Seen on a local geocaching forum:
"GOWT is one big, happy clique!"
- tinksdad01, GOWT Advisory Committee 7/19/2010
History repeats itself. This same group was referred to as a clique (actually "click") in a derogatory fashion by a mouthbreather named dalls (now on the GOWT Advisory Committee) three years ago in this same forum.
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For my liberal readers out there - a gift: Yogi's Gun Blog. Written by a West Tennessee geocacher and volunteer cache reviewer and grade-A nutjob. You're welcome.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Pasco, WA - 6/18/2010
After 2 days and 3 nights on the train, I finally arrived in Pasco, WA. I got off of the train at 5:35am ready to do some caching! My dad was going to meet me at the station and since I didn't know if I would be late, I figured I'd have at least an hour to cache before he showed up. After looking around the station to see if anyone was waiting for me, I set out for the first cache of the morning - The Wrong Side Of The Tracks Cache by ISPYU168 (GC112PW). Nice cache in a little park about a half a mile from the station. After finding the cache, I got a call from my Dad saying that he and my brother were at the station. I gave them directions to where I was and they picked me up.
My brother wanted to do some shopping in nearby Kennewick, so we headed south across the river and to the shopping center where he had wanted to go. It was still early so we decided to have breakfast (I don't remember where - maybe IHOP). After a nice breakfast, it was still early so we hunted for nearby caches. Pasco and Kennewick are both cache-rich environments so it didn't take long to find 8 caches. By this time, the stores were opening, so we took care of the business we needed to do in town before heading back to Cove, Oregon. We didn't hunt anymore caches on that drive, in part because my family had to leave home at 3:30am to come and get me.
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Since I didn't take any pictures in Pasco or Kennewick, here are two pictures (of many) I took the day before while passing by Glacier National Park in Montana.
[ Not a very nice day outside. ]
[ We got to hear about how the glaciers are disappearing due to global warming. ]
My brother wanted to do some shopping in nearby Kennewick, so we headed south across the river and to the shopping center where he had wanted to go. It was still early so we decided to have breakfast (I don't remember where - maybe IHOP). After a nice breakfast, it was still early so we hunted for nearby caches. Pasco and Kennewick are both cache-rich environments so it didn't take long to find 8 caches. By this time, the stores were opening, so we took care of the business we needed to do in town before heading back to Cove, Oregon. We didn't hunt anymore caches on that drive, in part because my family had to leave home at 3:30am to come and get me.
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Since I didn't take any pictures in Pasco or Kennewick, here are two pictures (of many) I took the day before while passing by Glacier National Park in Montana.
[ Not a very nice day outside. ]
[ We got to hear about how the glaciers are disappearing due to global warming. ]Saturday, July 10, 2010
Chicago, IL - 6/16/2010
I went to visit family in Oregon in June and because of some uncertainties with my car, I decided to take the train. I had a layover in Chicago, so I had mapped out some nearby caches to go after. I did the same thing 2 years ago and was thwarted then by hot and muggy conditions which limited me to only one find near the train station. This trip proved to be much more successful. I arrived in Chicago around 9:30am. Because of my two previous visits, I was much better able to handle getting around. It is amazing how easy it is to get disoriented in downtown Chicago. My GPSr proved to be limited in accuracy, due to the many tall buildings (including the Sears Tower), so I relied largely on a detailed paper map and the cache hints. It was also relatively cool on this morning, which allowed me to get around an area of just over 1/2 sq miles.
My first three stops were southeast of the train station. After finding What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis? by ShazamMan (GC268AW) on my second attempt at it, I decided to cool off by going in the Willis (Sears) Tower. On my last visit, 15 months or so ago, there were short lines and we were only allowed to go to the 99th floor. This time it was packed and we got to go the the newly renovated 103rd floor with its new viewing platforms. I tried to take my own picture but had little luck getting the shot I wanted. Fortunately, one of the platforms has a camera set up where they will take a picture (for a price) of you.
I thought I'd be nervous, but from that height the ground looks fake. It actually looks scarier standing on the ground and looking up at the platforms. After my visit to the tower, I had lunch at Jimmy John's nearby and found one more cache before it got too warm.
For those wondering: The heat was an issue because I had to spend two more days on the train in the clothes I was wearing.
