CacheCrazy.Com

Nights are getting long,
Swallows have gone, following the sun
There's a chill in the air
Dog days are off the leash, chasing snowballs on the beach

-Summer's Gone, by Gaelic Storm


The summer, for all intensive purposes, has come to an end.  The kids are back in school.  Fall sports have begun.  I'm back in a weekly routine which will last until next June, in some form or another.  I must say, it's been one fantastic summer.  Between taking an awesome vacation to the beach, getting married, enjoying the hot, hot weather and much more, the Summer of 2012 seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye!

I cut back on my cache runs this summer.  Part of that was due to an increasingly busy workload.  Assuming a few more responsibilities at work necessitated me being at the office more, and less time working from home.  That added up to fewer mornings and afternoons available to go hit a few caches to, or from, work.  In addition, I stepped back a little from the numbers game.  I still enjoy hitting the FTF's and filling in calendar dates, as well as seeking caches to complete requirements for various puzzle/challenge caches, but for the most part I took a break.  I freed myself from the urge to find a cache every single day and/or find every single cache around me.  I realized both weren't going to be feasible.  I feel this has prevented me from getting a case of cache burnout.

Someone had fun at the beach!

What has not been lost in the mix is how many quality caches I saw over the summer.  Not only quality caches, but quality caches newly placed, and by cachers new to the game.  For how often people talk about how this type of cache and that type of cache is ruining the game, I feel things are actually going in the opposite direction.

Meeting fellow geocachers-always a good time!

I compiled a short list of my favorite caches found this summer.  My problem was I must have given out a dozen or more favorite points over the past few months.  A good problem to have, right?  In the end, I narrowed the list down to the four which I thought stood out above the rest.  The caches, or cachers, are not all necessarily new, and are in no particular order.


GC3E1MG- A Little Bit of Everything by Redknight

Sometimes favorite points are rewarded because of a cool cache container.  Sometimes they are awarded because the cache takes you to a cool place.  Sometimes it's because of the cache hunt itself.  In the case of this 10-stage multi cache in Sussex County, New Jersey, it's all of the above.  This cache first caught my eye back in March, when it was first published.  The posted coordinates take you to a park, where you need to count objects and solve a math equation to get the coordinates for stage two.  I counted the objects, did the math, and came up with a different solution almost every time I tried.  Eventually, after about the 20th time, I came up with a number set which stuck.  I was positive I had it. As it turns out, I was right.  I had the coordinates...to stage five.  After some conversation, via email, with the cache owner, I was assured I was on the right path, and picked away at this cache until I got to the final.  This one did, indeed have a little bit of everything, even a few decoys, one of which was unintended!  This one would also get bonus points for the large amount of swag available for trade at the final.  Well done!


GC3T9TF-MacGyver This! by magicman/sewjourner /  GCC8GK Pour Me A Cold One by trail_hound

I grouped these together for a reason.  Both caches are found in Sussex County, New Jersey.  Both are Traditional caches, which require the finder to perform the same feat of skill, in order to sign the logbook and claim the find.  Also, I unintentionally found both caches within a few short days of each other.  They both got my creative juices flowing.  As a result, you may, or may not, be seeing a new cache coming soon to a park near you.  I even thought up a crazy way of improving on their methods!


GCYMDH- Treefrogs of Equinox by treequest

Again, we go back to Sussex County, New Jersey to this Traditional Cache, located just off a trail in a Wildlife Management Area in Sparta.  This cache requires you to perform, what I'd like to call, a feat of strength, balance and patience, not so much in retrieving the cache, but rather replacing it as found.  The cache itself is a small decon container with a logbook.  As I was failing miserably in resetting the cache, I was thinking to myself about how I hoped there wasn't anyone close by, for the sound of a decon container falling on a boulder bares a great similarity to the sound of a shotgun being fired.  There's something to be said for having a sense of accomplishment after finding a geocache.  In the case of Treefrogs of Equinox, it was probably related to a sense of relief in not having to email the cache owner, in shame, telling him his cache couldn't be reset to its original position.  It took me, perhaps, a dozen tries before I put it back.  I was starting to wonder how far a decon container would fly in the woods on a hot summer day!


What's your favorite cache you've found this summer?

WELCOME TO THIRSTY THURSDAY!!!

Are you a patient person? Sometimes we are in desperate need of being patient. We'll test out your patience right about now.

This past Saturday, Dodger was at the Centre Hall Grange Fair and was sampling some hot sauces. He wanted to share the good word with us hot sauce lovers so he sent this email to BigAl and me.

