31 Days of Geocaching: Days 29 - 31

It's almost over.  I think I'll do something else in Septermber.

Day 29

I went to Shelby Farms after work to get a cache at a spot I had been to before.  The traffic getting there was terrible and it took almost twice as long as it would had I visited in the morning.  I had to go home by a different route and got a chance to see the area around the Delta Fair that starts soon.

ACME-Geocaching Can Be Fun by Giardia_Boy | GC45AGA - I knew what to expect here, but it was still a fun cache.

Day 30

It was an easy choice and fairly close to home, so I set out early in the morning to hunt my last streak challenge cache.

The CCC 30 by Wrath557 | GC3XY0G- Easy find.  The challenge, of course, was to have a 30-day geocaching streak.

Day 31

 I got up early and tackled some caches around Tunica, MS.  There were several Mississippi Blues Trail caches and since I am working on that series, it was a good opportuinty.  I found several excellent caches with dry logs to finish out my 31 day streak.


Bullseye   by jht1212 | GC4KQYA - Appropriate get get the day's first cache at a Target, since I hit my target of a 31 day geocaching streak.  At this point, I seriously considered turning around and going home.


Hurricane Creek #2 by DUCKMAN63 | GC1JZAD - Quick find, foggy in the area.

Hurricane Creek #1 by DUCKMAN63 | GC1HAXP  - Quick find on Fogg Rd.

Mississippi Blues Trail: Highway 61 Blues   by dameetro | GC3PYCQ  - I loved everything about this cache.  I also relished in the fact I got here so early I had no people to worry about.

Mississippi Blues Trail: Son House by dameetro | GC3PYC5  - Another interesting out of the way spot.

Mississippi Blues Trail: Abbay & Leatherman by dameetro | GC39F66  -Nicely done guard rail cache.

Mississippi Blues Trail: James Cotton by ADS1 (adopted by Lacey38655) | GC3137D - I almost gave up on this one, but it was there and should have been easier for me.

 H'way #1 Power Trail: 1 at 49   by ButchCardfamily | GC34HXZ - Wow!  A power trail where you actually have to search to find the caches.  Better come back in weather that is much cooler.

Delta Bridges#44 Ms. River Helena by ButchCardfamily | GC4FAC8 - Easy and cool.

I-69's First Cache Updated by DUCKMAN63 | GC1JZA7 - Great cache in poor condition.  The only wet log I signed today.  I tried to clean it up a bit, but without a new box...

At some point. I will summarize what geocaching for 31 days straight meant for me.  I don't want to think about how much it cost in time and gas...

31 Days of Geocaching: Days 22 - 28

We are coming into the home stretch now.  Just a few more days and I can start sleeping in again - or at least not wasting as much money on gasoline driving  as much as 50 miles roundtrip for one or two caches a day.

Day 22

I found a cache here at this Veterans Memorial site years ago.  There was a puzzle involved for this newer one and I had solved it a long time ago.  On this trip, I actually brought the coordinates with me for a change.

Fallen but NOT Forgotten  by bnctich575 | GC4320P - New container that is in good shape considering where it is.

Day 23

I made a quick trip to Shelby Farms for a rare Park and Grab cache.  I did have a short hike to make but its relatively peaceful in the mornings. 

Andy's Fishing Hole  by fshacktn | GC4F5XC - Nice view of a fishing lake.

 Day 24

I drove to Brinkley, AR to tackle the easternmost portion of the Americana Hwy 70 Series.  I arrived in town just as the sun rose and found a cache in a park to start out the morning.

Best Park Ever! by AR Cachers | GC1XC5F  - magenetic key holder - goo no swear cache to start with.

I found 20 of 21 of the series caches that are located just east of Brinkley.  Afterwards, I got back on I-40 West to tackle more of these caches from the west.  I found a bunch (22), but also had an overly high DNF count for what were supposed to be simple hides.  Compounding this problem were caches that were practically buried and soggy logs in almost half of the caches. I ended up coming home around noon. 

Day 25

I left after lunch to hunt a few caches on east east end of Collierville that I knew I couldn't do during the week.  The first cache turned out to be at a church in Piperton.  I picked up an ammo can cache in a Collierville park and as a bonus I picked up an extra on the way home in Germantown.


Cedrus Libani   by SegmacGraham | GC3G9W3 - Park and grab in front of a church.  I like the name, though.

Out of the Ball Park by Little Peanut | GC3NQZK  - An ammo can barely in the woods near a park in Collierville.

Clay's way or no way by fshacktn | GC4F5W5 - My favorite cache of the day!  Nice camo that I can't secribe here, but its well worth the hunt.

