bytemobile's Geoblog

Sep 29, 2008

Angular Reasoning

By: The Rat Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Micro

I just noticed this cache a few days ago, and figured it was one I should be able to solve. The Matlab script I normally use to do a gradient search didn't work too well. The function doesn't have a nice bowl shape. I ended up spending a lot of time adjusting values in FizzyCalc. My answer was plenty close enough to find the cache, and the retrieval turned out to be a nice lunchtime walk. Thanks!

Sep 28, 2008

AQ Vista Point

By: cc and family Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Micro

Quite a nice view up here this morning. I appreciated the directions on how to get here. It wasn't clear from my AQ trail map. Thanks!

New Almaden Trail Bridge

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

Well, I ran into a bunch of high school trail runners, a family, a couple, and a few others on this trail today. Its popularity is probably due to the shade today. No problem spotting the cache. Thanks!

Stop Bickering

By: cc and family Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Small

I plotted a route through AQ this morning to pick up a dozen caches, mostly where I hadn't been before. Thanks!

Stumped

By: PtekPosse and SHHR Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Small

I waited while three different groups trooped past, then found the cache quickly. Thanks!

Road Less Traveled

By: CC Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Small

My GPSr wasn't real certain about where the cache might be, but the description plus hint brought me around to the cache pretty quickly. Thanks!

Leslie's Favorite Trail Cache #1

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

The cache was pretty full, probably because it is one of the few regular-sized caches along this trail. I decided to drop the red Jeep travel bug that I picked up yesterday. Thanks!

Leslie's Favorite Trail Cache # 2

By: ProTechCC Difficulty: 3.5 Terrain: 3.5 Container: Regular

I passed this one up as I hiked from Webb Canyon to the Buena Vista mine. There were a couple girls stopped and yakking at the trail intersection, so I just hiked on by. No problems finding on my return, but I was pretty tired at this point. The shady trail was very welcome today. I left a geocoin that I picked up earlier.

Buena!

By: Team Nazgul Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Small

It was noon, and this was my turn-around point for my hike from the Webb Canyon entrance. This was my first visit to this mine, and it was all very cool. Thanks!

Hey We Did It! Part 2

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

Nice bridge, and still smelling of linseed oil. It should be good for another 30 - 40 years. Thanks!

AQ New Almaden Bridge "They Did It"

By: ccandfamily Difficulty: 4.0 Terrain: 3.5 Container: Small

I spent about 10 - 15 minutes searching on my way from Webb Canyon to Buena Vista mine, but DNF'ed. On my way back, I used my two hiking sticks to measure, pulled out my flashlight, and had the cache in a minute or so. Thanks!

The Missing Cacher - A Short Story

By: Carl Castillero Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Small

I really liked the hint. I didn't get it at first, then I looked around some more and it all came together. Thanks!

For Ben and Jim, The Race Begins

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

I was sort of surprised to see a geocoin here in the wild. I decided to move it (A gift from Lompoc) up the trail a bit. thanks!

Sep 27, 2008

Random Stuffed Cache

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

I solved a puzzle in this general area, which gave me an excuse to head out here late this afternoon. I took the red jeep travel bug and left Bytemobile turtle #438. Thanks!

Bear Meadow

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

I solved a puzzle in the general area, which gave me an excuse for a little hike late this afternoon. The cache name helped me avoid taking the wrong fork at a trail junction. No problems spotting the cache. Thanks!

I Scream. You Scream.

By: SouthBayCrew Difficulty: 3.0 Terrain: 2.0 Container: Regular

I was looking for a few close-to-home caches to find late this afternoon. I cranked out the solution with a visit to Wikipedia and a couple of lines typed into the Matlab interpreter. The trails to the cache had horseshoe prints and deer hoof prints, but not much in the way of hiker's boot prints. Thanks!

Sep 21, 2008

Doc's Geo Cache V

By: The Doc Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Regular

I didn't read the logs for this cache before heading out. The new log is still in excellent shape. The baggie of trinkets outside the cache container was chewed open, so I replaced it, but a new container that is big enough for this stuff is what is needed.

Flat Way Back

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

Flat Frog Trail was certainly my favorite trail today in Coe. It managed to follow a contour instead of heading up and down. Thanks!

A Fallen Tree

By: Geokashers Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Regular

This was my first stop on the trail this morning. It was overcast at home this morning, but the clouds were all below this level and the sky was an incredible blue. The cache looked like it could use a couple things, so I left the Travelin' Punk TB and Bytemobile turtle #434. Thanks!

Henry Coe

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

Wow, this cache could have taken quite a while to find. The coordinates were good for me, and I got lucky and turned over the right rock. There certainly weren't many visual clues. Thanks!

Headquarters

By: Team Nazgul Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1.0 Container: Micro

This was my first visit to the Headquarters entrance of Coe. I found 15 caches and had no rattlesnake encounters, which I count as a great day in Coe. Thanks!

