Leap Day Events

I know where I was four years ago on Leap Day.  I was inside Sea-Tac Airport getting ready to catch a flight to Denver, Colorado to help Erika get ready to officially join the Army.  I sat there in the waiting area watching footage of tornadoes ravaging through southern Illinois as my phone lit up with 29 published caches by Ohjoy.  I also found my first Colorado cache by attending an event later on that evening just east of Denver.  It was awesome! 

I still don't think I have found all of those caches that were published that day. Haha!

Push forward four years and there I was sitting at my desk at work going through documents on my computer.  What a difference four years make.  There were three events in the Lacey area that day but I could only go to two of them.

I left around 11:45 to catch the freeway to Lacey.  Gabe had his Olympia Lunch Time Event (GC6BEXW) at Izzy's and this was the only time he could do it and get an event for the day.  I arrived and everyone was already eating so I grabbed a plate and gathered some food.  I was so hungry I probably shouldn't have had two more plates of food.  I sat down with Bob, Bev, Lars, Wayne and Gabe and just chatted about the stuff that we've been doing lately.  They asked where Ben was, Wayne often sees him at the casino once a week, and I told them he was out of town but on his way home.  He would be at the event later tonight at Dirty Dave's.

I received my two badges.  One from this weekend and the other from going to an event today.

A few people sprinkled in around 12:30 and signed the logbook.  I should have taken a picture of everyone but my mind was in a hurry since I could only be there for an hour, which seemed really short.

We signed Gabe's logbook and I hung out until it was time to pay and head back to work.  I regretted eating all that food. I hope I was hungry enough to have some pizza later.

I even got up out of my cubicle and walked around our loop just to burn off some of the calories I consumed.  I chatted with Grammie for a while before I returned to my desk.

Ben called me letting me know that he made it back safe and that he would see me at Dirty Dave's around 6. 

I ended up talking to Linda a little longer than I thought I did.  When I checked the clock I was like woah!  I need to go!  I got to the Leap From One Event to Another (GC6AAKP) just after 5:30 and grabbed a spot before they were all filled up. 

For some reason every time I go to an event at Dirty Dave's it is packed.  I sat with Bob, Bev, Wayne, his wife and a guy from Lakewood.  Soon Sagefox showed up and talked to me for a bit.  We ordered pizza and got a free pitcher of soda.

Ben was on his way and got there just after the pizza arrived.  I had a couple of slices as we chatted with everyone.  I had him sign the cool logbook and we played cacher bingo to kind of break the ice.  I got jokes from people saying, "Cougarcach24, what haven't you done on this list?"  Haha! 

It was fun being able to go to events again.  It's been a while since I've been to one of these kind of events but for some reason we don't have a lot of them in Lacey or Olympia.

It got really busy and I just sat at the table while everyone wandered around taking to othe cachers.  I had Ben grab the log book so we could get a picture.

We hung out just after 8 and decided to head back to my house to watch some How I Met Your Mother and just relax.  Ben left a few hours later because he had to work the next day too.  He got home safe.

Next Adventure:  Day Trip to Westport

Lewis County Caching and Finding #10,500

I decided to go geocaching for most of the afternoon today.  It's been a while since I've gone by myself and spent a good chunk of the day doing it.  I had a goal to get at least 17 caches to put me to the #10,500 mark.  It's sad that I've only found 500 caches since the 2014 Geocaching Block Party and I blame working at the awful hotel which took a lot of my weekends away from me.  Now that I have my weekends back and a car that works efficiently, we just have to get over winter, the rainy weekends and the upcoming rainy spring weather.  It's just got fun to go in the rain and the wet.  No one wants to be cold and wet all day long.

I did a few chores, ate lunch and planned out where I wanted to go and which new caches popped up in the area the last two years.  There were plenty around to get me to my milestone for the day.  I made sure my query was up to date, grabbed some paper, my two caching back packs, made sure my selfie stick was charged up, grabbed clothes for all weather types and headed out to the Escape.  I followed SR 507 to I-5 towards Centralia.

