husqui

You can't let this die! Not after all that we've been through... Anyhow, FYI, a chat program has now been enabled on www.scgeocachers.com. Martin posted a request for desired times to schedule our first members chat, hopefully within the next couple of days.

....as the purple and gold just moved into the #6 spot!

I just called community services for Huntington Central Park and the picnic area we were going to use has been reserved for March 22nd . Whoever reserved it is actually paying the $200 usage fee plus a $200 cleanup deposit. The lady I spoke to says that there is one similar area by Lake Park (?) --- along Lake in between 11th and 12th street. It's the same deal though, $200 to use it plus the $200 deposit. And it's on a tentative hold until tonight when the party reserving it is supposed to come by with the moolah. If they don't show up, then it's available until somebody reserves it or on a first-come, first-served basis on March 22nd. Don't know of any other places around Central Park where they have picnic tables and barbecue grills (but then again I'm not at all that familiar with that area). In either case, we need to come up with some new options.....

...and post the parking coordinates! Unless it's an urban-style cache, a cache-and-dash, or finding the starting point was meant to be part of the hunt. I really just want to spend my time hiking and finding the cache, specially for those with a distance of a mile or longer. Many a frustrating minutes (close to an hour one time) have been spent driving around looking for the trailhead/parking spot. Sometimes, you can only go so far figuring this out from mapquest, specially when the cache is 2 to 3 miles along a remote area. And with soaring gas prices, it just makes sense to get to your destination in the most efficient way possible.

Charlie: Actually, we CAN register but it's a $200 usage fee. So for all intents and purposes, we shouldn't register and just take the chance that nobody else thinks it's worth $200 to reserve that particular picnic area for that day. I will call next week to make sure that nobody has it reserved (if somebody has, then we're SOL and have to find an alternate spot). I will continue to call once a week until the Thursday before 3/22. They told me that if it hasn't been reserved by that day, then it will definitely be available on that Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis (kinda like first-to-find, eh?). But in the meantime, it probably would be a good idea to start soliciting F2F volunteers. BTW, guess who's in the #7 spot (and quite possibly soon-to-be #6) of the NBA Western Conference?

Great work, Rich! Was able to log on using the alternate URL you posted. Can't wait to see this website get more and more content. And whatever program you're using seems pretty cool --- I just registered and did some quick poking around and it looks like we can do a lot on this site. I will poke around some more later on but for now, I gotta go get some sleep (just got home and it's cold and rainy out here in my neck of the woods --- the huskies are hoping for snow in the mountains so we can try some snowcaching this weekend!).

...once every two weeks! Of course, a week later it's all gone. Except when the mortgage is due, then it lasts for only a fleeting moment before it's whisked away thanks to the magic of electronic funds transfer. Dang! Wish I brought home the bacon that Kevin Bacon does...

quote:Originally posted by Cache Canucks:During a field exercise, they had discovered that the Company Quartermaster had a stash of IMPs (Canadian MREs) in the back of a deuce-and-a-half. Okay, I know what MRE stands for but what about IMP? Important Meals in Pouches, eh? And while you're at it, what's a "deuce-and-a-half"? (not sure if this is a military or Canadian thing, neither of which I am so please pardon my ignorance )

Just thought I'd post some geocaching related stuff....well, okay, so it's been almost a month since I've logged a cache. Guess I don't have much to say. But I did find a benchmark this weekend.... Also, I was supposed to meet up tonight with our esteemed geocachers from the UK but unfortunately, at the last minute, a client of mine flew down here and my boss "forced" me to take him out for some entertainment. I was so looking forward to sharing a couple of brewskies with our UK guests and I don't know if they got my message in time. (Hopefully, you guys finally got my email as I had no way of contacting you beforehand. Again, please accept my apologies .) On the other hand, I was "required" to take my client out to the Lakers-Rockets game. What a shame.... . Charlie: Ummm...guess who is currently tied for the 8th playoff spot in the Western Conference? Lakers with a BIG win tonight over the Houston Rockets. Shaq-less yet undaunted playing against Yao Ming, the Lakers beat the Rockets 106-99 in double overtime. It was an awesome game with Kobe scoring 52 points!!! (His 6th straight game with 40 or more.) Okay, enough off-topic talk. BTW, there is/was a cache by the Zigurat Pyramid? Unless I'm mistaken, this is the facility by Laguna Hills/Aliso Viejo that you can see when you're atop the hill where the Funky Monkey cache resides (in fact, I just took a picture of it this weekend when I revisited that cache enroute to a benchmark).

