Geocaching with sox06

Posted By Shirley on March 20, 2010

Just returned from a week in the Sunshine State…..a very short week it seemed!  I can feel more Florida vacations coming in our future.  Although neither of us wants to move there it felt so good to take a little chunk out of this NE winter.  For the locals it was a cold winter, but coming from New England even temps in the low 60’s during the day felt good.  Once we’ve both retired, a month down there each winter sounds very do-able. 

We got to spend time visiting with family on Marco Island and friends living in the Palm Beach area who I hadn’t seen in 30 years.  What a great reunion that was.  It makes me sad that we lost touch for such a long time and that we’d missed so many memories that might have been, but I’m so excited to have reconnected.  There’s so much catching up that we hope to do.

 We spent a couple of days exploring The Everglades.  Larry was hoping to touch a real alligator which I told him wasn’t happening.  I was wrong…..granted this ‘gator was only 8 – 10 inches long and being held captive in a large plastic bucket in a gift shop, but it was ‘alive and kicking’ and we each got to hold this poor little critter.  I hope they release him back into the wild soon……if that’s possible.  We also visited Big Cypress Swamp and Lake Okeechobee.  Took lots of pictures and saw lots of wildlife.  We checked out a couple of beaches though they were tough to get to because of all the private property along the water.  Those beaches we found were mostly deserted at this time of year and very beautiful with the water much more blue/turquoise than you’d ever see here in the northeast.

Of course no vacation would be complete without some caching…and we got to add another state to our caching adventures.  We’ve now cached in 17 different states and New Brunswick, Canada.  We found a total of 19 caches that week.   It wasn’t our biggest caching week but that also wasn’t the primary reason for our trip.  When we started this hobby we love so much we always thought it be something we would do to bring us to new & interesting places and a way to get out to get more exercise.  It does all of that.  We found caches in Delray, Boynton Beach, some around Lake Okeechobee and some virtual caches in the Everglades. 

The adventure story of the week was at a cache site next to Okeechobee where we were stopped by a Fish & Wildlife Environmental Police officer.  We had pulled into a graveled area to park.  The cache was hidden less than 100′ away, just over the rise of a small hill with a short section of guardrail along the top of the hill.  The officer happened to see us crossing over that guardrail and stopped to investigate.  Fortunately he had heard of geocaching but still wanted the ‘proof’.  We had to show him the actual cache and it’s contents.  After a lengthy discussion on geocaching and the use of GPSers he seemed satisfied that this old couple from Massachusetts was only into some harmless caching and not growing marijuana out in the ‘back 40′ of Nubbin Slough.

We had a great week and are already plotting our next visit…..this time to the Gulf coast for more caching and sunshine.

Happy Caching!!

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Posted By Shirley on January 10, 2010

This summer’s vacation was so much fun.  Larry & I both love visiting places we haven’t seen before, places with some history.  Neither of us is apt to say ‘hey, let’s go to the beach for a week’……especially me, I guess!  So many people said “why?” when we told them where we were going, but South Dakota was a perfect fit for us.  We loved the history, we loved the beauty of the whole area.  The Black Hills just need to be seen, there’s a ‘Kodak moment’ wherever you turn…..great for my personal love of photography. 

One of our favorite day trips was to Devils Tower in Wyoming.  The beauty of this rock formation is amazing.  We hiked around the base of most of the Tower but had to retrace our steps once we got just beyond the half-way point due to some paving work on the path.  This path takes just a little away from the natural-ness of the area but it also means that almost everyone can get to see the Tower from every angle, regardless of their ability level.  Another truly amazing sight was seeing 3 or 4 rock climbers half way up (or were they coming down?) along the columns that make up the surface of the Tower….much braver people than I ever was!

 While visiting the Tower we were able to pick up 4 more caches – one virtual, a micro and two earthcaches.  The geology here is as interesting as the Tower itself and was proof again of why we love geocaching.  I sometimes wish everyone could find the enjoyment Larry & I do when out caching or visiting a place like Devils Tower but then again maybe not!  If everyone was in these places we would lose the peace and beauty and solitude that we both love so much! 

