Cadyville Fun Time

Looks like I’m getting behind on our adventures. No more delaying, on with the show!
On the 28th of May we made our way to the rec park in Cadyville. I was happy to find out that not only did this park have geocaches but it also has a disc golf course. Colette and I played disc golf in Ohio before we moved and we’re really looking forward to playing again.
DamnVanns 12th
Our first stop of the morning was at a cache aptly named Trail Side. It was a nice size container that was placed on an incline between two trails. With Zaiden on my back I was unable to get to the GZ but Zoey and my mother got there with no problem. It was a nice size container and as usual Zoey really enjoyed looking at all the treasure.
Forbidden Forest
On the opposite side of the park we continued our geocaching hunt. The woods were very well travelled and there are a ton of trails. As a result we had some trouble getting to where we needed to be. Unfortunately Forbidden Forest seems to be missing or wasn’t put back properly because we couldn’t find it. I saw a picture of the cache itself later and there was no way we missed a container that size.

Trail Side
Oddly enough the hiding spot for this cache was blatantly obvious. Either the muggles in this park are very forgiving or people only look at what is in front of them. The hiding spot is only about 15 feet off several trails and hidden in a very suspicious manner. Regardless it was a lot of fun to find. At this time Zoey decided that she was going to have a drama-filled day which would ultimately lead to cutting our day short.

Cadyville Park #2
Last find of the day was a good ways into the massive network of trails. As I mentioned before Zoey decided to be dramatic and cried our entire walk. This cache was another traditional hide in one of my favorite hiding spots. We grabbed it quickly and hurried our way back to the car to attempt to quell Zoey.

Inside the Blue Line

On May 19th Colette and I got a date day. My mother was gracious enough to watch the kids for us while we headed south toward Lake George in an attempt at a fairly difficult multi-cache called Tongue Wagger.

Schroon Overlook
On our way to Lake George we stopped at a southbound rest stop. The view from the elevated area was very nice and the rain had left some pretty scenery. This was a magnetic micro and was a quick find.

This multi-cache is located on the Tongue mountain range beside Lake George and has only been finished a handful of times. Unfortunately for us it decided to pour the entire time we were there so we decided to call off our hike only 2 hours or so into it. We were prepared for everything but non-stop rain.

The ponchos were originally swag!

We figured we would take advantage of the situation and at least get some caches that were south of us. After some exploring of the Lake George and Queesnbury areas we started after some park and grabs!

The Route 9 Building
Named such because it is a building on Route 9. Apparently it is an information station for campers heading into the nearby RV camp. Regardless it's home to a cache which Colette ended up finding. Fortunately we read the logs in advance because they warned us about the unstable terrain!

Welcome to Lake George
A very creative hide! I didn't need to get out of the car to grab it and Colette was very surprised to hear where it was hiding. Very, very cool!

Village Park Quick Cache
This was another very awesome cache. One thing that was really cool about caching this far away from home was to see the creativity that was put into the caches. The cache is in the next photo, see if you can spot it!

Super awesome cache!

We spent a little bit of time at this park since the rain had let up some and the lake was right near by. This was one of my favorite parts of our trip.

Slim Sal visits Lake Ave Hidden Beach
Another nice park and grab. Good placement in a spot we've never seen before.

Very informative!

...and the band played on...

Our next stop was in Warrensburg, NY. This cache is located near a band stand. The area is dedicated to a gentleman which is nice, but the "park" that the band stand is on is just a bit larger than the stand itself. Hopefully he doesn't mind!

Magnetic!

I-87 NB Rest & Litter and JOE 87-25
Two quick park and grabs. the NB Rest & Litter could host a CITO event, the area itself looked like a dump! The JOE series stands for Just Off Exit which we thought was interesting!

Two Parks and a Power Line

We continued our geocaching onslaught on May 11th. This time we decided to check out the caches in a park in West Plattsburgh!

Camera Cache
Not long after Zoey and Zaiden got done playing at the park we ventured off to the nearby caches. The first cache is called Camera Cache because it consisted of a camera for cachers to document their visit to the cache. At least, it use to. Now the cache just has the pictures that were developed from the first camera that resided in the cache. This fact didn't make it any less fun to find.

Look at those handsome cachers!

Hill Side, Hill Cache, Hill Top Cache
After finally locating the trail head we started toward the first cache. The recent weather did a number since there was several downed trees. Twenty minutes later we were at the GZ for the first cache. Justin ended up finding this one which was very well camouflaged. We decided to drop off one of our geocoins here and continue on.

