SCHEDULE OF EVENTS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!

GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP
Most of the field trips are filling up nicely. NOTE: one trip, a GEOLOGY HIKE, was mentioned in the early goings, but did not make it onto the registration list. We will run this trip if there is enough interest (word is that this hike was extremely popular at the last Bar Harbor event). It is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, and was designed especially for spouses and others not involved in the core conference; but, of course, anyone may sign up. Cost is $20 per person. If you've already registered using a credit card, you can email Gail Guth at guthdesign@comcast.net or fax your request to her at (269) 969-0652 or mail an additional check if you want to add this event to your itinerary.

SHOPPING
Thanks to Leanne Nickon, who lives on the other side of Mt. Desert Island, we have information on shopping for the basics you may not want to haul on an airplane, like a desk lamp or clothes hangers. Most of the shopping in and around Bar Harbor is Designated Tourist, so likely to be pricey and geared toward T-shirts and collectibles, but there is a hardware store that is within walking distance of the campus, plus two drugstores and a large grocery store somewhere in Bar Harbor city. For those with a car, there is a Wal-Mart in Ellsworth, which is a bit north on the main road onto the island. Those who need to shop and stock up on the necessities, like snacks and hangers, may want to carpool to Ellsworth if the immediately local shops don't have the goods.

Other Field Trips

We will be in the skillful hands of Park Rangers for a number of hikes. Although they may sound the same as those run in 2001 they will all be different, not tracing the same ground, either lirùrally or figuratively.

Our introduction to the Island tour on Sunday afternoon will take us along the Ocean Drive, to view, Sand Beach, Thunder Hole and Otter Cliffs. We will then take a moderate hike up Gorham Mountain to enjoy the splendid views of the rocky coast, lobster fishermen and the vast Atlantic. The geology hike will be in a different location than last time, this time involving some moderate hiking. It will be filled with fascinating information on the geological history of Mt Desert Island. The tidal pool trip will bring us close to the critters and alga that live in this ever changing environment. On another hike we will be led by a Ranger who is extremely knowledgeable on lichens, that very special group of organisms that are half fungi, half bacteria. We will be spending a morning walking through the private Rockefeller Gardens , with their oriental structures and array of perennials and annuals, with flowers blooming together in unusual juxtaposition due to the short (but brilliant) growing season. New this year will be a trip to the Jackson Labs , home to strains of mice that reach back untold generations and currently one of the country's leading research labs in the area of molecular biology and DNA research. GNSI member Sarah Williamson heads their graphic department. We will be going on a whale watch , for those of us willing to travel a number of miles out into the open ocean, and will plan a number of sails around Frenchman's Bay , one on a schooner, another a nature cruise, led by GNSI member and Bar Harbor resident, Bill Townsend.

This is early in the game and not all of these trips may come to fruition, but it's hard to miss in this environment. We will be running some of the same trips as last time, primarily for those who missed a particular trip or loved it so much you want to do it again, or for members visiting Mt Desert Island for the first time.

For those of you bringing spouses, friends, partners or family, these trips are available, but the island boasts such a plethora of excursions from swimming to deep sea fishing to bicycling to hiking etc., etc., etc., they will be faced with more opportunities to play than they can possibly exercise, while we attend meetings, listen to lectures and generally keep our noses to the grindstone.

Copyright © Dick Rauh