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September President's Letter

23 Aug 2022 9:32 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

We’ve had three great events this month, all around or in the water.  First was the lake party at the Blue Springs Hunting Club, organized by Jinksie Harris, Bobbi Witt, and Hilda Jones.  Personally, the highlight of the afternoon was the presentation by the people from Flintstone, Georgia’s 501(c) nonprofit organization “Warrior Freedom Service Dogs," and one local veteran who received a service dog from them. Thanks to your generosity, they left with over $1100 to continue their work helping our veterans who have served us.

Next was the Hiwassee River float trip, organized by Barb Wise.  We had a great day to drift down the river as the flows from Apalachia Dam were much higher than normal, so we didn’t have any trouble getting stuck on rocks or going over the rapids.  We were led down the river by Janet Brooks and Paul Shoun was our sweeper making sure we didn’t lose anyone.  After our time on the water, we retired to Firewater Grill, just across the river from Webb’s store, for dinner and to only slightly exaggerate our exploits on the river.

Last, we had a fun time at our annual SUP/kayak party at the Harbor Heights subdivision Clubhouse on Chickamauga Lake, organized by Jan Wyant. The crowd was a little smaller than previous years, but it was a quality group. We even had one person doing handstands on their SUP (in case you are wondering, it wasn’t me). 

The next time you see Jinksie, Bobbi, Hilda, Barb, and/or Jan be sure to thank them for their hard work and time spent in making these fun activities available to our membership. 

We still have activities to enjoy.  I hope to see everyone at the Membership meeting on Tuesday September 6, at Hilda & Willis’ Flat Duck Farm.

We have a group going to Bardstown, KY over the September 9-11 weekend to cover part of the Bourbon Trail.  As of now, the trip is full, but sometimes there are last minute cancellations, so let Barb Wise know if you’d like to be on the waiting list.

Last, on September 28th from 1 to 4pm we will again be volunteering at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank (2009 Curtain Pole Road, between Amnicola Hwy and the Tennessee River).  We will be doing some light work (like sorting items donated by local groceries/restaurants or packing food boxes).  This group activity is an easy and fun way to give back to our community.  Afterwards, we (whether you were able to volunteer or not) will go to a local eatery for a get-together. Be looking for an announcement about where we will be going.

With Labor Day, and the unofficial start of fall, just around the corner, I start thinking of cooler weather and our winter ski trips.  Our third ski trip this winter will be to Telluride, Colorado, one of our club’s favorite destinations.  This is obvious as this trip is almost sold out.  The last I heard there were only a few slots left.  If you haven’t signed up for this trip, you really need to move fast.  There are two areas to stay when skiing in Telluride, the historic town of Telluride, and the newer Mountain Village.  While staying in town is nice, the ski runs down to the town are mostly black (with a blue cat track that crisscrosses the mountain down into town).  Because of this our club normally stays in the other location, the Mountain Village, which is a home rule municipality with a mayor, town council and about 1,300 residents.  While it is small, it does have a grocery store, food, beverage, and retail shops.  All levels of terrain (green, blue, and black) are accessible from the Village.  But what makes staying in the Village really nice is the FREE gondola that connects the Mountain Village to the historic town of Telluride.  The gondola, which has been running since December of 1996, is the only public transportation system of its kind in North America.  It takes 13 minutes to go up and over the 10,540 foot peak between the two towns and there are incredible views during the ride, during the day and at night.  Going into town for dinner, shopping, or sightseeing is enjoyable and easy as the gondola runs from 6:30 am to midnight.

Besides the great downhill skiing, you can also go cross-country skiing, ice skating, dog sledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, and ice climbing,

Telluride Trivia: 

1)  Telluride wasn’t always called Telluride.  When the town was established in 1878, it was called Columbia.  But another town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California had been using that name for 20 years, so in 1887, after nine years of the post office losing their mail, the town renamed itself Telluride.

2)  Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank in Telluride on June 24, 1889, taking between $21,000 and $24,000 (depending on who is telling the story, either way that was a huge amount of money back then).  The building still stands at 129 W. Colorado Avenue, and is now a shop that you can visit.

3)  Last, for my fellow nerds, the world’s first long-distance transmission of alternating current electricity was achieved in Telluride two years later in 1891.  It was done using a Westinghouse generator and a motor custom-made by Nikola Tesla, to transmit AC electricity to the Gold King mine.  Telluride was also the first city in the world to have an electric streetlight.

Immediately after the lake party, we were going to place our ski trips on the Crescent Ski Council’s website to help fill-out our trips (and we already have some people from other clubs join us and sign up for our trips).  However, Crescent is having problems with their website, so our trips aren’t shown on there yet, but it could be any time.  We expect that there will be members of other clubs that will want to go with us (after all, we are the best club in the Council) so if you want to guarantee a spot on one of our trips this coming winter, you need to sign up right away.

  • Whistler BC              January 21-28, 2023                  Trip Leader Roy Brunner
  • Telluride CO             February 4-11, 2023                  Trip Leader Beverly Cleek
  • Park City UT             February 25-March 4, 2023      Trip Leader Scott Kramer
  • Kitzbühel/Scotland  March 16-30, 2023                    Trip Leader Jim Mullenix

We have several new/returning members to report: Ernest Braasch, Lorraine Burnam, Heather & David Cole, Justin Crawford, Paul Davis, Collin Hamrick, Dee & Gary Harwell, Kim & Robert Hood, Elaine Kiger, Carolyn Newsome, Benjamin Nelson, David Pavel, Jean & William Smith, and Mary & William Summer.  Let’s all welcome them to our club.

Stay safe everyone,

Bob

Event Listing   

Nightfall 2022 Promotion & Social @ Miller Park – August 26, 2022   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4914893

September Membership Meeting @ Flat Duck Event Venue (7742 Three Notch Rd., Ringgold, GA 30736) – September 6, 2022      https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4940041

Bourbon Trail @ Bardstown, KY – September 9-11, 2022 https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3753468 

October Membership Meeting @ TBD – October 4, 2022

Len Foote Hike – October 21-22, 2022    https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-3235020

Crescent Ski Council Fall Convention @ Gatlinburg, Glenstone Lodge – October 28-30, 2022  

November Membership Meeting @ TBD – November 1, 2022

Crescent Ski Council Race & Learn to Ski/Ride Camp @ Steamboat – December 3-10, 2022

Christmas Party (& December Membership meeting) @ TBD – TBD

Whistler/Blackcomb Ski Trip – January 21-28, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813143

Telluride Ski Trip – February 4-11, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813162

Park City Ski Trip – February 25 – March 4, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4813189

Kitzbühel / Scotland Ski / Touring Trip – March 16-30, 2023   https://chattanoogaskiclub.org/event-4818156

Crescent Ski Council Spring Convention @ Myrtle Beach – April 21-23, 2023  

Virginia Creeper Bike Ride – TBD 2023