 The next cache was another example of doing things the hard way. We exited the trails onto a power line and followed the sand path up the hill for a bit until we found that we needed to bushwhack our way to the next cache. After a few minutes of making our way through thick foliage my mother found the next one. It was after we finished signing the log and trading swag that we noticed the other nearby power line ran right next to where it was located. Hind sight and all!

I walked right over this one!

The last cache in the series of hill related name caches was not far from where the two power line trails met. There was all sorts of fun things nearby too like "don't ride your atvs here" and "keep them atvs outta here fool" signs all over. I don't think they like atvs. Anyway this cache was also cleverly hidden and Colette was the one to find it. The placing of this was also fairly inspirational and we'd like to use a similar idea ourselves in the future.

Jport's Cumberland Micro

After enjoying ourselves we had a little time left to try for other nearby caches. I thought a new set of eyes might make this DNF go away. After reading all the logs and hints we finally found it. We had visited this cache multiple times and I was very excited to finally have the smiley on it!

Finally got you, you little bugger!

To Conquer the Park

On May 10th we set out with the intention of getting the final cache at Point au Roche State Park. We didn't have much time, but that hasn't stopped us yet.

Ram's Head?
It looks like we left the best for last because this was one of the more interesting trails in the park. Due to our time restraints we didn't get the chance to walk all the trails that led to and from Ram's Head but the main path was excellent nonetheless.

A sitting area by the lake

At the end of the path there is a rock wall that consists of a 15ft or so drop with all sorts of interesting plants on it.

Pretty red flowers

The cache is hidden not too far from it among the thick cedar trees. Colette received her first geocaching related injury when the forest tried to fight her off.

Note the red mark on forehead!

We left one of the travel bugs here and headed back to the car. This is yet another place that I would love to visit again!

Cliff Haven Cache 1

In the southern part of Plattsburgh, especially around the old base, there are several caches that we just don't know how to get to. Unfortunately some cache owners don't bother explaining how to get to a from a cache or what hoops you may need to jump through to get within range of a cache. For folks that are new to the area or may just be visiting it's kind of a turn off. After finishing with Point au Roche we tried for some of these caches. Unfortunately the only one we got to was in a park. The kids got to spend some time playing on the swings and sliding then we headed into the nearby woods to find the cache. It was quite wet so I ended up travelling in alone. 

On the plus side it was a nice big ammo can with lots of swag that the kids got to go through. 

I can see your house from here!

Another Visit to Point au Roche

It looks like I'm starting to get a little behind! Going to work on that :)

On May 5th we got started late in the day but lack of sunlight doesn't slow down cachers at all! ... Well, much. I had offered to help replace a cache for a local cacher and that was our ultimate destination. But first, Point au Roche!

Booty Point
Located on the most Southern point on the Eastern portion of the park, this cache has a fantatic hike attached to it! Round trip from parking is about 2 miles but thers never a dull moment so the time flies by! Rather than explain our trip I decided to make a video log. Enjoy!


Cherish Your Heritage
This was the cache that I offered to replace. It has been disabled since December so the New York Admin has started paying attention to it. Rather than let it be archived I decided to help the owner replace it. The Heritage Trail behind the Crete Center in Plattsburgh is a fantastic walking and biking trail. It is paved and although it closes at 9pm is completely lighted. We decided to move the cache location due to it being easily found by muggles. Hopefully soon it will be updated!

Shop and Cache #2
After hitting the grocery store we headed home. When I arrived home I was happy to see two new caches had been published and one of them was down the street! I decided to go after it but Co opted out due to being tired. I stopped by my mother's and asked her if she wanted to get a FTF. She of course said yes and we were off. After only a few minutes, most of which was waiting for the GPS to wake up, we found it. This was her first FTF!

Old and New

On May 4th we got up early, as usual when you've got young children, and knocked out some laundry as well as a cache that had popped up the night before. When we set out it had not been found yet so we might just get another FTF :)

IHP # 95 Another IHP To Make You Smile!
The IHP in the caches name stands for I Hate Puzzles. I can only imagine that they aren't the biggest puzzle fans. Thats fine because we really enjoy traditional caches! We knew where the cache was going to be when we pulled up to the boat launch and parked. This cache was similar to the one we had done just a few days before. Unfortunately we missed the FTF by one :( but we did get to trade some neat swag. Also I forgot to take a picture of the find so just imagine Colette holding a neat looking container and smiling at the camera.

Old-Time Campmeetin'
After laundry we picked up my mother and headed West. Our destination was a natural reserve called The Gulf. None of us had ever been/heard of it so that would be part of the adventure. Before we got there though we stopped in Mooers and picked up this cache. This was another older cache that has done a great job standing the test of time. It was a rather easy find due to it's size but that didn't make it any less fun! We swapped travel bugs and my mother traded some swag then we were on our way.

