Norm (McDonald) Stuff.

I went to work on my day off for a few hours of overtime. Our systems were down for my department, so much of the day was pretty nice and just getting to talk to the team, get to know one another and also prank Cutler by placing 9 trashcans under his desk throughout the day. He is so incredibly focused during work that he doesn’t even notice these things.

Also, as the title mentioned for some reason this week has seemed very long. It may be due to the heat and lack of sleep, but this whole week has been very difficult to be motivated to do anything and I have had an unusual lack of energy… I hope that some early sleep tonight will clear some of that up. Perhaps I should have taken a nap today, but I didn’t really have time for that.

Today’s Defining Moments!

We went to find a geocache in a new area. We simply drove to the store for some toilet paper (we forgot it yesterday) and decided to do a quick cache while we were out. The funny thing about this cache is we found the coordinates really quickly, but then the hint was “under cement” and there were several 100+ pound pieces of cement lying around. Finally, Whitney found a path that she could walk on to help me (previously she could not due to the weedy terrain and her flip flops). We recalibrated and found another area full of cement which hid the treasure. With a quick nab we were going to find one more, but got lost in the nearby neighborhood.

This navigational malfunction soon appeared to be a good thing as were found ourselves right next to the dog park, with two dogs! We made a quick turn and walked to the park. It was nice to see Chloe not completely freaking out at the sight of other dogs for a change. She did really well, and we even got her to enter the little tub tunnels located at the park (5400 South Taylorsville).

Luckily, I did have  a moment of respite today because I had a chance to watch the movie “They Live” curled up with Chloe, and later I watched a documentary on Egyptian Engineering during dinner.

Day 15 going back to the dog park is likely to happen again this summer. However, upon reflection this 365 may be difficult in the winter…

Average:

I went to work today and worked a normal 11 hour shift. Also, this was the day that Whitney and I went grocery shopping for the week… We forgot toilet paper

Above-Average!

At work I had an interview for a back-up position at my work. The interview didn’t go how I wanted completely, but hopefully my notoriety on my team will compensate for the less than ideal responses I gave.

On a brighter note the maintenance crew at our apartment complex finally came by to fix our AC. I came home to a cold house and was very very happy.

To complete something exceptional we decided to go geocaching. This was an interesting cache that we found, not because it was in a church parking lot, but by the simple fact of what was nearby. There was on the other side of the fence what appeared to be  jungle of sorts in the neighbors yard. We heard for the half an hour or so, while waiting for the churchgoers to leave, what appeared to be some sort of bird-cat hybrid. The shriek is best described as a cat getting a bath while looking at his lemur mother and trying to sound like her at the same time… I can replicate the sound (upon request only though). We decided to get this cache on the way home from picking up the dogger and friend (Baby).

I was so incredibly tired yesterday from not sleeping the previous night. It was so hot that I laid in bed for about 4 hours before finally passing out for a few hours of sleep.

Day 14: having AC is definitely a nice luxury.

Spider!

I haven’t been geocaching in a week and am starting to get withdrawal symptoms so this morning I set off with the coordinates of twelve caches loaded into my trusty Garmin Edge 800. I drove the 20km to Cleveland, arriving just after 5am with high hopes to increase my tally at least to 125 caches. Alas, it was not to be . I only found four of the ten caches I attempted and decided I was too geo-blind to bother running extra kilometres to attempt the two that were furthest from the car.

But that’s not to say I didn’t have a delightful morning. I had the footpaths to myself in the pre-dawn darkness and enjoyed warm temperatures (average today was 18.7′C).

I started by running across a sports field to search for Little Miss Show-Off. I found the GZ easily but the small cache was well-hidden under the very tree roots I was standing on. Once I moved my feet and looked under them the find was easy and I was quickly signing the log. I then followed the footpath out of the sports fields to The Path C. This was a simple cache; the only challenge was keeping my feet dry as I jumped across a storm water drain. With two finds from two attempts I was feeling confident.

From The Path C I followed the path implied by the name to search for The Path D, The Path E and The Path F. The path itself was beautiful, even by the light of my head torch. Tall gum trees grew along it, creating a silent avenue of spectators. The path itself was dead flat, making running easy and keeping my heart rate down for once. Unfortunately, my searches for all three caches were in vain. I felt better knowing that no one else has found The Path D and The Path E since February, with my DNF adding to a string of similar outcomes.

After my lack of success with The Path caches, I turned down a bush track to look for Emily’s 21st. I was starting to get worried about my geocaching skills but put them to rest when I walked straight through the bush to grab this cache. But not without a small squeal when I saw the guard spider. The photo in this post really doesn’t do the arachnid justice because in the photo it’s curled it’s legs up; it was more impressive when I first saw it with it’s legs out.

I left the bush behind to run down through suburban streets to My Backyard, which I found with ease before heading out along some more bush trails to look for A Micro in the Forest and The Pump House. As nice as the run was, I came up empty-handed on both occasions. On my way back to the car I took a short detour to look for Dean’s Museum, which I also managed to miss.

