Geocaching

Rest on Your Laurels

3:32 pm - Nice spot for a rest. This was as far up as we would go today thought it was tempting to grab the others not too far up. I found the numbers OK and then the cache in an interesting spot. The container still looks brand-new! TNLNSL. Thanks!

Coyote Peak Shady Rest

3:20 pm - We didn't quite trust the trail to get here so we cut across the hill a bit. Near the cache it was a regular zoo! We saw half a dozen deer (including a buck), turkeys and other varmits, all living together. They were all extremely docile.

The cache was open, but still had some contents inside. There was no log book, but now I understand why. TNLNSL. TFTC.

Santa Teresa Driving Lessons

3:08 pm - We went for the Club cache, then went back to our car to find this cache even closer. While I grabbed the cache, Anne collected some golf balls for those that she will inevitably lose in a water hazard. Thanks.

Club Santa Teresa

2:59 pm - Nice place! We enjoyed the walk and the view. I just wish we had figured out how to drive up to this lot! Thanks.

Gateway Santa Teresa

2:41 pm - We made a quick stop for this one on our way out of the park. Yeah, we're backwards. Thanks!

Pueblo Santa Teresa

2:25 pm - We were pretty tired after a relatively short hike, but this one would be an easy one on the way out. We picked up the first two stages easily enough. We had been on the lookout for snakes and spiders all day, but had only seen a few spiders. I found the decoy cache and looked to the left. Anne moved a rock to get at the cache and when she moved her hand away she noticed something - a small snake curled up right next to the cache. It was a rattler. And its much larger mother was right behind it. Yikes! Uncovering it revealed that it was another decoy, and soon the mother and child snake rattled and moved underground. I carefully plucked out the real cache and TNLNSL.

This was the first time I've run into a sizable rattler. Do be careful out here!

Bernal Hill

1:36 pm - It was tempting to cut across to this one from the top of the hill, but decided ther was probably a better trail. We went down, came back up again and found ourselves in no better position, so we cut across. I don't see another way to get here. It was a good time to take a break too. It takes quite a bit of effort to grab a bunch of these newer Santa Teresa caches! TNLNSL. Thanks.

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

1:06 pm - This cache made for a nice loop and the terrain wasn't that hard. All of the stages were find except that darn willow. We found all kinds of hints (including one on a cut-down branch), but it took a good hour of searching to find the actual coordinates. Tough one. The rest was fine and we enjoyed the view on this mild day in St. Teresa. TNLNSL. Thanks!

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

11:30 am - This series was fun and well-done. We had a lot of trouble with the first stage, but after that it went smoothly. Anne was still walking very carefully to avoid any snakes or spiders. We didn't see any... yet. Thanks!

Hidden Secrets Trail

11:01 am - This was a nice and easy multi and a good warmup for the series to come. TNLNSL. Thanks!

Free St. Teresa!

10:30 am - We were heading for a different cache, but ended up here. Anyplace with a cache is OK by me. I got out to make a quick grab when a woman said to me exitedly "There's tarantulas here!" Indeed there was a large one just a few feet off the pavement. I looked for a moment then headed off to the cache, barely noticing the other tarantula inches away. It scurried off and I signed the log. I think the woman didn't need to see any more spiders and took her book elsewhere.

Now if I was smart about it, I would have kept this little story to myself. Instead, I told it to my wife who then suggested we find a different park to spend the day in. I reassured her and headed on our way. TFTC!

Baylands Bridge

5:06 pm - This area made me kind of nervous as it got dark. I was happy to grab this one quickly and find my car intact. Thanks.

Duck!

4:56 pm - We searched and searched for this one, and just couldn't come up with it. I called a lifeline and was pointed to a spot I just didn't check enough. The hint made me think it was elsewhere. Anyway, thanks!

Three Women Who Cared

4:35 pm - We thought we might walk from the first to second stage, but then we ended up on a street and decided that driving might be a better option.

We had been to stage 2 before, but not all the way out. Cool spot. We again drove to another spot to get to stage 3 and pick up the other caches.

I remember another cache around here a long time ago. As we found it we somehow got on the topic of broccoli ice cream. Conclusion: not a good idea.