A rather large cache!

The Little Wooden Gulf Bridge

In the Gulf Unique Area Preserve there are a couple of well made trails. Due to the reserve being so far from anything else there is a sign in area. 

The box with sign in log

After signing in we headed down the trail we hoped would lead us to this cache. There are three caches in the area, one being a multi and the other requiring bushwhacking. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to go after the other two, but that gives us a reason to go back :) We really enjoyed the trail we hiked on. There are plenty of unique sights and land formations. There were also some very pretty flowers making their way under the tree canopy. 

When we arrived at the bridge the hunt for the cache began. 

The Little Wooden Gulf  Bridge

We were all stumped when suddenly Zoey happened upon the very well hid container. Apparently I deleted the photo of her holding the cache but she was very proud of herself! I traded a CITO kit (there was some trash on the trail which we disposed of) and the others traded their swag and placed the cache back to it's home. The hike back was just as enjoyable as the one to the bridge. We all hope to visit the Gulf again in the near future, hopefully this time we'll remember some bug spray!

They can't all be Winners

On spur of the moment we decided to try for some caches in May 3rd. There are several "clusters" of caches in various locations in Plattsburgh, NY that we aren't too sure how to get to. I thought it would be fun to try and find how to get to one set not far from where we had just finished shopping.

on the block
We "attempted" three caches today. This was the first and only "success" of our "attempts". The reason I'm quoting left and right is simple. I don't believe that the cache owners care about several of the caches in this area. The trails we went on were behind the college's baseball field. The paths are well made and focus a bit more on mountain bikes than walking or running, but that didn't stop us from enjoying them. The cache we did spot was encased in a large concrete block that I assume was part of a structure in the past. There is a pipe built into it and the cache is hiding in there. Unfortunately someone thought it fun to push the cache to the back of the pipe and it is now unreachable. We logged it as found partially due to the fact that we did find it and that it will probably never be fixed.

We also searched for three more. The first we couldn't get to because we didn't have the footwear for it and the other two are logs upon logs of DNFs due to them needing repair. Overall a fairly unsuccessful trip out, but we did find some new trails!

Maple Cotton Candy is Awesome

On May 1st we went to the Maple Festival in St Albans.

They block off a portion of the main strip in the city, right next to a park, and have all sorts of booths and vendors. There are also other activities in nearby buildings such as craft and antique shows. We had a great time exploring St Albans as well as trying various maple inspired foods. As with most activities you can always find some time for caching!

I shouldn't even be here
Our first and only stop of the day was a small size cache between Swanton and Highgate. I used our GPSr, the Magellan eXplorist GC, to filter out anything too small since this would be our only cache and we wanted to trade some swag. The cache was hidden in a spot we had only encountered once before and was well protected from the elements. Zoey really liked the container since it had Elmo on it :) We decided to send out our first geocoin using this cache. My mother also traded some swag that she had picked up at the festival. This ended up being a great choice for our only cache of the day!

There's Something About Swanton

On April 30th we were Vermont bound once again. My mother and brother wanted to go with us and since we were going to St Alban's Maple Festival on the 1st we had to make the most of the 30th.

Moonlight in Vermont

View from the shoreline

We started our day by visiting a cache that had been recently reactivated. It seems that the lake was trying to take back part of the shore and as a result the caches original location wasn't safe anymore. This cache is on private property but the log clearly states that it was places with the owners permission which was great because the location was awesome! It's right next door to a bed and breakfast and looks like it's frequented by the locals. It took us a bit longer than normal because the new coordinates are a bit off, but ultimately Justin found it as we were about to call it a DNF. The area was just plain awesome and I'm glad we were able to do a cache there.

The Treeman celebrates another find!

The Litte Red Caboose

Little Red Caboose and New walking bridge
Just down the road we stopped in Swanton and the Swanton Historical Society R.R. Depot Museum. The museum has lots of really cool stuff if you're interested in trains or local history. There's an old station, switch house, a caboose and what is left of a rail house. Across the street is a train bridge that has been re purposed  as a walking bridge. The caboose hide was fairly crafty and my mother happened upon it after a few minutes of searching.

Zoey getting credit :)

The awesome bridge!

The walking bridge though we were unable to find. We spent way too long searching for it with no luck. You can tell that many people have searched for it without finding it but have yet to log a DNF. Some cachers even admit to this in their found it logs. There have been 2 more DNFs since we logged ours but the CO insists it's still there. I believe the problem is the area is needle in a haystack heavy.

