buckyd's Geoblog

Jan 28, 2006

Don't Call Me!

By: Koolrat Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Small

Thanks for the quick stop on our normal route to Monterey!

Ricketts Crossing

By: #1 geobears Difficulty: 4.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

At our last visit, we already knew what kind of cache we were looking for, but we didn't find it anyway. This visit, we came armed with very specific location instructions from a previous finder, and still took an inordinately long time to find it. These things are just amazingly difficult when placed in certain ways. Thanks for the challenge!

Searle Cache

By: #1 geobears Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Small

A neat little detour from our regular Monterey route -- I had never actually travelled these roads before, so it was a nice experience. So was finding a nicely stocked and bigger-than-normal cache! We did lots of trading, TFTC.

Del Monte Express

By: Koolrat Difficulty: 3.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Even though it was drizzling a fair amount, there were still plenty of folks walking the path. And here I thought *we* were crazy...

Aquarium View

By: Koolrat Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Regular

It was nice and dark by the time we got to this stretch of caches. It was nice to find such a big cache in such a busy area. TFTC.

Paean to PG

By: campyc Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Regular

I tend to not touch this kind of cammo, since you never know whether its really a geocache inside or something you wouldn't want to find... WalruZ is much less inhibited, though. TFTC.

Jan 24, 2006

Indian Mini-Montage 6

By: GeoWomyn_SF_CA Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Came back to Coyote Hills with the GB today to see about finishing up the series and the associated multi. It was not to be today, so I think we'll be returning for a third afternoon! No matter, this is a great place to take Geo Baby for a walk. After completing our last two stages for Ohlone Sanctuary, I found myself at the edge of the trail map that I had printed out. Rather than do the conservative thing and backtrack to the trail *on* my map that would take me to where I wanted to go, I figured that one of these trails ahead would le ad there. Whoops. I ended up on the Willow trail, which may or may not be closed -- I couldn't tell from the signage. This trail ends with a nice big body of water between it and the trail that I wanted to get to, less than 400 ft from the cache. So, I followed the driest looking nearby trail o ut to its end at Union City Pkwy where it curved onto the Alameda Creek trail, then walked all the way back on that trail to find this cache. A total detour of 1.3 miles with the chunk in the frontpack. Needless to say, after an extra hour of walking, she was done with our little outing after we f inished this cache.

Oh, log was a bit wet, but still sorta signable.

Ohlone Sanctuary

By: GeoWomyn_SF_CA Difficulty: 3.0 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Regular

Geo Baby and I don't have a bike, so we walked this multi over the course of a couple afternoon outings. It really does a great job of showing us the variety of wildlife in this ecotone! We were finishing up today's walk (at Geo Baby's insistent request), but walking right by this cache to get back to the car. I had to stop and do it. Luckily no one was around to hear the crying kid, or people might have wondered what kind of parent I was. Actually, I'm sort of wondering now, too. Anyhow, the cache was in plain view from the trail, so I sorta tried to help that a bit. It was also rather damp inside, but I wasn't carrying anything not already covered in milk to help dry it out. The logbook could probably use a few hours in sunlight... Thanks for the adventure!

Jan 17, 2006

Indian Mini-Montage 4

By: GeoWomyn_SF_CA Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Regular

Left the stroller down at the trail and decided to ignore the three young men that were perched on the nearby lookout smoking weed. I continued to my zero point around them, despite their looking slightly uncomfortable to have me and the baby around. I didn't pay any attention to them and soon thereafter they didn't pay much attention to me. Did some calisthenics to nab the cache without disturbing the kid in the front pack. My legs are going to feel this tomorrow...

Indian Mini-Montage 5

By: GeoWomyn_SF_CA Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Micro

First find of the IM series for me and Geo Baby, today anyway. We'll be coming back to complete the rest of the caches. Funny how something like a 12 pound baby and her gear can slow a person down... I realized here that I had forgotten my printout for the puzzle, but had my camera with me. Hopefully that'll do the trick and we'll be able to complete the series in a timely fashion (like, say, before I have to go back to work). Thanks!

Indian Mini-Montage 1

By: GeoWomyn_SF_CA Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Regular

Took the baby out for some fresh air in Coyote Hills today, and knocked off a few of the nearby caches (and some steps for the nearby multi). This cache was one of my last for the day, as the clouds were coming in and I seemed to remember something about the park closing at 6 and I had left my flashlight in the car and I was going to have to "pull off" and feed the baby soon. My approach was from "Save Coyote Hills", which, with a 12 pound baby strapped to my front and pushing a stroller with gear in it up Red Hill Trail, is easily 4 star terrain. I was huffing and puffing when I got to the top of the biggest hill on my way to the cache site. I seem to have followed fence_climber around today, but I didn't see any ants at this cache when I was there...

Save Coyote Hills

By: Kyle and his Aunt and Uncle Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Regular

Took the low road from the visitor center area and left the stroller on the trail, taking Geo Baby in the front pack up to the cache site. My quads are going to feel that tomorrow, I'm sure. Grabbed the TB. TFTC!

Jan 16, 2006

Driven To Cache

By: DavidT21 & Fisherwoman Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

We seemed to have some time on our hands this afternoon, so I didn't think it was any big deal to be collecting "trade items" on the way to the cache. This was the first we did in the preserve, and the way we got there we managed to make the day a loop! Anyhow, found it pretty quickly and admired the construction of it. Nice!

Callippe Preserve Trailhead

By: DavidT21 & Fisherwoman Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

Felt a little time pressure on this one, since at this point I was carrying the gear in the backpack and WalruZ was carrying the baby. He still thinks that he can search with her on, which may be possible but certainly isn't advisable this close to the fencing. Anyhow, I had to get this one quick, so that he'd back away from the barbed wire... Liked the materials for this cache too!

