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Night Hunter

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Hey Dr.B,

 

I set out from Calle Vida, up to Stickers with a view, past One Small Step, and South Amarillo, up to N. Fortuna, Tuna Sandwich, S. Fortuna (the one I didn't find), down the staircase to Beam Me up, past Hang em High, then back to Calle Vida.  Round trip took just under 5 hours (I took my time), about 6 miles, over 1700 feet elevation gain/loss.  Definitely worth the trip.  Sorry about the image size...

 

(snipped)

Thanks Duscwe, seems like a nice route. Will see how much my hiking/muggle companions want to do on the day, but 6 miles sounds nice enough.

 

Incidentally, what topo site/program did you make that map with?

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I'm pretty certain Dr. Boggis' snake is a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake - Crotalus helleri.  They are typically chocolate brown and banded, like this one.  I can forward a variety of photos I have taken of them in the wild.  Here is a link to a photo log from a recent caching hike on Palomar Mountain.

 

Red diamonds, also species crotalus, are distinctly red or buff, even as juveniles.  Here's another link to a photo log.

Thanks Gecko Dad, useful stuff. The camera on my PDA isn't very good, so it came out browner than it was in real life - the snake was decidedly red in colour. From your photo logs, I'm still not sure. It looked redder and more banded than your pics of the adult Red Diamond, and though the banding on the Southern Pacific is more like it, it was much much redder in colour.

 

Either way, I don't fancy testing out the venom!

Dr. Boggis-

Based on color you saw but did not show in the photo, it could indeed be a Red Diamond. A more definitive classification is possible if you have a photo of the tail. The "raccoon" pattern is distinctive for Red Diamonds.

-Gecko Dad

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Hey Dr.B,

 

I set out from Calle Vida, up to Stickers with a view, past One Small Step, and South Amarillo, up to N. Fortuna, Tuna Sandwich, S. Fortuna (the one I didn't find), down the staircase to Beam Me up, past Hang em High, then back to Calle Vida.  Round trip took just under 5 hours (I took my time), about 6 miles, over 1700 feet elevation gain/loss.  Definitely worth the trip.  Sorry about the image size...

 

(snipped)

Thanks Duscwe, seems like a nice route. Will see how much my hiking/muggle companions want to do on the day, but 6 miles sounds nice enough.

 

Incidentally, what topo site/program did you make that map with?

Dr.B,

 

It's called TOPO! by National Geographic, the whole state cost me about $100 (probably available for less if you shop around). I can upload and download waypoints via the GPSr, very handy program. After I upload a pocket query to the GPSr I like to download the waypoints into TOPO! to make sure I have the waypoints I want. You can create routes, build profiles, can't imagine not having it. Worth the money.

 

D :P

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Dr. Boggis-

Based on color you saw but did not show in the photo, it could indeed be a Red Diamond. A more definitive classification is possible if you have a photo of the tail. The "raccoon" pattern is distinctive for Red Diamonds.

-Gecko Dad

Unfortunately I only took one pic, since I didn't want to get too close and the PDA (Clie TJ27) only has a 2x digital zoom, so I only use it for quick snaps. I don't tend to take either of my "proper" digital cameras out caching with me these days, trying to travel light!

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It's called TOPO!  by National Geographic, the whole state cost me about $100 (probably available for less if you shop around).  I can upload and download waypoints via the GPSr, very handy program.  After I upload a pocket query to the GPSr I like to download the waypoints into TOPO! to make sure I have the waypoints I want.  You can create routes, build profiles, can't imagine not having it.  Worth the money. 

 

Sounds good, yup. No Mac version though, of course. :P

Well, I don't do upload/downloads from GPS on my (work) Mac, but I spend more time in front of it than our PC at home. And we've got Mapsource on that, though the topo maps are less detailed than the one you posted. I've got Terrabrowser on my work Mac (OSX), and it's great for checking out satellite images, you can read .gpx files from pocket queries and make new waypoints, print out images etc. It downloads data from the Microsoft Terraserver, which gets its data from the USGS. Sometimes the pace of development in parts of San Diego means that you can't rely on the images, even if they're only a couple of years old!

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yes there is, and if you goto REI over in kearny mesa or i guess clairmont area is more like it they stock it. but $100 is a bit pricey for just a single state when mapsource is the whole US for that price.

 

yes i use a mac. :P

 

link2gps and gpswrite are my most used progs..

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Those wonderful approvers are at it again. I set up a new cache page while I'm at work, its approved by the time I get home. Great stuff!

