My plan is to ride my bike 3 times per week. Two short after work rides during the week and a longer ride on the weekend. I did the two shorter rides this past week and a 20 mile ride today. I had originally planned to ride yesterday but it was too cold and threatening. After church today, I headed out to ride to the Lone Tree area in search of a bunch of geocaches. I found a few and missed a few and skipped a few others. I noticed how dark it was getting back towards home. The temperature had dropped from about 57 to about 48 degrees by the time I got home. As I turned onto Wildcat at its exteme east end, it started to rain and it rained all the way back home. That's about 5 miles. Needless to say, I was thoroughly soaked. It was interesting riding 33 miles per hour in the rain - a new experience for me.
My immediate goal is to get my bike mileage to 6000 miles. Right now, that is only another 25 miles. I plan on completing that in the next week. My goal for the year is to ride at least 1000 miles - 814 to go. I also have a goal to do a 50 mile ride sometime this year. I am also planning to ride at least 2 stretches of the Colorado Trail and the Indian Creek Loop. These are definitely mountain bike trails.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Up Close
It is common to see these guys in Waterton Canyon. They pretty much ignore people which is not necessarily a good thing. This ram was just off the road and I was able to get this closeup. He appears to be watching me. The horns are quite worn and show some scars of the battle to see who would be the big cheese in the herd. Click on the picture for a larger view.
Friday, March 13, 2009
First time on youtube
I posted a video on YouTube. It is a special train heading from Denver to Pueblo for the State Fair a few years ago. It is steam-powered
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Climbing
When I was a kid, it was not unusual to find me up in a tree. My friend Kevin and I were climbers for sure. There was one tree in the neighbor's yard that was especally good for climbing. We'd get 30-40 feet up easily. I don't climb trees that often anymore. Well, in fact, I did climb one today to retrieve a geocache.
Here is a picture of me on top of a rock that I had to climb. It's from a few years ago and is in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Here is a picture of me on top of a rock that I had to climb. It's from a few years ago and is in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
One of my hidden geocaches
One of my hidden geocaches requires a climb up this hill. It's a bit hairy but doable. That's me up there. This is definitely the hardest one of mine to get to. So far, only 3 cachers have found it and it has been there since November 23, 2008.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
The Train Crew (as I understand it)
At one time, it took 5 people to operate a typical train. In the locomotive, there was an engineer, a fireman, and a brakeman. In the caboose there was another brakeman and a conductor. In the steam days, the fireman's job was quite important as he was the guy who kept the fire going. The engineer operated the locomotive and the horns and no doubt lots of other gizmos. The head end brakeman obviously handled the brakes from the locomotive while the rear end brakeman handled the brakes from the caboose. The conductor in the caboose had all the paperwork for the train and was actually the person in charge of the train.
When diesels arrived, the fireman became a dunsel but was nevertheless kept in place for a long time due to union agreements. The same became true of both brakemen since the engineer could do all the braking for the train.
Eventually, the crew dwindled down to just the engineer and the conductor. It makes sense to have 2 people in the locomotive to support each other so the need for a caboose went away except for trains that had to run backwards for lots of switching moves. That's is the only type of train that still has a caboose today. The replacement for the caboose on regular trains is a "fred" - a flashing rear end device. It is a box of electronics that can monitor the systems on the train. This is one of the reasons for lots of antennas on today's locomotives.
P.S. I don't get to use the word "dunsel" very often.
When diesels arrived, the fireman became a dunsel but was nevertheless kept in place for a long time due to union agreements. The same became true of both brakemen since the engineer could do all the braking for the train.
Eventually, the crew dwindled down to just the engineer and the conductor. It makes sense to have 2 people in the locomotive to support each other so the need for a caboose went away except for trains that had to run backwards for lots of switching moves. That's is the only type of train that still has a caboose today. The replacement for the caboose on regular trains is a "fred" - a flashing rear end device. It is a box of electronics that can monitor the systems on the train. This is one of the reasons for lots of antennas on today's locomotives.
