The Chelsea Road Rally is one event where it doesn’t much help to reside in the vicinity of the competition. Many area residents, as it turns out, are introduced to parts of their own communities they’ve never seen.

Leading participants along roadways throughout Orange County and beyond, the Chelsea Road Rally advances motorists with a series of clues about where to turn next. The goal is to complete the 60-mile route in the lowest mileage possible — that is, take the fewest wrong turns.

Dead end roads aren’t used, but just about everywhere else is.

“People come from all over to participate, and it doesn’t really matter if you’re from the area or not,” said Bradford, Vt., resident Paul Hunt, who has participated with his wife, Pat, for the last 10 years or so.

“It starts in Chelsea, but it goes all over and there are a lot of back roads. A lot of times, you have no idea what town you’re in. Even if you’re in your hometown, it might be a road you’ve never been down. You hear all the time, people saying, ‘Wow, I’ve lived 15 minutes away my whole life and I’ve never been down this road.’ ”

Sunday’s 23rd edition of the Chelsea Road Rally will send cars off in two-minute intervals from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Only the most persistent will finish, though all participants are welcome to a barbecue at director Will Gilman’s home at the end of the day.

Gilman, 59, started the rally in the early 1990s to assist in a youth baseball project. Proceeds have gone toward various causes over the years and have circled back to athletics: This year’s $10-per-person fee, after covering dinner, will benefit the Roberts-Gould Athletic Field’s 100th anniversary restoration project.

Gilman — wheelchair-bound since a 1976 motorcycle accident left him paralyzed — spends hours each year routing the course and developing its riddles.

Many of the clues are fairly easy to solve. “Follow the bow’s companion” could translate to following a sign with an arrow, or “No 12 tons right now” could urge motorists to steer away from a load-limited bridge.

Others are more challenging, as the Hunts discover each year.

“There was a time when we were at an intersection of two dirt roads and the clue was, ‘Stay far away from the crybaby,’ ” Paul Hunt recalled. “There was a line of cars with everyone trying to figure it out. Finally, I got in my car and turned right, because way down the road to the left there was a weeping willow.”

Gilman has also been known to incorporate lesser-used terms to determine right from left, such as the nautical port and starboard directionals or old-time animal commands gee and haw.

“We’ve learned to bring along a cheat sheet for some of those every year,” Hunt said.

There is no pre-registration for the Chelsea Road Rally, which begins at the town’s wastewater treatment facility 1½ miles south of the intersections of Routes 113 and 110. For more information, call Will’s Store at 802-685-3368.

 

Speaking of Clues: Valley Quest’s Super Quest program is getting a bit of a makeover this season. The treasure hunt-themed initiative, administered by White River Junction-based nonprofit Vital Communities, will award points this year for completing quests in up to 15 categories — from visiting areas in one’s own hometown to taking public transit to a quest or bringing a friend along. A point is earned for each member registered on a team, and emailing a photo or posting it to Vital Communities’ Facebook page earns three points. Earn 10 points and participants receive Super Quest patches; 25 means entry into a grand prize that’s to be determined.

In the past for its Super Quest, Valley Quest had themed locations with clues at each to solve a puzzle. Last year’s Super Quest sent participants to Upper Valley general stores, where clues could be retrieved to answer the question: “What is a wizard’s favorite treat in a New England general store?” In 2014, the theme urged visits to historic sites in the region.

By providing a points-based system and more flexibility about which quests to seek, Vital Communities is hoping to garner more Super Quest participants.

“We feel like this format will encourage more people to go out questing,” said Allison Rogers Furbish, Vital Communities’ communications and database manager. “The Super Quest is something people can really spend a good part of their spring, summer and fall on, and we wanted to make it more accessible for people who have never done one or aren’t familiar with Valley Quest. We thought giving people 15 ways to earn points was a good way to do that.”

More information on Vital Communities’ Valley Quest and Super Quest programs can be found at www.vitalcommunities.com/valleyquest.

 

WRP to Develop Guide: Royalton-based White River Partnership has been awarded more than $9,700 to develop a first-of-its-kind guide to hiking and paddling trails in the White River Watershed Area.

Awarded by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, the funding will help WRP produce a full-color, double-sided map depicting the area’s recreation opportunities both along and surrounding the White River.

“The White River itself is an excellent paddle trail opportunity, with lots of places to swim as well,” WRP Executive Director Mary Russ said. “There are also a lot of trail systems in forests surrounding the river. A lot of people know about the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail, but there are also a lot in the Green Mountain National Forest and other, smaller trails within the watershed. This will cover the area of the main stem as well as the First, Second and Third branches (of the White River) and the Tweed River.”

Working with Vermont River Conservancy advisor Noah Pollock, WRP hopes to release the map and guide by summer 2017.

 

Outdoor Skills Day: Bradford, Vt., recreation director Bonna Wieler will lead an outdoor skills day Sunday from 1-4 p.m. at Low St. John Forest off of Goshen Road in Bradford.

Participants can expect discussions about hiking skills and demonstrations of campfire starting, knot-tying and outdoor cooking, led by Wieler.

The event is for all ages; those under 12 should be accompanied by an adult. Waivers to participate can be found at www.bradford-vt.us/parks-and-recreation or can be signed on-site.

Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.