Nov

The Oasis
VOLUME 16 ISSUE 11
www.greatoutdoors.org/ps
Palm Springs, California
November, 2013
Please Welcome Our New President, Gary McGrath! (p. 2)
Sat and Sun, Nov 2 & 3: PS Pride Weekend.
Sunday, Nov 3, 8:30am to Noon: South Lykken Trial Hike. Led by David Stewart.
Sunday, Nov 10, 11am to 2pm: Whitewater Preserve — Canyon View Loop Trail. Led by
David Stewart.
Tues., Nov 12, 9am to 12pm: Cathedral Canyon Loop Hike. Led by Scott Connelly (p.7,8,9).
Friday—Sunday, Nov 15-17: Anza Borrego DSP Full Moon Overnight Camping. Led by
Scott Connelly and John Niedzwiedz. Sold out!
Tuesday, Nov 19, 11am to 2:30pm: Willis Palms & McCallum Trails Hike in the Coachella
Valley Preserve. Led by David Stewart.
Wednesday, Nov 20: GOPS Core Group Meeting 6:30pm—7:30pm. General Membership.
7:30pm-9:00pm. No speaker this month.
Thursday to Sunday, Nov 21 to 24: Joshua Tree National Park, led by GOLA, Steve Sisneros/Wes Stieringer.
Friday, Nov 22, 6pm to 9pm: Bingo Game Night. Hosted by Ed and Peter.
Sunday-Saturday, Nov 24 to 30: Cruise the Mexican Riviera! Led by Joe and Sean
GO/SBVC.
Looking Ahead
Friday, December 6th: Game night is early in December! Hosted by Keith Davis.
Saturday, December 7th: CPA/First Aid/AED Training. Highly Recommended! (Page 4).
Sunday December 8th (Save this Date!): Our Very Popular Annual Holiday Party returns to
LULUs for a second year by popular demand. $25/members—$35/Non members.
December 29-January 1, 2014: Salton Sea State Recreation Area New Year’s campout (p. 6).
April 30 to May 5, 2014: Dead Horse State Park. Sedona AZ.
June 7 and 8th, 2014: George Frank’s very popular Silver Lariat Train Trip!
Notice: For details of this month’s club activities, you’ll need to click on our online calendar
page. Once there, you can navigate to the event listing for details – time, meeting location,
special notes, links, etc. 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.
Please give Gary McGrath a warm welcome to our club
as our newest
President!
As a member of Great
Outdoors, I am pleased to
say that I have had a genuine
appreciation for outdoor activities since joining in 2002.
I have been on many
trips including Death Valley and the Grand Canyon. These experiences have enabled me to meet many wonderful gay men that
have turned into lifelong friendships.
In 2003, I was the recipient of a prestigious volunteer of the
year award through the Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce
and Visitors’ Bureau and was recognized by the Governor as well
as the Mayor of this city. After serving the Chamber of Commerce
for four years in the Bay Area, I moved to Southern California and
have been here for the past 10 years.
Now living in Palm Springs, I have been afforded the opportunity to give back to Great Outdoors in serving as the president of
this fun and exciting organization.
My commitment to Great Outdoors is to maintain the integrity
and vitality that the original founders intended. The slogan “Out of
the bars and under the stars” still rings strong.
I look forward to the many outings and activities planned for the
coming year and to offer those who are interested, the opportunity
to join us.
Game night is one of GOPS most popular
activities. Our game coordinator George
and the core group, thank all game night
hosts for volunteering this year. George is
currently looking for new hosts. George’s
email: [email protected]
Thanks again to all who hosted game night
in 2013.
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
211 GOPS Members Strong. Still the
largest GO Chapter!
Please Welcome Our Newest Members:
Jerry Chapman
Tom Synder
Craig Opsahl
Marko Acosta
Great Outdoors OC/LB/LA/PS in Palm Springs 2013 Pride
Parade
Attention Members
Our General Membership Meetings need SPEAKERS!
Please refer speakers who you think would contribute to our club. Past speakers: 100 Great Hikes in and near Palm Springs author Philip Ferranti, Guide
Dogs of the Desert and using poles for hiking, walking and mobility are examples. Please let any of the Core Group members know. Thank you.
