Nov Newsletter - Texas Outdoors Woman Network (TOWN) Dallas

TOWN
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
NEWS
FEBRUARY 2014
Are you Ready? Get Set, Let’s GO!
Mark Your Calendar!
What’s Inside!
&
Trips
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February 6, Chinese
Lantern Festival/
Fair Park
Brilliant, glowing,
artworks comprise 25
stunning displays in a
kaleidoscope of color.
Meet around 6 PM at
Panera’s Bakery, on Park
Lane across from
Northpark. We’ll have a
bite to eat and then carpool at 7:15 to Fair Park
for the Lantern Festival.
Plan to stay around an
hour and a half to see
everything at the festival.
Cost: Buy tickets on line
or at the box office.
Adults are $15, on
Thursdays only; Seniors
60+ tickets are $7.50.
Groupon has tickets for
adults, 2 for $18
Goldstar Discount
https://www.goldstar.com/
offers tickets for $7.50
plus a $3.00 fee but you
have to join their group.
Parking at Fair Park is $15
per car
Please let Shirley know if
you plan to come. She
will contact everyone in
case of bad weather, or
other circumstances that
may cause a change in the
plan.
Event Leader:
Shirley Meurer
[email protected]
Future Trips
CPR Classes
FYI
Pack Fixes
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Lantern Festival
February 14-16, Cabin
Camping/Daingerfield
Two cabins have been
reserved that will give us
sleeping arrangements for
10 people. Still checking
the area for fun things to
do while we are there.
Come one and all to
join in.
Event Leader:
Laurel Hunt
[email protected]
February 28, Camping/
Inks Lake State Park
Directions: 3630 Park
Road 4 West, Burnet, TX
78611
The park is located 9
miles west of Burnet. Take
State Highway 29 to Park
Road 4. Go south 3 miles
to the park headquarters.
We have 3, water only
campsites, reserved in the
nicest part of the park.
There are 7.5 miles of hiking trails.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.u
s/state-parks/inks-lake
Shirley hopes to visit the
Llano eagle’s nest which is
located right next to the
highway (State Highway
29). Check out photos of
the eagles at the
Cottonwood Photography
link below.
http://www.cottonwoodphotography.com/Llano_b
ald_eagle_nest_20132014.htm
There is an interesting
article from 2010 with a
lot of information about
the eagle’s behavior. The
article also mentions a
Tex-Mex restaurant on
Highway 29, Tamale King,
that might be a good place
for dinner after watching
the eagles.
http://www.tamalekingrestaurant.com/TKDinn
ers.html
Event Leader:
Shirley Meurer
[email protected]
Shady Lake
NEXT TOWN
MEETING
Tuesday,
February 18, 2014
REI, 4515 LBJ Freeway,
Farmers Branch
6:30-7:00 Social Hour
Meeting 7:00
March 14-16, Spring
Camping/Shady Lake
Enjoy an early spring camping
trip at Shady Lake Recreation Area
in the Ouachita National Forest,
southeast of Mena, Arkansas.
Many of you have enjoyed our
wonderful fall foliage trips to Shady
Lake in recent years. Spring at
Shady Lake is just as spectacular
and invigorating as the fall and the
air is fresh due to new leaf growth.
Its a great way to begin our spring
trips with beautiful mountain
scenery, tall trees, hiking trails,
canoeing or kayaking on the lake.
The popular 9-mile Caney Creek
Trail in the mountains crisscrosses
its creek, and has a waterfall.
Many other trails are close by.
Restrooms, showers, and water
are near the camping sites.
The drive to Shady Lake is about
41⁄2 hours from Dallas, taking I-30
east to New Boston, turning north to
Vandervoort, then east approximately
26 miles to the Shady Lake sign.
Event Leader:
Judy Shaw
[email protected]
April 10-13, SandFest/
Mustang Island &
Coral Cay Condos –
Port Aransas
Come join us for a fun time at the
beach. SandFest is an annual 3-day
festival. It is one of the largest Sand
Sculpting competitions in the world
and features both Master and
Novice competition. In addition
there are food and drink booths,
live music, arts and crafts booths
plus fantastic people watching.
We have two 2-bedroom condos
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within walking distance from the
beach. Each condo has a full,
compete kitchen and can sleep up
to 6 persons. Reservations are
for 3 nights; Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday nights. We will split the
condo cost and you will be responsible for all other expenses. Port
Aransas is about an 8 hour drive
from Dallas.
We still have a few spots remaining for this trip. For more info
about the festival and condos visit:
www.texassandfest.com
www.coralcay.com
Event Leader:
Sherry Flowers
[email protected]
Dues need to be paid in order to go
on a TOWN trip. Dues can be paid
at the monthly meeting or mailed to
TOWN mailbox.
