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Long, unecessary hikes through the woods.


Radman Forever

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Last weekend, me and my friends went a mile through the woods when we came up to a two track road that could've saved us 9/10 of a mile walking! Not only that, we got lost for two hours and that ruined the rest of our day for caching. Has anyone else have an experience like that?

 

Fathers and Sisters I have none but this man's father is none other than me, Tony De Angelo. I know, it doesn't make any sense!

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On many of my cache pages I'll recommend a longer, but more interesting hike through the woods, even if I know of an easier way in. Often the easiest way is the least interesting. Of course my recommendation is just that. If a GPS user wants to make their own way, then that's their choice and loss.

 

And to me, getting lost doesn't ruin the experience. To the contrary, it enhances it. Some of the most interesting finds I had were ones where I was "lost" for a period.

 

"Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing" - Helen Keller

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I agree with both your comments, but when we ended up going through a swamp trying to get back to our car and my friend fell into some muck and banged his head on a log. I had to drag him a half a mile through thick brushes to get back to my car. Even when I had my GPS system, I had trouble trying to get back to the car and trying to find the best way possible (like Geosahrks said). I still love taking in scenery from the woods or areas the caches are sorrounded by, but I try to find the safest and easiest route to any cache from now on. I always make sure to take a backpack with a cell phone, canteen of water, first aid kit, and other items just to make sure that incedent never happens again. I now mark where my car is and make sure to have my track history is on so I can backtrack on the safest way possible. That trip was more helpful and educational than anything else. I think I'm a little paranoid about all of this! icon_biggrin.gif

 

Fathers and Sisters I have none but this man's father is none other than me, Tony De Angelo. I know, it doesn't make any sense!

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I agree with both your comments, but when we ended up going through a swamp trying to get back to our car and my friend fell into some muck and banged his head on a log. I had to drag him a half a mile through thick brushes to get back to my car. Even when I had my GPS system, I had trouble trying to get back to the car and trying to find the best way possible (like Geosahrks said). I still love taking in scenery from the woods or areas the caches are sorrounded by, but I try to find the safest and easiest route to any cache from now on. I always make sure to take a backpack with a cell phone, canteen of water, first aid kit, and other items just to make sure that incedent never happens again. I now mark where my car is and make sure to have my track history is on so I can backtrack on the safest way possible. That trip was more helpful and educational than anything else. I think I'm a little paranoid about all of this! icon_biggrin.gif

 

Fathers and Sisters I have none but this man's father is none other than me, Tony De Angelo. I know, it doesn't make any sense!

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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher A. F. Randolph:

Last weekend, me and my friends went a mile through the woods when we came up to a two track road that could've saved us 9/10 of a mile walking! Has anyone else have an experience like that?


 

I haven't personally had that problem, but someone that found one of my caches did. It was located maybe 50 yards (at the most) from the parking lot of a great big city park. Well, metro park is what it was - and it was still located out in the country.

 

But anyway - apparently they came in from the opposite direction and had to hike a REALLY long ways. At their suggestion I added parking coordinates for that cache (which has since been archived) but I dunno... I would rather just post the cache coordinates and let the finder look for the best way to the cache. If they take the super hard way, that'll teach 'em to use the online maps a little better next time. icon_wink.gif

 

I still try to please... I still have at least one cache where I give parking coordinates, and another that I pretty much tell where to park. I hate making it too easy, though - and I really feel like giving that information might take away some of the adventure for those who want to find the whole way themselves.

 

toe.gif

Click the Toe...  and please stop confusing your opinion with fact, ok?
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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher A. F. Randolph:

Last weekend, me and my friends went a mile through the woods when we came up to a two track road that could've saved us 9/10 of a mile walking! Has anyone else have an experience like that?


 

I haven't personally had that problem, but someone that found one of my caches did. It was located maybe 50 yards (at the most) from the parking lot of a great big city park. Well, metro park is what it was - and it was still located out in the country.

 

But anyway - apparently they came in from the opposite direction and had to hike a REALLY long ways. At their suggestion I added parking coordinates for that cache (which has since been archived) but I dunno... I would rather just post the cache coordinates and let the finder look for the best way to the cache. If they take the super hard way, that'll teach 'em to use the online maps a little better next time. icon_wink.gif

 

I still try to please... I still have at least one cache where I give parking coordinates, and another that I pretty much tell where to park. I hate making it too easy, though - and I really feel like giving that information might take away some of the adventure for those who want to find the whole way themselves.