All in all it was a lovely run but a terrible geohunt. I usually have more success than this so am not sure what went wrong this morning. I guess it just means I have an excuse to go back to look for these caches again on another day. Perhaps next time I’ll wait until it’s daylight next time.

Total: 7.90km with average heart rate 66%.

#5. Check everything.  Except for burying it, almost anything goes when hiding a cache.  We’ve seen them disguised as rocks, pine cones, reflectors, light switches, bird houses, bolts and sheet metal. Look for something that doesn’t belong – a shape. a rock in a tree, a stack of sticks, a color variation, a glint in the sun. Don’t take anything at face value. Look everywhere. Tug, twist, prod, kick or whatever it takes to inspect something.  Don’t forget to be discreet about it.

We are all-weather cachers. It can be tough in the winter. You have to read the descriptions carefully and see if it’s accessible then.

#4.  If something near GZ looks like a good hide site, check it out. If you’ve done your background work, have a good idea of what your cache is and see a likely hiding spot, go for it.  Don’t ignore a good place because the GPSr says it’s too far away. We’ve found caches as far as 100 feet from the posted coordinates. You can post corrected coordinates in your log or you can keep quiet and let the next person fumble around cursing their GPS.

In the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania, here’s Ground Zero. It was a three mile hike on the Laurel Ridge Trail to get here and the bugs are out. Let the search begin. We’re looking for an ammo can and we’re not leaving until we find it.

#3.  Take some cache tools. Once you’ve found the cache, you may have other things to deal with.  The cache may have to be pulled from a tight place. It may be so small that it takes tweezers to extract the log.  It may not have a pencil. The log may be full or wet.  The ziploc bags may be torn. Carry a “cache extraction and repair kit” to deal with all that. If the cache is really FUBAR, do what you can and send a note to the owner.

Here it is, an hour later. It was well hidden and tucked away in the rocks. We find our caching sticks, which are five foot lengths of 1 1/2 inch dowel rod, to be indispensable. In terrain like this, they give you a third leg, which comes in handy around here.

#2.  Don’t expect the GPSr to take you directly to the cache. This is by far the biggest mistake that new geocachers make and even experienced cachers get lulled into it. All GPS does is get you close. Don’t keep pacing and walking around waiting for it to go to zero and then expect the cache to be at your feet.  Once it starts bouncing around in single digits, its job is done. Then it’s time to start looking.

#1.  Think like a geocacher.  Don’t bury your face in the GPSr. Do your research. Evaluate the terrain and route. When you get to GZ, ask yourself  “Where would I hide this?”  Leave the cache as you found it or better. Pick up some trash along the way.  Geocaching is huge and growing all the time. It is self-regulating and most places are very receptive to it.  To keep it that way, we have to be good stewards of the sport and the places where we do it.

Cache on … The Cachemanian Devils

Yes, I’m enough of a nerd to take a photo of the map before I walk back there.

“Honey, can I go out for a few minutes?  I really need a bit of quiet.”

That was me last night, and my wife answered in the affirmative.  It just got to be one of those evenings where I was taking care of the kids, making dinner, and trying to do a dozen other things at once, and I needed to downshift into a little solitude.  So after getting the go-ahead, I hopped in her car and started driving.

I didn’t have any grand plan, but earlier that day I had prepared a pair of my own geocaches to hide — might as well go all in with the hobby, right?  I purchased a couple of lock ‘n lock boxes for the occasion, which are essentially air-tight sandwich tupperware containers, and then added a Geocaching label, a log book in a ziplock bag, and a few trinkets in each.  I knew where I wanted to go put one, so I went and hid it, then started randomly driving around looking for inspiration.

Inspiration came in the form of a local park that I’ve visited once or twice.  I never have, however, entered the few miles of hiking trails that exist, and so I thought that that might be a good idea.  With only a pen, my phone, and the geocache on hand, I plunged into the wilds of suburban forest.

I was not thinking ahead.  This ended up being a problem.

Okay, I *did* take a picture of the trails, which was smart, but I lacked my geocaching kit or any solid plan.  It turned out that there were a few stagnant pools in the woods here that served as a launching pad for a billion mosquitos, and as my bug spray was in my kit, my defense became “move swiftly and constantly swat yourself like you’re a medieval monk performing rituals of penance.”  A part of the back of my brain kept saying that I should just turn back, try it another day, but by that time I was a half-mile deep into the brush and determined to find a good hiding spot.

This proved surprisingly difficult, as tons of hikers were around, the bugs were everywhere, the ground outside of the paths muddy, and most of the trees not a great place to hide anything.  But I kept going, and all the while that voice in the back of my head kept yammering that I only told my wife I was going out for a few minutes, and these few minutes had now become an hour and a half of trailblazing through the most extreme wilderness that a highly populated area adjacent to a shopping mall could offer.