TOWN Dallas
P.O. Box 795634
Dallas, TX 75379
Trips in the Works
Mar TBD Bike Ride – Sharon
Mar 28-30 Shooting Clinic –
Not organized TOWN group
Mar 28-30 Pedernales Camping –
MJ and Kay
April 4-6 Camping Lake Ray
Roberts – Robbie
April 23-27 Davis Mountains and
MacDonald Observatory – Barb
May 2-4 McKinney Falls Camping –
Jeanette
May 16-18 Lake of the Pines
Camping – Sherry
May 16-18 East Texas TOWN chapter Camping at Tyler State Park –
Anne Hale
May 29 – Jun 1 Camping at Beach
House in Bolivar – Carol Burris
May TBD Eisenhower State Park
Camping – Sissy
June 28 Day at Cedar Creek Lake
Kayaks, swimming and picnic –
Mary and Mar
Heads up! BOW workshop dates for 2014 have
been announced.
Spring BOW – April 4-6, Parrie Haynes Ranch
Fall BOW – Oct. 31-Nov. 2, at Neal’s Lodge
https://www.facebook.com/tpwdoutdoorwoman
Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is a three-day
weekend workshop designed for women.
Contact Heidi Rao,
Outdoors-Woman Coordinator
[email protected]
(281) 534-0125
Email: [email protected]
TOWN NEWS
Free CPR Course Options
1. The Red Cross and Heart Association offer free
online CPR courses. The CPR training is now hands
only. There is no mouth-to-mouth needed. Anyone
can register for the non-healthcare option.
2. Your hometown city might offer free group
CPR/AED learning classes at the local fire station.
It might be called HeartSaver class. Check your city
or city hall website.
3.There is also a Wilderness & Remote Area safety
course that can be discussed at a future meeting
or by audio conference. If you are interested in
participating in the wilderness safety course, please
let Joanie Frazier know by email to:
[email protected] or email if you have
suggestions or questions. Joanie is not a healthcare
worker and do not advise on any health concerns.
This training is voluntary. A schedule can be
determined after we get feedback.
Fun for all ages in
Taos, NM
Reservations due
by February 3
Canyon hikes, alpine snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, historic
sites, museums, galleries, shopping
– this trip has it all! Sign up now
for this popular annual trip to enjoy
the winter beauty of northern New
Mexico with the Sierra Club.
Depart: 6:30pm, Thur.,
February 27
Return: early morning
Monday, March 3
Enjoy our comfy hotel, complete
with breakfasts, new mattresses
with down comforters, large new
hot tub, all within just a few blocks
of the Taos Plaza and heart of this
historic town. The trip offers an
array of activity options so it’s great
for all ages and levels. Design your
own combination of activities –
choices include alpine snowshoeing (for beginners and those more
experienced), downhill skiing,
snowboarding, snow tubing (it's a
blast!) and various canyon hikes
(shorter and longer) in the Wild
Rivers Recreation Area and a NEW
one in the south end of the Rio
Grande del Norte National
Monument. You can also join the
group to tour a few local historical
sites (Taos Pueblo, Old Mission
Church) or be on your own to
experience the galleries, museums,
shops, food and beauty of this
scenic and historical town.
Rental snowshoes, snow boots,
ski equipment, snow pants and
jackets are all available so don’t let
We’re on the web! www.towndallas.org
a lack of gear in your closest stop
you from joining the fun.
Trip price of $450 includes
transportation to/from Taos and
throughout the weekend including
SUVs to our trailheads, comfy hotel
w/ large rooms and queen beds,
breakfasts, wine and cheese social
Saturday before dinner and all
gratuities. For complete details and
reservation information, follow
the link on our website: www.dallassierraclub.org. Questions? Send
an email to [email protected] or
call 214.368.2306.
Look for us on Facebook!
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Mission Statement
The TOWN mission is to provide all women the opportunity to learn and
experience outdoor activities in natural surroundings through a non-threatening,
safe and supportive environment.
Pack Fixes
Pockets – both mesh and stretchy woven ones – are always the first
places to show wear and tear in packs. Here are some quick DIY
techniques that I’ve used to effectively curtail major blow-outs down
the road.
This mesh hipbelt pocket was starting to abrade against the
hard plastic interior backing:
A good smear of Seam Grip (mcnett.com) plugs the hole
and reinforces the mesh:
The stretchy woven fabric used for many side water bottle
pockets can quickly abrade when rubbed up against rocks or dirt:
If you let it go, it can lead to a major tear, but a good gob of
Seam Grip can stop the bleeding and prevent further abrasion:
Mesh side pockets are equally susceptible. Once a tear starts, the job is
too big for Seam Grip:
Just tie the thread to the mesh using a simple overhand knot. Then
pinch the edges of the tear together and whip-stitch them closed. (Click
here to see how to make a whip-stitch – it’s just a series of continuous
loops in a tight, uniform line.)
In a case like this open-weave mesh, be sure to use wide stitches that
grab the undamaged strands of mesh. It’s better to have puckered
seams than have your repair blow out because you didn’t go wide
enough to bring the healthy mesh into the seam.
Sure, it’s not a work of art, but it’s effective, and the next best solution is to send your whole pack back for a
pocket replacement, which will cost you money and perhaps more importantly, time without your pack.
http://www.backpacker.com