September 26, 2004

The Boys of Summer

4:22 pm - We did this cache with our buddy Nostrada. Poor guy can't get an appreciation for baseball. We were chatting the other day and he referred to the Montreal "Experts" and the Baltimore "Oreos". Cracked me up.

We did a few laps before we settled on the closest hiding spot. We chose the wrong side to walk on and got within 30 feet but couldn't reach it. I crossed the creek at an iffy spot, but kept dry. Cool log.

I've got a bunch of boxes of these sitting in my parents' basement. I hope they'll be pretty valuable someday. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 04:22 PM

De Anza Cached This Way

3:56 pm - This bridge is looking kinda rusty for being so new - or maybe that's intentional. Nostrada made the snag, kneeling towards Mecca as he found it. Thanks for the cache.
Posted by jeff at 03:56 PM

Rock Overlook

3:27 pm - I drove meaty pile of dead weight named Nostrada all the way up and down Mt. Hamilton, but he still made me get out and find this one for him. I was blissfully unaware of any rattlers. Someday that will bite me - literally. I found it OK, signed the log for myself and Nostrada cowering on the other side of the rock, and headed back down the hill. TNLNSL. Thanks!
Posted by jeff at 03:27 PM

Moons Over Mount Hammy

2:53 pm - I've been looking up at this observatory for years, but never made it over. After some sweaty hiking in Grant park, we decided to go up here rather than do another hike with what water we had left.

We took the tour which was pretty cool, then walked around the building until we found the cache. Nice spot. Thanks for the cache.

Posted by jeff at 02:53 PM

The Twin Gates

1:55 pm - We were so focused on the trail and hike ahead that we walked right past this one on our way in. It was an easy find on the way back, especially for me - Nostrada already had it in his hands when I arrived! Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 01:55 PM

Change Here

1:55 pm - Yeah, no problem finding this one - it was right in the middle of the little trail. We put it back where we thought it should go and TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 01:55 PM

Chicken Roost

1:38 pm - This was one of the caches we leapfrogged over on the way up the hill so we'd have something to grab on the way down.

Nostrda was first looking down in a gulley. I don't know what his GPSr was telling him, but it's probably best that he just leave it off like he usually does.

Once I arrived on the scene, I found it quickly. We enjoyed the theme and I wore the beak as I signed the log. Thanks for the clucks.

Posted by jeff at 01:38 PM

Brain Freeze

We stopped by to freeze our brains and I spent a few minutes looking for the cache. I didn't find it, but I couldn't find it once before and tried to archive it, then someone else found it. Apparently I can't find my own cache. I'll let some others try if they want before I archive it.
Posted by jeff at 01:00 PM

BADGES Picnic #1

We'll be there! If you haven't done it already, my Displaced New Englander cache (visit link) is in this park so you may want to work on the solution before you get there, or I'll be giving out free hints at the event. :-)
Posted by jeff at 01:00 PM

Where's the Beef?

12:50 pm - I was searching for the cache when I saw something that looked cool and I was planning on taking it home. Dang, it's the cache. Oh well, definitely haven't seen this container before. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 12:50 PM

Philcam L. Back Memorial

12:43 pm - I was feeling tired and lazy, so Nostrada made it here well before we did. He had it pretty much all taken care of by the time we arrived. Mmm, that water looked refreshing! Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 12:43 PM

Fallen Monarch

12:38 pm - This has been one of those caches I saw way out there on the map, but never got over to do it. With all the local activity, it was a no brainer today. We did have some trouble finding it, but I think Nostrada finally made the grab. TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 12:38 PM

Shelter From The Storm

12:13 pm - We climbed all over this thing before Anne spotted the well-hidden box. TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 12:13 PM

Magnetic Therapy

11:57 am - We skipped a few caches along the way to Antler Point so our trip back wouldn't be so monotonous. This was one of them. Nostrada had the cache when I arrived and I took one of the black critters. Thanks!
Posted by jeff at 11:57 AM

Antler Point

11:47 am - Whew, that was a hike! We took the wrong trail and ended up climbing up a steep grassy hillside.

After we caught our breath, had something to eat, and finished enjoying the view, we thought we might as well find the cache. Ah, a signature WalruZ cache. I lusted after the Simpsons Yo-Yo for a bit, but took the Gargoyle TB and headed back down the trail. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 11:47 AM

Who goes there?

