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The Spot (GC39) missing?


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15 hours ago, thebruce0 said:
On 3/31/2018 at 7:54 AM, NYPaddleCacher said:

As I suggested to hzoi in a PM if you (theBruce0) don't mind going a little out of   the way back going up through Letchworth park is worth the extra time.

Recommended caches? Between the N and S end, that is a WHOLE lot of ground to cover ;P

I'm bookmarking potential targets in the region to set up a route, so let loose :) (or PM)

Letchworth is worth driving through even if you don't find any caches along the way. The one Keystone mentioned is on the east side of the river.  The road that runs up on the west side is the main road up through the park.  If you like Earth caches there are four of them along that road. 

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Ah.  I went for The Spot as a side trip working on the Pennsylvania County Challenge.  (My customer in Corning did NOT invite me for a visit.)  Still need three counties (and about five Jasmer squares) in the Pittsburgh area for those challenges.  Doubt I'll ever finish either of those.  Fortunately, I could drive up he dirt road.  Nice hike in.  The hide was rather obvious.  Nice Earthcache nearby.  Then I continued on the Pennsylvania Counties.  I had not been to that section of New York since the 1950's!  Still need two months for the month challenge.

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10 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

Anyone have first hand observation of what the weather/climate's like around there right now?  Still lots of snow? Betting there is up and around gz, yes?

No snow on the ground in Erie as of this evening.  It's supposed to rain tomorrow.

I almost typed a weather prognostication, which would of course have doomed us all.  I'll keep it to myself.

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17 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

Anyone have first hand observation of what the weather/climate's like around there right now?  Still lots of snow? Betting there is up and around gz, yes?

I drove down to northern new jersey last weekend and the amount of snow on the ground varied quite a bit.  Of course, higher elevations had more than lower spots but because it's been fairly cold the past few weeks there is still a bit of snow in places which don't get a lot of sun that have a bit of snow on the ground.  There's no snow at all here but I could drive five miles and find areas that still have plenty of snow on the ground.

I had a meeting yesterday and found there is a possibility that I won't be able to go on Wednesday, unless I can figure out how to participate in a skype call with an organization in Kenya while I'm driving.  I'll know more today about whether I need to be on that call.

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20 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

Anyone have first hand observation of what the weather/climate's like around there right now?  Still lots of snow? Betting there is up and around gz, yes?

I live 40 miles north of The Spot (GC39). We have not had much snow lately, but at the higher elevations down south there may be some, but I don't think there would be a significant amount. Also the best approach to the cache is an uphill dirt road whose condition varies greatly with changing weather conditions. The weather in the area later this week is in the 30s-40s with some chance of rain, but no predicted to get cold enough for snow. Hope this helps

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Thanks for the tips... I'm not really worried about bad weather (I'd still go if it were a blizzard!), just curious if it'll be snow under foot or not :) I'd expect there still to be some snow up to the cache.  Decided to keep my winters on a bit longer for the drive, but I'll be taking my good hiking boots (not my winter boots unless there's a couple inches of trail snow). It's not an epic hike, but still looking forward to finally getting this :)

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6 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

I drove down to northern new jersey last weekend and the amount of snow on the ground varied quite a bit.  Of course, higher elevations had more than lower spots but because it's been fairly cold the past few weeks there is still a bit of snow in places which don't get a lot of sun that have a bit of snow on the ground.  There's no snow at all here but I could drive five miles and find areas that still have plenty of snow on the ground.

I had a meeting yesterday and found there is a possibility that I won't be able to go on Wednesday, unless I can figure out how to participate in a skype call with an organization in Kenya while I'm driving.  I'll know more today about whether I need to be on that call.

And now I've got another meeting scheduled for tomorrow.  It doesn't look like I'm going to make it.

As I said, it hasn't snowed in the area for a couple of weeks (though some higher elevations may have received a dusting a couple of nights ago) but it's been cold enough that snow that fell a couple of weeks ago hasn't melted in some places.  When I drove through the Catskills last weekend there was little to no snow on once side of the highway but the ground was covered on the other.   Photos from a log posted on March 25 show quite a bit of snow on the trail, but GZ looks clear from a log posted on March 30.