Day 26

I had to wait until after dinner to hunt this day's caches.  I decided to go after a cache in Raleigh that I skipped on a trip many months earlier because of no off-road parking on what can be a busy street.  I got to the spot before dark and set a land speed record for grabbing the cache, signing the log and returning it well before the gentlemen on foot approaching from the south got near me. 


platinum 45 by crownjewel | GC29Y60- pill bottle with fresh dry log.  I've never moved so fast when grabbing a cache.

Flush with success, I decided to head to Germantown to see if I could find another cache that I had earlier today solved the puzzle for.  When I got to the area,  I managed to overlook the cache and wandered around aimlessly for a bit when bevofan showed up and found it for me.


Welcome to Initech - Michael Bolton's Revenge by steph&herboys, adamorobertson | GC4KJKA - I need a month long rest.  August is too hot for an old man like me to be wandering outside.  Nice cache, though.

I picked out 6 more caches to hunt between Tuesday (27) and Friday (30) that should be easier for me to get.  I should probably stick to one a day until Saturday, though. 

Day 27

Once again, I had to wait until after dinner to hunt the day's cache, so I wanted a good one that was quick.  I picked out two in Germantown with close parking and away from muggle traffic.

GPS Confidence by TNLarry4 | GC3RBMN  - I've never been disappointed by a TNLarry cache.  I liked this one, and started to go after his two-stage multi in the same area, but there were people sitting at a table near the first stage.

Bear Left  by MorWoods | GC4614W - Less than a half mile from the last cache, I couldn't pass it up.  Easy find in an easy spot.

It was hard to believe that I found both caches without breaking a sweat in the 90+ heat.

Day 28

I got up early and took a nice long drive on the interstate to Arlington to hunt a  newTB hotel.  When I got to the spot, I found the coolest TB hotel I think I have ever seen.  It was stocked with really neat TBs as well.

Arlington TB Rest stop by dneedham, TNSteeler, GeoBender25 | GC4K40M - If I ever have bugs going east, I will definitely use this hotel.

31 Days of Geocaching: Days 15 - 21

I'm starting to think about how much it is costing me to drive all over the place for one or two caches a day.  Now that I'm halfway through the month, the nearest caches are more than 10 miles away and traffic is tough for daytime driving.

Day 15:

Another relatively easy day in that I was able to find a nice cache inside the I-240 loop for a change.  Nice cool morning for caching made it all the more enjoyable.

Bear Crawl and Duck Walk   by Wrath557 | GC45HN3 - Audubon Park cache.  I was expecting it to be harder for some reason, but it was a nice cache that was set up really well.

Day 16:

I took an early and very long drive to Johnson Road Park to hunt two caches.  Found one, but ran out of time to search heard for the other.  I like this park and wish I could have relaxed on a bench and watching the ducks swimming in the pond.

No Place To Hide by prontopup | GC39QGG - Easy to find after a walk around a pond.

Tomorrow is International Geocaching Day for what that's worth.

Day 17:

I celebrated International Geocaching Day by hunting six caches at Lichterman Nature Center.  It rained a little while I was there, but  the tree canopy kept me dry.  All six caches were extremely well done.

Walk on the Boards   by Prontopup | GC47EH5

Lichterman Trail by prontopup | GC47TRM  

Near the Stair Steps by prontopup | GC47HHP

Out of Place by prontopup | GC47TTC

Bridge? by prontopup | GC47TTK

Another Split by prontopup | GC47TT0 

Day 18:

I ran in a 5k race in the morning, so it was nearly noon before I set out geocaching.  I decided to go after some caches in Hernando, MS.  It was a little warm and I lost my internet connection on my phone during a multicache, but other than that it was a fun trip.  Lots of walking.

Lee's Summit #2  by Cfuller5 | GC42HCA - I liked the work on the camo for this one and left a USA Geocoin here that I picked up the day before.

Floats like a butterfly, looks like a bee by dameetro | GC4264H - Surprised I spotted this one without the hint.

Lee's Summit #1 by Cfuller5 | GC3XZPE - Tough to retrieve from its spot.  Relaxed at the nearby lake for a moment and drank the rest of my Powerade.

DC - Standing Guard #4 - Yes one is here by zom4live | GC41N9V  - Walmart.  Great spot, though.  No cameras watching.

Tanks for the Cache by dameetro | GC345VK -  Wasps and spider webs were all over this thing.  The cache itself stood out once I finally saw it.

Gnarly Tree by Cfuller5 | GC42HCW  -  I almost left this one alone after looking at the tough terrain.  Found a hole in the vegetation and ended up in an interesting spot.  A surprise favorite cache.

Springhill Historic Memorial Garden by chimps8mybaby | GC2ZG16  - I've been looking forward to hunting some of chimps8mybaby's caches.  This was a three-stager that was complicated by my lack of internet reception at this spot.  I had to drive 1/2 mile east (to another cache) to get reception.  At that point, I wrote down on paper what info I needed to get to complete the cache and went back.