11:07 am - Well, I went there, but just barely. That was quite a hill, and I was definitely puffing when we reached the top. The cache was an easy find and while Nostrada got there way before me, he let me uncover the cache, sign it and put it back. TNLNSL. Thanks for the respect!
Posted by jeff at 11:07 AM

Canada de Pala cache

10:39 am - Here's another tip for keeping stickers out of your socks, according to Nostrada - don't wear socks!

We found the cache OK, took a golf ball and left a skeleton stencil and a Spare the Air magnet. Thanks for another distraction on this increasingly hot day.

Posted by jeff at 10:39 AM

Fill in the Blank

10:18 am - We were about 200 feet up the trail when I noticed we had walked right past one cache and another was a multi that probably ended up on this trail. We made the hard call to go back down, get in the car, and find the first stage of the multi. It was a good thing we did because it was right where we thought it would be.

Found the cache ok and TNLNSL. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 10:18 AM

Top of the Hill (not Daly City)

10:02 am - This sure didn't feel like the top of the hill after some of the climbs we did later in the day, but it was nice to take a breather.

We just missed a coyote who was apparently checking up on the cache. I took a whistle and left a bumpter sticker. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 10:02 AM

White Barn

9:14 am - We were driving up to Grant when I saw this one was on the way. We took a short warm-up walk. Walking through the tunnel was fun and we found the cache quickly.

Later in the day, we could see the white barn waaaaay below. Thanks!

Posted by jeff at 09:14 AM

September 25, 2004

She Sells Sea Shells

12:03 pm - I had a little help on this puzzle from someone who temporarily forgot the difference between "Reply" and "Reply All". :-)

I'm glad I checked out the coordinates before we headed over here though because I hadn't entered the right ones.

MotorBug and I searched for a bit, me scaring a deer as we searched. MotorBug finally turned up with the cache. Thanks for the fun.

Posted by jeff at 12:03 PM

Col. Preston

11:44 am - MotorBug and I weren't sure where which trail to take to this one, so we compromised on no trail! Makes sense, right? Once we bushwacked to the top, of course we saw that either trail would have gotten us there ok.

There was lots of fresh donkey evidence, but none in our immediate vincinty. They sure must eat a lot!

This Preston guy sure gets around a lot. I wonder where he'll be stationed next? Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 11:44 AM

Spider Monkey Fiasco

11:21 am - MotorBug said it all. We got to the cache on our third attempt, but had to avoid some pole vaulters along the way. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 11:21 AM

goal line

10:54 am - We had some trouble finding this one. There was one spot that I suspected, but I watched MotorBug check there, so I thought we had it covered.

Our search was interrupted by a couple of wet dogs and a guy trimming some of the vegetation along the trail. Searching one spot, a little yellowjacket decided to let me know that I was in his territory and give me a small sting on my leg.

Once we ran out of places to search, MotorBug gave me a lift to search the other side. I was mostly nervous about tripping on my way down, but I made it.

Having just left Workerofwood shortly before, we sheepishly called him since we seem to be a couple of incompetent fools on our own.

He convinced us to look back in that spot MotorBug checked originally and there it was. Nice job on the camo.

Now the only problem was getting back to where MotorBug was. I walked down a bit and decided to cross at a point which alternated between dirty ivy, poison oak, and thorny plants. Fun!

Now that this was over, it was time for yet another fiasco...

Posted by jeff at 10:54 AM

105.5

10:14 am - This was a fun walk to the cache. One spot made me a bit nervous, but I made it - both ways!

Geez, we sure are following geowal701 around today. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 10:14 AM

Memorial Point

10:03 am - We searched for this one for a while, wary of sticking our hands in some bees' homes. That didn't happen, but we couldn't find the cache either. Finally WoW, who had found the cache previously, took matters into his own hands and dug out the cache.

In the process he nearly killed me swinging a big pole. Fortunately he only managed to knock my GPS out of my hand.

TNLNSL. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 10:03 AM

Serpent of Dreams

9:12 am - Good to see this one finally activated! Found it easily and TNLNSL. Thanks for another.
Posted by jeff at 09:12 AM

Above Los Gatos

8:56 am - Many kudos to workerofwood for bringing MotorBug and me along to these trails. We picked up a dozen caches or so, but WoW was only here for one, and it was this one.