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On my trip back, I didn't think I'd get to find anything but I did manage to get Tucked Away Downtown by Jeff60523 (GC1NXXG) in a packed area just north of the station (across the street).
My first three stops were southeast of the train station. After finding What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis? by ShazamMan (GC268AW) on my second attempt at it, I decided to cool off by going in the Willis (Sears) Tower. On my last visit, 15 months or so ago, there were short lines and we were only allowed to go to the 99th floor. This time it was packed and we got to go the the newly renovated 103rd floor with its new viewing platforms. I tried to take my own picture but had little luck getting the shot I wanted. Fortunately, one of the platforms has a camera set up where they will take a picture (for a price) of you.
I thought I'd be nervous, but from that height the ground looks fake. It actually looks scarier standing on the ground and looking up at the platforms. After my visit to the tower, I had lunch at Jimmy John's nearby and found one more cache before it got too warm.For those wondering: The heat was an issue because I had to spend two more days on the train in the clothes I was wearing.
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On my trip back, I didn't think I'd get to find anything but I did manage to get Tucked Away Downtown by Jeff60523 (GC1NXXG) in a packed area just north of the station (across the street).
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Midtown Memphis - 6/12/2010
It is getting to be the time of the year where I take a break from hunting area caches and do other things. I was surprised however, when I looked for local (to me) caches and found that a bunch have been published recently. Three of these new caches were within a mile or so of my residence.
I decided to tackle them after work on Friday and because they didn't get on my most recent PQ, I had to print out the cache pages. Around 5pm, I picked up my GPSr and cache information and set out on a little hike. It was blistering hot (like most of this weekend is supposed to be).
My first stop was The Golden Arches by dguyusnavy (GC29W6B). The immediate area of the cache was guarded by muggles parked in the two adjacent handicap spaces. Not to be too judgemental, but I think their primary handicap was eating at McDonald's. I had to skip this one for now and move on to Buc Lap Series - #2 by dguyusnavy (GC2A0TB)
I pass by this place all of the time when I am out on a run, so it was cool to find a cache there. I was also surprised to be the "FTF" on this cache. I'm not an FTF hound, so this was probably my first in three or four years.
Not far to the south was walk in the park by crownjewel (GC29Y59). I took Hollywood Street south to this one because there was less traffic. First, I passed by the local BSA building just to the north.
Approaching the park, I spotted where I thought the cache was and headed straight for it. It was where I expected, but nicely hidden. I also noticed my GPSr coords were off because I had entered an 8 where I should have had a 3. This is an interesting stretch of land to the west of Tobey Park. It is park-like, but it only apparent purpose is as "extra" parking for events.
["Tailgate" Park]
Many times, the more interesting spots are actually across the street from a cache. In this case, the more interesting spot is the Children's Museum of Memphis.
[ CMOM]
Now, back to The Golden Arches... It was an easy PnG that had personal relevance to the cache owner, but there are many more interesting cache-free spots nearby. Below is an example.
[ Barksdale Mounted Police Station ]
I decided to tackle them after work on Friday and because they didn't get on my most recent PQ, I had to print out the cache pages. Around 5pm, I picked up my GPSr and cache information and set out on a little hike. It was blistering hot (like most of this weekend is supposed to be).
My first stop was The Golden Arches by dguyusnavy (GC29W6B). The immediate area of the cache was guarded by muggles parked in the two adjacent handicap spaces. Not to be too judgemental, but I think their primary handicap was eating at McDonald's. I had to skip this one for now and move on to Buc Lap Series - #2 by dguyusnavy (GC2A0TB)
I pass by this place all of the time when I am out on a run, so it was cool to find a cache there. I was also surprised to be the "FTF" on this cache. I'm not an FTF hound, so this was probably my first in three or four years.Not far to the south was walk in the park by crownjewel (GC29Y59). I took Hollywood Street south to this one because there was less traffic. First, I passed by the local BSA building just to the north.
Approaching the park, I spotted where I thought the cache was and headed straight for it. It was where I expected, but nicely hidden. I also noticed my GPSr coords were off because I had entered an 8 where I should have had a 3. This is an interesting stretch of land to the west of Tobey Park. It is park-like, but it only apparent purpose is as "extra" parking for events.
