Attention! GO Has A New Logo!

The Oasis
VOLUME 18 ISSUE 2
www.greatoutdoors.org/ps
Palm Springs, California
February, 2014
Attention! GO has a new Logo! Details Click Here
GO’s The Outdoors Experience, Phase 1
Saturday, March 8—Sunday, March 9: Details Click Here.
Gary’s Monthly Message
Thanks to all who attended our general membership meeting last month to hear our
guest speaker. We learned an amazing amount of information on archaeology here in our
local desert.
We have a wonderful guest speaker from the Wildlands Conservancy lined up for our
General Membership meeting this month. Please join us.
I am pleased to announce our new Core Group Member-At-Large, Scott Connelly. Scott
has been responsible for coordinating many outdoor activities and hikes as well as booking our guest speakers. He has a wealth of knowledge of the desert and is constantly
searching for new discoveries to share with our members.
Thank you Scott!!!
Our Game Nights continue to be a success with 26 members in attendance last month. We enjoyed a potluck, social time and
a variety of card and board games. Thank you to our host Randy, for welcoming us into his beautiful home. Please join us for
another Game Night this month at Ed and Pete’s home.
The voting results are in and our new logo has been approved by you, our members. There were a total of 104 votes cast with
72% who voted in favor of the new design. Thanks to George Frank for working with his graphic artist on the new logo and
thanks to all of you who participated in voting.
Please join us around the camp fire on February 28th through March 2nd. Byron and Rich have organized an exciting adventure
to Calico Ghost Town and surrounding area.
Be sure to check out your GOPS calendar for all of our events and activities planned for the coming year.
I look forward to seeing you all soon.
Gary G McGrath
President, GOPS
Great Outdoors Palm Springs Presents:
Beautiful Sedona
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
See STUNNING Pictures on Page 7!
April 30-May 5, 2014 (5 nights)
February Outings, Parties and Meetings. Don’t forget Valentines Day!
Sunday, February 2: 4th Super Bowl Party. Hosts Dan and Steve. Details: Click Here.
Thursday, February 6: Garret’s Arch Hike. Led by Scott Connelly, Click here
Saturday, February 8th: GOPS Tachevah Falls via the North Lykken Trail. Led by David
Stewart. Click here for details in our Calendar.
Monday, February 10: GOPS South End of the North Lykken Trail. Led by Bruce
Maughan. Click here for details in our Calendar.
Tues, Feb. 11: GOPS Ladder Canyons in Mecca. Led by Dave S. Click here for details in
Calendar.
Friday, February 15: GOPS First & Silt Canyon Mecca Hills. Led by Sherwood Covill.
Click Here for details.
Friday-Sunday, Feb. 14-16: GOLA, Palm Springs Weekend. Led by Menard Jaramillo. Saturday, February 15, GOLA will be hiking Andreas and Murray Canyons. GOPS is invited.
Friday—Mon, Feb. 14-17: SBVC Yosemite Curry Village. Led by Kyle, Gordon & Gary.
Wednesday, February 19: Core Group Meeting 6:30pm—7:30pm. General Membership.
8:00pm-9:00pm. Guest Speaker: Caroline Conway it the Education Director of the
Wildlands Conservancy. She will present a slide program on the protection of wildlife
corridors and how residents can protect wildlife.
Thursday, February 20: Hayfield Canyon Hike. Led by Scotty Connelly. Click here
Friday-Sunday, February 21-23: GOLA, Big Bear Cabin (Cabin Stay). Led by Glen Levine.
Game Night, February 21, 6:00 to 9:00PM: GOPS. Hosts: Ed and Peter. Click here.
Friday—Sunday, February 28-March 2: GOPS Calico Ghost Town, Yermo, CA, Led by
Bryon and Ritch. Click Here for registration and Information or Click Here to page 5.
Looking Ahead—If you want to go, sign up now!
April 30 to May 5: Dead Horse St. Pk. 4x4/Hiking. Sedona AZ. Led by Scott, p. 2 & p. 7.
