Tuesday, July 1, 2008
June Recap | Ian's 1000 | Pathtags | #1500
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Brian's first boat...ish.
I'd say the title says it all. I got myself my first boat...ish. A new cache popped up last night right on the coast of Ft. Thomas, only a few miles from where I live. It was called "Red red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along" - GC1DF5N. It was also a 1.5/5. I decided that I wanted to be FTF, and I also needed it for my Difficulty/Terrain matrix. Plus, I have yet to complete an Island cache or a cache that involves a boat or watercraft...so now seemed like the perfect first time. I went to Bass Pro and bought two inflatable boats, one for me, and one for Sommer Family. Here is my log for the cache:
Last night I saw this cache pop up and just knew I wanted to get it. I wanted to get it because it was a few miles from me. I wanted to get a FTF. I wanted to get a 5 terrain. I wanted to get another spot filled on my D/T chart. There was no reason I shouldn't go. So...what did I do? I went to Bass Pro and bought 2 inflatable boats (rafts) and called Sommer Family, "Hey Sommers....good night for a swim, eh?" Needless to say they were all for it. 7:30 rolls around and we embark on our journey. We set off from Brent Ferry about .64 away, march down the shore awhile, and finally decided to go in.
Red Red Robin wasn' really the song that was in my mind. Actually, It was Primus' "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" album that kept coming to mind. Just...sifting through that curdled mess of goop. I mean, I know people talk about how polluted the Ohio is...and how nasty it is...and about the mutated fish and what not, but is it really true? The answer is yes. If only you could see the dead fish we saw on the bank before going in. About 2 feet long....and hair all on it's back. Some mammalian sea creature I suppose. Anyways, back to the story.
So...it has been awhile since I've been kayaking or even canoing for that matter. I had to get back into the motion. Here is how it went tonight:
Paddle in the water.
Stroke.
Paddle out of the water.
Hit Phil in the head.
Paddle in the water.
Stroke.
Paddle out of the water.
Hit Phil in the head.
Paddle in the water.
Stroke.
Stroke.
Wait...why is this spinning?
It's spinning.
Still spinning.
Like Kobe Bryant in the playoffs spinning.
Okay back on track.
And another hit to Phil's head for the heck of it.
Anyways...so we get 234 feet from the cache GZ and what do we find, A DECOY! HOW DECEPTIVE! (not really....but we did find a floating pill container, and we kept it for evidence)
Eventually....the two twinks in the little raft looking thing among all the speed boats filled with people staring at us like two twinks in a little raft looking thing spotted the cache location, made the grab, and signed the log. Approximately 8:30PM...FTF!
Thanks for the adventure. Upstream back was definitely easier, and a little rewarding.
Now if you will excuse me...I have a shower and 16 Advil calling my name.
TFTC!
#1443
Monday, June 23, 2008
#1400
Anyways, let's talk about the milestone.
Ian, Kristen and I went to Springfield, Ohio (east of Dayton) this weekend with a mission. That mission was to grab "How about these apples?!?!" - GC16Q52, the 2/4.5 TUNNEL cache. I was nervous it wouldn't be there (as we have had such excellent lucky with our other milestone attempts). This one we did prevail on! We even had a few bags of apples with us to make it a little more fun! Here are a few pictures and a cute video for your visual pleasure. See more pics on my Flickr page.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
DNF!!!!!
So last night was the Fluttercat Chat (Event cache). We decided since the Sommers, Ian, Kristen, and I were all available, it would be a great night to try the night cache "Caesar's Darkside" - GCACEE right? WRONG! We had a great hike in. the area was beautiful, and we came at just about the right time. We had enough light to see around, but by the time we got to the destination we require darkess for, it was provided. However...that is also when the problems began...WE COULDN'T FIND THE REFLECTORS! It was aweful. We were out there I'd say an hour and a half with no luck at all. We called several people (as we always do) and no direction helped us find it. We came to the conclusion it is missing, and the markers have been removed. The bigger problem with that is that the owner hasn't logged into the cache site in almost a year, so this may never get put back for us to grab. Aweful. That is what a call a FAILED MILESTONE ATTEMPT!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
#1300
#1200
I observe a creature unlike my own, holding what I knew to be the cache. Secretly and quietly, as silent as I could be, I make my way out of the darkness I once called my home.
The creature noticed me, he panicked, and started running away. I had to chase him...it was the only way. Through land and through water I pursued him. After nearly 3 hours the pursuit came to a close. I tackled the creature to the ground, leaving the cache flying through the air. The creature had met his demise. I ran after the cache, scooped it up with my hands, and fled to the "Anchor" : The time travel machine. I strapped myself aboard and BLASTED back in time.
All of a sudden I was back in Sommer's car on 6-10-2008 grabbing park and grabs; the cache and log for GC18K1K was in hand. I had done it! This was now OFFICIAL my #1200! After signing the log it was time to come home. I mounted the anchor one last time, and fled back to the future. Upon arrival, I gave a shout of victory, raising the cache up to the heavens, and replaced as found.
#1200
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The Traveling Cache, The 81, & More
So, I met this amazing caching group here called The Sommer Family. Husband, Wife, Mom, Daughter. Really fun group (haven't met the daughter yet). Well, I had lunch with the Wife and Mom, and they let me in on a little something, something. It was a grandfathered traveling cache they had come across at Jungle Jims. "Final Approach" (MacGyver MOVING Cache # 27 ) - GCDB76. I always wanted something like this in caching, and it was really cool to be a part of it, especially since it is extinct now!
Also, Ian and I's first cache in our new series got published: The Beginning, or rather, The End: The 81 Series - GC1CWW7. This series will contain 81 caches, one for each of the Difficulty/Terrain ratings (1/1, 1.5/1, 2/1, 1/1.5, 1/2, etc). Whether you are new to caching or old, 1,000 caches in or 10; this will walk you through it. Over the next few months we will be placing caches all over the tri-state of all difficult and terrain: puzzles, multis, traditionals - everything you can think of. Many of the ideas already created are completely original, and some will not be. The one thing to be sure of is this: if you complete the series - you will have the 81 and can then call yourself a "well-rounded cacher". We will soon develop our own Fizzy challenge puzzle for completing the matrix of OUR caches...and we are very excited to see this come about!
I also was able to go back to some of my milestone locations and take some new, cool pictures for my profile. You can also see them in my flickr gallery here.
PLUS! I updated my bookmark lists for a lot of cool things. I made a list of my favorite non-terrains, my favorite higher terrains, and my "Must Do" list. There are now a LOT of items on my must do list, and lots of new milestones I want. Lots of fun ones, some scenic ones, and tons of high D/T combos.