quote:Originally posted by leatherman:However, if the MREs are not boiled in a vat of water after packaging, then there is food residue on the outside. Left there by the people filling them at the factory. Hmmm....wonder what kind of food residue is left on McToys?!?

Cool, eh? I know, it doesn't take much to make me happy..... quote:Originally posted by LarsThorwald:I wish I had some level of talent that would be useful website-wise, but other than taking people out for Margaritas every once in a while, I've got nothing. Worry not, Charlie. Such a skill level is much appreciated by people like me, since I have to begrudgingly do it every now and then as well. As the saying goes --- it's a tough job but somebody has to do it.

quote:Originally posted by FullOn: Is there any interest in a Southern California centric geocaching website? I think it's a great idea! Yes, I am VERY interested in seeing a SoCal geocaching website. If I had any website design and/or programmng skills, I would have started one already. The OC Geocachers Yahoo group is/was a good idea which was born largely out of a not-too-flattering article that was published in the OC Register. It was/is a bit frustrating as hardly anybody joined in or started any discussions (note: Martin was one of those who threw in his two cents worth). Sort of like throwing a party, having a few people show up, and then have nobody talking to one another.... An actual website (instead of a forum) containing information, tips, articles, etc. on geocaching in and around Southern California would be a very useful and fun project to do. We would only need a handful of people to contribute to it but I think that a lot of geocachers would visit it as their main source for geocaching news and events in SoCal. I envision this to be something like a newspaper and bulletin board of sorts. Among other things, we can post guidelines/rules and regulations on hiding caches in various regional and wilderness parks, a monthly article featuring a cache or two, Geocacher spotlight (e.g., "Will the REAL OtisPug please stand up?"), listings such as the top 10 favorite caches, top 10 cache-and-dashes, top 10 hike-and-seeks, and the standard FAQs, newbie tips, and "what-the-heck-is-this-thing-called-geocaching-all-about" primer. A forum or discussion board such as this one would be nice but might be too involved to create one on our own website. For geocachers who want to interact, then maybe we can still link to a yahoo groups forum or just use the Groundspeak Forums like we are doing right now (why not? it seems that we are finally getting a couple of things going through this media... ). We can always have a "letters to the editor" section or something like that where we can post and field questions from the general geocaching public. Once again, I ramble so I better quit while I'm ahead. Hey, it's 6 in the morning and it's raining so I can't walk the dogs! Maybe I'll go for coffee and donuts instead....

Welcome to OC (Orange County), Mr and Mrs TH! Are ya coming here for business or pleasure? Or could this be a Valentine's Day vacation? What type of caches would you like to do (I guess, short hikes or walks due to terrain of 2 or less) and how much time do you want to spend geocaching? Give us an idea and I'll send you some recommendations. Since you appear to be a brew lover like myself, you may want to make a stopover at The Yard House, located inside Triangle Square on Newport Blvd in Costa Mesa. It has good food but more importantly, has OVER 200 BEERS ON TAP! Now if you want to soak in more of the local atmosphere, you can literally walk across the street and visit the Goat Hill Tavern. It "only" has over 100 beers on tap but it's been a Costa Mesa mainstay for a long time (maybe 20 years or so). Definitely not a ritzy atmosphere like YH but provides tons of neighborhood fun with peanut shells/sawdust on the floor, pinball machines, pool tables and the occassional bar fight... Oh and don't forget, we NEVER figured out how to drive on the correct side of the road....