TNLNSL. Thanks!

Brain Freeze

Would LOVE to archive this one. See my previous attempts at killing it and how the original idea for this cache didn't pan out.

A Nickel, A Dime, Two Bits, A Buck

4:30 pm - This was a nice cache to end our day. It was well-hidden and should last awhile. TNLNSL. Thanks!

Lakeside

4:14 pm - We nearly gave up on this one but then I checked out a spt that Mom had identifed earlier and found it. I think this area could support a much larger cache.

So what's up with the water pump? Lots of people were filling up. Thanks.

Water Tour aka Night Swamp

3:47 pm - We kinda lost track of how many waypoints we visited along the way to this one and when we got to the final we weren't sure what we were looking for. After some persistence Mom found it. Like most of the caches we found today the log was soaked so we could barely sign. TFTC.

CITO Your Summer Part 1

3:27 pm - It took us three tries to find the trailhead to this one because I just didn't see a way in. Eventually we just strolled in and found the tiny trail.

Either people have been really good about cleaning up this trail or there wasn't much trash to start with. In either case we couldn't find any. Thanks.

Moose Hill Picnic Area

2:59 pm - This place looked familiar; we had been here earlier in the day! I thought there was a shorter way in. I should be better about reading the descriptions for parking coordinates.

We made our way in, but passed the cache somehow. We considered trying to get through the swamp, but thought better of it. We turned around and found the other trail back a ways. We found the cache OK once there and TNLNSL. Thanks!

Londonderry Rec. Fields

2:09 pm - We did a bit of bushwacking on this one and found it soon after. I remember running lots of cross-country trails around here; I wonder if this was one of them? TNLNSL. Thanks!

Peace on Earth

1:50 pm - There were lots of people around today collecting apples and pumpkins. We trekked across a pumpkin patch to the pole. I saw one of these at a cache in California once. I found the cache easily. The log was really wet, but I scraped in our names. Thanks.

Another Londonderry Night Cache

1:36 pm - Well, we didn't do this one at night, but it wasn't sunny either. Thanks for the tour. Left a WJTB, but only very briefly.

Twenty-Nine

12:51 pm - There was a cache similar to this in California and I got the FTF because this isn't nearly as well-known out there.

This was easy to solve, but I had to check my answers a few times to make sure I had it right.

It was a quick find when we got there; I saw it from the car! TNLNSL. Thanks!

Dam it! #2

12:38 pm - I thought this one might have been washed away after all the rain, but we found it after a few minutes of searching. The spot is not very secure though, so I'm not sure this one will last long-term. Thanks.

I-93 Exit 4 Travel Bug Hotel

12:28 pm - We looked all over the place for this one, even after decoding the hint we could not find it.

I should have check the updated coordinates first I guess.

"It was a secret to me" Trailhead #2

Nah, it wasn't all that great to begin with. Feel free to place another one here if you'd like though.

"It was a secret to me" Trailhead #2

Seems to be gone.

Just One Thing

6:05 pm - Oh man, my feet are killing me. When I got home I realized why - 4 blisters per foot. Ow. I really just wanted to get this done so I could go home and have a shower. We did and I did. Thanks!

Tour de Tank

5:40 pm - Dead. I felt completely dead when we finally made it to the top of the hill and to this cache. MotorBug and I had a long sit, popping jelly beans while we worked up the motivation to head back to the car. Ahhh. Thanks!

WalruZ @1K

4:51 pm - WalruZ at 1K. Ahh, the good ol' days. The first 1K is always the sweetest one.

This cache was a little toughie. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Star Puzzle

4:42 pm - I wasn't quite sure about how to get there, so we headed up "road" which turned out to go no where. We cross-countried it from there up to a barbed-wire fence with the cache 200 feet on the other side. I found a spot with room under the fence probably used by deer. It got me on the way up with a nice scrape on my arm.

We wandered a bit before I found the cache. I was happy that the puzzle was easy because it was getting late. Of course then I saw the real road that led out. Strangely there was no sign or fence leading out, so I don't know why there was a fence there.

Anyway, thanks for the cache and puzzle!