More on some of our mid-west cache finds on another day.  Happy caching!

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Posted By Shirley on January 1, 2010

Happy New Year, everyone!

It’s been sooo long since we last blogged…..time to get back to it….a new year’s resolution?

Yes, we’re still caching though with this very cold New England weather and the holidays it’s slowed us down a bit (current cache finds of 1227!).  A lot of caching has happened since I last wrote.  Larry & I vacationed in the western part of South Dakota during the summer.  What a beautiful area at that time of year.  We saw much of the Black Hills, The Badlands, Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, a corner of Montana (had to add another state to our caching adventures!).  Also lots of wildlife – the buffalo herds in Custer State Park are amazing.  We’ve checked in on the current weather out there and it’s not nearly as inviting in December as it was last July.  I think it takes quite a hearty soul to live there year round.  More on those SD/WY/MT caches in another blog.

Christmas has just passed and of course our love/obsession for geocaching was a part of it!  Some small gifts that are sure to come in handy, but the biggest item…..Larry got a new Garmin Colorado GPS!  Can’t wait to try it out……..he also got the flu so it’ll be a little longer before we get out hiking & caching.  We really like going out with two GPSers.  Larry’s original eTrex Legend has been sitting in the bottom of his backpack.  It never really could hold a satellite position very well so using it has become too frustrating.  We’ve been relying on my Garmin 60CSx which has always worked well for us.  The Colorado should let us download more info from the cache pages and eliminate all the paper we’ve been carrying……save a few trees!!  From what we’ve read there may be a bit of a learning curve with this one but I’m positive we can handle that part….we’ll let you know!  So……….get well, Larry……lots of caches waiting for us!

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Posted By Shirley on May 3, 2009

Yesterday as we drove toward northern Worcester County for an afternoon of caching we saw so many areas along the highway that still show serious damage from the ice storm of last December – thousands of trees topped off by the weight of the ice or bent over with their tops resting on the ground, fallen branches too numerous to ever count.  It will probably be a decade or more before it’s not so noticible.  As you drive through the towns there’s still huge piles of branches in front of half the homes.  People have cleaned their yards but the towns haven’t found the funds necessary to remove the debris yet.   

We were in Fitchburg, MA at a nice little spot – Coggshall Park.  It’s a great recreation area for families….picnicking, walking the dog,  a small pond for swimming, trails for hiking, great roads for biking.  On the trails we saw lots of debris left over from December’s storm.  The less used trails may never be cleaned up. 

According to Gus – the GPSr – the cache we were searching for was about 250 feet away and up a relatively small though slightly steep hill.  It was pretty rocky and we were having a problem finding a trail.  Almost passed this one up….but for just 250 – 260 feet we wanted to try it.  We finally found a trail heading in the general direction of the cache and began our trek up.   It wasn’t long before we ran into storm debris, then a huge and interesting boulder with a surrounding foundation/stone wall….no idea what it had been used for in another lifetime.  We kept trudging upward.   Unfortunately the storm debris only got worse.  We were climbing over huge fallen trees and branches, the trail was pretty much non-existent after passing that large boulder.  In addition to the debris there was a field of smaller boulders and rocks as well as mud and a small creek traveling down the hill – all this needed to be crossed before we reached the cache.  We finally got to GZ – after what must have been a 1000 foot walk – and knew we must be in the right area.  The big problem again…..storm debris.  There were enough fallen trees and branches in this area to build a medium sized log home.

Yes, we found the cache…..well hidden but the contents were damp.  Now our next concern….how to get back down the hill.   Gravity is usually our friend after a climb but in this case the branches and rocks were just a little dangerous.  It took a while to negotiate our way back to the car.  We finally made it…..with find # 917, a few scrapes and scratches and at least one tick.

Our assessment……..in this case the searching wasn’t so much fun and the cache just wasn’t worth it!

