September 2016 Newsletter
~ September 2016 ~
Your membership is valid through December 31, 2016.
Hello

The Adaptive Outdoor Education Center has offered a yurt for our next meeting.  How can you resist that?  Now we add to the excitement of participating in the guidance of CVOA's future with one of the reasons we do it!

This location supports our clear and simple mission statement of preserving and protecting our natural resources and promoting the recreational opportunities in our area.  Knowing what recreational opportunities exist in Carrabassett Valley is key to promoting them - right?  As we move forward, please let us know of your favorite site or service and we'll try to set meetings around them.  Already in the works is the Maine Forestry Museum in Rangeley .... but we need an idea for the January meeting.  Send your suggestions to [email protected]
  • Meeting day is Sunday, September 11
  • The location is the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center at 3000 Outdoor Center Road, Carrabassett Valley.
  • The schedule is:
    • 10:30 Activity Committee meeting - open to all
    • 11:30 Tour the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center
    • Noon - Potluck lunch - bring food!
    • 1 PM Quarterly Board meeting
All are welcome to all or part of the day. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

~ John Morey, CVOA President
Calendar of Events
September 10 - Paddling on the Saco River
September 11 - Board, Member, Activities Meetings, lunch
September 24 - Pemaquid Paddle
October 8 - 10 - Homecoming Weekend
October 21-23 - Bar Harbor
--
2017
--
Jan. 26 - Feb. 3 - Telluride Ski Trip



Range

Events
ongoing - Sunday Trap Shoots 9-noon
September 4 - Trap Shoot Fundraiser for Animal Shelter
Sept. 10 then ongoing - Saturday Trap Shoots (9-noon) BEGINS
October 9 - Turkey Trap Shoot - NEW DATE
Future Events & Adventures
Saco River Paddle
Saturday, September 10
 
A gentle 5 mile paddle
along the scenic Saco River
from downtown Saco
to Camp Ellis
 
The tourists have gone ... the river is ours!
 
With low tide at noon, we hope to put in below the dam in downtown Saco by 10 am.
 
Meet at Nancy's at 1 Ferry Park Ave in Saco at 8am. We will position some cars, and then head for breakfast at New Moon Restaurant around 9 am.
 
We'll be paddling with the tide ... 1½ to 2 hours. Take out in Camp Ellis at Huot's Seafood, and have lunch at Huot's Restaurant (optional).

Anyone not interested in paddling can hang out at the sandy beach at the end of Nancy's road, read a book on her porch, fish off the jetty in Camp Ellis or walk a 3 mile stretch of beach to Old Orchard.

Something for everyone and everyone's invited for a swim after!!!

Please let Nancy know if you are coming so she can plan accordingly, email directions, and notify of cancellation if it's raining. Email her at [email protected].

~ Nancy Perry, Paddle Leader
CVOA Meetings on Sunday, September 11 
At the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center
in Carrabassett Valley
 
Click the logo
for more info.
Sunday, September 11
-- Join us for the quarterly board meeting. All members are welcome.
  • 10:30 am - Activity Committee Meeting
  • 11:30 - tour the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center
  • Noon - potluck lunch
  • 1 p.m. - Quarterly Board/Member meeting.
The Adaptive Outdoor Education Center is located on the road to the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center. 
 
~ John Morey, President


Pemaquid River Paddle
Sunday, September 24, 10 a.m.
 
September 24, at 10 a.m. launch your canoes & kayaks at member Mary Berger's home on Biscay Pond - 163 Fogler Road - in Bremen (near Damariscotta). Paddle begins at 10 a.m., and no reservations are necessary.
 
Attendees may paddle southward down the Pemaquid River to Bristol Mills or northward through the Pemaquid River into Pemaquid Pond.
 
Bring a picnic lunch (a BBQ grill will be available), and swim before or after lunch.
 
By the way, September 24th is the last date of a Pemaquid Watershed Association's scheduled 2016 paddles and the final day for completing the PWA Kayak Challenge. (   http://www.pemaquidwatershed.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Kayak-Challenge-map-side-2-map.pdf )
 
Please call 207-529-2093 or e-mail Mary Berger, ( [email protected]) with any questions or for directions to the launch area.
 
~ Mary Berger, paddler and host


Homecoming Weekend at Sugarloaf
We Need HELP!

For many years, CVOA has been given a table in the Base Lodge to promote our organization. It is a great opportunity to connect with members, and prospective members. We have a few items to sell,  events to promote, and member registrations to take in.
Gail and Jan were two of our member volunteers last year. Can you help this year?

We need help!

Please consider giving a couple of hours to spend at the table on Saturday or Sunday. Or better yet, can we entice you to take the lead position? That includes getting the displays from the storage unit, setting up the table, and scheduling volunteers for 2-hour slots.

If you will be able to help in any way, email John Morey at [email protected].

It really is fun to be involved!

~ John, Joe, Gail and Cindy - Officers
Bar Harbor Fall Weekend
October 21, 22, 23

Enjoy Bar Harbor off season - lower prices and no crowds.
MDI map

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 again, 359 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME, located in easy walking distance to downtown Bar Harbor. The rooms are $98 per night and they have lots of rooms available as of September 1st.

Please make your reservation by calling 
the motel at 288-3201, or  visiting their web site www.cromwellharbor.com . Then please call or send an email to let Betsy know you are going so she can keep you in the communication loop. Call 207-944-3264, or email: [email protected] .

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,which has the only mountains (17 of them) on the coast with ocean views, from Florida to Maine. There are 125 miles of hiking trails - from easy to expert with great ocean views. We will enjoy 47 miles of carriage trails for hikers and bikers, with no cars.