June 7 and 8th: George Frank’s very popular Silver Lariat Train Trip. Click for details!
August 25 to Sept. 1st: Burning Man. You must register this month! Details Click here.
Notice: For details of this month’s club activities, you’ll need to click on our online calendar
page. If you have a free gmail or Google plus account – and you are signed in – the event description will display a “more details” link at the bottom which will enable direct URLs or hyperlinks for you to any listed Trip Notes, email addresses and photo links. Many of our events
meet at Hunter’s in Palm Springs. Click Here for directions to Hunters.
Game night is one of GOPS most popular
activities. George reports that many members have volunteered their home for 2014!
Thank you! If you want to volunteer, please
contact George. He needs hosts for August,
September, November and December.
George’s email: gamenightcoordinator
[email protected]
Our Club Needs a Publicity and Outreach Coordinator
Great Outdoors relies on members to staff various volunteer positions
(that means no salary) on our “board” which is known as the Core Group
within Great Outdoors circles. The elected and appointed people on the
Core Group manage the day-to-day activities of our Club.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the President at
[email protected].
For a list of duties for this position: Click Here.
232 GOPS Members Strong
The largest GO Chapter!
Please welcome Ricardo
Payton, Rick Deutsch, Guy
Krantz, Robert Heeman, Claude
Berry and Dennis Ramberg.
New Members Keep Coming!
Day trip to West Hollywood
Saturday January 25, 2014
Trip Report ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives and MOCA Special Exhibit.
by Keith Flood
Many thanks to Scott Connelly for heading up a faaab-u-lous day trip into LA on January
25th. First stop was the ONE LGBT archive, the largest gay/lesbian collection of archived
items in the world, located on West Adams Boulevard. The archive is now part of the USC library collection and is growing by leaps and bounds. We were given a private tour of the various collections and in-house art exhibits, followed by a discussion of the collection, the archiving process and some fun stories from behind the scenes.
West Hollywood
The next stops on the tour included the exhibits at ONE’s museum on Robertson Blvd., featuring the male physique in film, print, and magazine, as well as the Bob Mizer and Tom of
Finland exhibits at MOCA in the Design Center. It was also great to have some time to enjoy
the restaurants, bars and shirtless joggers along Santa Monica Boulevard. If you have materials like books, artwork or anything you think is significant to include in the archive, contact
Michael Oliveira at 213-741-0094. They are also looking for volunteers to help process incoming donations. Click here for additional photos.
California Great Outdoors Palm Springs/
Coachella Valley
Calico Ghost Town 2014
Camp/RV/4 Wheel
February 28 – March 2, 2014
Contact: Byron: [email protected] or 760-459-0142
Camp in an Old West silver mining town dating back to 1881! Calico Ghost Town is a restored old West mining town established
during the height of the silver mining period in California. With its 500 mines, Calico produced over $20 million in silver ore over a
12-year span. When silver lost its value in the mid-1890's, Calico lost its population. The miners packed up, loaded their mules and
abandoned the town that once gave them a good living. It became a "ghost town." Walter Knott (of Knott’s Berry Farm) purchased
Calico in the 1950's and restored all but five original buildings to look as they did in the 1880's. Calico is designated State Historical
Landmark #782 and is now part of the San Bernardino County Regional Parks. The park offers visitors an opportunity to share in its
rich history and enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding desert environment. Along with interesting historical exhibits, Calico
Ghost Town has shops, restaurants, a walk into an abandoned mine and a ride on a restored mining train. The surrounding area has
many 4-wheel and OHV roads and hiking trails.
CAMPGROUND INFORMATION
We will be camping within the park area, within walking distance of the ghost town attractions. We will have a large tent area at the
end of a loop, three adjacent RV spaces with full hookups, and four spaces without hookups. Overflow parking is nearby. Maximum
RV length is 41 feet for all sites. Water and dump stations are available for RVs without hookups. There are hot showers and flush
toilets nearby. There are heated cabins available nearby, if you don’t fancy tenting (reserve at www.sbcountyparks.com ) .