Eric's Cache

By: Geokashers Difficulty: 3.0 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Regular

The views this morning were a little different from those on the cache page. A solid blanket of clouds below and blue sky above. No problems navigating to the cache. I left Bytemobile turtle #435.

A Coe Picnic Spot

By: Geokashers Difficulty: 3.5 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Small

Just as I was about to reach for the cache, I got a call from my wife who was in the process of opening her yarn shop (Green Planet Yarn). The computer which handles all the sales transactions wasn't connecting to the internet. Luckily, it was an easy fix, and she was soon up and running and I was signing the cache and not rushing down the mountain to get the computer going.

Coe Balls

By: Geokashers Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Regular

Well, I already did Bear Balls, so I didn't take a ball. Thanks for the cache, though.

Frog Lake

By: bullit Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Regular

Wow, you don't see many 50 cal ammo cans this far in. This was my first visit to the Headquarters entrance for Coe, and I had an excellent day - 15 caches and no rattlesnake encounters. Thanks!

Decision Point Two

By: alpharomero.com Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 3.5 Container: Small

There were a couple women having a picnic a hundred feet or so from the cache site, so they probably wondered what I was up to. I didn't spot the cache immediately, but saw it after I poked around a little. Thanks!

That's Middle Ridge

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

Pretty nice view from up here today. No problems spotting this one. Thanks!

How Old Am I?

By: alpharomero.com Difficulty: 1.0 Terrain: 3.5 Container: Micro

This was my first visit to the Headquarters entrance to Henry Coe. It was a great day for hiking up here - not too hot and clear blue skies. I left Bytemobile turtle #436. Thanks!

Frog Rock II

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

I appreciated the hint for this cache. I had a good look around, then went for the description and hint and had the cache in hand soon after. Thanks!

My Dad's Ammo Can

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

Interesting ammo can and interesting story to go with it. This was my first visit to the Coe Headquarters entrance, and it was a great morning for hiking. Thanks!

M & J Geobeads #1 - Found It

By: Marky & Joani Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Small

Well, I was a little late to this party. No more beads. This was my first visit to the Headquarters entrance of Coe, and it was a beautiful morning for hiking up here. Thanks!

Sep 5, 2008

O.W.L.1: The Hairy Plodder Trail

By: STP Ron Difficulty: 3.0 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Small

I had the coordinates of the third stage from my failed attempt three years ago, but I left them in the car and started at stage one again. My memory is bad enough that it was mostly a fresh experience. It turns out that the third stage is now the final, so I didn't really have a chance to mess up again. Thanks!

Kamikaze Downhillers

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

I was on foot today. If I had my bike, I would have been pushing it about half the time. Nice little spot for a break. Thanks!

Joani's Crafty Cache - Crochet

By: Marky Difficulty: 4.5 Terrain: 1.5 Container: Regular

My wife has been crocheting and knitting since she was a little girl and her mom had a yarn shop in North Carolina. Her dream has been to open a shop of her own, and she finally did it this year with a new shop in downtown Campbell. On the other hand, I am not all that crafty, and had to resort to other means to find the coordinates. Thanks!

The Rainbow Bridge

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

We have had lots of dogs, and my wife even bred and showed them for a while. They are all gone, and I doubt if we will be having any more. Putting them down when they are unable to get up and walk is just too painful. Thanks for the cache!

Damnice Cache

By: Two Hawks Difficulty: 3.0 Terrain: 2.5 Container: Small

I got an early start this morning to beat the heat. The instructions worked out great for me. In fact, the final few steps brought me closer to the cache than my GPSr normally would. Thanks!

STP Overlook

By: bullit Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Regular

I headed out early today to beat the heat. Nice views up here today. I took the Punk travel bug and left Cleo's travel bug and left Bytemobile turtle #433. Thanks!

Downhill Alternative

By: Vaudesir Difficulty: 2.0 Terrain: 3.0 Container: Small

I had completed my primary objectives for the morning, and was considering heading back to the car, but this cache was only about 0.25 miles away. It was farther than that by the trail, of course, and there was some significant elevation change. When I got to the site, I looked in the obvious spots, read the hint and the last log, and started having dark thoughts about this last cache of the day. I persevered, however, and found a spot that matched the hint and was three feet or so from the nearest poison oak. Thanks!

O.W.L.2: The Hairy Plodder Trail

By: STP Ron Difficulty: 4.0 Terrain: 3.5 Container: Regular

Well, nearly three years after I DNF'ed O.W.L.1, I found it and continued on to O.W.L.2. I was close to giving up at the Willow stage, but I hung around, investigated all the possibilities, and finally spotted it. The final had some very nice camo. Without the camo, the cache would have looked like all the other trash in the bushes. Thanks for the very challenging series!

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