mjp303's Geoblog

Mar 31, 2007

Somewhere Metamorphic

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

That's just wrong. I'm really glad I was with vaccine. We briefly contemplated delivering the cache back to the manufacturer via their front window, but then good sense prevailed. Thanks for the education. mjp303

Where have all the flowers gone?

By: WalruZ Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

What an interesting little oddity! During the search, vaccine commented on my cache hunting bravery. Thanks, buddy! TFTC. mjp303

What's in Grant's Cache?

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

I was barking up the wrong tree for quite some time, but finally realization set in. Interesting how I jumped to the wrong conclusion so quickly (...okay, maybe you did a little leading...[;)]), and then had a devil of a time seeing my mistake. Very nicely conceived and executed! mjp303

Concrete Creek Cache

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

As we sauntered over to the cache, a car full of kids pulled up and stopped across the way. We stared at them; they started at us. Finally one of the girls in the back got spooked and they sped off, nervous laughter spilling out of the window. Hmmm...I guess we look pretty tough. [;)] TFTC. mjp303

Virginia Park Cache

By: Thefogheads Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Nighttime was probably the best time to search for this cache, although we were a bit concerned that we might attract the attention of a cop passing by. Fortunately that didn't turn out to be an issue, and we eventually found the nicely concealed cache. Thanks! mjp303

Mar 25, 2007

Vista Point - Bermuda Triangle

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

Thanks for *ANOTHER* excuse to stop here and enjoy the view! mjp303

Peninsula UnEvent Event

By: vaccine & mjp303 Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Not chosen

For awhile I couldn't decided whether or not to log this event. In the end it just didn't seem right that there was going to be no record of my involvement. Beautiful weather, a fun little stretch of group caching, and a chance to socialize: I had a really great time! Geocachers really are a great bunch of people. vaccine, hanks for all the good times! mjp303

The Bobcat Hole

By: Brandon Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 4.0 Container: Small

The neighbors were looking perplexed as our group descended on this cache, and it was simply no match for our collective force. 4* is probably too high. Thanks for the challenge. mjp303

flower childs peace corp

By: child of the damned Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 3.5 Container: Regular

This is definitely a cache for a group...and we had a large one leading up to today's event. 50sumptin, bthomas and I were searching a series of suspicious spots upstream when the shouts of success came from hsjb. Although the stinging nettle was out in full force, thankfully there were no mosquitos! Thanks for the adventure. mjp303

Chews A Ridge

By: bikenxs Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Regular

It was a beautiful day for a cache excursion and plenty of good company to enjoy it with. SMILIE The new (to me!) XJ is now properly christened! (Thanks Nazgul for recording the event. [8D]) It would have been fun to continue on down the road, but I don't think they would have appreciated our herd at the Monastary too much. As it was, we probably looked like ants swarming around the cache and benchmark. I loved the views! Thanks for the cache! mjp303

Mar 24, 2007

Top of Old La Honda

By: bthomas (adopted by GoGoJo) Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Small

The last cache of a long and satisfying day. I was out with the cache owner, kindredlaugh and UncleTom, and of course they made me lead search for it, then promptly ignored me when I went off in the wrong direction. Back on course, it was a quick find. Whew! 2000 caches. A fun journey, and one that continues on! mjp303

Steinbeck #5--Rosie's Garden

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

A very nice garden! Thanks for showing me the spot. mjp303

Big Green Water Tank

By: Team_Unicycle Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Small

On the road to this cache, UncleTom asked me if I wanted the hint for this cache. I stubbornly refused...and then proceeded to wander around while he patiently waited for us to find it. The roads around here sure are narrow! mjp303

The World's Largest Artichoke

By: ynots4 Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Virtual

Thanks for pointing out this spot! I think we must have been acting a bit too much like tourists: a couple of locals, who were guiltily enjoying the famous treats, too, offered to take our picture. Thanks. mjp303

What A View!

By: molly1414 Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Regular

I agree: a fantastic view! Fortunately we didn't have to search 40' south where our GPSr's were pointing. [:O] The school of lost digitalfish are on their way back to the fishery! TFTC. mjp303

The Fun Starts Here

By: Thefogheads Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Regular

Thanks for the very descriptive hint. Our GPSr's were not cooperating. Lovely spot, though. TFTC. mjp303

SCZ/DCP - Santa Cruz Degree Confluence Point

By: Iron Chef Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Regular

Out with bthomas, kindredlaugh, and UncleTom, this was a must do cache. Fortunately we didn't have to dodge any golf balls, but we did pick the wrong trail. I found bthomas' 3 year-old log in the logbook and then we signed many pages further back. TFTC. mjp303

