttle includes service to Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Coors Field in Denver, Bus Station in Downtown Denver, and the Train Station in Downtown Denver.

Back to top

________________________________________________________________

Please contact any of the Program Committee members, if you have any questions:

Wendy Davidson, Host Chr.
303-412-6205; wjd@aipg.org

Diane Lane, Program Chr.
303-236-5476; delane@usgs.gov

Craig Brunstein, Field Trip Organizer
303-236-5477; cbrunste@usgs.gov

Mary-Margaret Coates, Freelancer’s Breakfast
303-422-8349; mmcoates@att.net

Terry D'Erchia, Publications/Hotel
303-236-7431; terry_derchia@usgs.gov

Pam Daddow, Secretary
303-236-7431; pbdaddow@usgs.gov

Jon Raese, Sponsorships
303-236-3464; jwraese@usgs.gov

Back to top

Please contact Lisa Pinsker at lmp@agiweb.org if you have anything to add to this page.