Difficulty and Terrain

I'm not sure how many of you have heard of the Fizzy Challenge. The idea is to find a cache for every D/T pairing. That is 81 caches. You must also have all the active cache types (ie traditional, muti, virtual)

Oregon has such a challege

Oregon's "Well Rounded Cacher" aka Oregon's Fizzy

I've been looking at this challege since the first one popped up in California. I need 33 more combinations to complete it. Most of them being the high terrain dificulty. I also need a CITO event and a Letterbox Hybrid cache. I've noticed a few local caches that will get me a good start on completing this. I might even go after a couple this weekend. Here is my total distribution so far.

Just short of a dozen

Today I got a late start but decided I wanted to find some caches. I took off at 3pm and had 10 caches and 2 no finds before 5pm.

I also had quite an experience at the Paradise Banjo cache. I stopped and found the cache quickly I took it a few feet to my car so I could sit everything on the hood as I signed the log when I heard someone call out "can I help you?" I looked around and saw two women standing up the hill at a nearby house. Sometimes I take the time to explain geocaching... but on this day I took the "just stopped to make a phone call" approuch as I held up my GPS... "from the bushes" she answered. Well I knew at that point I was caught so I mentioned geocaching and they knew exactly what I was talking about. In fact they may have been geocachers or knew some as soon the cache owners were contacted and asked to remove the caches... both in the area are now archived.

I think that is for the better. I am never comfortable in residential areas. Urban is one thing, but when you get to sneaking around peoples property that could lead to very uncomfortable situations. As I clean up the area I might start being a little pickier about caches and start avoiding this kind.

These were the finds for the day

Stored By The Planes
Paradise
Holes Everywhere
Don't Dig
Circle The Wagons
Johnny Popper
Retirement Plan
PARADISE BANJO
End of Three
HUGO PULL OFF

Bike Riding

Well I didn't get my bike fixed for nothing. I actually got out riding today. I decided today was the day to pick up the Rogue River greenway caches. I couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. I started the day with a quick stop to the bike store that fixed up my tires. I was looking for a mount for my GPS. Daveydude had a holder on one of his bikes built just perfect to hold most GPS units... I wanted one like it but they didn't have a thing. I told one of the guys where I was going riding and he told me the trail wasn't finished and hadn't even been graveled yet. Not sure what trail he was talking about as this trail is now paved from depot bridge to about a 3/4 mile from Valley of the Rogue park. Getting to stop for a cache every quarter mile made the bike ride easy. I got 7 caches on the trail and I attemped two on the way back the first I got muggled out of and the second I found without much problem. Despite having plenty of daylight left I decided I needed to go grocery shopping and come home and do some laundry. These were the finds on the day.

Another View of the New Bridge
Green Way(from the other end)
The Green Way #1 (from the other end)
The Green Way #2 (from the other end)
SPLIT HAIR
CORNER CACHE
Cache Alone The Trail
See The Little People

A few more

Today rather than bike riding I decided to do a bit of hiking. I started the day with a stop at the all sport park and a walk accross the pedestrian bridge for the cache Christmas Cookies. It was hidden very near the site of an old cache. Funny how new cachers seem to find the same hiding spots. I dropped off the travel bug Par Team's Pumbaa as I thought this cache in town would get it moving sooner. I rarely pick up TBs anymore, but this one had sat up in the hills for a month so I decided to try and get it moving.

After finding that cache I headed for Cathedral Hills and the newer caches there. I took the backside trail up the hill and found Clover Lawn Peak. Again this cache is very close to an old Duck cache. It was good to get out for a little hiking. I really need to do a few more like these. When my GPS zeroed out I stopped for a bit to rest and took off my backpack. I began to search and soon noticed I had sat my backpack right on the cache. After finding that one I trotted down the hill to find Outer Limits. I am only the 3rd finder so far. I made pretty good time there and back and was not as winded as I had imagined. It was a very nice area for a cache and I enjoyed the hike.

