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Saxman's Great Plains Tour


Team GPSaxophone

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I've been told that I need to visit Nebraska, so here goes.

 

My Cachemobile (well, the real one not the model) will be leaving from Colorado Springs headed towards Kansas. I hope to meet up with my most famous sockpuppet, then head to Nebraska to meet up with CarleenP and her Mom. We'd like to visit Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota on our trip home.

 

Tentative dates at this point:

March 19: Drive to Mt. Hope, KS ~500 miles

March 20: Caching with Sparky-Watts

March 21: Drive to Lincoln, NE ~300 miles

March 22: Caching with CarleenP, NevalP, Leprechauns(?), Stunod(?)

March 23: Drive to Sioux Falls, SD ~240 miles caching in the corner of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota area

March 24: drive to Rapid City, SD ~350 miles

March 25: visit Mt. Rushmore

March 26: Drive home ~475 miles

 

If you're in one of the areas we're headed to, or along the way, and you'd like us to swing by, please respond to this thread and we'll try to make arrangements. This will add 5 states to our "States cached in" total (I've already cached in Kansas...one whole find <_<)

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Mt Rushmore is a gas. We plan to go back and vist again. We also want to visit the Crazyhorse monument this time to . (It was closed last time.)

 

I thought you mentioned NV in one of your other post about this trip?

We'll visit Nevada this summer. you're close to Las Vegas, right? :huh:

 

 

This summer's trip will be to cache in all of the Northwestern states, and the ones on the way to/from Colorado.

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Latest Itinerary:

 

March 20: Drive to Mt. Hope, KS ~500 miles

March 21: Morning: Caching with Sparky-Watts

March 21: Afternoon/Evening: Drive to Lincoln, NE ~300 miles

March 22: Caching with CarleenP, NevalP, Leprechauns(?), Stunod(?)

March 23: Drive to Sioux Falls, SD ~240 miles caching in the corner of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota area

March 24: drive to Rapid City, SD ~350 miles

March 25: visit Mt. Rushmore

March 26: Drive home ~475 miles

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Are you going through Kansas City to get to Lincoln, (yeah I know it is a little bit out of your way)? If so I'd like to follow you up to Lincoln and meet up with Stunod and Leprechauns and NevaP, and you of course. I have already met the esteemed CarleenP but the chance to meet four more famous cachers would be fun.

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Are you going through Kansas City to get to Lincoln, (yeah I know it is a little bit out of your way)? If so I'd like to follow you up to Lincoln and meet up with Stunod and Leprechauns and NevaP, and you of course. I have already met the esteemed CarleenP but the chance to meet four more famous cachers would be fun.

I could arrange that. The shortest distance was to go from Wichita north on I-135 to US-81 to I-80, but I should have the time to drive to Kansas City, even though it adds 140 miles to the trip. If you'd rather just meet in Lincoln that's fine too.

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You do need to come on up I-35 and pick up a cache or two in Missouri while you are at it. I think we have a few in the KC area you might enjoy.

 

Looking forward to meeting all the little blue people. :D

 

Brian

We will be coming through Kansas City, as the map above shows. Missouri is already on our list of states cached in, but I wouldn't mind finding a few more there ;)

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If I may, I suggest heading down 385 from Rapid City and you can hit a number of caches in the Western Nebraska Panhandle - lots of relitively easyish ones that are filled with history. Just a thought...

 

Your current route circles all of my good ones......

Edited by StarBrand
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Starbrand is right. I have been eyeing the panhandle caches for some time because they tend to be in interesting areas and placed by people with good reputations for good caches. I suspect there is a wealth of quality caches to be found through there. Plus the drive is nicer than the interstate! :unsure:

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Starbrand is right. I have been eyeing the panhandle caches for some time because they tend to be in interesting areas and placed by people with good reputations for good caches. I suspect there is a wealth of quality caches to be found through there. Plus the drive is nicer than the interstate! :unsure:

Definitely add some of Starbrand's caches. Chimney Rock and Courthouse Rock caches are particularly enjoyable as is the cache at Toadstool park.

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If I may, I suggest heading down 385 from Rapid City and you can hit a number of caches in the Western Nebraska Panhandle - lots of relitively easyish ones that are filled with history. Just a thought...

 

Your current route circles all of my good ones......