Going Bannanas

4:41 pm - MotorBug took a shortcut back and I finally met back up with him here. Cute container. TNLNSL. Thanks!

Turtle Pond

4:06 pm - Hey, there were turtles here! Two scurried off logs back into the water as I approached. Searched for a while, then spotted the cache in an unexpected container. Thanks.

The log Cabin

3:48 pm - I skipped this one on the way out the trail end and perhaps for good reason. I could not find it on the way back. I found a darn good place for the cache though with the remnants of a cabin. The box from the drink mixer that Jimswim left was on the ground and looked it has been for some time.

Trail End 32

3:30 pm - It's 3:30 and I've been on the trail for 5 and half hours. It's going to get dark in a few hours and I'm at the furthest part of the park. I better hustle back. I found the cache quickly, TNLNSL and turned around. I'm glad I made it all the way out here. Thanks.

Mary Pose I A

3:17 pm - This was one of the strangest places I've found a magnetic altoids container. It was in good shape though and exploded with stickers when I opened it. Thanks for the cache.

Geodanimal's Have A Seat

3:06 pm - I had a date with MotorBug back down the trail, so I was in a hurry to grab this one. Odd place to have a seat. I found the cache OK and was surprised to see a WJTB. I took it and a golf ball, leaving a video game. Thanks!

Kilkare Canyon Overlook

2:47 pm - The plan was for me to run down to this one and grab it while MotorBug continued on the trail. But MotorBug showed up and announced he had enough. I bribed him with a few jelly beans and I almost got him to change his mind. I continued on alone, but by the end of it, taking a shortcut seemed like it would have been the much wiser choice! TNLNSL. Thanks.

Geodanimal's Diablo Vista

2:38 pm - I looked all around for this cache and them spotted it about 2 inches from my face. Thanks for another!

Geodanimal's Loop Trail Cache

2:10 pm - The climb was steep up here or maybe the earth was tilting towards us. No time to halluncinate though, many more miles to come! Thanks.

Geodanimal's Valley View

1:51 pm - Hitchhiking down on the road seemed like a good idea about the time we arrived here. We were tired. The water was a nice find though and we refilled. Thanks.

Geodanimal's Shady Creek Hill

1:37 pm - Yikes, I'm feeling pretty sore and we're not even halfway yet! We took it slow for a while and kept on going. TNLNSL. Thanks!

Geodanimal's Shady Creek Cache

1:20 pm - It was a good time for a break here after tromping up the wrong hill. MotorBug found the cache then got out some lunch which looked suspiciously like baby food. I had a little to eat as well but apparently not enough - I was woozy by the end of the hike. Reminder to self: eat more! TNLNSL. Thanks.

Railway Bridge

Well, at least I have company. 11 other people have posted a DNF. Perhaps it's time for a hint?

Walruz' Pit Stop

12:49 pm - These bathroom caches disturb me. I'm always concerned that while looking for the cache I'll accidentally find "something else". Luckily we did not and TNLN - really. Thanks!

LeChuck's Sinbad Treasure

12:36 pm - MotorBugand I were consulted the topo map as we approached this one and were were not pleased. Looking a bit closer, we found another way and took a leeettle shortcut which involved way less elevation change. Considering how tired we were later in the day, that was a probably a very good idea.

MotorBug was apparently following the "trail" that was actually a scratch on his GPS screen when I veered off to find the cache. TNLNSL. Thanks!

Fishin' with Monkeys (It's a 2-fer!!)

12:14 pm - Well it was my turn to monkey around here but I failed miserably. I literally caught a snag and I couldn't get it to release so MotorBug did it the hard way.

I thought the 2nd cache here was the other monkeying around cache, but I guess it's a different one. I guess I don't get it though since there's no waypoint for the 2nd one. Are you supposed to log this one twice?

Anyway, TFTC.

A Simple Cache - Augustin Bernal

11:55 am - Nice and simple for sure. And for MotorBug's information, I found the cache. Thanks.

Natural Cloning

11:42 am - It had been a tough morning, so it was nice to grab an easy one for a change. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Just "monkeying" around

11:28 am - MotorBug did the climb and it was fun to watch. I think 3.5 is based primarily on the effort to get the log out! Fun cache (especially for me). Thanks.

