Feel like you’ve been on Mother Nature’s roller coaster this week? I do. Who’d have thought you’d have been skidding on ice-packed roadways one day and swimming home the next?

Wednesday was a day of contrasts. Before my morning coffee I was out moving blizzard-like droppings and by the time I was ready for work I had to do it again. By lunch I was home again pushing waves of water out of the driveway. And by dark what remained was so slick I needed ice skates to get it and a rain suit for protection during the awkward, stiff-legged toddling process – and that was on the flat part. My neighbors must get their nickel’s worth watching my antics.

I made it up the deck stairs, plastic bags in hand, only to find the back door locked and the “secretly hidden” key nowhere to be found. I got into the garage and out of the monsoon to make a call to my wife, who was at work, to see if maybe I could drive by and get her key. No luck, she’s not supposed use her phone at The Call Center. I left a desperate message on her cell – please call me!

Back down the drive I toddled, nailing a perfect triple lutz with a plea for extra points. My mission was to check the next-door neighbors to see if I’d have left a key with them at some point. No luck, no one home. A double toe loop halfway across the sidewalk landed me on the front steps and out of the downpour for a minute.

For kicks, I thought, why not try the front door. It’s always locked and I was in the mood for a little more disappointment. To my surprise it wasn’t! Mission accomplished, I was in – a little soggy, but in. Thursday I swung by the hardware store and had a couple of keys cut.

While I’m drying out I thought I’d pass along a few events for you to put on your calendar. The first involves moving water. If you haven’t visited this place, put it on your list.

COA Allagash Waterway series

The College of the Atlantic will show the film “A Wilderness at Risk” Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in the college’s Gates Community Center. The film looks at the beauty and wilderness status of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

This is part of the college’s year-long series of films and discussions about the waterway and topics for discussion include the question of whether the “maximum wilderness character of the Allagash” has been eroded.

After the 30-minute film Rollin Thurlow, president of the Allagash Alliance Group, and Tim Caverly, former supervisor of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, will moderate a discussion about the issues raised in the movie and about the state of the waterway.

According to a history on the group’s Web site, “In 1967, Maine and United States National Park Service made a commitment to all U.S. citizens to preserve the Allagash as a place where one could experience a multi-day canoe trip through a relatively remote region of the northern forest. While all recognized that a true wilderness in 20th century Maine was no longer practical, the intent was to provide a ‘wilderness-like experience.'”

Acknowledging the logging history of the waterway, the alliance says the AWW, “was intended to be and is a unique preservation of a blend of wild natural and cultural human features.”

The Allagash Alliance Group was formed, “to promote the general well-being of the public by helping to maintain the unique and varied characteristics of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, for this and all succeeding generations.”

For more information, contact Tonia Kittelson at 288-5015, extension 335. For details about the movies, call the Allagash Alliance Group at 564-3667, or visit www.allagash-wilderness.org.

Huts & Trails on MOAC agenda

At the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club’s Eastern Maine chapter meeting Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Epic Sports, 6 Central St., Bangor, the new Maine Huts & Trails network in western Maine will be on the agenda.

Maine Huts & Trails communications director Alexa Dayton will talk about this landmark Maine project. “We have some exciting developments going on in western Maine and we are thrilled that it is coming to fruition,” Dayton noted in a press release. “Maine Huts & Trails will provide access to the outdoors in perpetuity for the people of Maine.”

When the project is complete, Maine Huts & Trails will comprise a 180-mile recreation corridor from Bethel to Moosehead Lake, with up to 12 huts, each designed to accommodate up to 40 guests. According to Dayton, the project was founded by Maine people with a vision for preserving Maine’s naturally beautiful remote areas while providing outdoor access to the public.

This MOAC chapter meets in Bangor each month and has a presentation on an outdoor adventure or a topic of interest for people who love the outdoors. MOAC activities take place statewide and members communicate via e-mail lists to announce volunteer organized trips and also spontaneous outdoor adventures, according to member Peggy Markson.

MOAC activities include hiking, water sports, biking, skiing, snowshoeing and everything from extreme sports such as ice climbing to more gentle sports such as walking or birding. New members and visitors are welcome to attend meetings. For more information about MOAC, visit WWW.moac.org.

Fryeburg hosts national bike rally

Come July 11-13, hundreds of bicyclists from across the nation are expected to come to Fryeburg for the 20th Annual Maine Bike Rally, chosen as the League of American Bicyclists’ 2008 National Rally. The event will feature more than 30 bike rides in western Maine and the Mt. Washington Valley area of New Hampshire and a full weekend of affordable, family entertainment.

According to a press release sent to me by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, a committee of local officials, business leaders, bicyclists and enthusiastic volunteers is working on plans for the rally. Co-hosts include the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, a statewide education and advocacy group, Casco Bay Bicycling Club, Merrymeeting Wheelers Bicycle Club and the town of Fryeburg.

“The Maine Bike Rally has a national reputation as an outstanding event and we are thrilled to participate,” said Andy Clarke, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists in Washington. The League selects a different location for its national rally each year.

Events will be based at Fryeburg Academy where students created logos for the rally in art classes. Their teacher, Stephen Pullan, designed the logo that will be used to market the event.

The rally offers rides from 5 to 100 miles along winding country lanes, on forest trails and through scenic valleys. Special events include a time trial race, stargazing night rides, a bike-in outdoor film, ice cream social, bike art show, bike parade, music and opportunities for swimming, canoeing and other activities.

Registration fees starting as low as $70 cover the cost of camping for the weekend, all rides, meals and a T-shirt. Lower rates are available for children. Registration information may be found at www.BikeMaine.org or by calling 207-623-4511.

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine has been advocating bicycling safety, education and access in Maine since 1992 and promotes bicycling for transportation, health, recreation and fun to enhance our communities, environment and economy.

For more information contact Jeffrey Miller, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine at 207-623-4511, 207-512-0011 or jeff@BikeMaine.org. Another contact is Dave Kinsman, chair of the Maine Bike Rally’s steering committee, at kinsman@roadrunner.com or David Knapp, Fryeburg Selectman, who can be reached at knapp@fairpoint.net.

For general questions about the Maine Bike Rally, visit www.BikeMaine.org or call 207- 623-4511.

jstrout@bangordailynews.net

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