Caching on the Greenline - 2/26/2011

My main goal for the morning was to get over to the University of Memphis for Ancient Egypt Family Day. I needed some more pictures to cap off the Egyptian Explorer 01 TB's goal while it was in Memphis. It was really tough to get out of bed. I had been working at a conference in East Memphis for the previous three days and was exhausted from a lack of sleep plus a lot of stress.

[ U of M's Art Museum houses among other things, an Egyptian collection. ]

I wasn't sure I needed to load up my GPSr with fresh coordinates, but I had noticed five new caches on the greenline near the university, so I went ahead and packed up my gear in the event I decided to hunt caches. I arrived at the U of M Art Museum just as the exhibit was starting up. I took a few pictures and learned a few things about Egypt. I practiced writing my name in "hieroglyphics", and learned about numbers and Egyptian measurements. I had a great time, and got the pictures I needed.

Feeling pretty good, I decided to check out the five new caches along the west end of the Shelby Farms Greenline. I decided to park somewhere around the middle of the five and hiked a bit south to meet up with the trail. Heading west, I realized that I left my cache notes back in the car. My first find of the morning was Midtown Greenway #2 by mgrommet (GC2P4XH). It turned out to be easy - in fact, it turned out to be the easiest of the five.


As I approached Midtown Greenway #1 by mgrommet (GC2P4XF), I noticed two people in the vicinity of the cache. They both had walking sticks and one had a GPSr, so I was certain they were geocachers. I usually shy away from meeting other cachers while on the trail, but I'm glad I didn't this day. I met TNLarry4 and his wife Queenie just moments before Queenie found the cache. We spent awhile talking and before we left, shandrum and stumpcacher came up to hunt the cache. We talked for a bit about various caches before TNLarry4 and Queenie headed east to hunt the others on the trail. I decided it would be fun to continue with them to hunt the remaining caches on this trail.

[ stumpcacher, shandrum, Queenie, and TNLarry4 ]

Since I had already found #2, I waited while TNLarry4 and Queenie made the find.

Midtown Greenway #3 by mgrommet (GC2P4XK) was a tough find, even with a landmark fairly close. Queenie made the find.

I believe that Midtown Greenway #4 by mgrommet (GC2P4XM) is where we encountered two barking dogs behind the fence as we approached the cache. This was also the only one I found with the group and I found it while trying to avoid the dogs.

[ unique among the caches we found this day ]

[ TNLarry4 and Queenie walking ahead while I snapped pictures of the path. ]

The last cache we found together was Midtown Greenway #5 by mgrommet (GC2P4XP). TNLarry4 made the find while Queenie and I struggled with thorns. After signing the log, we headed back west. We parted ways about halfway back to the first cache on the trail. It was great meeting TNLarry4, Queenie, shandrum, and stumpcacher and I hope to run into them again some day.

I decided to eat lunch somewhere as I was heading home and ended up at Poplar Plaza, where I found one more cache (across the street). When I arrived at T.D.D. #6 by dragon9981 (GC2MJNZ), there was a car parked next to the cache. I went into the nearby Walgreens and bought some stuff and when I came out, the coast was clear and I retrieved the cache and signing the log. I ended up eating lunch at the Taco Bell across the street before heading back home.