Green - green - green

I discovered a new trail today that I did not know existed - actually I think it is a popular mountain biking trail - nevertheless - I enjoyed my self immensely just to walk it, having it remind me of being on the west coast of Vancouver island in the rain forests. It was so green - the air fresh



So first thing in the morning Dalhouise and I headed out the door. First things first I should had checked the GPS to make sure I had the cache even loaded in it. Secondly I should had put my reading glasses on because I was going to a different cache than I thought. I walked almost a mile from the condo before I even hit the trail that led to the cache and then another mile to the cache. As I was walking I realized I was going further than what I read on the map from the computer, I put my glasses on and read the name of the cache I was seeking - it was so similar - I was walking to a the furthest away one - oh well - since I was close to this now I would keep going and besides the one I wanted is not even loaded into my GPS.







So I had success  after walking forever it seemed - I found my cache and returned home very happy and then later in the afternoon I decided to take my wife out to show her this amazing trail.. together we found the closer cache and then kept on walking to where I was earlier in the morning.

How do I describe the smell of a Vancouver rain forest??
17575 steps on one pedometer and another one says 15572 - which one is correct.. I would say the first one - reading from my apple ipod nano ---

Driving force

On the way back from Vancouver I stopped at this little cove to look for a cache that I had downloaded to my GPS. For once it was an easy find. The hint was not very helpful until you were almost off course. I have come to the conclusion that I don;t like abstract problem solving nor mysteries.





I am still pondering why - what is it that keeps me going out in the sun - rain - snow - hail - early mornings to crawl around stumps, rocks, underbrush.
Like I wrote before - it awakens some primal urge to  seek - find - conquer to hunt.  It is definitely all that - but just look at these pictures - the scenery is amazing.

Cleaver Dog

What a smart dog I have! I have a very wet dog - actually I am very wet also. I went out geocaching again this afternoon where I was snowed upon - hailed upon - rained upon. It is raining cat and dogs and cold. Earlier in the day I went to visit my mother - stopped to do a couple of chores before I ended back home. Still pouring rain - so my wife and I went to Wallmart to buy a birthday card for a birthday dinner party tonight that we were invited too. We were going to go for a little walk - the rain had stopped - but by the time we finished shopping it was pouring once more. I decided to take her home and I would walk the dog in the rain alone. Well I was rained upon - snowed upon and hailed upon. The dog wanted to go home. We were hiking/ walking around a small lake and I was determined to get my steps in - after all tonight's dinner party is going to be a mega overload of calories. As I write this the pedometer reads 9584 steps - so by the days end I will be over the required 10,000 steps.
What a clever dog I have. Dalhouise waited patiently as I looked under this rock climb over this fallen log and over another rock. He is looking so wet - soaked - he does not look happy - but he waits patiently for me to say lets go home. I had him runny free while I was searching - but now I put him on his lease again. I can't believe it. He is following the path I took to reach the coordinates of the GPS to the cache - even though there is a easier path. He re steps the route we took exactly - under this log - under these branches - across this creek - until I stop him - I see the the alternate quicker route back to the car - I am wet and becoming uncomfortable now so I want to go home. But I am amazed that he was taking the zig zag path which we took to reach the spot we where at now. I never imagined he had this intelligence...

You Just Never Know!

I am some times so stumped over the simplest geocaches. For example the other day I searched and searched for more than an hour to find a cache that was rated as very easy - kid friendly. I walked in circles - looked under this log and behind that rock. My GPS told me to go 50 feet south east - I go that direction and then it tells me to head go North west 30 feet. At one point it read you have arrived .. but I was standing in a middle of a small clearing with no rocks or logs within 15 feet of my spot. I stayed here looking for over an hour!
Next day I go out in the morning by myself to look near the Chief - did not have success here either - why can't people give better hints. The only hint I had was it was near a lone tree under a log and bring someone short with you. Well I am standing in a forest - there are many logs ... I searched here also for over an hour.
Gave up - went home to get my wife so we could go for a walk together. The sun was shinning and the temperature was over 12c. We went climbing on the Smoke Bluffs - found two with ease and enjoyed a good time out.
On the way home I drove back to the spot I was at yesterday - I asked Noni to count the steps from the stone blockade - the hint was 30 paces from that point. I carried the GPS. As we walked she stopped - and I went on a little further ahead following the GPS - I was near the spot I circled yesterday - she walked over to a tree kicked a stick and said I found it... What can I say....
I am justified though - I went to one more cache on the way home - I didn't hold much luck in finding it - it was a micro - the smallest one I ever tried to look for -- We both got out of the car I followed the GPS to a very unlikely spot. Noni went back to the car - she said it was not here -- I did not believe the GPS - so I walked around for a few moments - but what the hack - I seen on youtube small hiding places - so I looked on the unlikely item and low and behold I found a very tiny - very tiny cache -- right where the GPS said.
Don't figure - I can't find a easy kid friendly small cache - but I did find a very small difficult micro one.....

