Rail Trail Caches

I had a really great time today combining two of my favorite hobbies, ATV riding and caching. I got on the Newport to Dover-Foxcroft Rail Trail just south of Dexter and rode all the way up to Low's Bridge. I logged 10 caches along the way (missed a couple) and enjoyed the countryside. This is the second trip I have taken on this trail and I really enjoyed this one as I took my time and searched for all those great caches along the way. I want to say a big thank you to "menace66" for putting out all the caches. (I sent him an email thanks as well).

I wanted to post this message in the Favorite Cache area for all the ATV riding cachers out there who have not made this trip. Do it. You will have a great time.

Steve

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steverph

I had a really great time today combining two of my favorite hobbies, ATV riding and caching. I got on the Newport to Dover-Foxcroft Rail Trail just south of Dexter and rode all the way up to Low's Bridge. I logged 10 caches along the way (missed a couple) and enjoyed the countryside. This is the second trip I have taken on this trail and I really enjoyed this one as I took my time and searched for all those great caches along the way. I want to say a big thank you to "menace66" for putting out all the caches. (I sent him an email thanks as well).

I wanted to post this message in the Favorite Cache area for all the ATV riding cachers out there who have not made this trip. Do it. You will have a great time.

Steve

---

I too have enjoyed Menace66's many caches both along the rail trail and in other spots as well.

The odd thing is that I have ridden the Newport to Dover-Foxcroft trail about a dozen times or so and I have never yet ridden it and done any of the caches . . . I ended up driving and walking to each of them for some odd reason.

Steve . . . if you enjoy ATVing and geocaching I might have a deal for you. The Troy ATV Club is hosting our annual poker run on the 16th of this month . . . if you truly are interested there are a couple of caches you can get from your ATV afterwards (Book-nobile, I've Found My Thrill) which are right on the trail . . . and a couple which are very close to the trail system (although technically they're not on official trail systems (just old trail systems that were never made into official trails) (Sargent's Stream, Win or Lose.).

FFJ,

This sounds like fun. I have never participated in a Poker Run before so you are going to have to explain that one to me! Maybe I can get some of my fellow club members interested in participating.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steverph

FFJ,

This sounds like fun. I have never participated in a Poker Run before so you are going to have to explain that one to me! Maybe I can get some of my fellow club members interested in participating.

---

It's pretty simple really and you don't even need to know how to play poker which is good in my case since the only card games I've really mastered our Uno, Go Fish and Solitaire . . . although my wife has attempted to teach me a few other card games with little success.

In most of our ATV poker runs (our club and others I have been at) ATV riders start out and ride on a pre-determined route following a leader and a caravan. At set points (usually in picturesque locations -- i.e. in an apple field, on top of a mountain, etc.) the group stops and each rider draws a card from a bag. At the end of the ride the member's "hand of cards" is figured out and the winners announced. In the past (and I think it will be the same this year) we also had a "joker" which when drawn randomly by a rider resulted in an instant $25 prize . . . also we allowed our winners to select which prizes they wanted (in other words the winning hand had the first choice -- and last year that was me and I walked away with a $50 gift certificate to Friend and Friend!!!) I'm not sure what the prizes will be this year, but I do know I was able to get a large fuel can, smoke detector/stainless steel coffee mug combo from the Bangor FD and an ATV gun rack and boot from Bangor Motor Sports as three of the prizes.

In addition, the $5 entry also entitles everyone to lunch after the ride. As mentioned we are also doing a 50/50 raffle with the proceeds going to the Children's Miracle Network and raffling off a Polaris Phoenix 200 cc ATV that was given to us by Chase Toys for $5 per ticket.

This event should be a lot of fun and I would highly encourage anyone with an ATV to attend?

Noreasta?
Dave1976?
Anyone else?

As I mentioned . . . afterwards there are also a couple of caches you can access directly from the trail as well.

What is the schedule and where are you meeting?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steverph

What is the schedule and where are you meeting?

---

September 16th -- this Saturday. Registration is at 8-9 a.m. with the ride starting promptly at 9 a.m. and running until lunchtime or so. The ride starts out at the Trail Master's home on the Carter Road which is off Rt. 202/9 in Troy (we should have signs out on the day of the event.)

I am planning on being there. See you then!

Quote:

---

September 16th -- this Saturday. Registration is at 8-9 a.m. with the ride starting promptly at 9 a.m. and running until lunchtime or so. The ride starts out at the Trail Master's home on the Carter Road which is off Rt. 202/9 in Troy (we should have signs out on the day of the event.)

---

I hope you do have signs 'cause I can't find the Carter Road in my Gazetter:confused:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steverph

I hope you do have signs 'cause I can't find the Carter Road in my Gazetter:confused:

---

Hey that's great . . . this should be a fun event.

The Carter Road looks more like a driveway than a road. We do have some signs up . . . however if you're coming from Oakland and you're heading to Troy through Unity on Rt. 202/9 you'll pass the Ward Hill (on your left) and Bagley Hill (on your right) Road Intersection . . . you'll then go down a slight hill and be on a relatively flat section of the road . . . the Carter Road is on the right . . . if you've got to the Barker Road intersection (on your left) you've gone too far and if you've got to the Dixmont Corner Store you've gone WAY too far.

