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The San Diego Thread


Night Hunter

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It is the time of year to remind our caching friends that snake season is fully upon us, especially in the local backcountry. I'm a little surprised that my encounter yesterday afternoon with a 4-foot long Southern Pacific Rattlesnake is the first this year, especially unusual given the places I've been hiking over the past few months. I found this one as it was stretched out on the ground within a few feet of GZ for Bear Valley Loop-The Beginning...or The End (GCNTZF). After coiling up to let me know it was there, it proceeded to cruise over and hide directly under the cache location.

 

Please, please be careful when looking for caches in brushy, wooded, or rocky areas. Using walking poles or a hiking stick to tamp around the area before reaching into a puka is always a good precaution, regardless of the time of year.

 

For more information on Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes see http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/c.o.helleri.html

 

-Gecko Dad

 

Letting me know I'm trespassing

e5d3afcc-0b73-4470-b317-3b90296a46ab.jpg

 

Heading for cover ... under the cache site

96a623be-23c1-45d2-8ea0-2310ab3febe5.jpg

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I saw a 2 foot diamondback in Mission Trails last weekend, my first proper rattling rattler. He was in the grass not 3 feet from the path, and made me jump when he rattled! He sat there rattling and tasting the air until we went away, he was NOT happy with us invading his turf. Didn't get any good pics, unfortunately.

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Trailgators and I ran across this guy this morning at Calavera Lake:

 

b6a0cfcd-3372-450e-bd20-000191deaacd.jpg

 

Edit: Ok Don, what kind is it?

That's also a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, the same species I saw yesterday on the Bear Valley loop. Their venom can be pretty nasty, as shown on the Venom ER series on the Animal Planet channel last year.

-GD

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I was riding my bike out to the Mesquite Valley cache yesterday out by Sweetwater Lake and rode right by inches away from a rattler. He was about a foot long and had black cross pattern with red or oranges sploshes on him. He had one and a half buttons, rattlers). The small ones are sometimes more deadly than the large ones in that they will use all their venom in one bite, where the large older snake will conserve venom. Fortunately he was laid out straight so not in striking posture.

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Hey Don,

How about the Kingsnake. Is it venomous? :P;)

No they are not venomous. I kept them as pets as a kid. They will try to bite you if you pick them up though. The only snake that I know of in these parts that won't bite is the Rosy Boa. They are very docile. Here are pics of one we found while caching:

 

2a9044b4-5107-4735-b305-ac19c6c03690.jpg

 

6715fe74-62a9-4056-9b8f-916831717ad7.jpg

 

RM

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I was riding my bike out to the Mesquite Valley cache yesterday out by Sweetwater Lake and rode right by inches away from a rattler. He was about a foot long and had black cross pattern with red or oranges sploshes on him. He had one and a half buttons, rattlers). The small ones are sometimes more deadly than the large ones in that they will use all their venom in one bite, where the large older snake will conserve venom. Fortunately he was laid out straight so not in striking posture.

I used to think the small ones were more dangerous, too, but not according to the experts (reference Venom ER program). The quantity of venom in larger snakes makes a great deal of difference and its pure chance whether or not a large snake injects venom when it strikes.

-GD

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Oops. Lost track of my bears yesterday. The Southern Pacific Rattlesnake was actually seen at Bear Valley Loop- The End....or The Beginning (GNCTZB) at the far northwest end of the Bear Valley Road. Sorry about the mistake.

 

Yes, the Kingsnakes aren't dangerous but they are still best left alone. They are known for eating rattlesnakes. See http://encarta.msn.com/media_461543808/Kin...attlesnake.html

 

Rosy Boas are definitely the mildest mannered of the local snakes.

-Gecko Dad

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:P Congrats to Rocketman and Kawikaturn!

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This many caches ;)

 

I have been off the board for a few weeks and missed out on the latest geonews!

Russ

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QUOTE (FlagMan @ May 21 2005, 05:16 PM)

Hey Parsa, have you seen this? AAA's GeoKicks on Route 66? I found it as an ad on the home page of Big Green. 

 

 

I saw that ad earlier today, but I couldn't get anything to come up when I clicked on it. Now, I am envisioning a new event cache/Road Trip: "San Diegans Get Their Geokicks on Route 66" with Parsa as Host.

 

You have to put your zip in for it to work. B)

Hmm... more caches to hit while on the road. ;) Too bad they aren't farther west now. ;) We'll be home from vacation before they intersect our route. I don't think we have time to detour east that far. :P

Edited by HelBob Duo
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Tom's already got the FTF (way to go!) but my new puzzle is out: Digit Location.

