17 March, 2011
I finally had the opportunity to geocache once again with friend Drybees, the lady who introduced me to geocaching.
Drybees had a medical appointment in Charleston, so after that and a good lunch at Red Lobster (geocachers love eating as much as caching, doncha know?) we caught a few caches, all in the Southridge area. I think we found four caches that day, along with one DNF. (Boo! Hiss!) We both laughed, however, at one cacher's description of the container he used. He called it a "bottle", but it actually was a 35mm film canister. Not quite the same in my opinion.
Fun day with a great friend.
Get outside and play!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
How Many Geocachers Does it Take to Find a Mill?
Saturday, 12 March, 2011
It was a geocaching kind of day, but that wasn't what was going on. On our last trip out Woodhick803 had discovered some ruins and, being the naturally inquisitive type of person that he is, had to delve further into this mystery.
<enter Waypoint_Wayne>
YES! It really was Waypoint_Wayne of the "Phone a Friend" cache, my all-time favorite! WW, WH, and I met up at IHOP early (for me) one Saturday morning. The "boys" poured over railroad charts and discussed whether or not those ruins could be from Spangler's Mill, an old woolen mill located in the Fitzpatrick area of Raleigh County. Off we drove to that location and hiked along the railroad tracks for a mile or so, crossing several bridges where you could see Piney Creek racing along below us. <Gulp!> The guys did all the searching - I was just along for the sunshine, the hike, and to photograph this historic occasion.
A coal tipple spotted along the way. Coal tipples were used to clean, sort, and load coal onto railroad cars.
Coltsfoot in bloom. I love spring!
The beavers have been hard at work on this tree. Didn't see any of the critters though.
See the holes? I'll bet they were made by a hungry woodpecker and, by the size of the holes, probably a pileated woodpecker at that. Those guys are huge and remind me of pterodactyls.
The answer to the titled question is still unknown. However, I did find out that Waypoint_Wayne's wife is a former co-worker of mine. There's a funny story there too about recognizing your own children, but I'll let it lay.....
Get outside and play!
It was a geocaching kind of day, but that wasn't what was going on. On our last trip out Woodhick803 had discovered some ruins and, being the naturally inquisitive type of person that he is, had to delve further into this mystery.
<enter Waypoint_Wayne>
A coal tipple spotted along the way. Coal tipples were used to clean, sort, and load coal onto railroad cars.
Coltsfoot in bloom. I love spring!
The beavers have been hard at work on this tree. Didn't see any of the critters though.
See the holes? I'll bet they were made by a hungry woodpecker and, by the size of the holes, probably a pileated woodpecker at that. Those guys are huge and remind me of pterodactyls.
The answer to the titled question is still unknown. However, I did find out that Waypoint_Wayne's wife is a former co-worker of mine. There's a funny story there too about recognizing your own children, but I'll let it lay.....
Get outside and play!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
1 March, 2011
I suppose geocachers in the area are once again happy to be out, searching for those elusive Tupperware boxes. It's been a long, cold, snowy winter and Woodhick803 and I are certainly among those happy to be traipsing through the woods and along the concrete to find hidden treasures.
Do you see the cache hidden here? It's right there, in plain sight. No? Check again. It's the little silver panel. Yep, that's it. We encountered several of these fellas during the day, all placed by the same cacher. The first one had Woodhick and me puzzled, but after that we were able to spot them from a moving car. Hehe - I didn't even realize there were any telephone stands left. Seems like everyone anymore has a cell phone stuck to their ears.
We found a cache nicely hidden at Little Beaver State Park. I can't remember the last time I was out there. Obviously years and years ago. Woodhick and I reminisced about swimming at the lake during our childhoods. There used to be a diving platform where all the teens congregated and sock hops were held in the pavilion several times during the summer. I was much too young to enjoy either of those. My mother used to sew a button to the shoulder strap of my swimsuit and that was as far as I could go out in the water. Pretty smart, huh?
Those were the summers of
"Ahab, the Arab" (accent on the "A", please) and "Purple People Eater". Long time ago. Anyway, these are two photos of our hike to "Woody Chair" and yes, that is indeed a water crossing.
The nicest find was SS Geo, at the Shady Spring Library. No, not the cache, but these harbingers of SPRING!!!! Remember how Snoopy did his Happy Dance when it was dinnertime? That's how I felt when I discovered the crocuses. IT'S GONNA BE SPRING!!!!
Always a fun day out geocaching with my brother. I have spent more time with him during the last two or three years than ever before and have discovered that he's really okay. LOL! Love you, big brother.
Before I forget, we had a delicious lunch at the local Indian restaurant, Aangan. Sure hope that place stays in business.
Get outside and play!
Do you see the cache hidden here? It's right there, in plain sight. No? Check again. It's the little silver panel. Yep, that's it. We encountered several of these fellas during the day, all placed by the same cacher. The first one had Woodhick and me puzzled, but after that we were able to spot them from a moving car. Hehe - I didn't even realize there were any telephone stands left. Seems like everyone anymore has a cell phone stuck to their ears.
