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!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
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.
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
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!".
DownTheMiddleHaving 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.
Friday, April 9, 2010
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!
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
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!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
where the wind blows, new york edition
Our adventures on March 28th started early in the morning. The GPSs juice had run dry so we needed to stop home and recharge it. During this time we got some lunch and also picked up my brother, since we planned to do more caching once the GPS began cooperating again.
Wave to Grandpa and Grandma!
The first stop of our second time out today was in West Chazy. The cache's was called Wave to Grandpa and Grandma because the cache owner's grandparents lived across the river by the cache. Just as before the wind was blowing pretty hard so the kids and Colette stayed in the car while Justin and I went searching. I followed the GPS to the coordinates and we began looking. After ten minutes of searching and readjusting our location I noticed a block that seemed out of place. Lo and behold there was the cache, hiding under it. I signed the log, put it back, then we cut across the courtyard back to the car.
Bee Cottage at the Sign of the Frog
This stop resulted in a did not find. We pulled up right next to the garden that is suppose to be home to the cache and all took turns looking around. This was the first time that we had stopped to a cache that was on private property. The cache's description mentioned that the Bee Cottage is a bed and breakfast, but that it also was not open at the time that we stopped by. We decided to move on for now and come back when the place is actually open. I hope that caches being on private property are not a theme, it was very unsettling!
Forever Grateful 2
In Beekmantown, which is south of West Chazy, there is a memorial trail that was built by eagle scouts. On this trail there are plaques that offer information about various wars our country has been a part of. The intention of the trail is to pay respect to those that died or were assumed dead. The trail is beautiful and very well maintained and also leads to the Beekmantown Rec Park. The tree coverage there was also sufficient enough so that the kids could enjoy the trail as well. Oh! I almost forgot to mention, there's also a cache here! :) About half way through the trail the GPS had us enter the woods and Justin found the ammo canister cache. Inside we found our very first travel bug. Travel bugs are similar to geocoins in that they're tracked online. The difference though is that they are like dog tags that you attach to something important or interesting to you, like a toy or a souvenir. Some people give them missions or stories, to make them even more fun. The one that we got was a pig that we would later find out was named Mademoiselle COCHONNE which in english is Miss Piggy! We plan on helping her find her Kermie in due time!
IN BETWEEN (Tt-06)
This marks our third attempt to find this painfully cleverly hidden cache. Justin and I both took a look but we were unable to locate it, yet again. My GPS had a habit of bouncing around a lot near the buildings, which I believe made things even more difficult.
Wave to Grandpa and Grandma!
The first stop of our second time out today was in West Chazy. The cache's was called Wave to Grandpa and Grandma because the cache owner's grandparents lived across the river by the cache. Just as before the wind was blowing pretty hard so the kids and Colette stayed in the car while Justin and I went searching. I followed the GPS to the coordinates and we began looking. After ten minutes of searching and readjusting our location I noticed a block that seemed out of place. Lo and behold there was the cache, hiding under it. I signed the log, put it back, then we cut across the courtyard back to the car.
Bee Cottage at the Sign of the Frog
This stop resulted in a did not find. We pulled up right next to the garden that is suppose to be home to the cache and all took turns looking around. This was the first time that we had stopped to a cache that was on private property. The cache's description mentioned that the Bee Cottage is a bed and breakfast, but that it also was not open at the time that we stopped by. We decided to move on for now and come back when the place is actually open. I hope that caches being on private property are not a theme, it was very unsettling!
Forever Grateful 2
In Beekmantown, which is south of West Chazy, there is a memorial trail that was built by eagle scouts. On this trail there are plaques that offer information about various wars our country has been a part of. The intention of the trail is to pay respect to those that died or were assumed dead. The trail is beautiful and very well maintained and also leads to the Beekmantown Rec Park. The tree coverage there was also sufficient enough so that the kids could enjoy the trail as well. Oh! I almost forgot to mention, there's also a cache here! :) About half way through the trail the GPS had us enter the woods and Justin found the ammo canister cache. Inside we found our very first travel bug. Travel bugs are similar to geocoins in that they're tracked online. The difference though is that they are like dog tags that you attach to something important or interesting to you, like a toy or a souvenir. Some people give them missions or stories, to make them even more fun. The one that we got was a pig that we would later find out was named Mademoiselle COCHONNE which in english is Miss Piggy! We plan on helping her find her Kermie in due time!
IN BETWEEN (Tt-06)
This marks our third attempt to find this painfully cleverly hidden cache. Justin and I both took a look but we were unable to locate it, yet again. My GPS had a habit of bouncing around a lot near the buildings, which I believe made things even more difficult.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
this weather blows, literally!
