Grays Harbor Cache Machine II

[+travisl]

Note: circumstances may change after this initial posting. Look for my posts (with the  icon) in this thread for all the important details and changes. If you think you've seen this all before, focus on the unique-to-this-event information in red.

(Link to dinner event cache)

Grays Harbor is the gateway to Washington's scenic coastal wonderlands. And it's got caches.

So fill up the tank, grab your gear, toss down some breakfast at way-too-early o'clock, and start on the route at GC5J7PK, Breaker, on Saturday, December 30 at 7:30 AM. From there, move at your own pace and get as many as you can.

Dinner's going to be at Mazatlan, 720 W Wishkah St, Aberdeen (N 46° 58.230 W 123° 49.536, on the west end of town, not the east side Mazatlan). Please log your "will attends" on the event page so I can let the restaurant know how many to expect. Unlike GHCM I, I didn't promise the restaurant a certain number of attendees. I can be taught :-)

Note that some caches on the route map may be marked with a "do not enter" icon . Those cache owners have justifiably asked for their cache to not be on the route, and for the cache to not be sought during the cache machine. The cache is, in the owner's opinion, in a sensitive area, whether it's environmentally unwise, socially sensitive, or physically fragile. Just don't get it. It's not like there's a shortage of caches in the area.

Rules:

1) 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. When someone asks what you're doing, the right answer is honesty: "geocaching".

2) Respect private property, even if the cache owner didn't. Post your DNFs proudly.

3) One logbook entry for "GHCM2" is fine for most small and micros. Don't go filling up the logbook just because you want to mark your territory. 50 people's names and dates will fill up most one-sheets. Be kind and bring extra paper to add to caches with full logbooks.

4) 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. Handing it off to someone else and pointing down saying "it goes there" isn't good enough. Don't be a jerk. The extra 45 seconds isn't going to ruin your day.

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. Suggestions and ''Count me ins'' are welcome on the event page.

----

The Grays Harbor Cache Machine II FAQ:

When is it? When is the start time?

Saturday, December 30, 2017. Start time is 7:30 a.m. at GC5J7PK, Breaker.

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

We'll start as one large group, but after a dozen caches or so, the large groups will likely fragment, and on a long day like this, you'll probably be on your own by the time most people in town are waking up. If you want to go off-route to find Munzees, letterboxes, Pokémon, portals, confluences (N 124 W 47 is on private property, but it's right there!), or Starbucks, well, you do you.

Is anything going on before, during, or after?

Nothing planned this time. A pre-event dinner might come up; check the comments below.

Hey, why aren't we getting that one?

My standard answer here is that I try to avoid most multicaches, most puzzle caches, caches that appear to be overly time consuming, and caches that the owner has asked us to avoid. I'm also skipping caches that just seem at first glance to be a little lame, because there's so many caches and so little time. Most of the caches on this route have at least 10 favorite points.

A cache on your map shows the wrong place to park. // Hey, that road doesn't exist! // What's with making us ford the creek?

Thanks for catching that! Let me know, and I'll incorporate it your fix into the route.

Why does the route go way past the dinner time? Is this a two-day event?

The extra time is a buffer, in case you're so good that you'd run out of caches before you run out of daylight. I don't expect anyone would be able to hit all of them between sunrise and sunset. Of course, if you wanted to hit them after dinner, or on Sunday, I'm sure you'll be able to find folks to join you.

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

Then come laugh at us, try to remember where they were, look at the old logbook signatures, or guess when we'll be at the caches you haven't hit yet. Maybe pass your phone number around for us to call when we get stumped.

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

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

X cache is in an environmentally sensitive area. // My cache is physically fragile and I don't want it broken.

By all means, let me know. I don't want to send 50 people there to stomp all over it.

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?

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

Rain? Snow? Landslides? Flooding? Rattlesnakes?

Probably, yes. Do what you safely can, and skip ahead when reality or your capabilities don't match the plan. Be prepared and flexible.

What do the map symbols mean?

Turquoise lines show my suggested route, but if there's a brown trail or grey road that I've drawn in, ignore the turquoise. Red car icons show places to park a car for a short time (usually a trailhead).

[+travisl]

The first draft of the route is here. As always, I'd love any feedback about bad choices I've made, including bad caches, bad routing, and bad parking spots.

Unless there's a ton of changes needed, I'll post the second draft in mid December, and the final on Tuesday, December 26. (Normally, I post on the Monday before the event, but that's Christmas Day, and I know I'll forget.)

[+hydnsek]

On 11/16/2017 at 4:01 PM, travisl said:

Unlike GHCM I, I didn't promise the restaurant a certain number of attendees.

Oh good. Cathy and I won't have to pass the hat to get everyone to pitch in an additional $20 on top of their dinner cost.