The first one, Block House (GC51F9H) was located inside Fort Borst Park, a place I have been to many times for caches and fastpitch tournaments.  I knew someone would eventually put one at this square structure it was just a matter of time.  I parked, grabbed everything and walked to where to coordinates were taking me.  I read the hint because the cache could be anywhere on this thing and started to look but kept a low profile.  There were many people here enjoying the park.  I had to look high and found a spot above the windows where something could be.  I stood on a foot ledge and grabbed the bison tube.

I got back in the Escape and drove to the other parking lot to go get The MANN (GC5HN49) and it hasn't been found since December but the cache owner went out recently and proclaimed that it was still there.  Why not.  I walked the quarter of a mile out there and I took the hard way in and the easy way out.  I got really muddy and made this cache harder than it really needed to be.  If I took the correct way in it would have been a very simple in and out.  I was probably out there for a half hour.  I did manage to find the cache and put it back in its hidey hole for the next cacher.  I walked back to the Escape and made my way to the next one.

There were a lot of caches that were missing along Airport Road, a series called The Trans Alta Trail, so I decided to skip them and try again another time with roller blades since it was paved.  The next available one was Muggle-Free Mustang P-51 (GC5WB16) and there was a nice pull out and park.  This road didn't seem very busy until three cars came roaring by as I searched for the cache.  This one was an obvious "sticks out like a sore thumb" rock among a bunch of rocks.  I walked right up to it.  There was a great view from the south as I stood here.

No Train Here (GC5WB16), not sure of the name, I found in the Home Depot's parking lot.  It was a large rock that have had a hole drilled into it and a plastic baggie with a log book shoved into it.  It was kinda lame but counted towards my goal.

Of course there was a new one in the Walmart parking lot.  Wallee Whirled (GC5VWFE) was at the southeast corner of the lot.  Of course when I drove up I knew where it was going to be.  Those darn lamp skirts!

I went inside Walmart for a few things and it drives me crazy on how people block the aisles or push their cart really slow.  I knew what I needed, got in and got out as quick as I could.  It was also a good place to use the restroom.

I plugged the next set of coordinates into the GPS and made my way towards the K-Mart at Hole In the Wall (GC5CVN8).  I checked the obvious places and then had to squat to see if it was in the hole.  It was and the container was broken.  I signed it and put it back where I found it.

The last one on this road was Last Rock (GC50EHN) and there was a nice little pull out to turn the Escape around and then find the cache.  It was the obvious rock and I turned it over and it was another rock that had been drilled but this time there was an actual cache inside of it.  Nearby some tree blossoms started growing.

The Veteran's Memorial Museum is a facility I've been to at least three times since I've been caching.  Caches come and go and are replaced often.  Honor A Vet (GC50N1T) was found just about in the same spot as I found it years ago this time it was daylight and not cold.  I had to take a picture of the awesome Army helicopter that was nearby.

I got onto Hwy 6 and headed towards Adna.  There was a new cache near the tree plantation and I knew eventually someone would put one here too.  I pulled over at the driveway and swung my vehicle around so I could get the cache, my photos and get in quickly for the next one and back on the road.  I'm glad I was tall enough to reach the cache on top of the sign.  Rows of Trees (GC55XQ3) was a very quick park and grab.

I got back onto Hwy 6 and drove up towards Claquato, a place I geocached almost 5 years ago now, to get another geocache.  This time it was the cemetery instead of the historical view point.  The Twin Cities Cemetery Series, sadly I've been working on since early 2011.  This cache completes the series and now I can move onto the final cache.  This cache, Twin Cities Cemetery Series: Claquato (GC1E2R4) was found on the ground out in the open.  The log book was mushy.  The cache owner needs to come give it some love.  I put it back underneath some bark to give it some camo.

I headed back down I-5 and got off at the 13th Street exit in Chehalis to Stan Hedwall Park to a cache called It Used To Be...(GC53PW5).  I guess the rubble used to be a Cheveron Station and then the last owner before it burned down was a really popular restaurant.  I pulled over to the side and got out.  It didn't take me long to find the cache once I saw the fence end cap.  I also took a picture of the nearby Daffodils.

