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Please Patronize Our Sponsors! Without Them This Wouldn't Be Possible!
Beaver Trails Campground - Lancaster - right on the Connecticut
River
A Link to YOUR ad on this Site Could Be HERE!
Bill Weeks Property for Rent - Whitefield
Carpet Barn - Lancaster - Also tile, wallpaper, etc.
Dimmitt and Sons Gun Shop - Lancaster - Guns and ammo,
reloading supplies
Bayview Bed & Breakfast - Dummer
Waterwheel Breakfast, Lunch and Gift House Jefferson
Blueberry Hill Bed & Breakfast - Stratford
Garneau's Garage, Twin Mountain - Ski-doo Snowmobiles,
Wells Cargo Trailers, Cooper Tires
Kilkenny Building Center, Lancaster - all your building and
renovation needs here.
Kimball Hill Inn - Whitefield - A Bed & Breakfast
with a great view.
Lancaster Motor Inn - Right in the middle of it all.
Marshall Insurance - Lancaster - Your Coverage needs
here.
Mountain Lake Campground - Lancaster - Teepee,
Cabins and Yurts too.
Munce's Superior Lubricants - Berlin/Gorham
North Country ATV Club - Trails to ride on
Real Estate in the Great North Woods
Twin Maples Bed & Breakfast - Lancaster - Also Depression
Glassware.
Twin Mountain Snowmobile Club Index - Trails
and more.
Napa Auto Parts - Lancaster
CMW Emporium - Lancaster Not just a store, but an experience
North Country 4X4 - Lancaster - Snowmobiles,
ATVs, Boats, Trailers, Canoes
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Two Major Items!
These two books are perfect companions. I highly recommend getting both and reading them together.
| Paul Doherty has about 80 copies left of "Smoke From A Thousand
Campfires". It's out of print, so when they're gone, they're GONE. He's willing to sell them for just $50 plus $2.50 for postage. The 440
page illustrated hardcover book has already become a collectors' item. The first edition sold out in 6 weeks. The
bookstores didn't get any until it was reprinted. You can send a check to: Paul Doherty
at Box 271, Gorham, NH 03581. Just for the heck of it, tell him the guy with the Great
North Woods web site sent you to him. If you ask real nice, he might even be convinced to autograph a copy for
you! |
Spiked Boots is going to be in print again! This is a great tale of the river drives and other interesting stories
in the Great North Woods of Northern New Hampshire!
Click here to read some excerpts and
see a picture from Spiked Boots to whet your appetite.
Click
here to reserve your copy today! A GREAT Christmas gift! |
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New Hampshire Recreational Trails Program -
Theft of gas tax monies collected from OHRV (ATV) and snowmobile
owners.
What is the Recreational Trails Program?
The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is a component of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21 st Century (TEA-2
1), which provides for the transfer of federal gas tax money paid on fuel
used by off-highway vehicles for recreation.
Who administers the program?
The program is administered by the N.H. Department of Resources and Economic Development, Division of Parks and
Recreation, Bureau of Trails. Johanna Lyons is the program coordinator and can be reached at 271-3254.
How much money is available?
New Hampshire will receive an allocation of approximately $400,000 in 2000 to be used on New Hampshire's trails.
Who can sponsor a project?
Private and nonprofit organizations, municipalities, state and federal agencies. As the program is community based,
partnerships are recommended. Applicants are encouraged to use youth conservation or service corps to accomplish
trail projects.
What projects are eligible?
RTP funds may be used for maintenance and restoration of existing trails, purchase and lease of trail construction
and maintenance equipment, development and rehabilitation of trailside and trailhead facilities, trail linkages,
and acquisition of easements or property for trails.
Projects that include equipment purchases will be required to retain the equipment for 4 years and provide yearly
accounting of the equipment to the N.H. Bureau of Trails staff.
How does project funding work?
Thirty percent of program funds are reserved for motorized trail projects,
30% are reserved for nonmotorized trail projects and 40% are reserved for diversified trail projects. The New Hampshire RTP will be making trail grants for a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of $20,000. The
maximum RTP share for each project is 80% of the project total. The 20% match to the program can be in the form
of cash, materials, labor and in-kind services
Project payment will take place on a reimbursement basis; the project sponsor must incur cost for work actually
completed, then submit requests for payment with cancelled checks attached. Working capital advances may be approved
in advance on a case-by-case basis.
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The following from Ted Burns of the North Country ATV Club. I believe it is very important for all who believe in
equity, fairness, freedom and liberty to read it.
ATVs and Snowmobiles are the only way many disabled people and older folks can get out to enjoy the REAL Great
North Woods.
Hiking groups such as the AMC have have no tolerance for people who aren't able to hike the trails. They succeeded
in locking out the White Mountain National Forest to OHRV users. Now OHRV users are being forced to subsidize the
very organizations that are stealing their access.
Why is it we have to give up money that should go only to our trail
systems? This money was wrongfully taken from us at the gas pumps to repair highways. When someone challenged the
issue, it was decided that the government had to give it back to us. Now all I would like to know is why an equal share of this is given to non-motorized recreation which trying its best to restrict
or do away with all motorized recreation. I am not looking
for a fight with other recreation groups BUT why is it
that they do not have to support their own as we do? When we use trails that have environmental
damage, we have to fix it with this money or money we have to raise, is it not right that these other groups do
the same?
