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Hello
T.S. Eliot called April the cruelest month.
For me, it's November.
If you live in Maine, love the outdoors and don't hunt, it's the "Tween Month" ... the month that falls between the warm, sunny days of summer and the crisp and striking days of autumn and the start of a ski season that will stretch from the first fresh snow to the last of the April slush.
The long days of paddling barefoot and hiking in shorts have past. No more just dashing out the door ... there are socks and scarfs and survival gear to think about.
The leaves have fallen. The snow has not. The landscape is stark.
You can stack wood. You can clean your house. You can tune your skis. You can finish all those chores and projects that got sidelined by all that summer fun.
You can pack a bag and head south to extend the season just a tad longer, hoping the ground is white and the slopes are open when you get back.
Or you can curl up by the fire with a good book and dream about the adventures that await, "mixing memories and desire" as Eliot puts it in his oft quoted and heavily analyzed Waste Land.
Maybe you'll even be inspired to plan a few adventures. If you do ... let us know. We're ready!
~ Nancy Perry, President
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 Contents
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| Events in the Future |
Events from the Past |
| "Test Run" |
Homecoming |
| Holiday Hike & Cookie Swap |
Thanks to our Volunteers |
| Annual Social - Delta Knights |
Bigelow Hikes Wrap-up |
| Whistler Blackcomb |
Bar Harbor & Acadia |
| Biking in Montreal |
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| Annual Meeting Options |
Community News |
| Little Lyford Pond |
Discounts |
| Range News |
Photo of the Month |
| Snow Plow Services Needed |
Membership Renewal |
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| December 12 |
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Holiday Hike & Cookie Swap |
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2016
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| January 10 |
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Weekly Show 'n Go Ski begins |
| January 23 |
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Winter Social with Delta Knights |
| January 24 |
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Board & Member Meeting |
| ? February 20 ? |
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Bowling & Pizza Party |
| Feb. 25 - Mar. 3 |
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Whistler - Blackcomb |
| ? March 12 ? |
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Annual Dinner Meeting |
| ? March 23 ? |
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Golf Course Full Moon Ski/Snowshoe |
| May 19-21 |
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Biking in Montreal |
| June TBD |
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Board & Member Meeting |
| June 25 |
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Golf and BBQ in Lac Megantic |
| July 16 |
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Day on the Cove in South Bristol |
| August 13-14 |
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Maine Huts - Grand Falls by boat, bike, hike, or car |
| August TBD |
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Board & Member Meeting |
| September 10 |
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Saco River Paddle and Picnic |
| October 8-10 |
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Sugarloaf Homecoming |
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There is always room for more events! Send ideas, and better yet your interest in being an event leader, to John Morey,
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Future Events & Adventures
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The first test of "Test Run" proved successful.
A few of you responded to the idea of a
winter's stay at Little Lyford camps and now the information gathering will begin.
Who has the next idea to "Test Run"?
The next step in this process is to take ideas to the Adventure Committee for refinement. At the moment, the process to include those who have offered to help hasn't begun. Early next year I hope to have a meeting to introduce the process and get things moving. The idea is to make your idea a reality even if all you want to do is have the idea.
~ John Morey, Adventure Coordinator
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Holiday Hike and Cookie Swap
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This year CVOA'S always-popular Holiday Hike and Cookie Swap is Saturday December 12th. Glenn and Peggy Bickford will host the event at their home on Eustis Ridge Road in Eustis. Plans are being made for an afternoon hike on foot or snowshoe, depending on the ground conditions.
After the hike, we will return to the house for hot cider, mulled wine, hearty appetizers and a fabulous assortment of holiday cookies.
Plan to bring an appetizer to share, along with 3-4 dozen cookies... and a container to take home an assortment of cookies. If you don't want to bake ... just bring $5 and a container for cookies.
Questions? Planning to attend? Contact Glenn and Peggy at [email protected] or call them at 207-712-8503.
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Annual Winter Social, with Delta Knights
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click here for their web site
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Mark your calendars, and set aside the date for this fun social event. The December newsletter will contain all the details. If you can commit to help make this a successful event, contact Chris and Zoanne Paradis at (207) 557-8282 or [email protected].
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Are you interested and want to be put on our waiting list? Get more information on our web site HERE.
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The rumors are true:
CVOA bikes Montreal Canada next spring!
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Click to go to the web site.
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May 19, 20, & 21, 2016
Sign up now!
Lodging will be at Auberge de la Fontaine, across from Parc de la Fontaine, along one of Montreal's bike routes. Auberge de La Fontaine Hotel is a 21-room 3-story granite town house (sorry no elevators). Most rooms have queen-size beds; breakfast is included: pastries, quiche, buns, muffins; parking is from free to $8.00 per day; they have a bike storage room.
Room fees are $159 CAD (currently $122 US) per night plus 15% tax. Also, we have researched another inn that offers additional rooms with twin beds.
