How Benchmarking And Geocaching

[+Harry Dolphin]

From the Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ, Morris County edition) August 18, 2005

Trucker in accident hit with drug charges

Rockaway Township -

A Fairfield truck driver faces drug charges after he overturned a tractor-trailer tanker with 6,000 gallons of home heating oil in the median of Route 15 early yesterday morning and caused an environmental mess, police said.

<Driver> was charges with possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle and driving unde the influence of the drug after the accident at 2 A.M. near Phipps Road, police said. About 200 gallons of oil leaked, causing soil contamination.

The highway was closed for three hours while crews removed the truck, police said. The driver was treated at a local hospital and released, police said.

One north bound lane will remain closed until the tailted soil is removed, police said.

We will pass on the fact that the words "police said" seems to appear after every sentence... No one ever said that reporters could write...

What, you may ask, is the dolphin blathering about now?!?

KV7113

Early in my benchmarking career, almost a year ago (Explains only one photo). And guess where it is? In the center median of Route 15, near Phipps Road.

The witness post disappeared last year. But I feel a tremendous need to make sure the benchmark has survived!

[+Straatmaker 5]

Geeeeeeez now you got me curious. I guess I will have to check it as well.

[+NorStar]

I've been doing the same. I now reference things according to the proximity to stations/marks. Every time I hear of a fire or a demolition, I wonder if it was an NGS benchmark, fearing that 'there goes another one.'

 

A week ago, there was a line of terrible storms that hit the South Shore towns of Boston. The TV news had shown several trees torn up and interviewed people about their experiences. They also said that a church steeple had been hit by lightning and a small fire started. The Fire Department, however, made it there in time to keep the damage minimal. They mentioned the denomination (Congregational) and showed the very top (blackened on one side) and wind vane of the spire. I looked up the marks in Hingham and found it was in fact this mark:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=MY4355

 

My 200th find! Now I'm debating whether to go back to the spot and report it, or let someone else report it.

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

I have had 3 destroyed since my day of beginning.

 

Since I now know where they are I watch the ones in a close proximity.

 

We have had a lot of major construction in our Rural area here.

 

Progess=destroyed benchmarks.

[+Black Dog Trackers]

The hobby of benchmark hunting has definitely degraded my behavior while on vacation.

 

Instead of putting all my observation attention on the beautiful distant scenery, I now spend way too much of it looking at the weedy and littered ROW of the highway, looking for witness posts, flagging, and fluorescent paint. Instead of gazing down a picturesque river as I cross a bridge, I find myself examining the spalling and rusty areas of the corners of the bridge, looking for disks. Instead of marveling at the beautiful Victorian and art-deco architecture of the buildings of picturesque towns, I now tend to look down at their water table and surrounding sidewalks, trying to discern between a possible disk and a patch of gum. tar, or shoddy plastering.

 

Gaaaaaaaaaaaak!

[+Pioneer 'n' Tiff]

I generally add an extra 2 hours to anywhere I go now......that's after I spend about another 2 hours at night plannig "a little detour" so I can look for benchmark X or "swing by" cache X.

 

Sometimes the "swing by" is 100 miles out of the way.

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

Isn't this addiction

Grand?

 

Shirley~

[+seventhings]

I ditto +++ what Black Dog Trackers says, above.

 

However, there's always the flip side: Were it not for hunting benchmarks, I doubt that I would ever have found myself in the awe-inspiring landscape on the way to the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers in North Dakota, I doubt that I would know and appreciate nearly as much as I do now about my country's history (thanks to the Mason-Dixon Stones and the Lewis and Clark commemorative disks), and I'm sure I would never have left the beaten path to visit Stonington, CT, Kittery, ME, Fort Calhoun, NE, Beaver Creek, MN, Bastrop, LA, and a hundred other places that define who we are as a nation and that were decidely good for me to see.

 

It is a GRAND addiction. Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

I ditto +++ what Black Dog Trackers says, above.

 

However, there's always the flip side:  Were it not for hunting benchmarks, I doubt that I would ever have found myself in the awe-inspiring landscape on the way to the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers in North Dakota, I doubt that I would know and appreciate nearly as much as I do now about my country's history (thanks to the Mason-Dixon Stones and the Lewis and Clark commemorative disks), and I'm sure I would never have left the beaten path to visit Stonington, CT, Kittery, ME, Fort Calhoun, NE, Beaver Creek, MN, Bastrop, LA, and a hundred other places that define who we are as a nation and that were decidely good for me to see.

 

It is a GRAND addiction.  Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I was following close in your tracks seventhings,

I loved the 3/4 of the Lewis and Clark Trail I have done as a Geocacher/benchmark hunter.

 

We started with the Louisiana Purchase Monument in 2002,then to Monticello,Washington DC,Philadelphia,just ahead of the Signature discs.

 

We got to do Most of the Signature Events across Missouri into Nebraska with A great Gift/sponsorship from Dave Doyle and Stephen Randall (NGS) through geocaching.

Got to climb and walk in the footsteps at Tavern Rock,Missouri and many other places.

 

I really enjoyed Pompey's Pillar,climbing to the Only signature remaining or yet found and disclosed to the public.

(seen sevinthings log of the CORS) nearby and found it myself.

 

Got to Look for Yellowstone Triangulation Station,which if any follow the Park Superintendant told me they have a disc that some one has turned in it may be worth the stop and see.

 

We did not have time to circle back around.

Maybe I can stop next year on our way to Cape Dissapointment.

I have been there and seen the tree (as a youth) that Lewis and Clark marked.

I want to go see if it is still there.

 

And If rogbarn is still up to it we plan on attending the St Louis return in 2006.

I think he is going to do the event there for us this time.

Edited August 20, 2005 by GEO*Trailblazer 1