Because we do not have maps on the GPS, only the standard map that came on the device, it made it hard to navigate to caches.  I still have to purchase them but was waiting until I had a permanent job.  So I had to put them into the Nuvi.  It also made it hard to see what roads the caches were on and I had to back track.  I got back onto I-5 and headed north back to the Adna/PeEll exit.  I got onto Hwy 6 and then made my way to Hwy 603, the road that connects Adna with Winlock and Boistfort. 

I set the coordinates to Close to Home (GC4XRN9) which took me to a unmanned fire station I've never been to.  Lewis County Fire District #5, Station #4.  It was a quick park and grab near the fence line.

I drove further south towards Winlock.  It was fun driving around places I've never been before.  Papa Hoot Again (GC52AE2) was hidden underneath the roofline of a really cool cabin bus stop.  That also was a quick one.

That was the last one on that road until I got to Winlock.  I got off of the road I was on which merged onto a road called Pleasant Valley Road which got back onto Hwy 603.  It took me into the north side of Winlock.  Upon my arrival, I expected the World's Largest Egg to greet me as I entered town, it was gone.  WHAT!?  I've never seen the egg missing before. 

My guess is that it was taken down for maintenance.  That's gonna suck for cachers who come just to see the egg and do the virtual and it's missing.  I came for the newest cache, Cock of the Walk (GC540GZ) and it was at one of the Roosters in town.  I parked the Escape, ran across the street and found it quickly.

I got back in the Escape and turned around in the nearest driveway to head back to I-5 and I found it hilarious that I turned around in the driveway where they were storing the egg.  I found that very random and me being in the right place at the right time.  Mystery solved!

I headed back towards I-5 and grabbed another Bearsandme cache off of Camus Road.  I've been there twice before, once with Bob and Bev and again with Ben.  I'm Green or Black, Rattle or Roll~#65 I-5 Series (GC5JQCT).  I've found several of her caches and knew that there was going to be some sort of a fun animal toy or doll or action figure attached to the container to make it unique.  I really didn't read into it but when you find it you know you found it.

I saw there was a new one off of Rush Road in Napavine, an area we stopped a lot at in high school after fastpitch and basketball games.  Back then, it was just the Rib Eye and the McDonalds, now a gas station, several restaurants and of course, a Starbucks.  I parked in the Starbucks parking lot and read where the cache, Loving Every Minute of It (GC59DBY) was.  It was in a very high muggle area with the Love's gas station being right there.  I saw where the cache was and was very thankful I brought my geocaching back pack with my magnet attached to a handle.  It made retrieving the cache very easy when no one was looking.  I signed it and nonchalantly put it back without being spotted.

Where the Cows Came Home (GC3REFA) was the last one of the night and I am really glad I saved this one.  I've driven past here many times and wanted to stop and grab it but I knew it would come in handy later...and it sure did.  I always like my milestones to be with creative, fun or at a really cool viewpoint caches, not some dumb one under a lamp skirt or in a guard rail.  This one was at the Rib Eye near the Uncle Sam billboard.  The cache was inside a decorative outhouse with a bunch of fake cows in a small fenced off pasture.  Perfect setting for a cow selfie.  #10,500!!

I headed home after that.  It was getting dark and it was almost dinner time.  I had to do some laundry and get a shower in.  I spent the evening logging my caches and watching Bones.  It was a nice day.

Next Adventure:  Leap Day Events

Ben's Birthday Weekend and Geocaching

This weekend was suppose to go differently.  It was Ben's 30th birthday and he wanted to do something awesome with his friends.  We threw around several ideas but none of them seemed to make it to reality.  It made me sad because he deserved an awesome 30th birthday.

I went to work as I always do on Friday.  I was not able to get it off because it would look bad taking Friday off when we just had Monday off.  Ben slept in because he needed it after a long week at the casino and on his fire shift.  I wanted to meet up with him after work but he wasn't going to be in town yet.  I had all of my stuff packed up in the Escape because I was going from work to his mom's house in Bonney Lake for some girl time with his mom and sister.