P.S. I don't get to use the word "dunsel" very often.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Cabooses were not all the same
The three below all have extended vision cupolas meaning the cuploas are wider than the body of the caboose. Two of them are very similar (BN and Rio Grande) but there are noticable differences. These two also have their windows plated over while the MP caboose does not.
Here is one from the Burlington Northern in Fort Worth, Texas in 1984.
Here is one from the Rio Grande in the same location as the BN caboose maybe on the same day.
Here is one from the Missouri Pacific in a different location in Fort Worth also in 1984.
Here is one from the Burlington Northern in Fort Worth, Texas in 1984.
Here is one from the Rio Grande in the same location as the BN caboose maybe on the same day.
Here is one from the Missouri Pacific in a different location in Fort Worth also in 1984.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Top 100
Last time I looked at the statistics, I had actually made it into the list of top 100 cachers in Colorado. I am #100 in Colorado and in a 6 way ties for #6397 in the world. What a hoot.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Series Caches
There seems to be a plethora of cache series these days. Here are my stats for some of the more significant series as of today:
The Plain Fun series are all hidden out on the plains near DIA. There are 30 so far and I have found these:: 21, 22, 23
The Silo View series consists of 47 caches so far out on the plains east of Denver. I have found these: 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47
The Barn View series consists of 17 caches so far out on the plains east of Denver. I have found these: 2, 3, 4, 10, 14, 15, 17
The National Park series are all named after national parks and are out on the plains east and north of DIA. There are 57 of these and I have found 41 of them.
The Hansel's Crumb series consits of 20 caches on the plains east of Denver. I have found these: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20
The Gretel's Crumb series consits of 9 caches on the plains east of Denver. I have found these: 7, 8
The Caching Stimulous Plan series consits of 10 caches on the plains east of Denver and Aurora. I have found these: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
The Colorado Spirit Quest series are hidden in or near cemeteries throughout Colorado by many cachers. There are over 150 of them. I have found these: 1, 2, 7, 8, 11, 17, 44, 47, 60, 68, 69, 79, 87, 140, 144
The On Every Corner series are all hidden by Walgreen's stores. There are 57 so far and I have found these: 15, 16, 18, 25, 26, 28, 29, 34, 35, 36, 43, 44, 50, 51, 54
Like the On Every Corner series, the Project Wal series are hidden by Walgreen's stores but by a different cacher. Of the 16 that exist, I have found these: 1, 12, 13, 14
The Douglas County Historical series are virtual caches where you have to go to some historical location and report a specific fact from it. There are 20 of them. I have found these: 2, 3, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
The Plain Fun series are all hidden out on the plains near DIA. There are 30 so far and I have found these:: 21, 22, 23
The Silo View series consists of 47 caches so far out on the plains east of Denver. I have found these: 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47
The Barn View series consists of 17 caches so far out on the plains east of Denver. I have found these: 2, 3, 4, 10, 14, 15, 17
The National Park series are all named after national parks and are out on the plains east and north of DIA. There are 57 of these and I have found 41 of them.
The Hansel's Crumb series consits of 20 caches on the plains east of Denver. I have found these: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20
The Gretel's Crumb series consits of 9 caches on the plains east of Denver. I have found these: 7, 8
The Caching Stimulous Plan series consits of 10 caches on the plains east of Denver and Aurora. I have found these: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
The Colorado Spirit Quest series are hidden in or near cemeteries throughout Colorado by many cachers. There are over 150 of them. I have found these: 1, 2, 7, 8, 11, 17, 44, 47, 60, 68, 69, 79, 87, 140, 144
The On Every Corner series are all hidden by Walgreen's stores. There are 57 so far and I have found these: 15, 16, 18, 25, 26, 28, 29, 34, 35, 36, 43, 44, 50, 51, 54
Like the On Every Corner series, the Project Wal series are hidden by Walgreen's stores but by a different cacher. Of the 16 that exist, I have found these: 1, 12, 13, 14
The Douglas County Historical series are virtual caches where you have to go to some historical location and report a specific fact from it. There are 20 of them. I have found these: 2, 3, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Four More Caches
This past weekend, I hid 4 more caches. All of them are along the Platte River and three of them are in Waterton Canyon. These three plus one that I hid a week before make up a series devoted to Waterton Canyon side trails. These side trails are rarely visited by people who go into the canyon and they are really interesting places. One of them in particular is about 500 feet down one of these trails and the side trail ends up in a really neat mini canyon. I think cachers will find all of this series a lot of fun.
