Name that (insert item here)

[+JakeInPA]

I had this idea on one of our latest geocaching expeditions. My daughter and I started about a month ago and we're definitely hooked. While we're out though, we see some things that she'll question "what's this?" and I can't always answer, so if it's okay with the forum community here, I'd like to start a thread to help identify different plants, insects, animals or anything else that people may see while out adventuring that they're curious about. Sure, we could probably google it, but I figured we might get stories attached here.

 

Anyway, here's the only picture I have so far. Anyone know what kind of tree/plant this is?

 

[+mertat]

Great idea for a thread!

 

Rhododendron.

[+JakeInPA]

Great idea for a thread!

 

Rhododendron.

 

Thanks!

 

And are you kidding me? That's a Rhododendron? Oi, my grandmother is probably cursing me from her grave. She taught me a lot about flowers/plants and what not. We never had these though. We plan on going out all day Sunday again, so I'm sure we'll have more stuff to identify.

[+mertat]

I forgot to add my story so here it is. I did this cache with my buddies redworm and geomuse. I'm not even going to tell you how long we searched looking under the wrong species of shrub

[Mr.Yuck]

Great idea for a thread!

 

Rhododendron.

 

Thanks!

 

And are you kidding me? That's a Rhododendron? Oi, my grandmother is probably cursing me from her grave. She taught me a lot about flowers/plants and what not. We never had these though. We plan on going out all day Sunday again, so I'm sure we'll have more stuff to identify.

 

Yup, they're all over the place in the wild in Pa. They should be in bloom in a month or so. Not that I'm a pretty flower type guy or anything.

[knowschad]

Great thread idea! I'll contribute.

 

I know what these are, but I wonder how many others do.

 

 

another view:

 

Some wild mushroom fans may recognize this fungus:

[+mertat]

I know what the top two are (but I'll let someone else chime in since I've already had my turn ) Don't have a clue about the 3rd.

[+GIDEON-X]

What & Where?

GC2BB Close By (100+ yards)

Edited March 31, 2009 by GIDEON-X

[+Singletree Expedition]

That'd be Indian Pipe.

 

[Edit to add the photo]

Edited March 31, 2009 by Singletree Expedition

[+Singletree Expedition]

What & Where?

GC2BB

That would be the Southern Terminus of the Pacifc Crest National Scenic Trail that runs from Mexico to Canada.

 

I've never seen it, but the writing on the monument kind of gave it away.

[+Castle Mischief]

Great idea for a thread!

 

Rhododendron.

 

Not to be confused with Mountain Laurel- which looks very similar.

Edited March 31, 2009 by Castle Mischief

[knowschad]

That'd be Indian Pipe.

 

[Edit to add the photo]

 

Correctomundo! Which, by the way, is a plant, not a fungus. It is white because it has no chlorophyll.

[knowschad]

OK, you westerners... leave this one for the greenhorns, OK?

 

[+flask]

OK, you westerners... leave this one for the greenhorns, OK?

 

 

you don't have to be a westerner to know what that is; we have them here in my neighborhood.

 

it's a storm drain!

 

 

 

 

no, seriously. i was just joshin'. you want me to tell what it really is?

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Great idea for a thread!

 

Rhododendron.

 

Thanks!

 

And are you kidding me? That's a Rhododendron? Oi, my grandmother is probably cursing me from her grave. She taught me a lot about flowers/plants and what not. We never had these though. We plan on going out all day Sunday again, so I'm sure we'll have more stuff to identify.

 

If you lived a bit further north you might want to try and solve and find this puzzle cache.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

What kinds of tracks are these (the shoe print was placed for scale)

 

[+Star*Hopper]

What kinds of tracks are these...

 

Peccary?

 

~*

Edited March 31, 2009 by Star*Hopper

[+webscouter.]

OK, you westerners... leave this one for the greenhorns, OK?

 

 

That would be a cattle guard. It is put in fence openings so you can drive across but the cattle won't cross it.

[+mertat]

Great thread idea! I'll contribute.

 

I know what these are, but I wonder how many others do.

 

Some wild mushroom fans may recognize this fungus:

Okay, where's DavidMac when you need him? What is this and where is it found?

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

OK, you westerners... leave this one for the greenhorns, OK?

