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Whidbey Island Cache Machine


travisl

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(Note: circumstances may change after this initial posting. Look for my posts (with the icon13.gif icon) in this thread for all the important details and changes. The draft route will be posted in this thread later this week.)

 

Whidbey Island: From the stores and marinas of Oak Harbor, to the frothy waters churning beneath the Deception Pass Bridge, to the windswept isolation of Ebey Bluffs, this will be a cache machine to remember.

 

The Whidbey Island Cache Machine is coming. Unlike other cache machines I've run, the highlight of this one will be a roundtrip hike to Ebey Bluffs, which should take about two hours out of the schedule.

 

So fill up the tank, toss down some breakfast at way-too-early o'clock, and meet a mob of fellow cachers at sunrise on Saturday, January 3, at 7:00 a.m.

 

Ten hours later, we'll see how many caches we've found. My initial route has more than 60 caches to get.

 

Follow all traffic laws, and drive safely. This is not a race; there are no winners. The only loser will be someone who gets hurt.

 

If you're still out on the road at dinner time (5:00 p.m.), skip the rest of the route and come on in. Socializing at dinner is one of the best parts of machine events (and that's coming from me -- someone who usually hates socializing). There will be travel bugs to discover, a buffet to gorge yourself at, and more geocachers to commiserate with than you can shake a walking stick at. The most important rule:

 

As with all cache machines, if you find the cache, you'll be the one who has to re-hide it. Hide it as well as you found it.

 

For any micro cache with a tiny logbook that we find on the event, one "WICM" log entry should suffice for the group. We tend to fill up log books too quickly, and our stickers tend to make micro log books hard to re-stash. For normal-sized caches, or even large micros (like key holders), everyone should sign in.

 

Bring FRS radios if you’ve got them. We’ll use Channel 2 to communicate among caching vehicles and to say 'Howdy' to listening locals. Suggestions and ''Count me ins'' are welcome on the event page.

 

If you’ve already found a couple of these caches, that’s fine - give us a chance to find the cache, and then we may turn to you for a hint.

 

-----

 

The Whidbey Island Cache Machine FAQ:

 

When is it?

7:00 a.m., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Latecomers can track us down en route.

 

Will it be one large group, will we be split into teams, or what?

We start the day as one giant group, which means we'll hopefully find each cache quickly. Then it's on to the next one. The group tends to fragment after the first few caches, though. The longer we can keep the big group together, the more fun it is!

 

Is anything going on before, during, or after?

- Friday, January 2... no pre-event dinner this time

- Saturday, January 3, at 5:00 p.m., dinner will be at Jumbo Buffet, N 48° 17.867 W 122° 39.265. I've created an event page for this dinner event.

- Sunday, you're on your own. Go get the ones you missed.

 

A cache on your map shows the wrong place to park.

Let me know, and I'll incorporate it into the route.

 

It sounds fun, but I've already found some of them.

Then come laugh at us, or guess when we'll be at the caches you haven't hit yet. Monitor FRS channel 2.

 

You don't have X cache on the route. Why aren't we getting that one?

I'm skipping a lot. I'll be avoiding longer multicaches, puzzle caches, caches that appear to be overly time consuming, and caches that the owner has asked us to avoid.

 

You have X cache on the route, but it's disabled/archived.

Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route (if archived) or will check with the owner (if disabled).

 

X cache is in an environmentally sensitive area.

By all means, let me know. I'll work with the cache owner to minimize our impact, or skip the cache altogether.

 

I disagree with the whole idea of cache machines. I don't want you finding my cache.

Sorry to hear that. It's too bad you've got a neat place to show us that we won't be able to see. Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route.

 

What's this gonna cost me?

Nothing for the caching. Or, at least, nothing more than it would cost than if you did the trip solo (e.g., paying for your own gas, hotel, and dinner). I'm not collecting any money for this.

 

Lunch? Breaks? Bathrooms?

Lunch: You should probably bring a sack lunch to eat on the road.

Breaks and Bathrooms: There's no breaks in cache machines! Just hold it. :-P Or find something on the way.

Edited by travisl
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This looks like a lot of fun. Can't wait!

What he said. :unsure: I've done many of the caches, including Ebey Bluffs, but there are still a lot I don't have, so count me in - should be a hoot!! Glad to see one so close to home - one looong day trip!

 

Note: For the Ebey Bluffs hike, suggest doing the recommended loop, so folks can get all three caches while they are hiking (four if they solve the nearby puzzle). It's not that much longer than just doing Ebey Bluffs, and you get a loop with different scenery (bluff and beach), rather than an out-and-back.

