July 2021 MOAC Newsletter

August 4th - 6pm Social Hour/7pm Meeting

August General Meeting

Bicycle Coalition of Maine

PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR MEETING LOCATION. DETAILS WILL BE ON THE CALENDAR AND IN THE MEETING REMINDER EMAIL WHEN KNOWN

Join Jim Tasse, Assistant Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and a nationally certified road and mountain bike instructor, for a wide ranging conversation about riding bikes, bike safety, bike law, bike equipment, fat bikes, e-bikes and more! Come with questions and be prepared to have a little fun!

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Jim has been at the Bicycle Coalition of Maine for close to 12 years, the past seven as Assistant Director. He was the Education Director before that. He is an expert in bike safety. Off-road, he is an expert in singletrack trail design and construction. If that's not enough, he holds a Ph.D. in English Literature with 20 years experience teaching at the college level.

Last Month's Presentation

Boating Safety with the USCG's Ryan Smith

Thank you to Petty Officer First Class Ryan Smith, Operations officer for Station South Portland, (left) for talking to us about boating safety.

MOAC spends a lot of time on the water, it can never hurt to get reminded of the reality of it all. Water temperature, wind, tides, weather, etc.

Thank you personally, as well as to the Coast Guard in general for being there for people in need.

Boat ID Sticker Offer

An unmanned boat/canoe/kayak in the water becomes one of the highest priorities of the USCG. Did it just float away at high tide? Did a knot come loose? Or is there someone in serious peril out there somewhere if it isn't already too late. At the July presentation, the club was presented with stickers from the Coast Guard to be used on our boats. We plan on having them available at Summerfest as well as future meetings. If you would like it mailed to you, please email secretary@moac.org and specify how many.

July Meeting Notes

By: BILL BRIGGS

MOAC General Meeting

July 7, 2021

The July MOAC meeting was the first in-person meeting since March 2020, and was held at the Lions Club building in Cape Elizabeth. Before the meeting there was musical entertainment by MOAC’s regular band. The meeting began at 7:10 with an introduction by our esteemed president, Dan Kidd. He asked for a show of hands of new MOAC members and several people raised their hands. It’s good to see new members attending. Dan showed trip pictures of recent trips, and included some from his sailing adventures in honor of the topic of the presentation - water safety.

Dan pointed out that there were large calendars on the wall for signing up to lead trips. He also said that we need more volunteers to lead Summerfest activities like hiking, biking, and kayaking. Summerfest is July 30 to August 1 at Camden Hills State Park. Camping is available Friday and Saturday night and is really inexpensive. See the calendar on the website for more details.

The feature presentation was given by two Coast Guard officers, Justin Smith and Ryan Smith. They are stationed at the South Portland Coast Guard station and are involved with search and rescue and water safety. Last year there were 50 deaths on the water in their district, which includes the coast of Maine and Lake Champlain. Two key elements of surviving a water accident are to wear a life jacket and to let someone know where you’re going and when you expect to be back. It’s hard to be rescued if you go missing if no one knows where you are!

The speakers gave lots of useful information, including about the importance of checking the marine forecast before you go. There were lots of questions and answers and Justin and Ryan shared some interesting anecdotes about some rescues. Some rescues are launched because a boat is found adrift with no occupants. Often, these were taken by a rising tide, but the Coast Guard has to assume that the occupant fell out. Searches are expensive and time consuming, so don’t let your boat float away. The speakers distributed contact information labels to attach to your boat so you can be contacted if your boat is found.

President Kidd brought the meeting to a close at 8:30.

Announcing SUMMERFEST!

Friday, July 30 - Sunday, August 1

Camden Hills State Park

Check the calendar as details are finalized!

Registration is open. Please email board@moac.org to reserve a camping spot.

We will be looking for trip leaders and organizational help. Email board@moac.org to offer your services.

President's Corner

No Lobster? Doesn't Dan Always Promise

Good Eats On His Trips.