[+hydnsek]

Two caches on the proposed route have multiple DNFs:

15 Old Blue - 3 DNFs in past two months.

65 Triangular - 2 DNFs in past two months.

[+Terrible Ts]

I have the Draft 1 route files available Here

On 11/16/2017 at 4:08 PM, travisl said:

The first draft of the route is here. As always, I'd love any feedback about bad choices I've made, including bad caches, bad routing, and bad parking spots.

Unless there's a ton of changes needed, I'll post the second draft in mid December, and the final on Tuesday, December 26. (Normally, I post on the Monday before the event, but that's Christmas Day, and I know I'll forget.)

I have the Draft 1 route files available HERE. I forgot to post this message here the other day.

 

Terrible Ts

 

[+k7da]

the "old blue" cache has been repaired.

dave k7da

 

[+BDHB]

On 11/17/2017 at 11:23 PM, hydnsek said:

Two caches on the proposed route have multiple DNFs:

15 Old Blue - 3 DNFs in past two months.

65 Triangular - 2 DNFs in past two months.

Triangular is a tough one. I can check on it if needed. 

[+The Jester]

26 TEAM BROCKWAY BUS STOP  has a history of "Needs Maintenance" notes in logs and has a NM just posted.

 

[+KestrelAerie]

On 11/18/2017 at 11:21 PM, Terrible Ts said:

I have the Draft 1 route files available Here

I have the Draft 1 route files available HERE. I forgot to post this message here the other day.

 

Terrible Ts

 

I went to the Draft 1 route files link provided, but when I click on the PhonePrefix.gsk link I get a file not found error. Will this file be available in time to get ready for this cache machine?

[+Terrible Ts]

On 12/10/2017 at 11:55 AM, KestrelAerie said:

I went to the Draft 1 route files link provided, but when I click on the PhonePrefix.gsk link I get a file not found error. Will this file be available in time to get ready for this cache machine?

I just fixed the links to the PhonePrefix.gsk macro and the CMnumber.gsk macro.  Give it a try.

 

Terrible Ts

[+ohjoy!]

I am concerned about safety for my cache Do Sliced Pickles Bleed? (a tiny tin cache) - GC3WKYD.  It is on a high speed highway with very limited safe parking.  Hopefully it's at the end of the route when cachers are separated out.  Please make it clear that this is the case.  I don't want to feel responsible if there are problems.

[+bdp]

Anyone want to create an early morning Coffee Event in December 31st in the area so that we can all get our coffee in the morning and get our Souvenir?

[+travisl]

I need to contact local cache owners. That's a bit late of me, but better late than never, so the final route could certainly change. But, for what it's worth, here you go: draft 2 is up.

Some notes:

The pre-event dinner will be 6 PM Friday at Billy’s Bar & Grill, 322 E. Heron St, Aberdeen. Last-minute changes will be announced there and then posted later that Friday night in this forum. It's not an official event. It'll be very informal. You know the routine for these things by now.

It looks like "Old Blue" and "Triangular" are good to go, so no concerns there. "Team Brockway Bus Stop" needs maintenance but is still there, so I'll keep it on the route for now.

I looked at Street View for "Do Sliced Pickles Bleed" and I think it'll be OK. It's late enough in the day (around 3:30 PM) that I don't expect more than a couple of cars, and I see a wide shoulder on one side and an overgrown driveway on the other where a car would be OK for a few minutes. If you disagree, let me know and I'll remove it.

"Iron Springs" is disabled, but the owner says they'll replace. I'm keeping it on this draft.

"A Cache For Payton" involves beach driving. The high tide might turn this into a walk. We'll see when we get there.

Reminder that some of these are in state parks, so don't forget your Discover Pass.

Big thanks to K7DA for helping with his local knowledge!

Edited December 14, 2017 by travisl

[+Terrible Ts]

Draft 2 files for the Grays Harbor CM are available HERE

 

Terrible Ts

 

[+The Jester]

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 11:36 AM, travisl said:

It looks like "Old Blue" and "Triangular" are good to go, so no concerns there.

But Ol Blue was dropped from the route (should be between #13 & #14).

[+travisl]

1 hour ago, The Jester said:

But Ol Blue was dropped from the route (should be between #13 & #14).

Oh yeah. Parking's tight on that one. Highway is fast, past the crest of a hill. Favorites are zero. Good one for a CM to skip.

[+SirKarp]

On 12/14/2017 at 11:36 AM, travisl said:

"A Cache For Payton" involves beach driving. The high tide might turn this into a walk. We'll see when we get there.

