Maine Al Fresco
​The Fifty Finest Outdoor Adventures in Maine



by Ron Chase
​
“Ron Chase’s storytelling skills have been honed through decades of practice recounting tales of outdoor escapades around the campfire. In this delightful collection he colorfully recounts the highlights with warmth and wit, certain to appeal to armchair travelers as well as ambitious outdoor adventurers looking for inspiration for their next trip. Lively tales followed by practical information make this book a complete package that is both entertaining and instructive.”  
                    — HELEN HESS, President, Penobscot Paddle & Chowder Society
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“Ron Chase has captured the best of Maine outdoors in his new book. Each chapter is an exciting adventure that will stimulate and inspire readers much as he has done in his regular column with our publication.”
               —LAURIE STEELE, Publisher, Twin City Times and Gorham Weekly.
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“Ron entertains readers with a number of short stories about his outdoor adventures in Maine. He ends each story with a useful guide providing information for those with an interest in venturing out on their own. Unique and nicely done.”
           —DAN PELLETIER, Master Maine Guide and owner of Maine Guiding
Picture
Skiing Mount Blue State Park (Photo by Bill Blauvelt)
       A  Maine native, Ron Chase currently resides in Topsham, Maine, with his wife Nancy. They have two grown sons, a daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters. He has been an avid outdoor enthusiast for over 45 years, participating in adventures throughout the United States, Canada, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and New Zealand. When not writing or engaged in outdoor escapades, he operates a tax consulting business.               
   The author of the mountain guidebook, Mountains for Mortals – New England, and The Great Mars Hill Bank Robbery, a biography of Vietnam War hero and bank robber Bernard Patterson, Ron has written an outdoor column for a regional newspaper and contributed articles to several magazines. He currently writes columns for four newspapers, articles for Maine Seniors magazine, and blogs for the Bangor Daily News blog network, all entitled “Seniors Not Acting Their Age.”
     Ron is a graduate of the University of Maine and retired from the Internal Revenue Service.  He is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Korea and Alaska and is a member of the VFW. Formerly a Registered Maine Guide, he was active in the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) as canoe chair and a trip leader. Currently, he is treasurer of the Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society (PPCS) and a frequent trip coordinator. In 1997, he was the 38th person certified by the AMC Four Thousand Footer Committee as having climbed the 100 highest peaks in New England in the winter. He has led more than 300 whitewater, hiking, winter mountaineering, cycling, skiing, canoeing, and sea kayaking trips for the AMC, PPCS, and as a Maine Guide.