Then came the kicker.  So I’m way, way back in the woods (at the top of the map there) and I look up the geocache app to see where I’m at on the map — and it’s then I notice that this place is littered with caches.  Another point in favor for doing homework ahead of time, I guess.  Geocaching asks for space between the caches so that they can each have a distinct GPS coordinate, and in this park there were like nine or so.  It didn’t feel special anyway, so I ended up double-timing it back to my car and feeling quite foolish.

And yet — adventurous.  As with most of my geocaching trips, even the most spontaneous ends up being a memorable trip to a place I wouldn’t have gone otherwise.  I’m already planning a return trip to the park to find all of these geocaches, but I think I’ll hide my remaining container elsewhere.

P.S. — Great to hear that a few of you have tried geocaching because of these posts!  It really is an addictive little pasttime.

P.P.S. — If you missed it, I wrote an article about Richard Garriott’s geocache on Massively.

Some of the pursuits I began in past years are still with me too. I revived and even improved my skills in conversational Spanish to fluidity which made traveling around Spain very satisfying.

Looking for a physical challenge about 5 years ago, I began running and moved from 5Ks up to marathons and trail races. Now I’ve settled into the trail running community and am looking forward to training for a 50K ultra next year.

I’m never bored but sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed. There is so much to do and not enough time it seems. The internet is the greatest tool on earth to find opportunities. I highly recommend Meetup.com http://www.meetup.com/ to find something of interest to you and people to do it with.

Recently I found a local, all female outdoor adventure group on Meetup and became a member. Next month I am going to (maybe foolishly after having had back surgery not too long ago) join some of those ladies to try rappelling off the face of a cliff and attempt stand up paddle board on another day.

Meetups cover all kinds of territory. There are meetups for scrapbookers, computer programmers, stargazers, culinary adventurers, culture vultures and anything you can think up. If there isn’t, you can create a meetup and maybe others with the same interests will join.

Through technology and the internet we now have the tools to find almost anything we want to try (I couldn’t find a meetup that focuses on biathlon in my area). Life is fuller and more interesting when you experience new things. Learning doesn’t stop at any age and many people believe it is what keeps minds and bodies agile and healthy.

Northern Territory is home to hundreds of geocaches, from the streets of Alice Springs and Darwin, to remote beauty spots of Arnhem Land to Timber Creek. And Northern Territory offers a unique Geocaching experience – the Worlds Longest 4WD Geocaching Adventure!

A 3,000Klm bush highway exploring the wildest, remotest landscapes in Australia. Follow the Savannah Way geocaches through inspiring Top End scenery, share some time with local characters. Swim crystal clear billabongs surrounded by butterflies, explore rock art of ancient caves, and roll out your swag in tropical rain forests.

At every waypoint, search and claim your Savannah Wayfarer Waytags as souvenirs of your once in a lifetime geocache odyssey over Australia’s Top End.

Distance: 1.92 Miles
Elevation: 60’-905’
Geocaches: 3  

This past weekend, I headed for a trail I had not yet explored. The real goal was to grab three Geocaches that have been bugging me for a while. Frankly, I don’t think many non Cachers use this one at all. I don’t see why, it’s a fantastic and invigorating workout with some spectacular views. When I say workout, I mean it. Although the hike is short, it is steep in a few locations and can get the heart pumping. When you reach the top, as with many of the ridge hikes in Hawaii, the view really is worth it.

Base of ridge hike

The journey will not be easy; as it is with all great adventures worth undertaking. I took on the ridge one way, but this is a loop trail so either way will work. I will warn you though, going up my way and down the other, will be a much better option, for there is more to hold on to going back down the other way.

  The hike starts inauspiciously in an area occupied by paint-ballers, motocross enthusiasts and vehicular exoskeletons. (This isn’t called “Dump Road” for nothing). The parking and initial trail head coordinates will be familiar to many, but you will be going up a different trail. Once you have parked, head to the initial trail head coordinates, and then keep to the right making your way to the next reference point. From here, it is a steep uphill climb.

The last 300 feet will tax you as you climb using your hands to grab at roots and stabilize yourself. Once you reach the ridge, you can go either way. To the right, you will be heading in the Kaneohe direction. In a few short moments you will find a pine tree grove with a bench down below. This is a great place for taking in the view and a few much needed gallons of water!

When you find yourself rested enough, turn back the way you came and head for the higher parts of this hike. After you pass where you initially came up, you will see some signs. “Private Property” and “Explosives” mainly. Technically, these are not entirely true. They are to keep hoodlums out of the quarry you are looking down into. Just stroll on by and smile. Soon, the trail will lead you on to dirt and gravel road. Stay on the left side and as a rule; take anything up to the left in order to head back on to the ridge. If you see an explosives bunker on your left, you have gone too far. The correct one is an old road that peeters out into a fairly overgrown trail. After a few twists and turns you will hit the ridge and a junction. One trail leads down, the other up. The way down is where you will come back too. For now, take a few minutes to head up to the view you expelled so much sweat for! You will come to a rock outcropping where you can sit and enjoy a sandwich.