Despite that, we almost passed the cache by while we were blabbing about something or other.

TNLNSL. Thanks for the cache.

Posted by jeff at 08:56 AM

Are you game?

8:52 am - We almost passed right by this one too. We found the cache OK and placed it back in its spot, rather precariously. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 08:52 AM

ET Trek, Turn Here

8:27 am - We scrambled up the hill and MotorBug found it first, but couldn't access it from his position. While we went around the other way, I snagged the cache and ran away with it. Hee hee hee.

People were looking at us funny from down on the trail, especially workerofwood in his tie-dye anti-camo shirt.

Thanks for the fun.

Posted by jeff at 08:27 AM

Santa Clara Valley View

8:17 am - This sure was a busy trail at this time in the morning.

I just happened to look down at my GPSr and noticed there was a cache 58 ft away. We almost blew right past it.

Once I found it and opened it up, I immediately recognized it as a Marky cache by the trade items inside.

And yes, I had a pen. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 08:17 AM

Bigger, but not closer

8:01 am - That hike up was a good wakeup for this brisk morning.

This placement actually did seem a bit closer than the last placement, but I guess it's just because it's not far off the main trail.

I left my pruning shears at home since there was no poison oak. I did bring my walking stick though and it was helpful in poking at the cache. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 08:01 AM

Lexington Forebay

7:47 am - Motorbug and workerofwood had already done this one, but we were in the area, so they waited while I found it. Looks like the container got a replacement. TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 07:47 AM

Los Gatos - Leo and Leona

7:32 am - Well, I've been here before trying to find a shortcut to Lexington View. It didn't work. Workerofwood put is in the right general area and I found it in the first place I looked - on my second look. :-)
Posted by jeff at 07:32 AM

September 22, 2004

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

I replaced the cache this afternoon in a new spot since the old one is completely exposed. The puzzle doesn't change, but the projection at the end did change as well as the hint.
Posted by jeff at 01:00 PM

September 19, 2004

C Monster

4:08 pm - Me love cookies!

As we were walking to this one Anne stated that this was one of her preferred east bay parks. It's up there with Coyote Hills. We've never seen a waterslide in a public park before. On the way back to the car we climbed up to see what it looked like.

We found the cache right away and TNLNSL and struggling with the non-working pen in the cache. After that we waited out some passerbys below before making our descent and heading home. Thanks for the fun in this neat park.

Posted by jeff at 04:08 PM

Henry's Hidden Box

4:00 pm - We decided to grab the car from where we parked for Bushwacked again and park at a closer gate. I guess that saved us a few minutes of walking time - I don't know.

Once we got to the right spot, we spotted this one easily. We had to wait out some people below who couldn't find their dog. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 04:00 PM

Cache Cow

3:50 pm - Moooooo! It took us a while to find the right trail to this one. We pretty much went all the way around it once.

I was climbing all around looking for the container and getting tired when I came around the tree and noticed Anne had it. I guess I didn't hear her yell out when she uncovered it. We TNLNSL. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 03:50 PM

Bushwacked Again

3:23 pm - We almost balked at paying the $6 to get into this park, but I couldn't resist four caches so we went in. We parked as close as we could and made the short walk to the cache. The say started out with buckets of rain, but by now it was sunny and beautiful.

The cache was a quick and easy find. I took a got wake? thermometor/compass and left a hot drink holder. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 03:23 PM

Quarter Pounder

2:58 pm - This was at least the fourth cache I've found at one of these establishments. I found the cache pretty easily, and I put it back a little more hidden than I found it. TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 02:58 PM

Quarterback

2:38 pm - We searched for a bit and once we figured out where we needed to search for this onoe, I went back for the car, while the others went to search. By the time I retreived the car and found them they already had the cache and didn't need my assistance. I'm sure they were happy not to have to walk back though!

The day's rain left this one pretty soggy, so we signed it as best we could and unfortunately we didn't have any repair materials with us. Thanks for the cache.

Posted by jeff at 02:38 PM

IQ Test

2:24 pm - This one wasn't all that hard, especially when you have the owner's code to verify your coordinates. :-)

Anne found the cache while I was looking in some ridulous places. The log book is full. Thanks!

