One Lost, One Found

well the first one wasn't really lost, i just couldn't find it. went geocaching near the house on my way to running errands yesterday morning...
CACHE INFO:
CODE: GCWO85
NAME: 101 Dalmantions #62 Fluffy
COORDINATES: N 44° 10.528 W 070° 16.466
HINT: None
CACHE SIZE: Micro
DIFFICULTY: 1
TERRAIN: 1

this was the first cache that i took the geko gps to. it was also the first cache that i had to log a DNF (did not find) on :-(. i got to the area and let the gps settle in for about 5 minutes. went to the proposed location, let the gps settle again and it said to go 60' in the opposite direction, went there, let it settle and then it was 80' in a totally direction. i didn't look very closely at google maps when i was at the house and now i am wishing i did because after 20 or so minutes of searching to find what area it was actually in i gave up and went on to do my errands.

had i looked closer at google maps with the satellite view i am pretty sure i would have been able to find the cache! fortunately i live less than 2 miles down the road and can go back, maybe i'll even stop on my way back from work this evening, or better yet, go on a bike ride (this cache is also on one of my routes) tonight to retrieve it and a few others that are along my route.

fortunately the second cache i looked for that day was found.

CACHE INFO
CODE: GC1GGCB
NAME: Dam No Good Name for This
COORDINATES: N 44° 07.957 W 070° 27.741
HINT: Retaining
CACHE SIZE: Small
DIFFICULTY: 1.5
TERRAIN: 1.5

Hundreds pay last respects to Theodore
"Ted" Heidrich
Photo courtesy of Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

kevin's step-grandfather passed away last week and yesterday was his funeral. it was a beautiful service held in the apple orchard of his own farm. kevin's dad & step-mom live right across the street from where the funeral was held, and right on the little androscoggin river, and guess what was right across the river on the other side? that's right a cache!

told the "kids" about it and christy, her service dog moxie, jake & heidi all came along with me to look for it. we used steve (kevin's dad's) gps and it did the same thing that mine was doing earlier in the morning -- maybe they are used to get someone in the general area then you have to use what you saw on google maps and your eyes to search for the cache... but on the other hand the app that miranda had on her smart phone the other day got us right to the cache... it'll be something to look into.

anyway we were searching for about 10 minutes then we had jake look up the clue on his phone, i had looked at it earlier but couldn't remember what it was, well once we found that it took jake about 2 minutes before he found it! there were a bunch of trinkets in it and the log was just about full! we all wished we had brought something to put in there but none of us had anything. we also forgot to get a picture -- oh well we now know where it is, had a blast looking for it, and i think i may have made 3.5 more geocache addicts :-) lets just hope we didn't get any poison ivy while searching around! Read more!

No Purchase Necessary

without fail it is raining this morning. i say "without fail" because it seems that every time i plan on taking a bike ride in the morning it rains.

but it wasn't a total waste of a morning, kevin found his old garmin geko 201 gps and this morning i downloaded the manual and found out how to use it! which means i don't need to buy my own seeing as my phone won't work as a gps...


its pretty much a perfect fit for me to, IT HAS A GECKO ON IT! those of you who don't know me, geckos are my favorite animal, i actually have 3 tattooed on my body and many trinkets, shot glasses, artwork featuring geckos.

so this morning i am going to spend the few minutes i have before i have to get ready for work programing in the 10 geocaches i have listed on the right side of this blog. and maybe today if it stops raining i'll check out the cache that is a few feet from my work. Read more!

Basin Micro

CACHE INFO
CODE: GCXYZY
COORDINATES: N 44º 10.619 W 070º 16.962
HINT: Hidden not buried, no need to disturb anything to find it.
CACHE SIZE: Micro
DIFFICULTY: 2
TERRAIN: 1.5
FIND #: 1
(image: it wasn't totally dark out yet...)

first cache ever! and so close to home (1.4 miles, but went through 3 towns, turner, auburn & minot)! it's actually on my "hilly" bike route. no gps required, just google maps w/ street view...


muggles (that's what they are called right??) were there fishing when we first got there so we decided to go have dinner at davinci's first then check on the way back. it was just after sunset so we made it a quick search, kevin found it (he says i was scared to go into the woods—more like he had the flashlight and i couldn't see to even begin to look).

honestly him finding it first kind of took some of the thrill out of it for me, i was so excited about this new hobby. but it is fun to share it with him, it'll give us something to do together! he did have a good idea on the way out though, with so many in the vicinity of the house i can ride my bike to each one, looks like there are some on my bike route that takes me down lake shore drive. hopefully early tomorrow morning no muggles will be around when i go for a ride.

here are some images of the evening:

dinner out

view of the old mill buildings from our seats

another view from our seats, through the umbrellas to the brick

we found it!!!

"don't take a picture of me with it" okay, i won't...

Read more!