Callippe Preserve Trails Bridge

By: Wacka Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Micro

We had just switched over Geo Baby to my torso, which left WalruZ to handle the backpack and the heavy-lifting of the search. While he was doing so, he tipped the backpack and out fell the keys, palm and phone. I could only sigh from where I was. I mean, who does that kind of searching without putting the backpack down in the first place? Heck, you should see him try to search for a cache with the [i]baby[/i] on, though... {wince}

Kooper's Kaper 2, the sequel

By: Bear n Grin it Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

It was so closeby our route, we just *had* to do it! Thanks for the sequel.

UC Unofficial Bike Park

By: PeggiGee Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Geo Baby was being relatively good-natured about being heaved in and out of the car, so we did another stroller-aided walk to the cache site. WalruZ came up with this one relatively quick while I was talking with Geo Baby. She has a way of distracting me now that she "talks" and smiles in the morning! Thanks for the cache.

Callippe's Under Side

By: TeamAlamo Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

Wouldn't you know that was a TeamAlamo cache that caused a whole new batch of laundry... Thanks for the smiley!

Jolly Roger

By: Cap'n Jack Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Small

It took a little searching to get this one, but only because I was tired and being lazy by the time we got to the cache site. I hadn't read the terrain and difficulty rating, and when I ran through the easier spots I then had it in my mind that it was in an inaccessible spot for me, but it turns out that there was access if I would just use the muscles a bit... Thanks!

Flight 93 Memorial

By: JimmiGee Difficulty: 3.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

There was obviously no chance for a FTF as we drove past the park to the nearest non-lethal parking, as all but one of the likely cachers had left the scene by the time we walked up at 11:05ish. That person stayed around as we strolled into the park, but was obviously spooked by the intimidating looks from Geo Baby and scurried away shortly thereafter to spy on us from across the street. As soon as we could get the GPSr to settle a bit, I told WalruZ where to look... TFTC!

It's Modern

By: N2Books2 Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Nice hide! The last couple times I've been in the area, I've been misled on where to start my search, and always seemed to attract the nearby security truck. Now I see that none of that was necessary, although the holiday today did help out with the muggle traffic near the search area. Thanks for the cache!

Jan 12, 2006

Meet with your Government Agents

By: Glenn (S.L.A.G.A. member) Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Virtual

After a sweeping "geocaching is not a permitted use of East Bay Parks" last year, I was really pessimistic about how the meeting would go. Turns out, these folks really would like a good solution to allowing caching in their parks, in no small part because of a presentation given to parks people at a national meeting in San Antonio this year. A big thanks to whomever promoted geocaching there, because it really greased the wheels for these folks to be willing to hear about geocaching from geocachers, and work with us to eliminate most of their concerns. We have a long way to go to work on processes to address their concerns (like having the groundspeak volunteers act as a private "filter" for their hidden "resources"), particularly the problem of "bad apples" that insist on going geocaching in parks after they are closed. As all policy-wonks know, this process takes a long time from this point, but at least they aren't doing a wholesale removal of all the caches in their parks in the interim.

EBRPD Board Operations Committee

By: SnoWake and Geocachers of the Bay Area Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Other

It was certainly an interesting spot that Dingo chose for lunch, and reminded me of the food I used to grub during high school lunch period. The pre-meeting allowed us to pick our two minute topic and I don't think we repeated very much as a consequence. If we were repeating, it was with a different tone or a different bent to it. I was surprised at how amenable the EBRPD was to geocaching, and didn't even start to feel any need for defensiveness at the meeting whatsoever. I was expecting much different given the blanket statement made last year. I'm sorry I had to duck out a little early, but sometimes that's how it goes...

Jan 11, 2006

The way before the Bridges...

By: howeler Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Regular

WalruZ grabbed the geocoin from this cache thinking it was a traveller, and flung it on the kitchen table at me (so much for laying things at my feet). Can't have any geocoins sullying his pristine caching reputation, you know (consequently, he doesn't know much about them). Today I went to account for the coin and saw that it had no tracking info, and so it will return to this cache just as soon as Geo Baby allows a trip to Milpitas... Sorry Nazgul!

Port Of Redwood City

By: CKayaks Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Small

Quick stop on the way to dinner, and we all enjoyed the little area of the hide. It was just starting to get an evening chill, with the wind coming off the bay, so we didn't linger too long. Unfortunately, Geo Baby doesn't have $35 to fork over to be able to log this cache, but she was there too!

Green Grass Cache

By: gumbyandeddy Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Regular

A little after-dinner family search yielded this cache. Brrr, its starting to get too cold to be out cache-hunting at night -- I'm sure glad I don't live in the midwest! Traded a magnet for a big ole plastic egg, which then allowed me to pitch in a TB and a travelling geocoin. TFTC!

Waters Crossing

By: PurplePeople Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Small

Just dark enough to need the flashlight for this one tonight. The water was sure roaring along there! TFTC.

Jan 4, 2006

EBRPD Board Operations Committee

By: SnoWake and Geocachers of the Bay Area Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Other

Geo Baby and I are planning to attend.

Jan 3, 2006

What Is That Strange Thing??!!??

By: archaeor Difficulty: 3.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Not chosen

Caching on waypoint and memory of the cache page alone today, since my palm seems to have died, so I was disappointed that I didn't write down (or even notice) a code word at the first stage. Guess I'll have to make the drive again. Editing my note to a find, as I actually "found" the final stage on this date and did not revisit it when I finally retrieved the stage 1 code to email. Thanks for the adventure and the extra info on the strange thing!

Take a Brake

By: Maverix Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Out driving around with Geo Baby today, and we were able to stop and grab this quick cache. Thanks!

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