Those were the summers of
"Ahab, the Arab" (accent on the "A", please) and "Purple People Eater". Long time ago. Anyway, these are two photos of our hike to "Woody Chair" and yes, that is indeed a water crossing.
Always a fun day out geocaching with my brother. I have spent more time with him during the last two or three years than ever before and have discovered that he's really okay. LOL! Love you, big brother.
Before I forget, we had a delicious lunch at the local Indian restaurant, Aangan. Sure hope that place stays in business.
Get outside and play!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Not Quite a Dozen
19 February, 2011
Finally! A day warm enough with Woodhick803 over his cold. A full day of geocaching! Yay!
I dragged myself out of a nice, soft, warm, cuddly bed at the ungodly hour of 7am, showered, took care of the kitties, etc, and headed out into the cold (36 degrees) to meet Woodhick in Lewisburg, WV, an hour's drive. We hit the trail running, or hiking I should say, on Jerry's Run Trail, just over the state line into Virginia, to find the Allegheny Trail cache, one that was sorely in need of some TLC. Woodhick gave it first aid, replacing not only the contents of the cache but the container itself. He's now a foster parent.
Woodhick claimed a FTF at Welcome to VA on I-64. It appeared that this cache was a former Letterbox cache (similar to geocaching, but a bit different, as I understand it) that has just been listed as a GC. Congratulations, Woodhick!
Probably the nicest part of geocaching is that it gets you out to see places that either you didn't know existed or had always meant to see, but never took the time. This is the Humpback Bridge, where we took a DNF (did not find), but it was nice to see such an unusual bridge. While there we met a young college student who was writing a paper on the bridge and she gave us a rundown of the bridge's history. Nice!
Another highlight of the day was the Falling Spring Falls earthcache. There is no actual cache box to find at an earthcache; rather, there's some natural occurrence to see and then answer questions about. Thomas Jefferson surveyed these falls in 1781. To learn more about the falls, visit http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=fc86f8bc-1cff-4ed7-8bff-08046918afdb
I found this little plant growing in tiny little crevice in a rock at the Mouth of the Island cache near Covington, VA. Guess we should all take a lesson from this little fellow.
And finally, here I am, taking the bull by the horns. (Okay, I know it's a buffalo, but play along, would you?) Curious Ride was a virtual cache, sort of like an earthcache, but not dealing with nature. Virtual caches are no longer admitted under the geocaching rules and are now listed as waypoints. This one is still listed as a geocache just because it was in place before the rules changed. By the way, it helps to read the cache's description - Woodhick and I spent 10 minutes looking for a real cache before we noticed it was listed as a virtual.
Of course, we had some good food along the way. Lunch was at Cucci's in Covington, VA, where we had some delicious meatball sandwiches. Yum! And the day warmed up into the 50s with a beautiful clear blue sky.
Until next time, get outside and play!
Finally! A day warm enough with Woodhick803 over his cold. A full day of geocaching! Yay!
I dragged myself out of a nice, soft, warm, cuddly bed at the ungodly hour of 7am, showered, took care of the kitties, etc, and headed out into the cold (36 degrees) to meet Woodhick in Lewisburg, WV, an hour's drive. We hit the trail running, or hiking I should say, on Jerry's Run Trail, just over the state line into Virginia, to find the Allegheny Trail cache, one that was sorely in need of some TLC. Woodhick gave it first aid, replacing not only the contents of the cache but the container itself. He's now a foster parent.
Another highlight of the day was the Falling Spring Falls earthcache. There is no actual cache box to find at an earthcache; rather, there's some natural occurrence to see and then answer questions about. Thomas Jefferson surveyed these falls in 1781. To learn more about the falls, visit http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=fc86f8bc-1cff-4ed7-8bff-08046918afdb
Of course, we had some good food along the way. Lunch was at Cucci's in Covington, VA, where we had some delicious meatball sandwiches. Yum! And the day warmed up into the 50s with a beautiful clear blue sky.
Until next time, get outside and play!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
It Was a Guardrail Kind of Day
4 February, 2011
Winter finally took a break and Woodhick803 and I were able to get out and find a few caches. After he caught a couple of local caches, we traveled north on Rt. 16 (aka Robert C. Byrd Drive) to such mini-opoli (the opposite of megalopoli?) as Pemberton, Sullivan, and Coal City to track down a series of what turned out to be, with one exception, all guardrail caches. Apparently they were all placed by the same geocacher who took his nieces and nephews to place the caches and then named them after that relative.
Here's a picture of six caches. Yes, I know that's only one photo, but remember I told you that, with one exception, they were all guardrail caches. I don't want to sound bigoted, but those guardrails all look alike to me.
The lone exception to guardrails was a cache placed at Fitzpatrick Park. I had never been out there and, even though it's just a few miles from town, it felt as if we were not only in the wilderness but had also traveled back in time a generation or two (or three or four). <cue music from "Deliverance">
"Patriot Boot Camp" found us celebrating my 100th find. Woodhick803 presented me with a certificate and letter of introduction (appropriate for framing, of course) and I think he was humming Pomp and Circumstance during the presentation ceremonies.