Posted by jeff at 02:24 PM

Water, water everywhere

2:18 pm - The coords for the first part seemed a bit off, so we had to call a lifeline to figure out how to find it. After that we followed the directions, though some of them had multiple possibilties, so I followed one set while MotorBug followed another. OK, OK, he was right.

He found the cache too. Thanks for the interesting adventure!

Posted by jeff at 02:18 PM

A Senior Moment

1:38 pm - MotorBug really had a senior moment at this one when he couldn't remember if he had done it before. We walked the old man through the grounds and helped him count. We tried to leave him there too, but he caught us.

The final location was a bit away, so we drove to another spot, but it turned out we walked just as far from the other direction. That cache sure is stuck in there! Thanks for the fun.

Posted by jeff at 01:38 PM

Libraries Rule!

1:25 pm - What do you know, this one has been found again, the first time in 5 months!

We drove by earlier on our Pleasanton caching run, but the place didn't open until 1 pm, so we did some other caches. When we returned just after 1 pm when it opened, the parking lot was packed!

We searched for a bit and with MotorBug's help we found the cache. Then we sat on the bench for a while doing nothing in particular and probably looking very conspicuous, so Anne grabbed a random book and started reading. Ok, enough lounging, time for more caches!

Oh, and there's a great Statue of Liberty Replica in here if someone's looking for a locationless cache find.

Posted by jeff at 01:25 PM

Secret Treehouse #1

1:06 pm - This was the first cache we tried in our trip to Pleasanton today, but it was pouring rain, so we went downtown for some coffee and returned to this one later.

I must have messed up the coordinates somehow because when I returned my GPSr was pointing a different direction than last time. I ended up in a place that obviously wasn't right, so I went back and followed where MotorBug and Anne went.

They were obviously in need of my caching karma though and didn't find it until I arrived. Neat treehouse. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 01:06 PM

Once in a Blue Moon

That's pretty scary to hear about the rattlesnake bite here. This was the same place that I found a rattlesnake skin. Perhaps the cache should be moved?
Posted by jeff at 01:00 PM

It's Modern

12:56 pm - This was a pretty cool spot. We used the geocaching parking and found it with some help from MotorBug. That golden number spiral was pretty cool!
Posted by jeff at 12:56 PM

Picoides nuttallii

12:25 pm - We were out caching with MotorBug today. He had already found this one, so he resorted to whistling and making rude noises while I searched.

I found a cool ball in the cache, so I exchanged it for a top. Thanks for the nature lesson.

Posted by jeff at 12:25 PM

Mars Cope Rift

12:12 pm - I solved this one entirely on theme. I did the puzzle on a flight. It was not to Mars, but to Maui. (Hey they at least share two letters.) Some of the lava fields over there even look like Mars.

Most of it I solved with just a calculator which made for a lot of trial and error, but I got almost all of it. When I arrived back on Earth I honed my solution with a radio communication from Marky.

Today we were up in Pleasanton claiming some caches and made the quick hike up.

I'm proud to announce I have discovered proof of water and life on Mars! As we climbed the rift, it was raining. And life was found when we were followed by this strange creature called 'MotorBug'. No sign of intelligent life though. It must have been the toxic Martian atmosphere that made this 'MotorBug' creature wheeze and puff so much.

I found the cache easily and after sorting through the black box, we decided to TNLN. Thanks for the adventure!

Posted by jeff at 12:12 PM

SuperGenius #16 - Lil Camo

12:05 pm - Anne found this one - go Anne! It was a quick one for us and then we were off for more fun. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 12:05 PM

Pat's Bench

11:56 am - We came across part one while trying to find a way into Passerella iliaca. That pretty quick here and we made note of the coordinates. We went over to the other cache first, then returned to the second stage of this one. Neat bench. We really had to take advantage of the hint to find this one. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 11:56 AM

Passerella iliaca

11:44 am - We had some trouble finding a way into this one and ended up driving all the way around the block.

Once we got there, the morning's earlier downpour made getting to the cache an additional challenge. I found a spot which was rather narrow and made a leap - successfully!

I found the cache ok and MotorBug was kind enough to toss me a pen since I left all my stuff on the other side. Thanks for the fun.