Swan Princess
This was a quick walk in the park. Apparently there are swans that live in the park but they weren't out yet. Did a bit of CITO while we were there which shouldn't have been necessary since there were ample trash bins nearby.

The cache with our lovely models

a walk in the woods and The Desert

Not too far from the park we were at before is what use to be a recreational trail for snow mobiles. It seems that they are no longer allowed to use the area because they were abusing the land owners good nature. This hasn't seemed to have stopped ATV owners since there was plenty of tire tracks on the trails. The first cache was just inside the trails but still well hidden in a common caching spot.

Zoey inspects the treasure

The second is in an area that very much looks like a desert in the middle of the forest. This cache took us a bit longer but I was determined that I knew where and how it was hidden, it was just a matter of finding it. Sure enough I was right and we were soon on our way. There is another cache in the area but unfortunately we ran out of time for the day and will have to return in the future!

A less than flattering shot!

Multi-cache Means Never having to Describe Your GZ

April 21st, the day after the cachtastic cachathon on the 20th, was just as exciting as the day before. Unfortunately both Colette and myself had work so we couldn't stay out as long as we wanted, but the weather was fantastic and we had a good hike! My mother came with us on this outing and I believe this was the straw that has resulted in her getting her own GPS for geocaching!

Hog Island Fun
Our first stop was another cache hidden at a boat launch. Like I said in our last post we all really enjoy these and this one was no exception. As opposed to all the other caches we've found at boat launches this one was magnetic which made finding it tricky. After we picked it up and Co signed it we made our way to the edge of the water and did some skipping.

Pieces of Rail and Goldilocks and the three...oops..TWO Bears
Way back up north in Alburgh we stopped to the Recreational Rail Trail to attempt two multi-caches. This would be the first attempt at these since we stumbled upon them the first time we went caching. The basics of a multi-cache are simple. The coordinates in the GPS do not lead to the cache itself, they lead to step one. Step one is either coordinates to another location or a puzzle piece that, once solved, gives you the coordinates. Multi-caches can be any length but the two we did today were five and three steps. Typically the purpose of a multi-cache is to show the cacher the area or help them explore the terrain. These two caches took us on the majority of the rail trail and we clocked in close to five miles.

It's kind of hard to describe the events that took place because most of it consisted of walking on a very well defined and maintained trail, but we did see some interesting wildlife. We started Pieces of Rail and half way through it started Goldilocks. Pieces of Rail consisted of several puzzles where we had to use the environment to solve them. Goldilocks was more traditional, as it had us go to another coordinate where we found a cache that led us to the next. Both caches were very fun. Pieces of Rail also resulted in us logging our first Benchmark.
Benchmarks are markers or metal discs that surveyors use. Each has it's own serial number and as a result discovering them can be tracked on Geocaching.com. None of us knew much about them, but that didn't matter because Zoey ended up finding it! The final Goldilocks cache was full of goodies, unfortunately Pieces of Rail was not. While the swag is not the reason we go caching it is fun to find interesting stuff. As a result we've decided to start carrying more things with us so that others can have great swag to choose from!

Super Cachetastic 2: The Vermontining

April 20th was a big day of caching for us. No 400+ cache runs for us, but plenty of neat places to visit. After crossing the lake we ended up in Vermont. No time to delay, there's caches on them there islands!

Arguably "The Best Sunset"
We've noticed that a lot of caches are hidden near or in boat launches. There's nothing wrong with that, because there's lots of good things about them being hidden there. There is typically not many muggles around, there is always parking and they're right next to the lake! The cache's name is about a debate between the cache owner and their friends about who's lake sunset is better. Unfortunately we didn't get to see a sunset, but we did get to see a geocache!

Gateway
Before getting to Gateway we stopped by the Grand Isle Rec Park and tried to get a cache there. There was a muggle there the whole time, cleaning his lawn mower right next to the cache. We decided that we would try a nearby area first and then come back.

Gateway is located on the gate to Grand Isle State Park. It's a micro and didn't take us too long to find it. By this time Zaiden was strapped to my back so Co did most of the searching. This also makes two consecutive caches in a row with no picture. Frowny Face :(

Juniper Thicket and Cedar Grove
There's a trail in Grand Isle Park that has a neat name that I do not remember. On this trail is two caches that are hidden but not hidden. They're hidden as in they can't be found without looking, but they're not hidden as in they aren't hard to find once you know where to look. Both of these caches reside in areas based on their names. As such you can not see the actual cache from the path. Colette tried her luck with the first cache and was successful. The trees are so thick that it took her longer to get to and from the cache than it did to sign the log book and swap swag.
The same goes for me when I went after Cedar Grove. My time spent bushwhacking in times past came in handy for this cache. It's just like riding a bike! We saw some really cool things on the trail as well. The peak of the trail is on an exposed rocky region. There was also animal trails from deer and probably coyote. At the end there was a tower with a beautiful view of the nearby mountains. This entire hike was very enjoyable!