Look for me at the run . . . I'll be the guy with the Honda ATV. :D ;) Actually it's a Honda Foreman 450 -- red with chrome wheels and a diamond plate basket on the front (it almost looks like a firetruck . . . only with Mudlite tires!) :D

I was one of 3 members of the Messalonskee ATV Club to attend the Troy club's fundraising poker run yesterday. There were 59 ATVs, a great tour of some well kept trails, good food, nice prizes, and some really great folks all having fun on a beautiful September day. I had some nice conversations with FFJ who did not seem as event shy as he claims ;):D.

When we got to Ricker Hill, FFJ said to get out my GPSr as we were a stone's throw from the cache. I found it while all the participants drew a card on this beautiful hill. After a great lunch and all the prizes were awarded, I doubled back on the trail to get a second cache he has in a beautiful spot near a stream.

This was my second ATV/caching adventure this month and I want to thank FFJ for inviting us, putting out the caches and working hard with his ATV club to host a great event.

Thanks for the kind words Steve . . . it was great of you guys to come out and all of the Club members couldn't have been happier with the day's event (well I could have been happier if I had won the 50-50 or the ATV raffle -- someone from Oakland won, but I can't complain since I did end up winning a $30 gift certificate to the Texas Roadhouse which I used today to take Heidi out to eat.)

Did you end up winning anything incidentally?

Thanks also for the atta-boy on the trails and the event . . . hope to see you guys next year . . . next year we're thinking of just having some top prizes and then giving out the other prizes in a random drawing to speed things along at the end.

Incidentally, I am sorry to say that having met Steve I need to report that he seems pretty normal and well-adjusted . . . so for the life of me I can't figure out why he's hanging out here at gcmaine.org! :) Actually, it was great to meet someone who shares a couple of common interests Steve . . . hopefully I'll see you on the trail in the future (either as a geocacher or as a fellow ATVer.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steverph

I was one of 3 members of the Messalonskee ATV Club to attend the Troy club's fundraising poker run yesterday. There were 59 ATVs, a great tour of some well kept trails, good food, nice prizes, and some really great folks all having fun on a beautiful September day. I had some nice conversations with FFJ who did not seem as event shy as he claims ;):D.

When we got to Ricker Hill, FFJ said to get out my GPSr as we were a stone's throw from the cache. I found it while all the participants drew a card on this beautiful hill. After a great lunch and all the prizes were awarded, I doubled back on the trail to get a second cache he has in a beautiful spot near a stream.

This was my second ATV/caching adventure this month and I want to thank FFJ for inviting us, putting out the caches and working hard with his ATV club to host a great event.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by firefighterjake

Thanks for the kind words Steve . . . it was great of you guys to come out and all of the Club members couldn't have been happier with the day's event (well I could have been happier if I had won the 50-50 or the ATV raffle -- someone from Oakland won, but I can't complain since I did end up winning a $30 gift certificate to the Texas Roadhouse which I used today to take Heidi out to eat.)

Did you end up winning anything incidentally?

Thanks also for the atta-boy on the trails and the event . . . hope to see you guys next year . . . next year we're thinking of just having some top prizes and then giving out the other prizes in a random drawing to speed things along at the end.

Incidentally, I am sorry to say that having met Steve I need to report that he seems pretty normal and well-adjusted . . . so for the life of me I can't figure out why he's hanging out here at gcmaine.org! :) Actually, it was great to meet someone who shares a couple of common interests Steve . . . hopefully I'll see you on the trail in the future (either as a geocacher or as a fellow ATVer.)

---

First time I have been accused of being "normal"...my family might not agree:D. One of our club members did have a good enough poker hand to get a prize and I believe she chose an ATV seat cover. Best I could do was a pair of 7's so I had to be content with a second helping of lunch and 2 caches. We will definitely make it back next year to the poker run and might make another club trip to enjoy your trails as well. Thanks again for hosting the event and I will look forward to our next meeting on the trails.

How did the fundraiser go?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steverph

First time I have been accused of being "normal"...my family might not agree:D. One of our club members did have a good enough poker hand to get a prize and I believe she chose an ATV seat cover. Best I could do was a pair of 7's so I had to be content with a second helping of lunch and 2 caches. We will definitely make it back next year to the poker run and might make another club trip to enjoy your trails as well. Thanks again for hosting the event and I will look forward to our next meeting on the trails.

How did the fundraiser go?

---

We had a meeting after the event, but it was too soon to tell exactly how well we did.

I do know we sold all but 12 of the 500 tickets for the Polaris that was raffled off and since the ATV was given to the club any sold tickets was "free and clear" money.

The 50/50 which was dedicated for a donation to go to the Children's Miracle Network raised a little over $100 so we matched that amount for a $200 donation for the CMN.

As for the poker run itself, I'm unsure how we did after factoring in the costs of food, prizes, etc. but I'm pretty sure we did well . . . and if nothing else we had lots of great compliments and had a great time.

Thanks again for coming.