Geocaching Lincoln and Concord Ma

BB went out shopping and I took some time to look for some caches in Lincoln and Concord Ma. that were recently found. 

Birt memorial - Found it.  I started with this today.  There is great winter parking at N42° 24.8978' W71° 19.5674'.  Short walk to cache over well trod trails.  I tried at GZ but didn't find.  After walking back to the car I checked the hint walked back and found cache about 30' from GZ at N42° 24.9844' W71° 19.6401'.  Neat winter friendly hide but even on a cold and occasionally windy day there were many muggles about.  SL/TNLN/TFTC.

Witch Tree Cache - Found it.  Parked just off of Sandy Pond Rd at N42° 25.7827' W71° 19.0637' in a reasonably used area.  There is also parking at a trail head just a bit further N on Sandy Pond Rd. Quick walk in over well trod trails with the Witch Tree easily found.  Cache coordinates appear to be off.  I found it at N42° 25.7953' W71° 19.1548'.  The cache was in generally good order but the log was fairly wet and there was some ice inside the container.  Cache would be a challenge in deeper snow.  SL/TNLN/TFTC.

Waldon Pond's friend - Found it.  Reasonably near by so I drove over and parked at Waldon Pond.  $5 parking a bit off putting and there isn't much choice although I suspect there are trails through from Witch Tree.  Parked near toilets adjacent to lot E which provides good access to trail at N42° 26.4607' W71° 19.9482' that cuts behind park buildings and connects with service road leading to water facility (pressure for Concord system?).  Road is well trod but steep and occasionally icy.  A bit of care though and it's a reasonably, albeit challenging, uphill walk.  Near the top I noticed tracks toward the cache GZ.  I walked in and easily found the cache at N42° 26.3170' W71° 19.7397'.  The hike would be tough in the snow but the cache itself is reasonably winter friendly.  SL/TNLN/TFTC.

Pine Hill's Friend - Found it.  While I was on top of the hill I walked just a bit further to Pine Hill's Friend.  The trail was well trod and easily followed to the cache.  I noticed some tracks leading toward GZ from a previous cacher and followed those to the cache at N42° 26.1989' W71° 19.6643'.  Cache was in generally good order but the log was frozen and there was some evidence of water inside.  Cache would be tough in deeper snow but was easily found today.  SL/TNLN/TFTC.

Walk out down the road was MUCH easier than walk up and I managed it with only a few slips on ice and no falls.

Carrier Cache - Found it.  This was just across Rt 2 so I drove over to see if I could make it 5 for 5 for the day.  There is good winter parking on the end of Sandy Pond Rd at N42° 26.8552' W71° 19.7089'.  The trail is well trod.  After a bit I noticed some tracks headed away from GZ.  I followed these in and got to GZ easily.  The previous cacher had looked at several places in the area and I checked them as well without finding it.  In reading recent finds I noticed on log that mentioned that the cache was 20 meters from GZ.  I started checking at that distance and quickly found the cache at N42° 26.8862' W71° 19.9686'.  Snow would be an issue but today the location was obvious.  The cache was in good order.  SL/TNLN/TFTC.

Five for five for today, yea!  Good fun on a bright but somewhat cold and windy winter day.

Here are today's photos.  As usual click through to see full size versions.  No spoilers.

Geocaching Northboro, Westboro, and Southborough

Went out geocaching today to try several that were recently found.  Here's what I tried:

• DALE #1 (NORTHBOROUGH) - Found it 
• NNNNN - DNF
• Acer Cache - DNF
• Kimchi Key  - Found it 
• Not So Abrasive - DNF
• SBMB  - Found it 
• DALE #3 (SOUTHBOROUGH) - Found it  

DALE #1 (NORTHBOROUGH) - Found it.  I'd tried this one a bit ago.  Went back since it was recently found and I've had some success with other similar caches.  Found it right were I thought it would be. SL/TFTC.

NNNNN - DNF.  Everybody seems to find this but me.  I'm sure it's there but I just can't seem to find it.  TFTC

Acer Cache - DNF.  Nice site.  I'll go back here.  Quick walk from good parking but after looking for about 20 minutes and getting rather cold I just didn't find it.  TFTC.

Kimchi Key  - Found it.  Good parking either in front or in back.  No muggles or construction today.  Found at GZ.  SL/TFTC.


Not So Abrasive - DNF.  Since I was nearby and have had some recent success with nanos I tried this one.  I'm fairly sure I know where it is but there were MANY muggles about and I was reluctant to really search.  I'll try on a weekday mid afternoon where hopefully there are fewer muggles about. TFTC.