I’m better now. Yes, it’s going to be OK. Learning to adapt is real work. Most recent crisis is backing over a lobster buoy with my boat on a MOAC excursion while weighing anchor. It’s amazing how much trouble you can get into so easily!

I was able to haul a lobster pot off the bottom right up to my hull winding the line on the propellor shaft before it jammed and ripped off the propellor shaft bracket rendering us without a motor – and no lobster! The boat’s on dry land again for two weeks awaiting parts. I’ve actually filed a claim with my insurance for the first time!

This gives me an opportunity to make a canoe trip without the guilt of feeling compelled to be sailing every minute! Now I’ll gather canoes, tents, cooking gear and maybe a couple thousand dollars of gear I’ve accumulated over the years and run a new trip!

Boy, running trips sure is an effort..and expense! I ask myself why – often. And so often taken for granted. The answer…well I’m afraid I don’t have a good one. Why would someone lead a trip? Apparently a form of self torture…? Poor personal decision tree? Need for approval from the cat? Need for complaints? Rough overbearing childhood? Not loved? No working car?

People run trips for different reasons. I was thinking..yes,..suppose for a moment that no one led a trip.That’s safe. The club would disappear. If I think about it, a lot, in fact the great majority of my friends, well, I’ve met through the club because people have taken the effort to lead trips. Hmmm. Is the price we pay for friendship the cost of putting one’s self out there?

Dan Kidd, President

president@moac.org

Trip Report

Bicycle Trip Weekend

By: MARTY WILLIAMS

Four of us (two MOACers) planned an outing to Medway, gateway town to the Penobscot River Trails (PRT) and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (KWW). We booked two tent sites at Katahdin Shadows Campground in Medway. We got there early enough to go on to the Penobscot River Trails for our afternoon bike ride. The PRT trails are a fine granite surface, very similar to Acadia’s carriage roads. The hilly trail goes along the Penobscot River and makes a loop with a straighter, flatter tote road with several connectors. At around mile 4 and mile 8 are two beautiful lodges (warming huts in winter) with views of Mount Katahdin. These are a perfect place for lunch and a rest, but bring your own water, because there is none provided. Check out this great park started so that kids could learn about the outdoors, https://penobscotrivertrails.org/

The next day we drove up to the Abol Bridge on the Golden Road, and hiked to the ice caves nearby. We checked out the New England Outdoor Center and had a lovely dinner there.

On Sunday, we traveled past the PRT and on to Katahdin Woods and Water, intending to bike the 17 mile loop. Even though we had mountain bikes, the road was too gravely, with steep hills such that we didn’t even want to go down them. So we drove the 17 miles and enjoyed the views and scenic lookouts.

The campground was definitely an RV park, with tons of kids and grownups having a good time. Fortunately, the tent sites were on the other side of the hill, and we really didn’t hear any noise from those folks but it was fun seeing the kids run around when we went to the bath house (free showers). Plus we were just about the only folks there in the tenting area. (Also, we checked out the other campground on Rt 11 and the tent sites were not so good, and the price was twice as much.)

Overall, a very satisfying experience.

Maine Huts & Trails - October 15-17

MOAC will once again be commandeering a Maine Huts & Trails Eco Lodge this fall.

We have reserved Flagstaff Hut for the weekend of October 15-17. This will resume a multi-year tradition only broken by COVID in 2020.

The WHERE - Flagstaff Hut is one of four lodges in the MH&T's system. It is on the east shore of Flagstaff Lake. See map below.

The WHO - Open to all vaccinated MOAC members.

The COST - While this year's cost is still uncertain, in 2019, it was $50 per person for the weekend.

The SKINNY - What's a weekend at MH&Ts? An off-the-grid experience (hut has electricity, heat if needed, full commercial kitchen, hot water, showers, and composting toilets) to do whatever you wish. Hike? Bike? Paddle? Read a book and drink wine? Play Boggle? Stare into a campfire?