However, they all require a bit of a hike since you can't drive into Waterton Canyon at all. You have to hike or bike. The closest one requires a hike of about 1.75 miles one way and the farthest one requires a trek of about 4 miles one way. This would be easiset by bike and that is what I recommend.
The other cache was also hidden along the Platte but over in the Two Forks area. It is another cache in the Fallen Flag railroad series. The trail along the river is on an old railroad grade. The road up into Waterton Canyon is also on the old railroad grade but after a little over 6 miles, it reaches the Strontia Springs Dam. At the far end of the reservoir behind the dam, the old railroad grade continues and comes out where the Platte River branches into "two forks". It is at this location that you can park and walk the half mile or so to this new cache.
The railroad through the canyon was constructed in 1878. It eventually became part of the Colorado & Southern Railroad. The last train went through there in 1937 and the rails were probably taken up not long after that - probably that year.
There are some interesting railroad-related artifacts along the right of way and you can see them every 100 feet or so on the hillside along the old grade. There were two methods employed for the telegraph line that followed the railroad and you can see the remains of both along the way if you keep a sharp eye out. The more common method was typical wooden poles. Most of these along this grade were sawed off leaving pole stumps about 3 feet high.
The other method is more interesting and this method is in evidence along this route as well as in Waterton Canyon and just about anywhere else along this old railroad grade. You can see one or two vertical metal poles stuck in rock outcroppings fairly high above the grade. This cache is hidden behind a spot where there is only one of these metal poles.
Getting to this cache requires a bit of climbing but it's not that hard. The cache is hidden about 35 feet above the trail and about 25 feet behind one of these metal poles.
These caches are not likely to be snow friendly and they require some effort to get to. They are all meant to be memorable caches. None of them have been found yet - not even the closest one in Waterton. It will be interesting to see how long it takes. It might even be next spring!
However, they all require a bit of a hike since you can't drive into Waterton Canyon at all. You have to hike or bike. The closest one requires a hike of about 1.75 miles one way and the farthest one requires a trek of about 4 miles one way. This would be easiset by bike and that is what I recommend.
The other cache was also hidden along the Platte but over in the Two Forks area. It is another cache in the Fallen Flag railroad series. The trail along the river is on an old railroad grade. The road up into Waterton Canyon is also on the old railroad grade but after a little over 6 miles, it reaches the Strontia Springs Dam. At the far end of the reservoir behind the dam, the old railroad grade continues and comes out where the Platte River branches into "two forks". It is at this location that you can park and walk the half mile or so to this new cache.
The railroad through the canyon was constructed in 1878. It eventually became part of the Colorado & Southern Railroad. The last train went through there in 1937 and the rails were probably taken up not long after that - probably that year.
There are some interesting railroad-related artifacts along the right of way and you can see them every 100 feet or so on the hillside along the old grade. There were two methods employed for the telegraph line that followed the railroad and you can see the remains of both along the way if you keep a sharp eye out. The more common method was typical wooden poles. Most of these along this grade were sawed off leaving pole stumps about 3 feet high.
The other method is more interesting and this method is in evidence along this route as well as in Waterton Canyon and just about anywhere else along this old railroad grade. You can see one or two vertical metal poles stuck in rock outcroppings fairly high above the grade. This cache is hidden behind a spot where there is only one of these metal poles.
Getting to this cache requires a bit of climbing but it's not that hard. The cache is hidden about 35 feet above the trail and about 25 feet behind one of these metal poles.
These caches are not likely to be snow friendly and they require some effort to get to. They are all meant to be memorable caches. None of them have been found yet - not even the closest one in Waterton. It will be interesting to see how long it takes. It might even be next spring!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Three New Caches
I hid three new geocaches today. Two of them are part of a series started by a cacher named Grand High Pobah dedicated to fallen flag railroads. Fallen flag railroads no longer exist either through abandonment or corporate takeover. These two new caches are near one of those historical railroads.