HIKING
Just north of Barstow, the Rainbow Basin Natural Area features multi-colored rock formations and is notable for the fossil beds,
which have provided scientists with valuable information about life during the middle Miocene epoch, between 12 and 16 million
years ago; to the northeast is the Calico Early Man Site. We will be hiking in nearby Owl Canyon, which features rugged rock formations and a slot canyon. The last three miles road to the area is a washboard dirt road, passable by passenger car, but 4 wheel
drive vehicles preferred.
WHAT TO BRING
You’ll need to bring shelter (tent, van or RV), 2 bundles firewood per vehicle, sleeping gear (sleeping bag & pad), food, cooking
gear (gas stove, etc), flashlight, rain gear, warm clothes, and the 10 essentials listed at www.greatoutdoorsla.org/essen.html . Bring a
dish for the Saturday night potluck to feed 4 people. Night temperatures are expected to be in the 40s, with day temps in the high
60s.
DIRECTIONS
Calico is located near Yermo, CA, about 12 miles
east of Barstow, and about 136 miles from Palm
Springs. Coordinates: 34.941533,-116.867047 .
Check-in times as listed below. Your camping fee
includes the $8.00 per vehicle admission fee at the
gate – give them my name and space number. If you
have an RV, the fee includes a towed vehicle. If you
have any problems at the gate, pay the fee and we
will resolve it later with the management. Click here
for a link to Google Maps and directions. More
information. itinerary and registration, click
here.
The Outdoors Experience Phase 1, March 8-9
(All Day Saturday and All Day Sunday)
The Outdoors Experience training that is held each year over two weekends is a
valuable resource for members to gain experience and confidence in outdoor activities and share that knowledge by leading hikes and trips for the club. Participants receive Hike Leader and Trip Leader certificates. Check out the Corporate
Calendar for the dates and consider attending which will be a rewarding and fun
experience for you. Click here for Phase 1 Registration. Or Click here for de-
tailed information from the GO Corporate Website on both Phase I and II.
HIKE REPORT: RAINBOW ROCKS CANYON
By Scott Connelly
Another sunny and warm day in January as we were greeted by big horn
sheep as 11 hikers began the hike at Whitewater Preserve. We hiked up
stream and into a rock walled canyon where Nob Creek drains into Mission Creek. The colorful rainbow rocks were spectacular as ever and
provided a nice resting spot. We continued on up as the canyon narrowed at the double waterfall. Returning along the same route we completed this 7 mile and 1000 elevation hike.
Additional photos click here
The Sedona trip is filling up!
Five Tent and 2 RV Spots Left with 33 Confirmations so far.
Act now and send in your registration to reserve your RV
or tent spot. This is going to be a premier trip and we are
fine-tuning it as we go.
Bill will be leading a wildflower hike up the river canyon.
Ronnie is leading a historical tour of nearby Forte Verde.
The Railroad trip looks like we will have plenty for the
group rate and this should be one of the highlights of the
trip. You don’t want to miss this trip.
Sign up now: Trip Notes Click Here
New GO Logo Adopted
Overwhelming Vote for Logo Change by Members
In case you hadn’t noticed on the first page of this newsletter,
we have a new logo. Two months ago the following was sent
to the membership (along with graphics depicting the old and
proposed logo, illustrated on the left): “The GO Corporate
Board wants to hear from you… Which logo do you prefer
for the GO Corporation? The current one or the proposed
one?”
The punchbowl.com poll started on 11/25/2013 and closed on
12/31/2013 with the following results:
TOTAL VOTES CAST: 104
VOTES FOR CURRENT LOGO: 30 (28.8%)
VOTES FOR PROPOSED NEW LOGO: 74 (71.2%)
Each GO chapter has the option of using either logo. For those members who want more detail, the votes (name details) are saved in a file for view, but not copy.
A Word About Punchbowl Invitations…
Our Chapter uses www.punchbowl.com for selected events where we need to get a head count
for limited seating events, meal choices, payments, etc. As a member of the Palm Springs Chapter, you are placed in our Chapter’s punchbowl.com address book. Electronic event invitations
are sent out via punchbowl.com. You should add punchbowl.com to your email’s “safe sender”
list (or whatever it might be called in your email software).