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Posted By Shirley on April 24, 2009

There are days when I think we should find a support group for geocachers.  Wednesday  was one of them.  Maybe ‘Geocachers Anonymous’?  The story goes…..

We dropped off Jim & his family at the Manchester Airport for their yearly excursion to Disney World.  Then….we couldn’t resist a little prep time for a future caching day.  Had seen the area on the internet site, so we went to this state park in the Manchester/Hooksett area of NH.  It probably has about 50 caches…..with some 15 or 20 of them right along a long road at the edge of the forest. We wanted to scope out the area to see if we would hike or bike when we come back (definitely hike).   So…..no GPS, no computer printouts, just a little geo-sense and a rough map of the area w/ icons at the approximate cache sites.  As we were driving we saw many ‘a good place for a hide’ along this road.  Finally, Larry couldn’t contain himself any longer and had to check out a few of these ‘likely spots’……wouldn’t you know he found a cache!!  Nothing special in it but we signed the log, then had to go home and try to figure out just which cache it was so we could get credit for the find!

I really think if one must be addicted to something this is a fun way to go!

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Posted By Shirley on April 11, 2009

There are loads of great hides out there, also lots of typical hides and many typical caches.  But what about the ‘great caches’?  I’m talking about those cache containers that have something of the ‘wow’ factor – those that are just a little different.  They took some creative thinking and some effort on the part of the cache owner.  They make us say ‘look at this’, we remember them long after leaving GZ.

Last weekend we found a great example courtesy of a Cape Cod cacher.  I don’t want to give the slightest hint about its location because it’s definitely worth the search.  The cache looked like a typical nut and bolt combo.  The bolt itself was drilled out and had a small roll of paper inside for the log.  Nice work! 

There’s other great caches out there that we’ve found over the last 2-plus years of caching:  an actual piece of log or sometimes a small rock that has been hollowed on the bottom side so a cache can be placed in the hollow and the hiding container placed back in it’s original/natural spot;  the cylinder shaped cache rolled in a piece of birch bark and lying there innocently among other actual birch logs;  the piece of a real log that had been hollowed out with the cache placed inside and another piece of the same log serving as a cover;  the pinecone hanging in a tree that had been hollowed in order to place the sign-in log inside.  That one wasn’t really waterproof but what a great idea!  Another great cache brought us back 4 times to the same site and begging for a clue from the owner:   a small cluster of ‘grass’ that blended perfectly with the surroundings and had a small capsule at the bottom end to hold the log and tuck into a perfect ‘hiding’ spot.    We’ve found three or four switch box plate covers with a magnet holding them to a metal surface, the log underneath.  They’re camo’d so well they really seem to belong at their hiding spot. 

A great thing about these hides is that most of them are actually right out in the open but blend so well with their surroundings that your eye goes past them as you look for ‘something that doesn’t belong’.  They’re fun to find.  We like the challenge and always appreciate the effort taken by the cache owner. 

Another reason to love geo-caching!

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Posted By Shirley on March 16, 2009

Nineteen caches!  We broke our own record today …..and if it wasn’t for a DNF or two we would have broken the big 2 – 0 for the day as well.  It’ll happen!

Yesterday we visited some areas of Plymouth, MA that we hadn’t seen before.  Usually coming to such a tourist-y area you end looking at ‘the rock’ and that not-so-huge ship.  But not this time…..we never even got a glimpse.  It was nice seeing something a little different.  The town has some very pretty areas that make me want to live nearer the ocean.  Sunday was such a beautiful late winter day that everyone felt the tug of spring weather…..muggles were everywhere.  We saw a nice little bike path, a monument to our forefathers and a very moving memorial to those who died on 9/11.  There was also some great conservation land, a state park and  spectacular ocean views in our travels.  Definitely worth a day trip to the area. 