Now for the fun part! When you’re ready to head down, back track for the junction you came to on the way up. Take the trail down on the right. Stay on this for a while. It will be a steep downhill hike with plenty of bushes for grabing onto. This is not a race, so pay attention to your moves. The idea is to get out with a smile, not a twisted ankle. Eventually, you will end up at a junction with a road. Well, it was one before all the rain ruts and moguls took over. The rule here is, stay going down. There will be one road on the right, ignore it and head down and in the general direction of the road and trail head you came in on. You may take a wrong turn or two. That’s, ok. Just head for the trail head direction and eventually you will get there.

I hope you get a chance for a bit more exploring out in this section of the hills. It seems there are tons of unmarked trails to be discovered out here. I most certainly will be doing just that. I will be sure to post more trails after I map them.

Happy hiking ya’ll!!!

JWM

PS. I got all three Caches!!! Yea!!!

Took the geo-daughter up to Foster last week for a day trip, it seems she really only likes the caches with treasure inside them, so she quickly skimmed over the eclipse tin sized offerings! The fun is in the finding, and how clever a challenge it can be, but I have to say that deep down I agree with her. It’s fun to swap something in the cache and bring home a memento of your efforts – even if it is only a scruffy orange plastic dog.

In knowing what it is we like to find, it helped come up with ideas on what we wanted to hide. I’ve now released 2 caches out into the wild. One of them has been found twice, the other only the once. The excitement was high when they were first approved for listing, and I have to say I checked constantly to see if they’d been found and to read the comments about how fabulous they are… but now the reality has set in that, yes, since we’re out in the sticks, the caches WILL sit there for months between visits, and that’s just how it is.

Although, I did run into another cacher that I had been in touch with. We met her and her lovely daughter quite by chance, and she’s been fabulous to chat with and learn from. It’s also great to share the passion with someone who actually understands and thinks caching is 1000 different kinds of fun too!! Some people just don’t ‘get it’ but those who do, really ‘do’.

I thought I’d post this seeing how cool and random it was to see a house with a Cat face on the front of it! 

I then found out it was actually a geocache challenge :O 

“Brewski signing off, for now”

Au trecut doua luni…2 luni in care am facut lucruri frumoase alaturi de oameni frumosi.

Am fost acasa,Acasa inca fiind casa unde am crescut(frumos).

M-am bucurat de aer curat,de pamant natal,de oameni dragi sufletului meu ,de mancare facuta de mama dar si de munca.De munca de la tara.

Am reusit sa plantam si cativa copaci iar logodnicul meu a reusit sa intre in istoria familiei cu primul brad plantat care s-a prins.

Am reusit sa renunt la facebook si mi-am demonstrat ca se poate si cu 10 minute de navigat pe internet.

Ne-am facut planuri de viitor si un jurnal impreuna.(o sa revin cu un post special si cu poze cat de curand)

Ideea cu jurnalul,recunosc ca de pe net am furat-o dar mi-a placut foarte mult si am decis sa facem si noi unul.

Adica;poze,bonuri,tichete,bilete,suvenire,flori si tot ce inseamna amintiri in doi le voi tine intr-un jurnal.

Am revenit in orasul de pe malul marii cu ganduri frumoase si cu amintiri placute.

Aici,am reusit sa mai bifez 2 lucruri importante pentru mine or ciudate pentru unii.

1.Am bifat prima comoara gasita.Detalii pe http://www.geocaching.com/

2.M-am plimbat pe plaja.

Mi-am facut si un top pentru playlist-ul din aceasta vara si respectiv…

Acum astept soarele iar mai tarziu vreau sa merg sa mai caut o comoara.:)

O zi frumoasa sa aveti.:) Kisses.

The truth is that when most people start geocaching, they punch in the coordinates, put their head down and follow the arrow. They go through the briars and the brambles to the cache only to find that there’s a path next to it. We were no exception.  But soon, you become smarter and more tactical about it. Keep in mind that people who hide caches want them to be found, but they also want them to be challenging. They also have to place the cache and maintain it.  The fact that they have to go there too works in our favor. So check out our favorite tactics.  They work very well for us.

#10. Read the cache information sheet and logs in detail.  This is the research phase of geocaching. Very often, the hider gives you a cryptic clue.  Sometimes finders do too or just blurt out a key fact in a log entry.  Parse every word and pull out as much information as you can.  With the new generation of smart phone apps and GPS devices, if you download the cache, you download some logs too, so that’s real handy.  If you’re seeking a long distance cache away from home, recon the area with a topo map, gazetteer or Google Earth. Talk to locals to fill in information gaps.  Gather your intel and have a plan.  Be sure to have any special equipment you might need, like tweezers (for nano caches) or flashlights.