Tree Island and High and Dry
There is a road that runs from West to East through Grand Isle State Park. Unfortunately the road was blocked off, which I guess they do during the off season. So we packed the kids onto the stroller and started hoofing it. Both sides of the road are pretty well covered with trees, until the right side opens to a large field. In the open field is a small cluster of trees. An island of trees, if you will. According to the cache's log there is a Letterbox right near it and they warn cachers to not mistake it for the cache. Letterboxing is similar to Geocaching. They consist of logs and a rubber stamp hidden in a box somewhere, but as opposed to geocaching a GPS is not used. Instead hints are given as to the letterbox's location and that's how you find them. Once you've found it you stamp your log with the box's stamp and do to same with your stamp to it's log. Fortunately for us we didn't look hard enough in the wrong spot and only found the cache we were after!

The second cache was just down the road from the first. I tried to find it first but the GPS just didn't want to cooperate. Colette then gave it a shot and was successful. She said that since the GPS wasn't cooperating she decided to read the description again. Based on what was said as well as her geosenses she was able to locate it.

This is Vermont: Grand Isle
Back now to the Grand Isle Rec Park. This time only a mugglette was there, but he was obviously waiting for others to arrive. I knew I didn't have much time so I quickly made my way to where I knew the cache would be. While I was playing in the bushes two more cars pulled up and several more muggles piled out of them. I signed the cache's log and got the information we came for and made my way back toward the car. I decided to tell them what I was doing, rather than look like a pervert hiding in the bushes. They seemed genuinely interested in my story and we were soon off.

A Grand Old Hyde
I really enjoyed our next stop. After gassing up (gas in Vermont is substantially cheaper than in New York) we stopped at the Hyde Log Cabin. According to the plaque the Hyde Log Cabin is possibly the oldest building in the country, as it was built in 1783. It has been restored over the years and is in excellent condition. The cache's log mentions tours being available but they were not running during our visit. The cache wasn't too far from the cabin and Colette signed the log while I took pictures. I love getting to explore history first hand!

Vermont's Only One
Here is another cache where the place is also very cool. This cache is hidden just over the hill from the last remaining active draw bridge. According to the log the bridge raises every half hour during the summer months. Since we visited the area during the spring it was not operating, but I would love to come back when it is and get some pictures. This was the first time that Colette deployed her "take a picture into the hole" cache finding method. Rather than stick her hand into various tree orifices she snapped a photo. The method payed off and we hopped back into the car.

Island Crossing
This cache was a quick boat launch micro. We like to make the most of our stops so we spent some time skipping rocks. Zoey expressed her concern for the environment and did some CITO while we were there and Colette grabbed a hand full of large skipping rocks to decorate and leave in caches in the future. As quick as most boat launch micros are I will probably never get tired of them!

36 Views of Camels Hump XXX
Apparently this one is part of a series, but I haven't looked into it just yet so I'm not sure what the name of it is in reference to. Regardless this cache calls a cemetery in North Hero home. I pulled up right next to its location. While Co was filling out the log I noticed a beautiful view of the mountains across the lake. Unfortunately my current lens could not do the sight justice so I was not able to capture it. I will without a doubt remember this spot for when that changes in the future!

Pelot's Gas Saver, Pelots Find and This is Vermont: North Hero
I decided to put all these caches together because they all reside in the Pelot's Point Nature Area/Trails. Pelot's Point is in Northwest North Hero and is an excellent set of trails. Pelot's Gas Saver is named as such because it is right next to parking area and serves as a quick find as well as a thank you for stopping to such a beautiful place. Farther into the trails (there are three) is Pelots Find. This cache is an ammo box and is well hidden. This is where I decided that going through the forest would be a great idea. Zoey thought it would be fun to follow me and we both regretted it. The trail soon looped back around and we were back on the right path. Colette found this one and Zoey got to trade swag. The last cache was another part of the Grand Isle County series. We have all been really happy with the different shapes and sizes of these caches. Inside was a travel bug attached to an old ford car. His mission is to meet old cars like him and he has been all over Quebec. Aside from the great caches the trails were also fantastic. They were built around a sugar farm operation and a lot of the stuff for it is currently active. There is also information plaques dedicated to the flora and fauna of the area. We all had an awesome time!