Mar 23, 2007

Amber's Cache

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

Heh! This cache was tricky with the tree cover and north facing slope. Thanks for the breadcrumbs! mjp303

Roy's Cache

By: Bob & Elliecat Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

Second visit. I had to occupy my time somewhere else while a shopper cleared out, so I searched in the wrong places. This ended up ruining my confidence, so I called a lifeline who reaffirmed my first impressions. Coordinates are much better now; shouldn't the hint get a little updating, too? TFTC. mjp303

Mar 22, 2007

Totem Bowl

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

This cache was definitely a pleasant suprise! The totem pole was really cool, and nicely done on the cache camouflage and hide. TFTC! mjp303

Piece of Pie (Easy as Pie)

By: Bob & Elliecat Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

I waved to the guy in the restaurant who poked his head out the back door as soon as I arrived. That seemed to satisfy him, so I commenced my search, and found the cache shortly in the logical spot. I'm glad I didn't read the hint first; it would have thrown me off. SMILIE TFTC. mjp303

Mar 21, 2007

Captain "Krooked Kickflip" Portola

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

2TF @ 12:25p. It was too nice not to get outside at lunch today, and fortunately, a new cache was available. Thanks! The breeze was a little brisk, but the sun was shining strongly, even in Pacifica. Very nice! This cache will really be a challenge once the weather gets a little warmer. Even today, I had to abort a couple of times with people driving and walking by. Finally, I must commend KT for the vigor with which she attacked the FTF on this cache. [8D] Her log left me wondering if she even ate breakfast first, for heaven's sake! [;)] TFTC. mjp303

Mar 20, 2007

Peninsula UnEvent Event

By: vaccine & mjp303 Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Not chosen

There are a couple of caches in HMB that vaccine and I haven't got yet. So, if you're interested in teaming up on flower childs peace corp (GCKDH7) and The Bobcat Hole (GCTADE) before the event, contact one of us. For both of these you'll need gloves, an extra pair of sneakers....and a sense of adventure!

Mar 18, 2007

Taramosalata

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

Day 2 of my push for 2K. Lots of people enjoying themselves at the community center. TFTC. mjp303

Don't Stop Here!

By: CTomGeo Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Day 2 of my push for 2K. Of course the auto-router was useless here, so I had to do it the old fashioned way...well, not exactly since that would have been to pull out the paper street map. [;)] Loved the comment on the outside of the cache container. mjp303

One Red Paperclip

By: alpharomero.com Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Small

Day 2 of my push for 2K. I enjoyed the walk to this cache. Thanks for luring me out on the trail. mjp303

Why did the Cacher Cross the River?

By: alpharomero.com Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Small

Day 2 of my push for 2K. I didn't end up crossing the river. Although my auto-router wanted me to, I had the good sense to overrule its suggestion. TFTC. mjp303

Akebelons NEC Steps

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

Day 2 of my push for 2K. Thanks for the nice big cache! The only one I found today. mjp303

Bus Stop

By: GR82NO Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Day 2 of my push for 2K. I don't thing the cache is going to wander from this location! What interesting camouflage. TFTC. mjp303

River here, River there

By: Mystery Ink Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Small

Day 2 of my push for 2K. This was a very fragrant search! A perfect day to look for your cache. Thanks! mjp303

Doctor Emmett Brown

By: triplep220 Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Day 2 of my push for 2K. There was some sort of equestrian event going on, and several people taking pictures. A lot busier than I expected for a Sunday morning. TFTC. mjp303

Tasmanian Devil

By: triplep220 Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Day 2 of my push for 2K. What did this cache have to do with Tazmanian Devils? You're cluttering my brain with interesting but useless information. [;)] mjp303

Double Secret Trailhead

By: workerofwood Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Small

Day 2 of my push for 2K. It was quiet enough this morning that I didn't even agonize over the parking. Stop, find, go. Thanks! mjp303

SC Fire - Agnew Rivermark

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

Day 2 of my push for 2K. As I was signing the log, a shuttle bus for a nearby church pulled up. The driver thought I might like a ride to the service. Oh, the interesting things that happen while caching! mjp303

Riverfalls

By: nielsenc Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

Day 2 of my push for 2K. The poppies were especially lovely this morning! Thanks. mjp303

Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park

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

Day 2 of my push for 2K. Nobody playing soccer yet today, although perhaps there were one or two members at the 'athletic club' next door. mjp303

Mar 17, 2007

Rubber Duck

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

8:12 am 2 of 23 on my push for 2K. Fun cache container! I can see how the location could get busy, but I wasn't too back this morning early. Thanks. mjp303