The western end of the 3,118 foot Paw Paw Tunnel in West Virginia. The geocache is on top of the edifice and you have to traverse the tunnel to get here. This tunnel was near the end of the old C&O Canal. That’s the original 1850 tow path going through it and that’s what you walk on. You need flashlights for this one. One thing we’ve found out about tunnels – even if you can see the other end, they get REAL dark in between. If you go tunnel caching, you’ll need a light with some horsepower. Mini-mags and the like won’t be sufficient. The darkness just eats the beam.  Tunnels also get quite cold and damp, even in the summer, so take something to ward off the chills.

#9.  Try not to head for the cache with any pre-conceived notions of what you’ll find.  Some hiders will tell you exactly what it is.  Others don’t. If all you know is it’s a micro or a small or a regular, don’t assume it’s a key holder or magnetic or an ammo can because then you search based on that and skip over the real thing. If you can’t find it in the cache info, you need to have a good search plan. Don’t waste time looking for something that’s not there.  On the other hand, many hiders will put out a series of caches that are all the same or very similar.  Once you figure out the pattern, you can start racking them up.

#8.  Plan your route and modify as needed.  In general, if the distance on the GPSr is going down, you’re headed in the right direction. It doesn’t mean you’re on the best route.  You may be on a trail that loops around a steep, thickly forested hill.  You can cut over the hill or you can stay on the trail, which means the GPSr may start to go up again. Don’t become fixated on the GPSr. It’s giving you the shortest distance between two points.  It doesn’t read terrain or evaluate routes.  You do.

Here’s an exercise in route planning and modification. This is the Whirlpool Gorge at Niagara Falls and the Spanish Aerocar that goes over it. See those big rocks to the left of the car? There’s a geocache in that vicinity and yes, you can walk to it. Just don’t let the GPSr take you in a straight line.

#7.  Look for a trail or opening.  Like we said earlier,  hiders want their caches to be found. I don’t think we’ve ever found a cache just thrown into a thicket. If you find yourself facing a wall of brush or some other obstacle, start looking for a way through or around it. It’s probably close. Everyone ends up breaking brush at some point, but do it as a last resort. Usually, if you fight through brush to get to GZ, you’ll find a trail nearby when you get there.

#6.  Have a good search routine. When the GPSr is bouncing around in the single and/or low double digits, you’re close.  Do a quick scan of the area.  Check the obvious places. Then take your stick and poke around some of the less obvious. Finally, do a detailed search of the area with a search pattern. Look high and low.  Move slowly. Keep your eyes moving. Your peripheral vision is better at picking up shapes. A lot of caches are found “out of the corner of my eye.”

That’s all for this edition. #5 to #1 on our next post.…The Cachemanian Devils

Well we don’t have ownership of Mr Bruce Sprout now .  We placed him in a cache north bound towards the meeting (hopefully) of Mrs Betty Sprout, his trackable wife.

Well the area we placed him in, is usually quiet on a weekend when we are visiting the relatives, however, today it was busy, talk about 4 wheeled muggles, it was totally muggle bound, trying to do things without being seen was almost virtually impossible, yet it got done, hope Mr Sprout doesn’t get muggled and he can continue his journey to find Mrs Sprout.

Bruce really was our Brucey bonus, it was, in fact, our second trackable we found.  Our first was a geocoin and we did not have an idea of what to do with it we left it where it was, then the daughter and I (Moonbeams_7 jnr.) found Bruce, kept him for around 3 weeks before we finally found him a new home.

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• Fun in the outdoors (blogbiscuit.wordpress.com)

As I mentioned, I didn’t really get into it at first – it wasn’t until the XO brought me to a cache called “Geo-Aerobics Class” by KanuckGirl, that I hit the “OMG this is awesome!” threshold.  The XO had been to this cache a couple of times and still had yet to find it (what we call DNF – or Did Not Find).  She brought me and I found it! I was so proud of myself I actually let her put my name in the log.  This was when I really wished that I had logged all the other caches that I found.  I had to go back and re-find ALL the caches I had already found with the XO – getting those smilies on my profile is strangely important to me.  The minute you start doing it, you’ll see what I mean.

I recently found my 300th cache (now at 316).  I highly recommend it!  You get to see places that you never would have seen otherwise…and if you love hiking and site-seeing it’s really wonderful.  You find caches all over the world…I’ve found them in 9 different states and I can’t wait to find them overseas.  My favorite caches are the one’s that are really clever – like the one’s literally sitting in plain view but they’re camouflaged so well you can’t see them – or with clever or pun-y names (I get a kick out of bad jokes).

I’ve hidden a cache as well (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=ce4d7f9c-613d-4e16-a219-9b60e380c740) and I’m looking forward to hiding some more!  So give it a try!!  Its amazing and super memorable…So let me know if you go caching!! I’d love to hear some of your stories!

