WRAL Meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, who spoke at the February RSOC meeting about Falls Whitewater Park, was onsite March 2 when a group of RSOCers bicycled the Neuse River Trail greenway from Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve to the proposed new park near the Falls Lake dam. She explained the features that the park committee have suggested and encouraged us to participate in an online survey about our preferences. Afterwards, we went to Heyday Brewing.

This article has been written by Paul Santrock, RSOC Treasurer, who has five things to share with you about the relationship between RSOC and the Umstead Coalition.
First, many RSOC members past and present have used and continue to frequently use Umstead State Park.
Second, the Chair of The Umstead Coalition, Jean Spooner, is a long-time member or RSOC. The mission of The Umstead Coalition is to preserve the natural integrity of William B. Umstead State Park.
Third, RSOC is contributing $500 to The Umstead Coalition to support their cause of protecting Umstead State Park.
Fourth, you can volunteer for The Umstead Coalition 2024 Walk/Run/Bike for Umstead (see information below). The event will be held on April 20, but volunteer opportunities are available from Wednesday, April 17, to Saturday, April 20, the day of the event. The url for volunteering is:
https://umsteadcoalition.org/event-5662171; or, search for Umstead Coalition and Events. As you register, please do so as a me

Our club is in charge of decorating for the CSC Spring Convention theme party on April 27 in Myrtle Beach. We sure could use your help in collecting the items needed to create a Hot & Spicy atmosphere.
Can you donate-lend us:
Red, yellow, orange or white electric candles
Hot chile pepper stuff
Red, orange, yellow or green round tablecloths
Anything that might contribute ago a hot and spicy theme
Creative suggestions welcome!
Please label anything you loan us with your name so we can return it to you!
Please contact Dwen Andrews (dwencita@gmail.com or 919/624-0762) to make arrangements to retrieve your items.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

We were so saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend and long-time RSOC member, Charles Pulley, on December 17. Charles was a great ambassador for the RSOC with his winning personality and sense of humor, and love of parties and adventure. Charles certainly lived life well and to the fullest. He pursued countless sporting activities with the RSOC including camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and softball. Charles loved to travel and kept a bag full of literature from the multitude of places he ventured, often taking his daughters so they could experience the joys of travel with him. Charles took part in a majority RSOC social events, especially enjoying the parties, adding to the fun on and off the dance floor. Charles was such a generous guy, hosting numerous parties at his home for RSOC events and for his many, many RSOC friends.
We’re all so fortunate to call Charles our friend. And, he, too, was able to count on his friends, in particular, Ruby, Susan, Linda and Jim, who

TO: All RSOC members
Please submit any memorable photo you have from a RSOC event so we can possibly use it for a future
e-memory presentation or calendar. Make sure you label the photo with place, date, and what the event was. You may submit photos to Amy Benevento at amyjody@gmail.com, or to any other RSOC Board member.

If you have experience in the Marketing field, RSOC would like you to consider volunteering your time as our Publicity Director. During the pandemic our membership grew some for the first time in a very long time. However, we would like to increase our membership even more. We need new ideas from a professional on how to get the word out about RSOC.
So, think about it and let us know if you are interested in helping RSOC grow.

Renewing your membership online requires you to renew within a window of time around your expiration date. If you have to renew after this window, you will need to send a check made payable to “RSOC” to Sharyn Kloster, 613 Aylestone Drive, Cary, NC 27519, or bring a check to the RSOC meeting. Also, please ensure that you keep your data and email address current on the website. Click on “Member Area”, logon and if this is the first time your login name and password will be your first initial and last name (example: John Doe would be “jdoe”). After login in, clock on “My Info” to check your data. You can change your password at this point.
—Sharyn Kloster, Membership Director

Please consider how you can contribute
to the RSOC to keep it a flourishing
and vital organization!
We have several Board positions open (see Board of Directors list on last page of the newsletter). In addition, many of our current Officers have been serving in their positions for several years, and we would like new voices on the Board to keep the RSOC thriving. So, please let any Board member know of your interest in filling any of the Officer/Director/Internal Affairs positions.

At our April club meeting, RSOC member, Frank Clemmensen, gave us tons of ideas of places to visit within a day’s drive. Many in attendance asked for a list of the places he covered in his great program, and all of his tips are below.
Raleigh Greenways https://raleighnc.gov/find-a-trail?msclkid=6c20c637bbec11ecad22bd4fab235b59
Mountains to Sea Trail
https://www.mountainstoseatrail.org
Sylvan Heights Bird Park 500 Sylvan Heights Park Way, Scotland Neck, NC 27874
North Carolina Zoo 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205
Aloha Safari Zoo 159 Mini Lane, Cameron, NC 28326
Carolina Tiger Rescue 1940 Hanks Chapel Road, Pittsboro, NC 27312
NC Black Bear Festival, June 4, 2022 Plymouth, NC
Carolina Balloon Fest, October 14–16, 2022 531 Old Airport Road, Statesville, NC 28677
List of all NC Festivals https://www.ncfestivals.com/events
Waterfalls Of North Carolina
(paper map) https://www.oppmaps.com/ordering
(online map) https://www.wncwaterfalls.info/map

Chimney Rock State Park 431 Main Street, Chimney Rock, NC 28720
Grandfather Mountain 2050 Blowing Rock Hwy., Linville, NC 28646
Huntington Beach State Park 16148 Ocean Hwy., Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Brookgreen Gardens 1931 Brookgreen Drive, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Charleston, SC https://www.charlestoncvb.com
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens 3550 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29414
Washington DC https://www.washington.org
Philadelphia, PA https://www.visitphilly.com
Reading Terminal Market 51 N 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Eastern State Penitentiary 2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Lancaster County, PA Amish sites and attractions
Jim Thorpe, PA Area of scenic railroad, trails, waterfalls
Pittsburgh, PA https://www.visitpittsburgh.com
National Aviary 700 Arch Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Hocking Hills State Park 19852 State Route 664, Logan, OH 43138
Natural Bridge State Resort Park 2135 Natural Bridge Road, Slade, KY 40376
Parke Co

Natural Bridge State Resort Park 2135 Natural Bridge Road, Slade, KY 40376
Parke County, Indiana 31 Covered Bridges Visitors Center, 401 E. Ohio Street, Rockville, IN 47872
Frank’s Youtube link of his opening video https://youtu.be/BmJ8YYCYTxk
Frank G. Clemmensen – Photographer
Email: fgc.photos@gmail.com
Website: fgcphotos.com
Blurb Bookstore offerings: https://www.blurb.com/b/10850123-birds

UMSTEAD HIKING GROUP
Friday & Sunday mornings #HK2005

There is a group that meets regularly to hike in Umstead on Friday and Sunday mornings. The meeting locations and routes vary weekly and are announced on a WhatsApp group. Most hikes are around four miles in under two hours. Some folks walk slower and turn around early. Protective masks are recommended. You are welcome to join these hikes or announce your own to the group.

To join the group, send a WhatsApp message to John Zeiger at 919/522-4212.

Coordinator: John Zeiger johnz@outdoorz.net
919/522-4212

From time to time the question comes up about how to become a coordinator for an RSOC ski trip.

Please use the 25% off Point 6 sock, Crescent Ski Council discount and share it with all your friends.