Occasionally, geocachers run into hazards along the way. In my case, I have run into two problems recently. Today, I attempted to be the the first to find at a new cache called Desperate Measures. It is another cache along the Highline Canal. This one is a micro and is well camoed somewhere around a large cottonwood tree. I looked for it a little while all around the tree and then noticed a plethora of bees exiting from a large crack in the tree. So, that was enough for me at this one. I'll monitor the cache to see what others experience there. I did leave a note on the cache page about the bees.
A week or so ago, I was the first to find another cache in Chatfield State Park. A day or so later, I discovered that I had a rash in three spots on my legs and also on two fingers on my left hand. These spots have become worse over the week but I think they are finally turning around now. I read about poisin ivy and the fact that it does not spread but it might seem like it does because its effect might not appear in an exposed area right away. That seems to be the case with my current problem. I don't know if it's poisin ivy but maybe.
As a consolation, I was the first to find that cache last week and I got another one today a bit farther down the canal.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The Satisfaction of an FTF
I was FTF on a geocache yesterday morning. That's "First to Find" for all you muggles. This particular one is over in Chatfield State Park and is tucked away in a relatively remote corner of the park that hardly anyone visits. The cache was published Friday night and I rode my bike over there the next morning.
This part of the park has a number of old paved trails that are interesting to explore. Some of these trails are completely overgrown and some are even underwater! I rode my bike to with 30' of the cache but this is not necessarily a good way to get there since the area has a lot of punturevine and the goathead thorns will easily puncture bike tires. In fact, I pulled about 50 of them out of my tires but since I have puncture resistent tubes and flat-attack goo in my tires, none cause me any problems except for the time I spent pulling them out.
I discovered a travel bug in the cache and left a squeaky frog. I grabbed an interesting foreign coin (2 pence). The travel bug was a plastic bag full of wine bottle corks. I didn't take it since my pockets were not big enough to hold it. Each person who takes it is encouraged to add a new cork to the collection and then move it on. It originated in Wisconsin and has travelled over 5000 miles.
This part of the park has a number of old paved trails that are interesting to explore. Some of these trails are completely overgrown and some are even underwater! I rode my bike to with 30' of the cache but this is not necessarily a good way to get there since the area has a lot of punturevine and the goathead thorns will easily puncture bike tires. In fact, I pulled about 50 of them out of my tires but since I have puncture resistent tubes and flat-attack goo in my tires, none cause me any problems except for the time I spent pulling them out.
I discovered a travel bug in the cache and left a squeaky frog. I grabbed an interesting foreign coin (2 pence). The travel bug was a plastic bag full of wine bottle corks. I didn't take it since my pockets were not big enough to hold it. Each person who takes it is encouraged to add a new cork to the collection and then move it on. It originated in Wisconsin and has travelled over 5000 miles.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Interesting Old Cemeteries
Just got back from a little road trip to Texas. On the way down, I did some geocaching. In fact, I found 26 caches on this trip!
The first of the cemeteries in which I found a cache is called Ghost Watching. It is northwest of Amarillo, Texas near the Cal Farley Boys' Ranch which is a home and ranch for placement of children who have all sorts of different types of problems. The cache itself is located in a nearby genuine and authentic boot hill cemetery. The location was apparently known as Old Tascosa at one time and it had a colorful history. The Town's famous "cowboy strike" ended in gunfire, with some of the participants ending up buried at Boot Hill Cemetery which is actually on top of a hill that you can drive up on a rough rocky road. There is a historical marker that lists the people buried there with about half of the 50 people having been murdered. This was all back in the late 1800's. The cache is a magnetic key holder stuck on the back of this sign.
I found the area around Cal Farley's to be a bit strange. I noticed two police cars at the entrance to the ranch another 1/4 mile down the road. There were two other cemeteries nearby. One was a pet boot hill cemetery. The other was a cemetery for people (boys) who had died at the ranch. It was not small.
The second cemetery where I found a cache was called Calm and Windy just a little outside of Claude, Texas. This was a large old cemetery for the surrounding area. The cache was another magnetic key holder that was hidden on the good old fashioned windmill.
Finally, the last cemetery cache I found was in the cemetery by Goodnight, Texas. This cache is called Lonesome Dove - Charles Goodnight Cemetery. Charles Goodnight and family are buried there. This is another old cemetery not quite as large as the one in Claude. According to the cache page, Charles Goodnight is sort of the patron saint of all cowboys. He was instrumental in the development of the cattle industry. The chuckwagon (a cowboy's portable kitchen wagon used on the cattle trails) was invented by Charles Goodnight in 1866. Goodnight was a Texas Ranger and owned the first cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle. It was called the JA Ranch and was located in Palo Duro Canyon about nine miles south of Claude. Goodnight helped create one of the major cattle trails, the Goodnight-Loving Trail, which was a cattle drive route from Texas that led into eastern New Mexico and Colorado.
The monument for Goodnight is quite large and along with several other related monuments is surrounded by a 3 foot chain link fence. About 75 bandanas have been tied to the fence by people who have visited.