LeChuck's Hermits Treasure

11:04 am - There was a lot of PO around here and if I had read the description, I wouldn't have been tromping around in it! MotorBug checked the spot where the cache was, but not thoroughly enough. He was off in the PO when I found it. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Augustin Bernal Park

10:39 am - Ths was our second cache in the park and it did not bode well for our day. We spent a long time walking through the poison oak trying to find the cache. Suprisingly I had a cell coverage and I was able to download the cache page including the picture. When I looked around I found a spot not far away that seemed to fit and there was the cache. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Park Anywhere-Augustin Bernal

10:04 am - I was looking for this cache when I saw a blind man walking towards me. Well, he was wearing a big hat and sunglasses. He was using a walking stick and didn't seem to know where he was going.

Wait a minute, that's not a blind guy, it's MotorBug! He joined me in the search and a few minutes later I found it. I actually saw it before, but discounted it. Thanks for the cache to get us started up the hill.

Encounter of the DVD Kind

Hey bullit, get bent!

Encounter of the DVD Kind

Pathetic human made an error in transcribing coordinates. He will be destroyed.

NUTTS POND

12:15 pm - This one was on our way home, so Dad and I stopped for a quick one here. He had never actually seen Nutts Pond before. We found the cache easily and TNLNSL. Grabbed a bite to eat at Wendy's on the way out. Thanks!

Don’t Anyone Take Exception

12 pm - Harjula asked me for a hint on this one a while back. Somehow it came to me easily then, but when I tried to solve it for myself, I forgot how to do it. The coordinates looked suspicious, but it was right there when I pulled up with my Dad. Thanks!

Speed Ease

7:15 pm - I was on my way to get my phone fixed and stopped by for a quick cache. Yup, it was quick. Thanks!

Sky Can

7 pm - I keep forgetting to log this one. I've been here for both previous caches, but it's still a cool spot. Thanks!

Palm Park Cache

6:16 pm - MotorBug and I didn't find this fresh cache on our first look, but then MotorBug noticed something and soon we had it. There was much excitement as we opened the log sheet to find it -- blank! MotorBug's pen was so excited, it blew up. TNLNSL. Thanks!

VTA Race Station

6:04 pm - We figured out the coordinates at the last stage except for C. MotorBug guessed at a number and he turned out to be right. Too bad we were at the wrong end of the line. I'll get it another day. Thanks!

VTA Fruitdale Station

5:50 pm - Grabbed the cache and then went for a brain freeze. I needed one of those. Thanks!

VTA Bascom Station

5:44 pm - Five minutes after the last one and 6 minutes until the next one. We were on a roll! Thanks.

VTA Hamilton Station

5:39 pm - MotorBug and I were talking about getting ice cream then realized we needed to pull over for a cache. I wandered one way, then came back another to find the cache. MotorBug, without his GPSr, wandered aimlessly. Thanks!

VTA Downtown Campbell Station

5:32 pm - The best part of this one was watching MotorBug destroy the fence. Ha! Thanks.

328

5:21 pm - Our targets were out of the way of this cache, but I just couldn't stand to have this one cache left hanging around. MotorBug hung out in the car while I want over to grab this one. Nice lid! TNLNSL. Thanks.

Welcome to Souptown

5:12 pm - Well, I thought I DNF'd this one, but I guess I didn't. Thanks fogheads!

VTA Winchester Station

5:07 pm - Found this one quickly - many more to come! Thanks.

The Home is Where the Heart Is

4:46 pm - I've been all over this area, but never to this spot. We found the cache OK. I wonder if that weinermobile in the cache is the one I left in a cache a while back. Anyway, TNLNSL, thanks for the cache!

Family Additions

4:33 pm - Doing a little research before made a big difference in making sure we were on the right side of the water. It wasn't too hard to find and we were off to find the final! TNLNSL. Thanks.

Family Beginnings

4:17 pm - I've been to this spot, but I'm not telling why. MotorBug grabbed the cache after I couldn't seem to get my hands on it. OK, who left their undies in the tree? Thanks!

Wrapsidy's Cache

3:57 pm - I locked MotorBug in my car while I went after this one. The joke was on me though - I needed his help to find the cache. It looks like the difficulty is more appropriate now. Thanks.

