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A nice trip up to Glasgow on the early bus today with the intention of a grabbing a few caches which we managed.  
So 3 found in all which takes me up to 250 caches.  Ok loads of folk are into thousands but I am plodding along with my caches here and there,  with the summer approaching I will not be out as much caching as I have my little B&B so whilst it is quiet through the winter/spring then that is when we are out caching.  I will point out that I am the geocacher in the house, hubby trails along but secretly I think is a closet cacher................................
After collecting the caches we bought sandwiches and sat in the sun in George Square where they have a huge wheel, a smaller version of the London Eye (which we have also been on)  so with it being a cold bright day off we go to get the tickets for a ride on the wheel, which we enjoyed with lovely views over the city.










The wheel wasn't busy we could have stayed on a lot longer if we wanted to, they said to just ring the bell on the ceiling if we wanted off, I thought he meant if we didn't like it and wanted off! 
This is me completing a cache challenge, do you see the cone on top of Wellington's head? I had to be in the photograph along with the statue and hopefully his cone, thankfully he was wearing it today.  I tried to stand and look as if I was waiting for someone rather than having my photograph taken!   Then before heading for the bus we went to my favourite shop, Lakeland that sells everything to do with the house/kitchen.


SEE THIS POST ON ANN'S BLOG - MY CORNER OF SCOTLAND 

Late Thursday afternoon, Chuy! posted in San Diego Event Forum that he was headed north to find the Calaveras Lake caches. He said it would be about a seven-mile hike, and since I had walked five miles on each of the last two days, I wondered if I would be too tired. However, I didn't think the terrain was too tough, so I sent him an email, and then called and left a message.

I set my alarm for 5:30 in the morning and went to bed early . . . 

In the morning, I gave myself about 45 minutes to get to Chuy!'s house and that was just about the right amount of time to get there on time. It was a pleasant surprise to see map4navigation there. He had decided at the last minute to sign on for the adventure. I had not cached with him for a long time.

We loaded our stuff into Chuy!'s truck and set off up the 67 and from there, followed a complicated route. It was a good thing Chuy! knew his way to the area, because I had no idea where we were going . . . and it was a long drive. I was very thankful he wanted to head up that way. With the price of gas at $4.35 a gallon, my driving is going to be even more limited now.

We started out on the trail, going in the opposite direction from the way Princess Toadstool and I walked when we were in the area in 2005. It was a hazy day, so I didn't take too many pictures. I had to stop when I saw this flower carpet at the base of the extinct volcano.



At that point, we were headed up to the top of the of the rocky mound that is a unique geologic formation in that part of San Diego County. 



Once we got on the top, we searched for the Geocache for quite a while. I meandered over to the location of the Terracache and found it easily. Unfortunately, the container had leaked during this past winter, so the inside was wet and rusty. The logbook was protected by the ziplock bag, so that was a good thing.

We finally located the Geocache about 37' away from GZ and headed back down the trail on our way to a couple of caches, not realizing we would get to climb almost all the way to the top again after circling around the west side of the volcano.



We followed the meandering trails, backtracking once to pick up one of the "Historic Caches" we came all this way to find.



We walked past these amazing, huge thistle plants a couple of times during our wanderings.


Here is the Profile of our adventure. The spikes in the track are because I kept the GPS unit on my belt during our hike.



We ended the day at a great English Pub that has a cache in the front planter. That was a cache I DNF'd along with a large group of other cachers back in 2006. It was good to move that one to the "Found" column, and great to enjoy a good dinner with my caching companions.

I really had a great day finding the most caches I have found in one day in more than a year.

By the time I got back to Lakeside, I was really tired. I hoped the plans for Saturday did not involve a strenuous hike, but after talking to Auld Pro, found out that was not to be the case . . . 

It's no big secret that I love food.  Hot food.  Cold food.  Sweet food.  Spicy food.  I don't discriminate.  Of course, I have my favorites, and that which I just won't eat, but for the most part I'll eat anything.  One thing I'd never tried, though, is fondue.  I'd heard plenty of good things about the art of cooking your own food in hot liquid.  My week in Myrtle Beach presented me with the opportunity to check it out for myself.

My wife and I decided to make the night after our wedding a night out for just the two of us.  We wanted to go for a nice relaxing, romantic.  Her sister mentioned the area had a restaurant called The Melting Pot.  It's a nationwide chain of fondue restaurants.  We scoped the restaurant out on the internet.  The reviews were mostly glowing.  Although it sounded a bit pricey, but we were willing to open our wallets in the interests of doing something different, and trying something new.

We had reservations for Tuesday evening, and were seated at a cozy booth in the back of the restaurant.  Our waiter went over with us what was in store for the evening.  This was not going to be a "pick your meal from the menu, eat, then you're outta here" type dinners.  He reviewed our meal similar to how a boxing analyst would review the fight card.  We were filled with anticipation before the first plate of food even came out!



The first course of the evening was the cheese fondue.  The lager-infused cheese fondue was very tasty.  We were offered a plate of items for dipping, such as a variety of breads, vegetables such as carrots and celery, and apples.  Much to my amazement, cheese and apples go very well together!

Salads were next on the agenda.  We both enjoyed a large Caesar salad.  Even my wife, who traditionally is not a fan of the Caesar salad, found it to be delicious.  I think it had to be the croutons.  They were sweet, and I couldn't get enough of them!  It was around this time where Holly ordered her Ying Yang Martini.  This adult beverage was a work of art.  From what I understand, it tasted as good as it looked!



It was now time for the entree plate.  To my surprise, Holly selected the Caribbean mojo flavor to add to our fondue pot.  Our waiter fired up the fondue, and added some vegetables into the mix.  He also brings out the plate with several meat selections- fillet Mignon, pork tenderloin, chicken, shrimp and mahi mahi.  As if that wasn't appetizing enough, a plate of dipping sauces was also brought to the table.  Anything from sweet & sour sauce, to Gorgonzola cheese, curry, Dijon mustard and cocktail sauce.  There was a sauce fitting for each type of meat.  We leisurely cooked our food, trying each of the sauces along the way.  As we found or likes and dislikes of the meal, we bartered with each other and successfully ate everything on the plate, and in the pot.



The first three courses alone offered a memorable dining experience, but we weren't done yet.  It was time for dessert.  We selected a chocolate and marshmallow fondue base from the extensive list of options.  A short time later our waiter returned with a new pot, and a healthy amount of chocolate.  Our dipping options included strawberries (which we subbed out for brownies), marshmallows coated in chocolate and rice krispies, graham crackers, and cheesecake.  Words cannot possibly describe the dessert.  It was hands-down the best dessert I've ever had.  the chocolate was unlike anything I've ever tasted, but to eat it warm, and drizzled on other tasty treats is something that must be experienced!



The fondue experience isn't for everyone.  Some don't have the patience for a two hour dining experience. We saw children at the restaurant when we were there, but both agreed we couldn't see bringing our own children.  It would have been a disaster.  But, for us newlyweds, it was an evening to remember.  It wasn't just dinner, it was a dining event!

Big Al back then


WELCOME TO THIRSTY THURSDAY!!


Grab a cup of coffee, or tea, sit back, no better yet GET ME OUT OF HERE.


Okay, don't laugh at the picture. Remember, I am a Security Specialist, and a Geocacher, and I know all of the best places to hide the bodies.