March 22, 2005

Jetty: 8am. Behind all the bustle and construction an oasis of calm and reflection. Okay! I'm ready for the commute now. TFTC.

March 19, 2005

Waterfall Cache: The clouds parted just long enough today for us to hike up the creek and see those waterfalls, which were pretty spectacular with all the runoff. I decided to make a dash down to this cache by myself, and got caught in a downpour! I opened the container just long enough to sign the log, then buttoned things up and raced back to the car. TFTC.

March 18, 2005

Bucky's Bad Bounce: I found this cache on my way into Glen Canyon. Thanks.

Meditation Rock: FTF!!! 1:30pm. I've always been curious about this park, and a new cache, with the FTF opportunity, was enough to lure me out even though it was raining. I'm really glad I made the trek, what a fantastic place. TFTC. TNLNSL.

Post log note: Evidently this cache is on top of a puzzle cache, so I am FTF and probably OOTF (Only one to find!)

(Son of) Glencache: A nice hike on a rainy afternoon. Although I slipped on the wet grass, thanks for bringing me to this beautiful park. TNLNSL.

March 13,2005

The Boulevard Bridge: We took the very pleasant stroll from the dog park to this cache. After poking around a bit, we found it. There was plenty of pedestrian traffic, but they paid us no mind. It was fun to watch the outrigger races on the lagoon. Very nice hide. TFTC.

March 12, 2005

A ten cache afternoon with John.

Google Falls: Nice park. Especially deserted on a Saturday. Been here for a couple of other caches, I think. They must be gone now.

Mountain View's other tallest mountain: Not being patient enough to follow the trail to the top, John (5) and I waded throught the tall grass, pretending that we were going on a bear hunt. C'mon, you know the song...

Go Fly a Kite: Scratched around for a while, and eventually found it. Plenty of people trying to fly kites today, but no one really succeeding, since the wind was really sporadic. TFTC.

It's Not in the Pipes: John (5) made the find on this cache, and was rewarded with a plentifully stocked container. Thanks!

Earth Red: A puff of wind nearly separated this cache from it's log. Thank goodness I was able to recover it (the log, silly) before it went over the edge.

GeoBeads #4 – The Jos Memorial: This cache was the start of a nice little hike on the trail. Thanks for the bead, and for making this a very nice place to visit.

Ode to Gilligan: We enjoyed singing the song, and resisted the temptation to search for the cache in the nearby razor-wire.

Discover Water @ L'Avenida: Plenty of walkers, joggers, cyclists, and roller-bladers on a pleasant Saturday afternoon. A creative hide made easier only by the fact that we had enountered it earlier in the day. TFTC.

Walk Your Bike: Thanks for bringing us to the underpass. Rumbling above, gurgling below, and a place with plenty of echos kept us entertained for quite a while.

Evil Empire: The best part about this hunt was the ancient Dodge Duster with a flat tire next to the cache. A friend in high school had one just like it, and a lot of good memories came flooding back. Things are slipping around here if they allow abandoned cars in the lot.

March 9, 2005

Frank's Tannery: FTF!!! 8:10am. Thanks for sharing an interesting bit of history. I've been to nearby establishments, but never knew that this historical marker existed. After counting (and recounting, although the answer was obvious) everything up, I managed to find the nicely concealed cache. Thanks for the FTF prize. I left a few trinkets and a geocoin.

Medusa: I had to spend a few minutes looking busy while co-workers finished up changing flat tire in the parking lot. This gave my GPSr a chance to settle down, and after that it was a quick find.

Ohlone Village: I think I really startled a woman riding by on her bike: I was in the process of making the grab, and didn't notice her closing fast. She didn't see me either until we were quite close, and when she did, swerved a bit. Nice hide.

As far as we could go: A pleasant stroll after dark.

Down, Down, Down: My kids have played in this park many times since their Grandmother lives a stone's throw away. I never thought to place a cache there though, so thanks!

March 7, 2005

No Name Park: Two things: (1) FINALLY! (2) I swear I looked in that spot before. Oh, on an unrelated note, it appears that the neighborhood is well on the way to improving the park. $20k of a $60k goal has already been raised. And, according to the fund-raising sign, this is Heritage Park.