I had plans to have pizza with the family at 5 and I got off the trail just in time to find one more cache, signed. This one was easy and only required a short walk down the bikepath from a nearby parking lot. So only 4 caches on the day, but they were quality caches. I have one more day off and I plan to find a few more caches tomorrow.

Start of the weekend

Well today was the start of a 3 day weekend. It was nice and sunny. I got out for a dozen caches. I started up Granite Hill Rd then out to Hugo and down the freeway with a brief stop at the rest area. After stopping at home to log them I went out to find a few more in the redwood area. Once again I was caching with just my GPS... no hints or descriptions. Some caches I just feel a little uncomfortable searching for when I have the clue... so when I don't I often don't even stop or give up quickly. I don't log these as DNFs since I didn't give it much of a try... I had a few of those today as well.

I aslo finally got new tubes for my bicycle tires. I went for a short ride and found I am badly out of shape. But I still think I'll try riding along the greenway from Rogue River to Valley of the Rogue park and get all those caches. Maybe with frequent stops I'll be able to do it. Probably tomorrow or Monday... we'll see. I hope to find caches on each day this weekend so I need to plan a few for tomorrow.

Here were my finds for the day:

Twin Pines
Irrigated
Apathetic Arachnid
Introductory cache offer
Dapple
All Duded Up
Take a Break
Guarded
The Old Redwood
WINTER WHEAT
WOOD
Short Stop

2 more

Sunday I decided I had time to grab a couple of caches. I grabbed a cache that I couldn't find due to muggles the day before. Then I drove out to my parents for dinner and I found one out that direction. So I only got two but with my lack of caching as of late its a pretty good number. This next weekend is a 3 day for me so if the weather is nice maybe I can get a few more. These were the finds on the day

Submerge
ROCK'N'CACHE!

Cache day

Yesterday I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and find a few caches. After searching for a couple I gave my uncle a call and while he had found all of then I was looking for he said he'd come along (that keeps me from having to call him for hints). So I found 14 on the day and even found a couple with rain_man_rich and ridemcowgirl who we were following for a portion of the day. These were the days finds.

Plum Crazy
G.M.
Grey in Grey
In Return
It's Done
Errors
Found Item
California Here We Come
Bros. Headquarters
TREEKLE
Three Trunks
Pig Banjo
I'll Fly Away
Pine-ing Away

There are still a lot of caches I have saved up to find in the area. Not sure if I'll get out for any today or not.

First caches of '08

Yes, I have been rather slow at caching the last few months. Bad weather and a new house have cut down on my time for caching. So today in the rain and cold I decided to get a few. If I had a better rain coat I probably would have gone for more. Of course its not even noon yet I might feel like going out again in a while. So far these are the finds for the day

Sweet Tooth
Another Creeky Cache
Check It!
Thanks

2008

Well blogging this year isn't off to a very good start. I don't have internet at my new house yet. I was weighing my options as far as TV and internet... finally decided to just get cable. So it will be installed this weekend.

I really wanted an option where I could get more Blazer games as Charter Cable doesn't carry the Comcast Sports NW channel that most games are on now. If I went with a dish then I'd have to buy NBA League Pass and there was conflicting information on if those games would be blacked out or not. In the end I just hope that CSN is added by Charter soon.

Maybe I'll get off my lazy butt and find a few caches this weekend after my internet is in.

Last Day of 2007

So today is the last day of 2007 and that means its time to look back on the year. It has been a pretty slow year for me since SallyC moved to Salem. I had many months with only single digit finds, but on the other end of the spectrum October and May were my #2 and 3 all time months for the number of finds I had. Several cache excursions with Daveydude, Iseek, Duck and Biggieet_al kept me in the numbers.