SBMB  - Found it.  I drove by this one on the way home and quickly found it.  The area was very overgrown with bushes/vines and there was a fair bit of trash.  I picked up what would fit in the trash bag I had but there was still a fair bit.  Road parking today was good and the cache very accessible.  SL/TFTC.


DALE #3 (SOUTHBOROUGH) - Found it.  Drove by this on the way home and stopped.  With the recent snow melt this is readily available.  Since it is near the Southborough library there can be many muggles about.  A bit of patience and stealth though works.  SL/TFTC.

Here are the photos from today's adventures.  As usual click through to see full size photos.

Geocaching Littleton and Hudson

Was in Chelmsford, Ma today visiting dentist and decided to try a couple of caches along the way.  Here's what today's adventure was before snow really got started and I headed home to get some lunch:

• Tick Free -  Found it.
• James Bond Series - Octopussy - Found it.
• Castle In The Trees - Found it.
  
• Gas Saver I - DNF
• Firefighter's Exercise Trail - Found it.
• Beyond the Stream  - DNF.  Muggled?

Tick Free -  Found it.  I'd tried this one a few weeks ago.  Since then my nano finding skills have improved with a couple of successful finds.  So I decided to try again.    It was another of those 'button' style nanos.  They are REALLY small.  Took a bit of doing to get the log back in the container but I finally managed it.  SL/TFTC. 

James Bond Series - Octopussy - Found it.  This is only a short walk from Tick Free.  There was some unbelievably slick ice in the parking area but after that things got fairly easy.  Found the cache quickly in a reasonable winter hide.  SL/TNLN/TFTC.

Castle In The Trees - Found it.  This was just down the road a bit and seemed like an easy find.  Parking was good and the cache was only a short walk.  When I got past the tennis courts I found a town service area of some sort with stunningly large snow banks. I found my way through and bushwacked through open forest to GZ.  It may be a bit off as I found the cache at N42 32.4570 W071 29.0637.  It was frozen in the ground (not winter friendly with snow) but I was able to free it.  SL/TNLN/TFTC.

Gas Saver I - DNF.  This was nearby so I checked it.  Got to GZ without issue but DNF after a fairly careful check of the area.

Firefighter's Exercise Trail - Found it.  I'd previously tried this one but without success.  I returned today since the ground was clear of snow.  Parking today was easy along Sudbury/Hudson Rd at N42 23.710 W071 28.287.  Got to GZ easily but after a search nearby didn't see it.  Just before leaving I checked a bit further afield and found at N42 23.74.88 W071 28.3489.  Cache was frozen into ground but I was able to free it.  Not winter friendly.  SL/TNLN/TFTC.

Beyond the Stream  - DNF.  Muggled?  I've visited this site on several occasions with snow on the ground without success.  Flush with success from Firefighter's and clear ground I tried again.  The well trod trail is icy in spots but it is a quick walk in.  I searched the area within about 120' of GZ carefully using the hint without success.  Given the traffic I'd not be surprised if it had been muggled.

After giving up again on Beyond the Stream I walked out as the snow started falling a bit heavily.  All in all a good caching day.  Here are the adventure's photo's.  As usual no spoilers.  Click through if you want to see full size images.

Geocaching in Bedford, Ma

After all the difficulty finding geocaches in the icy snow I went caching in Bedford today since there has been a number of recent finds there and with all the warm rain yesterday most of the snow is gone.  Here's what I tried for:

• MBP - Cable, Do Not Dig - Found it.
• MBP - Sub-Par - DNF.  It may have been muggled.
• MBP - Below Grade - DNF
• MBP - Ghoulish Side Trip - Found it.
• MBP - PROJECT 6211 - Found it.
• MBP - Bridge Crossing - Found it.
• DLY #14 - On a wall - DNF

MBP - Cable, Do Not Dig - Found it.  There was easy parking in a nearby commercial building lot.  It was a short walk to GZ along a plowed path.  Found the cache after only a little searching.  It was a good hide of a style I've not seen before.  SL TNLN TFTC

MBP - Sub-Par - DNF.  It may have been muggled. This was nearby so I just walked over along the path.  There was some obvious trails toward GZ but I was not able to find the cache.  I did note some recent branches cut so I wonder a bit if the cache was muggled.  TFTC

MBP - Below Grade - DNF.  This one was just a bit further along the path across the street.  Surprisingly there was a fair bit of foot traffic while I was in the area.  I was able to look though and DNF.  TFTC.

MBP - Ghoulish Side Trip - Found it.  This was a fun cache.  I thought at first that it was in the cemetery.  It's NOT.  The cemetery itself was interesting particularly the Christmas decorations!  After I moved the car to the right location (good offroad parking near GZ past law offices) just a bit of searching and rereading the story lead me to the cache.  SL TNLN TFTC.  Cache needs a new log book.