Well, we should have some extra time the day we visit Mt. Rushmore. I mean, how long does a typical tourist stare at the monument? We may take that route and stay the night in western Nebraska instead of coming through Wyoming. We'll be driving through Wyoming in June anyway.

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Some of the stars are beginning to align. Little Lep is on spring break the week when the SaxaClan will be roadtripping. And I have custody of her that particular week, so if I don't take vacation, I'd need to make child care arrangements anyways. I'd rather spend the bucks to go see a family of little blue cartoon characters. Also it will be cheap if we can find someone in Lincoln who likes us and will put us up for a couple o' nights.

 

I will ask SWMBP* this evening when I pick up Little Lep, whether a five-day trip would pose any sort of problem.

 

*She Who Must Be Paid

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If I may, I suggest heading down 385 from Rapid City and you can hit a number of caches in the Western Nebraska Panhandle - lots of relitively easyish ones that are filled with history. Just a thought...

 

Your current route circles all of my good ones......

Well, we should have some extra time the day we visit Mt. Rushmore. I mean, how long does a typical tourist stare at the monument? We may take that route and stay the night in western Nebraska instead of coming through Wyoming. We'll be driving through Wyoming in June anyway.

Crash at Fort Robinson. Its about 3 hours south of Mt Rushmore. Very cool history and some neat caches.

 

Things to do at Ft Rob.

 

1. See the Crazy Horse memorial. The only memorial to a fallen enemy ever errected on an active duty Army base.

2. See the museum there. Walter Reed practiced medicine there. (As a doc, I find seeing his script pad and medical gear cool).

3. Go into town and drink some Eiswein. The winery in Crawford makes eiswein that seriously rocks.

4. Hit Officers' Club cache.

5. Breakfast at the Frontier Cafe (good omlets).

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This way we can visit Cabela's in Sidney :D i'll need to pick up some camping supplies before my Campout event scheduled for July anyway

Cabelas at Sidney is a fun place. Be sure to check out their sale room(s). You will also find plenty of places to eat around there.

May I suggest either an Elk sandwich at the store, or going into Sidney and eating at a place called Dude's. Great prime rib and steaks. The decor is like a time machine back to the rat-pack era. You half expect to see Frank Sinatra hitting on some "dolls". Worth the side trip.

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I can arrange for a meeting spot (likely my house or my parent's house) for anyone who wants to come and cache in mass w/ Saxman on the 22nd. Since we will be heading to the Saxman Needs to Visit Nebraska cache, there are several on the way at Branched Oak Lake, Wildwood WMA and at Valpraiso. I will try to replace Redtail and maybe Larkspur caches in that area as well by then. Those will be listed as new caches since I will move them significantly from thier old spots. I would suggest that interested people email me so I know what to expect! :lostsignal:

Edited by carleenp
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Can't tell for sure from your map, but looks like you may be going right by this cache.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...48-322abcd0b630

 

There's no other spot on earth like it! (well maybe one in England kinda like it). Have fun on your trip, looks like a neat one.

Yep, we'll begoing right by there. I'll try and remember to stop. Shouldn't be too hard, since my Pocket Queries are set to grab all caches within 3 miles of our route.

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Can't tell for sure from your map, but looks like you may be going right by this cache.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...48-322abcd0b630

 

There's no other spot on earth like it! (well maybe one in England kinda like it).  Have fun on your trip, looks like a neat one.

Yep, we'll begoing right by there. I'll try and remember to stop. Shouldn't be too hard, since my Pocket Queries are set to grab all caches within 3 miles of our route.

Oh yes! That is a must find! A major Nebraska must see! Seriously, that should be top of the list. Carhenge is pretty cool!

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Can't tell for sure from your map, but looks like you may be going right by this cache.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...48-322abcd0b630

 

There's no other spot on earth like it! (well maybe one in England kinda like it).  Have fun on your trip, looks like a neat one.

Yep, we'll begoing right by there. I'll try and remember to stop. Shouldn't be too hard, since my Pocket Queries are set to grab all caches within 3 miles of our route.

Oh yes! That is a must find! A major Nebraska must see! Seriously, that should be top of the list. Carhenge is pretty cool!

Its a particularly great pun (CoFord Wagon). When you go to Carhenge, take time to sign the "Autograph" and appreciate the "Ford Seasons" as well.