Cachetastic: Part One: New York Edition

On April 20th both Colette and myself had the day off. Since we try to work opposite shifts this doesn't happen very often. As a result we planned the day to consist of caching, caching, and more caching. On my way home the night before four caches had been published, so the idea of our first FTF (First to Find) was sitting in our minds. While we're not in the game for the speed of the find, we both liked the idea of getting a FTF.

Take a penny, Leave a penny
Our first cache of the day was a micro just north of Plattsburgh. The description of the cache mentions that it wasn't big enough to hold swag, but the cache owner thought that taking and leaving a penny would be a fun idea. We pulled up to the end of the dead end street and I got out, armed with our camera, a pen and a penny and headed into the woods. After about 10 minutes of searching and looking at the hint I wasn't able to come up with anything. I turned to go back to the car to let Co try and I noticed that she was talking to someone. He left as I returned but Colette told me that he was curious as to what we were doing. She explained, and fortunately for us he knew what geocaching was and had noticed 4+ other groups of people doing the same thing since the night before. Colette then headed back out while I decided to fire up the internet browser on my phone and be disappointed to see that someone had already logged the FTF. Upon loading the page I found that the cache owner had disabled the cache. He thought that it's placement was too difficult and wanted to move it. I got out of the car to go tell Colette that it was disabled and to never mind and I discovered her signing the log on our very first FTF! The prize for FTF was a nice handmade trinket.

Jport's Cumberland Micro
The next stop was on Cumberland Ave. There we searched, and searched and searched. Every nook and cranny we could find but to no avail. We also tried back later and still did not find (DNF) it. Maybe next time!

Jport's Story Cache
This was a very cool cache. Not only is it on a trail that we didn't know existed, it also has a neat concept. Inside the cache is index cards. On the first index card is the beginning of a story. The idea is that each person to find the cache can contribute to the story, then later the cache owner is going to email everyone who donated to the story the completed project. We were the first ones to find it (FTF!) and so we got to add the second page. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the story turns out.

Kentucky Fried Cache
Can you guess where this cache is hidden? That's right, by the KFC in Plattsburgh! Both Co and I tried several times to find this cache but ultimately we were unsuccessful. To be honest I wasn't really sure what I was looking for. Besides, the entire area could be the center of a Cache In, Trash Out (CITO) mega event. There was more garbage nearby than in the dumpster on the hill! We'll give it another try later since it has been found since we searched.

After our second DNF for the day we decided to take the ferry from Cumberland Head to Vermont. I'm sure we'll have more luck there!

its good to be blue and not blue

Colette and I have been soaking up tons of information about geocaching. The community as a whole is stronger than it has ever been and that makes for some good reading, listening and watching.

Blueline Geocachers
Not too long ago there was an organization in our area called Northern New York Geocachers or NNYGeo. Unfortunately they disbanded just before we started caching. I was looking for a group in the area that may host events or we could discuss topics with and I came upon the Blueline Geocachers. Apparently they welcomed the previous members of NNYGeo, even though their original area only consisted of the towns within the blue line (the area on the map that the Adirondack Mountains are marked off as). If anyone in the Adirondack or Northern New York area is interested in or is getting into geocaching please become a part of this community. They have the webpage above as well as a page on Facebook by the same name.

Geocachng Podcast
This is one of my favorite places for geocaching information. They do their show every Tuesday night at 9:30est and I've been listening for several weeks. The shows are about 30 minutes long so they work well during rides to work. They cover a different topic every week and listeners can call in live during the show and share their experience and knowledge. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and the Zune Marketplace.

Geosnippits
This is a fine place for anyone who is new to geocaching or isn't quite sure what the whole thing is about. Head Hard Hat has done many 5 to 10 minute geocaching snippits to use as tutorials for the uninitiated. He has a ton of experience and is entertaining to watch.

As always I'll have these links on the right side of the blog so they're easily accessible!

kicking it old school

If you check out geocaching.com and look at the caches in our area you will see that there aren't any in Champlain, Chazy and Rouses Point. This is unfortunate because we live in Champlain, Chazy is directly south of  us and Rouses Point is directly east of us. So when a cache popped up in Chazy on the 17th you can imagine how excited we were. One of the benefits of being a premium member on Geocaching.com is notifications. You can have the system automatically notify you of several different things based on specifications that you choose. I decided to have it tell us whenever a new cache is published within 30 miles of our home location. So that Saturday morning I got an email on my phone that a cache had been published in Chazy. Unfortunately I was at work and couldn't go after it.

