BLUE RIDGE GROTTO
MEETING MINUTES
September 21, 2007
Pat Sims Al
Stewart Carl Cornett Mary Sue Socky
Doug Feller Trish Geiger John Layman Cameron Hall
Susan Burr Marian
McConnell Dan
McConnell *Shawn Hinchey
*=Guest
CAVE TRIPS
9/15-16, 2007.
– Trish
Geiger vacationed in Carlsbad Caverns, NM. She didn’t take too many photos, but took the
Tourist Tour
of Carlsbad Caverns NP,
New Mexico. She also took two “off trail” trips, to the Left Hand Passage,
and to the Lower Level of Carlsbad Caverns. Trish
met 2 members of ESSO Grotto while she was out there. She also visited White Sands, NM and saw a
Hot Air Balloon Festival.
8/??: Aaron Moses, Doug Feller, Rick Shortt, Pat Sims, Susan Burr went to the Higginbotham Caves, WVa.
They did #4, # 3 and # 1. First, they did # 4. It was dry, the cobble
crawl was no problem, and water levels were down low enough to please
Susan. Then
they did # 3 – Rick and Aaron did a
through trip out the entrance or # 1,
and the rest of the group bushwhacked overland to find the entrance to Higginbotham’s # 1. Everyone had lots of fun.
7/21: BRG
trip to Windy Mouth Cave, WVa.
Rick Shortt, Pat Sims, Susan Burr. They
took 3 hours to find the cave entrance! They almost gave up, but it was a nice cave once they
found it. It also sounded like Susan was
bumming beer off the locals down the river, after the cave trip. Oh
yeah, exiting the cave, it took them 10 minutes to get back to the car!
7/21-27: It was an outstanding NSS Convention. Dave, Mary Sue
& Nick Socky visited Marengo Cave,
IN. Dave, Alex Sproul, Carol Tiderman
and Craig Hindman visited Wyandotte Cave.
On Monday, Mary Sue
Socky visited Wyandotte Cave,
and several caves and springs during a NSS Field trip. They
even saw a Shoe Tree! Dave Socky went caving in Hanging Rock Drop Cave, IN. Nick Socky did lots of caving with JSS: a wild trip into Mammoth Cave, KY, Endless Cave
and Flowstone Cave,
both in Washington Co. IN. For vertical,
he did a 105’ rappel in Parker’s Pit and a 43’ drop in Bordens Pit, both in
Harrison Co. IN. Meredith
Johnson went caving just about every day!
EVERYONE went to the Marengo
Limestone Mine for Photo Salon
and Banquet.
7/28: Dave, Mary Sue
& Nick Socky visited Bluespring
Caverns, IN. Tourist
cave navigated by boats! The cave was ‘lousy’ with white crawfish, AND – we
got to see Blind Cave Fish!
7/30: Doug Feller, Carl
Cornett, Aaron Moses,
Rick Shortt, Leanne Barley went to Newberry
Cave, VA. VERTICAL. They
dropped Triple Wells, climbed back
up, went over and did Bill’s Rappel,
came out via the Devils Staircase.
8/4: Susan Burr, Pat
Sims, etc. finally got into virgin cave in Grand
Caverns, VA. After digging and other
numerous persuasive techniques, Scott Davis, Craig Hindman, and Jim Batterbee
got the passage to “Susan size”. Susan, Scott, Jay squeezed into a small room and app. 100’
of passage. More small rooms lay beyond,
but no one could fit into them. (Are we
up to 2 miles, yet?)
8/18: BRG Pool Party, Spring Run Swim Club, Roanoke, VA. It was a good one! The
weather cooperated, the food was great, and everyone had a good time.
9/15: Dave,
Mary Sue Nick Socky and Elliot George went up to Grand Caverns. So did Pat & Susan.
Grand Caverns had been hit by
lightning, BAD, in August 2007, (in some
places, the plastic switches had melted) and it still is not safe for people go
to off trail in the cave. The whole place will probably end up having to be
re-wired. Anyway, Pat
& Susan went seeking waterfalls; while the Socky’s, Elliot
George, Bob
Thren, Carol Tiderman,
Craig Hindman, Kevin & Anya, and
Scott
Davis first went ridgewalking (no caves on THAT
hill!) then drove to Cave Hill
Farm Cave. Supposedly there were a couple of mop up
stations to be surveyed from when Scott
& Craig were in there a few months earlier (it was a wet cave then). But
now it was a dry cave, and virgin passage was found and explored! Nick and Elliot got into virgin cave, and
Dave, Scott and Kevin taught Anya how to survey.
Small, flexible surveyors are needed to finish up the new leads.
9/22 – Tomorrow
– BRG trip to Scott Hollow
Cave, WVa.
You must be NSS for over 365 days to go on this trip! Leaders are Pat
Sims, Rick Shortt, and Doug Feller.
Next
Month’s trip (10/20): To Straley’s
Cave, VA Doug Feller is leader.
November BRG (11/17) trip will be to Repass Saltpeter Cave, Bland
Co. VA. Doug Feller is leader. A cable ladder is needed.
