AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 66

Sunsets are free
Lake Travis is a reservoir formed by the Mansfield
Dam built in 1942 on the Colorado River. The lake
is famous for boating, fishing, sunbathing, and
has the only legal clothing-optional park in Texas.
We know this because we attempted to visit the
park after lunch at The Oasis, a massive restaurant
located on a 450-foot cliff overlooking the lake.
Unbeknownst to us, Hippie Hollow Park charges
a fee to enter and when we explained that we only
wanted to look at the view, we got the side eye:
The park attendant believed the view we wanted
to partake was naked sunbathers. We did not visit.
But lunch at The Oasis was good and the grounds
simply astounding. There are more than 40
outdoor decks and the restaurant seats more than
2,000 guests in its 30,000-square-foot facility, the
largest outdoor restaurant in Texas. Owned by
the Theriot family, The Oasis was started in 1982.
It bills itself as the " Sunset Capital of Texas. " Not
to be missed are the art galleries, gift shops, and
other quirky and kitschy rooms and hidden nooks
and crannies throughout the establishment. -JSW
Champion Citabria, and built a Van's
RV-7. Today his hangar holds his 1977
V-tail Bonanza. " Being with your airplane
is a great convenience, " he said.
Bluebonnets and balsawood
Saturday morning is winding down.
Often after these gatherings, the Lakeway
Airpark Inc. board holds its monthly
meeting but today there's been so much
activity they've put it off this month.
Nearly all the residents have come out
and brought their aircraft. Josh Cobb
relocated from Santa Barbara, California,
and has been filming a promotional
video for the airpark and offering rides
in his Cirrus SR22. Jesse Beckett has
been offering rides in his red and white
seaplane that he keeps in Lakeway even
though he resides at another lake, Lake
Buchanan, Texas. Thompson has been
answering questions and delighting kids
by handing out balsawood airplanes. Lee
Finch, a longtime resident and restorer
of a Cessna 305 L-19 " Bird Dog " (see
" Pilots, " p. 112) has answered hundreds
of questions about his historic aircraft.
66
AOPA PILOT / September 2024
Durio points to a plaque on the side of
the terminal/community building that
lists the many people who have donated
funds to keep the airpark running.
" We have an enormous following of
nonpilot supporters-more than 1,000-
made up of families, enthusiasts, outdoor
types, and people who enjoy hanging out
with and talking to pilots, " Cobb said.
" Having this airpark near our home was
a big part of our decision on where to live.
We are a tight-knit community of friends,
pilots, and volunteers. "
The bustle and excitement of the
morning is over, and the community is
returning to its natural bucolic state.
The Texas state flower, the Bluebonnet,
trims the lanes of the taxiways, ramp,
and runway. Hillside homes of varying
designs are welcoming, with their hangar
doors open and their resident aircraft
outside taking in the sun. Golf carts buzz
along the street and taxiways, residents
with coolers on their way to visit with
friends at different open hangars.
" It's the way life should be, " Thompson
says. julie.walker@aopa.org
Lakeway Airpark (3R9)
115 Flying Scot Street
Lakeway, Texas 78734
3R9.org
Privately owned/public-use
Runway: 16/34; 3,930-feet long, paved
Elevation: 909 feet
Self-serve 100LL
Transient parking: $10 daily
Established: 1995 (original ranch
runway in 1962)
Home prices: $650,000 to
$1.6 million
HOA/Membership:
Homeowner-$1,000/year;
Hangar tenant-$500/year
Located on 39 acres near Lake Travis
in the Texas Hill Country
http://www.3R9.org
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024

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