Patricia Wharton Park: After failing to find this cache the other day, I brought along the crew for a more thorough search. Six of us attracted the attention of the neighbor across the street, who (1) learned about geocaching and, (2) taught us about the mistakes made in landscaping the park. Eventually we found it (not me!). TFTC.

Bellamy's Cache: 2TF 9am. This new cache lured us out on a beautiful sunny morning. Claire found it, and everyone traded. Thank goodness for little girls! Dropped a bug. TFTC.

Skylit: I ended up being pleasantly suprised by this cache. What the heck do they do with that debris skimmer on a 20' pole? Why does this place have a window in the first place? So many questions; so few answers. Thanks for giving me a glimpse of something strange and new!

March 2, 2005

Top of the Hill: FTF!!! 7:45am Upon approaching the cache area, I despaired to realize that this hide was similar to another one nearby that had dumbfounded me (and others!) for quite a while. (Mentioning the name would give things away.) Fortunately, the search area is smaller. Very nice camouflage! I wish I new how to make such things. Thanks for placing another mid-peninsula cache.

Finnegan's Rainbow: For some reason I thought this was a micro cache. As a result I was looking in the wrong types of places until it practically bumped into me. No view: too foggy. No dead cat either, so don't let that scare you away. TFTC.

February 21, 2005

We found a few caches on our way down to Disneyland. It's a great way to break up the monotony.

Swiss Family Robinson: Nice hike on a rainy day. The nature trail was quite overgrown, and the creek was a raging torrent. Thanks for showing us this place and teaching us a new word...riparian. Now, how to work that one into everyday conversation?

Bike or Hike - A Cache You'll Like: On our way down the coast, we took a quick break to hike this fantastic trail and find a cache. Thanks! It was quite busy even though raining. Thanks for showing us a great place to stretch our legs.

Binary Blues - Where?: I guess we missed dandm by a few hours. Spotting the turnoff and slowing down enough on the wet pavement to make the turn safely was the most challenging part of the find. Oh, and the 5 minutes explaining to my kids that it was really okay to look for this cache even though there was a no tresspassing sign. Thanks for the rest break.

February 19, 2005

Free WiFi #4: I guess I'm a little slow...paperless caching is my latest accomplishment. TFTC.

Energy Alternatives: Wow! This one turned out to be a lot more than I bargained for, but after about the 4th waypoint I had way too much invested to quit! Fun series and nice hide; worth more than just one smiley face, though.

Magic Forest: A quick score on my second visit. Thanks for the help since my GPSr would have had me searching at least 50' away.

Along the De Anza Trail 7 - Embarcadero: Not for the squemish given recent rains and lots of trees nearby. TFTC.

Historic Palo Alto 3 - RAFAEL’S RANCHO: I noticed a pencil on the ground, and shortly thereafter found the cache nearby. It was still missing its cap, which I found after giving the area a careful inspection. Unfortunately, the recent rains had already done their damage. The log is soaked, and so I didn't try to sign it. It could possibly be salvaged, but it's probably easier to start over.

Herring Box: I found the hiding spot, and even used the conveniently placed "extraction tool" when I failed to touch anything with my fingers. Either it's gone, or it's been pushed out of reach.
UPDATE: Non-find changed to find with permission of cache owner since it had gone missing. Thanks!

FREE PARKING: Nice! What a well thought out cache container. TFTC.

The Lord of the Ring: Log is drenched, so I didn't sign it; but still enjoyed this creative hide. Thanks.

February 16, 2005

Going in Circles: #38 on the log. Night time was the best for this one: a car about every 2 minutes or so. Found after 3 cars. SL. TFTC.

Vista Park Redux: Got it! I had to wait for the lady in a suit who was gingerly stepping around in the mud and snapping pictures of the swing set while drinking her Starbucks coffee, but that's okay. I'm sure I look pretty strange sometimes too. SL.