MBP - PROJECT 6211 - Found it.  This is just a short drive from where I'd been so I went for it.  Good winter parking and the area around the cache was clear.  A bit of searching and the hint lead me to the cache.  SL.  TNLN. TFTC.

MBP - Bridge Crossing - Found it.  This cache is just a short walk from Project 6211.  There was a bit of muggle traffic including a unicyclist searching for somewhere to ride!  During a lull I found the cache.  Ice/snow can be an issue for this cache and there was a bit today but manageable.  SL TNLN TFTC

DLY #14 - On a wall - DNF.  I parked along Wildwood Dr. and walked in via a yellow/blue trail.  It crossed a couple of small streams via stepping stones.  Not ice/snow friendly but passable today.  I should have probably parked along Springs Rd.  Got to GZ ok but DNF among MANY good hiding places.

Here are the photos from today's adventure.  Click through to see larger images.  One possible spoiler.

BB, John, Marie and I go caching in Stow

BB, John, Marie, and I went geocaching in Stow trying to find "Walk in the woods."   BB has a new pair of walking sticks courtesy of Marie that she was anxious to try.

The site is nearby so it was only a short drive to good winter parking just off of Bradley Lane.  There's a baseball field here with lots of plowed winter parking.

It was a bit cloudy and in the low to mid 30s.  This made the trails somewhat slick. 

We walked in on the west side of Gardner Hill and got to GZ fairly quickly.  Unfortunately with 8" of icy snow cover we were unable to locate the cache despite 30 min of digging in likely places.  Interestingly, there were recent snowmobile tracks near the cache.

On the way back Marie lost her glasses, so we had to backtrack to retrieve them.  After a bit of discussion we decided to walk around Gardner Hill so we took the blue trail east around the hill.

Along the way we got some good views of the Assabet river and a number of kettle holes.  This is a nice area and we'll return later when conditions are a bit better to revisit the cache.

Here are the photos.  No spoilers.  As usual click through to see larger images.

S'Cool Geocache

BB was out to here hair dresser today so I decided to go for a bit of a walk and try to find the S'Cool cache.

I checked out the distance from both the high school and the adjacent grade school.  It turns out that the grade school is actually closer to GZ than the high school.

There was good winter parking.

The hike across the ball fields was a bit tiring as the ice/snow was tough to walk on.  I really wished for snow shoes or skis.  Once across the field there were more tracks on the trail and walking was a bit easier with less snow.  I followed the trail and cut through a stone wall. 

A bit further along the GZ directions suggested following the trail along a ridge with water and downed trees on both sides.  Unfortunately as the trail got within about 150' of GZ I came to a beaver dam and hutch.  Doubtless that was the cause of all the flooding and downed trees.  Water was flowing and I checked the ice.  It was not safe so I had to backtrack. 

After getting off the ridge I found a trail heading east with a bridge across the stream that feed the flooded area.  Once on the east side of the flooding I followed another trail along the flooded area that got within about 80' of GZ.

Some easy bushwacking through open forest lead me to GZ.  As luck would have it I caught a glimpse of the cache top so I didn't have to spend any time searching.  Fortunately I'd brought a small hand shovel after my experience with ice/snow yesterday.  I needed it to dig the container out as it was frozen in place.

I signed the log and did a bit of trading.

All in all it was a nice walk though I really should get some snowshoes for these kinds of trips.

Here are the photos.  No spoilers.  Click through to see bigger images.

Suburban geocaching Framingham and Ashland

Went geocaching in suburban Framingham and Ashland.  Here's the summary:

• N'ice! - Park and grab with good winter parking.  Good hide.  TFTC. SL.
  
• Devil's Den - Neat site with good parking and access from behind Ashland.  DNF. 
  
• ICU - Park and grab with good winter parking.  DNF.
  
• Kidde-Fenwal - No safe legal parking so did not try.
  
• stone park - Neat little park with good winter parking.  TFTC. SL.
  
• Mercury Rising - Cool site but DNF.
  

N'ice! - This was just down the street from where I was caching yesterday but I didn't have time to attempt.  I came back today.  It's a quick park and grab with a good hide.  I found after only a few minutes.  SL.  TFTC.

Devil's Den - This is a neat site.  I cheated a bit and parked behind Ashland HS which makes it almost a park and grab.  The 'cave' is cool.  I wonder though what caused the boulders to pile up like that?  I walked around to the back side to GZ.  There were MANY good hiding spots.  Everything was covered in about 5" of icy snow.  I tried several likely spots but DNF.  I try again when the snow is gone.

ICU - Should have been a quick park and grab with good winter parking.  Unfortunately I DNF.  My guess is that it's under some ice.