Maywood Spring

By: jellotrees & acceber Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Regular

9:53 am 11 of 23 on my push for 2K. Fun cache! No water in the stream, but plenty on the lawns. They were soggy and muddy! Thanks. mjp303

Man's Best Friend's Best Friend

By: glindakc Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

8:59 am 7 of 23 on my push for 2K. A yard sale, joggers, and dog walkers made this grab an adventure! TFTC. mjp303

Cheechoo Cache

By: Thefogheads Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Small

12:10 pm 22 of 23 on my push for 2K. Nice trail. Thanks for caching it up! mjp303

Lonely Bench

By: Rocket Girl Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

11:42 am 20 of 23 on my push for 2K. My eye skipped over one little part of the cache description, which prolonged my search. With ninety plus visits from cachers, this bench is lonely no longer! mjp303

Been Here: Walsh

By: 50sumtin Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

11:57 am 21 of 23 on my push for 2K. Of course, the sprinklers were on making this a muddy, wet mess. Fortunately, the new log was nice and dry...until I pulled it out of the baggie with dirty hands. [;)] mjp303

I'm Green

By: Rocket Girl Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

8:44 am 5 of 23 on my push for 2K. Lots of guys on bikes riding by. The parking across the street has been fenced off. TFTC. mjp303

SC Fire - Pruneridge

By: frivlas Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Not chosen

10:34 am 15 of 23 on my push for 2K. Thanks for pointing out this firestation. mjp303

Child's Play

By: Rocket Girl and DuckeyLee Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

8:53 am 6 of 23 on my push for 2K. As I found the cache, a young girl on a bike came riding by. She stopped, which suprised me. What I didn't know was that she was waiting for her parents. When they finally came around the corner, Mom looked pretty uncomfortable. There was not much I could do, so I just smiled and walked away. TFTC. mjp303

A Bird's Disappointment

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

12:15 pm 23 of 23 on my push for 2K. What a fun cache container! TFTC. mjp303

Sit On It

By: Rocket Girl and DuckeyLee Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

8:05 am 1 of 23 on my push for 2K. Quiet, serene, and a good way to start the day. TFTC. mjp303

Aix Sponsa

By: Cat & Bird Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Micro

9:20 am 8 of 23 on my push for 2K. I saw several Mallards today, but none around this cache. I had to sign over someone else, the log strip is full. TFTC. mjp303

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty

By: Somethings Fishy Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

8:29 am 4 of 23 on my push for 2K. Under the harsh light of day, this establishment looks a bit faded and worn. mjp303

Want fries with that?

By: Somethings Fishy Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

8:26 am 3 of 23 on my push for 2K. A group of employees uncrating merchandise disturbed my search, but I persevered. mjp303

Saratoga Creek Overlook #2

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

9:44 am 10 of 23 on my push for 2K. Got it. Too bad the trail down by the water is fenced off. TFTC. mjp303

SC-17 - Gulliver plays here - LC * 2

By: nostrada (adopted by shadow101) Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

10:04 am 12 of 23 on my push for 2K. I had to search for this cache in full view of the guys in the barbershop across the driveway. I'll bet they wondered why I didn't stop in for a trim! mjp303

SC-6 - Mary Gomez, once again

By: nostrada (adopted by Bughound) Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

10:46 am 16 of 23 on my push for 2K. Dust and pollen were the order of the day on this cache; my allergies thank you. Nifty little hide, btw. mjp303

SC-5 - Harris Lass Museum - LCs

By: nostrada (adopted by Bughound) Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

11:08 am 18 of 23 on my push for 2K. Thanks for pointing this interesting place out to me! There was an open house at the condos across the street. Lots of activity. mjp303

Romantic Rendezvous 3 ? NEM

By: hals99 Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

9:31 am 9 of 23 on my push for 2K. What kind of ice cream did you have? I dunno. But if you were me, it would have been pralines and cream; it's the same kind I always have. TFTC. mjp303

Warburton-A Santa Clara Park

By: shoeluvr Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

11:33 am 19 of 23 on my push for 2K. A great looking park. The pool is still drained, which helped me, but made the place seem a bit forelorn. TFTC. mjp303

Parkway #2

By: Stacy & Jerry Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

10:23 am 14 of 23 on my push for 2K. It was just a matter of trying all the possible spots. I liked watching the traffic pass underneath the bridge. TFTC. mjp303

Parkway #1

By: Stacy & Jerry Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

10:16 am 13 of 23 on my push for 2K. I almost got interrupted by a guy walking his dog. From where I was standing, I'll bet he thought I was doing the same thing as the dog, though. [;)] TFTC. mjp303

Henry Schmidt

By: Stacy & Jerry Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

10:56 am 17 of 23 on my push for 2K. Very nicely done. Definitely aging well. TFTC! mjp303

Mar 16, 2007

Somewhere Hiding and Waiting

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

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. No kids, and more importantly, no across-the-fence dogs! We slithered along in uninterrupted bliss until the cache was ours. Thanks! mjp303

An Acre of Dirt

By: L-grl Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. The gardens looked nice, but were all locked up. Nice to find a ammo can. A police cruiser took off from the station with sirens blaring which startled us! TFTC. mjp303

All in All ...

