Mike's Geocaching Blog

Holiday Lights & Geocaches - Great Ending to 2011

2011-12-31T17:44:29Z

We are spending New Years Eve in Wilsonville/Portland visiting Kim and Andrew. This is the latest we’ve ever had our trailer out.

For a Christmas gift they treated Patricia and I to a visit to Portland’s annual ZooLights display and dinner afterwards. Such thoughtful kids!

After dinner and visiting with the kiddo’s we came back to the trailer to settle in for the night. However, I had one more thing to do before the day ended….find three more geocaches to end 2011 on a nice even grand total of 4500! Hopped in the car and with less than 30 minutes left in the year I found all three….and was happy!

Found Logs

A Place Of Learning

Sweet! Love a nicely done regular for a milestone! 4500 just 20 minutes before the new year! Thanks

Fun Center Fun!

Less than an hour before the new year! Thanks

COLES STASH

Out looking for just a couple more caches before years end. Thanks

Computer Crisis Benefits Geocacher!

2011-12-26T16:56:16Z

That’s my headline today.

Patricia’s iMac had a hard drive go out on her and was having a friend replace it which led to driving out to Lakeside. Managed to snag a couple of geocaches while I was running around:

Found Logs

Woodland Christmas, EC-5

Somehow forgot to log this. Found 12/26. Fun one thanks

This entry was edited by popop on Saturday, 31 December 2011 at 19:06:16 UTC.

R.I.P. in Lakeside

Had to make a trip to Lakeside today so decided to stop for this new/old one. Thanks.

Coquille River Paddle

2011-12-24T15:44:31Z

A hardy group of geocaching friends braved the chilling morning hours to paddle over 10 miles of the lower Coquille River from Rocky Point to Riverton boat ramps.

Darren Drops threw the challenge out on Facebook and six others answered the call. Of course, the outing would not begin until breakfast was involved so the group met at Kozy Kitchen to start the day.

After shuttling a vehicle to Riverton boat ramp, we struck out from Rocky Point encountering a little chop but a nice incoming tide. We underestimated how long this excursion would take and experienced the changing tide during the final leg of the journey and were working pretty hard against an outgoing tide as we approached the Riverton boat ramp. We indeed were pretty tired but it was a fun outing!

Back in the Saddle - Part Deux!

2011-12-24T03:48:39Z

Mid-August I posted about finally getting out to the North Spit horse trails to hunt for the Saddle Tramp geocache series and coming away with only half of them. Today I went after the rest and found all but one. Put in about seven miles hiking - felt good. Our unusually dry fall, and now winter, has prevented the low spots from filling up with water as they would in a normal year - that and no mosquitos made for a rather pleasant hike.

Geocaches Found:

Saddle Tramp #3
Saddle Tramp #7
The Lost Saddle Tramp
Saddle Tramp #8
Saddle Tramp #6
Cone and Get It!
Saddle Tramp #11
Pokeypine cone
Hard as ConeCrete

Cape Kiwanda

2011-12-20T17:39:43Z

We’ve never had the trailer out this late in the year before but despite the cold, we spent four days in the vicinity of Pacific City and Lincoln City. The primary goal was photographing seascapes at Cape Kiwanda. In fact, we made two trips each day from our base camp at Devil’s Lake SP in Lincoln City - sunrise and sunset.

First afternoon there, we visited a few minutes with photographer Darren White just as he and a buddy of his were just finishing their day at Cape Kiwanda. Then it was off to capture the sunset!

View of Cape Kiwanda and Haystack Rock

Caches Found at Cape Kiwanda

high or low

Hiking and photographing the area - first of two caches found here this afternoon. Cache had water in it and log sheets were wet but signable….for now. Thanks.

Kiwanda High

Took two trips up there to find it. Cache is NOT 10 feet from relic as description indicates….more like 5. Thanks.

Week Caching Summary

2011-12-16T17:27:56Z

This, my second week of retirement, was spent hunting caches that I’ve let build up for some time. I found over fifty throughout the week. Some roadside, some in the dunes…..all good to get off the radar!

Morning view of Hall Lake

Camp Creek Falls

2011-12-11T17:08:28Z

Another photo excursion….this time to Camp Creek Falls, east of Reedsport near Loon Lake.

Arriving at the falls, we saw a large family gathering around a roaring campfire and vehicles loaded with Christmas trees! Turns out it was the family of a fellow co-worker of Patricia’s! Small world!

While she was photographing the falls, I checked on a geocache I previously found there - still snug in it’s hiding place! As we left, I stopped to find a newly placed cache nearby then headed home.

Group Caching to Arago Peak

2011-12-11T04:44:00Z

Caching with others is always fun. That’s why rather than hike to Arago Peak all by myself to finally hunt down the cache placed to celebrate my retirement, I put out the invite to the local caching community. Of course there was the breakfast suggestion as enticement! After getting our fill at Yeong’s, the group gathered at the trail head….

Eight of us trekked the Cape Arago Pack Trail clear to the Peak, some cachers needing every ENT, some nary a one…...

After the hike, Steve-n-Nancy visited with us and we all decided to end the day with what else?.....another meal! Had dinner in Charleston.

Fun day…thanks to all who joined in!