 

 

you don't have to be a westerner to know what that is; we have them here in my neighborhood.

 

it's a storm drain!

 

 

 

 

no, seriously. i was just joshin'. you want me to tell what it really is?

 

Prevents livestock (cows) from crossing.

[+mertat]

Great thread idea! I'll contribute.

 

I know what these are, but I wonder how many others do.

 

Some wild mushroom fans may recognize this fungus:

Okay, where's DavidMac when you need him? What is this and where is it found?

Nevermind - followed the "trail" and found the answer

[SWEEPER73]

A fairly common site in some areas.

[knowschad]

A fairly common site in some areas.

 

Isn't that a petroleum condensate tank? I remember hearing about people taking "drip" out of tanks like that to run their cars many years ago.

[knowschad]

What kinds of tracks are these...

 

Peccary?

 

~*

 

I beg your pardon?

[greenworldfeather]

Here is one I would like people to identiry. I think it is garlic, but since it is on a hill above where I live, I am not so sure. Here it is. It is about 3 inches high and about 2 1/2 inche wide.

 

http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/6b5c97...c854ff3fdd4.jpg

[+GIDEON-X]

Here is one I would like people to identiry. I think it is garlic, but since it is on a hill above where I live, I am not so sure. Here it is. It is about 3 inches high and about 2 1/2 inche wide.

 

http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/6b5c97...c854ff3fdd4.jpg

 

Hmmm, possible a "Crocus".......But Then?

[br]

Edited April 1, 2009 by GIDEON-X

[Andronicus]

What kinds of tracks are these (the shoe print was placed for scale)

 

 

It is rather old, with not much detail in the bottem. From what I can see in the pic, I would guess it is a moose or cow track.

[+Star*Hopper]

What kinds of tracks are these...

 

Peccary?

 

~*

 

I beg your pardon?

Peccary tracks. What'd you think I was suggesting?

 

 

 

 

 

 

~*

[+Cache'n Hounds]

What kinds of tracks are these (the shoe print was placed for scale)

 

 

Is it a Moose?? Hard to tell with no definition in the bottom. I think it might be too narrow for a cow as suggested. Not sure though just a guess

[+NYPaddleCacher]

What kinds of tracks are these (the shoe print was placed for scale)

 

(image snipped)

 

Is it a Moose?? Hard to tell with no definition in the bottom. I think it might be too narrow for a cow as suggested. Not sure though just a guess

 

The person that placed the cache that I was looking for when I came across these tracks seems to think that it was a black bear...a reasonable large black bear.

[SWEEPER73]

What kinds of tracks are these...

 

Peccary?

 

~*

 

From my vast experince, I make the call @ "SASQUATCH"...........for sure

[+Star*Hopper]

 

The person that placed the cache that I was looking for when I came across these tracks seems to think that it was a black bear...a reasonable large black bear.

 

Maybe yours are different from ours - locale or sump'n? The only reasonable black bears (large OR small) I've come across are those that ran* as I approached. The others can be downright persnickity.

 

*(the other way)

 

~*

[+Castle Mischief]

My turn. Found this in a semi-remote cemetery near Tishamingo, Mississippi on the grounds of the Crow's Neck Environmental Education Center. I'm guessing it's a case of "we didn't have the resources to procure a fancy tombstone", but exactly what was its function before that?

 

(My apologies for the artsy sepia.)

 

Edited April 1, 2009 by Castle Mischief

[knowschad]

My turn. Found this in a semi-remote cemetery near Tishamingo, Mississippi on the grounds of the [i'm guessing it's a case of "we didn't have the resources to procure a fancy tombstone", but exactly what was its function before that?

 

(My apologies for the artsy sepia.)

 

 

What is it made of? I know of an old gear that looks like that (I believe it would be the "rack" portion of a rack and pinion gearset). That one was used to raise and lower the gates on a dam. Of course that one was made of iron.

[+Castle Mischief]

My turn. Found this in a semi-remote cemetery near Tishamingo, Mississippi on the grounds of the [i'm guessing it's a case of "we didn't have the resources to procure a fancy tombstone", but exactly what was its function before that?

 

(My apologies for the artsy sepia.)