What do you need to bring? Sleeping stuff (twin-sized bunk beds), clothes, toiletries. Details are still in flux but traditionally, you bring your own food for Friday evening, Saturday morning and Saturday noon. You DO NOT need to bring things to cook or eat with. You will have access to the kitchen. For Saturday evening, you will be asked to contribute specific ingredients for a group meal. 2019 was a taco bar/salad bar.

For some reason, Happy Hours seem to materialize each evening. It's weird.

Part of the cost for the weekend includes a traditional MOAC pancake breakfast Sunday morning.

This trip will not be posted to the calendar until later this summer and official signups won't be accepted till then. It is a big commitment, however, as Flagstaff has a capacity of 48 so we want to get the word out and people thinking about it.

Want to learn more about Flagstaff Hut and Maine Huts & Trails? Click HERE. The parking lot is two miles from the hut and you can "backpack" in for the experience. But, as in other years we've done at Grand Falls Hut, you can drive the access road to a gate and unload there. You will need to move your vehicle back to the lot, but it greatly shortens the distance of hauling your gear. We've provided carts at the gate in the past to aid in this process. It's been a while since we've been to this hut so we need to verify the distance from the gate to the hut. It's a pretty flat walk.

If you have any questions about this awesome weekend, please click HERE to ask.

Thanks!

Tammy and Peter Mullen

A Newsletter Plea!!

This newsletter is for you, and by definition BY you. After all, YOU are MOAC. Without MOAC, there would be no newsletter. We can always use:

Pictures
News
Letters to the Editor
Trip Stories
Poetry
Celebrate friends' milestones (birthdays, achievements, celebrations, condolences)

Email the editor to submit. By the end of the meeting week to ensure enough time to process.

Thank you!

Welcome New Members

779 Members

Susan Bragg

Gabriel Brzozowski

Dan Cahalane

Jennifer Desjardins

Michael Duff

Aliza Edwards

Lynne Fort

Jeremy Hirschhorn

Fran Jensen

Nancy Kaake

Heather Keast

Rachel Klein

Rota Knott

Brett Kuhnert

Denis Lachman

Theresa Lee

Kathleen McInerney

Jean McManamy

Heidi Miller

Cynthia Millsap

Ken Murphy

Amanda Rapier

Grant Reid

Jeanne Rogers

Kristiina Roy

Brenda Sosa

Amy Spenciner

Anna Włodarczyk

Caroline Waters

Clarisa Woodruff

Understanding Your MOAC Account

Joining MOAC opens doors to new people and new experiences. The cornerstone of the club’s operation, aside from the people that make it up, is the website. If you join MOAC as an individual, you create an account for yourself. If you join as a family membership, each person in your household gets an account.

Questions/issues regarding your membership can be directed to: membership@moac.org.

The tips below, and how to manage them can be found in the Member Tutorials on the website. Click on “For Members Only” to see the options available to you there. The first item on that list are tutorials.

When you join MOAC, you are automatically subscribed to all categories on the calendar. There are different categories for different activities (hiking, paddling, etc) and this gives you the power to control what notifications you wish to receive. You can remove yourself from any category you don’t have interest in.
Conversely, when you join, you are NOT subscribed to any Forum categories. They are the same as the calendar categories. The Forums are a place for conversations and again, you can control which categories you will get notifications for. The Forums are also found in the “For Members Only” section of the website.
Your profile is the key to your identity on the website. Please check out the information there to insure accuracy as well as add things that you want fellow club members to know about you. Click on “View Profile” in the upper right-hand corner of the website.
Posting trips - Anyone can post a trip at anytime. You don’t need to be a member for a certain length of time. It is the lifeblood of the organization. Unsure? Check out the trip posting tips in the “Library” (under “For Members Only”). Look at other trips to see how they are worded, etc. Please reach out to board@moac.org with questions or concerns regarding posting trips. You can start the process by clicking the “Create Event” button at the top of the Calendar page.
Our Calendar has room for three events per day to be visible when you visit the page. If there are more than three events, it will say “MORE”. Be sure to click there to see all offerings for the day or if you don’t see something you expect to. This is happening more and more as we get more active. And with most of what we do weather dependent, trips are often scheduled last-minute. Check often so you don’t miss out!
After posting something to the calendar you might find you need to make changes. When you do, PLEASE consider whether everyone needs to get an email announcing the change. Is it a minor change? If so, please uncheck the "EMAIL SUBSCRIBED MEMBERS" box.

