Scavenger hunt with GPS

In spite of an early forecast for rain, the October meeting of the new GPS group was perfect for a hike on the Branchwood trail. About 20 members set out on Thursday.

For this group of Bella Vistans, GPS does not stand Global Positioning System; rather, it stands for Gal Pal Society.

They set off with several sheets of bright orange typing paper that contained all the clues they needed to complete a scavenger hunt.

Many of the stops, including the one near the Port-a-Potty, required a photo. The clue reads:

"A Johnny on the spot, you’re glad

If three Cups of Coffee is what you had.

But near the bathroom is a tub and you will both rub a dub dub!

With towels and caps and a bar of soap,

Pose for a picture, you’ll look like a dope!

Other stops required art work, including one that asked the participants to draw a photo of what they love most about fall and another that asked them to arrange a pile of leaves into a geometric shape and photograph it.

While most of the stops had a fall theme, there were also Easter eggs and a Santa Claus along the trail."

“It’s just a way to get acquainted,” said Val Courter, one of the group’s founders. They’ve been meeting once a month, with each meeting having a different activity. In November they plan to attend a cooking class at the library. They may go to a movie for a winter meeting.

Annette Allsup and Kim Carter wrote the clues after walking the Branchwood trail several times.

“I just think that way,” Carter said about her rhyming clues.

“It’s good, cheap fun,” Allsup said.

She and Carter also provided inexpensive prizes for the scavenger hunt, she explained. Each participant also received a plastic spider ring in their personalized Easter egg.

All Bella Vista women are welcome to join the fun. For more information, email vcourter23@ gmail.com or barbbart77@gmail. com.

Lynn Atkins/The Weekly Vista Chris Rice and Linda Schaeffler follow the instructions at a station on the back side of the Branchwood Trail. A new social group, the Gal Pals Society, held their monthly meeting there.

Lynn Atkins/The Weekly Vista Wanda Parish takes a pictue of Gail Ketels who is wearing some of the “dress up” clothes found on a bench along the Branchwood trail. They were part of a scavenger hunt created by the Gal Pals Society, a group of women who meet once a month.