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@NYPaddleCacher and @Keystone - you were missed.  But @thebruce0 and @GeocachingAdam and I managed to meet up, despite the fact that the restaurant we chose was closed (and we apparently set off alarms by wandering around the parking lot, as the owner's husband arrived to check us out).

Things I learned:

1.  The Spot is still there, in great shape, and still has its original log.

2.  April is no time to visit New York, as it was windy and sleeting.

3. thebruce0 is apparently not a serial killer, as I managed to survive our meetAAARGH

EDIT; ALL IS WELL, THEBRUCE0 IS DEFINITELY NOT A SERIAL KILLER, AND HZOI IS STILL ENJOYING HIS VACATION.  I MEAN, I AM ENJOYING MY VACATION.  THINK I'LL TAKE AN EXTRA YEAR OFF OR SO.  NOTHING TO SEE HERE.

Edited by hzoi
EVERYTHING IS FINE
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Yep, it was a great trip, awesome to meet hzoi & Adam.  The Spot is still very much alive and active; dare I say perfect condition. Surpringly pleasant to find. And the views en route to gz were fantabulous!

Turned into a 20 hour road trip for me, 16 of them on a big loop from Buffallo to Canandaigua and up and around to Niagara Falls target caching. Used the bike a couple of times (with one brake now needing fixin') and a bit more jogging and tree climbing. Really wanted the webcam in Rochester but passed on it in favour of rare DTs. So close to fizzy 25 and 26-dark! :)  Thanks for the adventure, boys!

Now to get logging...

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16 hours ago, hzoi said:

@NYPaddleCacher and @Keystone - you were missed.  But @thebruce0 and @GeocachingAdam and I managed to meet up, despite the fact that the restaurant we chose was closed (and we apparently set off alarms by wandering around the parking lot, as the owner's husband arrived to check us out).

Things I learned:

1.  The Spot is still there, in great shape, and still has its original log.

2.  April is no time to visit New York, as it was windy and sleeting.

3. thebruce0 is apparently not a serial killer, as I managed to survive our meetAAARGH

EDIT; ALL IS WELL, THEBRUCE0 IS DEFINITELY NOT A SERIAL KILLER, AND HZOI IS STILL ENJOYING HIS VACATION.  I MEAN, I AM ENJOYING MY VACATION.  THINK I'LL TAKE AN EXTRA YEAR OFF OR SO.  NOTHING TO SEE HERE.

Glad you guys had a good time. Usually April is not like this. You got bad luck and got one of the worst days we've had in the past few months. Sorry the weather didn't cooperate with you

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16 minutes ago, Sherminator18 said:

Glad you guys had a good time. Usually April is not like this. You got bad luck and got one of the worst days we've had in the past few months. Sorry the weather didn't cooperate with you

It actually wasn't too bad - it could have been much worse! (like right now, as I look out the window, wow)  So in a way we were fortunate :)  We missed amazing weather by a day or two probably; but snuck in while we could, hehe

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19 hours ago, hzoi said:

@NYPaddleCacher and @Keystone - you were missed.  But @thebruce0 and @GeocachingAdam and I managed to meet up, despite the fact that the restaurant we chose was closed (and we apparently set off alarms by wandering around the parking lot, as the owner's husband arrived to check us out).

Things I learned:

1.  The Spot is still there, in great shape, and still has its original log.

2.  April is no time to visit New York, as it was windy and sleeting.

3. thebruce0 is apparently not a serial killer, as I managed to survive our meetAAARGH

EDIT; ALL IS WELL, THEBRUCE0 IS DEFINITELY NOT A SERIAL KILLER, AND HZOI IS STILL ENJOYING HIS VACATION.  I MEAN, I AM ENJOYING MY VACATION.  THINK I'LL TAKE AN EXTRA YEAR OFF OR SO.  NOTHING TO SEE HERE.

Glad you guys had a good time.  I really did want to go but work got in the way.