["Tailgate" Park]Many times, the more interesting spots are actually across the street from a cache. In this case, the more interesting spot is the Children's Museum of Memphis.
[ CMOM]Now, back to The Golden Arches... It was an easy PnG that had personal relevance to the cache owner, but there are many more interesting cache-free spots nearby. Below is an example.
[ Barksdale Mounted Police Station ]Barksdale Mounted Police Station has an interesting history associated with it. It was where George "Machine Gun" Kelly was temporarily housed after being captured by Memphis Police Officers on September 26, 1933. Kelly was actually born in Memphis.
When I first discovered this place, I wanted to create a "virtual" cache. I even had a detailed description of the history of the building. "Virtual" caches were disallowed before I could get around to it... I thought about submitting this place as a "Waymark", but decided to let someone else interested do it instead. If you were lame, you could do a lightpole cache at the Walgreens next door.
When I first discovered this place, I wanted to create a "virtual" cache. I even had a detailed description of the history of the building. "Virtual" caches were disallowed before I could get around to it... I thought about submitting this place as a "Waymark", but decided to let someone else interested do it instead. If you were lame, you could do a lightpole cache at the Walgreens next door.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Shelby Farms Greenline
Here is one of the first pictures taken of the near-completed 7 mile stretch of the Shelby Farms Greenline that runs between Shelby Farms Park and Midtown Memphis.
This picture was taken from Waring and faces east towards Shelby Farms. They currently have paved a 1.8 mile strip. After visiting the Delta Heritage Trail, I'm not sure I like this trail being paved, but I imagine it is better for strollers and rollerblades.
The paved section goes from Waring (west) to Podesta Street (east). Podesta Street is where geocachers typically entered the trail/tracks to approach to wooded part of NW Shelby Farms.
This picture was taken from Waring and faces east towards Shelby Farms. They currently have paved a 1.8 mile strip. After visiting the Delta Heritage Trail, I'm not sure I like this trail being paved, but I imagine it is better for strollers and rollerblades.The paved section goes from Waring (west) to Podesta Street (east). Podesta Street is where geocachers typically entered the trail/tracks to approach to wooded part of NW Shelby Farms.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Delta Heritage Trail - Part 2 - 5/22/2010
I knew this would be a tougher day than the previous Wednesday. The temperature was predicted to be at least 10 degrees warmer. I took a slightly different route this time. I took I-40 west to Forrest City, AR and turned south taking Hwy 1 most of the way to my destination in Lakeview.
[ Lakeview Trailhead ]
I parked at the Lakeview trailhead around 8am. My plan was to hike the remaining 2 miles south to the end of the trail, turn around, hike back to the car and pick up my Gatorade and misc supplies and hike 5 miles north to the 7 mile mark caching all along the way. Upon reaching the 7 mile mark, I would turn around and hike back to the car, hunting for anything I missed along the way.
The first thing I noticed (besides the heat) was that this part of the trail was much less shady than the northern half. The second thing I noticed (and the worst) was the abundance of mosquitoes. My bug spray was useless. I was fine as long as I kept moving. When I reached the end of the trail, I met two geocachers on bikes - Mark S. from AR. and 1/3 of Team Pink. I also saw a boy playing with two horses and an old man changing a tire on his truck. I caught up with the geocachers at the 13 mile mark, where they found a cache that had eluded me earlier. After passing them a cache or two later, I never saw them again. I made it back to the trailhead about 9:30am and drank lots of water, applied more bug spray, put on my Arkansas State Parks hat, and put on my fanny pack with Gatorade.
[ The end of the trail ]
[ Team Pink and Mark S. from AR. ]
I enjoyed the hike north for the most part. I found caches left and right with an occasional miss.
Somewhere between mile 8 and 9, I came across a trailhead/parking lot. I thought about moving my car here, but after looking around I decided not to. Besides, at this point I only had a 1.75 mile hike to my turnaround point. Across from the parking lot was the town of Oneida. What I saw consisted of a small rundown store with a rundown house on one side and the town post office on the other.