 

It's members only at the moment, so I know some of you have already been looking at it!  ;)  :P  B)

Speaking of puzzle caches, I've posted a couple of hints to Dream State, if anyone is interested.

Seems you've got everyone I know (including me) stumped on this one! Must have something to do with the Matrix, of course, but exactly how it works is a mystery. Seems many have solved the offsets, but noone yet has figured out the primary puzzle...... Good job, I think! ;)

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Speaking of puzzle caches, I've posted a couple of hints to Dream State, if anyone is interested.

Where did you post the new hints, your webpage shows the last update was on May 7th, when you added the second hint as a note entry. I must say I didn't get the second hint and found it to be a rewording of the first hint, both of which flew over my head icon_smile_blush.gif .

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Has anyone else had trouble getting aerial maps from www.lostoutdoors.com in the past few weeks?  Is there another site I can acquire them from?

USA Photo Maps is a good program. It also let's you import a GPX file!

Otherwise Google Maps had an aerial satellite option. Just type in any address and hit enter then click on satellite in the upper right. It is very easy to use!

Edited by TrailGators
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Has anyone else had trouble getting aerial maps from www.lostoutdoors.com in the past few weeks?  Is there another site I can acquire them from?

USA Photo Maps is a good program. It also let's you import a GPX file!

Otherwise Google Maps had an aerial satellite option. Just type in any address and hit enter then click on satellite in the upper right. It is very easy to use!

I've tried the Google Maps satellite but it doesn't show the placement of lat/long. Does the USA?

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Has anyone else had trouble getting aerial maps from www.lostoutdoors.com in the past few weeks?  Is there another site I can acquire them from?

USA Photo Maps is a good program. It also let's you import a GPX file!

Otherwise Google Maps had an aerial satellite option. Just type in any address and hit enter then click on satellite in the upper right. It is very easy to use!

I've tried the Google Maps satellite but it doesn't show the placement of lat/long. Does the USA?

Yes

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Has anyone else had trouble getting aerial maps from www.lostoutdoors.com in the past few weeks?  Is there another site I can acquire them from?

USA Photo Maps is a good program. It also let's you import a GPX file!

Otherwise Google Maps had an aerial satellite option. Just type in any address and hit enter then click on satellite in the upper right. It is very easy to use!

While I was waiting for my MeriPlat to come in the mail, I found my first three caches using USAPhotoMaps. It's an excellent program. In fact, I like it so much, I paid for it! ;)

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bb9ee54b-ac62-48e7-a07e-8a842f42ccf0.jpg

Cool! Can I have one?

 

By the way, Harmon, we ate dinner at La Posta Diner last night, and our waitress had never heard of you! It got us thinking that this whole Sandy Creek Cowboys and the Ranch might be just an illusion of some sort, what with your excellent skill at Photoshop and all....... Does the Ranch really exist, or did Harmon just morph it into the landscape with some sort of reverse cloaking device........

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By the way, Harmon, we ate dinner at La Posta Diner last night, and our waitress had never heard of you!  It got us thinking that this whole Sandy Creek Cowboys and the Ranch might be just an illusion of some sort, what with your excellent skill at Photoshop and all.......  Does the Ranch really exist, or did Harmon just morph it into the landscape with some sort of reverse cloaking device........

Funny you should mention the diner.

 

The guy that owns the land that the diner is situated on has an ongoing feud with DennisB. DennisB owns Sandy Creek Ranch. Not sure about details of the feud but it is a good old-fashioned sort of thang. Of course the feud doesn't involve the folks that run the diner.

 

Result is that the Sandy Creek Ranch hands don't frequent the diner for an obvious reason. Oddly enough I often dropped into the diner way back in the late seventies with a band of bicycle tourists. Those were the days of the British couple that served marvelous plates of tasty food.

 

So you see, not only are the Sandy Creek Cowboys alive and well but they have the colorful distinction of preserving old-timey ranch feuds just like in the hay-burner movies. Yeehaw! some day we'll do a number seven on that low-down, ornery place.

 

DennisB received a UPS package last Christmas from the other guy that turned out to be a carton full of horse turds. Ain't that sweet and colorful?

 

What's even better is that there are ongoing feuds between the back-country ranchers and local Indian tribes, mostly over environmental issues like operation of illegal sand-recovery plants that dry up creeks and water tables. Steers have even been shot and killed over some fairly-recent issues. Seriously, that area is always fully armed and ready t' fight.

 

Yep, the old west is indeed alive and well out our way. O yeah, thanks for bringing this sorrowful issue up by the way. Kind o' took an ol' cowboy's mind off'n his busted ankle. Shi-ut.

