10-26-09 - 3 out of 4

Maxs Dog Dayz of Summer - GC1FWNC
#1 on a 3 out of 4 morning... I used this cache to introduce a good friend "King-of-Clubs" to GeoCaching!
TFTC!

Cirith Ungol - GC123BF
#2 on a 3 out of 4 morning... I had a sneeky suspicion where I would find this one, but had to work my way around a muggle crew of land surveyors... TFTC!

Every Time A Bell Rings... -
GC1VKBC
#3 on a 3 out of 4 morning.
Funny, I have lived in Bloomington most of my life, and despite my having taken numerous "suspicious person" 911 calls from this park - I had never actually BEEN to this park before.. It is very nice!

Swapped a GeoCoin for the TravelBug.

TFTC!

=======================
I swapped GeoCoin for a TravelBug at Every Time a Tell Rings...

Dropped Round Tuit GeoCoin
Picked up Luke the GPS Junkie
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Echo Location - GCMXE5
#4 on a 3 out of 4 day, and like the two logs prior - this was my DNF this morning....
Thanks anyway!

Sand Creek at Lions Park - GC1H3EE
Cache has been retrieved... A little maintenance, a new location (sans poison ivy) and Sand Creek at Lions Park should be back on-line!

10-21-09 - 2 out of 3

Today, we had a road trip to Mankato planned.  I had some GeoCaching planned.  Mother-Nature had some significant rain planned.  Mother-Nature's plans put a bit of a damper on my secondary "GeoCaching" plans, but I WAS able to make one quick stop, and nab 2 out of 3.

Minnesota Valley Rest Area #3 - GCQ4KX
#1 on a 2 out of 3 day. Dropped TB. TFTC!!

The Minnesota River Valley - GC1PPWK
#2 on a 2 out of 3 day.   My first "EarthCache" - love it!!   I have grown up most of my childhood, and now all of my adult life in / on / or close to the banks of the Minnesota River! (email sent with answers) TFTC!!

I dropped the Roughousing Rick TB off at the Minnesota Valley Rest Area #3 - GCQ4KX

Trail of the Zodiac: Virgo - GCWK3D
#3 on a 2 out of 3 day - this was the DNF...

But, I **WAS** in a hurry, and the ground was muddy and slippery, and my shoes were not "cachin' shoes" (just came from a meeting with my insurance guy), and then, there was that hill... Oh, my there was that hill..

In these shoes, with this mud, in this rain, down (and back up) that hill, and on my timeline... Nope.. Just ain't gonna try it.. I'll have to come back better prepared next time (now that I know what to expect)...

10-14-09 - 2 out of 2

Close to Purrrkins - GC1VBYR
#1 on a 2 out of 2 day.
This was attempt #3 for this cache... The first two were unlogged DNF's (and now I see why).
TNLNSL - TFTC!


Back to the Future: Hyland Lake Park - GC1ME6C
#2 on a 2 out of 2 morning.
What a nice out of the way area... and the cache is chuck-full of goodies!
Took the TB - Signed the log.
TFTC!

Roughhousing Rick - TB2T739 (Travel Bug)
Snapped up this scofflaw who (by his own admittance) is "usually on the run from the law".
I'll TRY to keep him away from the law, and moving along towards his destination... But, ya never know....(wink)

09-29-09 - 1 out of 2

#1 on a 1 out of 2 day. This was a previous DNF... Glad to have scratched it off my list! TNLNSL

#2 on a 1 out of 2 day. This was a previous DNF, and dang nabbit - it still is. I am sure I had the right beacon based on the trampled vegetation... Just could not locate in that pile of pins and needles...

09-22-09 - Disabling my cache

Today I decided to disable my cache "Sand Creek at Lions Park - GC1H3EE". It was noted by a couple of people between September 11th and September 20th that the area where the cache is located is "loaded with poison ivy".

On September 22nd, I disabled the cache, and will wait for the cold to kill off the poison ivy.

UPDATE: October 10th
- We have had two days of snow, and a hard freeze. I hope to get into the area of the cache, and get it moved soon.

09-19-2009 - 4 out of 5

It was a great GeoCaching day for the Father of Five!!

Not only did I nab another "Alphabet Challenge" cache (the letter U) - but I made my 100th find!!

I was sitting at 96 finds, and I wanted to hit 100 this afternoon, Having a few hours between activities, I checked for a few caches close to home, and loaded up 5 caches that I felt I could obtain without too much difficulty. (Loading only five, and finding 100% of them would put me at 101 finds. Yet, knowing that in all likelihood I would miss at least one...This was a gamble. I could miss one. No more. The pressure was on!)

I asked my boys if they wanted to join me, and for the first time since I started caching, NEITHER of them wanted to... (this MAY have been due to the boys being given permission for some XBox time this afternoon...)

