OCTOBER 2016 Newsletter
~ October 2016 ~
Your membership is valid through December 31, 2016.

Hello

Calendar of Events

2016

October 8 - 10 - Homecoming Weekend
October 21-23 - Bar Harbor
December ??
Hike/Snowshoe and Cookie Swap?

2017

January ??

Shoe 'N Stew?
Jan. 26 - Feb. 3 - Telluride Ski Trip
Range
........
Events
ongoing - Saturday Trap Shoots weekly 9-noon
ongoing - Sunday Trap Shoots weekly 9-noon
October 9  - Turkey Trap Shoot
Future Events & Adventures
CVOA's Homecoming Weekend Celebration
October 8 & 9

Ah, October. One of the most beautiful months in the mountains.
Welcoming folks to our Homecoming table.

The vivid foliage heralds not only the start of a new season, but also Sugarloaf's Annual Homecoming Weekend. It's a perfect time for fall foliage hikes, trap shooting, target practice at the CVOA range and reconnecting with old friends;
the best way to enjoy all of that:

With CVOA ! !

The planners at CVOA Central have some good times planned for the weekend. Join us!! Better yet: Pitch in and help us! Honest - it's a lot more fun than work.

Start your weekend off Saturday with a swing by the CVOA Homecoming Booth, open from 10 am to 5 pm, located in its usual spot just outside the restrooms in the Sugarloaf Base Lodge. The CVOA Range will be open for Trap Shooting from 9:00 am til noon.

At our homecoming table there will be some fabulous event photography on display as well as new colorful handouts outlining the outdoor adventures we have planned for the 2017 season. Also, you can renew your membership, or join as a new member.

Check out the locally famous CVOA Hiking Guide, Cookbook, logo wear at a bargain $5 each for hats and aprons, and the new custom made CVOA Fridge Magnets. Scoop up some or all for stocking stuffers and holiday gift giving.

Catch up with old friends and if you're lucky, make one or two new ones.

But We Need Your Help!!
Gail and Jan helped out 
last year.

We're looking for a few friendly volunteers to help staff the CVOA display table. This meet and greet event is low keyed and designed to introduce visitors to the outdoor world of CVOA.

If you're willing to spend an hour or two sharing your CVOA stories with visitors and helping to sign up new members, contact Joe Loughran at cvoa.vicepresident@gmail com or call him at 207-650-3099. Let him know your availability and he'll get you on the schedule.

On Sunday the CVOA booth will open at 9:00 am and runs til 4:00 pm.

We'll be there!! We're hoping you will, too.

By the way, the CVOA Range will be hosting a Turkey Shoot Event (no real turkeys) on Sunday from 9 to noon, where participants shoot for high trap scores and a chance at winning gift certificates from Hannaford's.
 
~ Joe Loughran, Vice President
Bar Harbor 
October 21, 22, 23

Enjoy Bar Harbor off season - spectacular views and no crowds.
Click above for motel info.

CVOA is returning to Bar Harbor in October and it is time to book your room! We will be staying at the Cromwell Harbor Motel, located in easy walking distance to downtown Bar Harbor. The rooms are $98 per night and they have 12 rooms left as of September 28th.

Please make your reservation by calling the motel at 288-3201 and call or send me an email to let me know you are going, 207-944-3264, [email protected].
raspberry/almond pancakes

Your trip leader, Betsy Chapman, recently went on a scouting trip and can report all is in readiness for CVOA. The happy hour at Gaylin's 
lobster eggs Benedict
was good, with reduced price drinks and delicious snacks. Breakfast at Two Cats Restaurant was spectacular. Betsy enjoyed their great raspberry/almond pancakes and husband John enjoyed their lobster Benedict and gave it rave reviews.

We arrive on  Friday afternoon, see you at  Galyn's happy hour from 4:00-6:00. Upstairs in the room behind the bar, then we'll decide where to go to dinner. And we'll meet our expert guide Bill Haefele.

Saturday Night - We plan  happy hour at the Cromwell Motel followed by dinner at a local restaurant, BYOB and bring an appetizer.
Acadia centenial logo

There is so much to do in Bar Harbor 
and Acadia National Park. There are 125 miles of hiking trails, from easy to expert, with great ocean views, and there are 47 miles of carriage trails for hikers and bikers, with no cars.