What angered both Larry and myself was an area we visited near the end of our day.  It was several acres of beautiful forested land behind one of the elementary schools.  The walk to one of the many ponds and fishing spots in town was a nice one.  The sad part was that some people have chosen this piece of nature to show their worst habits using it as their own private dumping ground.  There was an old TV in one spot, a pile of old car parts in another, pieces of furniture scattered in other areas, a couple of piles of unidentifiable refuse in another, an old abandoned tire.  This would probably take a little more than ‘cache in, trash out’ simply due to the size of several discarded pieces sitting out there.  It showed such total disregard for some otherwise beautiful land.  We have only contempt for the people who could do this.  I’m not sure what the fix is…..how do you make someone care more about their world, to respect and value what’s around them?

That was the negative part of our day but it ended on a better note.  We went on to find a couple more caches before heading home and there was even a good laugh when one half of sox06 tore her favorite jeans…..such a small price to pay for finding all those caches!  We’re at #844 and speeding toward the 900 mark!   Happy caching!

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Posted By Shirley on March 14, 2009

I think spring may actually be coming around!  A month ago it felt like we might never really get into caching again but here it is mid March and the weatherman is threatening 50 degree temperatures.  Couldn’t we use more threats like that!

Though we’ve done many caches over the colder months, last weekend was our first ‘big’ caching day since fall.  We took a day trip to Jamestown, RI.  We’ve cached a lot in RI and I have to admit many of the areas aren’t places we’d hurry back to, but Jamestown and Newport are beautiful.  They’re gorgeous areas right on the ocean and have loads of places to hike and explore.  On Saturday the weather was perfect for finding 17 caches and bringing our total to 825.  Not a record setting day but it was close.  Our favorite of the day – The Suspense is Killing Me (GCQJ6B).  If you’re in the area don’t miss this one…..you won’t be disappointed!  A couple of other places to visit that have great views and several caches are at Fort Getty and Beavertail State Park.

I can feel the excitement…..today we’ll plan out the itinerary and tomorrow will be another ‘big day’.  Spring is here and warmer weather caching is back!  Happy caching everyone!

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Posted By Larry on February 25, 2009

Next to virtual caches (which are now apparently a thing of the past), our next favorite type of cache is the earthcach. As Shirley mentioned in her blog “What is a Cache?” earthcaches offer a physical science lesson. They are generally special places that people can visit to learn about unique geo-science features or aspects of our Earth. Earthcaches include a set of educational notes and the details about where to find the location (latitude and longitude). For more information about Earthcaches, visit http://www.earthcache.org/ sponsored by the main site at http://www.geocaching.com . The following are some of our favorite earthcaches:
Dinosaur Footprints (GCNP8D), located in Holyoke, MA along the ancient shore line of the Connecticut River, is a visible example of pre-human life on earth. We have all heard and read of dinosaur existence but to see 134 actual footprints of two legged carnivorous dinosaurs from 190 million years ago encased in sandstone (once ancient mudflats) is truly awesome! This earthcache location is also special to both Shirley and I since it was our first exposure to geocaching.

Out of Africa (GC1B0WN), had us visiting the rocky shoreline of Jamestown, RI. What was most interesting about this location is that these rock formations are only found here and along the western shorelines of southern Europe and northern Africa. It is said to be a strong example of the theory of continental drift and the supposition that we were once connected to both of those other two continents. Quite remarkable when you think about it!

Four Falls Earthcache (GCQHZM), These falls are located along the Limestone River in New Brunswick, Canada. We visited the site in June of 2008. It is said that it is best to visit in the spring when the runoff is at its peak. This location is said to be second only to Niagara Falls for the total volume of water going over the falls.

On a recent vacation to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in September of 2008 we found some great earthcaches that were quite unique and much different from those in New England:

Miners Castle (GC15QNT) and Munising Falls (GC1E6AV) were located in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Park along the shore of Lake Superior in Munising, Michigan.
Minor’s Castle was a spectacular quartz and sandstone formation (resembling a castle) located within the Pictured Rocks high cliffs. Munising Falls is located along a “nick” in the sandstone cliffs that lead to Lake Superior. The Pictured Rock cliffs are truly remarkable and are a “must see” if you are ever in the Munising area. You can get to specific spots by car but the cliffs really have to be seen by boat  to get the true extent, scope and color of the landscape. Boat tours are available out of Munising.

