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This is AAPRCO’s 27th annual convention. Since 1977, our members have been working together to further their common goals and enjoying the modern era of private car travel.The 2004 AAPRCO Convention will be held in Missoula, Montana beginning Wednesday evening September 22 and concluding Sunday the 26th.
The best way to travel to the convention is, of course, by private varnish in a special train.
We are planning two trains – the Eastern Northern Parks Limited, roundtrip from Chicago on a 16-day schedule and the Western Northern Parks Limited roundtrip from Spokane on a 9-day schedule. Detailed itineraries are on the following pages but in summary the Eastern train will depart Chicago on Thursday, September 16 and travel through Omaha, Denver, Casper, Bozeman, Missoula, Sandpoint, Whitefish, Great Falls, Billings, Mobridge and Minneapolis, returning to Chicago on Saturday, October 2. The Western train will pretty much stay in Montana departing Spokane early Saturday, September 18 and travel to Whitefish, Great Falls, Bozeman, Missoula and back to Spokane in the mid-afternoon Sunday the 26th. The Eastern train will travel approximately 4300 miles (depending on the excursion distance), while the Western train will cover about 1450 miles.
This year’s convention hotel is the Holiday Inn Parkside. It’s conveniently located near where the rail cars will be parked and is where all of the convention meetings and seminars will be held. Registration, the Company Store and Trade Member displays will also be located in the hotel. So start making your plans to join us in Big Sky country for some PV and western hospitality.
Missoula is dubbed the Garden City for its mild winters relative to the rest of Montana. Missoula is a pretty good place to visit. Depending on the season, one can hike, ski, fish, run rivers and ride mountain bikes. Missoula is located in an old, glacial lake bed, which is now cut by Clark Fork River. The Bitterroot River feeds into the Clark Fork on the Southwest edge of town; the famed Big Blackfoot River meets the Clark Fork just east of town. The University of Montana is here. Missoula is 3 hours south of Glacier National Park and 3-and-a-half hours west of Yellowstone National Park. It is surrounded by national forests and a handful of wilderness areas.