There are many that have suggested that there's nothing special about a cache just because it's old.  I suspect that few have found "The Spot".

The weather in late March and April in New York is unpredictable.   A late season snow storm is not that uncommon, but in this case, it was especially windy. 

 

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8 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

There are many that have suggested that there's nothing special about a cache just because it's old.  I suspect that few have found "The Spot".

Indeed. And now with the very beautiful Clark's Gully as an attraction (earthcache) along the trail to The Spot - The Chosen Spot - this hike is most definitely worth planning to do.

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On 4/6/2018 at 11:03 AM, NYPaddleCacher said:

Glad you guys had a good time.  I really did want to go but work got in the way.

There are many that have suggested that there's nothing special about a cache just because it's old.  I suspect that few have found "The Spot".

The weather in late March and April in New York is unpredictable.   A late season snow storm is not that uncommon, but in this case, it was especially windy. 

 

I "grew up" in upstate NY (born and lived there till 21), and hubby and I are planning a visit to my parents and other family mid June. We both geocache, (just over a year now) and this may be on our agenda for the trip - glad to know it's still alive and well!

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6 hours ago, CAVinoGal said:

I "grew up" in upstate NY (born and lived there till 21), and hubby and I are planning a visit to my parents and other family mid June. We both geocache, (just over a year now) and this may be on our agenda for the trip - glad to know it's still alive and well!

When your trip gets closer, feel free to send me a PM for recommendations about this cache and others in the area.  Coincidentally,  I was born and lived in California for many  years not too far from wine country and moved to upstate NY almost 25 years ago.

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So yeah the cache is definitely alive and well.

Myself, hzoi and Geocaching Adam went to find it earlier this month.  This is my video of the trip (spoilers if you care), here's Adam's.

The uphill dirt road to the north trailhead was nice and windy but not really treacherous. Two of us had AWD and Adam kept between us; none of us seemed to have any difficulty. Original log book is still intact too.

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2 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

none of us seemed to have any difficulty

Well, my Jeep did fine on the road.  I am still popping 500mg of Naprosin 2x daily for my bruised tailbone after slipping in Clark's Gully and landing on my fourth point of contact. But I kept my hiking stick from being washed over the falls, so I've got that going for me.

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7 minutes ago, hzoi said:

I am still popping 500mg of Naprosin 2x daily for my bruised tailbone after slipping in Clark's Gully and landing on my fourth point of contact. But I kept my hiking stick from being washed over the falls, so I've got that going for me.

D'oh, really? I totally missed that. You should have cried out in pain! :P

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2 minutes ago, thebruce0 said:
9 minutes ago, hzoi said:

I am still popping 500mg of Naprosin 2x daily for my bruised tailbone after slipping in Clark's Gully and landing on my fourth point of contact. But I kept my hiking stick from being washed over the falls, so I've got that going for me.

D'oh, really? I totally missed that. You should have cried out in pain! :P

Adam saw it, and checked on me.  You were deep in thought by the edge of the falls, I believe.  :laughing:

It didn't really start to hurt until the next morning.  This is the first time I've had a bad tailbone bruise - I'm amazed it still hurts as much as it does almost a month later.

It's a shame, too, because if your video taught me anything, it's that I'm best viewed from the back (if at all).

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7 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

So yeah the cache is definitely alive and well.

Myself, hzoi and Geocaching Adam went to find it earlier this month.  This is my video of the trip (spoilers if you care), here's Adam's.

The uphill dirt road to the north trailhead was nice and windy but not really treacherous. Two of us had AWD and Adam kept between us; none of us seemed to have any difficulty. Original log book is still intact too.

Oh, heck.  I made it up in my Toyota Corolla.

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12 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

So yeah the cache is definitely alive and well.

Myself, hzoi and Geocaching Adam went to find it earlier this month.  This is my video of the trip (spoilers if you care), here's Adam's.

The uphill dirt road to the north trailhead was nice and windy but not really treacherous. Two of us had AWD and Adam kept between us; none of us seemed to have any difficulty. Original log book is still intact too.

 

4 hours ago, Harry Dolphin said:

Oh, heck.  I made it up in my Toyota Corolla.