...was a cool place to visit. I went there (and hiked a little bit beyond it) sometime between '94 and '96. Alex and Jessi were much younger back then and our total roundtrip hike was more like 10 - 12 miles, I think. I saw this pop up a few months back and thought about doing it but I know that the brats would not be able to finish the hike. The distance isn't as much of a problem as the multiple river crossings, which totally pooped them out. My ideal hike-and-seek would be 4 to 6 miles roundtrip, either during the winter months when it's cool and/or if the trail offers sufficient shade. All of these in consideration of my four-footed fiends, who I've hardly ever hiked without in almost 12 years. Any recommendations? Bedford Peak Stash has been on my list but I just haven't found the time. I need to do this before summer sets in. I think that this is about a 6 to 8 mile roundtrip using the same trailhead for K&S Silverado Canyon #2 cache. I was all set to do the Santiago Truck Trail Endurance Cache when it first was posted almost a year ago, but then I got hit with the dreaded poison ivy. This would have been a 16-mile roundtrip hike that we definitely would have to do during much cooler weather. Even so, I've sort of scratched this off 'cuz I don't think we will get much shade along the trail, as it's the same one used for K&S Fossil Hill Cache. And I really appreciate the last few caches that Martin has hidden (SJC Eagle Loop, SJC Ridgeline, SJC Helipad). Fairly local to me and the hiking distance is perfect and the trails/scenery were pretty cool. (Not too mention that I didn't have to spend hours figuring out where to start the hike since he gives clear directions on parking/trailhead coordinates ) Long post, eh? See what happens when it's a slow day at work? Just a couple more things.... Charlie - I WAS hoping to hit log 200 finds (I know, it's miniscule compared to the rest of you geocaching gurus out there) but my non-geocaching life has just been so busy on the weekends lately that I'd be lucky to hit 175. Also, yea of little faith! You're asking me if I THINK the Lakers will make the playoffs? C'mon, at the very least, you should be asking if they will make it to the conference finals! Well, if they don't then I can always put the "f" in front of their name....

So, where the heck is everyone? I thought we were going to keep this thread alive and nobody has posted here for 6 days! Am I the only one that has no life and resorts to checking these boards for signs of social interaction? Granted I haven't logged a find in over 10 days but hey, I've been busy on the weekends. Anyway, just wanted to see how everyone was doing....gotta go, as I still have to get some dinner. BTW, this weather sucks! It's a good thing we took advantage of the snow on the Christmas day but other than that, we might as well be in New Zealand! And the Lakers will hopefully hit .500 by the end of tomorrow night....

Friday Night Box cache, in Fairview Park, Costa Mesa, was archived 5 months ago as it was verified as MIA (by yours truly). For those who missed out on it, here's your second chance as it has miraculously reappeared.....

I just talked to Janis at the Community Service center for Central Park. The good news is that they are now back to accepting reservations for facilities at the park. The bad news is, just like their previous policy, they are charging $200 to rent out the picnic area . However, if it is not rented out by the Thursday right before 3/22, she said that it will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. So it looks like someone will have to stake out the place early that day assuming it does not get rented out. I will make it a point to call on 2/22 to make sure it's still available and then again once-a-week for the 4 weeks prior to the picnic.

Good job, Charlie! Great marketing spiel.....are you some sort of writer or something ? Were you able to make reservations? Supposedly, the HB/Central Park council was to have met 1/21 to decide if they were going to reinstate a reservation policy. If you haven't called them yet regarding this matter, I will call tomorrow and let you know what they decided on.

