Saturday, August 26, 2006

August 26, 2006

Trains, Toy Planes, and Automobiles: On our way to 'Little Dinos', we stopped here for a warm-up. There was one quite large plane being loaded into the back of a truck. I suppose they were done flying it. Nice to see a large cache so close and convenient. TFTC!

Phone Home: We were passing by after a trip to the beach. Thanks for the pit-stop in a scenic spot!

Tiny Dinos: With school starting next week, it's the last weekend of the summer. As a result, I was under a bit of pressure to come up with an 'adventure'. Somehow I stumbled on this cache, and noticed that it had been given some attention recently. Everyone got on long pants and sleeves, and off we went. It turns out we didn't need that protection for most of the way since the trail had recently been cut back. (I assume the cache owners were probably part of that effort. Thanks!) The last 200' were a little overgrown, but not bad...I'm sure the story will be completely different in a couple of months, though. We found the cache quickly, and made several trades. Green for white Jeep, CA and KS micro coins for the torn mailer coin, and, of course, toys in and out. This was a fantastic trail. We played in the tree for a long time, and saw all sorts of wildlife along the way. After finishing the hike, we changed into wading gear and played on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. I think my reputation as adventure provider remains intact. Thanks for the assistance!

August 22, 2006

Carlos Theater: I didn't need a GPSr this time...just a peek at the satelite photo was enough to get the job done. TFTC.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

August 20, 2006

Goose for the Gander: Although I managed to come up with a solution, I have no idea what this puzzle is talking about. Perhaps you could enlighten me at a future unevent? Thanks!

Monta Loma: Not really a park hide in my book...more of a hidden walkway cache, but let's not quibble about it. A lady with a German shepard had just passed by when I started my search, and after a few minutes I discovered (...with my hand...yuck!) that the dog had 'marked' the hint item. In anycase, a nice hide in an interesting location! TFTC.

Bus Bench Bogaloo #5: Thanks for the quickie! I took the TB.

They Call This Art?: Sunday night find...the perfect time to nab this cache. Thanks!

10 Essentials: Nobody here on a Sunday night except me and couple of employees from another store rounding up shopping carts, which was just the way I wanted it. ...although, on second thought, I would have like to restock some of my essentials. Another day, soon! TFTC.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

August 19, 2006

HHHH 4 EWE: We arrived on scene, but felt a little inhibited about searching for the cache since neighbor family was out working on their yard nearby. Eventually their 4-year old son came around the corner of the fence to say 'Hi'. 'Do you want to see the sheep?' he says. 'Yes!' say my boys. So he proceeds to rattle the fence and shout 'Here sheepie, Here sheepie!' at the top of his lungs...and, lo and behold, here come the sheep at a brisk trot from the back of the lot! So, we ended up checking out the sheep (who, for some reason were disappointed not to get a treat) for quite awhile during which I managed to spot the cache, and take care of the reason for MY visit! Thanks!

Tennis Court/Putting Green...Here?: There was a family driving a remote control car in the middle part of the lot, but we were able to conduct our search and log behind my strategically placed cachemobile. TFTC!

Welcome Aboard!: No parking issues late on a Saturday afternoon, although there were a couple of people snoozing in their cars in the lot we chose. John and Ted were pretty interested in the object mentioned in the hint and quickly started up some sort of spaceship game while I took care of the cache. Thanks!

Tech Stuff: Nice to see you again, dw! After parking down the street a bit, first we passed a huge spider who was in the process of sucking the life out of a fly and then later a beehive at the kids level just along the sidewalk. We traded a bit, and I took the TB. TFTC.

Wee Willie Werry's Whimsy: Thanks for showing us this park! Arriving on scene, John and Ted made a beeline for the playground, any opportunity for cache swag long forgotten. I wandered off, found the cache, and realized that they were going to want to check this one out! After quite a bit of discussion and negociation, we had our trades worked out, and they went back to the climbing wall for a bit more fun while I finished off the 'dirty work'. Nicely done!