We planned the 28th to be a geocaching day earlier in the week. As with all plans we ran into a few snags. The first snag was that we (re: I) forgot to charge our various rechargeables, such as the cameras and especially the GPS. So we figured we would let them charge and get some breakfast. During the trip to and from breakfast we noticed they very strong winds. Not to be discouraged we continued on without hesitation. On this day we tried our luck with more caches in Vermont.
Play "Around" and This is Vermont: Isle La Motte
There is a cluster of geocaches near Swanton that we hadn't tried yet so that seemed as good as place as any to start. On our way there we stopped just north of Isle La Motte in search of the Play "Around" cache. This cache's clever name is due to the fact that it is set not far from a golf course. The parking was very close to the lake and the wind was causing the waves to crash into the shore.
Play "Around" and This is Vermont: Isle La Motte
There is a cluster of geocaches near Swanton that we hadn't tried yet so that seemed as good as place as any to start. On our way there we stopped just north of Isle La Motte in search of the Play "Around" cache. This cache's clever name is due to the fact that it is set not far from a golf course. The parking was very close to the lake and the wind was causing the waves to crash into the shore.
I ventured out solo, the wind would be too much for our little adventurers. Fortunately it didn't take long for me to the find the cache. Colette is holding the cache in the photo because we forgot to snap a picture of it the first time and this was our return visit; I was determined to get pictures of our finds! Not surprisingly there were several golf balls which we traded for one of. We decided to leave the second geocoin we found since it was such a great spot and we had promised that it would be going to Vermont.
Just down the street from the first cache is This is Vermont: Isle La Motte. The "This is Vermont" series is an attempt to bring caches to each town in Vermont. Each of the caches have information about the location they are set in. The spot where this cache is located is a memorial and would be a great spot to visit in better weather. Both Colette and I took turns searching over the course of 20 minutes but were unable to find it. On the plus side we got some really cool pictures. The lake/wind combination was cold enough to leave ice on the shoreline!
After our Isle La Motte sidetrack we headed toward Swanton. We passed by several caches in Alburgh that run along a trail (not the recreation trail from the previous posts) and the wind was just too much for the kids. Fortunately the bridge leading out of Alburgh shielded us from the wind enough that we could make a second attempt at Fishing Frenzy. Armed with the knowledge I had gained by actually reading the log entry, Colette sat with the kids on the pier and I made my way into the rocks around the base of the bridge. By shear luck I found the cache, which was very well hidden using magnets. Colette signed the log and I returned the micro to it's proper place. I can safely say one of my favorite things is finding a cache we missed before!
Both Colette and myself are fans of caches that have a theme. So it was only natural that we worked on the first two Lest We Forget caches. As I mentioned before, the caches are dedicated to those who came before us. To show respect to people who may not have a place in history, but affected our lives today. Like the the third, both of these caches are micros that are hidden near a cemetery. We got to where the GPS pointed us for the first cache and I had to do some creative parking so that Colette could try and find it. The road that the graveyard is on has no shoulders and deep ditches. After a few moments I noticed an entrance to the field that was behind the cemetery and did a little off-roading to get to where we needed to be. Suffice to say my muddy Baja adventure took longer than it took Colette to locate the well placed micro. She signed the log and ran back to the car.
I decided to try for the second cache. The cemetery where this cache was located is a very large and well maintained one. Unfortunately I didn't pay attention to where Colette had found the previous cache, so it took me longer to figure out where this one was. But ultimately I did find it and signed it's little log book.
These were two fairly quick micros. During our stop and search for the first cache Colette tried to find it but was unable. As she was returning to the car two teenage boys road up on bicycles and stopped right next to where I was sure the cache was located. I watched as one pulled something small and black out of his pocket, quickly check it, then return it. I thought maybe they were geocaching as well, but this was not the case. Neither of them had any idea what I was talking about, but did offer some insight into popular sightseeing locations. After we parted ways I quickly snatched up the cache and signed it.
The next stop resulted in another quick find. Co mentioned reading that others found it quickly during the winter. I figured it you could find it in snow it must be an odd color. As soon as I looked forward I spotted the small micro in a tree knot. Colette signed it and we continued our quest.
As we moved into Swanton we followed the GPS to a small park/boat launch by the river that runs through it. Colette and I were discussing the large amount of broken trees and driftwood that was blocking the launch when I noticed what turned out to be what was left of a deer. As a result the kids were once again forced to stay inside the car while one of us ventured out in search of the cache. This was very unfortunate, as the surrounding houses and trees cut the wind down to almost nothing. The path that lead to the cache was also very nice. I Signed the log and we swapped a monster with a little pink character. Colette and I both commented that we would like to visit this place again in the summer, hopefully sans-decaying wild life!
Part two of todays adventure will be available soon!
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