Bullfrog Eh-Team

Great ! The Hydro power is back on in time to wish Cache-Tech, Cache Agent and all our caching friends - "the best of caching in 2009".

Yup!! - GC Patches are available in the GTA. But perhaps not your GTA. They're available at Agnew's in the GTA Wilberforce, Ontario (thats the Geocaching Capital of Canada). You can get them when you come up for the Hallowe'en Event GC1GKV2 or if you e-mail Sticky Moose she might even mail you one to 'your' GTA.

Let's hear it for the 'WGS' (Wilberforce and Greater Surroundings) - the only authorized and authentic 'Geocaching Capital of Canada'. They have lots of AREA, and just the right enthusiastic POPULATION !!! And for those seeking more 'bang for your buck' - just check out their deer hunting this fall, while you're geocaching. Sometimes rural folk rule !!

Brenda - and any other 'scary' cachers seeking a real Hallowe'en experience should check out the 3rd Annual (serialized) Event cache in the Geocaching Capital of Canada at Wilberforce, Ontario on the evening of October 25th. Check GC1GKV2

3.576832 billion years - as of yesterday ! Oldest rocks in Canada are in province of Ontario.

Being in a non-urban area of central Ontario; I find the Topo Canada series with Mapsource to be invaluable (I use Topo US when there, and Europe 2008 when there). I preload the Map60CS directly from Mapsource on my pewter. I then use Cachemate on the HP Pocket PC, loading it directly from GSAK on the pewter. So - in summary: A Pocket Query from GC provides a 'GPX Zipped' to load into GSAK on the pewter, where I delete and prune the caches I'm not interested in. Then GSAK 'exports' a .gdb file to Garmin's Mapsource, and also exports a revised 'GPX' file. The revised GPX file is loaded into my HP packet PC, and the Mapsource file privides the chosen caches and relevant mapping for loading into the Map60CS. Like others, I still use Mapsource to prepare a general paper map of the area for field reference. This process has taken us to caches in 5 Canadian provinces, eleven US states, and five European countries to date.

Perhaps the mis-spelling hasn't been corrected yet ?

You are remembering acceleration due to gravity, which is 9.8 m/s^2, which means every second the speed would increase by 9.8 m/s, so after only 2 seconds, the speed would be 19.6 m/s. (Until terminal velocity is reached.) 'Bummer !' - I suppose the 50 years since my Gd. 11 physics hath dulled the cerebral synapse.

If I remember correctly, my grade eleven physics tells me he would have been falling at 32 ft. per second, or 9.69 metres per second, unless he artificially slowed his descent perhaps with retro-rockets ?

Muskoka Bear; There are several very active geocachers living right in your hometown. Most of them are into paperless caching, and I know any one of them would be pleased to help you. I'm in the neighbouring county and am also available to help you. I'll send you an e-mail through this web site to advise you further. - dave - 1/2 of the "Bullfrog Eh-Team" - two old farts in the geocaching game.

Congrats from the Highlands. 3000 is a daunting target for anyone !

WOW ! 2000 and 40 too! Congrats. Where now ?

There are only a handful of stores in the world that sell Groundspeak stuff..... Another one is 'Agnew's General Store' in Wilberforce - "The Geocaching Capital of Canada". Although, not in the DVP & Danforth area, perhaps you could shift 'north' on your way back to Kanata ? Sorry!!, my Apologies !! - Is this considered a Commercial blurb, or my assistance to a fellow cacher ?

WOW! Didn't expect your private 'back-yard fence' to stretch right across Canada, and then be exposed to the whole world ! I had a caching friend in Western Australia, e-mail me to find out what the problem was. I don't know; but, how does this forum topic promote our sport ?

The Bullfrog Eh-Team recently purchased a 35 acre tract of what we presumed had been relatively un-used boreal forest. However, we were later able to trace an old, but relatively straight trail through the area. The forest to one side of the trail now has a slightly different forest diversity than the other, so we presumed one side may have been 'selectively' cleared of one species or another many years ago. Along this trail we found 'man-built' piles of random sized rocks of similar size and height as those in your picture; at regular intervals and always on the same side of the trail. I have no idea whether the rock piles earned a specific name or not; but we presume they may have been of rocks that had either impeded the traffic along the trail, or impeded animals (perhaps grazing cows?) in the historically 'cleared' side of our forest ?? We know there was a small, operable farm nearby, in the 1880 to 1920 era. Interestingly, there is no remnant evidence of any associated fencing. Perhaps your rock pile query, will assist us to learn more about our 'piles'. Did your 'piles' ward off evil spirits ?