From our resident CVOA expert:   Bill Haefele's Picks:
  1. Best Hike on the Island - Bee Hive to the Bowl (a mountain pond) on to Gorham Mountain a round trip hike of about 2 1/2 hours.
  2. 2nd Best Hike - All moderate hikes: up the east side of Jordan Pond, up to Sargent Pond, then up Sargent Mountain, backtrack to Penobscot Mountain (a gorgeous view), down Penobscot South Ridge back to the Jordan Pond House.  Sargent Mountain has a better view than Cadillac and is less crowded. 
  3. Best Carriage Trail Walk or Ride - Eagle Lake loop about six miles.
  4. 2nd Best Carriage Trail Walk or Ride - Witch Hole Pond Loop - about 5 miles.
  5. Best Secret Attraction - Easy Walk - On Ocean Drive see Monument Cove/Hunter's Beach, 2 miles from Otter Cove. Look for a wooden staircase on the left, with parking for three cars, go down to the shore covered with smooth stones from the wave action. These stones were formerly used as ballast in ships and ended up as cobble stones on the streets of Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. Don't take any! There is a fine.
Gentle or Rainy Day Activities
  • Atlantic Brewing Brewery Tasting Room
  • Seal Cove Auto Museum
  • George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History at the College of the Atlantic
  • Abbe Museum
  • Shops are running end of season sales, everything from hats and tee shirts to fine china and jewelry.
~ Betsy Chapman, Trip Leader

PS.  If you are age 62 years or older, be sure to get your lifetime National Park Senior Pass for $10, the best bargain ever.  For more information, visit  http://store.usgs.gov/pass/senior.html
Let's Go Hiking Tomorrow!
Or fishing... or biking, golfing, skiing, snowshoeing ... 

Sometimes an event is just plain spur of the moment - good weather,
email_laptop.jpg
good timing, good conditions, whatever else prompts an enthusiast to say "let's do something".
 
Would you like to be on a list of members to receive short notice of an activity? We are working towards developing the process. Your email address would be shared only with the event leader.
 
Interested? Tell us what activities you are interested in by replying to this email, or emailing [email protected]. Let's see if there are enough people interested in particular activities to promote the program.
 
~ Betsy Chapman, Activities Coordinator
? Winter Activities and Events ?
How about:

November - Hiking in the Valley area?

December - Hike/Snowshoe and Holiday Cookie Swap?

January-February-March:
  • Shoe 'N Stew?
  • Cross Country skiing at the Outdoor Center?
  • Sugarloaf Ski-Together?
  • Day trip to Maine Hut?
Any Month:
  • Bowling and Pizza?
  • Pickle Ball?
  • Fun at the Anti-Gravity Center?
These are just a few suggestions for winter events, but they won't happen until some volunteers step forward to run the events. It need not be a lot of work, and it will be lots of fun, and we can give you guidance on how to prepare for a successful event.

On overnight trips in 2017, participants pay a fee of $5 per person per night to help defray the trip leader's costs of accommodations.

Interested? Give a shout to Betsy Chapman, Activities Coordinator, at [email protected], or reply to this newsletter email.

Telluride
Final deadline October 15
 
We have 67 people signed up for the Telluride trip. There are still plane seats available, but they must be reserved by October 15. At that time, we need to turn back to United the open seats. There should be a variety of accommodations available; please inquire.
 
If you have interest, contact Cindy Foster, trip leader, at [email protected], or reply to this email.
 
~ Cindy Foster, Trip Leader
Range News
Turkey Shoot and more
Homecoming Sunday

The CVOA Range will host its second annual Turkey Shoot on Sunday, October 9th, from 9am to noon. (No, we don't shoot turkeys!) Come win gift certificates to Hannaford's Supermarket. 

The range is located on Route 27, in Carrabassett Valley, just north of Sugarloaf. If you haven't been there yet, come see what we are all about.
 
Baked goods and drinks will be served.  Come join us!
 
~ Diane Stone, Range Secretary 
Past Events and Adventures
Saco River Paddle
September 10
 
The calendar read September ... but it was a beautiful summer day for CVOA's last paddle of the season, a scenic ride down the Saco River.
 