Black Rocks Earthcache (GC1DTR3) is located in the Presque Isle portion of Marquette, Michigan. Here you get to stand on black lava Precambrian rocks which arose from the earth’s mantle and are over 1 billion years old. The line of separation between the lighter sandstone overburden and the black color of the mantle rock is striking.

The World’s Largest Gemstone (GC1C6F1), is located in the city of Ishpeming, Michigan. It is locally referred to as Jasper Knob with a claim to be the world’s largest gemstone. We weren’t quite sure what to expect here. Access to the site was through an old residential section of town that doesn’t appear to get many visitors. One resident on a porch stared at us from the moment we left the car until we returned. The hill we climbed can best be described as a huge rock outcrop with some trees growing on it. At the top of the hill we found ourselves standing atop of a huge outcrop of Jaspilite which is a banded iron formation (BIF) rock outcrop comprised of bands of red jasper, and both red and silvery-gray hematite (iron ore). This outcrop has been dated at over 1 billion years old and represents another portion of the earth’s inner core that was pushed up and is now exposed. This was one of those little “gems” of a location that we would never have visited if it were not for geocaching.

Many earthcaches in the northern portion of the United States (our New England states in particular) involve rock and land formations left behind by the last known glacier. Many of these caches involve some type of “glacial erratic” which is simply defined as – a piece of rock that deviates from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Several of our earthcache finds fall into this category. A few notable examples from our favorites list are:

Rocking Stones Earthcache (GC19JJN), located in Rocking Stone Park in Barre, Mass., is an example of rocks left in a seemingly fragile state of balance constantly defying gravity.

Doane Rock (GCZDAZ) in Eastham, Mass. and The Rock (GC138PK) in Framingham, Mass. are examples of huge glacial erratics. Doane rock is an 1,800 ton erratic that is said to be one of the largest in southern New England and the largest one on Cape Cod.

Purgatory Chasm (GCZEYV) is located in Sutton, Mass. It is a quarter mile long ravine whose origin has puzzled many geologists over the years. The most popular theory is that it was carved out of glacial meltwater.

I could go on and on and list others but I am sure by now you get the gist of why we like earthcaches so much. You can be assured that visits to earthcaches will be an important part of future vacations as we travel to other parts of the country.

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Posted By Shirley on February 21, 2009

It’s been a long winter for caching.  We’ve finally hit the 800 mark and now we’re creeping slowly toward the next milestone.  At this rate that’s probably 810!  There’s been lots going on that doesn’t involve caching…..there’s holidays and birthdays, snow storms and especially cold temperatures, social engagements and now tax season…..and for some reason our employers still expect us to come into work during the week!  All this has meant some very busy weeks since late November and we’ve only gotten out to hike and cache sporadically since then. 

But we finally got out last weekend with Jim and his family.  It was a different kind of birthday celebration for him…..but one that I think we all enjoyed.  All six of us went on a late day walk through Fort McLary in Kittery, ME.  Sunday was a beautiful winter day…..not too cold and surprisingly not too much wind coming off the water.  Everything is still pretty frozen and covered in snow and ice but not so much that we couldn’t do a little exploring.  It’s a small fort with some interesting features including a staircase leading into a short but dark brick-lined tunnel that brought you to a small window (presumably a gun mount) overlooking the harbor.  There’s several forts in the Kittery/Portsmouth area that were actively protecting us in the 1800s.  They’re all fun to visit and have interesting stories to tell. 

We checked out all the nooks and crannies, all the dark and ‘scary’ rooms of the fort.  The kids loved climbing on some of the huge boulders and up and down the hills.  They found deer tracks in the snow then went on to find the cache.  This was a quick find…..the grandchildren are getting good at this!  They love these ‘treasure hunts’, especially when we can swap some swag like we did at this find.  We also left a TB for the next cacher.  Because the sun was getting ready to set we decided on a birthday dinner at Warren’s and figured it was best to wait for another day for find #809!

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