Monday, March 28, 2011
March for Babies
Once again this year I will be participating in the annual March for Babies on April 30th. This is year 4 and its still my charity of choice because it has a big positive impact on young lives. These babies may be screwed up by their parents or society later, but at least we can give them a positive and healthy beginning. To the right ----> is a link to my page. Anything you can donate would be appreciated.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Actual Geocaching
A few weeks ago I decided it was time to complete another challenge cache. I had lots of fun with the Oregon DeLorme Challenge and even the ABC Challenge. The one I picked has been on my list for a while.
State of Jefferson Counties Challenge
The State of Jefferson being a proposed state made up of parts of Oregon and California. 19 counties total to find caches in. No problem except gas is nearing $4 a gallon and there is a lot of ground to cover.
All caches have to be found since the challenge was created. So I figured I could take my time. I quickly marked off Josephine, Jackson and Curry counties as those are the nearest to me. Over the course of the 2010 I found the remaining counties in Oregon (Douglas, Coos, Klamath, and Lake) but I still had none of the 12 I needed in California. I just don't get to California very often.
When a chance came up to visit a friend down around the bay area I decided to make this challenge an extra reason just to get up and go.
I took vacation days on Thursday and Friday and took off late the morning of the 17th. My goal was a simple 3 caches in Del Norte, Humboldt and Trinity Counties. Trinity county being a good 80 miles out of the way round trip. Despite a lot of rain I managed these three
Collier Tunnel Rest Area
Willow Creek Rock Pile
BIG BEAR WHERE ARE YOU
I stayed the night in Eureka and took off the next day. I only had Mendocino County on my path. It was raining even worse but I chose a cache I could just about drive right up to.
Andersonia
After spending a day with non-geocaching friends I took off for I-5. I found caches in Glenn and Butte Counties in heavy rain. It let up a bit for my find in Tehama County. Then the rain really drenched me in Shasta County. I decided to head for home that night and try searching for a Siskiyou County cache in the dark. Then I hit heavy snow. Going 20MPH with a white knuckled grip on my steering wheel made me forget about caches. I stopped in Yreka not ready to face the possibility of more snow over Siskiyou Pass. The next morning was cold and just a bit of rain. The nearest cache to my hotel had several DNFs so I decided that I'd find one later. So these were my last finds of the trip
Farmer Dwayne
Gianella Bridge
Gyle Rd Cache
Diamond in the Rough
Now I have Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen and Plumas counties to complete. In June I have a planned trip to Eastern Oregon. A side trip to Modoc County could happen. The last 3 I could take out in a day trip or weekend trip to Reno. We'll see...
State of Jefferson Counties Challenge
The State of Jefferson being a proposed state made up of parts of Oregon and California. 19 counties total to find caches in. No problem except gas is nearing $4 a gallon and there is a lot of ground to cover.
All caches have to be found since the challenge was created. So I figured I could take my time. I quickly marked off Josephine, Jackson and Curry counties as those are the nearest to me. Over the course of the 2010 I found the remaining counties in Oregon (Douglas, Coos, Klamath, and Lake) but I still had none of the 12 I needed in California. I just don't get to California very often.
When a chance came up to visit a friend down around the bay area I decided to make this challenge an extra reason just to get up and go.
I took vacation days on Thursday and Friday and took off late the morning of the 17th. My goal was a simple 3 caches in Del Norte, Humboldt and Trinity Counties. Trinity county being a good 80 miles out of the way round trip. Despite a lot of rain I managed these three
Collier Tunnel Rest Area
Willow Creek Rock Pile
BIG BEAR WHERE ARE YOU
I stayed the night in Eureka and took off the next day. I only had Mendocino County on my path. It was raining even worse but I chose a cache I could just about drive right up to.
Andersonia
After spending a day with non-geocaching friends I took off for I-5. I found caches in Glenn and Butte Counties in heavy rain. It let up a bit for my find in Tehama County. Then the rain really drenched me in Shasta County. I decided to head for home that night and try searching for a Siskiyou County cache in the dark. Then I hit heavy snow. Going 20MPH with a white knuckled grip on my steering wheel made me forget about caches. I stopped in Yreka not ready to face the possibility of more snow over Siskiyou Pass. The next morning was cold and just a bit of rain. The nearest cache to my hotel had several DNFs so I decided that I'd find one later. So these were my last finds of the trip
Farmer Dwayne
Gianella Bridge
Gyle Rd Cache
Diamond in the Rough
Now I have Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen and Plumas counties to complete. In June I have a planned trip to Eastern Oregon. A side trip to Modoc County could happen. The last 3 I could take out in a day trip or weekend trip to Reno. We'll see...
Friday, March 04, 2011
The Great War
I'm a little slow on my news these days I guess. Only today did I hear that Frank Buckles, the last US Veteran of World War I had died.
He lied about his age and enlisted at 16 serving as a ambulance driver. During World War II as a civilian working in the shipping business he was captured by the Japanese and helpd in a prison camp for nearly 4 years. Yet to all this he lived to the age of 110 and dedicated his last years to creating a national memorial for those who served in "the Great War" A memorial he never got to see built.
Born when William McKinley was president, his life spanned nearly the whole 20th Century. Its hard to imagine the world as it had changed to him. Everything we take for granted today such as cars, airplanes, computers, cell phones and GPS all invented in his lifetime.
When I was young I remember WWI veterans in the Memorial Day parade riding in a truck. Each year their numbers got smaller... and then one year there were none. Now that is true for all time, Frank was the last one. Thanks to an exception to the normal rules he will be burried at Arlington National Cemetery. Sadly, a bill to allow him to lay in state at the Capital was denied.
http://www.wwimemorial.org/
He lied about his age and enlisted at 16 serving as a ambulance driver. During World War II as a civilian working in the shipping business he was captured by the Japanese and helpd in a prison camp for nearly 4 years. Yet to all this he lived to the age of 110 and dedicated his last years to creating a national memorial for those who served in "the Great War" A memorial he never got to see built.
Born when William McKinley was president, his life spanned nearly the whole 20th Century. Its hard to imagine the world as it had changed to him. Everything we take for granted today such as cars, airplanes, computers, cell phones and GPS all invented in his lifetime.
When I was young I remember WWI veterans in the Memorial Day parade riding in a truck. Each year their numbers got smaller... and then one year there were none. Now that is true for all time, Frank was the last one. Thanks to an exception to the normal rules he will be burried at Arlington National Cemetery. Sadly, a bill to allow him to lay in state at the Capital was denied.
http://www.wwimemorial.org/
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