After taking over the New Moon breakfast café in downtown Saco for a hearty breakfast .... and some dry land training by CVOA member Peg Bickford ... 16 paddlers powered their kayaks and canoes from just below the Saco dam to Camp Ellis.
 
CVOA members rode the tide 5 miles south, stopping to enjoy the wildlife, boats and scenery on a gorgeous day. Most of the crew pulled their boats out by the jetty in Camp Ellis, although three "A Team" paddlers ...
 John & Charlotte Pease and Dick Foote ... turned around and caught the tide to paddle back to downtown Saco.
 
The rest of the crew headed for Huot's Seafood Restaurant for fish sandwiches, lobster rolls and other treats before heading over to Nancy Perry's house at Ferry Beach for socializing and an impromptu jam session.
 
You can see more photos of the paddle and fun by CLICKING HERE.
 
~ Nancy Perry, Paddle Leader 


Board and Member Meetings
September 11

Our meetings on September 11 were well attended, with input on several fronts. We welcome all members to participate in our meetings, and are always looking for new ideas.

The morning began with an Activities Committee meeting, led by Betsy Chapman. Eight active people joined in with discussion about past and future trips. As lunch time approached, even more joined in.

At noontime, Bruce and Annmarie Albiston talked to us about their exceptional venture, the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center on the Outdoor Center access road. They are delighted to share their facility, particularly the yurt, for our meetings.

After some of us took tours of the facility, pot luck lunch was enjoyed by everyone, with interesting and tasty contributions.

The board and member meeting began at 1pm, with 15 board and at-large members present. Some of the items of interest were:
  • Secretary's Report - we have about 450 memberships, representing 850 members. Of those, half are range members; membership renewals are coming up, beginning October 1st for the 2017 calendar year; renewals can be done online, or at the Homecoming table, or by paper.
  • Treasurer's Report - our finances are very healthy; CVOA does not have a long-term plan for the funds, and a committee will be formed at some time to discuss the issue.
  • Range Report - The range is in good shape; one-day memberships have doubled from last year; consideration should be given to raising the range fees to be more in line with other ranges in the state, and to spread the costs of maintenance and repairs among those who most use the range; the range committee was authorized to meet and make a decision about range fees [ed. note: the range committee met and decided to leave the current fees in place].
  • Adventure Committee - Joe Loughran will take charge of our Homecoming table, and is looking for volunteers to staff the table in shifts; there is no Homecoming hike scheduled; the range will not have a Homecoming BBQ lunch this year; we need a host for the annual hike and cookie swap in December; we need a leader for the traditional Hike and Soup, or Shoe and Stew, event in January.
  • Show N Go events - a program discussed in the past is to put in place a method of notifying people interested in specific short-notice events such as hiking or fly fishing. Cindy will put an article in the this newsletter soliciting interest, as a gauge to determine the value of such a program.
  • There are 67 signed up for Telluride, with a room for more.
  • Peggy Bickford is managing the distribution and sales of our very popular Hiking Guide, which she keeps in-stock at various outlets. We will delay ordering another 100 copies until the spring. Is there anyone interested in doing an edit of the guide before then?
  • Overnight Trip Fee - during 2016, every person who participated in an overnight event was charged $5 to help defray the cost of the trip leader's accommodations. (Not applicable to ski trips.) For 2017, the fee will be $5 per person per night for overnight trips. It is hoped that these funds will encourage more people to volunteer as trip leaders.
The meeting adjourned at 3pm. You can read the entire minutes of the meeting by clicking here: September 11, 2017 Minutes or going to our website by CLICKING HERE.

CVOA is a volunteer-run organization, and we are always looking for more participation. Please consider giving back to CVOA in some way. Trip leaders and event organizers are always needed if we are to continue offering as many trips and events as we have in the past. Even a small task like taking the meeting minutes for the secretary would be helpful, or helping at the Homecoming table.
 
~ Cindy Foster, Secretary
Photo of the Month

The view from the outhouse at the Dump Site campsite on Flagstaff Lake. Taken by Pete Weston.
Do you have an interesting or artistic photo suitable for "Photo of the Month"? Are you a CVOA member? If so, send your photo to: Cindy Foster, Newsletter Editor -  [email protected].
Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association
Valley Crossing #6
Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947
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