Kidde-Fenwal - This was an interesting site but I couldn't find safe legal parking so I'll save it for another day.

stone park - This was a nice little park with good winter parking.  There was a great kids play area and a gazebo on the way to the cache.  I wouldn't have found with the icy snow except for the pile of twigs the previous finder left.

Mercury Rising - This was a nice spot by a mill pond.  Winter parking was OK if a bit muddy.  The pond itself was lovely.  There were two spillways in a sort of V.  GZ was easily found but without a hint finding a micro with the icy snow cover wasn't possible.  Another DNF for the day.

It was nice to get out even though I didn't find a lot of caches.  Several of the areas were very interesting particularly "Devil's Den" and "Mercury Rising."  I definitely return to these later when conditions improve.  Even so, I think I still prefer caching in more natural settings with more walking and less driving.  That's just me though and others would doubtless enjoy these caches.

Thanks to all the owners for their efforts.

Here are the photos of today's adventure (no spoilers).  As usual if you want larger images just click through.

Went 'City' caching in Framingham today to see what it was like.  It was a bit of a mixed bag.  I found most of what I was looking for but did not enjoy it as much as a more natural setting.  Here's what I attempted:

• “Childhood Park” – Parking lot not plowed so didn’t attempt
• “None Shall Pass” – Park and grab
• “This Little Piggy Went to Market” – Another park and grab but hidden a bit differently from the other “Piggy” caches
• “Dale 14” – Park and grab. Another of the Dale series.
• “Get Your Butter’s Worth” – Yet another park and grab 
• “Learned Pond” – Parking lot closed so didn’t attempt. Poor on street parking.
• “I can see my house from here!” – Park and grab but DNF.
• “Farm Pond Trail” & “Launchpad” – Short walk from good winter parking at Cushing Chapel

"Childhood Park" should have been an easy park and grab.  Unfortunately, Framingham doesn't generally plow the parking for their parks.  Parking was a bit down hill through 6" of icy wet snow.  Not good for my Mazda 3 so I didn't attempt this.  Perhaps in the spring.

"None Shall Pass" was next up.  There was good winter parking in the adjacent commercial area and the coordinates were spot on.  The cache was fairly visible and quickly found.  Log book was a bit damp from the recent rain and melt but otherwise OK.  SL.  TFTC.

"This Little Piggy Went to Market" - I'd done a number of these and this one was just across RT 9 from NSP so off I went.  It was a quick park and grab with good winter parking.  Despite the public location there weren't many muggles about since it was on the side of the grocer.  SL.  TFTC.

"Dale #14" - I've done a number of these.  Always moving.  This one is at a veterans memorial in Framingham next to one of the Framingham courts.  Good winter parking.  The find took a bit of digging as it was frozen in the recent wet snow.  SL.  TFTC.

"Get Your Butter's Worth" - This was something of a treat.  Butterworth Park is a lovely little park in Framingham with a nice open wood where the cache is located.  I cheated and parked at a nearby apartment as the park's parking wasn't plowed (see above).  It was only a short walk in and the cache was an easy find.  This is a great kids cache with some nice trade items.  SL.  TFTC.

"Learned Pond" - One of the nice things about caching in the city is that there are often many nearby caches.  Unfortunately, this was another of those not plowed parks so I didn't attempt it.

"I can see my house from here!" - Good near by winter parking in commercial areas.  I used the hospital's visitors lot.  The cache is only a short walk.  Unfortunately I was unable to locate it although I did dig about a bit with a stick through the former contents of someone's stomach.  Rather off putting.

"Farm Pond Trail" - This was only a short drive away.  I was able to park easily at Cushing Chapel.  From there it's only about a quarter mile to the cache.  It's a nice park with reasonable walking trails.  I found the cache easily enough.  SL.  TFTC.

"Launchpad" - This cache is only about another quarter mile along the trail.  Despite the 'city' character of this park I only met one muggle while walking.  This was a good hide but the coordinates were spot on.  SL.  TFTC.

All in all I've mixed feelings about 'city' caching.  I found some caches.  That's fun.  But it was mostly about driving from one to another.  Not being able to park at a couple was a bit frustrating particularly as they appeared to be nice parks.  The business at "I can see my house from here!" was not nice but I suppose that comes with city caching.  I may try again since one experience is hardly a fair sample.  We'll see.

Here are the photos from this adventure.  If you want to see the larger images you need to click through.  No spoilers.

BB and I try for Abandoned

BB and I went out to Callahan N to try to find the Abandoned geocache.  Along the way I checked out parking for X marks the spot.  Still not good but there is parking on a side street near one of the trail heads.  Perhaps I'll try there. 