 

toe.gif

Click the Toe...  and please stop confusing your opinion with fact, ok?
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Two ideas, topographical maps & satelite images. I always print out the area I'll be looking in, at different scales. So I can see what the terrain is like close to the cache and the possible routes in.

 

The GPS only gives you direction and distance (sometimes -- mine is usually 40 ft or more off). It won't show you that the cache is on the other side of a creek or swamp or gully. Or that there's a path/road 100 ft in the other direction.

 

I've had the creek and gully thing happen (and the road too). If I hadn't had the maps I wouldn't have seen that the path the GPS was pointing to would put me on the wrong side.

 

Windrose

 

"The way of the Wind is a strange, wild way."

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I've found that just doing some preliminary study work on the area (use the topo maps or a standard street-level map), you'll be able to plan your trip better.

 

This happened to me today...was going to look for a cache in a city park. Went to the parking lot...GPS said .7 miles to cache. Not really that far, but judging by the direction it was point to...I knew of another way into the park from the back. Sure enough, when I drove to the back way....only .2 miles to the cache.

 

Sometimes it's more challenging to not do any research. The few that I've done, most of the time I just get the coordinates, and briefly read the description of the cache. I'll print out the cache page and bring it with me, but I like to try to find it on my own with just the coordinates first. I usually end up driving around the site trying to find a road that will lead closer, but I've already had to say "heck with it" and just park-and-walk. No big deal. Makes it more of an "experience" I guess.

 

Christopher J. Miller

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Gads! Were you spying on me today? icon_wink.gif Me and the Kiddo go traipsing off into the creek in a public park, until it gets way too deep to go any further. Obviously, we were in the wrong place...so I came home and checked the online map. I wasn't even in the right part of the park! (I really suck at this sport! LOL!)

 

quote:
If they take the super hard way, that'll teach 'em to use the online maps a little better next time.

 

Ummm...doubtful. icon_biggrin.gif

 

**********************

Geocaching by day...hockey at night!

Life is good icon_biggrin.gif

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Gads! Were you spying on me today? icon_wink.gif Me and the Kiddo go traipsing off into the creek in a public park, until it gets way too deep to go any further. Obviously, we were in the wrong place...so I came home and checked the online map. I wasn't even in the right part of the park! (I really suck at this sport! LOL!)

 

quote:
If they take the super hard way, that'll teach 'em to use the online maps a little better next time.

 

Ummm...doubtful. icon_biggrin.gif

 

**********************

Geocaching by day...hockey at night!

Life is good icon_biggrin.gif

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I'll admit 9/10 of a mile is a big longer than usual, but I've learned to accept the long walks as part of the game.

 

A couple months ago a friend of mine and I were completing a multi-cache that we had started over 2 months earlier (yep, we're that slow). After we had the final coordinates, we drove very close to where they were pointing, but couldn't find a place to park. We ended up finding a parking lot and approaching the cache from about 1/4 mile away (which probably amounted to more like a 1/2 mile walk).

 

When it was all over, we headed out the other way, closer to the road, and stumbled across an old pioneer cemetery. AMAZING! We would have found it if we had gone the short way, but working for it made it the icing on the cake.

 

May all your accidents be happy ones! icon_wink.gif

 

Bret

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again." Mt. 13:44

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I'll admit 9/10 of a mile is a big longer than usual, but I've learned to accept the long walks as part of the game.

 

A couple months ago a friend of mine and I were completing a multi-cache that we had started over 2 months earlier (yep, we're that slow). After we had the final coordinates, we drove very close to where they were pointing, but couldn't find a place to park. We ended up finding a parking lot and approaching the cache from about 1/4 mile away (which probably amounted to more like a 1/2 mile walk).

 

When it was all over, we headed out the other way, closer to the road, and stumbled across an old pioneer cemetery. AMAZING! We would have found it if we had gone the short way, but working for it made it the icing on the cake.

 

May all your accidents be happy ones! icon_wink.gif

 

Bret

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again." Mt. 13:44

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As you all realise, the hunt is three parts, the car, the hike and the Geowandering.

 

I have a Legend that's loaded with the local street maps, so I put up the map display and wedge the GPS between the dashboads and the windshield to make my poor man's heads-up display. I can then drive around searching for the nearest car approach.

