Hello Friends of the Road,
How are you all doing? Where I’m writing this now, I’m happy to report that there is finally snow outside. It doesn’t seem like Winter without it. It sure helps the local economy too, so that is good. I’ve been enjoying the football games, have a hot pellet stove behind me, and all is well with me.
The CPRA board has had two and a half meetings during the “off season” so far. You may be wondering why a half meeting was held. That was due to one of the snowstorms, and we had to meet virtually (online). That was one of the storms with widespread power outages, so only about half the board could attend the meeting. Despite that, we have been very productive lately and are getting excited about some of the outings we have planned. The important thing is not doing what we want to do most, but what you the members (and general public) want to do. We try to pay attention to what is popular and try to include more outings like that. For example, car tours have become more frequently done lately. Jim Rowe, who has led the majority of those, has done a great job managing the logistics for that type of outing, along with doing his homework on the locations visited. I will share more info about the upcoming schedule as it is finalized in February. We’ll try to release dates as soon as we can so you can mark your calendars and keep our dates open!
Because it is Winter, we have more time to be inside, and more time to watch videos, right? I’m not talking about the latest cat video online, or the latest episode of NCIS or Survivor. I’ve got lots of content for you that is much more informative and historical. For those that didn’t watch them already, here are recordings of the 2022 Annual Meeting: Featured Presenter: https://youtu.be/BFnaR-QX3g4 and the Business Meeting: https://youtu.be/QnpczoyNGsk . 
In 2009, to mark the 250th anniversary of the road building efforts by the British, a few hard core “roadies” did an end to end hike along the route of the 1759 CPR. The majority of the route was along modern roads and many wore period clothing. Thanks to a local public television network, and the talented producer Marita Johnson, we have copies of video from that trek. Link to 1st part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FOi6qFfGMM and 2nd part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n3HNc5UT6c
For those who don’t use Facebook, or may have missed our post, an image was shared showing early population for Vermont. It has been an extremely popular post and has had a very high amount of discussion. I have attached that image to this email. Enjoy! 
My last item to share with you today, is a link to a map. It was new to me a few weeks ago, and each time I look at it, I see something new and interesting. For example, the fort in Charlestown, NH that is currently known as Fort @ no.4, was previously known as Stephen’s Fort. Why #4? It was the 4th township on the Connecticut River above Massachusetts. Link to map: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ar106700/?r=0.51,0.162,0.174,0.115,0
Stay warm, keep digging into history, and we’ll talk again soon once details about the 2023 schedule has been set.