#1 on a 4 out of 5 day - on my quest for my one-hundredth find!!
Dropped the Travel Ingot Geocoin. TFTC!

#2 on a 4 out of 5 day - on a quest for my one-hundredth find!!
Lots of possibilities - and now having read the clue - I may have walked right on by... Next time!! TFTC!

Up the Creek (Find #98) (Added letter "U" to my Alphabet Challenge!)
#3 on a 4 out of 5 day - on my quest for my one-hundredth find!! Clever!! TFTC!

Burned Black (Find #99)
#4 on a 4 out of 5 day - on my quest for my one-hundredth find!!
Nice find... And let me tell you, that is QUITE THE DROP! TFTC!

A fish called Baily (Find #100!!!!)
** MY 100th FIND **
#5 on a 4 out of 5 day - on my quest for my one-hundredth find!! TFTC!

- - - - -

Ironically, the public space where A Fish Called Baily just so happens to be located at the same place we accessed Cedar Lake for last winter's Boy Scout Ice Fishing Derby!

As you can see, it was a good thing I loaded up that one extra (A Fish called Baily) - If I had not, I would have not reached the 100th find milestone today, and SOMEONE, may have passed me up!
Someone you say?? Who might that "SOMEONE" be?
Well, after receiving AtHomeDaddy's "smack talk" email - challenging me to see who was first to 100 - I just could not risk missing the 100 mark today!!

Now that I have reached it, I can sit back a bit and see just how long it will take OldManDaddy, oops, I mean AtHomeDaddy to reach his 100th find...

How long is it going to be???

More on the Alphabet Challenge!!

Within the 14 caches I found over the last two days, I have added three more letters to my "Alphabet Challenge"...  V, K, and W.
 
I am still in need of Q, U, Y and Z.

6 out of 6

#1 on a 6 out of 6 morning! TFTC!
 
#2 on a 6 out of 6 day.  Interesting.. I found the old log, but not the cache. I signed the old log, and sort of tucked in in a bit... I guess the next cacher will have to find BOTH the log and the cache!! A "twofer" perhaps?!?!
 
#3 on a 6 out of 6 day!! TFTC!
 
#4 on a 6 out of 6 day! TFTC!!
 
#5 on a 6 out of 6 morning! TFTC!!
#6 on a 6 out of 6 day!! TFTC!!
 

8 out of 10

GC11NJQ - Shakopee Rocks!
#1 on a 8 out of 10 day. This was my first DNF (
and my second try at this cache... I am starting to think I may HATE this cache! )

GC1C594 - For the Ladies

#2 on a 8 out of 10 day.
#3 on a 8 out of 10 day
 
#4 on a 8 out of 10 day. Swapped TB's....
Wylbur Hits a Grand! is where I dropped the UKE 4 Travel Bug, and where I picked up the Travel Ingot Geocoin.
#5 on a 8 out of 10 day. Log is pretty full.
 
#6 on a 8 out of 10 day.
This one was ok... It's grandfather (Shakopee Rocks!) is going to be the death of me yet!!
 
#7 on a 8 out of 10 day.
 
#8 on a 8 out of 10 day. TFTC!
 
#9 on a 8 out of 10 day. TFTC!
 
#10 on a 8 out of 10 day. This was DNF #2...
Watch out for loose rocks!
 

Administrative Announcement

I have found maintaining this blog by posting one blog entry for every cache visited has become - overwhelming... To the point that I do want to make updates.
 
Given all the work I have put into the blog so far, and not wanting to "waste" all that work... I have come up with a compromise... 
 
I will be clumping my caches together on one post...  That way - It wont be quite as much of a chore as it previously was.
 
I have gone on two days of a caching spree - partially inspired by a motivational bet laid down by AtHomeDaddy.  Since we were both within one find of each other (80 vs 81) - he challenged me to a race to 100.... 
 
Maybe I cheated a little bit by not responding to his email challenge, and only informing him AFTER I scored another 8 - putting me into the lead - but all is fair in love, war and geocaching challenges... Right?
 
Frankly, I am quite grateful for his challenge... I hardly been out caching this summer at all, and so his challenge got me out there, caching again!
 
THANKS AtHomeDaddy!

Test

Test

GC1WRRC - Home Run Close to Home

GC1WRRC - Home Run Close to Home

FOUND!! First find after about a month hiatus! Made for a great lunch-break find this afternoon!!

GC1513G - Scenic Heights Park

GC1513G - Scenic Heights Park

#3 of a 2 out of 3 day for child #3 and myself...
TFTC!

GC1C552 - The Bus to Nowhere

GC1C552 - The Bus to Nowhere

#2 of a 2 out of 3 day for child #3 and myself...
TFTC!

GC11NJQ - Shakopee Rocks!

GC11NJQ - Shakopee Rocks!

#1 of a 2 out of 3 day for child #3 and myself... This was our DNF