Boy, do I have a treat for you! Our friend Conni from MrsMamaHen.com and her family went on this awesome salmon fishing trip to Valdez, Alaska USA. While they were fishing, having some great family fun and adventure she was photographing and blogging the whole trip on her blog at MrsMamaHen.com.
Join Conni every Monday for the next five Monday's to take a peek into the wilderness, the wildlife and the adventure as we travel to Valdez through her camera and her words. Let's get started right away!

This past weekend, we headed out on a fishing trip in Valdez, way down at the coast. My husband went to Valdez for a charter boat fishing trip, but this was my first time down. The area we were going to be fishing, was near a hatchery where gazillions of baby salmon are released every year. And of course, every year, gazillions more want to come home to spawn. Outside the hatchery, you can see a "gate" that keeps the salmon from entering the stream into the hatchery. That doesn't stop them from trying to get in!




Check out this humpy!


The male pinks are called "humpies" because of the prominent hump on their backs.

The salmon were so thick, it seemed you could practically walk across the water on the backs of salmon and never get wet.


Can you see the fish fever taking effect?


Seeing as tide was out, the boys decided to give it a go...even though they hadn't planned on fishing til the next day.


You'll notice that water is finding its way around their feet. When they went out, it was gravel. Tide was coming back in and they didn't even notice. Finally it reached my husband's knees, and he had salmon swimming all around him!


Jack caught the first salmon of the trip...his first salmon ever.


The next day was spent almost completely fishing...at least for the guys. I was too enamored with the wildlife and scenery, taking tons of pictures. But I did join in later on.






That's our neighbor there in the gray.






So later that day, when they did their second round of fishing..stopping for dinner & a nap, and to clean their so-far catch...I decided to go ahead and join in. It was getting too dark to take pictures anyways. Ahem.

This is my first salmon, and one of Jack's many. We tried to catch females, and would release most of the males. The females, though smaller, have more meat on them.


Of course this was my biggest catch. It was a male, but I had to keep this one!


Joshua and one of his catches.


At the end of the day, the guys had to haul this back up the slick rocks to the truck...and then fillet them all! They were up until around 1 am cleaning fish, exhausted and loving every minute of it.

We plan to make another trip down in a few weeks when the silvers are coming through!

We weren't the only ones fishing, though. Humans weren't the only ones scooping up the fish for our bellies. I have many varieties to share with you...the first coming up shortly!

Come back next Monday to see her surprise and enjoy the adventure!
Thanks Conni!

As you may recall I have travelled to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon for work. 

During the day I am working for the man.  In the evenings I am spending my time exploring the amazing natural beauty of the gorge, and finding some geocaches.

This evenings adventure was to explore the Mosier Tunnels.  They are part of the Columbia River Highway, which was build between 1913 - 1922, and in service until 1954 when the nearby Interstate 84 highway was built.  These tunnels were then filled in with rock and stone for safety reasons.  In 1998 the tunnels were cleared out, and the old highway between Hood River and Mosier was turned into a paved walking and biking path.The trail is also host to several caches, some of which have a very high terrain rating.   I parked at the Mosier end of the trail and hiked a couple miles down the trail.  The first cache is actually on top of the tunnels, but to get there I would have had to climb a sheer rock wall, which I determined upon inspection, was beyond my abilities.  After admiring the tunnel I moved on to the next cache.  With caching, as with many other things in life, it is important to know your limits.

The next cache was a difficulty of 4, terrain of 4 (ratings go from 1-5).  I normally limit myself to terrains of 3, so this was going to be a stretch for me.  When I got closer to GZ it quickly became apparent that I would need to climb up a steep rock pile.  It would be tough, but I figured I could do it, because with caching, as with many other things in life, it is important to keep challenging yourself.So I started clambering and billy goating myself up 50 or so feet of a loosely packed rock pile.  It was a struggle, but I finally managed to get to the top, and saw the sweet, sweet sight of...

<-- Look!  An ammo can!  Ain't it sweet?

 ... the cache. After signing the log I billy goated back down to the bottom of the pile, and with a rather proud feeling about myself, I kept moving down the trail.I had time for one more cache, which was just a bit further down the the trail.  Then with the sun setting behind me I executed a retrograde maneuver and returned to my car, and drove back to the hotel.


There are a couple more caches on the Hood River side of the trail that I did not have a change to get this evening.  Hopefully I'll be able to snag them before going home.   This is one interesting trail.

Columbia River Gorge - I love this place!
See this post on Dave's blog, Only Googlebot Reads This Blog

In May 2001 Paramount Pictures released a series of 12 caches to promote their latest movie:  Planet Of The Apes.  The caches contained movie artifacts, and was known as Project A.P.E - Advanced Primate Evolution. 

Cachers around the world know them simply as the APE caches.  They are part of the holy trinity of caching known as the Triad, which included the original stash, Groundspeak HQ, and one of the APE caches (typically the Seattle one).  I found Groundspeak HQ and The Original Stashon previous trips.  I was looking forward to completing the triad on this trip.

