Anybody Up For A Wa Delorme Challenge Run?

[+evergreenhiker!]

We went to Victoria during the summer and forgot to get the birth certificates out of the safe deposit box the day before we left.  Couldn't wait until the bank opened or we'd miss the ferry so we took our chances.  We got lucky and all we needed was our driver's licenses and the answers to some lame questions from the customs officer. 

You got incredibly lucky! It would be unlikely that you would be detained for questioning when entering Canada and almost unheard of that you would be denied entry, but it is almost a given these days that you would be held for lengthy questioning when re-entering the US without proper ID.

[political rant] Don't get me started on Homeland Security and those Kiddy Kops at the US port of entry. Crossing the border several times a week, I have seen so much that just makes me shake my head and clench my teeth...and try to smile politely [/political rant]

Yeah, it's no joke these days! Inmywoods and I didn't have our BCs...just our DLs. WE got into Canada without too much trouble....the border lady gave us some hell, but let us through.

 

On way back though, it was a no-nonsense type border guy with shades. He asked questions regarding stuff bought and seemed to not to believe me at first. He kept looking at back of the jeep and appeared to be about to ask for a search and re-asked the question. I replied and he let that hang for a couple minutes and let us through. I hate border crossings!

 

Thanks to you HC, there was a quick micro for us to take a break and relax on the ohter side.

 

p.s. Yes, we are getting our Passports and BCs to be safe for the next Vancouver or Victoria cache run.

[+blindleader]

Thanks, I've been trying to figure out the times on the ferry schedules and it's a real puzzle.  I'd like to spend some time looking around, so may as well do some geocaching.  I think the other islands will have to wait.  I really only need 107

The on line ferry schedule for the San Juans appear to be useless to me, who needs things to be clear and unambiguous. You need to use the PDF file, and look for the Anacortes departures that make a stop only at Lopez or go direct to Friday Harbor. I recommend the 0610 sailing. $10.10 gets you there on foot and the Saturday cove cache is an easy 100 yard walk from the ramp. When I did it, I had to wait for the cars exiting the ferry before I could get back on for the return trip. It's three and a half hours gone from your life for one cache, but you get to relax on the ferry and work a few Su Doku puzzles while waiting.

[+GeoRoo]

I feel so safe knowing that all the legal citizens are being searched and detained, so we can have a secure border!.....What a joke. I used to ski at Whistler every weekend for years and have crossed the border hundreds of times and NEVER had a problem until recently. I have a friend in Burnaby that doesn't want to come down here now because of the hassle he gets crossing the border.

 

Article I read in the Times this summer said everyone including children would be required to have a passport to cross the border by 2007. In spite of the "problems" I'm still going to head up tomorrow and enjoy a day of geocaching. Now if I get stopped this time I'll go postal and I won't be Half Canadian.......I'll be Full Canadian!.......

[+Half-Canadian]

Congratulations, GeoRoo on completing the last of those 98 Delorme Pages at What's The Point #3 in Point Roberts, and surviving the multiple border crossings without too many hassles

 

I feel honoured that you chose one of my caches to complete the quest -- now we'll all be waiting to read your "Found It" for the final!

[+GeoRoo]

What a great cache to finish up the WDC!.....We walked out in the rain and you get to the edge and suck your breath in. Wow!.....LONG way down. I didn't like how dirty the water was below. I could see many areas of the cliff had been freshly sluffing off, so we didn't hang out on the edge too long. We saw many bald eagles flying along the bluffs and all kinds of sealife below. We hiked down to Lily Pt and did the cache down there and played on the beach for about a hour. Sun came out and it quit raining, so turned out to be a perfect caching day.

 

On the way to Pt Roberts I couldn't find my BC map and wasn't quite sure what hyway went to Pt Roberts, so we pulled off at Ladner (sp) I was only there a few seconds when a guy drove up and rolled his window down and asked if I was lost. He said to follow him and drove me all the way to the border crossing. That was awful kind of him.

 

My daughters were excited to cross the border into a foreign country..... Border crossings went fairly quickly except when we went back into Canada from Pt Roberts. I was asked to pull over and was searched. When I went into the office the gal behind the counter asked me why I was in Pt Roberts. I asked her if she knew about geocaching and she said no. I explained what it was and she seemed very interested. When we went back out she only took a quick look inside my car and sent me on my way. I was dreading the crossing back into the US at the Blaine crossing as I figured that would be the long one. There wasn't much lineup and when I told the border quard I was geocaching in Pt Roberts, he asked me how I did and said he recently bought a GPS and was going to start geocaching. We chatted a bit about geocaching and he sent me on my way.

 

Geocaching comes through in the clutch!......Enjoyable day and some great caches to finish up the WDC. 15 days of caching and about 2,800 miles of driving. Now I need to grab the finale and start planning for the OR or ID Challenge!.........

[+PastorDIC]

I still haven't figured out how to define the lat/longs of the DL boxes (though I think somebody linked to such around here somewhere)

 

Indeed. M10B posted it in the other thread, but here it is again:

 

http://www.xsnrg.com/geocachingwa/

 

1. Go to the WSGA website above (and sign up as a member if you haven't already...hint, hint... )

2. Click on the Washington Polygons link.

3. Under 'Select a Category', choose the DeLorme Atlas Pages option.

4. Select a page.

5. Push the button.

6. You'll get a new window with the coords for the corners of the 'filter' you'll need in GSAK.

 

 

How available is a DeLorme Atlas and how much does it cost?

Thanks

Russ (PastorDIC)

[+Half-Canadian]

How available is a DeLorme Atlas and how much does it cost?

Thanks

Russ (PastorDIC)

 

I think they're about $12.00. You can pick them up at any bookstore, sporting goods shop, and I've also seen them at Walmart -- look for a large (12"x18") atlas with a bright red cover. A great resource for geocaching and backroad exploring in general!

[+Right Wing Wacko]

The Proper URL for the Delorme pages at the WSGA Website are:

 

http://www.geocachingwa.org?dest=/gsak/delorme.asp

 

The URL posted earlier should no longer be valid.