Travel – The Durango Herald

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Up in the Bavarian Alps, rugged trails with German cheer

SCHÖNAU AM KÖNIGSSEE, Germany – At 23 minutes before midnight, at 5,600 feet above sea level, the lashing rain and furious winds outside the darkened bunkroom prompted two questions to turn ...

Has remote work changed the travel landscape?

While some workers return to the office this year, many others continue to work remotely indefinitely. This seismic shift has changed where people live and work and, increasingly, how they t...

DATE: Jul 27, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

Beyond buffets and slots: Casinos double down on fine art

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The Louvre, The Museum of Modern Art and ... the Hard Rock? Hoping to expand their appeal beyond the slot machine and buffet crowd, some casinos are turning to fine art...

DATE: Jul 11, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

How to afford summer road trips amid high gas prices

A summer road trip used to be a cost-effective, easy getaway. This year, soaring gas prices and expensive rental cars might make you think twice about hitting the road. According to the Amer...

DATE: Jun 20, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

Interior phasing out plastic water bottles at national parks

WASHINGTON – The Interior Department will phase out sales of plastic water bottles and other single-use products at national parks and on other public lands over the next decade, targeting a...

DATE: Jun 13, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

Prepare for sticker shock if you are traveling this summer

DALLAS – Airlines and tourist destinations are expecting monster crowds this summer as travel restrictions ease and pandemic fatigue overcomes lingering fear of contracting COVID-19 during t...

DATE: May 30, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

2022 is the year of all-inclusive travel, and here’s why

For some travelers, all-inclusive hotels conjure up images of flavorless food served under a heat lamp in lush and vibrant destinations where guests never actually leave the resort grounds. ...

DATE: May 23, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

Millennial Money: Save on family travel without stressing

My family didn’t travel much when I was a kid, but when we did, my parents jumped through hoops to cut costs. On a trip to Disney World, for example, our family of six switched hotels. Every...

DATE: May 16, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

Surge of desert surf parks stirs questions in dry California

Hours from the California coast, surfers are hoping one of the next spots where they can catch a wave is in the desert. At least four large surf lagoons are proposed for the region around Pa...

DATE: Apr 25, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

Masks no longer required at Durango airport, on city transit

All three airlines serving DRO made face coverings optional

DATE: Apr 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

How to make summer 2022 travel plans that actually happen

After two years of cancellations, deferments and marathon sessions with airline customer service, many travelers are hoping to book summer trips that actually pan out this year. “I had the ...

DATE: Apr 18, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

Smoky Mountains seeks parking fees, campsite rate increases

GATLINBURG, Tenn. – Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced a plan Wednesday to start charging parking fees along with higher rates for campsites, day-use cabin rentals and picnic pavi...

DATE: Apr 8, 2022 | CATEGORY: Travel

Patriotic drone show unfolds above Durango’s night skyAbout 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

One hundred forty drones took to the skies above Greenmount Cemetery at 10 p.m. sharp Saturday in a glowing and patriotic spectacle featuring vibrant images colored red, white and blue against the black backdrop of night.About 1,200 people gathered Saturday at the Durango Transit Center to watch the city’s premiere drone show produced by Verge Aero after a street dance and band performance by McCurry Trio and Desert Child for Independence Day celebrations.Spectators were treated to drone depictions of the American flag, star patterns, a soaring bald eagle and a homage to the city with drones flying in formation to spell out “Durango” to close out the street dance that started at 6 p.m. Across the valley from Greenmount Cemetery, the headlights of cars shined from Rim Drive near Fort Lewis College where more spectators watched.

Ellen Babers, Durango community events administrator, said the show went well. She heard “Ooh’s” and “ah’s” from the crowd when the drones transitioned from one image to another.She said a segment that consisted of stars rotating at various intervals, shrinking into smaller stars before expanding into the shape of a larger star, appeared to be a crowd favorite.“People really liked the Durango part,” she said. “When it spelled out Durango, people seemed surprised. Like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just a generic show, this is about us.’”Other images included an outline of the continental United States, the letters “USA,” and a spinning globe shape that gave the drone show a 3D feel.

The drones were laid out earlier in the evening in a square grid, with each drone placed 4 feet apart. Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer of the drone show, worked with a crew of about six people, including volunteers. Saturday evening at Greenmount Cemetery where the drones launched and landed, Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer with Verge Aero, and his crew of about six people, including volunteers, had laid all the drones out on the grass in a square grid. Each drone was placed four feet apart. Smiatek synced the drones to a GPS and radio tower in preparation for the evening’s show. Six minutes before takeoff, a deer wandered straight past the drone grid, narrowly avoiding stepping on them.“That could have been a disaster,” Smiatek said as his crew scanned the nearby area with flashlights. No other deer were visible.Two minutes before takeoff, the crew’s portable generator shut off – out of gas.

“We have double secure power,” he said. “The generator fell off two minutes before the show started. It’s like Murphy’s law, anything that could happen will happen. So it’s best to be prepared.”During prep, the crew ran several tests with the drones. The drones shot up 3 to 4 meters, hovered for about one second and then dropped back to their designated grid space on the grass.

Smiatek worked from a makeshift command station where his laptop and transmission tower were perched.“The base station is the heart of the show,” he said. “It’s a computer and it’s a distribution system connected to radios and an antenna. And that’s it, basically. Very flexible and a good system.”Chris Lutts, vice president of sales at Verge Aero, said he thinks Durangoans enjoyed the performance. From Greenmount Cemetery, he could hear the cheers and whistles of the audience at the Durango Transit Center.“The people we’ve been working with have been great,” he said. “Clearly, the city enjoyed it, so that’s awesome. That’s why we do this. It’s no different than any other entertainment, man. You love that feedback. It’s validation that what you’re doing is something that people really like.”cburney@durangoherald.com