Jump to content

Half-Canadian

+Premium Members
  • Posts

    520
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Half-Canadian

  1. For future reference, the Choice Hotels give an additional 5% discount for AARP members, below their Senior/AAA/Best Rate that is published. You just have to know where to find it if you are making your own reservation online -- as I said, it is well hidden. The savings from one night's stay usually pays for a year's AARP membership.
  2. Dick, I've stayed often at the La Quinta and the Comfort Inn in Wenatchee. Both are pleasant, clean and comfortable, and offer a hearty breakfast buffet with lots of choices. The Comfort Inn has been recently renovated, but the La Quinta is still very nice (and my first choice of the two if their rates are comparable). Don't forget that the Comfort Inn chain offers an extra discount for AARP members, lower than any of their published rates. You can probably get that rate by phoning in to make your reservation -- otherwise it's very well hidden on their website. I can give you step-by-step details on where it is if you need it...just let me know. Enjoy your trip to Wenatchee, Laurie
  3. The 48 North chapter of the WSGA announces its annual Halloween event -- this year with a special twist! We have rented the historic Roeder Home in Bellingham on Saturday, October 24 to stage "The Case of the Missing Cache" -- complete with a catered four-course meal and a fun mystery to solve with clues hidden throughout the mansion. Along with a gourmet meal, each participant will get to take home a custom pathtag to remember the day (assuming you can solve the mystery, that is ) This is a family-friendly event, and you can choose from a late afternoon "tea", or one of two dinner seatings (early and late evening). The early evening seating is filling up fast, but there is still plenty of room available in the afternoon and late evening choices. It would be helpful to know if you are planning to attend by October 10 to give our caterer time to plan the meals. As space is limited, we are taking reservations based on when the payments come in in order to be fair to all, so if you want a specific time slot it would be a good idea to send in your payment soon -- there's a reservations link on the cache page that will take you to a Paypal link for payments, or you can send a check to the WSGA. Here's a link to the event for more info -- The Case of the Missing Cache You won't want to miss this fun event!
  4. MGTS -- we haven't heard from you in just the longest time...When I saw this I thought you might have moved to Virginia?? Or maybe you were visiting there?? It looks like the cachers that found your cast-offs thought it was funny, but I hope you are OK!!!!! Let all of us fans of you know that you haven't moved away to some far away place and left us for the bright lights of those east coast shoe shops Elephant's Foot cache log Couldn't you have picked a more stylishly named cache to dump your shoes besides "Elephant's Foot"?? UGH, hunny
  5. As I asked you earlier, please make sure that you have removed the Whatcom Spirit quest cemetery caches from the route -- they would not be appropriate for a large group of cachers descending on one day. Thanks, Laurie
  6. I wouldn't suggest just showing up someplace Friday night without a reservation -- it's the first weekend after school is out and it looks like most places are already booked up. Larrabee State Park looks like it's fully booked, as is Birch Bay. You could try Silver Lake county park Silver Lake or it looks like there are some sites available at the KOA in Lynden KOA , otherwise....good luck.