Everyone going on the trip will make their own room reservations. Auberge de La Fontaine is holding a block of rooms for us until Christmas; reservations must be made by phone (1-514-597-0166), with a refundable 50% deposit. A non-refundable balance due will be charged one month prior to the reservation date. (Check your credit card policies to avoid paying foreign transaction fees.)
Montreal includes lots to do and places to see:
- Curbed & defined bike lanes
- Sites from the Expo '67 World's Fair, such as Biosphere
- Montreal "underground"/historic Old Port
- The '76 Summer Olympics Stadiums, Biodome etc.
- A large indoor and outdoor Farmers Market - Atwater Market
- Bike routes to the islands in the St. Lawrence
- Opportunity to bike on the Formula 1 Circuit on Ile Notre-Dame
- LaRonde Six Flags on Ile Sainte-Helene
A guided bike tour with Fitz & Follwell
is being arranged; it will provide riders with an overview of city highlights and history. This company has a team of certified city guides who enthusiastically share history and insights of the city. Cost will be $65 CAD plus tax, and includes a pastry stop! More information and sign-ups will be forthcoming for trip participants.
Also, to be on the official list of participants you must register by emailing your interest to [email protected] and then forwarding a $5.00 check per attendee to: CVOA Montreal Trip, Valley Station, Box 6, Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947. Need more info? Call Glenn and Peggy at 207-712-8503.
We hope you will join us on this adventure,
Your hosts, Glenn & Peggy Bickford
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Planning ahead for our Annual Meeting
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It is not too early! What will it be?
In the past, our annual dinner meeting has been put together by a small group of volunteers, with a $10 per person charge, plus everyone is expected to bring an appetizer or a dessert.
For our dinner meeting this year, we are exploring the option of a fixed price buffet dinner at the Sugarloaf Inn on a Saturday evening. The cost to the attendees would be in the $20-$25 range, all-inclusive of meal, taxes, gratuities and room charges; there would be a cash bar (BYOB is not permitted). March 12 is the date we are planning for.
Any feedback you'd send us would be most appreciated!
- ?? Would you come to dinner at the Inn??
- ?? How much would you be willing to pay for your meal??
- ?? Would you rather coordinate and manage a dinner meeting as we have done in the past??
Please send any feedback to John Morey, Vice President, at [email protected] or reply to this newsletter.
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A smaller plow
will be quite adequate!
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Range in need this year....
Well, not the entire range, but we're looking to keep the CVOA Range entrance, an area in front of the club house and a path to the new storage facility open for the winter. With the new building, storage of CVOA supplies formerly located in rented space is now at the range; it will require access throughout the year.
If you are interested, or know someone who might be, contact Range Chairman Neal Trask at 235-2732 or Secretary John McCatherin at 235-2121; or email [email protected].
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Past Events and Adventures
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an overview...
Scenic hikes, tasty BBQs, trap shoots, raffles, fall foliage and lots of catching up with old friends: CVOA members sampled a bit of it all during the outdoor club's annual Homecoming Festivities.
The weekend kicked off as usual at the Sugarloaf Homecoming CVOA booth at the base lodge, a hub of activity as memberships were renewed, new recruits signed up and plans hatched for an adventurous 2016!
Sunday, members had their choice of a gorgeous hike up Little Bigelow or a full day at the CVOA shooting range, with gun safety and archery programs for youth, trap shooting and an awesome BBQ featuring smoked brisket, grilled chicken and pot luck sides and desserts by CVOA chefs.
Highlighting the BBQ was a raffle drawing for a huge gift basket artfully crafted and stuffed with goodies by CVOA's Jeannette Parker. The raffle, which raised $450 for the outdoor club, was won by Tim Kiernan.
Peggy Bickford, the CVOA Little Bigelow hike leader, reported: "Everyone was enthusiastic about the great views that open up along the open ledges all along that trail. At the top it was breezy and cool, so we ate lunches, rested a bit, then headed back. Climb up was about two and a half hours, and two hours down. Nice group of members with several new faces joining in!"
~ Nancy Perry
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A great crew of volunteers represented and promoted CVOA at Homecoming Weekend.
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We just want to say: "Thanks: we couldn't do it without you!"
- To Mike & Jeannette Parker, who crafted and stuffed a HUGE gift basket for the CVOA raffle. It was a traffic stopper at our Homecoming Booth ... and raised $460 for our club! Thanks also for taking on a 2-hour shift at the booth.
- To Ray & Diane Stone, for organizing this year's Range BBQ.
- To Jim Wilson and Kathy and Ethan, Pat Mitchell, Barb Kovach, John McCatherin and Jim & Jane Heichel, for working the BBQ.
- To the Many of You, who contributed pot luck dishes to the BBQ.
- To Diana Anderson, for the Range Homecoming desk.
- To Peggy Bickford, for organizing and leading our Homecoming Hike up Little Bigelow.