Thank You Trip Leaders

The Club extends its thanks and gratitude to the following MOACers for leading trips since the last newsletter. MOAC has always been driven by its members. Will you please consider leading a trip?

We had 26 trips posted in June, , 9 hiking/walking, 9 paddles, 4 biking, 2 sailing,

1 trail work, 1 camping

Anne Geisler - 4

Judith Gervais - 4

Dan Kidd - 3

Bill Briggs - 2

Gerry Dworkin - 2

Bonnie Farrand - 2

Betsy Hanscom - 2

Marty Williams - 2

Helen Hemminger

Marc Hills

John Shipman

Dana Thurston

Elaine Vadeboncoeur

Dr Phil has offered information on two topics. Please click the links below or you can find them in the Library in the "For Members Only" section.

KNEE

NECK

MOAC Library and Archive Pages

Keep checking these two pages in the "For Members Only" section of our website.

LIBRARY - For stuff we can use now. Newest edition is a slide show on leading trips put together by Anne Geisler and Dan Kidd. Plus the tips from Dr. Phil.

ARCHIVES - A place for our rich history. Check out the videos and several years of old newsletters that are available there.

Help Wanted

MOAC has a need. Do you have an urge to help?

The club has a need for someone to work on marketing the club to businesses and interests that are beneficial to both us and them.

Look for, confirm, and keep updated the list of discounts and perks we get as members
Look for new opportunities for that list
Combine it possibly with advertising in the newsletter
Or bringing MOAC into their space

Please email the Board if you are interested or have questions. The club only works when its members make it work.

A Request From The Board

While maybe it was understood, the board realized it had never been spelled out:

If you learn you are positive with COVID-19 and had been on a recent MOAC trip, possibly exposing fellow MOACers, PLEASE e-mail the board with this information. Thank you.

Per the CDC, a close contact is:

Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.

Food For Thought

Perfect Grilled

Corn on the Cob

Ingredients:

Grilled corn is so easy: you only need two ingredients! And then of course, the sauce of your choice (see below). Here’s all you need for the best grilled corn on the cob:

Corn on the cob: ripe and in season! There’s nothing worse than bland, tasteless corn. Only make this when corn is juicy and seasonal.

Oil: Using a neutral oil like grapeseed, vegetable or sunflower is nice to keep the flavor palate neutral, but you can also use olive oil.

How to grill corn (basic steps)

The best way to cook grilled corn on the cob is right on the grill grates: without the husk! That’s right: no foil, no husk: just bare corn kernels. It makes the best char marks and comes out tender and crispy. Here’s how long to grill corn (or jump right to the recipe):

Preheat the grill to medium high: that’s 375 to 450 degrees.
Husk the corn or tie back the leaves to make a handle (see below).
Grill the cobs directly on the oven grates for 12 to 15 minutes, turning until blackened on all sides.

Tie back the husk to form a handle!

For our grilled corn on the cob, we take it even a step further than most recipes. Instead of pulling off the husk, tie it back to form a makeshift handle for eating it! This makes the messy job of eating corn on the cob a breeze. You don’t have to do the tie-off method: you can also simply husk the corn. But it’s a fun feature when you have the time! Here are a few tips for this method:

Be patient! This method takes a little longer, but it’s worth it. It takes about 15 minutes for 8 cobs of corn.
Start with the outer-most leaf. Pull down the outer-most leaf first. Then keep pulling down one leaf at a time, gradually working your way around the corn.
Cracks are ok. You may notice some leaves crack when you pull them back: that’s completely ok! Just keep pulling the remaining leaves — it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Sauces for grilled corn!