 

From my Perego's Lagoon (aka The Hula Cache) page: "From the parking area, you can do a 3.5-mile loop, climbing first to Ebey Bluffs, continuing on to I'd Turn Back if I Were You, and then descending along the side trail to the beach for a nice walk back to this cache and the parking lot."

 

Bring your hula gear - I want to see lots of pics of folks swaying at my cache! A few previous participants to get you in the mood:

 

dsvaughn, Scooby, and Shaggy - those boys got rhythm! (or not)

 

2600d79c-ce45-4993-8ac7-315d226e9317.jpg

 

The mega-hula with a cast of thousands (ok, a dozen), including TotemLake, Ambrosia (hula babe! correctly attired to celebrate #1000), Misguided One, Kboy, Spoon!, MissJenn, Allanon, Weightman, Wander Lost

6cb92148-f829-434a-ba9b-14fa204e5eff.jpg

 

blindleader, Prying Pandora, and Funnynose showing off their moves

b0285e02-14c8-4cd9-b709-6933eea7e776.jpg

Edited by hydnsek
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Question for the Whidbey locals: my mapping software is telling me to go directly through the heart of the Whidbey NAS, taking Nortz Rd to Charles Porter Ave to Ault Field Rd. Is this a road civilians can take?

 

I'm not a local, of course, but I bet not, as a lot of military bases are under high security these days, and base entrances are generally fairly restricted (as in limited number of entrances). The locals will be able to confirm this or refute it, of course.

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Question for the Whidbey locals: my mapping software is telling me to go directly through the heart of the Whidbey NAS, taking Nortz Rd to Charles Porter Ave to Ault Field Rd. Is this a road civilians can take?

 

No, Charles Porter Ave is on military property therefore restricted to civilians (well, at least those who don't have military ID :D. Your best bet would be just to take SR-20 all the way around the base (if your coming from the north) and turn right onto Ault Field Road.

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Theres a lot of hotels in Oak Harbor, but Im finding that with it being the New Years Day weekend which for alot of people will be a 4 day weekend that the lodging is filling up fast or has already filled. Good Luck with your searching!!

 

I noticed that Priceline has instituted a no worry purchase plan where you can name your price BUT you can cancel or change it without any fees. Has anyone tried this yet?

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You say you're starting at 7 am with a big group... but from where?

 

Considering the fact that Whidbey can be approached from the Mukilteo-Clinton Ferry, from the PT-Keystone ferry, and from Deception pass, wouldn't it be optimal to have three parallel cache machine groups, all converging on Ebey Bluff and/or on the dinner event?

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Question for the Whidbey locals: my mapping software is telling me to go directly through the heart of the Whidbey NAS, taking Nortz Rd to Charles Porter Ave to Ault Field Rd. Is this a road civilians can take?

You can't - but I can :laughing: Yep, take Hwy 20 to Ault Field Rd. Also, close in to town the Seaplane Base could probably also be restricted (i.e., Torpedo Rd., Coral Sea, Maui) east of the Marina.

 

Theres a lot of hotels in Oak Harbor, but Im finding that with it being the New Years Day weekend which for alot of people will be a 4 day weekend that the lodging is filling up fast or has already filled. Good Luck with your searching!!

There's lots of 'other' lodging options on Whidbey - B&B's in Coupeville, Ft. Casey Inn, and if you have a larger group - check on some of the vacation rental houses/cabins for the weekend (www.vrbo.com is one site) might be cheap if you split it with enough people...

 

Oh yeah, and Navy Lodge if you're DOD people.

Edited by Lizzy
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In past cache machines, I believe the starting point where everyone meets is relatively close the first stop on the route.

 

Correct, and this one is no different. The start point (GC16RZF So easy a caveman can do it!) is about 200 yards from the dinner location. This allows anyone who wants to carpool for the day to meet up close to the end point, and not have to catch a ride 10 miles to get back to their car after dinner.

 

Three parallel routes? Getting one right is tough enough, and the central start location should work for just about everyone. Of course, you're not obligated to follow the route -- it's merely my best suggestion. Due to time constraints, I'm not even including the south half of the island on the route.

 

The way the route's set up, though, you could start at stop #8, at the Deception Pass bridge, get #7 between #13 and #14, and catch #1-#6 at the end of the route.

