11/21/05 Meeting at Hard Back Cafe

Meeting Notes

The November 21st meeting was held at Hard Back Cafe in the West Des Moines Public Library at 7:00 pm.

IOU Logo: The group voted on a favorite logo. The chosen logo pictures a hiker and the words "Iowa Outdoors Unlimited" in bold, black letters.

Note about RSVP'ing: When you RSVP via email for a trip or event, please include a phone number where you can be reached in case of a change in plans.

Next Meeting: 7:00 pm, December 19, 2005 at Hard Back Cafe in the West Des Moines Public Library. We were really happy with this meeting location and the coffee shop was very accommodating to us, so we're going to be there again. The WDM Library is at 4000 Mills Civic Pkwy.

Topics for Next Meeting: Gina Elkin will be talking about her experience on an Backroads (an outdoor adventure company) led trip to Utah. Check it out at http://www.backroads.com/. Also, we will have a winter equipment "show and tell". This may be a little hard to pull off indoors, but if you have skis, snowboards, or snowshoes that you would like to show to the group, please bring them.
Trip and Event Reports

IOU Living History Farms Off-Road Race: On November 19th, 9 IOU members ran in "The Biggest Cross Country race in North America" at Living History Farms. The runners had lots of stories to tell about fording streams and climbing up muddy hillsides and had advice for those who want to participate next year. (Such as, do not run in pants. They get soggy when crossing streams and are likely to fall down while you are running!) Check out the IOU Trip Blog for details. http://www.iowaoutdoorunlimited.blogspot.com/ – we will update this site soon!

IOU Climbing at SportsPlex: Because of the tornado-producing weather on November 12, a group of IOU members decided not to go climbing outdoors at Camp Mitigwa but opted for indoor climbing at SportsPlex West in Waukee instead.
Upcoming Events

IOU Skiing in Minnesota: November 26. A few IOU members will be skiing in Minnesota over the Thanksgiving weekend. If you are interested in joining them, please email iowaoutdoorunlimited@yahoo.com or call Sara at 515-669-7193 or Mike at 515-250-4075.

IOU Hike, Bike, or Ski: December 10, 10:00 am at Saylorville. We will be hiking, biking, or skiing depending on the weather. Check your email on Thursday or Friday of that week for details. Some people may go out to lunch afterwards.

IOU Tree Decorating: December 10, TBD. Mike is going to talk to Ramsey Home (a nursing home facility near Drake) about the possibility of decorating a tree in their courtyard for the holidays. IOU would decorate the tree with berries, seeds, popcorn, and other edibles for birds and wildlife and then spend some time visiting with the nursing home residents. Once details are worked out, please RSVP to iowaoutdoorunlimited@yahoo.com.

IOU Christmas Party: December 10, around 7:00 pm. After tree decorating, IOU will be getting together for a Christmas dinner at HuHot in West Des Moines. Sara will be making reservations, so please RSVP to iowaoutdoorunlimited@yahoo.com by Dec. 5.

IOU Skiing in Wisconsin: February 4-6. Anna and Tim Whipple will be co-chairing a skiing trip to Devil's Head Ski Resort and Cascade Mountain in the Wisconsin Dells. Through another group, we have the opportunity to purchase lift tickets and book hotel rooms in Madison. It is also possible to purchase the lift tickets through the group and make other accommodations, but the group hotel package includes buffet breakfasts on both Saturday and Sunday. Please see the newsletter at http://www.superbowlski.com/newsletter.html for prices (click on "Reservations" for lift ticket, rental, and lesson prices). RSVP to Anna and Tim at tawhipple@mchsi.com by Dec. 19.

IOU Skiing in Colorado: February 10-13. IOU would like to organize a trip to one of several possible ski resorts in Colorado. The trip would be a three- or four-day weekend. Mike has done some preliminary research and estimates the cost could be as low as $120 per day plus gas and food, depending on accommodations. It may be possible to split a condo for about $50 per person per night and to get lift tickets for about $60-70 per day. It is a 10-12 hour drive to Colorado. If you would like to co-chair this event with Mike and help with research, please email http://us.f309.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=iowaoutdoorunlimited@yahoo.com.

IOU Habitat for Humanity: March, date to be determined. Sara will be organizing another Habitat for Humanity work day for 15 volunteers.

IOU Paddling in BWCA or Quetico: August 7-11. To insure that we get entry permits early, we will need a count of how many members would be interested in a paddling trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (in Minnesota) or Quetico Provincial Park (in Ontario). We will have a tentative sign-up at the December meeting or you can email iowaoutdoorunlimited@yahoo.com to express interest.

Check out Quetico at: http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/quet.html
Check out BWCA: http://www.canoecountry.com/

IOU Other Ideas: Some other events suggestions were sledding in Des Moines and ice climbing lessons in Cedar Falls.

IOU Juice Needs Help: Michael from Juice (the new Des Moines publication) is publishing a cover story about winter sports in a few weeks. They are looking for someone from IOU to help them out. They are specifically looking for talented skiers (downhill or cross-country), but there are people who are interested in other activities (sledding, skating, curling, etc.), please email them. They are looking for hard-core enthusiasts, as well as places and events where everyday shmoes can go to have fun. Please email Michael if you can help him out. michaelmo@dmJuice.com

Thanks again for all your help,

Michael

~ Anna and Sara