When the invitation is received, click on the envelope to open and view the event information. If
you do not want to attend, just click on the “No” option and you will no longer receive any updates or reminder notices.
If you are not receiving our invitations, check your JUNK and/or SPAM email folders as
the invitation may have landed in one of those folders.
GOPS 4th Annual Super Bowl PARTY
Dan and Steve
will host the annual classic. We have two large high-definition quality TV screens and
plenty of room to sit comfortably. Betting squares will be available with a winner after every quarter, plus a
bonus prize of our book at the end of the game for the final winner.
Please bring your own drink and a potluck dish to share. We will serve Kosher hotdogs grilled to order
with all of the fixings.
Date and Time: Sunday, Feb. 2 from 3:00 PM-end of game @ 7:00pm. Kickoff @ 3:30.
Address: 14 Kavenish Dr., Rancho Mirage CC
Directions from Palm Springs/Cat City: Traveling East on Ramon to Bob Hope. Turn Right at the Agua Caliente Casino, stay on
Hope until you cross Sinatra (4 miles). You will see Rancho Mirage CC on your left. On the next light after crossing Sinatra, turn
left on Kavenish Way to check in with guard house. After entering the complex, turn left on Kavenish Dr. and look for 14 Kavenish. Located on 7th house on the right with fire hydrant. Directions from Palm Desert: Off of 111, turn North on Bob Hope for 2
miles. Just past the Eisenhower hospital, turn R on Kavenish Way and drive to the guard house. Because
of the front
gate guard rules, RSVP at 760-202-3567 by Sunday, Feb 2 1:00 pm so we can inform the
guard house that you will be attending. One call per car, not per person.
2nd Annual Great Outdoors Train Adventure
All Aboard the Silver Lariat!
Only 48 seats available and will sell out quickly!
Hello everyone - It's time for the 2nd Annual Great Outdoors adventure aboard the Silver
Lariat, a private dining train car that will start in San Diego and travel along the coast to Santa
Barbara (and then back to San Diego all in one day). You may also join/depart in Los Ange-
les. This trip is planned for Saturday, June 7, 2013. This train trip will be aboard a
1948 Silver Lariat dome car that has been fully restored for private tours. The Silver Lariat was
built for the infamous California Zephyr train and operated from 1948 to 1981.
The cost of this adventure is $190 per person and there are only 48 seats available. The price of this trip will include all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) cooked onboard by our very own private chef. You will be served at your table, not some buffet line
or given a boxed meal. A hosted, full bar is also included in the ticket price!
Our private train car will depart San Diego around 9 am with a light breakfast served and
then arrive in Los Angeles (LA) around noon. Passengers may board either in San Diego or LA
(actually, they can board at any Amtrak station along the way). Our train will then depart LA
around 12:25 pm. Lunch will be served on the way to Santa Barbara arriving there around 3 pm.
You will have approximately 4 hours to wander and sightsee in the Santa Barbara
area. The train station is within walking distance of shops, the harbor and the beach. We will
reboard the train just before 7 pm in Santa Barbara and return to Los Angeles around 9:45 pm.
Dinner will be served between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. The train will then continue on to
San Diego, arriving around 1 am Sunday morning.
All the details for making reservation will be sent out in a Punchbowl electronic invitation
on the evening of February 5th, 2014 (approx. 6 PM). We expect this trip to sell out quickly, so
keep an eye open for your electronic invitation.
The dome car seats 24 people upstairs up in the dome area and 24 people below. The
first 24 who pay will ride upstairs in the dome going Northbound (for breakfast and lunch). The
remaining 24 will ride in the dome going Southbound (and have dinner along the way).
If you have any questions, please contact George Frank at 760-537-0154.
Meet the “Engineers”
Tony and George!
Photos from our 2013 trip can be viewed at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/korlapd.