Concrete Creek Cache

3:45 pm - Quick stop for MotorBug and me. He waited since he had already found it. Thanks!

It's a jungle out there

3:39 pm - This was a familiar spot, especially for MotorBug! Since he forgot his GPSr, I pointed him off to an another spot while I found the cache. Thanks.

Any two five elevenis?

3:25 pm - This was a bonus cache after BMX. We grabbed it on the way back to the car. MotorBug was my chaperone but I managed to find it all by myself. Thanks.

BMX No More

3:21 pm - As MotorBug and I walked to this one, we remembered the many caches that used to be in this park. Good camo. I hope this one lasts! TNLNSL. Thanks.

I met him in a swamp down in Dagobah...

6:13 pm - We saw this place as we drove by and wondered what these new buildings were for. We found the statue and it still took a minute before we realized where we were. Cool!

We did a few too many uturns trying to get to the final and almost ended up in Marin. Thank God for autorouting. TNLNSL. Thanks!

Toy Store 1

5:48 pm - This was a solemn place. We got there just before closing so I had to make it quick. I'm convinced those guys were moving around! TNLNSL. Thanks.

Victor's Cache

5:30 pm - There was a wedding or something going on inside, so I wasn't sure if I could do this one. I wandered over to the side and saw what I was looking for. We then wandered by the "Film in the Fog" that was about to start. Thanks!

Haunted Hospital

5:10 pm - This place was kinda creepy. I tried to scare Anne on the way over but ended up just annoying her. We found it easily and headed on. Thanks.

End of the De Anza Trail - Mountain Lake

4:58 pm - Nice walk. I think you meant "settlers" not "soldiers". Overlooked that and found the cache. TNLNSL. Thanks!

The Palace of Fine Arnolds

3:51 pm - Found it in the second place I looked. Too bad it's all fenced off here. I took a couple of pictures, but all I had was my crappy phone camera. I liked the hint! Thanks.

The Tortoise and the Fare

3:24 pm - The fare has gone up! I couldn't find the 2nd stage so I wandered a bit until I found a place that matched the hint and realized my issue was that the fare had gone up. I guess it went up $2 as of Oct 1.

It was easy enough to find the cache and I grabbed a sample at the secret 2nd sample station. Thanks!

Watermelon Hill

2:52 pm - I parked in a very temporary spot while I searched this one out. Wandered up and down and then found it very close to where I parked. Driving down here was kinda scary! Thanks.

GeoBeads #9 - Hidden in a Hidden Walkway

9:53 am - Well, I found the underwear first and I thought that was some really unique camo! I continued my search though and eventually found the nicely done cache. Just as I did a couple with a couple of dogs came around the corner. I stood there rather awkwardly until they passed. Only 2 beads left! Thanks!

Shopping for a cache

9:39 am - I had a rough morning, so I was happy to come across an easy one. Thanks!

Steeple Chase #1

9:30 am - Not too many people around at this hour, so once I searched in the right area it was quick. TNLNSL. Thanks.

Cornelis Bol Park Booty

9:11 am - Grrr, I really dislike playground caches. I got lots of odd looks while waiting around for the lot to be clear. It's a good thing that most kids have short attention spans.

I finally got some private time to search, but couldn't find it, so I called a lifeline. My lifeline took a while to remember the cache, but he pulled through. Didn't expect it there. Thanks.

Beginner's Luck

8:37 am - Yup, this was an easy one, maybe too easy. I hope it lasts! TNLNSL. Thanks.

Electric Lizard

8:33 am - There were lots of people walking by today so I had to take a couple breaks in my searching. I was having trouble finding it when I asked myself, "how would Marky search here?" I resolved to be more thorough in my search and I found it right after that.

That's a nice $1M fixer-upper on the corner! TFTC.

Go Fish

8:11 am - I always enjoy these kinds of caches. I found both stages easily. My only worry was dropping the tool! TNLNSL. Thanks!

Papua New Guinea Grove

7:53 am - I've heard about this place, but never knew where it was. Cool spot. Hard to get a signal, but eventually I found it. Thanks!