Posted by jeff at 11:44 AM

An Old Adobe

11:24 am - Neat little piece of history here. We had a bunch of theories about what the object was, but went with the most probable one. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 11:24 AM

Alameda County Fair

11:14 am - We had some trouble finding a place to park, so I stayed in the car while MotorBug and Anne found all the required info. It was pretty funny to watch them walk around and point at bushes and pick up phones without calling anyone.

Once they got back into the car, we spent a long time doing all the math. It's good thing we touble-checked our values as the first pass was off.

The cache was quick to find and it was neat to see the muddy track from this direction. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 11:14 AM

The Barber Pole

10:41 am - This is one of those locationless caches that I see all over the place, but just never found time to claim. I saw a nice one in Pleasanton, California while out caching with MotorBug so we grabbed a picture.

Hmm, that reminds me - I do need a haircut.

Posted by jeff at 10:41 AM

Lions - It's Free

10:35 am - It was pouring rain in Pleasanton today. We went with MotorBug for some coffee to wait it out. Soon it cleared and we had a great day. We walked to this one and found it no problem. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 10:35 AM

Pleasanton History

10:04 am - We had a little help from MotorBug who had done this one before and got this one quickly. Thanks for the history lesson.
Posted by jeff at 10:04 AM

No Change Required

10:03 am - We were heading to Pleasanton for a day of caching with MotorBug and on the way from the South Bay the weather went from a drizzle to a downpour.

We stopped right here to find a place for some coffee to wait out the rain. MotorBug remembered we were right near a cache, so I didn't even have to take out my GPSr. The log was pretty full. Thanks!

Posted by jeff at 10:03 AM

September 18, 2004

Water Dog Lake

5:14 pm - We just missed a cleaning crew who found the cache earlier in the day thinking it was garbage. They signed the log and put it back. We did the same. :-) Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 05:14 PM

Moonman #2

4:55 pm - This was a very unexpected but great view of the valley! The cache was an easy find too. TNLNSL. Thanks!
Posted by jeff at 04:55 PM

A Walk In The Park

4:40 pm - We had some issues trying to figure out the right way to get here so we had a climb a steep part to get to the cache. Of course we took the road back most of the way. TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 04:40 PM

Highlands Park

4:15 pm - We experienced the same autorouting problem as digitalfish. A tip especially helpful in San Carlos - route to the Park entrance, not the cache.

While we were looking for the cache we found not one but two free nice mugs. We took one. These cache containers are starting to look familiar now. TN (except the mug) LNSL. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 04:15 PM

Brittan Park

3:42 pm - We're still walking around the neighborhood with my boss, who's happy to find anything to help him procrastinate on his masonry projects.

I found this one pretty quickly and was glad not to have to be digging around in the bushes. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 03:42 PM

No Name Park

3:26 pm - We were walking around the neigboorhood trying to get to this one when we ran into my boss, who lives here. We took a shortcut through his backyard to get to this park.

We wandered a bit and then I spotted it, showing my boss what I do what I'm not working. I think he gets it now. He couldn't stop talking about all the evil hides he was going to construct. TNLNSL. Thanks!

Posted by jeff at 03:26 PM

Going In Circles

3:01 pm - I did a few donuts on foot before checking one more spot and finding the cache. Thanks for another in your 'hood.
Posted by jeff at 03:01 PM

Gateway To Heaven

2:52 pm - We found this one a little too quickly. We had to read the description to understand what the title meant.

With a bunch more caches in the area, we set off on foot for the rest. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 02:52 PM

Burton Park

2:44 pm - We looked and looked in the most obvious spots, but couldn't find it. Missing?
Posted by jeff at 02:44 PM

RWC History 102: School, Fire Department, Library

2:05 pm - Neat place. The homeless people were gathered again, but about 20 feet from the cache. I looked for a bit and then saw it and its attachment device lying on the ground, contents strewn about, but still there.

I signed the log and attempted to put it back in a way that I think it was originally hidden, but the owner should definitely check on it.