Discovery

This is a picture over looking the city where I live - Squamish BC. Yes I was outside geocaching again today. First I went to the base of the Chief - no luck there - gave up, went home to pick up  Noni, my wife so we could go for a walk together. I had looked on the geo map and learn't that there were two caches along the smoky Bluff - Loop Trail so I had to go check it out. Man! I do love this hobby I have taken up -- I have lived here in Squamish now four full years and never been up on the Smoke Bluffs trail.

Do you see him? Rock climbing is a popular past time here in Squamish - I for one have no interest in this hobby - I'll keep my two feet on the solid ground.

At least some of the trail was made easier with these wooden steps.

A Day of over eating

Well Valentine's Day came and went and I had not taken my wife out or did anything special with her. I am bad.
I had to remedy that -- so on the 17th Feb - when we went to Vancouver to watch the Chinese New Year days parade we went to the Keg to over eat and indulge our evil desires.

Noni's plate






Did we really eat the whole thing?

Chinese New Years day Parade

Off to the big city of Vancouver BC today. Today we wanted to watch the Chinese New Year's Parade. I looked on the maps planned all my route and off we went. I should had paid more attention to the timing. However as it turned out I had perfect timing. I thought the parade began an hour later and so I was a little concern about standing around for an hour. I was leaving early to get a parking spot close - when I got there all the spots were taken that I had planned on using - so we parked further away from the parade route. No worries we still had lots of time. We walk to the corner of where the parade was going to do its turn around to go down a paralleling street. We were standing there for about ten minutes when we heard the fire crackers and the first group of participants coming around the corner. What good timing.... We stood I am sure for two hours watching the parade go by.. I am happy that my wife talked me into going to this....







 

 

Geo - Bug

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Wet - soggy - determined. Once again I was up before my wife and out the door. What makes me so? Why can't I just let it be - stay in bed where it is warm - dry - cozy. No my mind is thinking about three geocaches I must find. Like one of my Spark friends told me -- Geocaching definitely actuates my primal thrill of the hunt gene.
Two of the caches are located along the HWY 99 on the way to Whistler on view points pull outs. On a clear day the view/ scenery is amazing, but all I seen this morning was grey clouds covering all the mountains. I was here just this past November and took many pictures so I am not disturbed by the lack of views - my mission is to find those hidden caches. Success!
Nov 2012

Pot break - I had just parked the car when a truck with a older man and two young lads stopped and stood out side their vehicle and lit up. Smoking - well it sure stunk - made me gag even though I was keeping my distance. They finished and left and I went on to find my cache - didn't want to search with them standing there.

Second one was cited as easy - well I guess it was - but it sure was not where I expected to find it - was a little stroll away from the main attraction along a foot path heading south next to the HWY. Good for privacy but I could not help but think that people seeing you come out of here or go into the woods will think you went in there to relieve yourself :)

On my way back into Squamish there was one more catch I wanted to track down. I thought I had an idea where to begin my search - I was a little off - but close enough. My hint said it was near two large trees and it was well camouflage. Well I found the two large trees - but don't they realize there are a lot of large trees in this area..... My GPS was very helpful in keeping me on the straight and narrow and yes it was very well camouflage - but I found it.. All the while it is pouring rain - I am one wet soggy man.
I was so determined to find this cache - it was recorded that it had a travel bug in it. This is an item that a person carries from one cache to another on a journey until it reaches its final destination. It has a tag like a dog tag with a code number on it - you can go one the web and track this number to find out where it began and where it has been. Once you have it - you take it to another cache and record your drop on line.
So today I really wanted to find this cache before another person finds it and takes the travel bug - I wanted this privilege for my self. Success - so now I hope later this week or next to take it to Vancouver and drop it in a cache I find there.




this morning view

Spring and Sun

Friday, February 15, 2013

Sunny - warm spring day. Too good to stay in side. Out I go to get my 10,000 steps in and to find more caches. I spent two hours in the morning looking for one that is no longer there. In the afternoon a friend joins me to search and find four other caches. He had found the one I was looking for earlier in the morning, just a few weeks ago and so we went together to see if it was there or not. It was not. So I have emailed the owner of this cache to see if he knows if it is missing or just moved. This can be so frustrating at times. However the afternoon was very enjoyable- look at the scenery I am enjoying - it truly is the best backyard in the world! Temperature reading from the cars thermometer read 12 c not bad for a February day.