 

Only thang is I feel sorry f'r th' gal at th' diner. Not knowin' me is a loss f'r shore, ask anybody.

 

Harmon of Sandy Creek Cowboys

Edited by SD Rowdies
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anyone interested in heading to palm springs the weekend of june 3,4,5 to attempt to meet or beat Team Flagman's record in caching 100+ caches?

Steve, I think you are forgetting that it's typically 110 degrees up there in June! :P

 

Edit: If you do go, you should hit the top of San Jacinto for your 100th! It is nice and cool up there! :D

Edited by TrailGators
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. . .

 

By the way, Harmon, we ate dinner at La Posta Diner last night, and our waitress had never heard of you!  It got us thinking that this whole Sandy Creek Cowboys and the Ranch might be just an illusion of some sort, what with your excellent skill at Photoshop and all.......  Does the Ranch really exist, or did Harmon just morph it into the landscape with some sort of reverse cloaking device........

HMMMmmmmnnnn! I did the same thing a few months ago and wondered how they could not know about the SC Cowboys. :P

 

Interesting to learn the story . . .

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Has anyone else had trouble getting aerial maps from www.lostoutdoors.com in the past few weeks?  Is there another site I can acquire them from?

I've been having the same problem. I dropped them an e-mail Sunday afternoon (5/22/05) and received the following prompt reply from their "webmaster"....

 

"The problem is here. Our server got moved, but the ISP is now a week late getting broadband installed.

Sorry!

-jjf"

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Has anyone else had trouble getting aerial maps from www.lostoutdoors.com in the past few weeks?  Is there another site I can acquire them from?

I've been having the same problem. I dropped them an e-mail Sunday afternoon (5/22/05) and received the following prompt reply from their "webmaster"....

 

"The problem is here. Our server got moved, but the ISP is now a week late getting broadband installed.

Sorry!

-jjf"

Thanks!! I just got that reply too. Hope it gets fixed soon.

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. . .

 

By the way, Harmon, we ate dinner at La Posta Diner last night, and our waitress had never heard of you!  It got us thinking that this whole Sandy Creek Cowboys and the Ranch might be just an illusion of some sort, what with your excellent skill at Photoshop and all.......  Does the Ranch really exist, or did Harmon just morph it into the landscape with some sort of reverse cloaking device........

HMMMmmmmnnnn! I did the same thing a few months ago and wondered how they could not know about the SC Cowboys. :blink:

 

Interesting to learn the story . . .

More interesting to live it.

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Greetings from Ventura !!

The Splashes, $kimmer, and The Vulture are relaxing here on the beach soaking up sun and a few caches...........................o.k.,not alot of relaxing, but we are

.........Power-Wandering .........the area.!!!!!!

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Greetings from Ventura !!

The Splashes, $kimmer, and The Vulture are relaxing here on the beach soaking up sun and a few caches...........................o.k.,not alot of relaxing, but we are

.........Power-Wandering .........the area.!!!!!!

I'm on standby right now for a GCH7VD webcam shot of $kimmer, Mr. The Vulture, and the Splashes.

 

Bingo! minus Mr. The Vulture, he's working and I'm supposed to be.

860409d1-98bf-4752-abca-eba16ebb33db.jpg

Edited by SD Rowdies
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From the News Station...

 

Hello!

 

As you all probably know the Magellan “Be There” geocaching contest got underway this past Monday.

 

KSWB in San Diego is planning to tape a segment this Thursday about geocaching and the upcoming Magellan contest. They would love to interview some local geocachers about the various steps involved in finding a cache.

 

If you are interested in participating, please contact me by phone or e-mail ASAP! You will need to be available between 9 a.m. And 2 p.m. on Thursday. The station is located in the Kearney Mesa/Clairemont area @ 7191 Engineer Road and the interview would take place at a park or other location in that area.

 

This is a great opportunity to promote geocaching.

 

I look forward to hearing from you!

Melisa

--

Melisa Glasberg

DeLyon-Hunt & Associates

P: 310.374.6893

C: 702.378.6760

F: 310.798.1173

melisa@delyon-hunt.com

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...KSWB in San Diego is planning to tape a segment this Thursday about geocaching and the upcoming Magellan contest. They would love to interview some local geocachers about the various steps involved in finding a cache...

 

This is a great opportunity to promote geocaching...

 

This last weeks new cache notification had 22 caches within 15 miles of my house...10 withing 10 miles...8 within 5 miles...

 

I don't think site promotion is lacking...

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