Miner's Vision
Two days after the cache was published, on the 19th, we finally had the opportunity to stop by and pick this cache up. Our hopes of being First to Find (FTF or F2F) had been long squashed so now it was just for the fun of the game. Also, the cache was posted by mcgillz and it's always nice to do the caches from the same person. After doing laundry this morning and then visiting our grandmother we headed off to Chazy for some caching and a stop at the Chazy Rec Park. This cache is named as such because it resides not far from the Alice T Miner Museum. The cache is a nano and it only took us a few minutes to find it. Unfortunately it's near a busy shop so it was difficult to be discreet.

During our stop at the rec park we scouted out a couple locations for geocaches. We're hoping to hide our first cache soon and get more of the local cachers to stop in our area.

park at the park

After our recent bout of quick stops Co thought it would be fun to go to a spot that required more hiking. So on April 14th we got the critters in the car, invited Justin, and headed out early to Point Au Roche state park. My only previous experiences with the park was going to the beach during the summer when I was younger, so we started there. We found out later that that wasn't the best choice.

Geo Cache 101
Not far from where we parked was our first cache of the day. This was one of the first times that we had done several caches on a series of trails and this cache in particular taught us a very valuable lesson. Stay on the trail until you know for sure that the only way to get to the caches is to start bushwacking! We spent about 15 minutes going through all sorts of fauna and later found that the path curved around not far from where the actual cache is. This was Zoey's first find. She ran right to where it was hidden and proudly shouted "Treasure!".

DownTheMiddle
Having never been on any of the trails in Point Au Roche park I didn't know what to expect after our first cache. The next stop was on the opposite side of the beach and I knew that were was a trail that headed that way so off we went. The park consists of several peninsulas and the next cache was toward the end of the first one. When we arrived at the GZ (Ground Zero) Colette and Justin snapped into action searching for the cache. Unfortunately Zoey wasn't able to find this one due to the fact that it was on the side of a hill, way too close to the water. Colette soon picked up the cache and we dropped off a monster and picked up some stickers. Zoey really wanted to play with them, but she would have to wait... there was more hiking and more caching to do!

Booty Point-less
Just north of the previous cache was our next stop. The trail we had to take to get to it was very cool. There were several spots that had worn away and we had to go across them one at a time. During the walk to the cache we found a large rock and took some pictures of Co and Zoey sitting on it. For the past couple of weeks Zoey has been determined to defy the good picture gods and look away or simply refuse to smile when we're trying to take pictures of her so it was nice to see that this one came out so well. Not too far from the large rock was the cache. This too was down the hill so Colette went down and retrieved it. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the cache was an older one and still in good condition. It had a great hiding spot which Co returned it to before we headed out.

Its a Moot Point
Our fourth and final cache of the morning was in an area far east of where we had originally started hiking. There are recreational trails that were donated by a family whose name I neglected to get. Now, of course, had we known that this are had it's own road access as well as a trail head and parking we would have parked here in the first place. Fortunately we can use that knowledge in the future when we return to get the other two caches we didn't get to. This was a quick and scenic trip on a well maintained set of trails. It didn't take Justin too long to find the cache so we could head back to the car. In total our trip was a little over four miles and we were quite tired when we got back to the car. We celebrated our day with ice cream from a local restaurant which was fantastic.

there's always time for caching!

Monday, April 5th wasn't as nice as the day before. The temperature had gone back down and it was gloomy outside. Colette came up with the idea of heading into the city and walking around in the mall, picking up some odds and ends, and maybe stopping at one of the parks. I really liked the park idea so I drove to Penfield Park in Plattsburgh first. The kids had a great time! It was the first time Zaiden had been on a swing and he really got a kick out of it. Of course, during the time the kids were playing, Colette was right on the GPS looking for a nearby cache. We let the kids play for a while, when finally the chilly wind forced us into the car.

Child's Play
Colette wouldn't tell me where we were headed, just that I'd really like it and to follow the directions. After a quick hop onto the north way we were in South Plattsburgh on a few roads I hadn't traveled yet. A couple turns later we were at the South Plattsburgh Park. They had a lot more traditional playground toys that most newer parks don't bother with. Among them was a turn-about! Zoey knew exactly what it was and hopped on double quick. I decided that since Zaiden had mastered the slide earlier he shouldn't have a problem holding on if we didn't spin it too fast. As I was putting him on Colette tells me that the cache is located in the park. We both started searching and soon found the cache nearby. Colette quickly opened and signed it and stealthily as possible because of the nearby city workers getting the park ready for this summer. As a result we were unable to get a picture of it, but this was definitely one of our favorite caches!