We drove on to the parking for Abandoned.  I'm not sure what the owner was thinking but it's just not there and I'm not sure it would be possible even in the summer.  Drove back to the parking lot about 1/8 mile down the road and we parked.  Walking on Edmunds Rd in the winter isn't much of a plan so we followed the trails around to the trail head.  This adds about 1/4 mile to the route.  Conditions were OK but the walking a bit dicey with the ice and wet from the recent warm.  We got to the trail head OK and started in.  Things were going well until we got to the hill.  There the trail turned rather poor with lots of ice, rocks, etc. on the side of a somewhat steep dropoff.

BB wasn't feeling well with a cold and given conditions we turned back.  Even so we had a nice walk of about 1.6 miles.

Dinner was scallops and a wilted spinach salad.  Yum.

Walk and geocache with John and Marie

Marie called and wanted to know if BB and I wanted to go for a walk.  We decided to combine it with a bit of geocaching and decided to try to find Witches Cove Trail.  Marie drove and away we went.  Parking was a bit muddy but otherwise OK.  The walk in is about 1.5 miles or so.  The cache is located near a lovely pond.  Well go back in the spring to revisit, perhaps walking in from the east side.

Once there we were able to quickly find the cache even though my GPS was fairly unstable among the trees.  We signed the log and did a bit of trading.  I left IB`s Caching in the Holidays Geocoin 2 since this should be an easy cache for others.  The cache was not particularly well hidden so we did a bit of work to improve the hide (it's still an easy find and right were we found it). 

The cache mentioned that the "Witches Cove" letterbox was nearby.  Since we were in the area we decided to look for it even though I didn't have the clues.  Just a bit of looking found it.  I don't have a stamp yet so we drew the image I planed to use and I stamped my book (first letterbox).  The letterbox was not at all well hidden so we decided to improve the cover after replacing it.

While picking up some additional cover for "Witches Cove" I found another letterbox "Luna Moth."  We "stamped" that one as well.  When we got home I tried to find a listing for the "Luna Moth" letterbox without success.  I'll have to do a bit more investigation.

We were interested in a bit more walking so we went out by looping around.  It's a bit further that was so the entire walk was close to 4 miles.

All in all a great day to be out particularly with the warmer weather (44F).  Here are the photos from this adventure.  No spoilers.  Click through to see larger images.

Geocaching

Had to go to the vets today to get some more meds for Cindy.  So while I was out I took the opportunity to do a few caches in the area.

Dogs Gone Wild - I started here as it was plausibly near the vets.  Unfortunately, when I got there I realized that some recent "improvements" in my pocket query meant that this one was NOT in my GPS.  I had DNF it earlier so I had a good idea where GZ was and I new that it had been recently found so I went for it anyway since it was a short walk from the parking lot.  It's a good hide in an area with MANY good hiding places.  I just happened to catch a bit of sunlight glint from the container and somewhat to my surprise I found it and signed the log.
This Little Piggy Had None - BB and I had been to see Avatar at the nearby IMAX yesterday there were a number of the "Little Piggy" caches that had been recently found.  So I went to find this one.  I had a good idea from Google Maps where this one was and didn't even bother with my GPS.  I found it quickly but not realizing that there was a log inside Mz Piggy so I went on to the next one.  While there I found out that the pig opened so I drove back and sign the log. 
This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef - This is just up the hill so away I went.  A quick check with the GPS and some experience lead me right to this little pig.  I signed the log and went on for a three pig day.
This Little Piggy Stayed Home - This was a few miles away but more or less on my way home so I stoped by and quickly found Mz Pig, signed the log, and continued caching.
2009 Boston Red Sox Roster Series – Yooooouuuuukk! - I'd found a couple in this series and since I was driving by on my way home I stoped for this one.  It was a bit of a hike and I needed the exercise so away I went.  At first I thought it was on the ball field side of the stream.  After discovering my error and finding the bridge I got on the other side of the stream and quickly found the cache.

It was getting a bit late so I headed home as I have other things to do today.  Here are the photos from my adventure.  No videos so no need to click through unless you want to see bigger images.  Thanks to all the owners for the caches.

BB and I see Avatar

BB is a bit under the weather with a cold.  It's really unlike her but she's definitely not up to her usual perky self.  We spent a quiet mourning and then in the afternoon went out to run some errands (pharmacy, library, grocer) and see Avatar at the the Jordan's IMAX.  It was fun although a bit long.  The 3D effects added to the movie and the big IMAX screen really helped.  We had a quiet evening and went to bed early to give BB some extra rest.

Cindy (the dog) seems much improved on the new meds and we were both able to get a good nights sleep.