By: 0rla & eyeob Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. This cache was a bear to find. With coordinates bouncing off the sound wall, it took the two of us 15 minutes of determined effort. I gave up once or twice, but she kept looking. I finally found it over 60' from my zero (40' EPE, so that's not saying too much!) nicely camouflaged. Whew! mjp303

City-Wide Wi-Fi

By: zapboy Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. We never did spot the wifi antenna, those dad-burn streetlights were blinding us. We did find the cache, and enjoyed your camouflage! TFTC! mjp303

Hard and Brown

By: Rocket Girl Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. Love the hide techinique, and use it myself. TFTC. mjp303

GeoBeads #10 - Star Light, Star Bright

By: zapboy with help from workerofwood Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. A dark and quiet park made for perfect searching conditions, and our flashlights illuminated things just right for a quick find. TFTC. mjp303

Sylvan Park

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

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. I amazed her with my cache finding mojo on this one by picking it up before she even had a chance to search. She commented that the colors matched quite well, and we both appreciated the convenient log-signing 'table' by the cache! Thanks. mjp303

I want to be a Hilton

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

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. I was thinking something smaller, but she went right to it. TFTC. mjp303

Rock On

By: Rocket Girl and DuckeyLee Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Small

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. Nobody around except us and the office cleaning crews. TFTC. mjp303

Circles & Squares,Light & Dark

By: Rocket Girl and DuckeyLee Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

A Friday night geo-date with mrs303. Nicely hidden. TFTC. mjp303

Mar 12, 2007

3 Benches and a Bridge?

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

The 6 of us started out for this cache about 30 minutes before sunset. The trail was packed with joggers. Close to a mile in, a pair peeled off; after 1.5 miles, another pair turned around. At this point, the sun was down and light fading. John and I finished it off, taking the coin to move along. It was dark enough that I couldn't really see the PO, so I'm hoping for the best. Thanks for the lovely walk on a warm evening! I've attached my track: the total trip was 4.5 miles.

Mar 10, 2007

War Dogs & Ground Observer Corps

By: NavySparksandtheMrs Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Micro

I had to drop the oldest daughter off at a friend's house for a movie night, so I thought there would be enough time to make a hunt before the sun set. It didn't exactly work out, and I didn't have a flashlight, so I called for a life-line. That attachment device was pretty much invisible in the dark. Thanks for sharing the history of this area, and taking me on a pleasant walk! mjp303

Mar 9, 2007

Closed To Public

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

I got the notification on this one during dinner too. My chances for FTF were preempted though, because I had to take John and Ted over to the community center for Pinewood Derby practice. The big race is next week...and we've got a lot of work to do! Eventually I made it to the cache, and wasn't suprised to be third. Around the cache is all lit up at night. I didn't even need my flash light! TFTC! mjp303

Mar 8, 2007

BB1: Heavyweights

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

Interesting and educational puzzle! SMILIE Like other seekers, it took me awhile to make coordinates from the numbers I came up with. Making the find, I realized that all I had was pencil, and the log was rite-in-the-rain paper. That wasn't going to work! Grrrr. Fortunately, I knew where to find a pen. Walking into the nearby meat market, I approached the counter, took the waiting pen, signed the log, dropped the pen, and left. There was at least 20 people all around me, including 4 employees. No one said a word. I felt quite smug in my resourcefulness. [;)] TFTC. mjp303

Mar 6, 2007

Star Search Webcam

By: leafe65 Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Micro

This was an interesting cache: webcam and traditional all rolled into one! I kinda felt like I deserved a couple of smilies for finding it! [;)] I think early morning is a good time to hunt for the cache, although there was still a steady stream of people passing by. The one thing to watch is that the webcam is facing East and when the sun tops the theater it blinds the camera. Fortunately, I was just able to slip my image in! TFTC. mjp303

Mar 4, 2007

Bay Area Quadrangle Challenge

By: mjp303 Difficulty: 4.0 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Regular

Congratulations to RV CREW and jellis50 for meeting the BAQC requirements, and receiving the coordinates to the final cache!

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