The Gilmour Tramway it is! Designed to move Algonquin pine out of the Muskoka, Black River drainage basin, and into the Trent, Gull River drainage Basin, for a more efficient route to the Gilmour lumber mills at Trenton. Imagine, two 450 horsepower steam engines were used to initially lift logs (as much as 1.5 metres in diameter) as well to pump 20.000 gallons of water per hour 12 metres in elevation to the top of the initial jackladder. The logs then floated 'down' an almost level, timbered, 'slide' for 945 metres to a further set of eight jackladders, each approximately 100 metres in length. The set of eight jackladders were powered by a 400 horsepower water turbine using water from Raven Lake, and raised the logs another 27 metres elevation to the upper dams. In all, the tramway consisted of 822 metres of jackladder and 969 metres of slide - a total length of 1.8 kilometres. It was desgned to carry as many as 10,000 logs per day. 500 men built the tramway in one year (1893/94) at a cost of about about $200,000. Read more about this amazing lumbering feat in "When Giants Fall" - by Gary Long, and Randy Whiteman. Raise your glasses my fellow geocachers to "David Gilmour: Bushwhacker cum laude" - and - on to the next pub question -

Sorry Juicepig - The 'log chutes' were reasonably common, timbered structures used to bypass obstacles (rapids, etc.) along the rivers. The structure we're looking for was somewhat 'unique', and was built to move logs over the 'height of land', into another distinct drainage basin. I don't believe it was replicated at any other site, at least in Ontario ( I may be wrong in this assumption!). (If my geography is correct, I believe some of the Algonquin Logs that travelled this alternate man-made routing, might otherwise have errantly strayed onto Alcona Beach! Are there any 'dead-heads' left in that region ?)

Close - Binrat! Certainly the 'alligators' were used extensively throughout the Algonquin region to move logs; but, locally, across a variety of lakes. And, they were capable of winching themselves overland from one lake to another work site. The alligators were an awesome invention; but were a mobile apparatus. I'm looking for a stationary, much larger, undertaking that was specifically designed to move logs from 'Trading Bay' in one of the three major drainage basins of the Algonquin Highlands into 'Raven Lake' of a second of the three major drainage basins. This was a massive undertaking that demonstrated the magnitude of the lumbering influence on the Algonquin forests. It is named after one of the major lumber barons of bygone times.

Only partially correct - 'Steam' was involved; but, no skid roads. The 'operation' was somewhat unique and was named after the lumber company that devised it. Anyone familiar with the logging operations of Algonquin Park would be well aware of it. Logs were moved out of Trading Bay of the 'Lake of Bays' into Raven Lake in the Algonquin Highlands.

A geography question, that alludes to an operation that required precise surveying skills, perhaps similar to those used by geocachers (at least those of the bushwhacking genre). "What historic device was used to move thousands of Algonquin pine logs from one major drainage basin, up and over the 'height of land' and into the upper reaches of the Gull River drainage basin, to start them on a two year floating journey to the sawmills at the shores of Lake Ontario."

Would that have been the "Bennett Buggy" - named after the Prime Minister of Canada at the time ?

I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest that the meteorite impact 'Lac Manicouagane' would be the largest, by outside shoreline measurement. But, not by total surface area, because of the large island - or, if 'large' does reflect lake-shore - then the islands shorlines might also be considered ? Obviously a 'reservoir' lake, but not an artificial lake created by hydro-electric development ? What say you ? - a fascinating question, indeed. Thanks for causing me to reflect on the definition of a 'natural' lake. I enjoy Geographic/Geologic reflection.

You got it Willowbrookfarm - your geo-skills are superb! I had 223 degrees east of north; but, of course there is room for a few degrees of error based on where one might place the origin within Perth, W.A. ; or which end of Alcona Beach, from which to calculate the antipode. The next 'quiz' is now in your hands -

JP - 2500 km off GZ ? I'm afraid you've just posted a DNF ? I'd accept a bearing even 10 degrees off - but JP's answer isn't in the same ballpark (unless I'm lost!). Are there other cachers ready to step up to the geo-bar ?

Actually I was thinking more along the lines of 0° 0° - That would make things so much easier to remember for me and all my dissident subjects 295°? JP - I believe your 'South Pole' would be about 2500 km. out of place. Shall we move Alcona Beach south ?