Dentist and geocaching

I had to go to the dentist today so I was off to Chelmsford, Ma where I lived before moving to Sudbury.  There were recent finds in the area and I'd hoped to get to 50+ caches.  I DID!  Here is where I went

Tick Free 8 - DNF This is in the parking lot for Kimbal Farm (Ice Cream).  Unfortunately I did not find it.

DALE #6 (CHELMSFORD) - After visiting the dentist I started my Chelmsford tour here.  I'd tried another DALE cache yesterday but DNF.  Today I had better luck.  I used to live in Chelmsford and have been to this memorial several times.  It's moving and there's good parking at the town services parking lot.

Get your motor runnin' - This was back toward town center and near a resturant with GREAT hash early in the week.  If they have left over prime rib it ends up in the hash.  Alas, by today it was gone so lunch had to be elsewhere.  The Dunkin Donuts was being renovated and was closed.  I looked anyway but DNF.

2009 Boston Red Sox Roster Series - David Ortiz - This one was at the Little League ball fields.  It was a quick walk in and I found it with only a little searching.  I signed the log with frozen hands as best I could as the wind was blowing hard across the fields.

Light of the lot - This was an interesting cache.  I parked and looked around without success.  Then grabbed some lunch at the Deli (very good) and looked again.  Much to my surprise I found it.  This has got to be about as small as a cache can get.  I had some trouble putting the log back in the cache since my hands were still cold and stiff but finally managed to get everything back together after taking it to the car and warming up.  Check out the video on this one.  It's something.

BURIAL GROUND WATERFALL - Considerably psyced by the nano, I went to a series along Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - I walked in along a well traveled level path and found the general location quickly.  Unfortunately the cache on on the E (RT 27) side of Beaver Brook.  There is a stone structure that can be walked but where the brook crosses it's VERY icy and clearly unsafe at least in winter.  Since there were other caches further along I decided to move along and come back to try from the other side.

Austin Powers Geocache Series - Just a bit further along is another cache just off the trail.  Some care was necessary as Beaver Brook floods in winter and there is a lot of ICE much of it thin with water underneath.  I generally cache with a ski pole and it came in handy probeing to find good ground.  I signed the log.

James Bond Geocache Series - This is just a bit further along the trail.  My GPS was jumping around 40' one way then another (could be low batteries) and for a while I thought the cache was on the west side of the brook.  Using the hint I checked out a number of likely locations and succeeded in finding the hide.  I took the Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson film container and will try to setup my first cache in Chelmsford.  I'll need to find a bit of help from a local to manage it as I don't get there often enough to do so.  By now I was getting fairly cold again so I decided to hike back to the car.

BURIAL GROUND WATERFALL - I drove around to try this cache from the other (RT 27) side of Beaver Brook.  Parking at 42.595135,-71.353358.  This is a commercial building where I once had offices and should generally be useable.  The trail head is just a few hundred feet S and from there it's a short walk to the hide.  I found the cache fairly quickly.

Quick Pitstop - Southbound - By now I was in need of a pit stop as I'd been drinking coffee to help keep warm so I stoped here and after a bit of looking found this cache.  There were many people coming and going but no one seemed to care.  I graped the contrainer, signed the log in the car, and then quickly re hid the cache.

With 7 for 9 for the day it was time to head home.  I'll be back this way in a few weeks to visit the dentist again and will try some of the others nearby.  Here's the video for the for this adventure.  NO SPOILERS.  Remember to click through if you want to see the videos.

Geocaching trying to get to 50

Went out geocaching on a clear and somewhat warmer day.

I started at This one's for the cowboys.  I generally shy away from micro caches because I can't seem to find them.  But this one was recently found among several others in the area so I decided to give it a try as I'd had luck with a similar cache.  It's an easy park and grab that I managed to find after only a few minutes (I'm still not used to micro caches).  The cache log was full so I logged on a slip of paper and left it in the cache.  SL.  TFTC.


Flush with some success I went on to The Eagle's Nest.  This was about 600 yards from good parking so I walked in.  It was an interesting walk in along a brook on the side of a hill.  The trail was well trod with generally moderat hills.  Unfortunatly occassionally it was a bit slick with some ice.  The cache was about 30 minutes from the trail head and a reasonably easy find.  There was some recent beaver activity notably a fairly large tree that was nearly cut through.  I signed the log and improved the cache hide a bit as it was very visible.  It may make sense to move the cache before spring as the beaver activity will draw muggle attention.


2009 Boston Red Sox Roster Series - Hideki Okajima was just down RT 20 a bit so I stoped there.  This was another micro that I found although it was a bit of a commedy of errors.  I started by getting the wrong set of baseball fields, parking in the wrong lot, moving to another wrong lot, following some tracks I thought were headed toward the cache, realizing they were the wrong ones, walking through the snow to get back to the car, and moving to the right baseball fields.  I really must remember to look at the GPS more carefully.  Once at the right location the cache was a quick find and I signed the log.