My husband and I at my 100th cache!

My geocaching kit: bug spray, flashlight, notepad, pens, business cards, trinkets collected and trinkets to give out.

I’m still very much hooked on the concept and activity of geocaching, even though I don’t seem to have as much time to do it as I’d like.  Still, I’ve been jumping into it at least a couple times a week now, and my cache find is up to 15.

Some readers have asked me what my thoughts on the connection between geocaching and MMO gaming are, and I actually have many.  My conclusion is that if you’re an MMO gamer, this is right up your alley, here’s why:

1. You use a computer

At a bare minimum, you need a smartphone or GPS device — both computers in the technical sense — to participate in geocaching.  It’s a high-tech hobby that wouldn’t have been possible more than a decade ago, but now is accessible to anyone with a smartphone app that shows GPS coordinates (or better yet, the official Geocaching app) or a GPS device.

2. You go on quests

Each geocache site is a quest unto itself.  And here’s the thing: No two are alike.  Some are exceedingly easy to find, some are so difficult I’ve stomped out of locations after a half-hour of fruitless searching, and some have fallen prey to weather or vandals.  You really never know what you’re going to get.  Geocachers as a whole seemed the most delighted when a cache is hidden cleverly so that it does take some thought and searching, but it is ultimately obtainable.

While many MMO quests front-load the story, the story with geocaching happens as you go on the quest.  It can often be a journey just to get to where the place is, to figure out if your GPS is working correctly, and to decifer hints and clues left behind by the creator.  It’s true player-generated content that’s everywhere, and it’s awesome.

3. You have an inventory

While you only need a pen and a GPS device to go geocaching, myself and many other geocachers put together a small kit to take with us on our adventures.  While some geocaches are right off paths and main roads, some require some bushwacking, and it’s a good idea to have some bug spray, a flashlight, and a first aid kit on hand.  Plus, my “inventory” bag contains some business cards I made up to leave at caches as well as trinkets to exchange.  I’m planning to store the trinkets I find in a box until my kids get older, then have them go on a treasure hunt to find it.

4. You interact with strangers

Geocaching is weird in that you often don’t bump into fellow adventurers, yet you still interact with them all the time through the website and the cache logs.  It’s cool to know that others do this and to feel part of a larger community.  I’ve even heard of teams of geocachers that get together for weekly or monthly hunts, so I’ll have to check that out.

5. It requires exploration, puzzle-solving, and orienteering

MMOs may be mostly about killing these days, but that’s not all they have to offer.  The better ones do emphasize exploring and puzzle-solving as side activities for when the bloodbath becomes too much.  Geocaching has very little killing (okay, none), but it definitely evokes the same feeling of venturing off a beaten trail in an MMO and finding cool places that few others know.  Some of the caches not only require a sharp eye to find, but the smarts to solve a puzzle that unlocks coordinates or locking mechanisms.

6. There are achievements

Geocaching is on the honor system (there really isn’t much of a reason to cheat, anyway), and while the site does list how many caches you’ve found, that number doesn’t represent the difficulty or sometimes epic adventures you’ve undertaken to get them.  However, there is a rudimentary achievement system in place on the app that does give you pats on the back for, say, finding your first geocache in any given state or country.

7. There are quest rewards

Many caches are too small to hold anything other than a rolled-up piece of paper, but there are several that are larger and can accommodate trinkets.  While most of these are practically worthless, it’s really cool to have a physical sign that you did find this cache.  Collecting the trinkets is part of the experience for me, and it feels a bit like the fun of quest rewards in MMOs.

8. You can do it in bite-sized chunks or marathons

As with MMO gaming these days, I have the option to splurge on a few hours of engaging in this hobby or to just do a little bit at a time.  Sometimes I only grab a quick five-minute geocache if I happen to be in the area, but I also have been going out on Saturday afternoons in 2-4 hour blocks to try to get a whole bunch at once.  I’ve been partying up with friends and family members as well, which is a lot more fun (and more eyes makes finding the caches easier!).

Normal:

I woke up and went to sleep.

Abnormal!

My work friend Mari (pronounced Ma-dee) gave me a magazine for REI. Apparently, their anniversary sale is going on now (from May 18-28) and they have some pretty good deals. I had mentioned that I needed some hiking boots since the last hike we did left the heel of my food with no top layer of skin (pretty gross). So, we decided today would be the day since we had a coupon.

I had checked out the website prior to heading out and we made a list of things that are acceptable to look at (this is a good way to prevent over spending when you know you will be faced with a number of good deals). The list included: hiking boots, hydration pack, bike rack, and kayak. The quick look at the website let us know that the kayak was out of our budge since this would be two kayaks and a rack for the microvan (that’s what I call my car since it is in the style of a van, but isn’t a mini van). When we entered the parking lot we realized we weren’t the only ones who needed some new stuff. The parking lot was packed and we were lucky to find a spot as quickly as we did.