If it's on beautiful trail that's worth visiting, then go for it. If there happens to be a bunch of nekked people running around nearby, then so be it. The area very close to this cache has been a destination of sorts for clothing optional people and it definitely adds variety and spice to our activity. Sure, it may offend some people, but then again, it may be an interesting and unique adventure to some. The scenery during the summer months along the beaches of Southern California and South Beach, Florida may be offensive to others as well but these people can always choose NOT to go there. Just make it a point to note the possibility of such additional 'delightful (?)' views the cache seeker may encounter along the way. If it's in the description, then I think you've given everyone fair warning. And I think that one should at least read the cache descriptions, specially if they have cause for concern when it comes to bringing kids along. Wouldn't you at least want to know what kind of terrain, difficulty level, etc., you are getting into if you've got kids with you? So why just download coordinates in your GPS without knowing these other facts and blindly follow the arrow? I don't have kids but I do have dogs and I do a fair amount of research before taking them out on the trails for a cache hunt (how long will the hike take? how much water should I bring? is there enough shade along the way?). Regardless, I KNOW my huskies will not take offense to seeing the 'bare essentials' so we would seek out such a cache if it were nearby.....

a wonderful trail total hike of about 4 miles or so ending in a beautiful spot where I can at least seek a container and sign my name ....and be able to take the dogs along with me!

quote:Originally posted by LarsThorwald:If someone can get over there and find a good spot in Central Park - BBQ's, near parking, lots of space and tables - email me the coordinates (along with another way to ID the particular area) and I'll start making the calls to try and reserve. Per my previous post, you can't reserve anything at Central Park BUT that could change after their council meeting on 1/21 as they are looking to reinstate some sort of reservation policy. Best place for this would be the picnic shelter area that I just tried to reserve (near parking, BBQ, tables), which was the same spot we had the OC Geocachers' Picnic at. The coordinates should be the same. However, it might still be a good idea for others to check out other areas of the park in case there are some other potential spots. Specially if you haven't been there yet, this weekend would be a good time to seek out the 3 or 4 caches spread out over the park grounds.

....but I do have work to do, I just don't want to deal with it at the moment. So, I called Central Park in HB. First of all, the picnic area reservation is now under Community Services. The number to call is 714-536-5486. Talked to a lady there and she told me that right now, there is no reservation policy for Central Park facilities. In short, first come, first served. However, the council will be meeting on January 21st to look into accepting reservations (details still unknown). She suggests calling back after that to find out whether or not the picnic area (including other sites such as the amphitheater, etc.) can be reserved ahead of time.

...is much smaller than Central Park but it does have a picnic area with tables and grills. There is a playground and a small man-made lake with lots of ducks. A baseball field is close by and on the other side of the street are tennis courts and Bark Park. It is right next to the OC Fairgrounds with easy access via the 55/Newport Blvd. Free parking but the cost to reserve the picnic area is $25. No caches there (or within walking distance) although HollyJ did hide a cache there one time but it was compromised shortly after it was hidden.

I know, it's not much but the FLakers, I mean the Lakers just beat the Hornets tonight thereby extending their winning streak to 5 games. That's a big deal considering their dismal performance since the start of this year's league. Hey, with a little luck, we might even make it to the playoffs!

Central Park in HB was where we had the OC Geocachers' Picnic in early December of 2001. The ideal place to have it would be the same place we had it, which is a picnic area with tables, benches, and barbecue grills. Per the link sent by fullon, here's how one can go about reserving the site: "The picnic shelter in Huntington Beach Central Park is located near Central Park Drive and Edwards Streets. You'll find ample parking near the facility and on Central Park Drive. The public outdoor facility which seats 200 people, provides barbecue grills, electricity and sinks. It must be reserved 2 weeks prior to event. Cost is $200 per day plus a $200 clean up deposit. When I called (714) 536-5281 and spoke with Corrinne, she told me there were several weekend days available. If no one books the facility two weeks prior, she told me that it is available free of charge to the first group which claims it." Not sure how the previous organizers reserved it but I don't think they paid $200. Maybe they took the chance and reserved it right at the 2 week mark.... FYI, Central Park is huge. I think it spans 3 major streets. (And I believe there are 3 caches within park grounds and one just a short walk from the dog park.) There are other open areas that can be used for a picnic but it won't necessarily have tables/chairs and definitely no built-in grills. BTW, the Park Bench Cafe is a charming little restaurant off one of the entrances to Central Park. I've passed by it so many times and always tell myself that I will have brunch there one of these days...