 Two months ago there were only two APE caches left, one near Seattle WA, and the other in Brazil.  A couple months ago the Seattle APE, known as "Mission 9: Tunnel Of Light went missing and was archived.     Since a trip to the Brazilian rain forrest was practically out of the question it looked like I would never get the chance to complete the triad.  Luckily for me a week ago a cacher released a new cache in the same spot as the APE.  Same experience, just a different cache ID.  The APE was back, and today I completed the triad.I met up with a fellow cacher I met on IRC by the name of WeightMan, and together we hiked the 6.75 miles worth of trails through the amazingly beautiful Cascade mountains.  There are two trails that lead to the APE... a walk through cedar woods called Annette Lake Trail, and the Iron Horse Trail.   We left one car at the Annette Lake trailhead, and drove to the Iron Horse trailhead and did a one way hike.

Now the astute readers among you may have noticed that I didn't describe what the Iron Horse trail is like... you may also have wondered why this APE is called Tunnel Of Light. 

Still wondering? Let me enlighten... sort of.

Tunnel Of Light

So to get from the Iron Horse Trailhead you have to walk about 3 miles... most of it underground.  Most of that path is done by walking through an old train tunnel called the Snoqualmie Tunnel.  It is 2.25 miles long, and (mostly) straight as an arrow.   As you enter one end you can see a small speck of light at the other. That spot of light is the exit. 

The coolest part of the tunnel was that there is a cache half way down it.  I've never done a cache where GPS signals were not available.   Very cool :)

Once we escaped the tunnel we still had about a mile to hike to get to the APE.  The trail was very smooth, and snaked along a ridge line overlooking a valley.  The sky was clear, the air nice and cool.  Couldn't ask for a more perfect day for hiking and caching.  Along the way we grabbed a few more caches.The APE cache itself is a large ammo can, and to this point is the largest ammo can I've seen.   I'll spare any more details of the cache itself to avoid spoilers (cachers from around the world come to do the APE, so its quite possible they may read this blog before attempting the APE), except to say that the view from the cache is simply amazing, and the hike is worth it for that alone.  The cache is really just icing on a really delicious cake. 
The cache was also WeightMans 1900th find.  Congrats man!  I also released my first travel bug, Alberta The Uber-Moose Of Science, to the public at large.  Travel, little moose, explore the world!

After the APE we continued down the Iron Horse Trail, and took a right turn onto the Annette Lake Trail.  About half way down this trail is another cache called The Rocket Cache, which contained, what I assume, is an ammo can that used to house rockets, making this one the largest ammo can I have seen to date :)

We eventually made our way back to the cars and WeightMan and I parted ways.  I headed back to Renton WA and attended the Washington State Geocaching Associations (WSGA) Summer Picnic event.  I spent the afternoon eating hot dogs, meeting new cachers, and doing group hunts for the caches in the area.  I also met TotemLake, another cacher I met online.  It was a heck of a way to end a perfect day of caching in Washington.

Grand total:  12 caches, 0 DNFs :)

 All in all, it was a great day to be a geocacher.

See this post on Dave's Blog Only Googlebot Reads This Blog

Last week I renewed my Premium Membership with Groundspeak.  Yes, I'm in the club for another year.  It's about this time, each year, where I reflect on the past year's worth of geocaching.  Each year I seem to open the door to the possibility that I just might not want to do it anymore.  Perhaps I'll just stick with the free account.  I might not have the opportunity to get out and hunt as many caches as in the past year.  Maybe I just don't want to do it anymore.

I then think of all the experiences I've had as a result of geocaching.  I've overcome childhood fears, climbed really big mountains, plunged into Satan's Crack, met dozens, if not hundreds, of cool folks and much, much more.  I've had the opportunity to challenge myself, both physically and mentally.  I've learned about things and visited places I never knew existed.


I've brought others along on cache finds.  Some have liked it- others, well, not so much.  That's ok, though.  As with many other things in life, it's not for everybody.



A small curiosity about a friend's past time, three years ago, has brought me to where I am today.  I can't imagine how different things would be if I never took the time to research this geocaching game she was talking about at a party.  Can you believe all I would have missed out on?


Granted, you don't need a Premium Membership to geocache.  Many are against the notion of paying to play, and I totally respect that.  To me, for what averages out to a few dollars a month, opens the door to the complete geocaching experience.  It's a worthwhile investment, if you ask me.

By Big Al

Well folks since the 2011 Bowhunters Festival was cancelled due to flooding I thought it was only proper to give you a taste of what is to come at this years festival (barring any flooding again).