Roadside Cafe
Our second and last cache for the day was on our way back toward Target. This cache is located right near the airport. According to the cache's log you can access other caches along a nearby trail from this cache. Unfortunately the path was blocked by a locked gate. We figured it was seasonal access, fortunately it didn't stop us from quickly grabbing the cache. We're looking forward to going back later and doing the caches on the trails!

little peter cottontail hopping down the caching trail

Sunday, April 4th was Easter. Easter is a time of many strange occurrences; saviors rise from the dead, rabbits lay eggs, and Target is closed. Due to our place of business being closed we had the opportunity to have a family get together. During these events we, of course, had an easter egg hunt. We have to keep our little cachers in shape! We also celebrated Zaiden's first birthday, our little boy is growing up so quick!

This is Vermont: Isle La Motte
With our bellies full from Easter lunch we set out to enjoy the weather, geocaching style! Our first stop of the day was a previous DNF. Between today and our last try at this cache the cache owner posted that the cache had migrated and he put it back where it belonged. At first Colette and Justin went searching for the cache, because the kids were sleeping. During this time I took some pictures of the surrounding area. The water was fairly calm and the birds were out. Once the kids woke up I got them out of the car and we chased after Co and Justin. Colette and I switched places because the cache was located in some tall grass and trees that were home to some barbed vines. After another fifteen minutes of searching Justin found the cache hidden in a spot we all swore we had checked more than once.

Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve
Next on the list was the Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve, which was also located on Isle La Motte. This was our very first earthcache. An earthcache is different than a traditional cache because the reward is not a box but rather the location itself. You can learn more about earthcaches at their website. To be able to log an earthcache as a find you have to answer questions provided by the cache owner, as well as take a picture of their request. We wrote down the answers we found on the information board located at the preserve and then walked around the provided trails and examined even more fossils.

J&B's Island Fever
After enjoying the path at the reserve as well as the fantastic weather we popped the GPS back on and headed for the next closest cache. J&B's Island Fever is named as such because it's on one of the many islands that make up the northeastern coast of Vermont. When we arrived at the location, which was at the end of a pier, there was a muggle couple enjoying the lake and skipping rocks. We got to the end of the pier and, I assume, scared them off, because they left not long after. Zoey resumed her rock tossing and Colette unsuccessfully tried her hand at skipping stones. Once the muggles were out of site Co started looking for the cache while I made sure Zoey didn't get too close to the water. After a moment Colette came running back to me, gibbering on about a giant spider. As a result I went down and started looking nearby, waving to the giant spider, and ultimately finding the cache not far from where she was looking. The cache was well placed but was still wet inside. I decided to sign the log but not take or leave anything. We all skipped a few more rocks and then headed out.

East Alburg Pizza
The Alburgh Recreational Rail Trail that I talked about in one of our first posts runs for 3.5 miles through a significant portion of Alburgh. During out first time on the trail we only traveled about half of it. Toward the end of the rail trail is two geocaches that we had seen but not tried due to weather. Seeing that it was so nice today I thought it would be great to give them a shot. This cache owner was nice enough to add a waypoint to the cache that showed where it was best to park. We pulled up, got the kids out, and started down the trail. Unfortunately the area was littered substantially, probably due to the residences nearby. We had forgotten bags to do some CITO (Cache In, Trash Out) so were unable to clean any of it up. After a few minutes walking on the trail Colette exclaimed that we had already passed the cache. She turned and walked right toward the tree that would ultimately be the home of this particular cache. She signed the log and placed it back, then we started down the trail to the next cache.

Not too long after we continued down the rail trail we heard a dog barking. I looked up to see a very large dog, barking and coming toward us. Colette started to become uneasy but I just continued walking. The dogs owner wasn't too far behind, but that doesn't make up for the fact that he was unleashed considering how large he was. Unfortunately this wasn't our only obstruction, because right after the house with the large dog thr trail got very, very muddy. We decided to turn back, feeling as if hurdles were suggesting we do so anyway. Later on I found out that the cache owner decided to temporarily disable the cache due to, oddly enough, muddy conditions and unleashed dogs!

IN BETWEEN (Tt-06)
Ah, IN BETWEEN, my arch nemesis! This would be attempt four at this cache. As I mentioned previously our GPS became very inaccurate when near the buildings that this cache is situated amongst. This time since we were going during a holiday, and the nearby businesses were all closed, there were absolutely no muggles to be found. Colette, determined to make me look bad, took Justin and they started looking. After a few minutes I re situated the car away from the building and pointed them in another direction. A moment later, success! Colette finally found the cache we tried for on multiple occasions! She opened it up and signed it.

It was a great day for caching!