  7. Legacypac offers some good suggestions regarding the route. I would also second his recommendation to avoid Central Park unless it's daylight, and even then be aware of your surroundings
  8. Plus there is construction going on to prepare for the Olympics so I'm sure the delay will be compounded. On my very tentative, yet-to-be released route, I have us entering Point Roberts at 6:20 a.m. and re-entering Canada at about 7:00. I went through the Point Roberts crossing the day before VCM I, and it was one of the most informal crossings I've had, each way. Going south, they glanced at my paperwork, asked what I was doing ("geocaching"), and how long I'd be ("maybe an hour or so"). On the way back, they didn't even ask for the paperwork, asking only one question, "Are you one of those geocachers?" and waving me through. I saw that they're installing radiation detectors at the crossing, but the press release said that construction would start February 11 and take six weeks, which means it should have finished in late March. I'm aware that there's a chance of delays at the border, but I'm willing to risk it. Anyone who isn't is free to skip the 4 stops on the point -- the route is pretty easy to truncate there. I plan to alert US Customs and Canada Border Services to expect us. Speaking as the resident expert on all things pertaining to the border entering or exiting Point Roberts before 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday should pose minimal if any delays. If it's a beautifully warm day, the late morning - afternoon wait at the border could be 45 minutes southbound and maybe 15 northbound. Point Roberts does have a Nexus lane both ways now, though hours are somewhat limited, for those that have Nexus cards. There would not be any construction/Olympics related delays at the Point Roberts border. The primary border crossings can be a challenge, although there is new digital signage on I-5, both south of Bellingham and north of Ferndale, listing estimated wait times at all crossings. I haven't checked, but apparently this information is also available via Twitter. Radio AM1130 gives traffic information every ten minutes "on the ones" and usually includes border waits as well as other traffic updates. Be aware that by the date of the CM, a passport or equivalent will be required to cross the border. The best source of information is THIS WEBSITE -- straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak Edit: fix broken link
  9. Hi Jen, Welcome to geocaching! There are several active cachers in the Sequim area, if that's where you're located -- you might send an email to Tolmaus or swaninwa (look them up on their geocaching profile pages) and see if you can hook up for a caching date sometime to learn a few helpful tips. Check out the WSGA forums, too -- you can sign up for our monthly email newsletter and stay in touch with the local caching folks that way. WSGA
  10. I, along with BlkBart1, Black Bart 2, the Freeler Squealers, and a soon-to-be-converted muggle sister-in-law celebrated milestones on Thanksgiving Day in Santa Cruz, California -- five years ago on Thanksgiving Day, BlkBart1 took our group out to check out this new "geo-something" game that he'd read about in a magazine. This year that same group celebrated our collective five years of geocaching, and I celebrated my 4,000th find at Beulah Land Back row (l-r) Papa Freeler Squealer, (Brother) Black Bart 2; Middle row (l-r) Junior Freeler Squealer One, muggle sister in law, me, and brother in law BlkBart1. Seated, Junior Freeler Squealer Two, (Sister) Mama Freeler Squealer. The gold blob at lower right is Scooter's rear end
  11. Fort Ebey State Park is another possibility if you have a camper, RV, or a warm sleeping bag. I've stayed there in the winter and it was quite pleasant -- almost no one there, and heated restrooms with nice hot showers.
  12. Two events to add: WSGA 48 North chapter's Christmas event on Saturday, December 13: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...8b-d824274f4a50 Also, the 2009 WSGA summer campout date is August 14-16, at Twin Harbors State Park near Westport. Unfortunately, this is the same weekend as the Geo-Luau. It is extremely difficult to book a group camp site at a popular state park on prime weekend summer dates, and this was our only available option.
  13. Two events to add: WSGA 48 North chapter's Christmas event on Saturday, December 13: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...8b-d824274f4a50 Also, the 2009 WSGA summer campout date is August 14-16, at Twin Harbors State Park near Westport. Unfortunately, this is the same weekend as the Geo-Luau. It is extremely difficult to book a group camp site at a popular state park on prime weekend summer dates, and this was our only available option.
  14. Don't forget to mark your calendars for next Saturday, October 25, for some north-end Halloween fun. This year's annual event is taking place in Lynden (Whatcom county). After an early potluck dinner starting at 5 p.m., cachers will be treated to 13 tricky new night caches around the area with a family-friendly Halloween theme. Check out the cache page for more info -- Lights Out In Lynden ... The Night Crawlers
  15. Welcome to geocaching, and congratulations on your milestone of 50 in 50 without a GPS! That's pretty impressive. As Harriet pointed out, the caches that you have placed your travellers in have already been found by most of the local folks, and once that happens the frequency of visits to a cache drops off dramatically. If you're anxious to see your bugs start to move, place them in a brand new cache, or a travel bug hotel, or place a cache of your own and drop the bugs off in there to give them a quick start. Hope you can make it to one of the upcoming events in our area, too. You'll get a chance to meet up with lots of friendly cachers and have a good time too. HC
  16. I was passing by the Bellingham REI this afternoon, so I stopped in to pick up a copy of the magazine. I was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of the article, and I thought the article was not only informative but interesting as well. A special thanks to Abby for spending time with Erinn -- I think geocaching was well represented by the article!