UPCOMING
CAVE TRIPS
Saturday
6/15 – BRG trip to Cave Spring Cave, Lexington
VA. Dave Socky is leader.
June 30 – BATS/BRG Conservation work in Dixie Caverns, reward trip
into Goodwin’s Cave, VA
Oct. 4 – 7:
TAG
Oct.
6: Trout
Rocks Conser-vacation.
Oct 6-7 -
Grand Caverns resurvey.
Oct. 12-14:
Fall MAR/VAR, Dailey, WVa.
Program of
the Day:
“July 2007 – Sump Diving Trip
into Roppel Cave, KY
(Mammoth Cave
System).
Photo DVD and script by Brian Williams.
BUSINESS MEETING
TREASURER 9/21/07
General Fund $ 4761.11
Conservation $ 578.92
Equipment Fund $ 321.00
Cave Bucks
$ 85.30
Total: $ 5746.33
Pool Party Expenses:
Pool rental
fee: $61.00
Food/drink/ice/supplies: 53.91
Total:
$ 114.91
Committee Reports:
Newsletter:
Send in your artwork, photos, and articles. Mary
Sue Socky has
updated the exchange list.
Membership: Mary Sue Socky has posted updates to
the BRG membership list, and she has
removed people in the “Potential
Members” List who we have not seen or heard from for 6 months to 2 years.
ROCKS: No
report
S&T: No Report”. Marian says Dan
is working on another vertical session at RocWood.
Conservation: vacant
Ways &
Means: vacant
Membership Proposals –
Nothing
tabled, nothing new. NSS Membership
brochures are at the front desk.
OLD BUSINESS
·
New Cave Trip
Checklist – is it working? Is it
helping?
·
BRG Pool
Party was a success.
·
NCRC Thank
You Letters have been sent to all landowners.
In addition, NCRC bestows a certificate of appreciation on BRG for helping make the Week-long a success, and a
special certificate to Mary Sue
Socky, who helped with cave location logistics and got
landowner permission for some of the in-cave classes.
New Business
·
BRG Xmas
Cards – do we want to send them this year?
YES. Bring
designs to October meeting.
·
BRG Xmas
Dinner: 12/21/07, Mama Maria’s, Salem,
VA - must select menu. (see
attachment)
·
Hosting a future VAR (Susan
Burr) Is still up in the air. Susan has NOT
found the perfect price yet.
·
BRG has
received renewal notices from WVCC and BCI. Should we renew? (Susan
Burr).
YES. Renew us at the lowest
group level. We can send them more money later.
·
New Dixie Access. The
key to New Dixie Cave
is no longer in the ticket office; some of the guides were handing the key out
(happened to Marian during NCRC). The cave owner now has the key at her house, and
cavers will have to get permission directly from her to go into this gated,
vertical cave.
·
BSA T-221 has requested a cave outreach and wild cave
trip. (BRG
has worked with T-221 many times
before). Mary Sue Socky will give outreach; are
additional cavers willing to take them underground in 2008? YES (volunteers are Marian
McConnell, Carl Cornett,
Shawn Hinchy, Pat Sims, Susan Burr,
John Layman, Cameron Hall, Mary Sue Socky)
·
Haunted Cave – Mary Sue Socky gave a short
presentation, described what occurs at Haunted Cave,
and asked BRG members to sign
up/volunteer.
·
BRG Website
– caver Shawn Hinchy (new to Roanoke
area) (GE Engineer) has volunteered to help improve the BRG
website. He welcomes input,
suggestions.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pre-Register
fro Fall VAR/MAR, Oct, 12-14!
Obituaries of Paul
Stevens, Don Shofstall
Meeting ended 8:40p.
Minutes submitted by
Mary Sue
Socky
Secretary, Blue
Ridge Grotto.
(Attachment: Mamma Maria’s)
Mamma
Maria’s Menu
The $ 75.00 deposit will be refunded if 25+ adults attend.
Hours: 7p to 11p
We have
reserved the back banquet room
BRG meeting: 7p to 10p (or so)
ABC on – beer, wine, mixed drinks
Buffet style. We need
to choose 4 items from the LEFT SIDE
of the menu to be put on our buffet:
Salad, antipasto, bread, dessert,
etc. will also be offered on the buffet.
Need to
call Dominick 1 week before (by Dec. 14) to give him a head count and tell him
what 4 entrée’s we want.
Price: Kids, 9 yrs.
old and under will be half price.
Adults: $12.50 + tax + 18% gratuity. (OK: per person price of $15.50 ?)
We need to have paid for orders by
Dec. 10, 2007?
Your drinks
are extra.
Mamma
Maria’s Entrées from Choice 1 column (choose 4)
Lasagna
Fettuccini
Alfredo
Penne ala Pomodoro
Cheese
Ravioli
Meat
Ravioli
Sausage Peppers & Onions
Mussels
Marinara
Spaghetti
with Garlic & Oil
Meatballs
Buffalo Wings
Manicotti
Stuffed
Shells
Pasta Primavera
Penne Sunrise
Penne Napoletana
Stuffed
Rigatoni
Sausage
Napoletana
Penne ala Pomodoro