August 17, 2006

Mariner Kakuro: I came up with a solution yesterday, but decided to check with Shores Scout since it looked like it might be a little muddy to get to. He pointed out to me that I had failed to follow all the rules of the puzzle, and that lead me to a logical solution. The cache was a quick find this morning on the way to work. TNLNSL. Thanks for showing me Kakuro!

August 16, 2006

All Tied Up in the Tree House: With significantly less vegetation than during the DNF on my last visit, I walked right up to the exposed cache. Unfortunately, I startled some people who were walking their dogs, and weren't expecting somebody lurking in the bushes. I hate it when that happens. TFTC.

Carl's Cache: I really enjoyed this cache! A beautiful location combined with a somewhat tricky find and retrieval! I really didn't have the right shoes on, but perservered for the satisfying find. It seemed like just the spot to drop my green jeep. Thanks!

This Stop: Arleta!: I found this cache just as the sun was setting. A nice setting and interesting history. TFTC!

Cowell Ranch Beach: I started out for this cache after the sun had set, so it was getting quite dark by the time I arrived on scene. I really enjoyed having the beach all to myself. On the way back, dozens of rabbits had emerged and were hopping along the edge of the trail. Thanks for the adventure!

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

August 15, 2006

Bacon End: For some reason I thought this cache was going to be hidden on a stairway. I guess I should read the descriptions more closely! For some reason, whenever I cache in McLaren Park I feel like I'm being watched...not sure why. TFTC!

Bart: Glen Park Station: A tough cache to grab during commute time! TFTC.

City Stairway: Valmar: Thanks for showing me this interesting stairway, and associated views. The cache was really visible! I put it back in the same spot, but it's hidden much better now.

City Landmark #78: 2TF @ 5:30p My GPSr zeroed about 50' from where I eventually found the cache, not suprising I suppose given the aerial interference. However, because of that error, I was searching in a place that disturbed Fido across the fence. Then I went back and read the cache description again more carefully, and was able to find the cache in short order. Thanks for showing me this place and sharing the interesting history. I traded TBs.

Peace Knoll: One of six in an after work sweep. After locating the signature landmark...which definitely wasn't what I expected, the cache was a quick find. The fog is rolling in quickly tonight. TFTC.

Tee Time: I made the trek from Peace Knoll. It was a bit steeper than I had anticipated, but, as advised, I stayed on trail and everything worked out fine in the end. I'm still trying to figure out what purpose that cache container served in its previous life. Thanks!

Saturday, August 12, 2006

August 12, 2006

Rogue Ramblers' 45-Step Birthday Cache: With 36 hours to think about it, and confirmation from a previous finder that I was looking in the right spot, I returned this morning for a second attempt. That's a tricky little bugger! After making my way through the 45 stages...again, I eventually made contact. Thanks!

August 10, 2006

Let's Play!: I slipped in just before closing time and made short work of it...this time. TFTC.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

August 8, 2006

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines: No drag-racing today, just jogging and cycling. TFTC.

Which Way?: Wading through the weeds, I got a bunch of stickers on my pants. I was positive the cache would be on the object of interest, but vaccine came up with the find closeby. TFTC.

CLEVER ENDEVOUR!!!: Ditto to all the stuff vaccine said. On top of all that, I was kinda distracted by the Dad with his kids who was watching us pretty closely. Thanks for the smilie.

GBttS # 16 "Baseball Cards & Holly": Thanks for showing us the mural...the trash, weeds, and urine smell I could do without.

Waiting for School: There were lots of kids playing in the park and people out for an evening walk, but we were able to snag the cache during a brief break in the traffic. TFTC.

Children at Play #2: Definitely not what we expected from the cache title! Thanks!

Happy Birthday JoeSpaz #12: I think I DNF'd this cache a very long time ago...this time I didn't have any trouble. TFTC.

America's Stars: Prime park time for several families made this cache a challenge to hunt. Thankfully the trees obstructed the key lines of sight for just long enough to score a find. Thanks!

Halfway House: vaccine and I were out for an evening of caching. I think this one was the longest we walked from car to cache...nearly 0.2 miles...whew! What a couple of slackers, huh?

Happy Birthday JoeSpaz #37: Well, in contrast to some of the namesakes, one thing we knew was that the coordinates on this cache would be spot on...good thing too, since vaccine read the wrong cache description and told me too look for a decon container. No matter, the cache was in the first place I placed my hand. TFTC.