First & Silt Canyon
Mecca Hills
February 15th 2014, Led by: Sherwood Covill
Meet: 8:30 AM February in front of Hunters on Arenas Rd.
Rated: Easy - 5 to 6 miles with Elevation gain 200 feet
Hiking Time: 3 hours more or less
This canyon, though seldom hiked, provides for a great insight to the magnificent canyon systems in Mecca
Hills. There are numerous side canyons leading off the main canyon and will take you into at least two of the
largest ones, especially, the Silt. Time permitting and enough interest you may have the opportunity to test
you size and skill at squeezing through one of the short and tight slots in the area. First Canyon is one of those
“where does this go” canyon, so join this hike to experience some of its possibilities.
There will be a short hike break for either a snack or lunch so bring whatever, plenty of water and wear appropriate hiking foot ware. Contact Sherwood at [email protected]
Garret’s Arch Hike
Thursday, February 6, 2014 Led by Scott Connelly
Garrett's Arch (Joshua Tree National Park); Moderate; 5 miles; 500 ft; Hike to
a hidden arch with some moderate off-trail rock scrambling. Entry Fee. Features and attractions: Wonderland of rocks, the astrodome, pictographs, petroglyphs, bedrock mortars, and artifacts from early pioneer inhabitants.
Meeting location 1: Hunters on Arenas at 9 am
Meeting location 2: Park Service Visitor Center parking lot, 6554 Park Blvd,
Joshua Tree, CA at 9:45 am
Bring lunch, adequate water and hiking boots.
Contact: Scott C. at [email protected]
Hayfield Canyon Hike
Thursday, February 20, 2014. Led by Scott Connelly
5 Miles, 500’ +/- elevation
Rated moderate hike in canyon wash. No trail. Return by 3 or 4 PM.
There is some boulder scrambling at the narrow end of the canyon up
to the spring.
Meet at 8 AM at PetsMart at Ramon/Crossley. Park in the area away
from retail stores just south of PetsMart. We will carpool 60 miles to
the trail head. Bring water (2-3 liters recommended), snacks, lunch,
and adequate hiking boots.
The Hayfield Petroglyphs are in the South Eagle Mountains, they are one of Joshua Tree National Park’s best
kept secrets along the southern mountain border of the park. There are several hundred petroglyphs stretching
out over the mile. Many of the designs are simple, and abstract; yet there are also anthropomorphic and zoomorphic designs. There are ancient rock shelters with rock mortars and pictographs. This is a lush canyon with
plenty of vegetation, expect to see wildflowers.
These are well preserved artifacts and no vandalism. Our visit will follow the “leave not trace” principals and
please no photography with geo tags revealing location coordinates.
Contact: Scott C. [email protected]
SALTON SEA New Year’s Eve TRIP REPORT
By Scott and John
Happy Campers and a Happy New year at the Salton Sea. We had
25 signed up for the trip as we settled in our campsites in New
Camp. The first evening John took us on a beach trail hike over to
Mecca Beach and back as we watched the masses of migratory
birds along the shore and a stunning sunset against the mountains and the sea.
The next morning we headed over to the Mecca Hills and hiked
into a canyon that twisted and turned and narrowed down to a tight
slot canyon. Later that afternoon we headed down to Salt Creek and hiked along the abandoned
Eagle Mountain railroad tracks up to the large trestle that crosses Salt Creek.
The next adventure took us to the south end where we visited the old dry ice plant/hot mineral
spa. We continued on to the new mud volcanoes, hot pots, active geothermal features and
walked around safely in the slippery mud wrapped in our protective plastic bags. These geothermal features are amazing and can only be appreciated fully as one stands amongst them. We
stopped at the Red Hill marina and had lunch with great views of the surrounding volcanoes and mountains along the sea.
Our last stop was Salvation Mountain and Slab City. Of particular interest was our side trip out
to the old WWII water tanks on the hill. The tanks have been artistically inscribed with many interesting designs that all blend together with messages and symbols.
Back in camp for our potluck and giant bond fire as we made the midnight (EST) countdown to
New Years 2014. We had two new members on this trip… welcome Chris F. and Pat M.!