 

http://castlemischief.com/pics/2-23-09/ima...23-09%20063.jpg

 

What is it made of? I know of an old gear that looks like that (I believe it would be the "rack" portion of a rack and pinion gearset). That one was used to raise and lower the gates on a dam. Of course that one was made of iron.

 

Rusted metal. Probably iron.

[knowschad]

My turn. Found this in a semi-remote cemetery near Tishamingo, Mississippi on the grounds of the [i'm guessing it's a case of "we didn't have the resources to procure a fancy tombstone", but exactly what was its function before that?

 

(My apologies for the artsy sepia.)

 

http://castlemischief.com/pics/2-23-09/ima...23-09%20063.jpg

 

What is it made of? I know of an old gear that looks like that (I believe it would be the "rack" portion of a rack and pinion gearset). That one was used to raise and lower the gates on a dam. Of course that one was made of iron.

 

Rusted metal. Probably iron.

 

Here's a picture of the rack gear that I saw:

[+Bubbles&Bonkers]

OK, you westerners... leave this one for the greenhorns, OK?

 

 

I grew up in IA and saw lots of these. Then I moved to CA where they actually just paint them on the roads to look like grids. Silly CA cows!

[+GIDEON-X]

A fairly common site in some areas.

 

Isn't that a petroleum condensate tank? I remember hearing about people taking "drip" out of tanks like that to run their cars many years ago.

Was told by a fellow cacher that in fact it was a "condensate tank".... but on a natural-gas head drawing / getting the water out before it goes into the main line to the storage tanks.

[+The Blorenges]

OK, you westerners... leave this one for the greenhorns, OK?

 

 

Over here we call them cattle grids. They can be death traps for our hedgehogs who fall into them and can't always scramble out so now considerate farmers put little hedgehog ramps underneath the grid so they can escape.

 

 

MrsB

[+mdplayers]

MrsB,

How clever, and kind to our small animal neighbors!

[knowschad]

I'd imagine those ramps would be of great help to hamsters that escape from muggled caches, too!

[+Kit Fox]

Here is something that only exists in one place, in the world. There are several caches near this site.

 

[+TomToad]

Here is something that only exists in one place, in the world. There are several caches near this site.

 

http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/497889...893390cb928.jpg

Of course it exists in only one place in the world. It's kind of difficult for a location to exists two places simultaneously. []

 

Anyway, this is the Tehachapi Loop in California.

 

Edit: To add smiley

Edited April 3, 2009 by TomToad

[+pigpen4x4]

Here is something that only exists in one place, in the world. There are several caches near this site.

 

 

A train?

[+team moxiepup]

Here is something that only exists in one place, in the world. There are several caches near this site.

 

 

I'd be careful while caching in that area!

 

[+The Jester]

Here is something that only exists in one place, in the world. There are several caches near this site.

 

It's not completely unique. In BC, Canada are the Spiral Tunnels - two loops in tunnels in the moutain:

 

Here's a picture of three sections of the same train going thru the lower Spiral Tunnel:

[+JakeInPA]

My turn. Found this in a semi-remote cemetery near Tishamingo, Mississippi on the grounds of the Crow's Neck Environmental Education Center. I'm guessing it's a case of "we didn't have the resources to procure a fancy tombstone", but exactly what was its function before that?

 

(My apologies for the artsy sepia.)

 

 

Hmm if it's metal, I guess it could be some sort of gear rack or w/e. To me it looks like part of a concrete floor from a building. If you're familiar with fluted decking, it would make a section of concrete looks just like that picture.

 

Kind of like this

 

[+Kit Fox]

Cool! I learned about another loop. The Tehachapi Loop was built in 1876, and the BC "Big Hill" loop was built in 1909.

Edited April 3, 2009 by Kit Fox

[+Moose Mob]

Here is something that only exists in one place, in the world. There are several caches near this site.

 

 

Don't forget the Waymark!

 

There is a cool train loop in Switzerland (switch between terrain/satelitte/map). This one has the figure 8 loops inside a tunnel. We couldn't see much of it when we found the San Giovanni (Anzonico) cache. Note the narrow winding roads.

edit: tag repair

Edited April 3, 2009 by Moose Mob

[+train4347]

OK, you westerners... leave this one for the greenhorns, OK?

 

Just one word. Mooo