Posted by jeff at 02:05 PM

September 17, 2004

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

The cache appears to be missing. I'll place a new one in time for the event.
Posted by jeff at 01:00 PM

September 15, 2004

"Waterloo" all over the world

Too bad this one is archived. I found another village in New Hampshire, United States called Waterloo. Oh well.
Posted by jeff at 01:00 PM

September 13, 2004

Fishing Season

12:43 pm - I've caught many fish here before, but I had to get just one more for the GPS show and the locationless find. This was right off the dock of my parents' cottage on Lake Winnepocket in Webster, New Hampshire, USA.
I didn't have any real bait, but I remembered that frozen hot dogs seemed to work in the past and they did again today.
OK, so he won't be much of a meal (I probably should have just eaten the hot dog!), but he did give a good tug on the line. Thanks!
Posted by jeff at 12:43 PM

The dam cache 2

10:53 am - This cache was a good challenge. I've been to the dam many times, but haven't had occasion to go behind it much. I didn't know this road was back here.

There's a story behind this paved road and the stone markers. When the dam was built, several town bulidings were moved or rebuilt at what is now the town center of Webster.

#1 was the location of the old webster meeting house, which was moved and is still up the hill on Route 127.
#2 was Stebbins' Store (now Coudry's Country Store.)
#3 was Burbank's Bridge, a covered bridge that washed away in the flood of 1936, prompting the building of the dam years later.
#4 was Burbank's Sawmill.
Back to our adventure, of course half the fun was getting there. A tree had fallen over the road at one point, so I had to get out move that away. A large puddle persisted from all the rain of a few days ago, so we had to power through that in our borrowed Honda Civic.

We went to check out the back side of the dam first, then worked our way back to see if we could find a trailhead. At this point I noticed there were parking coordinates, but those were over a mile away and we were only 500 feet from the cache, so I figured there mush be a quicker way. We drove down the road a bit until we found a small road leading up to the direction of the cache. We tried to drive it at first, but quickly we realized the Civic wasn't going to make it as the road got narrower and steeper.

All was going well until we went around a bend and found ourselves in someone's backyard. The trail seemed to stop, so I decided to bushwhack right towards the cache as some of the previous finders did. A few seconds later I attempted some bad footing on a log and fell right over, scraping my leg and wrist. Then we had to work our way through the thorn bushes, but finally we crossed a stone wall and the ground cover became much less dense.
I expected to come across a trail at any time and we saw some trees with blue markers, but no clear trail. Eventually we came to the top of the hill and the cache. Nice hide. The coordinates were right on. We TNLNSL. There's still plenty of good stuff in the cache.

Since we knew going back the way we came wouldn't be too fun, I decided to head down towards the road with the hope that we'd run across a trail on the way. Nope. We wandered down through the steep woods and eventually came to the road, .2 miles from our car.

On the way out, we looked for the suggested trail and the one that's on the map available at the dam, but didn't see anything. Our way was definitely shorter. Easier? I'm not sure, but definitely shorter.
Thanks for the adventure!

Posted by jeff at 10:53 AM

Water Of Life.

9:31 am - This is the Blackwater Dam in Webster, New Hampshire, USA. It holds back the Blackwater River, which flows into the Contoocook River, which in turn flows into the Merrimack River that empties out into the Atlantic Ocean on the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
I've visited this dam many times. I've sledded down the steep slope in the winter and rolled down the grass in the summer (being careful to stop before hitting the boulders at the bottom.)
The dam rises to an elevation of 566 feet.The water rose to within 2 feet of this height in 1987, nearly hitting its capacity of 15 million gallons in the Blackwater Reservoir.
The dam was built in 1941 by the US Army Corps of Engineers in response to the floods of the late 1930s. Building the dam would have put the center of the town in the reservoir, so several buildings including the old meeting house were moved or torn down and rebuilt on higher ground. Today a system of dams including this one protects the cities of Concord, Manchester and Nashua from flooding and has prevented millions of dollars in damages.
Posted by jeff at 09:31 AM

September 09, 2004

Are There Any Drive-In Movies Left?? Virtual Cache

1:27 pm - N 42 57.884 w71 28.879
I remember going to a few drive in movies here at the Bedford Grove in Bedford, New Hampshire, USA. It opened in 1956. Sadly today all that's left is the name. The area has given way to a shopping center after the drive-in closed many years ago.
Here's a web site that confirms its existence. (visit link)
Posted by jeff at 01:27 PM

Eternal Flame Memorial

1:01 pm - I ran across this eternal flame memorial in Veterns Park in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, USA. Sadly it hasn't been lit for as long as I can remember, but I thought I'd at least note it here. This park is also a stop of my downtown multi-cache, Bronze and Stone.
Posted by jeff at 01:01 PM