[ Turn around point - the backside of the sign I hiked to on my previous trip ]
By the time I reached the 7 mile sign, I had used up all of my Gatorade. I decided that I'd head back to the Lakeview trailhead without stopping to hunt for caches I'd missed. When I made it to Oneida, I decided to check out the store. The windows were boarded up and the door had no windows, so I had no idea what I would find inside.
Inside it was cramped and dimly-lit. An Asian woman was at the register and asked me what I wanted. I told her I wanted some Gatorade. She got up to get me some - asking me questions about what flavor and size I wanted. I got the feeling they didn't get too many strangers around and that she didn't want me touring the tiny store unattended. I paid for the Gatorade and left. There were three pitbulls playing out front. They didn't bother me, though, and I hiked back to the trail.
[ The store in Oneida, AR. ]
A note about the store: It was the only store I saw within walking distance of the entire 14-mile trail.
[ Why did the cacher cross the road? ]
[ a neat view ]
[ not as many bridges on the south half ]
The rest of the hike was uneventful, and the longer the walk, the more I appreciated that little store and its cold Gatorade.
Once I got back to my car and drank some water, I packed up my stuff for the trip home. I was about to leave when I discovered a geocaching pamphlet on my windshield. It was put there by my new friends Mark S. for AR and Team Pink. Team Pink had written a brief note on the bottom that gave me a good hint about #100 (one of my many DNFs). Since that was only 0.3 miles down the trail, I decided to go after it. That gave me an even 40 finds (40 out of 57). Going back over my list, for the two-days of caching I did, I found 77 out of the 114 caches along the entire trail.
37 caches left - sounds like a plan for a future trip. I'm definitely biking next time and hopefully I can talk a friend (or two) into going with me.
[ Where all of the people were ]
I drove home roughly the same way I did last trip. I stopped at Marianna for a late lunch and in Forrest City for two additional caches. This time I also stopped in West Memphis for an Oreo Blizzard.
[ Lakeview Trailhead ]I parked at the Lakeview trailhead around 8am. My plan was to hike the remaining 2 miles south to the end of the trail, turn around, hike back to the car and pick up my Gatorade and misc supplies and hike 5 miles north to the 7 mile mark caching all along the way. Upon reaching the 7 mile mark, I would turn around and hike back to the car, hunting for anything I missed along the way.
The first thing I noticed (besides the heat) was that this part of the trail was much less shady than the northern half. The second thing I noticed (and the worst) was the abundance of mosquitoes. My bug spray was useless. I was fine as long as I kept moving. When I reached the end of the trail, I met two geocachers on bikes - Mark S. from AR. and 1/3 of Team Pink. I also saw a boy playing with two horses and an old man changing a tire on his truck. I caught up with the geocachers at the 13 mile mark, where they found a cache that had eluded me earlier. After passing them a cache or two later, I never saw them again. I made it back to the trailhead about 9:30am and drank lots of water, applied more bug spray, put on my Arkansas State Parks hat, and put on my fanny pack with Gatorade.
[ The end of the trail ]
[ Team Pink and Mark S. from AR. ]I enjoyed the hike north for the most part. I found caches left and right with an occasional miss.
Somewhere between mile 8 and 9, I came across a trailhead/parking lot. I thought about moving my car here, but after looking around I decided not to. Besides, at this point I only had a 1.75 mile hike to my turnaround point. Across from the parking lot was the town of Oneida. What I saw consisted of a small rundown store with a rundown house on one side and the town post office on the other.
[ Turn around point - the backside of the sign I hiked to on my previous trip ]By the time I reached the 7 mile sign, I had used up all of my Gatorade. I decided that I'd head back to the Lakeview trailhead without stopping to hunt for caches I'd missed. When I made it to Oneida, I decided to check out the store. The windows were boarded up and the door had no windows, so I had no idea what I would find inside.
Inside it was cramped and dimly-lit. An Asian woman was at the register and asked me what I wanted. I told her I wanted some Gatorade. She got up to get me some - asking me questions about what flavor and size I wanted. I got the feeling they didn't get too many strangers around and that she didn't want me touring the tiny store unattended. I paid for the Gatorade and left. There were three pitbulls playing out front. They didn't bother me, though, and I hiked back to the trail.
[ The store in Oneida, AR. ]A note about the store: It was the only store I saw within walking distance of the entire 14-mile trail.