 

My latest cache Hanging Around (GCKQY7) is up and running. Its in the north part of Escondido, near Parsa's Veridian Queen. I seem to be on a run of fun-but-not-hard caches as of late. My Lame Micro 243 (GCKDNH) helps offset that just a bit but I might have to dream up a few dastardly micros to keep the force in balance.

 

Its worth a trip to Hang Around in Escondido.

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It's called TOPO!  by National Geographic, the whole state cost me about $100 (probably available for less if you shop around).  I can upload and download waypoints via the GPSr, very handy program.  After I upload a pocket query to the GPSr I like to download the waypoints into TOPO! to make sure I have the waypoints I want.  You can create routes, build profiles, can't imagine not having it.  Worth the money. 

 

saw this at costco for much cheaper than $100. may finally have to get it

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Those Jr Geogeeks are just too funny. Here's an October 10th entry from 'The-Cheat's Motivation' (GCJ455)

And I thought my kids gave me grief!

 

Dan-oh

 

...It looked like the landscaping had been recently re-done in the manner that more mulch or stuff..(I'm sure there's an official landscapers term) had been laid down and I thought for sure that the cache might have been buried or lost in this. So...after looking around for a little bit, wondering why my darling children were not helping, decided to give up and give it another try later.

 

So we all hope back into the car, start it and I notice something in the older geogeeks lap out of the corner of my eye.....I called him some bad name and they both busted out laughing. Turns out they had found the cache and were watching me look aimlessly look for it. I'll never forgive them for this.

Althought, as I stated in the beginning, I love them dearly...

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Hey, did anyone get pictures of Jeff when he opened the log book? That would have made a pretty funny movie. :D:unsure::blink::blink::blink:

The pictures Mom took of Jeff opening up the cache are on the "Don't Fear the Reaper"cache page now. Unfortunately none of the pix convey the pure sense of chagrin Jeff had on his face when he opened up the cache box, but they're up there for viewing.

 

--Dave, The Cow Spots

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Has anyone else noticed a new feature of the "My Cache Page", where if you hold on to a travel bug for 2 weeks, it puts up a reminder, like this:

 

* No activity in the last 14 days - Please drop off this travel bug in a new cache or contact the owner as a courtesy. If the Travel Bug has been lost, the owner can change the bug's status to an unknown location.

 

I know it's bad form to hang on to TBs for too long, but sometimes it's inevitable, if all you find are micros or you just don't have time to go caching. Just wondered if anyone else wanted to confess to this sin as well as me :anibad:

 

(Incidentally, Team Taskmasters, I still have the Nimbus 2000 and will be moving it along at the weekend.)

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I know it's bad form to hang on to TBs for too long, but sometimes it's inevitable, if all you find are micros or you just don't have time to go caching. Just wondered if anyone else wanted to confess to this sin as well as me :anibad:

I know sometimes it is difficult to get rid of a TB...(Anybody ever pick up Kawikaturn's old Jeff and Jef bug???? Not only did it have to be a large Ammo Can, it had to be almost empty!!!!!) And I think most people understand. As a common courtesy, I try to let an owner know that all is well if I haven't been able to drop of the TB in a timely manner.

 

Also, you can log a TB in and out again of a micro just so that the owner sees that you know you still have it, and it also will gain miles.

 

And since we are confessing to sins....um...nevermind

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If holding on to a travel bug too long is a sin, then I'm damned to eternal hell.  :o

 

That's one reason why I seldom take them. I don't want folks getting justifiably angry with me.

 

Parsa

Speaking of TB guilt - have you ever placed a bug in a really hard to get cache? I put one in Off to Find a Wizard, this incredibly difficult and buggy multi-cache, and I wonder if it'll ever see the light of day again.

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Sigh.... it appears my eTrex Vista has gone missing in the vicinity of Stickers With a View. I was almost to 100! If anyone is by here and has a chance to put an extra set of eyes on the ground around the cache site, I'd greatly appreciate it. Went for a run this morning up by it with no luck. Opened the cache box just to make sure it wasn't in there. I'm so bummed. Convincing my wife to drop more cash on a new GPS is going to be a challenge from hell.

 

NomadVW

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No activity in the last 14 days - Please drop off this travel bug in a new cache or contact the owner as a courtesy...