Mike sent us this wonderful note following the trip
“Guy’s….what a great week-end and a wonderful way to bring the New Year in. I can’t express
what a great job you two did in getting everything together and things ran so smoothly. I had always
heard such negative things about the Salton Sea, but because of you guys I have a new appreciation
for such a wonderful and diverse area, from the mud pots to the Mecca Hills. I especially want to
thank Ed, Tony and yourself Scott for taking us in your 4X4 Jeeps to places we would have never
seen or been able to get to on our own.
This trip and experience was truly a once in a
life time adventure and a perfect way to start the
New Year off.
Scott and John, thank you again for a great trip
and I sincerely look forward to going on many
more adventures with you two great guys!
Cheers to 2014….Mike B.”
Check out additional
photos of this fabulous
trip by Clicking Here.
Attention All Hike Leaders
Please submit your hike/overnight outing by the 25th
Please submit your plan to John Niedzwiedz, VP of Outings at [email protected] by
the 25th of each month. This deadline assures that your outing will be published in the following month’s newsletter. Due to space limitations, sometimes we have to rely primarily on a
link to the Calendar for descriptions of your outing. Every attempt is made to publicize your
hike fairly. The club members greatly appreciate all hike leaders. Each member of the Core
Group thanks you for your hard work that goes into making our hiking club a fun and adventurous organization.
Burning Man 2014: YOU MUST
REGISTER THIS MONTH!
If you’re interested in attending Burning Man 2014, you’ll need to
register for the event and purchase your tickets this month! If you
want to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event or perhaps return every
year, now is the time to read up on it. In 2013, we had a camp of
over 30 people. For information about our camp – called Burner
Buddies – click here.You can see some of our photos at – click here.
Don’t Forget to Register NOW!
Our book is available at
local public libraries and
Amazon.com. $10 for GO
Members. Read the 71 positive reviews.
Our blog for more info:
www.latebloomerwealth.com
Best of fortunes!
Steve & Dan
Members! If you want to place an Ad, email
newsletter editor: [email protected]
It’s free, until further notice.
Club's Phone: 760.282-GOPS
Palm Springs
Core Group
http://www.GreatOutdoors.org/PS
http://www.GreatOutdoorsPalmSprings.com
President
Gary McGrath
[email protected]
Non-Members’ Free Introductory Newsletter
Free Newsletter for Three
Months!
Click here for a Video
Presentation of our Club!
Want to know more about us before joining? We will add
you to our newsletter mailing list free for 3 months! Send
your email address to: [email protected].
When it’s time join or renew, do it ONLINE!
Join:
Renew:
http://www.greatoutdoors.org/ps/join.shtml
http://www.greatoutdoors.org/ps/renew.shtml
Proposed Schedule of Events
The yearly schedule of activities is subject to change, so please
check the newsletter or web site for the most up-to-date information
about the chapter’s activities. In addition there is always room to
add new activities, so if you are interested in leading a hike, a camping trip, 4x4 or another outing, please contact: Any member of the
Core Group.
Newsletter Articles and Ads
Articles for this newsletter should be submitted as Microsoft Word
attachments via e-mail by the 25th of the month to: Steve Schullo,
[email protected]. If you wish to insert an ad in advertising space in “The Oasis” please submit your inquiries to
Steve. Ads should be submitted in jpg format. It’s free for now.
V.P. Outings
John Niedzwiedz
[email protected]
Treasurer
Bob Jaworski
[email protected]
Game Night Coordinator
George Frank
[email protected]
Secretary
Cliff Brown
[email protected]
Board Representative
Cliff Clue
[email protected]
760.365.3677
Publicity/Outreach
OPEN
[email protected]
Membership Chair
Ed Emond
[email protected]
Member At Large
Scott Connelly
[email protected]
Newsletter Publisher/Editor
Steve Schullo
[email protected]
760.202.3567
Web Site Administrator
Ed Emond
760.902.1850
[email protected]
Group Email Lists
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gops
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gops4x4
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gopsbm