 Day 19:

I had a Park and Grab in Southaven, MS that I couldn't get earlier because of construction.  This time I used Google satellite imagery to find a good way in, then I got up early to make the find.

DC - Standing Guard #2 - K-Rogers by zom4live | GC3YPJ3 - construction maze forced me to park a distance away and hike in.

Day 20: 

I made a quick run east on I-40 to Germantown where I found a nice nano cache away from muggles.   I had some difficulty removing it from its hiding spot, but fortunately my rarely used caching bag had the right tool for the job.


Crawdad!  by nelms3 | GC1PF99 - A nice nano that evaded extraction for a bit.

Day 21:

I drove north to Millington, TN (about 15 miles) to grab two quick Park and Grabs located a short distance apart from each other. 

Just Another Light Post by titaniumman06 | GC46J5Y - Like the name says.  Easy to find, though.  Good when you are short on time.

Wish I had a Tractor by titaniumman06 | GC46J5D - Nice hide and tied so it can't get away.  I like that.

Arkansas Highway 463 Series - 8/10/2013

I spotted this series while looking for out-of-town caches to hunt this weekend.  There are 20 caches in this series, starting with Arkansas Highway 463 Series #1 by HippyChick79 | GC4E143.

There was a 60% chance of rain today, so I got up early and made the drive to Marked Tree, AR.  I arrived at the site of the first cache around 6:30am with dark clouds and a relatively cool 81 degrees..  Caches are on either side of the road, but roadside parking is extremely tight with the west side of the highway having a bit more room.  There was no traffic this morning and I found all 20 of the caches within 45 minutes.

After I was done, I picked up a few more in the area and left as the rain started.

31 Days of Geocaching: Days 8 - 14

After a few hit and miss strategies for picking caches to hunt, I decided to make a pocket query containing geocaches that have been found within the last 7 days.  Surprisingly, this produced a list that should be good enough to get me through 31 days.

Day 8:

I picked a cluster of four caches in Southaven, MS to get early in the morning before work.  Two were ammo cans chained to trees in non-wooded areas, so I quickly made all finds without any troubles or DNFs.

Lets do the Twist  by wilbur8869 | GC3P6K3 - Beautiful park that had a lake and exercise equipment in it.  The container was clever, but I had trouble retrieving the log.

"Blues" Lodge by Nature's_Wonderful | GC4CCAW - Ammo can near a lodge - quickest find of the morning.

DeSoto Trail New #2 - Horn Lake by SoDeSotoMS | GC3QVB4 - Ammo can in front of a library.

DC - Standing Guard #6 - DCSA by zom4live | GC41NA2  - Guard rail micro, almost skipped because I was short on time.

Day 9:

I spotted last night two caches close together with one being a park and grab, so they were my early morning targets for day 9.  I got to use a newer version of the geocaching app on my phone which works a lot better.

West of Orleans by zambodia || GC445G4 - This was a great cache!  I had seen several like it before, so it was an easy find, but it was well-constructed.

Welcome to Initech by steph&herboys, adamorobertson | GC4H2YW  - Park and grab just across the road from the previous cache.  

I made it through Friday, so finding a least one cache on Saturday and Sunday shouldn't be too much trouble (even if it rains).  I'll probably go out of town, though, to save the local ones for weekdays. 

Day 10:

I planned to do the Arkansas Highway 463 Series on Saturday and was concerned about the 60% chance of rain for the day.  I got up early and not only beat the rain but logged a total of 25 caches and made it home by 9am. 

Besides the 20 cache series, today I found:

Skye The Parrott Travel Bug Hotel by HippyChick79 | GC2YVX9  - better found in winter, but a nice spot.

Too Little Horse Ranch by HippyChick79 | GC49PXG - Rain would have made this a tough drive, but on this morning, it was nice.  A memorial just off of and out of sight of the main road.

Too Little Tulot Cemetery by HippyChick79 | GC49PWT  - Cemetery cache!

Ghost Busters by HippyChick79 | GC3QZGA - Cemetery cache that I only found because of my direction of approach.

Welcome Home by HippyChick79 | GC49PPW  - Last find of the day (Welcome to Marked Tree).

Day 11:

I had a road race in the morning in Bartlett, TN, so I hunted the nearest park and grab nearby that would work out best for a Sunday morning hunt.  Since I was stopped by Germantown police on the previous cache in this series, I was concerned to see on the cache page that security hangs out nearby.  No body was around on this early morning, though.

Changing Expectations #2 by Balls2thefloorgeocacher | GC3X967 - Nice, easy LPC.