The 2012 PA Bowhunter's Festival is coming up on September 14th, 15th, and 16th at the Sullivan County Fair Grounds. Whether you hunt or not you can still enjoy a fun time with family and friends.


WELCOME TO THIRSTY THURSDAY!
Grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit back and smell the fire, beans, and bacon.

A good friend of mine, Steve, invited me to the Pennsylvania Bowhunter's Festival held at the Sullivan County Fairgrounds, in Forksville, PA. We were really looking forward to this trip since we would also be camping out at the nearby Worlds End State Park. I had made our reservations in advance to make sure we would have a camp site reserved for us.

We arrived in Forksville and stopped at the place we thought was the State Park. We were wrong. It was just a visitor's center. A Ranger came out so we asked him where to go. He told us where the family campground was and he then said if we could not find it he would be out in the morning to look for us. We laughed and headed off to the campground. We found our spot with no problems, which was spot #63. It was such a beautiful site and it seemed like it would be a beautiful night. We set up our tent and then got the fire going. I opened up the container I had the pork and beans in and put them in a pan and put them on the fire. Then I put on and some water for coffee. It did not take long for the water to get hot and I poured a cup for both of us. There’s nothing like a fresh cup of coffee while you’re camping.

                                 Setting up camp



The pork and beans were ready so we ate them. They were outstanding. Steve really loved the way they tasted. I had seasoned them with molasses, brown sugar, maple syrup, a dab of mustard, and a few spices. Steve had brought along a small venison roast, which I cut down the middle as two steaks, and we seasoned them with Maple Seasoning and Grill Master seasoning. I put them on the grill and let them cook. When they were done we cut them each in half since they were not the same thickness. That way we each got a thin piece and a thicker piece. The meat was so good.













Look at those beautiful steaks

When we were done we cooked some little pies in my pie tins. We put bread in the tins and then put cherry pie filling in-between the pieces of bread along with a small piece of Hershey bar. Then we cooked them over the fire. They were delicious. Steve had never had them before and he said he really, really liked them.


Then he got out his popcorn popper and we cooked several batches of popcorn over the fire. It had been a long time since I had eaten popcorn fixed this way. We then made more coffee and drank that while we enjoyed the night air and the fire. We finally topped the night off by roasting some marshmallows. What a beautiful day, and a wonderful start to the bow festival. We listened to the night sounds (someone snoring) as we drifted off to sleep, which didn’t take us too long to do.


The next morning we got up and got the fire going again and then started on breakfast. It was a cold morning for most of the campers, but not for us seasoned hunters/campers. We cooked up a batch of bacon, scrambled eggs, corned beef hash and coffee and I know it was tempting to all of the other campers; especially to the couple next to us who were eating granola bars. We packed up all of our stuff and headed to the festival.

When we arrived at the festival we noticed that most everyone was carrying a bow. There were all types of bows there; compounds, recurves, and long bows. And it was not just the adults who were carrying them. There were plenty of little guys and gals carrying them too. They usually were walking right behind mom or dad, and they looked like they were ready to take a trophy. We really enjoyed our time at the festival walking around and looking at the different displays. They had all sorts of things there to do, see, and purchase. If you needed hunting clothes they had them. Looking for a bow or arrows, they had those too. If you go and take your bow with you then you can enter into a few competitions. They have plenty of targets there to shoot at. We saw bears, coyotes, deer, boars, ducks, and rabbits. Some of the targets are moving targets, which are a blast to watch everyone shoot at. These targets are on little train tracks and they run back and forth while everyone shoots at them. I was surprised to see so many people shooting at and hitting the flying ducks that just spun around, and around.
















Shooting stationary targets















We were getting kind of hungry so we headed over to the food booth. My friend told me that the only place to eat was the chicken booth. They serve a half of chicken with all the trimmings.



It was really finger licking good. After lunch we walked around some more and bought just a few items. We decided we had seen enough so we headed home. This was a great trip and very exciting watching all of the people shoot their bows. If you get the chance check it out the weekend of September 14, 15, and 16. It will be a great time and you'll be glad you went. There are even a number of caches located nearby so you could shoot two birds with one arrow. So take your bow and your GPS and have a grand time. I have to miss this year's festival due to the fact that I'll be taking two of my kids up to Schroon Lake, NY to drop them off at college. Yes of course we'll be caching all the way up there. Come on, I have to get my articles from somewhere.



On a more somber note; for those of you who are not following my wife and me on Facebook she is working on her fourth week of not having a voice. She has some nodules on her vocal cords and it will take time for it to heal. This has been a very discouraging time, but we know that God is in control. You can send a note of encouragement  to Craftimom, which will make her feel better. She will probably let me have it for putting this on here (she'll read it later) but I can take it; I've got big shoulders. Miss your voice and can't wait to hear it again.