Highlights for the year include:

• Hid a measly 2 caches and 1 event (will have to make up for this in '08)
• Reached the 1100, 1200, and 1300 find milestones
• Adopted more than 30 SallyC caches
• Found Caches in 5 States

Some of my favorite caches of the year include:

• Wildfires are for the birds!
• Valley Floor
• Miller Lake Ridgeline Cache
• Dead Ends! It's Miller time!
• Sorry, Try Again
• Bolan Creek Cache
• Bobby's Booty
• Tempus Fidget
• Babe
• Beginning or Ending of Albany Ave. ?
• Cemetery Ridge
• Welcome to Utah
• Hangin' Out At The Country Store
• Tombstone
• TREED

So a big thank you to all the geocachers who hid these caches and others I have found this year. Hope to see you all on the trail in 2008. Have a Happy New Year!

More caches and plumbing

Well Early this morning I got my plumbing issue taken care of... only cost me $350... ouch. The pipes behind the hot water heater were clogged.

After that I found 2 caches and I might fit in a couple more as its a nice day.

VERTICAL BANJO
Leaping Legume

Tomorrow I'll write up my year end summary. Where did 2007 go to?... seems like it just started.

Caches and plumbing

Well I walked and got a cache today

Grace

After that I ran the washing machine and the hot water went out. The tank isn't filling with water. I think there is an air lock in the pipes. I tried hooking the cold water to the hot water behind the washer, but it doesn't seem to have enough pressure to push all the air out.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of my loyal blog readers. Now that I'm all moved into my house I should have time for geocaching again. As is traditions I picked up a couple of Christmas caches today

TREE WITH 17 TRUNKS
TREED

I have all sorts of caches saved up to find so I should be able to survive the winter. As usual I'll soon be compiling a list of my favorite caches of 2007 one of todays might have made the list and I still have one more weekend to find more.

Getting back on track

I have been pretty busy moving into the new house. Moving stuff and unpacking has been a slow process. I still have a long way to go as I have a lot of junk.

Hopefully I'll be able to find a handful of caches before the end of the year. I've got one within walking distance of my house so maybe I'll pick it up soon.

Home updates

Thought it was time for a few more pictures of my house.

Here is the hall bathroom



The Master Bathroom



And the master bedroom all but complete with my new furniture.

Event and caches

I'm a few days late, but on Sunday was the latest cache event.

Pizza With Beavers & Ducks

Also found a couple other caches

PIZZA PLACE
GIVE ME A SIGN

Several new cachers and out of town visitors in attendance. It was a pretty good time. Here is a picture of a cache find just before we all went in to eat.

A Find?

After a bit of cleaning at my house today I went to lunch with some of my family. My uncle Duck and cousin Oldendorf were there and had done a bit of caching beforehand. I decided not to be left out too bad so I went and found one cache

A_CORNy Cache

Painting and renovation

Well I have tried to work on my house as much as I can. Thanks to my uncle the painting is mostly done. And my dad tore out most of the kitchen floor that needed removed. All of this while I had to work overtime moving our Cave Junction branch to a new location... the timing of which couldn't be worse for me to get much done on my place. Oh well I can use the extra money.

Here is a picture of the remains of the kitchen floor

This is a picture of the master bedroom in a darker green. Not a good picture, it looks much better in person and after the second coat.

This is the second bedroom in progress.

The living room painted a nice beige color with the half wall removed.

My uncle convinced me to paint one bathroom chocolate brown. I think it looks pretty good.

Kitchen demo

No geocaching lately for me. Today was demolition day at my house. Removed a few kitchen cabinets to open it up. and took stuff off the walls to prepare for paint. Have a look





Also rain_man_rich came by and gave me this cool house warming gift

New Home

Well it is official. I closed on my House yesterday and I got the keys. Its pretty exciting. I won't be moving in right away as I am going to rip out the carpet, paint, and have new hardwood floors installed.

I never got the last 5 caches needed to make October my biggest month of finds. With a new house, winter weather, and a whole bunch of work stuff I might not have much time for caching the rest of the year. I'll try to get a few were I can.