Hmmm, OK, I did watch the video (including the spoiler info, but it will still be a challenge to even make it to GZ for us, it seems!) and we will be in a rental car, likely NOT AWD.  But A Toyota Corolla made it?  That's more along the lines of what we'll be most likely to have.  I would really, really like to find this one! 

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8 hours ago, CAVinoGal said:

 

Hmmm, OK, I did watch the video (including the spoiler info, but it will still be a challenge to even make it to GZ for us, it seems!) and we will be in a rental car, likely NOT AWD.  But A Toyota Corolla made it?  That's more along the lines of what we'll be most likely to have.  I would really, really like to find this one! 

As theBruce0 suggested the road won't be a issue unless it was real wet and muddy or covered in snow/ice.  Although we actually got some snow on Sunday the road should be easily navigable by any vehicle.  

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4 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

As theBruce0 suggested the road won't be a issue unless it was real wet and muddy or covered in snow/ice.  Although we actually got some snow on Sunday the road should be easily navigable by any vehicle.  

We will be there mid to late June - and will watch the weather to see when the best opportunity will be.  Good to know that although it's a dirt road, not paved, it's still navigable,  We've done some desert roads that were pretty much non-roads, but we were in AWD for that.

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12 hours ago, humboldt flier said:

I did it in a Hyundai Sonata last summer ... the road was not at all unlike roads to certain Boy Scout Camps in Mendocino, County, Calif.  i.e.: Noyo, Wente

 

Many of those roads in Mendocino county were used as logging roads.  During the week they were used but logging trucks but we used to use them on weekends when the trucks weren't running.   Some good friends of my aunt and uncle owned a "camp" along the Noyo river that we used to go quite often.  I was curious so I took a look and there are very few caches in that area although there are some wonderful places where some could be placed.  There *is* one at Camp Noyo though called "Smelly Cache".  Why it's called that is part of local history in the area.  There is a train that runs from Fort Bragg (on the coast) to Willits called the Skunk Train.  The Skunk train, originally used as a logging train acquired the name because one could "smell it before you could see" the gas powered engines.  Now it's a popular tourist attraction that takes passengers through the redwood forest.  It is also still used to deliver mail, including a mail stop near the place we used to stay.  The Smelly Cache listing indicates that the easiest way to get to it is to take the train.  The train has also been used by local fisherman (primarily for salmon and steelhead.) to get dropped off and picked up at one of the mile markers along the way.  

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On ‎4‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 1:48 PM, Ridler & Cmokica said:

How long does it take to hike from the parking to the GC39 and to the earthcache?

We're planing to visit the site in mid May, on a roadtrip style detour from NY to Giga in Cincinnati. :D

I'm flying into Buffalo on the 22 and heading straight to The Spot.  What day are you visiting?

 

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On 5/5/2018 at 5:08 AM, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

Many of those roads in Mendocino county were used as logging roads.  During the week they were used but logging trucks but we used to use them on weekends when the trucks weren't running.   Some good friends of my aunt and uncle owned a "camp" along the Noyo river that we used to go quite often.  I was curious so I took a look and there are very few caches in that area although there are some wonderful places where some could be placed.  There *is* one at Camp Noyo though called "Smelly Cache".  Why it's called that is part of local history in the area.  There is a train that runs from Fort Bragg (on the coast) to Willits called the Skunk Train.  The Skunk train, originally used as a logging train acquired the name because one could "smell it before you could see" the gas powered engines.  Now it's a popular tourist attraction that takes passengers through the redwood forest.  It is also still used to deliver mail, including a mail stop near the place we used to stay.  The Smelly Cache listing indicates that the easiest way to get to it is to take the train.  The train has also been used by local fisherman (primarily for salmon and steelhead.) to get dropped off and picked up at one of the mile markers along the way.  

Ahhhhhhhh ... Camp Noyo ... saw my son grow from boy to man at that facility.  Many a tree continues to tremble when I fire up the "Ol Stihl" during work paties.  That is where I wish my ashes to be scattered after ...

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