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Ready to roll!
What a great day we had for our fall foliage bike rides! The foliage was actually a disappointment this year, but the weather more than made up for it. It was 70 degrees with a lovely breeze all day long.
For the pot luck, we didn’t even need the shade canopies! There were twenty-two of us, ten for the 20-mile ride, twelve for the 10+- mile ride. We even had a three-wheeler bike on the trip. Half of the 10-mile group took a slight detour which gave them more like a 15-mile ride. This meant that for the first time ever the 20-milers got back for the pot luck first!
We had a delightful time socializing in the back yard, catching up with members we haven’t seen in a while, and comparing notes as to which ski trips many of us will be doing this winter as well as bike rides to be scheduled for next year. We really are making a come-back after the past two years with COVID! Hip hip hooray for the amazing Gang.
Mary W
The Three-Wheeler !
Marco A, Ines A, Ross T, Paul M, Linda M, Jim F, Wendy R, David R, Lisa F, Deb G, Bob G, Marie H
After having to postpone the tour last season we were finally able to go this year and according to everyone it was worth the wait!
After meeting with our guides, Trish and Jeff, on Sunday morning we were off on the first ride of the week. We rode to the home of Patrick Henry, famous for his revolutionary war speech” Give me Liberty or give me Death”. It was the hilliest ride of the week and extremely hot, a number of us decided after 20 plus miles to jump on the shuttle.
The next day we headed off on the Virginia Capital trail to ride into the Jamestown Settlement. After lunch we toured Historic Jamestown, the actual site where it all began. We were given a tour by the Historian for the archaeological dig. It was fascinating to hear what they have found.
The following morning we headed to catch the ferry to cross the James River to bike in Surry and visit Bacon’s Castle. After lunch in Surry we headed back to the ferry, it was a unique feeling to ride your bike onto the ferry! That evening we shuttled into Williamsburg where we would spend the next three nights.
On Wednesday we had a choice to either spend the day touring Colonial Williamsburg or do a short ride. Most chose Williamsburg! After spending the day visiting many of the buildings, such as the Governors Mansion, Court houses and chatting with the folks who reenacted life in Colonial Williamsburg, most went on the Haunted tour of Williamsburg where we were told stories of ghost sightings.
In the morning we headed down the Colonial Parkway to Yorktown. Riding through the Battlefield to the location where the British surrender to Washington ending the revolutionary war, was inspiring. We also did a short ride into Yorktown where you can still see cannonballs embedded in one of the houses.
Finally, Friday we returned to the Virginia Capitol Bike path and our ride back north to Richmond. All in all everyone said they had a fabulous time.
Linda and Paul McH
From left to right: (red paddle: Kathy W), Barbara B, Anne W, Dan Y, Ann Marie S, Karen L, Ann Marie D, Robert R, Dennis D’A, Mary McG, Cathy P, Nancy Q, Paul W, Ellen W, Meredith P
Wow! 16 Gang members met at Foote Brothers Canoe and Kayak Rental in Ipswich on a cool, cloudy day for the TOHG paddle finale, and what a great day it turned out to be! The sun never came out, but there was plenty of sunshine on our faces. It was an easy, peaceful, 1-hour paddle to what we thought was the end of the river where we came across a barricade of fallen trees and debris. We were about to turn around when Dan, Robert, and Meredith adventured through a small opening to the other side for a brief peek. Didn’t take long for them to return, (I guess it was “spooky” back there), so we turned around and floated downstream to the landing to pack up and head to the Clam Box for a delicious lunch where long time members, Sue Rogers and Dick and Millie Clark, met us for lunch and camaraderie.
A perfect ending for a perfect season. We are planning a great season for next year—so far we have commitments for 8 kayak trips: 2 in the south, 2 north, 2 west, 2 central. If you think you’d like to join us, be sure to update your profile to include Kayaking as one of your interests. See you in the spring!