This didn't work well once recently. I thought that I found a good parking place, then we went on a trail through a lovely tree-covered canyon with an easy trail. However, the canyon started turning in the wrong direction and soon the GPS was pointed directly up a steep slope covered with slippery oak leaves and tall grass. The cache was .6Mi away, all straight uphill. Yikes.

I decided to punt and drive around to the other side of the hill. There we found very nice marked and maintained trails right to the cache.

Though the first trail was geographically closer to the cache, it was a heck of a lot harder to get to the cache by that route.

It helps to study the area a little.

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Finding your way to the cache is all part of the adventure. If there were never any obstacles, what would be the point? Chalk up this to a learning experience, and next time take your emergency supplies and have fun with it.

 

And I'm sorry, but I don't even know where to start with those of you that think 9/10 of a mile is a long walk. Thanks a bunch for the hearty chuckle. icon_biggrin.gif

 

---------------------------------------

Missoula Organization Of Geocachers (MOOG)

MOOG; Unarguably, the coolest geocaching club acronym to date. icon_cool.gif

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Finding your way to the cache is all part of the adventure. If there were never any obstacles, what would be the point? Chalk up this to a learning experience, and next time take your emergency supplies and have fun with it.

 

And I'm sorry, but I don't even know where to start with those of you that think 9/10 of a mile is a long walk. Thanks a bunch for the hearty chuckle. icon_biggrin.gif

 

---------------------------------------

Missoula Organization Of Geocachers (MOOG)

MOOG; Unarguably, the coolest geocaching club acronym to date. icon_cool.gif

---------------------------------------

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quote:
Originally posted by skydiver:

And I'm sorry, but I don't even know where to start with those of you that think 9/10 of a mile is a long walk. Thanks a bunch for the hearty chuckle. icon_biggrin.gif


 

Ya, I live so far out in the boonies I have to walk 9/10 of a mile to get from my house to my driveway, uphill both ways. icon_wink.gif

 

Women are like guns, keep one around long enough and you're going to want to shoot it.

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quote:
Originally posted by skydiver:

And I'm sorry, but I don't even know where to start with those of you that think 9/10 of a mile is a long walk. Thanks a bunch for the hearty chuckle. icon_biggrin.gif


 

Ya, I live so far out in the boonies I have to walk 9/10 of a mile to get from my house to my driveway, uphill both ways. icon_wink.gif

 

Women are like guns, keep one around long enough and you're going to want to shoot it.

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quote:
Originally posted by skydiver:

And I'm sorry, but I don't even know where to start with those of you that think 9/10 of a mile is a long walk. Thanks a bunch for the hearty chuckle. icon_biggrin.gif


 

Ya, I live so far out in the boonies I have to walk 9/10 of a mile to get from my house to my driveway, uphill both ways. icon_wink.gif

 

Women are like guns, keep one around long enough and you're going to want to shoot it.

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quote:
Originally posted by Windrose:

Two ideas, topographical maps & satelite images. I always print out the area I'll be looking in, at different scales. So I can see what the terrain is like close to the cache and the possible routes in.

 


 

What I have a problem with my topo maps is that they have GPS coordinates at the corners of the map and no instructions for using the values of this grid to figure out where something is on the map. In other words if I have a box that is 41 15 00 and 96 20 00 in one corner and 41 00 00 and 96 10 00 in the other corner, where on the map is the cache located at 41 09 679 and 96 11 376 supposed to be?

 

Sorry to seem dense, but having asked this question before, and received no good answer, I figure it was worth bringing up again in this thread.

 

By appointment to the Court of HRM Queen Mikki I.

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quote:
Originally posted by bigredmed:

 

What I have a problem with my topo maps is that they have GPS coordinates at the corners of the map and no instructions for using the values of this grid to figure out where something is on the map. In other words if I have a box that is 41 15 00 and 96 20 00 in one corner and 41 00 00 and 96 10 00 in the other corner, where on the map is the cache located at 41 09 679 and 96 11 376 supposed to be?

 


 

I use the maps on lostoutdoors.com, as Markwell has suggested, they are great. I don't think I would have ever found a cache without them. In fact the first 13 caches I found (before I got my GPS) I found with just the maps/photos and a compass. They don't have the coordinates in the corners that you're refering to, but the cache location is marked on the map/photo and when I get to the place I can see where there is a creek, hill, gully, road, etc. in relation to where the cache is and in relation to where I am.

 

Windrose

 

"The way of the Wind is a strange, wild way."