 

Oh, yeah, the route. Here's my first draft (667KB PDF). Please take a look and let me know if y'all see anything that isn't quite right. Except for the four Ebey Bluff caches, stops should take an average of seven minutes, meaning no more than a 0.25 mile hike from car to cache. I only included one multi that appeared to be a quickie (GC1A5K8 Grumman Ironworks). The rest I couldn't tell how fast they were. As always, there's more caches on the route than there is time to do them, just in case.

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In past cache machines, I believe the starting point where everyone meets is relatively close the first stop on the route.

 

Correct, and this one is no different. The start point (GC16RZF So easy a caveman can do it!) is about 200 yards from the dinner location. This allows anyone who wants to carpool for the day to meet up close to the end point, and not have to catch a ride 10 miles to get back to their car after dinner.

 

Three parallel routes? Getting one right is tough enough, and the central start location should work for just about everyone. Of course, you're not obligated to follow the route -- it's merely my best suggestion. Due to time constraints, I'm not even including the south half of the island on the route.

 

The way the route's set up, though, you could start at stop #8, at the Deception Pass bridge, get #7 between #13 and #14, and catch #1-#6 at the end of the route.

 

Oh, yeah, the route. Here's my first draft (667KB PDF). Please take a look and let me know if y'all see anything that isn't quite right. Except for the four Ebey Bluff caches, stops should take an average of seven minutes, meaning no more than a 0.25 mile hike from car to cache. I only included one multi that appeared to be a quickie (GC1A5K8 Grumman Ironworks). The rest I couldn't tell how fast they were. As always, there's more caches on the route than there is time to do them, just in case.

 

Having done all of these, I already know which caches can be easily accessed in the given guidelines (.25 mile hike, ~7 minutes). Here's a few that I thought might take a little more effort than some of the others:

- Goose Rock (GCC7BF) is about a .4 mile hike and would most likely take more than 7 minutes to get to from the car. However, it's one of Whidbey's classics so I don't know if you would want to skip that one or not.

-Although Roy's 94 (GCG4YE) might appear to be close to a road, I believe it's actually a private drive that cannot be accessed. It is located in Kettles Park, which is a pretty complex trail system and depending on which paths you take, it could take a while to walk to.

-The Grampa Tree (GCGCX9) is another cache that would take more than 7 minutes to walk to, due to the complex trail system that it is located in.

 

There's my three cents!

Edited by tsunami_KNUW
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Having done all of these, I already know which caches can be easily accessed in the given guidelines (.25 mile hike, ~7 minutes). Here's a few that I thought might take a little more effort than some of the others:

-

Goose Rock (GCC7BF) is about a .4 mile hike and would most likely take more than 7 minutes to get to from the car. However, it's one of Whidbey's classics so I don't know if you would want to skip that one or not.

-Although Roy's 94 (GCG4YE) might appear to be close to a road, I believe it's actually a private drive that cannot be accessed. It is located in Kettles Park, which is a pretty complex trail system and depending on which paths you take, it could take a while to walk to.

-The Grampa Tree (GCGCX9) is another cache that would take more than 7 minutes to walk to, due to the complex trail system that it is located in.

I've done the ones mentioned, as well, and agree with this assessment.

 

Re: the combo of 8-9-10 (Deception Pass Earthcache, Goose Rock, Deception View). They are all done on foot from the same parking lot near the bridge (where you park for the earthcache). It will probably take most people 45 mins to an hour to do all three - mainly for the two hikes. But Goose Rock and Deception View are two of the most scenic and classic caches on Whidbey, so really recommend keeping them on the route! (Goose Rock's views rival Ebey Bluff's.)

 

Also: The multi Deception Reception is a very cool cache at the visitor's center, and I highly recommend adding it to the route. WPs and cache are in the same place, so no traveling required. (Note hours of availability: 8 am - 6 pm)

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Excellent info. I did a double take at #12 also, but when I brought it up in satellite view, I saw that it was doable, and fun looking.

 

For now, I'm thinking about keeping the Deception Pass Earthcache, Goose Rock, Deception View combo in, and might suggest skipping Goose Rock and Deception View if the weather doesn't cooperate -- I can see some folks doing those, getting soaked, and skipping Ebey Bluffs as a result.

 

Thanks, hydnsek, for the Deception Reception info. I'd added and removed that one from the route twice, and concluded that it wasn't clear enough where the final cache was. With your added info, I'm adding it back in the next draft.

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I was looking through your draft for the CM route. Stop#2 may be a problem if people followed the route #'s in order & started at 7am. The business doesn't open until 9am & the cache would not be accessible until then (legally).