I also did my first earth cache - this is a cache where you are not looking for a treasure hidden - but a location. At that location you read - on line- information that makes that area special - they you answer a couple of questions -take a picture of what they ask and then post back on line to get the credit of finding it.
Today the earth cache I found was talking about estuaries. Great fun - this sport is both so frustrating and exhilarating. Soon though I will have a small problem - I will have found all the local caches - then I will have to travel to find new ones.

Geocaching

Monday, February 11, 2013

The morning started off very dark, I was so excited to go and see if I could find some hidden treasures. Yes I am now Geocaching.
I bought a handheld GPS (Magellan explorist 310) yesterday afternoon. I found my first cache yesterday also just before supper and before darkness came on. This is what my first cache looked liked and contained.
This morning very early when it was still dark I walked with Dalhouise to the location that I had uploaded from the computer last night that told me where I would find hidden caches. I have walked past the spot so many times - I just had to find it. I had almost given up when I noticed something out of place. Not so easy. I had searched and searched - looked under - looked on top - looked all around where I was sure where my treasure hid. There was no X to mark the spot. That was so exhilarating - to find such a small treasure.
Moving on I went to my next site which was easier because the sky was much brighter now - however there was no sun - a fine mist was falling. I found my second cache much faster than the last one even though it was smaller Success ...........
I went to my third location - I spent along time there looking for it but never did find it. I went home and searched the internet for the answer to the hint given. Where do trolls hide? I was thinking caves or under a rock - I was so, so wrong. So where do they hide - under bridges - as soon as I realized this I went back because I knew where I must look.... but why did my GPS have me looking in a total different location? Success..
Off I go looking for one more cache - I see it is located near the last one - I am sure I walked around and around it but do you think I can find it. NO! I finally had to give up and go home. I also think I ended up where I shouldn't be as two huge horses come galloping over to me and Dalhouise. I am not a horse person and was afraid of Dalhouise safety - all is well - they sniff him he looks scared and stays close to me and I get myself between horse and dog, and get out of this field as fast as I can.
One more attempt - Noni and I go look for one more cache - failure once again - so close but so far away - I will try again tomorrow if it is not raining.
The GPS tells me I going the right direction - the feet measurements are getting fewer and fewer - then all of a sudden it says I went the wrong way and I am many feet from my destination -just like that! Now my wife is unhappy and wants to go home - she tells me this is not going to be her hobby. That is where my day ends with geocaching. On the plus side I was out side at least for 5 hours today and I have 13540 steps in. Also every now and then I was able to get a good picture taken.

Pre Dawn

Good morning. I was up and out the door by 6:50. There was no hesitating today. I knew I was going out and I knew where I was headed. Even Dalhouise has learned to stay in bed just like when I go to work. He will not get out of bed until 10 am when I come back to the cabin to let him go out to play. The trail was dark - I took a picture just to prove it.
I am following the Manquam River then along the Squamish River. I am also following a little stream on my right hand side when I noticed these two Tundra Swans . Last November I seen the one - this is the first time I have seen two. I am also bombarded with bird song and if I am not mistaken I hear the call of the Red Whig Blackbird. Truly spring has sprung here in Squamish.
I keep walking - I am going to go knock on my pastors door to say good morning and then head home. I approached his house - there are lights on - I knock on the door . He answers - wants to know what I want - Nothing - just saying good morning - which I said and then said good by and walked off. Next on my way home is another friend so I wrap on his door too - his wife answers very surprised when she finds out I had walked all this way. Her husband is still sleeping - they had a late night I was told. In the past he has told me they are always up early - ah - not always. I give the same speech that I was just stopping in to say hello - good morning - and I left for the final jaunt home. I arrive home 9:05 and there is no Dalhouise and no wife. They are gone on their own little walk up into the highlands I find out when they do arrive back.
Anways here is a few pictures of my predawn - dawn stroll.