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I'm putting a cache in this week that is by a very nice natural landmark. You can pull up along the side of the road and get to it on one side, or you can start farther away on the other side, take a nice set of pathways down a great gully, with benches, water cut rock streams, a great wooded area with a nice path etc.

I prefer the scenic route. I dunno, I'd rather do one great cache and enjoy the place in an afternoon than make it a race and rattle off 6 in a day or something.

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quote:
Originally posted by bigredmed:

 

What I have a problem with my topo maps is that they have GPS coordinates at the corners of the map and no instructions for using the values of this grid to figure out where something is on the map. In other words if I have a box that is 41 15 00 and 96 20 00 in one corner and 41 00 00 and 96 10 00 in the other corner, where on the map is the cache located at 41 09 679 and 96 11 376 supposed to be?

 

Sorry to seem dense, but having asked this question before, and received no good answer, I figure it was worth bringing up again in this thread.

 


 

What you need is a MAP GRID RULER.

 

These allow you to plot your position from the nearest lat/long intersection on a map.

 

19973_600.gifThe adventures of Navdog, Justdog, and Otterpup

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As far as plotting positions on a topo, as has already been said, UTM grid is far easier. A very good primer on this subject is available at www.maptools.com . If you are using a paper USGS topo, you may want to draw grids on the map, using the tick marks on the edge of the map. I personally plot my cache locations on TOPO! and use this computer mapping program to store my cache data, load my GPS and print out a map showing the cache location in UTM format.

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heh, oh this is rich!! I planted "Teddy Roosevelt" 6/10th of a mile into a several-thousand-acre 'wildlife reservation" The only reason it was reserved is because it is too wet to fill up with buildings. There was a gravel two track along power lines for the majority of it, a body of water to cross and a little of swamp. Mopar and Macro, separatly, both made their approach from the exact other side, almost two miles of grueling trackless swamp, water up to the knees. Very disorienting terrain. Mopar was so impressed with this arduous journey that he placed "revenge on the king" out in the middle of that mess. I've been to the area but haven't signed the logbook yet. The bottom line of all this is that nobody makes you seek these things, and nobody is preventing you from looking at a map before you go etc. If you don't hey that's great, but you get what you bargain for at that rate! Peace all!!

 

King Pellinore

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Originally posted by Christopher A. F. Randolph:

Last weekend, me and my friends went a mile through the woods when we came up to a two track road that could've saved us 9/10 of a mile walking! Not only that, we got lost for two hours and that ruined the rest of our day for caching. Has anyone else have an experience like that?

 

Yeah! I love it when that happens. A fellow cacher and I were teamed up this weekend on a hunt where we hiked 3.7 miles. Some was doubling back because of private lands. As we were doing it, we both commented that this is one of the reasons we geocache. To get excersize.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

 

[This message was edited by Steve Bukosky on September 30, 2002 at 09:05 PM.]

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We did two caches this weekend, one (El Sombroso) which was 6 miles in from the trailhead and an elevation gain of 2400 feet. The second one (Sombroso Spur) was an additional .5 miles farther in, almost all through dense thorny bushes (it was a 4 1/2 star terrain, for good reason). We got totally scratched up. But as we sat at the second cache site and ate lunch, we were smiling. 9/10 of a mile seems pretty easy... ;-)

 

--Marky

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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher A. F. Randolph:

Last weekend, me and my friends went a mile through the woods when we came up to a two track road that could've saved us 9/10 of a mile walking! Not only that, we got lost for two hours and that ruined the rest of our day for caching. Has anyone else have an experience like that?

 

Fathers and Sisters I have none but this man's father is none other than me, Tony De Angelo. I know, it doesn't make any sense!


 

It won't always be helpful, because some of these features like trails and hardly-used tracks won't be visible, but do look at the aerial photo of the cache. Sometimes you do see something that will save you a lot of time.