- To Cindy Foster, for ... everything! Helping to organize the Homecoming Booth, doing our printing, setting up our new storage shed, keeping track of our memberships and missing the BBQ to work the Sunday shift at the booth.
- To Jan Doherty and Nancy Perry, for setting up the booth on Friday.
- To Glenn Bickford and Joe Loughran, for taking down the booth on Sunday and hauling our stuff to the new storage shed.
- To Cliff George, for printing the gorgeous photos we displayed at the booth.
- To Pete Weston, for promoting us on WSKI.
- To Gail Miller, for keeping our finances straight.
- To Jim Heichel, Diane Stone, Neal Trask and Ron Stagers, for the Range program for youth.
- To Neal Trask, for the Trap Shoot.
- To our booth volunteers: Sandy Jamison, Mark Curtis, Doug Malloy, John McCatherin, Neal Trask, John Pease, Dick Foote, Joe Loughran, Jan Mildram, Kass & Tom Longley-Leahy, Dave & Ann Vashon, who gave us two hours (or more) of their time to volunteer at the booth on Saturday and Sunday.
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Click the sign for more photos
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It's a Wrap....
Enthusiastic and hardy folks hefted backpacks and hiking poles to join the three hikes that explored the Bigelow Range this fall. Clear, crisp and perfect weather greeted us on the first outing to Cranberry Peak on September 25. Seven hikers marveled at the perfect hiking weather as we took in views from the Cranberry Peak ledges. The descent to Cranberry Pond was a steep and long one; we intersected the AT, and tired folks were grateful for the dropped vehicles on Stratton Brook Pond road that ferried us back to the trailhead.
Fourteen hikers and two dogs enjoyed all the ridge and ledge views of Little Bigelow on October 11. Following our caravan along the Carriage Road, we ventured onto the Little Bigelow trailhead for our 'walk in the woods,' that soon included numerous stops for photo ops and gazes from the many ridges along the hike. We welcomed several new members on this hike!
October 24 dawned chilly but bright for the six hardy souls who took on the Fire Warden's Trail hike to the Bigelow Col and Avery Peak. Just when we were thinking that this hike was pretty gradual and easy, we encountered that 'rock scramble/rock steps' section that rose ever so steeply ... and seemingly forever!! It was chilly and windy at the Col, and we hunkered down behind the fire warden's cabin to eat lunch. While very windy, the 360 degree views from Avery Peak itself were stunning as usual. All those efforts, huffing and puffing up the last mile, were definitely rewarded with the grandeur of Flagstaff Lake, Sugarloaf/Crocker mountains and all vistas beyond! A long descent awaited us as we ventured back to the trailhead, but all were satisfied with having met the challenge of this vigorous adventure!
~ Peggy Bickford, Hikes Leader
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Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park
A small but hardy group of CVOA
members
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| click the photo for a recipe for Jordan Pond House popovers |
arrived in Bar Harbor on
Friday, October 23rd in time for happy hour at the Cromwell Harbor Motel. That day four of us did a spectacular hike up and over Cadillac Mountain, then looping back to the parking lot via way of the notch between Dorr and Cadillac. The scenery was amazing the whole way.
Saturday people biked on the Carriage Trails, hiked on the many trails in the Park, had tea and popovers at the Jordan Pond House, explored the shops in town, and checked out the views from the top of Cadillac Mtn. We reconvened for happy hour at the motel, and then headed out for dinner at one of the many fine restaurants in Bar Harbor. After dinner we had carrot cake back at the motel to celebrate my birthday!
I have been going to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park my whole life, and I still am finding new trails to hike, different places to bike, and new restaurants for breakfast and dinner. The group agreed, CVOA will do this weekend again next year and hopefully we can get others to join us.
~ Peter Weston
[ed. note: Greg and I haven't been to Mount Desert Island for years, and after this weekend, we wonder why; there is so much to do, and October is a great time to be there. ~ Cindy Foster]
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Community news is posted regularly
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Maine Huts and Trails offers a $10 discount on the cost of an annual Maine Huts & Trails membership to all CVOA members. Use the code "CVOA" online, or contact MH&T.
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Reflecting pool below a waterfall, on the Canon Brook Trail during the recent CVOA Bar Harbor weekend.
Photo taken by Jan Doherty.
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Do you have a photo suitable for "Photo of the Month"? Are you a CVOA member? If so, send your photo to: Cindy Foster, Newsletter Editor -
[email protected].
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If you have not recently renewed your membership for 2016, you may renew any time now...
Your current CVOA membership is valid through December 31, 2015; our membership year now coincides with the calendar year.
There are three ways to renew your membership for 2016:
- Join online using a credit card: Click Here
- Join online and pay with a check: Click Here
- Print this form, complete it and mail it with a check.
We will remind you again in December if you have not yet renewed, and thank you for your continued support of CVOA.
~ Cindy Foster, Secretary
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Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association
Valley Crossing #6
Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947
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