First Aid / CPR / AED
Course
Saturday, December 7, 2013 (all day
course)
Great Outdoors Palms Springs is hosting a one
day wilderness first aid and CPR class with
accredited certification upon completion. The
instructors(s) are from StatCPRSolutions presenting a customized class designed for our location and activities. They will cover
the American Heart Association CPR, FIRST AID and AED course. They will
bring all the necessary equipment and training supplies. This is a great opportunity
to learn the latest life saving skills from experienced paramedics. The cost is $50
per person. If you are interested please respond via the following email to reserve a
spot: Scott C. [email protected]. Location: The Fairways Clubhouse, 1600
Crossley Dr. Palm Springs.
Editors note: This training is highly recommended even if you had it. There is constant updating, new techniques and information. Dan and I learned a few simple and
practical interventions that could save a life! I kid you not. Please attend this training.
It’s very informative and well worth the $50.00. You will not be disappointed!
George and Tony’s Halloween
Costumes and Game Night.
And the Winners…!
We just had an amazing Great Outdoors Halloween Costume Game Night
Hosted by George and Tony. With over 20 members and guests with all kinds
of costumes, we dined on a nice pot-luck of great food. We immensely enjoyed all of the great costumes and voted for the best and most creative.
The WINNERS are: For Best Costume of the evening was Marilyn Monroe worn by Gary, most creative costume was Virgin Air Stewardess
worn by Evan. Each winning a $50 gift card for Lulu California Bistro in Palm
Springs. Congratulations
ladies!
Celebrate the New Year
with a GOPS Outing!
New Years Eve Campout
December 29—January 1, 2014
Salton Sea State
Recreation Area
Click Here for Trip Notes
Led by Scott Connelly and
John Niedzwiedz
Coachella Valley National Wildlife Preserve
Sand Dunes interpretive hike report by Scott Connelly
We spotted three rare Fringe-Toed Lizards and captured one for a few minutes for a closer look. The early morning
sunlight on a clear, cool morning provided ideal light conditions to see hundreds of tracks in the sand from a variety
of inhabitants. Rodents, beetles, flat nose snake, burrowing owl, insects, bobcat, fox, coyote, rabbits, and lizards
had recently traveled across the sand dunes and sand flats. This was a unique opportunity to view this protected
habitat and explore and area that represents the Coachella Valley environment prior to development. Our expert
guides, Ginny Short form the Coachella Valley Preserve, and Katie Montgomery, Wildlife Refuge Specialist, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, provided detailed information on the inhabitants of this ecosystem and some of the management issues and challenges associated with preserving this area.
The 3,709 acre Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in
1985 to protect the lizard. The Coachella Valley Preserve, cooperatively managed by The Nature Conservancy,
Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Fish and
Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Center for Natural Lands Management, encompasses an additional
16,405 acres of fringe-toed lizard habitat adjacent to the Refuge.
Wildland Conservancy Oak Glen Outing Pictures
By Scott Connelly
Earl Henderson Trail hike by David Stewart.
Three congenial gentlemen--Steve Meyer, Cliff Brown, and Stephan Lockwood and I went on
a delightful and relaxing hike. Weather: Ideal--cool, but
warmed up. Views were very nice. Starting at about 200ft,
we saw a large part of the PS wash near Araby Dr. in both
directions, residential neighborhoods, typical desert vegetation, a lovely green golf course to the west (which is off
of S. Palm Canyon), a lush oasis from the Indian Canyons
and the full view of majestic Mt. San Jacinto. Also, it was
our first time hearing a faint call from the wild: a coyote!
We did not see it anywhere, but we were certain it was
NOT nearby. Along the trail we met a few other hikers.
Overall, it was a enjoyable and eventful hike.
Cathedral Canyon Loop Trail
Led by Scott Connelly On November 12th
(Scott want the members to know this additional information about this
hike.) This month we will be hiking the Cathedral Canyon loop and part of
the hike will be along the Dunn Road. What is the Dunn Road and how did it
get there? The following article on the next two pages will provide some
background and insight into an interesting part of our history. This article
originally appeared in the December 2007 issue of Desert Report.www.desertreport.org" and is reprinted with permission. (It’s is an interesting article about the history of our colorful valley and the characters who
were attracted to the desert.) Continue
on the next 2 pages.
Zoom-in 100% on
your reader for an
easy read.
Our book is available at
local public libraries and for sale on
Amazon.com. $10 for GO Members.
Read the 69 mostly positive reviews
Our Blog for More Information:
www.latebloomerwealth.com
Best of fortunes! Steve and 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]
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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
Open
[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
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