It’s REI!

As luck would have it the bike racks were right in the entrance and were also too expensive for us to get one today. As we checked this off our list we saw the hyrdation packs were only a few feet away so decided to look at those. The original idea was to get two of them; one for me and one for Whitney. However, as we looked into it we decided to just get one with 100 oz storage. This would make it so only one of us had to carry the water, and it would be more than enough for the three of us (including Chloe), and we could add our other stuff that we are carrying. That was checked off our list and we headed to the back for some boots.

Whitney told me to go look at some boots by myself so she could look at some for her. I didn’t want to since I know nothing about boots; I haven’t owned boots since 2nd grade other than for a snowboard, and haven’t had a high-top shoe since 4th grade. Today was the day that I changed those long records. I began by looking at the shoes in a very overwhelmed fashion. All of the shoes looked the same to me and I had no where to start other than price. I began thinking about how much I wanted to spend on the shoes as I figured this was the only thing I had experience in. I made a price range of $100-150 so that I wouldn’t get the absolute worst shoe that breaks down, but also wouldn’t get the overpriced shoe that has no added value from its high cost.

With figuring out a price only taking about a minute I was lost to decide how and where to proceed from there. Somehow I was able to gain a clarity of mind and decide to watch someone else pick out their shoes to see how they approach this puzzle. I took two steps back and just stood there. I watched this guy walk over to the wall, look at it in its gargantuan entirety, scan it, and hone in on a pair of boots. As he did so I took a step closer and was almost right beside him watching for his next move. He grabbed the shoe and bent it on the sole? INTRIGUING! What was the point of this I thought as I had a confused look on my face and leaned in a little closer. I didn’t realize it at the time, but now as I look back I was probably really close with a stupid look on my face which caused the guy to walk away. I thought he was just leaving for some other item in the store, but reflecting on it now he was probably a little scared by my awkward behavior.

After that other guy left from looking at his shoes I decided that I wasn’t making much progress so should go back to Whitney and rely on her to get me out of this mess. As luck would have it, she actually had the sense to ask a sales associate for help! This seemed so simple, why didn’t I think of that? I stood next to her as the gentleman was helping her out. He gave some good tips on high top vs low top (high top helping you with more leverage on certain steps/terrains during hiking), breath-ability (a waterproof shoe won’t breath as much and will make your foot sweat in the heat of Utah), and also weight (a light shoe is better for general use and short day hikes whereas a heavy shoe is better for long treks). With these tips I decided to have at it.

My new info was very helpful as I found a nice shoe made of GORTEX, and was very lightweight and comfortable. It was also priced right in the middle of my range at $135! I walked back to Whitney and together we tried on our shoes. We each found a pair and were walking to the exit when she noticed the dog section. This is the reason why we make a list of items that we can look at… We looked at the dog saddlebags and decided to get one for Chloe for our hikes. At this point I don’t really know what we will put in it besides bags for her but the future will hold this answer.

We finally made it to check-out and decided we were hungry. Luckily, the Chow Truck was in the parking lot, so we dropped off our stuff and headed there for lunch. With a quick meal we decided to head to Millcreek Canyon. We drove up to a new trail called Desolation Trail and hoped to make it to the Salt Lake Overlook which is 2.2 miles uphill almost entirely (with varying slopes). The hike was nice, not too hot, not too cold, and the hydration pack really came in handy (we rinsed and filled it at the Einsteins restaurant). Also, Chloe looked really sporty in her new pack.

The Chow Truck with Whitney in front on her phone.

Chloe’s cute pack.

We finally made it to the top with a really nice view. Also, it turns out that Chloe is not just a golden doodle, she is one third Golden Retriever, one third Poodle, and one third Mountain Goat! She was climbing rocks with such ease and it was interesting to see her move around, sometimes easier than me. The shoes really paid off with some views and pics during the hike. We also found a geocache on this hike, but had no pen to write our names in it

Chloe climbing an almost vertical rock with Whitney.

Queen of the rock.

Tongue length is directly proportional to happiness.

Family portrait on top of the mountain.

Another one of our little girl on top.

Whitney bouldering down the lone rock at the end of the trail.

The way down was a lot easier and I even was successful at being the only one who successfully crossed this log without freaking out (Whitney and her mom had to crawl (her mom turned around and crawled back to the beginning), her dad decided not to try it, and Chloe wasn’t allowed). The picture doesn’t really give it justice, but it was about 20-30 feet down only random rocks and branches that would have led to some serious pain for our uncoordinated friends.

No one thought to snap a pic until I got to the end of the log… I really did walk across!

After making it to the bottom we were really tired and decided to treat ourselves to a fatty, filling meal of Zupas. We bought a year pass to the canyon so we will be up there a lot (hopefully). Our goal will be to hike Mt. Olympus before the end of the season, and also we need to make it to dog lake since we meant to the last two summers and didn’t. The rest of the day we mostly just laid around the house. Here is a random assortment of pics from the rest of the hike.