  17. Anyone in the mood for pizza? Skool iz Bak in Sesshion A chance to "break in" the new Alfy's Pizza joint in beautiful downtown Sedro Woolley, September 12 from 6-8 p.m.
  18. Congratulations to the Barnabirdy(s) for their AMAZING milestone of 5,000 -- achieved in the past few days somewhere in Whatcom County!!
  19. Since the Northwest thread got closed, I thought I'd wander over here and throw my two cents worth into the discussion. I've been the president of the Washington State Geocaching Association for the past two years, and a member of the association for 4 years or so, so I may be a little biased but I do think the group has been a good thing for Washington. We started with one statewide group, and as the number of members grew around the state, we've spun off several different regional chapters, all operating under the WSGA banner. Annual dues are $12.00, which gives members a embroidered patch and a laminated nametag each year, and discounts on our annual statewide campout and on purchase of WSGA geocoins. Having a statewide presence has been helpful in negotiations with Washington State Parks to develop and maintain a mutually acceptable policy on placement of caches on state parks property. We maintain a WSGA website, which allows us a voice for responding to media questions, requests for guest speakers, and inquiries from the general public. Funds from the sale of WSGA geocoins, the annual membership dues, and sales of other incidentals like t-shirts and lanyards, helps to fund chapter events around the state, subsidize our summer campout, and maintain our website. We have a board of directors -- president, VP, secretary, and treasurer, along with one member from each of the regional chapters. Most of our meetings are held online, so we don't all have to try to meet in one central location for a face to face meeting. I can't think of any downsides to the WSGA -- we're a pretty laid-back group, so we haven't had any problems with power struggles or political battles. We've got a great pool of talent on our board, and the support of members to keep things running smoothly. Hope that helps!
  20. Well, I know I speak for many when I say that MY life has been greatly enriched by my friendship with you! That being said, welcome to the northern end of the 48 North WSGA chapter. We will make sure that you feel welcomed -- after all, you know many of us already! Be sure to give me your address and phone number when you get settled. You know how to reach me Congratulations on your big step forward, too. I know how much you've been looking forward to this new chapter in your life. HC
  21. For those weighing the options for travel, BC Ferries just announced another new fuel charge to take effect August 1 on all their runs. This latest increase will push the round trip cost for a car and driver between Vancouver (Tsawwassen or Horseshoe Bay) and Victoria (Swartz Bay) to $123.00.
  22. I also noticed, if you can rustle up some feeble excuse for travelling on government or military status, you can reserve any of their rooms for $65.00 a night. Not that I would ever do a think like that
  23. True, but if you check again using their "standard" rate, you'll see that they have plenty of rooms of all types still available -- and that same array of rooms shows up for me on the "redeem points" option. Check again at the 30-day mark, and I bet you'll have some pretty good results.
  24. I tried to use my reward points and the site says "This rate program cannot be made more than 30 days in advance. However, the rooms listed below are currently available at the Standard Rate." Any special tricks to reserve a room now? Wow, much better points redemption than Quality Inn Waddling Dog, where I've stayed before. However, I got the same result as LandRover when I tried to book using my Choice Reward Points - could only book a room at paying rates. What's your secret, Laurie? Do they just treat Half-Canadians better? I'm in their elite "platinum" level this year since I stayed at Choice Hotels so often last year on a cross country trip. As I recall, that allows me to make reservations with points 90 days in advance instead of 30. I forgot about that -- hope there are still rooms available for you guys next month!
  25. Assuming you're a US or Canadian citizen, it's very straight forward: If you are crossing a land border by private vehicle, bus, train; or a water crossing by ferry, you must have one of the following: A valid passport A US or Canadian issued birth certificate and a government issued photo ID (driver's license) One of the new "enhanced" driver's licenses A Nexus or Fast Pass card Don't even bother trying to drive through the border with just a driver's license any more. The days of being scolded by a friendly customs officer about "remember your ID next time" and being allowed through are long gone. If you are travelling by air, you must have a valid passport in order to fly between the US and Canada. They will not allow you to board the aircraft without it. These rules apply to children travelling with you, as well. If you are travelling with minor children, there are also some additional requirements at the border -- I can provide links to anyone who needs them.
×
×
  • Create New...