Cache machinists need to be extremely careful of this cache.  Not only does it involve a beach drive but it also may require crossing a small stream in your car on the beach.  Also there are a few private roads that do not lead to the beach or the cache.  One must drive the beach from the Roosevelt conservation beach approach.  Also this stretch of the beach doubles as the Copalis Beach runway.  How often planes are landed on the beach I have no idea, but I thought you should know about these things.

[+WeightMan]

According to information on airnav.com the airport is on the sand and is closed to vehicles during the summer, but not now.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/S16

 

 

[+Rose Red]

A Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to state parks and recreation lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). One pass can be transferred between two vehicles. 

[+k7da]

i went by "triangular" yesterday and i could not find the container.  at least where i found it before.  and i think it had been marked as missing anyway

dave

[+bdp]

19 hours ago, Rose Red said:

A Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to state parks and recreation lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). One pass can be transferred between two vehicles. 

The Discover Pass can apparently be obtained in many local gas stations and local stores. Walmart in Aberdeen amongst them.

Vendors within 5 miles of Zip Code 98520

Name	Address	Phone Number
Big 5 Sporting Goods #338 Grays Harbor County	1161 E Wishkah St Aberdeen, WA 98520  Get Directions	(360) 532--2497
Bi-Mart #684 Grays Harbor County	310 Myrtle St Aberdeen, WA 98520  Get Directions	(360) 533--9862
Dennis Company #5 Grays Harbor County	220 N Boone Aberdeen, WA 98520  Get Directions	(360) 538--6727
Grays Harbor Guns Grays Harbor County	300 E Wishkah St Suite 120 Aberdeen, WA 98520  Get Directions	(360) 532--0473
Swanson's Food #3 Grays Harbor County	217 N Boone St Aberdeen, WA 98520  Get Directions	(360) 533--3761
Wal-Mart 2037 Grays Harbor County	909 E Wishkah St Aberdeen, WA 98520  Get Directions

[+travisl]

I've posted the final route. Only changes since draft 2: Triangular is off, GC7E40R is new and added. Any changes after this will be announced at the unofficial pre-event dinner on Friday and in this forum shortly after that.

See you this weekend!

[+Rose Red]

Interpretive Center (GC3Y76W) - "You will need to bring WATER about 32oz. for this cache."

[+Terrible Ts]

Sorry for the delay. I have been working on an emergency at work.

 

I have the Bookmarks and CmNukber files for the final route ready HERE

 

Terrible Ts

[+KestrelAerie]

Hmmm... the CMNumber files doesn't contain an entry for the recently added GC7E40R Oyhut Rest Area cache and it still contains an entry for the recently deleted GC2G60T Triangular cache. It looks like the CMNumber file link is pointing to the GHCM_draft2_out.txt rather than the GHCM_final_out.txt file.

[+LFLibrarian]

So....any plans for the unofficial pre-event Friday dinner?  Leaving early tomorrow morning to head your way.

[+The Jester]

Dang!  We have to cancel our plans to attend.  My mother-in-law fell last night and dislocated her shoulder so we have to stay home to help her out for a few days.  Hopefully we can get her some other help as we are leaving Jan 4 for a long trip.  Have a great time everyone!

 

[+bdp]

6 hours ago, LFLibrarian said:

So....any plans for the unofficial pre-event Friday dinner?  Leaving early tomorrow morning to head your way.

According to Travis from Dec 14th:

The pre-event dinner will be 6 PM Friday at Billy’s Bar & Grill, 322 E. Heron St, Aberdeen. Last-minute changes will be announced there and then posted later that Friday night in this forum. It's not an official event. It'll be very informal. You know the routine for these things by now.

[+Nerdygeodad]

I see there is a macro called GCNumbers for this cache machine, but when I try and use it, I have issues.

Is there a .gpx file anywhere with the caches for this cache machine?

[+The Jester]

1 hour ago, Nerdygeodad said:

I see there is a macro called GCNumbers for this cache machine, but when I try and use it, I have issues.

Is there a .gpx file anywhere with the caches for this cache machine?

You can use the Bookmark List to generate a PQ

[+Nerdygeodad]

Thanks.  But, I've never had any luck with pocket queries. That's why I like GSAK so much.  It is much easier to use.  That's why I was hoping someone had created a .gpx file of the caches for the cache machine.

[+travisl]

1 hour ago, Nerdygeodad said:

Thanks.  But, I've never had any luck with pocket queries. That's why I like GSAK so much.  It is much easier to use.  That's why I was hoping someone had created a .gpx file of the caches for the cache machine.

No can do. It violates 2.D.iii. of the terms of use : "You agree not to... Use our services, including GPX files, for any purpose other than your personal use..." That's why we use public bookmark lists to generate personal PQs to create a personal GPX file.

[+travisl]

No changes to announce. Should be good weather!