As the owner of more than several TB's, there certainly is courtesy in playing the game as it is intended by keeping them moving and towards their intended goals. But from the standpoint of a TB owner, my attitude has always been that once I send it out there, it is up to the fates as to what happens to a bug. I don't look at them any differently than any other item of swag left in a cache. Other than the ones that I have created as an essential part of a cache, I only seldom actually follow their movements. I choose to buy them from Groundspeak for two reasons: 1) to financially support the website; and 2) to give back to the game. When I first started seeing travel bugs I thought they were cool, so I figured other people would like to find them in caches as well. So I always carry a couple of unactivated bugs with me to attach to an interesting item I find in a cache. I usually leave it in the cache and call it an "Instant TB." I take a picture and then when I get back to the computer, I activate the bug before logging the cache find so I can drop the bug into the cache. Works for me. But I would be disappointed if someone out there was sweating over keeping one of mine in their swag bag for too long. And if anyone out there decides they want to keep the hitchhiker, that seems to be fair game to me as well. I would only ask that they attach something else, take a picture, and let me know of the swap. But even if they didn't do that, I would probably never notice anyway. ;)

 

Now those dang pirates who like to steal bugs, that's a totally different story! :o

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No activity in the last 14 days - Please drop off this travel bug in a new cache or contact the owner as a courtesy.....

Speaking of which, I have the Yrium Udesignit TB in my possession. Yrium was working on the next card in the series when he passed away. I think it would be wonderful if someone was willing to take over ownership of this bug and continue the series. I don't think I have the creative genious to do it justice. Any takers? If you want to check it out, it is TB9E.

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Sigh....  it appears my eTrex Vista has gone missing....

I've got a couple of spares you can borrow if you like. Magellan Meridian and eTrex basic. I even have an eTrex cammo you can have if you can get it to work. It won't turn on for me.

It appears I have pined enough! My wife capitulated rapidly, I believe understanding my new found love and well... ok, so I just moped.

 

I'm going to replace my Vista with a Vista (no way I'm paying for the color.. hah). Besides, I have all the etrex accessories and stuff, so to go to something else would cost even that much more.

 

Thanks for the offer! If I lose this one, I'm coming to find you.

 

VW

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Sigh.... it appears my eTrex Vista has gone missing in the vicinity of Stickers With a View. I was almost to 100! If anyone is by here and has a chance to put an extra set of eyes on the ground around the cache site, I'd greatly appreciate it. Went for a run this morning up by it with no luck. Opened the cache box just to make sure it wasn't in there. I'm so bummed. Convincing my wife to drop more cash on a new GPS is going to be a challenge from hell.

 

NomadVW

Nomad,

 

Glad to hear you've got an understanding wife! I'll be in MTRP this weekend doing some caches, including Stickers with a View, so I'll keep my eyes peeled.

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It's a dark and stormy morning..... :D <insert sound effects here>. From down the hall, a woman hears that dreaded noise. "Honey!!! Do you know where my black socks are?! I can't find them in the laundry!" She sighs :laughing: and wonders when the grown man will be able to keep track of his own clothes. Then again, she was warned. She's even seen the recent effects of the forgetful mind as he pined over his lost GPSr and the effects it will have on his newest hobby.. er.. obsession. She takes pity on him and goes to the laundry baskets to assist him in his 15-minutes-before-church-they're-already-running-late-for search. After dumping the second basket, the man looks at his wife with a glint of hope :D in his eyes! "They're in my briefcase from last week on that flight I missed! Aha!" The man scurries off to the den/office/cluttered mess and reaches his hand into the briefcase. As she turns the corner, she sees the look of surprise on his face. :anitongue: "What to his wondering eyes should appear, but 2 black socks, and 1 GPSr!" :D:D

 

And so.... a brand new eTrex Vista that hasn't reached the TeamVW household yet is no longer needed to sate Nomads appetite for geocaching. 13 to go to make 100, and aiming to complete it before the 2 months of geocaching mark. Was hoping to do it at the Blair Valley campout, but we'll be saving wetlands that morning. Busy 5 days ahead of us! :D

 

NomadVW

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MTRP big loop report:

 

Me and three muggle mates (one of whom had an eTrex but had never really used it) set off to find out how many PhDs it takes to find some geocaches......

 

Started at the (brilliant) Visitor's Center at around 10.30am, and went anticlockwise on the VC Loop to start with. Found Fattboy's First first, but then didn't find Can U C Me. Restored faith and confidence when Kurt found No Floppy Snakes Here, and then I found Visitor's Welcome around 11am, and we were off up the hill towards Suycott Wash and the Fortunas. After a fairly hard climb, we found Don't Fade Away, and then took a break under the trees at Hang 'em High on our way to the South Fortuna peak. Traded TBs at Beam Me Up, and then went up the staircase, making me feel very unfit, to where the Adrenaline Cache should be. We didn't actually look for it, but it's a cracking spot for a cache, or just for a rest. Awesome views, even on a cloudy day like today.