Our resident CVOA expert  on Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island gives us a glimpse of his favorites. 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
Telluride
January 26 - February 3, 2017
 
We have 71 people signed up, with 9 plane seats left. We have a variety of accommodations available. Don't delay if you are interested in joining the group.


 
~ Cindy Foster, Trip Leader
Range News
Trap Shoot Fundraiser for Franklin County Animal Shelter
Sunday, Sept. 4th from 9 to noon

The Range will kick off our Fall season with a fundraiser for the Franklin County Animal Shelter on Sunday, September 4th, from 9am to noon. 

One dollar per person, per round goes to the Shelter, plus we will be accepting cash and check donations for the shelter as well.  No
foodstuffs or other tangibles, please.

So come shoot with us, or just stop by to make a donation for the critters!

~ Diane Stone, Range Secretary
Turkey Shoot
NEW DATE: October 9th

Our Turkey Shoot, originally scheduled for September 25th, will be moved to the Sunday of Homecoming weekend, October 9th from 9am to noon.  We will also have kids rifle training and games for children 8-14.  Baked goods, coffee, tea, and juice will be served.

~ Diane Stone, Range Secretary
Weekend Shoots
Saturdays and Sundays - 9 to noon

Saturday Trap Shoots will begin September 10th, 9am to noon, and will continue through the remainder of the Fall or as long as turnout remains steady. 
 
Sunday Trap Shoots are ongoing from 9am to noon.
 
We look forward to seeing you this Fall.  

~ Diane Stone, Range Secretary
Past Events and Adventures
Maine Huts & Trails Overnight
Getting ready to paddle the Dead River to the MH&T landing.
Grand Falls Adventure

It was a grand time at Grand Falls as 29 adventurous CVOA members paddled and hiked their way to the most remote hut in the Maine Huts and Trail system.

Some 25 paddlers ranging in age from 9 to 70 took on a 6-mile stretch of the Dead River. Another three "A Team" hikers tackled an 8-mile trail running along the river's edge, keeping a fast enough pace to beat the canoeists and kayakers to the hut. Another CVOA member drove the "gear truck," arriving early enough to fish the falls.

The weather was lovely, the falls spectacular and the dip in the nearby swimming hole refreshing after the 2-mile hike from the dock to the hut! All that exercise stoked appetites for a hearty CVOA happy-hour spread, followed by a Maine Huts dinner featuring sweet potato shepherd's pie, kale salad and cauliflower ... and carrot coconut cupcakes!

The evening was capped with a horseshoe comptetition, socializing around the fire pit and a full moon.

A hearty pancake, egg and bacon breakfast greeted the crew the next morning providing enough fuel for the trip back. A strong current and stiff wind made for a challenging, but safe, paddle back.


~ Nancy Perry, Trip Leader

Generally left to right: Bill Haefele, John Morey, Jane Tawney; Glenn and Peg Bickford, Sandy Jamison, Stephanie and Glen Frost, Nancy Perry, Joe Loughran and Gail Miller, Susan Fraser, Jerome Gamache, John Rohde; 5 kids in front: Nell, Seamus and Chas Rohde, Alexander and Turner Gamache; Judy Weston, Charlotte Pease, Sara Tremblay, Jen Rohde, Jan Doherty, John Pease, Pete Weston, Duff Doherty, Marcel Poulin, Jim Myatt.  
Victory Chimes Cruise
Bruce joined the volunteer crew to raise the sails.
August 23-27
 
After a delicious dinner at Hill's Seafood Co on Main Street in Rockland, on Tuesday August 23th at 6:00 pm we climbed aboard our new home for the next five days. Six CVOAers made the trip: Elaine Fitzpatrick and Bruce Hanke, Mary Frank and Colon Durrell, and John and Betsy Chapman.
 
Our vessel for the cruise around Penobscot Bay was the Victory Chimes owned and operated by CVOAer Kip Files. It is the larg est windjammer in America and very cushy: a sink in every room, three heads aboard (if you don't know that term, ask a sailor), lots of comfortable seating on deck, and hot showers.
However, no CVOA folks joined this group.
 
My personal goal was to see more of the Bay from the water side and enjoy the scenery usually reserved for the rich and famous who live there. Everywhere we looked there were stunning vistas and lovely nooks and crannies to explore. We went ashore most days and saw the Wooden Boat Workshop and store in Brooklin and the Holbrook Sanctuary near Castine. The last night we anchored in an Isleboro harbor and admired the lovely cottages along the shore.
 
Kip kept predicting 50% chance of rain but we only saw a few drops. We had clear, sunny skies day after day and warm temperatures. The younger guests opted for diving into the 60 degree water but no CVOAer could be tricked into thinking that would be fun.
 
We met friendly, interesting people among the 30 other guests, from all over the country: Texas, California, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
 
The food did not disappoint. We started off with a lobster feed and ended with a steak dinner. Every day we had wonderful homemade soups and bread, as well as lots of fresh salads and fruit. And if it weren't for the daily (optional) ten minutes raising the sails, the calories might have been a problem.
 
The crew was a mix of young people and a vintage sailor Kip said he got from Central Casting. They were all skilled, hard workers and very personable. Kip is a great host, knowledgeable of the history of the area and a skilled sailor. On the last day he assured us there was no hurry disembarking but if we were still there at 1:00 pm he'd give us a paint brush!

~ Betsy Chapman, Trip Leader

l. to r.: Bruce, Elaine, Captain Kip Files, Mary, Colon, Betsy, and John
 
Photo of the Month
Pier posts on White Head Island, Grand Manan, New Brunswick.
Taken by Phil Hunter in August 2016.
Do you have a photo suitable for "Photo of the Month"? Such as good photographic quality, an interesting subject, or great subject. 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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