Here’s the fun part: what to slather onto your grilled corn on the cob! Of course, you may have your own ideas. But here are some of ours:

Butter and salt: The classic melted butter and salt is always transcendental.
Butter and Parmesan: Slather with butter, then add shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh herbs like basil, thyme or oregano.
Elote (Mexican grilled corn): One of our favorite ways to serve corn is as elote or Mexican street corn. The creamy, spiced sauce with cheese crumbles, lime and cilantro is out of this world.
Chili lime mayo: Or, go a little simpler with this chili lime mayo.
Yum Yum sauce: This sauce is just like it sounds: over the top yum.

From "a couple cooks"

Advertise in the Newsletter

Do you own a small business? Work for one? Have a side hustle? Do you have a garage/attic/basement full of gear to thin out? Do you want to get the word out about it? If so, advertise in the newsletter!

Your message will be in the inbox of the MOAC faithful every month. click HERE for more information or contact Maryann McLaughlin.

Flashback!

This entry is from June, 1996

Rock and Roll

By: JOHN GALLAGHER

The dire warnings of the National Weather Service did little to dissuade us from our appointed fun; we were going paddling! Two Pauls, and two Johns stood on the Steep Falls bridge and scouted the river with binoculars. “It’s definitely runnable on the far right so long as we can avoid that river-wide hydraulic; yeh, it’s doable.” The high (flood-stage) water had changed the usual 7-foot drop over a ledge into a 1-2 foot drop with a very long recirculating wave.

The rapids below the ledge displayed a large, pulsating wave in mid-stream that had “boat eater” written all over it.

Checking the down-stream side of the bridge only made the upper section look friendlier. We were pretty sure that we could slide past the large diagonal waves if we put the boats in just the right spot. It was very interesting to note that we would only have about a 12-inch margin of error to avoid being funneled into 5-6 foot haystacks. Yes, optimism is a wonderful thing.

Gratefully we did not start our trip at the bridge; we drove to Keazer Falls for a trip down the Ossipee River. After putting n below a small dam, we were treated to a small river with very good current and attractive shores. The rapids were straight-forward with some good sized waves. We travelled for about 90 minutes without seeing another soul. After rounding a bend, we eased out way into the Saco. The trip down to Steep Falls was uneventful. We luxuriated in the warm sun and enjoyed the unusual companion of a stiff tailwind. When we reached the moment of truth (“to run or not to run the ledge, that is the question…”) we opted to live rather than be bold. The ledge was portaged and the bridge rapids were left for another day. It was a great start to another season of paddling in Maine.

Thanks guys.

Americana Panorama

By: N. M. BOEDECKER

Mosquito is out,

it's the end of the day;

she's humming and hunting

her evening away.

Who knows why such hunger

arrives on such wings

at sundown? I guess

it's the nature of things.

Source: https://gardendigest.com/monjul.htm

For Time At The Campfire

Treasure Island. By Robert Louis Stevenson; CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014, 122 pages. ISBN-13: ‎978-1505297409. Price $6.45 (paperback)

Into The Wild. By Jon Krakauer. Anchor Books; 1st edition, 1997, 240 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0385486804

. Price $11.33 (paperback)

A Walk in the Woods. By Bill Bryson. Broadway; 1st edition, 1999, 304 pages. ASIN: B00D516PW8

. Price $12.76 (paperback)

Remember the Leave No Trace Principles

Plan ahead and prepare.
Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
Dispose of waste properly.
Leave what you find.
Minimize campfire impacts (be careful with fire).
Respect wildlife.
Be considerate of other visitors.

Cape Rosier

Brooksville, Maine

Wildcat Ridge

Pinkham Notch, NH

Member Benefits and Discounts

Your annual dues do much more than just plug you into the greatest group of people Maine has to offer. Please check out the links below to see what else your membership does. The Board is always looking for new discounts and opportunities for members as well as to make sure the list is accurate. Please let the Board know if you find an error or want to suggest a possible addition.

Please login to MOAC first.

Click here for ongoing events.

Click here for discounts.