 

"Seek and ye shall find." - God, ????, BC

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a buddist (or maybe zen, I forget the difference) monk takes his disciples out for a lesson. They are to climb a great mountain. It takes them almost all day, an arduous climb. Scraped and battered, bruised and sore, scaling rocks, leaping gaps, they finally make it to the top, and the master has them turn to watch the sun set. Behind them is a road that leads up the other side of the mountain to a well not 100 feet from where they are finally at rest. There are some women washing their clothes at the well. Once novice turns to the master and asks "Matser, there is a road those women took. Why didn't we just come that way?" To which the master replied "those women are not on the same mountain"

 

King Pellinore

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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher A. F. Randolph:

I agree with both your comments, but when we ended up going through a swamp trying to get back to our car and my friend fell into some muck and banged his head on a log. I had to drag him a half a mile through thick brushes to get back to my car. Even when I had my GPS system, I had trouble trying to get back to the car and trying to find the best way possible (like Geosahrks said). I still love taking in scenery from the woods or areas the caches are sorrounded by, but I try to find the safest and easiest route to any cache from now on. I always make sure to take a backpack with a cell phone, canteen of water, first aid kit, and other items just to make sure that incedent never happens again. I now mark where my car is and make sure to have my track history is on so I can backtrack on the safest way possible. That trip was more helpful and educational than anything else. I think I'm a little paranoid about all of this! icon_biggrin.gif

 

Fathers and Sisters I have none but this man's father is none other than me, Tony De Angelo. I know, it doesn't make any sense!


 

Seems you learned from lifes experiences. And from that, took responibility. Life is a teacher. You listened. Good Job. You get an A+. icon_biggrin.gif

rocker51

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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher A. F. Randolph:

I agree with both your comments, but when we ended up going through a swamp trying to get back to our car and my friend fell into some muck and banged his head on a log. I had to drag him a half a mile through thick brushes to get back to my car. Even when I had my GPS system, I had trouble trying to get back to the car and trying to find the best way possible (like Geosahrks said). I still love taking in scenery from the woods or areas the caches are sorrounded by, but I try to find the safest and easiest route to any cache from now on. I always make sure to take a backpack with a cell phone, canteen of water, first aid kit, and other items just to make sure that incedent never happens again. I now mark where my car is and make sure to have my track history is on so I can backtrack on the safest way possible. That trip was more helpful and educational than anything else. I think I'm a little paranoid about all of this! icon_biggrin.gif

 

Fathers and Sisters I have none but this man's father is none other than me, Tony De Angelo. I know, it doesn't make any sense!


 

Seems you learned from lifes experiences. And from that, took responibility. Life is a teacher. You listened. Good Job. You get an A+. icon_biggrin.gif

rocker51

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quote:
Originally posted by Zartimus:

I'm putting a cache in this week that is by a very nice natural landmark. You can pull up along the side of the road and get to it on one side, or you can start farther away on the other side, take a nice set of pathways down a great gully, with benches, water cut rock streams, a great wooded area with a nice path etc.

[i prefer the scenic route. I dunno, I'd rather do one great cache and enjoy the place in an afternoon than make it a race and rattle off 6 in a day or something.]


 

I agree whole heartedly. Make a great day of one cache. Enjoy life & natures beauty. And you will find more than one treasure.

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Park at these co-ordinates for a nice 3 mile hike past a waterfall, a good view from the bluffs, an old cemetary as well as an old foundation from who knows when and then finally on to the cache. OR.....park somewhere else for a quick 3 minute walk to cache in/cache out and on to the next one and miss out on what makes geocaching.... Geocaching.

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as a NECESSARY hike?

 

Excepting, of course, those required for mental health rejuvenation, physical fitness and improvement and sheer " I've got to get out of this house!" reasons. And besides, the purpose of a hike is to get out and walk, so isn't "long" better?

 

Use a map, PREPARE for your adventure and have a good time playing the GAME!!!

 

Wishing I had time for long unecessary hikes this week,

Charlotte of bloomcru

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You can't use un-necessary and hike in the same sentence, unless it's something like "Work that day seemed un-necessary, so we went for a hike to find a geocache". Part of the whole point is the hiking, the fresh air, the exercise, the fun,the hunt, the unknown. You should be sure to do your mapping research before you head into the wilderness, or even into suburbia. If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else! (credit where credit is due, this is a book title, author's name forgotten)

 

Cache you later,

Planet

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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher A. F. Randolph:

Last weekend, me and my friends went a mile through the woods when we came up to a two track road that could've saved us 9/10 of a mile walking! Not only that, we got lost for two hours and that ruined the rest of our day for caching. Has anyone else have an experience like that?


 

I think I have a permenant handprint on my forehead where I slap myself and say.. "Oh THAT'S how you get here."

 

I don't see how the day was ruined. You learned a lot, and discovered how to get yourself unlost.

 

george

 

39570_500.jpg

Pedal until your legs cramp up and then pedal some more.

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