 

(Some people just have too much time on their hands to be trusted with welding equipment...:lostsignal: )

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I miss Carhenge beer at Crane River. :mad:

 

Hmmm I actually have never been to Carhenge. I keep meaning to get out there. Looking at my calendar I possibly could drive out there, meet up with Sax and family on their way home, and cache part of the panhandle with them. I will have to consider that. I suspect I won't know if I can do that until shortly before.

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Man I wish it were December 2005 already. That's when I'm heading to Nebraska to visit my folks for two weeks over the holiday season. I'm a transplanted Nebraksan who was born and raised in Grand Island, went to school at UNL, lived in Bellevue for 2 and a half years before moving to El Paso, Texas in July 2000. Just got my first GPSr today: an Etrex Legend and I'm hoping to do a few caches around town this weekend.

 

I've been studying the maps in Nebraska and I'm hoping while I'm visiting my folks next winter I'll be able to snag the car for a day or two and do some caching around Lincoln as well as a few caches in Grand Island. Every time I come home in December the weather has been pretty mild so hopefully there will be no snow caching (not that I would mind -- I miss the snow). Knowing my luck we'll get hit by two back to back blizzards that dumb about 5 feet of snow apiece. :ph34r:

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Man I wish it were December 2005 already. That's when I'm heading to Nebraska to visit my folks for two weeks over the holiday season. I'm a transplanted Nebraksan who was born and raised in Grand Island, went to school at UNL, lived in Bellevue for 2 and a half years before moving to El Paso, Texas in July 2000. Just got my first GPSr today: an Etrex Legend and I'm hoping to do a few caches around town this weekend.

 

I've been studying the maps in Nebraska and I'm hoping while I'm visiting my folks next winter I'll be able to snag the car for a day or two and do some caching around Lincoln as well as a few caches in Grand Island. Every time I come home in December the weather has been pretty mild so hopefully there will be no snow caching (not that I would mind -- I miss the snow). Knowing my luck we'll get hit by two back to back blizzards that dumb about 5 feet of snow apiece. :ph34r:

Head west young cacher (to Kearney). Some really creative hides there.

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Woo hoo, my boss has approved a week's vacation during my daughter's spring break, so we will both be able to meet up with the gang for Saxman's Great Plains tour. In addition to a day of caching in Lincoln, on another day of the week we hope to drive over towards Kearney way to pick off a few good caches and see the Sandhill Cranes. Kearney's reputation as a small city with great caches is starting to spread. It's similar to State College, Pennsylvania in having a great collection of caches for a town of its size.

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Woo hoo, my boss has approved a week's vacation during my daughter's spring break, so we will both be able to meet up with the gang for Saxman's Great Plains tour. In addition to a day of caching in Lincoln, on another day of the week we hope to drive over towards Kearney way to pick off a few good caches and see the Sandhill Cranes. Kearney's reputation as a small city with great caches is starting to spread. It's similar to State College, Pennsylvania in having a great collection of caches for a town of its size.

While in Kearney, there are three that are really classics of their forms.

 

1. PineCob

2. Antique ATM

3. The night cache in the Bassway Strip.

 

Enjoy!

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We are also Rapid City geocachers.How do we connect where you are in the area?

Host an event? Or, as we get closer we can arrange a time and place to meet.

 

It doesn't have to be an event cache, but that usually works well when we're travelling. We hosted an event on our last trip to California and met quite a few cachers from the area we visited. We also hosted an even when we returned home, since we knew of another cacher that was coming through our area.

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Ok, here's the plan:

 

March 19: Drive at least as far as Salina, KS ~415 miles or all the way to Mt. Hope, KS ~520 miles

March 20: Caching with Sparky-Watts (morning), lunch in Wichita, KS

then driving to Kansas City, MO ~225 miles

March 21: Drive to Lincoln, NE ~200 miles

March 22: Caching with CarleenP, NevalP, Leprechauns, Stunod(?)

March 23: Drive to Sioux Falls, SD ~240 miles caching in the corner of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota area

March 24: drive to Rapid City, SD ~350 miles

March 25: visit Mt. Rushmore, drive to Sidney, NE ~230 miles

March 26: Drive home ~240 miles

 

Total mileage: about 2000 miles, not including caching

 

Map of planned route:

March05Map.jpg

 

If you'd like to "welcome" us to town with an event cache, that's fine. We'd love to attend. Now is the time to get them posted so we can make plans. We're staying in (or near) the cities listed above (and numbered on the map).

 

Any last-minute requests?

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