 

Next up, the fairly new South Fortuna cache, which Mark found at 12.30 (2 hours in, 7th cache found), and then on to Tuna Sandwich, where I picked up Duscwe's ready-made micro cache which I placed on the Fortuna Saddle later. Off the North Fortuna peak from here, and Mark ran all the way to the summit from the saddle - crazy boy that he is. Stopped for lunch on the top, and watched some aerobatics at the Miramar Air Show, then headed off to bag N. Fortuna Mtn. After that, we returned to the Fortuna Saddle and set off down into Suycott Wash and up the other side, and found South Amarillo by a team effort - Mark did the translation, Kurt spotted what to move, and I found the container, around 2.30pm (so 4 hours in, 10 caches done). Then we set off down the hill, with a slight detour to One Small Step, and then right back to the bottom to rejoin the Visitor's Center loop to do the other half. The boys were suffering from cache fatigue by this point, so they didn't try too hard to find Let Us Cache, and I couldn't find it either. A few muggles to avoid here too, unlike the rest of the day when we'd only seen about 10 people total! So we carried on for the last and possibly easiest cache of the day, Stuck on You, at around 3.30pm. So, 12 caches, 5 hours, and just over 9 miles later we were back at the Visitor's Center, after a great day and a good workout. Highly recommended ;)

Edited by Dr. Boggis
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Does anyone have a list of suggested caches for the Blair Valley campout this weekend? Looks like there are bunches of 'em out there. There's probably some overlap with what people found last year.

 

I hope to head out Friday after work to get set up. Anyone else doing the same?

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We plan on getting there after work, too. We have a truck with a camper.

 

We called up the Blair get-together then listed the nearby caches. Of course, that was before the flurry of activity this past week or so. Hope people bring out printouts for the ones that come on-line Fri & Sat. for those of us that won't have a chance to do it.

 

Well, it rained at our get-together in the spring. Will we have a repeat performance? ;):lol:

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Does anyone have a list of suggested caches for the Blair Valley campout this weekend? Looks like there are bunches of 'em out there. There's probably some overlap with what people found last year.

 

I hope to head out Friday after work to get set up. Anyone else doing the same?

It looks like some folks (T.R. Violin) have been busy populating the area with new caches, so there will be pleanty to hunt, even for those that have cached here before.

 

c2e17f6c-caf4-4471-9873-e91816b1271b.jpg

 

There is a good list of older caches on last year's event page. RM

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Does anyone have a list of suggested caches for the Blair Valley campout this weekend? Looks like there are bunches of 'em out there. There's probably some overlap with what people found last year.

 

I hope to head out Friday after work to get set up. Anyone else doing the same?

Since I am no longer employed..no, wait, sorry...since I'm in the middle of my fall vacation I'm planning to get out there early on Friday and do some caches in the area, but not necessarily Blair Valley. Took the Jeep out to South Anza-Borrego today, had to use 4-low for one particular cache. If anyone is interested in getting started early, let me know. I have leave Saturday morning since the 23rd is my wedding anniversary (barely got permission for this one). See you guys soon,

 

D :laughing:

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I might go out all day on Friday. Thursday still has possible rains predicted, but Friday through Sunday is supposed to be clear.

 

I may go out to the Dos Cabezas area down south to do a few caches there on Friday morning. Then I may head over to the Ocotillo Wells area since I've done none of those yet.

 

30 or 40... really? That sounds a bit much. Maybe we can have a marathon night caching adventure. Caching by flashlight.

 

On Saturday morning I have to head to Balboa Park for a botany field trip that's part of my training for the plant atlas project. I may or may not come back. If there are dozens of caches in the valley, the temptation may be too great. :laughing:

 

If anyone wants to go convoy out with me on Friday, or meet me somewhere on the way, just give me an email.

 

Parsa

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I wouldn't be surprised to see 30 to 40 NEW caches placed around Blair Valley all show up around....October 20th. Just in time to make the weekly announcement.

 

:laughing:

Dang, I'm working like a fool with PQs and mapping to get a 25 mile radius around the event.

OK, 25 is a little far but I'll see. More choices are coming though?

 

Freedom of choice is what you got

Freedom from choice is what you want

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