Gimme Shelter: UC-style: I love the look of a nice fresh log sheet! TFTC.

Hayward Fountain #1: Nice little cache...It gave me a new idea for one of mine! Thanks! First, though, I've got to figure out what to do with that bullet.

The Sixth Sense: vaccine and I were out for an evening of caching in the East Bay and had finished up over there on a DNF. Not wanting to wrap up that way, I suggested that we try this new cache. The views were great and I found four tennis balls before suggesting to vaccine that he shine his light on a spot that, in the dark at least, seemed a bit more than 1.5 stars. Ahh, that's the ticket. No mojo for me, I found it on try #5. Oh, by the way, if you check the trash cans along the way, there's dozens of cache containers waiting to be collected! TFTC.

Monday, August 07, 2006

August 7, 2006

Pelecanus Tomicus: Great view! Thanks for pointing out this spot. I zeroed within 15' of the cache, so, for me, the coordinates were just fine. IN: Benchmark pin; OUT: Heads / Tails caching button; BTW, I found the blatent disregard for the 'No Parking' signs out on the road quite amusing! TFTC!

August 6, 2006

Midway: We biked out to this cache as a family on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. John (6) found the nicly camouflaged cache. Thanks for luring us out of the house!

Pit Stop: The bench was occupied on the outbound trip, so we deferred our search to the return. Unfortunately, the bench was still in use at that point, too, so we stopped for 'a rest'. The muggles weren't going anywhere, but neither were they paying any attention, so I just pulled the cache out. Even the clunk of the opening lid didn't seem to distract their conversation. We went about our business and put it back like they weren't, for all practical purposes, there. If it goes missing, I owe you an ammo can! Thanks.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

August 5, 2006

Bayfront Revenge: I found the nicely hidden cache pretty quickly, but it was jammed into its hiding place so tightly that I couldn't get it out right away. With some sort of a class coming up the hill, I had to abort, and went on to another cache nearby. On my way back, I had the time to work it out. I'm not sure how it got stuck; it was sliding freely when I replaced it. TFTC!

Element #6: Ahhh, yes...carbon. My favorite ingredient. I left a travel bug. TFTC!

Denis Is Not Here: What an oddity! How do you come up with these places? TFTC!

LAH Pathways: Hidden Redwoods: Thanks for the quick little stroll! The location kinda reminded me of one of cooperphoto's caches up in Burlingame.

Waiting for Crista: I had to dodge people starting out and returning from bicycle rides, but it was a quick find. Thanks.

Greenie: I was willing those folks in their car at the light not to look over at me. Fortunately they didn't! TFTC.

Shel Silverstein's story..: Being the first Saturday of the month, it was hazardous waste collection day around the corner. I stopped a bit short and made the quick grab!

2475 Faber: I was distracted by a decoy device around the corner from the actual cache location, but made the find soon after. Thanks!

August 4, 2006

Shopping by the water: So I drive up, and am greeted by the delicious smell of barbeque...where's that coming from? Looking around, there's a huge grill/smoker attached to the back of a pickup truck a few spaces over with smoke pouring out of the chimneys! Somebody's cooking right in the parking lot! Amazing! TFTC.

The Da Vinci Cache: This was a fun puzzle that I solved a while back, but only just had the chance to find the cache. Very nicely done! I had to wait out quite a few joggers and bicyclists, but enjoyed watching the egrets and sandpipers hunting in the marsh. TFTC!

'belly up": My desire to keep a clean slate finally overcame my aprehension of being caught. Hrumph!

Collete View Cache: For some reason I was looking for something a bit bigger, but PurplePeople's log focused my search. The guy at #18 knows something's up.

Beware of the Horsemen: As I arrived, pdx55 was puzzling over the poor coordinates. Fortunately, I didn't realize this cache was rated 1/1, and started searching agressively. After trying a few likely spots, I stumbled upon the nicely concealed cache. I'm not too sure what the hint means, but perhaps something about koala bears would be more appropriate? Nice to meet you, pdx55! TFTC.