Day 12:

With rain promised once again for later in the day,  I decided to get up before sunrise to hunt a park and grab or two.  I headed to Olive Branch, MS which is a straight shot down Hwy 78.  I managed to get my intended cache plus one other nearby.

Guest Parking by BillyDalton | GC3GQK5 - At a motel.  Quick find not far from where I found another a while back.

One Degree of Seperation - Olivebranch, MS by WillG_R7 | GC2GQ2P  - Park and grab with an offset,  I just happened to park 10 feet from the cache.

Day 13:

I had plans to hit Southaven, MS again for two caches after work.  Driving in Southaven is a nightmare at times - particularly rush hour.  The first cache I had planned to get was at a Kroger.  It should have been an easy grab, but construction prevented me from getting near it.  That is why I had two backup caches picked out.  Most of my future weekday caches will be in Germantown and Collierville.  It also looks like the rain is gone for the next week.

Defence by dameetro | GC33D2W - Nice little cache just south of Snowden Grove Park.  I've cached here twice before and think this is a really cool place.

DC - Standing Guard #7 - Speed Limit 35 by zom4live | GC3YPK2 - Easy Park and Grab, but my autorouting failed me getting in and out of the general area and I spent much more time on the road than I thought I would. 
  
Day 14:

Easy day today.

The CCC 14 by Wrath557 | GC3XY0A - guard rail, no muggles, relatively close to home.
 

31 Days of Geocaching: Days 1 - 7

I doubt I can cache every day during the month of August, but it's a stressful time for me these days, so I'll give it a shot.  Anyways, I'll use this space to document caches found in August regardless.

Day 1:

Pocket Charm by sswindle (GC31YFE) - I made a short trip to the Ornamental Metal Museum near downtown after work.  I researched the directions this time, which prevented me from missing the turn and driving to Arkansas.

Fort Pickering by Dan84CJ7  (GC4C6T7) - A pill bottle across the park from the museum.  No reason to just get one cache, even if it makes it more difficult to get 31 local caches in 31 days.

Day 2:

I tried to get a cache in North Memphis, but couldn't find it.  So I headed to get three in West Memphis.

Nurse4Life by LostandFound28 GC3Z1VQ) - nano with a tight-fitting log.

West Memphis Welcomes You by Nolang1213 (GC22765) - second time hunting was the charm.  I walked right up to it.  Another nano.

Welcome to Arkansas! by KesselRun (GC4FCWR) - keyholder at a new rest stop.  I figured this would be the easiest find of the day.

Went to Dairy Queen for dinner and headed home.  I saved at least two caches in the Marion area for another trip.

Day 3:

In the morning, I managed to break off the door handle on my car, which of course only slightly hindered accomplishing any caching.  Instead, I walked to a cache near where I work.
 
Leonarda 6  by LeonardaDaArtsi (GC34WNR) - Flashback to a time where Altoids tins were more popular.

Day 4:


I went to Collierville early in the morning to hunt three caches along the Greenbelt trail.  Found two, both ammo cans.  Muggles prevented a thorough search of the third spot, which was near good parking, so I can easily come back at some future point.  It was a damp and humid day, so after these two finds, I needed a shower.

Whodunit - In the Middle of Collierville by tiger130 (GC3PXPG) - This cache was the recepient of two travel bugs I need to move.  One I took out of a rusty cache last week, and the other one I picked up in Arizona two months ago.

Pond View by Little Peanut (GC43NAY) - Damp ground and thick bushes meant I missed checking for the cool geocoin that was supposed to be in this cache.

I noticed while logging these that I am getting an individual "souvenir" for each day I cache this month.

Day 5:

The weather forecast shows a good chance of rain for the next ten days.  Today, I go out before work (and rain) and found a quick park and grab.  Not many of those to choose from in my area that I haven't already found.

The Cornerstore by Shakybird (GC48XJY) - Walgreens, but at least I saw no cameras around.

Day 6:

I had an early morning appointment in Bartlett, TN, so I picked out two of the nearest caches I could find.  The first one was a miss, in part because the area was to damp to search.  The second took me further out of my way than I had expected, but was worth it.

She Said Yes! by SniperGuy (GC3PRDJ ) - Nice walk around a lake at a nice park.  Too humid to really enjoy, but I've been here before and I'm sure I'll be back.

[ Davies Park ]

As a side note, I tied my previous longest caching "streak" of 6 days (from back in 2005).

Day 7:

A lot of the caches I have to choose from are more than 10 miles away from home and the traffic is pretty busy before and after work.  I found a challenge cache series devoted to "streaks" and one luckily met my needs for the day.  It was also pretty close, so it made a quick morning hunt.

The CCC 7 by Wrath557  (GC3XY06) - I almost had this series on my ignore list because I don't do "streaks", but looks like I'll be back for The CCC 14 and  The CCC 30 maybe.