It was fun to get out, see the sun, and breathe some fresh air. I doubt that winter's over yet, but it's getting closer each day.
Get outside and play!
Winter finally took a break and Woodhick803 and I were able to get out and find a few caches. After he caught a couple of local caches, we traveled north on Rt. 16 (aka Robert C. Byrd Drive) to such mini-opoli (the opposite of megalopoli?) as Pemberton, Sullivan, and Coal City to track down a series of what turned out to be, with one exception, all guardrail caches. Apparently they were all placed by the same geocacher who took his nieces and nephews to place the caches and then named them after that relative.
The lone exception to guardrails was a cache placed at Fitzpatrick Park. I had never been out there and, even though it's just a few miles from town, it felt as if we were not only in the wilderness but had also traveled back in time a generation or two (or three or four). <cue music from "Deliverance">
It was fun to get out, see the sun, and breathe some fresh air. I doubt that winter's over yet, but it's getting closer each day.
Get outside and play!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
He Found the Cache, But I Found the Cash
18 November, 2010. Dreary, drizzly, chilly. Just the right kind of weather for geocaching! Yay! Put on the long johns and a couple of extra layers and I'm ready to go.
Woodhick803 and I found 13 caches today. Well, actually Woodhick found ALL OF THEM. No fair - he was jumping out of the car before I even had the engine turned off. Next time HE drives! Not only did he find all the caches, I even paid for lunch! (I prefer brie with that whine, please.)
The most significant part of the day, however, was that we were able to celebrate Woodhick's 100th find. Here are photos of the momentous occasion.
Woodhick manipulates the lock to open this clever cache which looked just like an electrical box, but had the official geocaching sticker affixed to it.
Woodhick signs the log. If he realized this was his 100th find, he didn't let on, although he did make the comment that as of this morning he had made 91 finds. Wonder if he was subconciously keeping track?
Even though Woodhick may not have been keeping track of his finds today, I was. And, being the wonderful sister that I am, I had planned ahead and made this wonderful Certificate of Achievement (suitable for framing) to present to him at the appropriate time.
Congratulations, Woodhick!
Woodhick may have found all the caches today, but at the last site I found cash. Cash! Alright, it was only 11 cents, but still......
Oh yeah - happy birthday, Mom. Aren't you delighted that your children are playing together finally?
Get outside and play!
Woodhick803 and I found 13 caches today. Well, actually Woodhick found ALL OF THEM. No fair - he was jumping out of the car before I even had the engine turned off. Next time HE drives! Not only did he find all the caches, I even paid for lunch! (I prefer brie with that whine, please.)
Woodhick manipulates the lock to open this clever cache which looked just like an electrical box, but had the official geocaching sticker affixed to it.
Congratulations, Woodhick!
Woodhick may have found all the caches today, but at the last site I found cash. Cash! Alright, it was only 11 cents, but still......
Oh yeah - happy birthday, Mom. Aren't you delighted that your children are playing together finally?
Get outside and play!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
2 + 3
Woodhick and I started off early on Tuesday, 11/2/10, with a couple stops at caches I'd already found, but soon found ourselves off on a couple of Waypoint_Wayne hides. The first one took us to a cemetery near Mabscott, WV, where we had to locate a particular epitaph and count the frequency of certain letters and then assign them numeric values. That would then give us the co-ordinates to the cache itself.
This hill is much steeper than it looks. Poor old Woodhick practically had to scramble up the first 20 feet or so on all fours. I stayed at the bottom, but Woodhick says he signed my name to the log anyway. Can you see him up there?
By now it was time for lunch and if you've been following this blog, you know that a good lunch is always a highlight of the day. This time it was at Calacino's for their supreme pizza. Very good. Good crust, too. (And yes, both of us remember the original Calacino's when "pizza pie" was an exotic food in Beckley.)
Another Waypoint_Wayne geocache had us out seemingly miles away from town, although we were just at the end of Woodlawn Avenue, practically in the center of town! This one was called Raleigh Coke and Coal #4 and contained a history lesson on the mine and the miners who lost their lives there.
While returning from this cache I got a text message from the Drybees family. We connected with them at the YMCA soccer fields and did a couple of caches together, with the Drybees daughter making the finds. Good job!
With the onset of poor weather, I'm wondering how many more geocaching days Woodhick and I will be able to make. I'd certainly like to hit the 100 finds mark (I'm at 78 now) before I have to hang up the GPS for the winter. We'll see.
Get outside and play!
By now it was time for lunch and if you've been following this blog, you know that a good lunch is always a highlight of the day. This time it was at Calacino's for their supreme pizza. Very good. Good crust, too. (And yes, both of us remember the original Calacino's when "pizza pie" was an exotic food in Beckley.)
With the onset of poor weather, I'm wondering how many more geocaching days Woodhick and I will be able to make. I'd certainly like to hit the 100 finds mark (I'm at 78 now) before I have to hang up the GPS for the winter. We'll see.
Get outside and play!
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