The Denver, South Park, and Pacific railroad was a narrow gauge line (3’ between the rails) that started life in Denver in 1874 and was headed to the mining camps in the mountains. The main route of this railroad followed the course of the Platte River through Waterton Canyon and eventually over Kenosha Pass.
There was a branch that split off of the main line just before the line entered Waterton Canyon. By the time the branch line was built, the DSP&P had become part of the Colorado and Southern (C&S) railroad. This branch line was called the Silica Branch and it crossed the river, went back downstream a ways and then headed up into what is now Roxborough. It then ended near the old kiln that was built there about 1904 by the Silicated Brick Company.
Construction of the railroad branch line began in September 1908. It was a narrow gauge line almost 4 miles long terminating at Silica. The brick company lasted less than 10 years but clay and silica was mined in the area until the 1960's. The railroad branch operated intermittently until 1940 when it was abandoned and then dismantled in 1941. All of the remaining brick-related buildings were demolished over time, except for the kiln which you can see even today.
I hid two caches, one at each end of the branch line. They are both camoflaged pastic containers.
The Denver, South Park, and Pacific railroad was a narrow gauge line (3’ between the rails) that started life in Denver in 1874 and was headed to the mining camps in the mountains. The main route of this railroad followed the course of the Platte River through Waterton Canyon and eventually over Kenosha Pass.
There was a branch that split off of the main line just before the line entered Waterton Canyon. By the time the branch line was built, the DSP&P had become part of the Colorado and Southern (C&S) railroad. This branch line was called the Silica Branch and it crossed the river, went back downstream a ways and then headed up into what is now Roxborough. It then ended near the old kiln that was built there about 1904 by the Silicated Brick Company.
Construction of the railroad branch line began in September 1908. It was a narrow gauge line almost 4 miles long terminating at Silica. The brick company lasted less than 10 years but clay and silica was mined in the area until the 1960's. The railroad branch operated intermittently until 1940 when it was abandoned and then dismantled in 1941. All of the remaining brick-related buildings were demolished over time, except for the kiln which you can see even today.
I hid two caches, one at each end of the branch line. They are both camoflaged pastic containers.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
1000 Caches
Actually, 1001 as I write this. I discovered a set of micro caches outside of DIA hidden by Mondou2. They are named after the national parks and I think there is one for just about every park that exists. So I went out there and found a bunch of these caches on consecutive weekends. On the first pass through the area, I found 52 caches most of which were part of the national park series. That beats my old record for one day of 22. And these 52 caches were found in about 4 hours.
The next weekend, I made my way up to Greeley to watch the Northern Colorado Bears lose another football game. I left early to find some more of this series of caches and found a total of 37 in about 3 hours. This put me past the 1000 milestone.
The 1000th cache was a micro in Greeley called Beware of the Bear. It is in the parking lot of the football stadium. Later in the day, I hid one of my own in Greeley on campus. It was published later in the day and found at 6:20 the next morning. A total of 2 people have found it so far.
MY next goal is to be among the top 100 cachers in Colorado. This will be difficult and might take some time. Right now, number 100 has found 1149 caches. My current rank is 113. Mondou2 has the most finds in Colorado with over 15,000. He has hidden more than 500 caches!
The next weekend, I made my way up to Greeley to watch the Northern Colorado Bears lose another football game. I left early to find some more of this series of caches and found a total of 37 in about 3 hours. This put me past the 1000 milestone.
The 1000th cache was a micro in Greeley called Beware of the Bear. It is in the parking lot of the football stadium. Later in the day, I hid one of my own in Greeley on campus. It was published later in the day and found at 6:20 the next morning. A total of 2 people have found it so far.
MY next goal is to be among the top 100 cachers in Colorado. This will be difficult and might take some time. Right now, number 100 has found 1149 caches. My current rank is 113. Mondou2 has the most finds in Colorado with over 15,000. He has hidden more than 500 caches!
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