[ Why did the cacher cross the road? ]
[ a neat view ]
[ not as many bridges on the south half ]The rest of the hike was uneventful, and the longer the walk, the more I appreciated that little store and its cold Gatorade.
Once I got back to my car and drank some water, I packed up my stuff for the trip home. I was about to leave when I discovered a geocaching pamphlet on my windshield. It was put there by my new friends Mark S. for AR and Team Pink. Team Pink had written a brief note on the bottom that gave me a good hint about #100 (one of my many DNFs). Since that was only 0.3 miles down the trail, I decided to go after it. That gave me an even 40 finds (40 out of 57). Going back over my list, for the two-days of caching I did, I found 77 out of the 114 caches along the entire trail.
37 caches left - sounds like a plan for a future trip. I'm definitely biking next time and hopefully I can talk a friend (or two) into going with me.
[ Where all of the people were ]I drove home roughly the same way I did last trip. I stopped at Marianna for a late lunch and in Forrest City for two additional caches. This time I also stopped in West Memphis for an Oreo Blizzard.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Delta Heritage Trail - 5/19/2010
I hadn't felt much like caching since the 10th anniversary of Geocaching event, but decided to check out my localized pocket query to see what was new in the area. I noticed a tight string of about 20 caches at the southwest edge of the bounds of my pocket query. When I investigated further, I found out that there was actually a string of 114 caches stretching from Lexa, AR to Lakeview, AR along the Delta Heritage Trail. I had actually found a cache on this trail during my earlier run to Helena, AR so I knew this was a well-maintained trail.
I read the general description of the cache trail and saw that it was fairly new with most caches only having a few finds. Rain forecasts kept me from going after them for at least one weekend. When I saw that Wednesday would be the last relatively cool day for awhile, I made plans to take the day off and head over there. My bike wasn't in good shape, so I considered renting a bike at Delta Heritage Trail State Park, which is 2 miles south of the first trailhead.
I got up early on Wednesday and drove to the Helena Junction Trailhead, near Lexa, AR. It was a nice clean parking lot and I felt comfortable leaving my car there for a while.
I read the general description of the cache trail and saw that it was fairly new with most caches only having a few finds. Rain forecasts kept me from going after them for at least one weekend. When I saw that Wednesday would be the last relatively cool day for awhile, I made plans to take the day off and head over there. My bike wasn't in good shape, so I considered renting a bike at Delta Heritage Trail State Park, which is 2 miles south of the first trailhead.
I got up early on Wednesday and drove to the Helena Junction Trailhead, near Lexa, AR. It was a nice clean parking lot and I felt comfortable leaving my car there for a while.
[ parking area at north end of trail ]My new plan was to hike 2 miles south to Barton trailhead at the State Park. I would then hike back and move my car to the park and hike south. My goal was to make it to the 7 mile marker - the halfway point of the trail.
[ mile 0 - the north end of the trail ]It was cool in the morning, and at first I jogged between caches. As it warmed up a little, I decided to save my energy and just walk. During that first two mile stretch, I had a 60% success rate. It doesn't sound good, but I couldn't take a lot of time to hunt individual caches. Particularly since most of them were camoflagued micros. I enjoyed the hike, though, and I guess that was really what was important.
[ plenty of shade along the 14 mile trail ]About 9:30am, I moved my car south to the State Park. Being a workday, there were no other cars around except for the park folks. At this point, it would have been smart to rent a bike.
[ State Park located 2 miles south of 1st trailhead ]I started south, and enjoyed the shade and the caches, and the time passed quickly. The big mistake I made on this day was leaving my Gatorade in the car. I had done no recon on this trail, and thought surely I would come across a business or store somewhere. The wisest thing I did was bring tweezers.
[ looking out to the west of the trail ]At one point, I came across a church with a nice parking lot that was gated. I assumed that was to keep hikers like me from parking there. 1.6 miles south of the park was the Lick Creek trailhead/parking area. It was the last trailhead I saw that day.
[ looking to the east from the trail ]
[ just past cache #57 of 114 ]When I got back the the park, I noticed the mosquitoes had suddenly come out. I didn't hang around for long and got back on the road. I stopped in Marianna for a late lunch and Forrest City for a couple of cache finds to round me out at 40 for the day.
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