I then continued down RT 20 to DALE #1 (NORTHBOROUGH).  This is another micro park and grab.  There were tracks of a recent search and I checked the hint but DNF.  It's a bit of a shame as the veterans memorial was interesting and I would have like to sign the log.


Still further down RT 20 is NNNNN.  This was another DNF notwithstanding someone else finding it yesterday!  But not me, not today.


Despite 2 successive DNFs I continued on to Heavy Metal Cache.  I missed the parking turnoff on the first pass and ended up at Ski Ward.  It's a rather small local area a bit like Nashoba where I taught for a while.  I turned around and drove back.  Parking was good but the road in a bit rough.  It was a short hike to the cache and a quick find.  Took a TB and left a TB.  The cache was VERY visible so I added a bit of cover.


Boyed by another find, I drove to Luna Moth.  Nothwithstanding the cache hint, the cache is actually reasonably easy to find in the winter.  Parking was good and it was a easy walk to the canoe launch and cache.  There was an interesting view of the flood control dike and dam on the way out of the parking lot.


It was getting late (almost 2PM) and I was hungery.  I decided to try Robin Hill Cemetery Cache.  This was one of those places I would never have visited without geocaching.  I parked in the industrial lot and walked over to the cemetary.  Old New England cemetaries are interesting on many levels as they tell us much about our history.  In any event I walked in over the rise - very windy to the point that the snow was blown off.  Once I crested the hill, I could see the entire cemetary.  Curiously, there were not many graves, particularly for an old cemetary.  I could also see the tracks of a recent find and followed them to the cache.  It was an easy find, very child friendly.  I signed the log and rehid the cache.


By now, I was hungry and decided to head home.  Six for 8 for the day.  Moving me toward the 50 mark.

Monday errands

This was one of those house/errand days.

Took one of the dogs (Cindy) to the vet.  She's been having problems with coughing due to a colapsed trakea.  The coughing was keeping BB and I up at night to the point that both of us are sleep deprived.  At any event I took her and spent about 2 hrs at the vet.  Things are a bit better but the vet changed her meds to help her sleep.  Hopefully it will help.

The cleaners also came today so I had to be around for them.  By the time they left it was late so I spent the rest of the day reading.

Sunday Jan 10th

BB and I had our usual quiet Sunday mourning, read the paper, late breakfast, etc.  Around noon we decided to go out geocaching.  We went back to Stow to visit Gas Saver V and 2009 Boston Red Sox Roster Series - Mike Lowell.  Unfortunately I forgot to load Gas Saver on my GPS.  No matter, worst that can happen is that we have a nice walk on a bright somewhat cold day.

We got to the parking area without incident.  Parking was plowed with plenty of space for 6 or 8 cars.  So we took a quick look at the trail map and started out.  As we walked down the trail we saw some tracks going off to the right.  We followed those hoping that they might lead to the micro Gas Saver.  Sure enough we lucked out and found the cache.  I signed the log and we went back to the trail to find Boston Red Sox.  The trails were good with plenty of trafic and no really serious hills so walking in was easy.  We followed one path in and a shorter but somewhat steaper path out.  We got to within about 30 feet of the cache when we saw some footprints going off toward GZ.  About 30' or so away from my GPS GZ the trackes stoped.  A bit of quick checking revealed the cache.  I loged it and returned it to the hide then BB and I walked back to the car via a different route.  All in all a good day with two finds.  Here are the photos and videos.  Remember to click through to see video.

BB and I go geocaching

BB, always the good sport, went geocaching with me again to day - never mind the issue with parking last Thursday.  We went to find Stow it, Gladys! and while out do a bit of grocery shoping at the nearby Shaws (very nice).  We parked at the ball fields at 42° 25.792140' -71° 29.414520'.  The cache listing parking coordinates are bogus!  Good winter parking and well used and visible trails.  It took us about 30 minutes or so to walk in in the snow.  We found the cache after onloy a bit of searching within 10' of the coordinates.  We thought about going on to Walk in the Woods but with the cold (25F) decided to call it a day despite the bright sun.  Even so it was a good outing with about a 2.5 mi walk all together.  Here are the videos.  Remember to click to see the video proper.

Geocaching around Cambridge Res. Friday Jan 8th.

I went out this mourning to try several caches I'd missed around the Cambridge Resovior.

I started at Central Mass RR Truss Bridge.  It was a plesant and easy walk in as I parked at N 42.374956 W 71.271497 which shortens the walk considerably.  The snow was somewhat deep (I really need to get snowshoes) but after a brief walk I got to the bridge.  After a bit of looking around and dealing with some rather slipery terain I found the cache, singed the log, and traded for a coin of somesort.  All in all a pleasant start.  Here are the videos (SPOILER WARNING).  Remember to click through if you want to see them.