The first of the cemeteries in which I found a cache is called Ghost Watching. It is northwest of Amarillo, Texas near the Cal Farley Boys' Ranch which is a home and ranch for placement of children who have all sorts of different types of problems. The cache itself is located in a nearby genuine and authentic boot hill cemetery. The location was apparently known as Old Tascosa at one time and it had a colorful history. The Town's famous "cowboy strike" ended in gunfire, with some of the participants ending up buried at Boot Hill Cemetery which is actually on top of a hill that you can drive up on a rough rocky road. There is a historical marker that lists the people buried there with about half of the 50 people having been murdered. This was all back in the late 1800's. The cache is a magnetic key holder stuck on the back of this sign.
I found the area around Cal Farley's to be a bit strange. I noticed two police cars at the entrance to the ranch another 1/4 mile down the road. There were two other cemeteries nearby. One was a pet boot hill cemetery. The other was a cemetery for people (boys) who had died at the ranch. It was not small.
The second cemetery where I found a cache was called Calm and Windy just a little outside of Claude, Texas. This was a large old cemetery for the surrounding area. The cache was another magnetic key holder that was hidden on the good old fashioned windmill.
Finally, the last cemetery cache I found was in the cemetery by Goodnight, Texas. This cache is called Lonesome Dove - Charles Goodnight Cemetery. Charles Goodnight and family are buried there. This is another old cemetery not quite as large as the one in Claude. According to the cache page, Charles Goodnight is sort of the patron saint of all cowboys. He was instrumental in the development of the cattle industry. The chuckwagon (a cowboy's portable kitchen wagon used on the cattle trails) was invented by Charles Goodnight in 1866. Goodnight was a Texas Ranger and owned the first cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle. It was called the JA Ranch and was located in Palo Duro Canyon about nine miles south of Claude. Goodnight helped create one of the major cattle trails, the Goodnight-Loving Trail, which was a cattle drive route from Texas that led into eastern New Mexico and Colorado.
The monument for Goodnight is quite large and along with several other related monuments is surrounded by a 3 foot chain link fence. About 75 bandanas have been tied to the fence by people who have visited.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Thunder
Thunder is not that common around here like it was in Texas or Illinois. However, tonight there was some thunder. I even heard some in the distance during my bike ride tonight. It was over in the foothills. I could see it from the top of the hill I rode up on by Mountain Vista High School. I didn't see any lightning, though.
After I got home, there was some close-by thunder and light rain.
After I got home, there was some close-by thunder and light rain.
Monday, May 05, 2008
You Tell Me
Guvf vf n zrffntr gung unf orra rapelcgrq hfvat n ebg13 grpuavdhr. Vg vf gur fnzr grpuavdhr gung vf hfrq gb rapelcg uvagf ba gur trbpnpuvat jrocntr.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Galactica Predictions
1. Anders will somehow calm the tension on Starbuck's ship. That's why they will get to the Cylon Base Ship as shown in the previews.
2. The Deanna Cylon (Zena) will be unboxed in a future episode and she will reveal information about the final 5 cylons that she recognized in her last show last year.
3. My guess as to who the final Cylon is: Tom Zarek
2. The Deanna Cylon (Zena) will be unboxed in a future episode and she will reveal information about the final 5 cylons that she recognized in her last show last year.
3. My guess as to who the final Cylon is: Tom Zarek
Today's Extraordinary Bike Ride
I set out to find some geocaches via bicycle today and actually found all 9 that I looked for to get my total finds to 600 even. Four of the caches were part of a series called "Historic Highline Canal Series". There are 4 of them and at each one is some information about the highline canal.
Construction on the canal was started way back in 1879 and it is still used to some extent today for irrigation. It's mostly used to fill ponds and small lakes along its 70 mile length. There is a great hiking and biking trail along much of its length and it is along this path that I found the 4 caches today. I have hidden several caches of my own along the trail as well.
After finding the fourth and final cache in the series, I began contemplating what the area might have looked like when the canal was new or even "only" 50 years old. I was riding close to the C470 expressway along the paved trail when all of a sudden, the concrete was gone and the pathway was covered by weeds. C470 and County Line road disappeared along with all the traffic noise. The only thing that was the same was the sound of the frogs croaking in the nearby pond. The cottonwood trees that line the canal were very small. Water flowed through the canal just like it was today. I stopped and wondered what had just happened but then I heard someone say "on your left" and I was back to 2008.
Construction on the canal was started way back in 1879 and it is still used to some extent today for irrigation. It's mostly used to fill ponds and small lakes along its 70 mile length. There is a great hiking and biking trail along much of its length and it is along this path that I found the 4 caches today. I have hidden several caches of my own along the trail as well.
After finding the fourth and final cache in the series, I began contemplating what the area might have looked like when the canal was new or even "only" 50 years old. I was riding close to the C470 expressway along the paved trail when all of a sudden, the concrete was gone and the pathway was covered by weeds. C470 and County Line road disappeared along with all the traffic noise. The only thing that was the same was the sound of the frogs croaking in the nearby pond. The cottonwood trees that line the canal were very small. Water flowed through the canal just like it was today. I stopped and wondered what had just happened but then I heard someone say "on your left" and I was back to 2008.
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