Traffic was horrible but it seemed to creep along slowly.  I expected to get there around 6:30-7:00 just in time for Trish to get home. 

I stopped by the store to pick up some stuff while we were on the mountain the next day.  We had planned on going snowboarding again and I wanted to be prepared with food.  I got to the house just after 6:30 and Amy had just pulled the pizza out of the oven.  Brad was over for the evening so he joined us at the table.  Trish got home just as I sat down with my pizza and beer.

We ate and I kept in contact with Ben.  He was out with his friends at the bars in downtown Olympia.  He was to come up to Bonney Lake around midnight or so.  After dinner I started wrapping his gifts that I acquired over the course of a month or so.  Trish brought out her gift and asked my opinion on it.  I told her he was going to love it.  She monkeyed around with the face mask part of it and finally gave up and wrapped it up.  We all signed the card.

Earlier, during the week, I had talked to Trish about stuff we could do on Friday night and she came up with a plan to take Amy out for some karaoke.  I told her that would be fun since it's been a while since we did that.  Trish drove and we headed out to the New Peking Chinese Restaurant.  I'm not much into singing in front of anyone so I just sat with Trish while Amy sang her songs.  She sang some Toby Keith songs, a Queen song and Huey Lewis and the News The Power of Love.  Meanwhile, Trish and I drank rum and Cokes.  We were there a little under three hours.

After her last song we went home.  We all got ready for bed.  I tried to get a hold of Ben one last time before I went to bed and I didn't hear anything.  Maybe his phone died?  I fell asleep and then got up around 5 the next morning to use the bathroom.  He still wasn't home yet.  I went upstairs and called him.  He answered very confused.  I asked him where he was and how come he didn't come up last night.  He said he woke up in his bed in Rochester with all of his clothes on and the last thing he remembered was dancing at Jake's.  He didn't think he drank all that much or his drink was tampered with.  One of his friends took him home in his car.  At least he was safe and sound. 

He told me that he was going to get ready to go and come up.  He said he should be there in an hour or so.  I stayed on the phone with him until he got stopped in that shooting by Thorn Street in Lakewood.  He said he almost got through before the police closed the northbound traffic.  He said he sat there for a long time before they rerouted them to Mounts Road, through Yelm and then onto Hwy 7 near Spanaway.  I got onto the WSDOT website to see the traffic cameras before they blocked them.  He said he was behind the tan looking van in the lower corner.

I went to sleep for a couple more hours and then got up around 9:30.  He didn't get home until almost 11 because he stopped by Walt and Wendy's house to say hi for a bit.  We were not going to make it to the mountain this time.  I was excited to make Ben look bad snowboarding and I wanted to use my new gloves I got a few weeks ago.

Trish made some pancakes and French toast for breakfast with some sausages. 

That's when we found out a guy killed his girlfriend at a clinic, got in his car, drove southbound trying to shoot cops out of his window, turned around and went northbound and was gunned down by the police.  How lame.

After we all ate breakfast we gathered in the living room and celebrated Ben's birthday with him opening his presents.  He loved them; especially the helmet his mom had cleaned and painted.  It was his first fire helmet from when he was enrolled at Bates and did his wildland fire fighting.

We watched a little TV and then Ben went downstairs and took a nap for a few hours.  Amy and Trish went to the store and I decided to head into Enumclaw and Buckley to do some caching.  I couldn't waste a warm sunny day in February being indoors.  I gathered my stuff and wrote down the coords to the caches I was going to get because I didn't have a query downloaded.  I managed with the handheld and the car GPS.  Then I realized my handheld's batteries were dead and I didn't check before I left.  Lame.

I got into Enumclaw and bought some batteries from the Walgreens.  Then I made my way to the east side of town to get KC Geo-Poker 2013 #6 (GC4JX55).  I parked near a duplex on a non busy street and walked the 400 feet to the small rock wall near a very busy street.  The cache wasn't even hidden very well.   I signed my name, took a selfie and put it back better than I found it; by covering it up better than it was.