Home Sweet Earth Home

12:08 pm - When I was a kid, I used to ride my bike down in this neighborhood in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA. I always wondered what these funny houses in the ground were all about.
I was reading through the locationless caches and when I saw this description, I immediately remembered this place on the corner of Catherine and Joseph Streets. You learn something new everyday - maybe two things when you're Geocaching.
Posted by jeff at 12:08 PM

September 08, 2004

By The River

4:23 pm - My autorouting was playing tricks on me today and I ended up doing several u-turns to get here, even on the other side of the one-lane bridge. My wife wasn't much help - she was zonked out in the passenger seat. Finally we arrived in the parking lot, but it was pouring rain. I made a quick dash out to the memorial, noted the words and ran back. I'm not quite sure why this one couldn't be a real cache, but then again during the downpour today I didn't mind it at all. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 04:23 PM

Tilton Island

3:37 pm - This was a neat little island. I might have missed the 3rd question if I hadn't seen it on the way in and wondered what that thing was. We found all three quickly and we were back in the car, trying to keep out of the rain. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 03:37 PM

Hilltop Stop

3:25 pm - I never knew this arch was here. Boy, they sure built a big one. I found the cache OK, took a happy face ball keychain and left a container of goo. Thanks for showing us this place.
Posted by jeff at 03:25 PM

Restoration Destination

3:14 pm - We made quick stop here to take a look at the trains and grab a picture. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 03:14 PM

Abnaki Mortar

3:03 pm - Neat spot. Found the required stuff as well as the benchmark. Thanks for the quick one.
Posted by jeff at 03:03 PM

BLACKWATER BOB (Box of Books)

2:31 pm - We headed to this one from Warner and took the scenic route all the way up Couchtown Road, much of it dirt.
We weren't sure where the trail started, so we parked as close as we could to the cache and bushwacked in 200 feet. The GPSr wasn't working well though and we weren't getting any closer. We ended up at the trail junction. From there we took the trail that looked best, but we lost our signal again and ended up going back. We tried another trail, but that one definitely left us going the wrong way. So we took the first trail again, this time with a stronger signal, and bushwacked in to find the large cache.
By this time it was pouring rain, so our objective was to get out as soon as possible. It's ironic that among all those books, there isn't a log book! We signed the sheet of paper that someone else had left. I took a magnet and left the Slugger TB.
Anne ran much of the way back in the rain. We were pretty soaked back in the car, but it was still fun. Thanks!
Posted by jeff at 02:31 PM

Railroad Locationless: Depots

1:28 pm - This is the old Waterloo train depot in Warner, New Hampshire, USA. Waterloo is an historic village. The depot is now home to Rc Brayshaw & Co, a printing company.
Posted by jeff at 01:28 PM

History is all around...

1:20 pm - This is the village of Waterloo in Warner, New Hampshire. Almost all houses have plaques indicating their status of registry as a historic place.

This particular house was William E. Chandler's guest house. His residence was across the street. It's a cute area full of old colonial houses.

Posted by jeff at 01:20 PM

Smoke Report

11:45 am - This is the fire tower on top of Mt. Kearsage (elev. 2937) in Warner/Wilton New Hampshire, USA. I've been up here many times. Today was overcast, but the rain held off while we were up here. Sometimes the tower is manned and you can go up all the way, but today it was locked and you could only reach the highest platform under the tower.
Posted by jeff at 11:45 AM

Kearsarge Cache

11:06 am - I've climbed this mountain many times before. On this overcast Wednesay morning we had it all to ourselves for most of the time.
I almost walked right past the cache. I happened to look down at my GPSr and noticed that it was 80 feet away, so we stopped and looked. My readings were all over the place, but Anne proved herself "useful" by finding the cache once again while I was searching 50 feet away. I couldn't even see her through the thick foliage. TNLNSL.
It was a short walk up to the top where it was cloudy but pleasant. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 11:06 AM

September 07, 2004

Go Fish! Cache

4:36 pm - Well, we parked a bit prematurely and ended up walking around the bridge for a few minutes until I decided to start looking at my GPSr and walked 300 feet down the road to the access point. We reparked 40 feet away.
The four of us were all over that cache and Anne was once again triumphant in finding it. She celebrated by dropping a heavy log on her foot. Ouch.
This was nice spot. We TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 04:36 PM