Whitney posing… what’s new?

Happy to be heading down.

A nice view of the canyon.

Day 11 has me exhausted.

For his birthday, my (now 7 year-old) son wanted to go camping. As he spent his birthday weekend with his mom and family, we designated this as his “re-birthday” weekend, and set off for a grand adventure….

As it is not quite June yet, many of my favorite campgrounds are out of reach due to snow on the preferred route. Seizing the opportunity, I decided to explore the northern campgrounds in Wallowa County which I had yet to visit. These had been an unacceptable option in the past, as they have no water onsite. With my camper on board, that was no longer an issue. It was a good 1.5 hour drive, so my son happened to fall asleep about half-way there.

We stopped off at the Red Hill Lookout tower because we needed a stretch, and “Cuz it’s just so cool!”

Anyway, the first destination on the list was Coyote Campground. It’s popular amongst hunters and had three pit-styled toilets. I thought it humorous that they labeled two of them “men” and “women” as they only have 1 hole anyway. It was still early in the afternoon, so we explored for a pond I had found on Google Earth (which we found, squatters included) and a geocache which eluded us. At a smaller pond, I gave the “gun safety” talk and we broke out the BB gun for the first time. Dinner was a quick combination of fire-roasted hotdogs, & chips followed by smores later. The only drawback was going to sleep to the sound of a neighboring generator, which kicked on at 9:30pm >:-P

The evening was brisk, but now that I had fashioned a new knob for my catalytic heater, I was able to keep from roasting us overnight. Morning brought that dust-caked forest smell I love so much and a perfect 60-something degree camper. I had prepared a scramble ahead of time in a zip-lock bag. An upended bag produced scrambled eggs complete with sausage, green onions, red peppers, & mushrooms. All I did was cook, top with cheese, and serve. (One of my better ideas.) A single kettle of hot water produced hot chocolate for my boy, and instant coffee for me.

We headed out in search of a good shooting spot, while on our way to see the other sights, next of which was Dougherty Campground. It was vacant, with a single stall available, and also without water. We agreed that this was very nice, and thought we might return to spend the night here. Of course nearby was another interpretive sign/photo-op that couldn’t be resisted.

Having done some research, there was a nearby pond I wanted to check out. TeePee pond isn’t really on the map, but ODFW is scheduled to put 500 trout in it the day after we get back, so I figured it warranted seeking out. I was right, this is a gorgeous little pond, and already had two parties camped out nearby, with 3 or more impromptu sites vacant. The only fish here were dead, but we got our lines wet just for the fun and practice of it.

Next, I found some barely-labeled, off-shoot spur road to shoot at. This was much more difficult than it sounds. Apparently, by now every decent location seems to be staked out by wall-tents making bases for large groups. We put lots of holes in cans, trees, stumps, & a plate, gathered up the brass, and moved on to our next pit-stop, Buckhorn Campground. As I write this, I realize I have a lot more to say about these locations, so I’ll make another post to properly review these campgrounds, pics and all.

As the name implies, the last campground was near our luncheon picnic extravaganza: Buckhorn Lookout. This “overlook” is the finest I have ever seen. I’ve been to the “Hell’s Canyon” and “Joseph Canyon” overlooks, and this takes the cake. Our view of Hell’s Canyon was spectacular. While the pictures do not do it justice, I’ve got a few good ones for those who can’t drive to the middle of nowhere. I must say the geocache was also impressive, with a good selection of swag for the trading.

After our lunch of ham & cheese cracker sandwiches, we ventured back to the Dougherty Campground to setup for the night. We opened the birthday presents and spent the afternoon playing with walkie-talkies, parachute men, mini R/C cars, and the slingshot. We also did a low-tech version of Angry Birds, much to the dismay of the paper plate pig. Cheeseburgers were roasted over the fire with peach cobbler making a stand-in for birthday cake.

As the sun was going down, so too was my rear passenger-side tire. Apparently, like my energy level, it was drained. I decided to stabilize for the night with the jacks, and leave the repair for the morning. A flat tire didn’t really bother or surprise me. The thought of trying to change it with a camper loaded was a slight concern, though. After a breakfast of blueberry pancakes and sausage, I loaded up and decided to see if a can of tire-sealant might do the trick. While it didn’t have the propellant required to fully inflate my tire, it did do the trick in holding air the remainder of the day, as I checked it at least 4 times on the way home.

We broke up the return trip with some more shooting. My son seemed more concerned with picking up and collecting the brass from my .22 than shooting his BB gun. I let him squeeze off a few rounds as well, much to his delight.

We returned home early afternoon and gave the camper a quick rinse to dispose of it’s new coat of dust before unloading it. After bathing ourselves, and throwing the laundry in, we were content with dinner and a movie to rest ourselves for the upcoming weekly routine. Enjoy the rest of the photos!

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