The last time I was at the Expo Center was for the Highland games this past July.  This time it was a quick visit to get Rainier100 2: Enumclaw Expo Center (GC63GDA).  It was outside the gate of the facility which made it easy to "park and grab" it.  To blend in and keep it concealed from the masses, it was disguised as a bird house in the large tree.  No one was around so I took my time signing my name and taking my selfie.

The last Rainier GeoTour cache was located near the chamber of commerce in downtown Enumclaw.  I parked on the other side of the street and walked across.  The hint told us where it was, what's black and white and read all over?  A newspaper.  It was underneath the newspaper bin.  I had to make sure no one was watching me when I tipped the newspaper bin on its side to retrieve the cache, Rainier100 1: Visit Rainier (GC5W3R0).  I signed my name, took the selfie and put it back.  On the way back to the car I grabbed another brochure and an extra passport.

I walked back across the street, got into the Escape and headed to Buckley to get Hot Ziggdy Dog Ziggdy (GC2JEWX) near the Welcome to Buckley sign.  Hwy 410 is extremely busy!!  At the light I turned down a side road and found a place to pull over and park.  I am going to have to walk to the sign because of the awful location along the side of the highway.  I hustled over towards the sign and probably every person driving down this part of the road wondered why.  I just pretended they weren't there.  I found the container, jotted my name down quickly, put it back, took a picture and hustled back to the Escape.

I took the back way back to the house and picked up three more along the way.  Parker Pacific(GC2FZ32) was found near a business inside of a really cool tree with a fun nook.

The next one was suppose to be a hidden cache disguised as a Dr. Pepper can but it kept getting muggled so it turned into a nano cache instead.  I found Established 1885 (GC37YGB) very quickly and got back in the Escape.

It was getting late so I stopped for one more, Evergreen Hide (GC2PMRQ).  This one was also a very quick find.  It found me before I found it.  I got underneath the tree did a couple of circles and it smiled at my face as I made the discovery.

I got back to the house and it was still such a nice day I asked Trish if I could wash the Escape.  She laughed and told me she was about to do the same thing except she let me go first.  I told her I would help her wash her car when I was done.  We ended up washing hers and Ben's while he was still napping. Sooo shiny!

I did some stuff on the computer and then showered after having car residue on me.  Trish made steaks, potatoes, veggies and salad for dinner.  We ended up having brownies and ice cream while we watched How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Harry and the Henderson's.

About halfway through Harry and the Henderson's I was getting really tired.  I told Ben it was time for bed.  We passed out as soon as we got comfortable.

The next day we got up late on purpose and it felt really good.  Trish and Amy wanted to take us to a place called the Buttered Biscuit down in Sumner but it was really busy so we went to the Buttered Biscuit 2 down the road instead.  The food reminded me of the Black Bear Diner.  It was sooo good!

After stuffing our faces we went outside to look for a cache without a GPS.  We had a hard time but ended up finding Queue Up? (GC490G0).  A fun little nano on a light pole.

We went back to the house for a while and then got ready to go over to their grandma's house in Auburn.  Along the way we picked up two caches, I Miss the Trees #1 (GC2EXK3) and As You Wish (GC1PG3X) both near Lake Tapps.  The lake was finally filled back in with water!  Trish and Amy had a good time helping us find them.

We got to Auburn and visited with his grandma and uncle for about an hour.  She gave me some egg cartons and macadamia nuts to bring home to the chickens.  Then we had to leave because Trish had to meet up with a friend in Sea-Tac for a while, she was in town for a visit, from South Carolina.  We hung out at the house, watched How I Met Your Mother, Amy had a breakdown we talked her through it, ate tuna sandwiches, packed up our stuff and headed home.  I got home around 10:45, got ready for bed and passed out.  I wished the weekend was longer.

Next Adventure:  Lewis County Caching and Finding #10,500