Sacred Structures

4:27 pm - This is the First Congregational Church in Hillsborough, NH. It was built in 1769 on a land grant by Col. John Hill. It's still in use today.
Posted by jeff at 04:27 PM

One Room Schoolhouses

4:18 pm - This is the Center School in the old town of Hillsborough, NH. The NH historical landmark picture explains most of it.
Posted by jeff at 04:18 PM

Murphy's Lookout

3:30 pm - Almost forgot to log this one. We had a nice walk up to the lookout and guessed right on the trail. It didn't take too long to find either. TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 03:30 PM

Don't Bog Me Down

3:00 pm - This was a neat pond. We had an enjoyable walk with The Bteam-East. After checking out the boardwalk, Anne found the cache. We TNLNSL. Thanks!
Posted by jeff at 03:00 PM

Bradford Tall Pines

2:16 pm - This is certainly one of those spots that you never would have noticed if there wasn't a cache here. We checked out the hilltop grave site on the way and found the cache once the GPSr settled down a bit. We TNLNSL. Them sure are some big trees! Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 02:16 PM

September 06, 2004

Hosstrader's Hangout

4:03 pm - We were on our way into the Hopkinton Fair, so parking was easy - 200 feet away. The cache was a quick find as well. It was strange to see a cache where my parents (The B-team East) had already signed the log! I didn't have any electro-junk on me, so we TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 04:03 PM

September 05, 2004

Bridges That Move!

9:04 am - This is University Bridge or Eastlake Ave Bridge in Seattle, Washington. It bridges the Capitol Hill area with the U district, home of the University of Washington over Lake Union. I used to hate getting stuck in traffic behind this bridge, but it is a pretty cool drawbridge.
I was at a wedding nearby when I saw the bridge going up, so I got some shots of the action. The next morning I went to get some close-up shots of the bridge and mark the coordinates.
Posted by jeff at 09:04 AM

September 04, 2004

Enter the Dragon

2:04 pm - I did not know about this before. There were some other people paying their respects, so I tried to be quiet and patient before I took my picture. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 02:04 PM

Fire fighting vehicles

1:28 pm - I found this fairly typical fire truck on display in Volunteer Park in Seattle, Washington, USA. The local fire fighters were giving people tours and letting kids "drive" it.
Posted by jeff at 01:28 PM

1963 Road to Nowhere

12:18 pm - I always wondered what these unfinished roads were all about. Thanks for the history lesson.
Posted by jeff at 12:18 PM

Another Mossy Bridge

12:03 pm - Wow, that is a really tiny tupperware container. We were on a schedule so we used the hint to find it quickly. Thanks for the cache.
Posted by jeff at 12:03 PM

MGTS - I can't find my shoe!

11:57 am - This was a fun cache. It's right near the secret ramp to get on 520 east that I used to take when I lived here.
The description made it easy and I found it right away. Nice shoe! TNLNSL. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 11:57 AM

One Lane Mossy Bridge

11:41 am - We took a quick diversion from the arboretum to grab this one. I found it quickly, TNLNSL, then we headed off down the wrong road back to the park. Oh well, it was nice walk. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 11:41 AM

NIPPON SAKURA HANA

11:40 am - This was a quick multi for us. We had been to the Japanese Garden a long time ago, but unfortunately did not have to stop in today.

We wandered a bit, but eventually found the cache in good shape. It sure is weird to see log books signed by Jeremy himself. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Posted by jeff at 11:40 AM

Rhododendron Lane

11:05 am - When we lived in Seattle we would come to this park all the time to walk around. We were in town and had some time to kill, so we came back for a stroll in this great park.

All the trees here don't make for good reception though and while I was trying to zero in on the coordinates, Anne proved herself "useful" by finding the cache. TNLNSL. Thanks!

Posted by jeff at 11:05 AM

September 03, 2004

Kerry Viewpoint Park

9:01 pm - We were visiting Seattle for a wedding this weekend and amused ourselves by driving around this city where we used to live. I was amazed by the things I did and did not remember. One thing I did remember is that you need to take Highland Ave to get to this viewpoint. This is a great view. We found the sculpture, took a few deep breaths and continued on our way. Thanks.
Posted by jeff at 09:01 PM