February 12, 2005

Welcome to Redwood City: After noting my name in the #1 spot (from back when this cache was on Hull Drive), I signed for the 2nd time. Thanks.

Mr. Ranger's view from work: Nice. A fun hike on a beautiful day. Plenty of people and dogs, and not a mountain lion in sight. TFTC

Los Trancos Trek: A bit of stealth was required today since spring training has begun. Thanks for the walk.

Llama View: Two llamas today: one brown, one white. Nice day for a hike. Thanks.

February 7, 2005

Above the Stars: 3rd to find. 12:30p. Wow! another lung buster. Using the suggested shortcut and hiking up that service road with the loose gravel was pretty challenging. The view from the top on this exceptionally clear day was definitely worth it though. Thanks. TNLNSL (2TF got the TB.)

Not a Ridgeback: 2TF...Seconds behind NavySparks. Ah, yes, this is the kind of find I like: Someone else rummaging around in the folliage, and I show up to sign the log. I wonder if someone placed this cache back in 2001, told a friend who found it, but never got it approved on GC.com? The log makes no sense with the location, too. Something about a phone? There's no payphone around that location. Mysteries that will never be solved, I suppose. TFTC.

February 4, 2005

San Bruno Free Way: FTF!!! 12:15pm. I found the first waypoint and determined the final cache coordinates yesterday. Unfortunately, darkness and a flash-light with dead batteries prevented me from making the attempt to find the final cache. Actually, this turned out better, since I got to re-hike a lot of the trail in daylight and appreciate the beauty along the way. What incredible views! This is a strenuous hike. It's a total of over 1000 feet vertical in two separate climbs, but well worth the effort. San Bruno Mountain is truely an amazing place. Thanks for bringing me into this southern part of the park.
The FTF prize was icing on the cake. Thanks!

January 31, 2005

Lagoon View: I came at about 5pm. Since the park was empty and the light was good, it was a quick find. Given the difficulty previous on-line logs indicated, and the fact that a muggle had signed the cache logbook stating that the cache had been found on the sidewalk, I'm wondering if it hasn't migrated a bit? Anyway, TFTC.

January 25, 2005

SpongeBob!: Proof once again that if you place it, geocachers will come. I had to dodge around a man walking the area and talking constantly on his cell phone. As I was leaving, I spotted him on the wrong side of the freeway fence(?!?), still talking. I thought I was conspicuous, but he was definitely diverting attention from me. Left a TB. TFTC.

David's Decoys:Last time I came in the evening; this time in the morning. It's amazing what a different light will do when you're looking for the second time. Or...perhaps the new hide is just easier than the old? Or...is it that the container got larger? I suppose I'll never know.

January 17, 2005

Bay Area Multiple Hills - 2: The trail was damp, with just a few wet patches, and quite pleasant. Approach to the cache had been scoured out by what must have been quite a bit of water running off the hill during recent rains. This temporary drainage passed quite close the the cache, but it was safe and dry. Being up above the valley fog restricted the view a bit, but it was still very nice. Thanks for getting me out to this beautiful park. I SL and left a TB.

January 13, 2005

"It was a secret to me" Trailhead #2: I stopped by on the way home from work, meeting up with RetroWayne. I had no trouble finding the cache, but was glad he was there to help me figure out how to put it back. TFTC.

January 12, 2005

North McLaren:The area is extremely muddy (No duh!), but the cache camo is holding up well. Thanks for showing me the area!

Monkeying Around McLaren: Sun at last!!! I parked in the wrong spot, and then enjoyed a bit of a trek through the park. Fun hide. All is well despite the recent bad weather. SL TTB.

January 4, 2005

Moo!: Never did find the first way-point, but, in the end, the coordinates and distance were the only things that mattered. I had to delay my search of the final location because a couple of traffic cops were taking in the view during their lunch. Fortunately there were other caches close by.

Insert Witty Name Here: Attempting to get as close as possible in my car made this hike a bit adventurous. The steep section of the trail was made easier by the walking stick someone had left at the trailhead. I put it back where I found it for the next person.

No Entrance Fee Required: I got it at lunch. Thanks for the information.