First Week of Retirement

2011-12-10T04:25:32Z

Summary of caching this week:

Found Logs

“DAH” Riverangler

THAT gets a favorite! Reelly well done! Thanks.

I like Ivy hides better than Huckleberry hides

Second visit - spotted amazingly fast this time. Thanks.

Where the Pavement Hits the Dirt

Just the first three today. Like the camo. Thanks.

Corbit Cache

Quick find. Thanks.

Urban Camoflauge

Clever camo! Thanks.

The Hangin’ Tree

Nearly gave up then read the description more closely. Thanks.

Drifting Down The Rail

Indeed…a nice cache…thanks.

SW1 The Force will be with you

Quick find - thanks.

Toady’s Treasure!

Quick find - thanks.

A Little Looney

Quick find…thankfully.

Tortured Feet

Yep, even when winter comes and the sand is wet this trail is pretty soft and lumpy, I agree. Tortured? no….irritated? yes. Just out for these two newest caches plus recording part of the Wild Mare Trail for the NW Trails project. Cache is in fine condition.

One Horse Engine

Getting out for a short hike this afternoon. Got this one and Tortured Feet. Also walked and recorded the east end of the Wild Mare Trail to the trail fork then down both forks a short distance - will record the remainder another time and submit them to the NWTrails project. Cache in fine shape. 1.6 mile total hike today. Bummer you didn’t get swamp creatures but glad you put out a couple more for the rest of us!

SW Washington Photo Shoot/Tour

2011-12-05T02:01:10Z

Patricia and I are in Portland this weekend primarily for a meetup with some PNW photographers and their annual Christmas photo print exchange but will get in some visiting with daughter Kim and her husband Andrew in addition to a full day excursion with photographer Darren White as he shows us around “his stomping grounds” across the river in the forests NE of Washougal and Battle Ground, WA.

Our photo shoot day started VERY early! Picked up Tracy Fawns at her motel then headed for sunrise shooting at Cape Horn east of Washougal. From there, Darren White led us into Dougan Falls on the Washougal River, Lucia & Moulton Falls on the East Fork Lewis River and finished the day shooting at a very cool old grist mill east of Woodland, WA. Long day for sure, but very fun! It gave us a taste of the sites and now we want to go back when we can spend more time at a slower pace exploring the scenery.

I was able to find a few caches as well:

WaSucally: Dougan Falls
Fishnic Park
Salmon Run
Big Foot Muggle

On The First Day of Retirement…...

2011-12-02T01:03:32Z

I got up about the same time I always get up on a weekday, coffee and breakfast with Patricia…then finished a short video clip showing a plantation of trees on the Elliott State Forest that was planted the year I started working there…...

Then I went to the geocaching.com website to make a change on my account profile…....be sure to click the HD button for a clearer viewing experience.

And then I took a walk around the Empire Lake trails and promptly hunted and found the first of what will be many, many geocaches in this next chapter of my life….Walk in the Park.

A cache was placed recognizing my retirement - Happy Retirement Popop / Ents #8 RetireENT - unfortunately it didn’t post to the website for me to see until late in the day when I could not break away to go for it….we were packing up the trailer for a trip to the Portland area! I would have to look for this one when we returned.

Final Day of Work - Ending My 32 1/2 Year Forestry Career!

2011-12-01T00:27:22Z

Yeah, it’s a pretty big deal….for me, anyway! After 32 1/2 years with the Oregon Dept. of Forestry I’m hangin’ up my caulk’s!

My co-workers had a nice send-off luncheon in my honor recently and showed this slideshow…...

My final day just happened to fall on our local geocachers weekly meetup. Patricia conspired with them to surprise me with a cool looking cake and a fun morning of celebration…..some pics from that…..

Thanks to my co-workers and my geocacher group for a really enjoyable day!

Another Visit to Sweet Creek Falls

2011-11-27T23:07:47Z

Sweet Creek Falls….Again! Rain….Again! Friend….Again! Tracy Fawns joined us for this excursion.

Started with Beaver Creek Falls this time. Found the Fairly large tree cache as we hiked the 1/2 mile trail into the falls.

Patricia intently working for a good image.

The girls enduring the rain for a shot of Sweet Creek Falls

Fun day despite the rain…..Again!

A nice reward was eating a meal at Nature’s Corner Cafe & Market in Florence on our way home….a most excellent breakfast burrito! Many gluten-free options here for these two Celiac Sista’s.

Caching at Bluebill Lake with a Duck

2011-11-26T22:44:26Z

Took a trip out to Bluebill Lake with Darren to hunt two new caches on the lake side trail but managed to find a puzzle cache in Eastside, the new one at the Dewett Veterans Memorial AND witness Darren pick up his first Munzee!

Darren reflecting at the half-way point.

“Thank You”—Veterans Memorial
Not Too Puzzling…
“No Motorized Vehicles”—They MEAN It!
Now It’s Bernard Who Needs Rescuing!

South Coast’s First Chirp Cache!

2011-11-20T22:15:03Z

Chirp? What’s a Chirp?

Thanks to local cacher emilierene, the south coast now has a cache requiring the use of this device - Chirp Chirp Spit Spit and here are Darren and I running out at night for a First To Find attempt…....