My partner Mike and I would like to invite everyone to join us at the Brownstone Park in Portland CT on Sunday, August 29.  Brownstone used to be an operating quarry until a flash flood and hurricane submerged the quarry in 1938.  Now, it has been converted into an outdoor adventure park with hiking, biking, swimming, snorkeling, scuba, 5,10, and 25 ft cliff jumps, 1000 ft zip lines, a 100 ft water slide, giant inflatable toys, kayaking, wake boards, and 65 ft rock wall climbing.  Be as active as you want to be, or lounge on the man-made beach soaking up the sun. 

Admission is $18 for the General Pass which includes the hiking, biking, swimming, and snorkeling.  The $26 Adventure Pass lets you do everything else.  If we get a group of 25 together, there is a discount rate.  There are park waivers to fill out, which can be done at admission or filled out beforehand from the website www.brownstonepark.com to expedite the check in.  Changing facilities, lockers, and bathrooms are all available, as well as rental gear for scuba, wet suits, and more.  Life vests or other floatation gear is mandatory and provided free to all park attendants.  Alternatively, wet suits 3 mm or thicker also count as a floatation device.

Parking is free.   You can bring food  for yourself or to share with the group, or buy food available in the park.

To see a YouTube video of the park go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOT_XIA5Z8Y&feature=player_embedded&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourpublicmedia.org%2Fcontent%2Fcptv%2Fportland-brownstone-quarry-stories-1

The address is 161 Brownstone Ave.  Get directions here: http://brownstonepark.com/park-info/directions/

In General, from Hartford, take 91S to CT 9S.  Take Rt 17 across the Arrigoni Bridge.  At the fifth stop light, take a left onto Middlesex Avenue. At the stop sign, turn left onto Brownstone Avenue. Parking will be on your right.

We will meet  in the sand just beyond where all the life vests are handed out.  I will make sure all GO members will have the same colored wrist band which is handed out at admission.  The color is not set yet, but I'll email everyone with the color when I know.  This way, all GO members will be able to recognize one another anywhere in the park.  I will try to get RED like we had at the first event.  Also, if available, I will secure a floating gazebo to give everyone a central place to put their belongings.

Can't come at 11 AM?  No sweat!  Just come by whenever you want, tell the front office you're with GO or Minh, and look for the same colored wrist band on the other people in the park.  The park opens at 10 AM and closes at 7 PM.

I'm looking forward to seeing a large group of GO members at the Brownstone Park.

A forecast of steady rain will cancel the event, or we can move it to the day before or another weekend if agreed upon by the members signed up.