Also I am still interested in doing something in regards to the ridiculous Current Use Tax Assessments. It is very
little wonder we can't afford our schools when many large land owners get away with paying less than a dollar per
acre for forest lands. Just check it out.
My farm is in current use and my land is valued at over ten times that
of these folks.
If you start asking folks that pay taxes in this State you will find
that not one in a hundred have any idea of how little we get from large timber companies.
Allow me to give you an example of three of our large landowners in
our town. Landowner #1 owns 6500 acres of land which he
allows all forms of recreation on and has the attitude that my land is your land, landowner #2 owns several thousand
acres and their kind enough to allow all forms of recreation on their land and roads with the exception of using
roads that are actively being uses for logging, landowner #3 allows walk-in areas and gates much of their roads
and flatly refuses to
allow atv's use of their property, which I might add is their right. My
point is that I am an atv owner, but I am also a taxpayer.
If I am not going to be allowed to have access to #3 landowners property I feel I am unwilling to subsidize their
land or business by paying their share of the property tax. This Current use
tax and recreational tax break has gotten abused to the breaking point and the public should
be made aware of it.
These folks certainly have the right to ask us to stay off their land but they
should not enjoy the luxury of having us giving them the same tax break that #1 and #2 landowners have. |
The Holidays are shortly upon us... Please remember those who sacrifice for you... And those
who did. Without their blood, sweat and tears our freedom to celebrate might have been lost long ago.
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The poem on the right was written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan. The following is
his request. I think it is reasonable.....
PLEASE... would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can?
Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S.service men and women for our being able to celebrate
these festivities.
The poem on the right immediately brought Bill Mauldin to mind. Here are some of Bill Mauldin's
cartoons from his book (out of print to the best of my knowledge) Up Front. Well, I'll be darned! I just searched
and found it on Amazon.com! You can order Bill Mauldin's book Up Front that these cartoons were in as well
as his other books by clicking here! Bill Mauldin is a great
writer and cartoonist. You won't be disappointed! I have every one of his books and cherish them as among my favorites
my collection.
His cartoons and writing portray World War II very well. They will help you understand the
life of a soldier in any war or in peace better than most sources.
"An experienced field sojer will figure out a way to sleep warm an'
dry. Lemme know when ya do."
Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living
and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.
If you look in our parks, town squares and cemetaries, you'll find monuments to our past military members. Please
think of both the present and past folks who served and are serving to protect our freedoms which many Americans
now take for granted.
"Now that ya mention it, Joe, it does sound like the patter of rain
on a tin roof."
We owe them a great debt of gratitude.
Hopefully the poem on the right and Bill Mauldin's cartoons will help you remember, appreciate
and understand a little of the life of those who sacrifice to protect us.
"Wisht I could stand up and get some sleep."
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Bill Mauldin's cartoons look sort of like ghosts from the past educating all about the agony
of war from the soldier's point of view.
"Wisht somebody would tell me there's a Santa Clause."
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."
THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
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"Those who beat their swords into plowshares
usually end up plowing for those who didn't."
Ben Franklin
Articles, pictures and links to articles will be added here as the month goes on. This is becoming
sort of a monthly magazine format that evolves as events happen.
You might like to look back at the Summer
1999 and September
1999 October
1999 issues to see what's been going on. |
Would you like to sponsor something special that will get a lot of folks looking at it? A web
cam that will look at the top of Mount Washington, Mount Prospect in Lancaster, the mountains of Vermont and Main
Street, Lancaster. Graphics and links to your ads will surround the picture which will be updated throughout each
day. E-mail me for info: edsanders@edsanders.com |
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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
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Click on the Summer
1999 section to see the beginning of the New Hampshire primary in the Great North Woods
Region. You'll also find an interesting camp, an iron horse and a couple of houses moving among other interesting
things. |
Scroll below to see new stories and links as I add them. |
You'll find the Great North Woods web site and another of my sites, www.allroutes.to weaving together.
Some of this is for technical reasons, much because it makes sense for some parts of the sites
to be linked together.
They are on different servers at opposite ends of the country. One of the reasons for this is
redundancy in the event of communication problems. |
If there are storms or other natural disasters, Y2K problems, etc., that interrupt one server, try the other.
We'll try to get info about the area out as long as we can if things are going haywire with phone lines, electricity,
etc.
This summer we were able to get pictures and info on what was causing a power outage before power was restored
by using out laptop and deep cycle battery bank.
This winter could be interesting as there will be a solar cycle peak, Y2K and who knows what else coming together. |
www.allroutes.to navigates by auto routes within and beyond the Great North Woods region of northern
New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
For instance, you can see what is on routes two or three in the region and beyond.
Both sites are constantly being improved and expanded, come back often to check them out!
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When You visit the Great North Woods, see if you can find this critter!
Top Referring Sites
I'm starting this section to recognize the top referring site of the week. The top one of the
month will remain here in the archives.
Many search engines actually refer far more, but the way the counter works it would be very time consuming to figure
it out. |
Top referring site last month:
NewHampshire.com
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