Pat G
Meredith P, Marco A, Ann Marie S, Pat G, Mary McG, Karen L, Joel S, Nancy B, Ines A, Cathleen R, Joe McG, Maureen D, Elaine M
Thirteen members of the gang finished off the Cape Weekend with a 2 mile walk along the marshes, dunes and ocean. Despite predictions of rain, the skies cleared and temps were in the mid 70s with a breeze making for a very enjoyable walk. The group started into the marsh area where we encountered a state conservation officer and a scientist who were collecting diamondback terrapin eggs that were hatching to protect them from predators until they were little older; and would then be released back into the marsh. After we all got a chance to ask questions, and take a few pictures of a few of the babies that had hatched we continued on. Joel pointed out a few beach plums along the side of the trail. We managed to gather enough so everyone could have a taste. The dunes were beautiful and we ended up on the beach. Marco found a rock that looked like it was smiling and when we were done we had created “Sandy Hill”, our new mascot. At one point Pat Giarrusso exclaimed “this is the highlight of The Weekend ”. A quick stop for a few of us at the Shipwreck ice cream stand in Sandwich where we decided it was a perfect ending.
Organized by Karen L, with Paul and Kathleen W, Mary McG, Jerry G, Pat G, Marina K, Maureen D, Barbara B, and Anne W.
It all started with golf. When Karen heard people talking about a golf excursion while at lunch following a Mystery trip, she decided she would have to find something else to do. She mentioned to Ines that she’d rent a kayak when everyone was golfing. Little did she know that she was now the leader of a kayak excursion during the Cape Cod Weekend. Lesson 1 – Be careful what you say around Ines; she will haul you in. Lesson 2 – Leading the kayak trip was fun so it was great that Karen was glad she got hauled in. Lesson 3 – She’d do it again.
We had 10 people on the trip, managed to avoid a torrential downfall, and captured the tide on our 2-hour trip through the marsh, out to the ocean, and back to the dock. The outfitter’s knowledge of the tides meant we travelled with the current all the way. It may have been the least strenuous paddle ever.
Our leader Karen found this outfitter, Cape Cod Waterways, for us. He was efficient, knowledgeable, and friendly. A good pick. And we all agreed we would recommend them to anyone else who wants to kayak on the Cape. On our way to the ocean, we checked out families of ducks, many mussel and clams, and a very strange crab, no longer than an inch with a yellow streak down its claw which it held over head as it scurried rapidly sideways away and then into the mud. When we reached the ocean we pull up at a sandy beach with the help of the boy scouts. Next year, if the tides are reversed, we can go in the other direction and explore Swan Pond.
Submitted by Karen L and Anne W
Dori C, David R, Jan G, Carol B & Jane P
An overcast sky greeted our group as we met at Garden in the Woods in Framingham. We joined a garden club group for a guided tour with a very knowledgeable volunteer who has been doing these tours for many years. We learned the history of the Garden area and how native plants can be used in home gardens and yards. Various flowering plants were identified along with an explanation of the type of soil in which they grow.
We saw a number of turtles on logs in the vernal pool including a tiny baby turtle. A sense of playfulness was exhibited in the play area with sculptures and butterfly paintings.
Although the sky remained gray, it was an interesting and informative walk through the gardens and woods followed by some of the group having lunch at a local restaurant.
Submitted Jan G
Marco A, Elsie L, Chuck H, Maggi and Joe C, Ines A, Joan S. Missing on the photo Sue H.
Seven members of the HUB Mystery Group met in Arlington for an informative tour of the Cyrus Dallin Museum, followed by lunch nearby with an enjoyable, wide-ranging conversation. Attendees were: Nancy B, Ruth G, Barbara H, Cathleen R, Jan U, Merle W, Merle's guest Scott M from Cincinnati, father of her granddaughter's betrothed, and new member Jeanine YM.
Cyrus Dallin was an interesting American sculptor, originally from Utah. He lived in Arlington from 1900 until his death in 1944. He studied sculpture in Boston and Paris, and was a member of the faculty of the Massachusetts College of Art. He is especially well known for his work, "Appeal to the Great Spirit," installed in 1912 in front of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts on Huntington Avenue.
Submitted by Ruth G
The storms held off and 38 Gang members were able to sail out of Portsmouth Harbor on a recreation of a traditional coastal New England work-boat, called a gundalow. There was enough breeze to fill the sails and we could enjoy the peace and quiet and perhaps put ourselves back imaginatively to earlier days. This was helped by an interesting talk about the development of the gundalow in colonial times, and how it became like a minivan for farms, families, and businesses along the Gulf of Maine.
Submitted by Susan L
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