 

Because of the location of Stop#58 - I'd let base security know what's up too to avoid any embarrassing moments.

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I was looking through your draft for the CM route. Stop#2 may be a problem if people followed the route #'s in order & started at 7am. The business doesn't open until 9am & the cache would not be accessible until then (legally).

 

Because of the location of Stop#58 - I'd let base security know what's up too to avoid any embarrassing moments.

 

i see a cache that is disabled

 

bridge over questionable waters

 

but in his log he said it would be out by christmas so no woorrys

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Dutchess of Dirt, Ogeo, Isplash and Quadsinthemudd are all booked at this little gem for $49 a night <_<http://www.auldhollandinn.com/ Auld Holland Inn so far we have the only reservations because people are breaking thier reservations because of weather. And they do have a 24 grace period for cancelations.

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Hey, Cache Ahead and I are booked there, too! We got a $44/night AAA rate back on Dec. 10 for 2 double beds. We're there 2 nights (Fri/Sat).

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Several folks have asked me offline, too: in the event of snow, we cache in the snow. That'll make the caches even easier to find. If you don't feel safe driving or caching in the snow, then it's up to you to decide whether you should attend. If the roads are bad enough that I can't make it up there from Tacoma, the event will still go on without me. :-)

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hey, why did some caches get off of the route[?] just wondering because the caches that are off are by the same people (shep & kyle)

 

From the first post above:

You don't have X cache on the route. Why aren't we getting that one?

I'm skipping a lot. I'll be avoiding longer multicaches, puzzle caches, caches that appear to be overly time consuming, and caches that the owner has asked us to avoid.

There's also more caches on the island than we could reasonably do during daylight, so I'm only really hitting the north half of Whidbey.

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hey, why did some caches get off of the route[?] just wondering because the caches that are off are by the same people (shep & kyle)

 

From the first post above:

You don't have X cache on the route. Why aren't we getting that one?

I'm skipping a lot. I'll be avoiding longer multicaches, puzzle caches, caches that appear to be overly time consuming, and caches that the owner has asked us to avoid.

There's also more caches on the island than we could reasonably do during daylight, so I'm only really hitting the north half of Whidbey.

 

ok thanks

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Hey, Cache Ahead and I are booked there, too! We got a $44/night AAA rate back on Dec. 10 for 2 double beds. We're there 2 nights (Fri/Sat).

 

We just booked and got the same rate. Thanks Travis, thanks Abby.

 

hey travis

 

i emailed the owner of bridge over troubled waters about there cache they said:

 

Bridge over Troubled Waters in Oak Harbor,Wa will not be up until after New Years, I hoped to have it up sooner but will not be back in Oak Harbor until Dec 31st, sorry about the delay.

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How about a bookmark list so that we can create a PQ and get the route plotted. Much easier than trying to create our own from the route PDF.....

 

Thanks.

 

very good idea

It is, except it's usually easier to wait until the final route comes out...otherwise there are changes to factor in.

 

Now, I see that TJ has already done it for you, but I'll still wait...

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How about a bookmark list so that we can create a PQ and get the route plotted. Much easier than trying to create our own from the route PDF.....

 

Thanks.

 

very good idea

It is, except it's usually easier to wait until the final route comes out...otherwise there are changes to factor in.

 

Now, I see that TJ has already done it for you, but I'll still wait...

GSAK has a macro that makes creating a bookmark list fairly easy. As soon as the new version comes out, I'll update the BM.

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GSAK has a macro that makes creating a bookmark list fairly easy. As soon as the new version comes out, I'll update the BM.

Thanks for doing this. I'll make sure to indicate my changes to the final route when I post it on Sunday or Monday. I know of at least one cache that's being pulled off the route, and I'm now leaning towards removing Goose Rock and Deception View (current stops 9 and 10), just because the hike to get them is so time consuming.

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GSAK has a macro that makes creating a bookmark list fairly easy. As soon as the new version comes out, I'll update the BM.

Thanks for doing this. I'll make sure to indicate my changes to the final route when I post it on Sunday or Monday. I know of at least one cache that's being pulled off the route, and I'm now leaning towards removing Goose Rock and Deception View (current stops 9 and 10), just because the hike to get them is so time consuming.

Yes, thanks, Jester, for making the bookmark list.

 

And I'm sorry to see Goose Rock and Deception View come off, as they are two of the most scenic caches on Whidbey, but agree that, while the hikes are fairly short, they do take more than 5 minutes. :D

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