When I got home I got the coordinates of the cache from Google Maps (it's positioned very clearly) as 42° 22.539488' -71° 16.622146'  the given cache coordinates are N 42° 22.538 W 071° 16.620.  They are about 8 or 9 feet apart.  Soooo, Google Maps are useful but they are NOT definitive.  Given where the aerial images come from and how they are taken I'd expect errors of +- 20' or so.

I decided to go by HD Handyman's Hope Chest but when I got there the place was crawling with muggles plus remembering the trash behind the fence I was reluctant to go in without being able to see what I was dealing with so I drove on.

While I was in the area I decided to visit Reservoir Runner - Starting Point.  I poked around just a bit but with all the snow decided to try again after the snow is gone.

Since I was in the area I decided to visit Reservoir Runner.  I generally don't do micro caches but this one had recently been found so I decided to try my luck.  My GPS lead to the wrong tree but exploration of one of the nearby trees found the cache.  Here is a video (SPOILER WARNING).

I decided to go on to Reservoir Runner - Scenic View since it is very near by.  Getting up the bank was a bit of a challenge with the frozen ground (very slick).  When I got to the top there was a lovely open wood.  Curiously there were many animal tracks everywhere.  Not what I've seen from K9 or dear.  It was a bit hard to tell just what they were as there was a bit of snow this mourning but they seemed to be a split hoof animal.  The tracks were fairly short.  Interestingly, the ground was frequently disturved as though an animal had been rooting around and cleared the snow.  There were litterly hundreds of these places and tracks going in every direction.  I'm not sure what they were but I suspect they might be pigs.  I spent a good deal of time looking for the cache without success which was a bit disapointing as the location was fairly clear and the hint good.  Still it was a DNF.  Here are the videos.

I decided to go by Reservoir Runner II and RESERVOIR RUNNER IV, Turnaround Point.  Given how slick the ground was I was reluctant to enter RR II as slipping meant a trip into water.  When I got to RR IV there was no place to pull off the road with the snow.

While I was in the area I decided to check out Birt memorial and Lincoln Woods Run.  Access seems good so I'll go back at some point to see if I can find them. 

It was getting past lunch time so I headed home for some warm coffee and food.  All in all a good day even though I didn't find everything I'd hoped for.

BB and I go geocaching

BB and I spent a quiet mourning with some much needed together time.  After lunch we went out geocaching and to pick up some meds for the dog (Cindy).

I originally though we'd find Down by the River.  I'd planned to park along stonebridge road and walk in.  Unfortunately, in winter that's not possible.  Instead one needs to park at the end of Little Farms Road at the canoe launch and walk N to go across the 'pipe bridge' and then to the cache location.  BB and I ended up spending the better part of an hour driving around tring to work this out.  When we got to the canoe launch there were 4 trucks working on some of the water works.  We walked around a bit but not seeing an obvious trail gave up pending better information.

We then went to try Curling Cache.  Continuing the theme for the day we spent a good deal of time driving around a condo development off of Magnolia Dr.  It was rather frustrating since we could SEE the curling building but not get to it.  Eventually we drove a bit further S to Brumestone and bingo we're there.  Parking was easy and after a short walk we got to the coordinates.  Unfortunately after a fair bit of digging around in the snow it was a DNF.  I tried to convince BB to at least go into the club as there were a fair number of cars parked but at this point she was a bit frustrated and so we went home.  I'll have to go back later to try again.

Later in the evening we read and watches a bit of TV.

Errands and caching

Went out to run some errands today.  Droped a check off at the bank and BB's book at the library, then drove over to Boxborough to do some caching.  Had good luck with 6 found even in the snow.  I took a different approach and only looked for those found in the last 7 days on the theory that these are likely there and can be found in the snow.

I started with Boxborough Bug Hotel.  Parking at the Holiday Inn was great and it was a short walk through reasonable snow to the cache.  It was a reasonably easy find with only a little digging around.  There were lots of K9 tracks but no people evident.  Signed the log and picked up a travel bug (BMAFXP Chuck E Cheese).  Left Skiing for a Cache LSY1YA.  Short walk back to the car to drive to parking at the other end of the hotel, it's big.  Here are the photos. Remember to click through to see videos.

I moved the car and then went on to Gas Saver XII, Boxborough Hills, and Take me to the highway.  This turned out to be a bit of a hike through somewhat deep snow.  Snowshoes are definitely called far if there is any significant cover.  The walk was interesting with many deer tracks and a few K9.  Also found a deer bed and some skat.  As I didn't see any obvious trails I just bushwacked following the GPS.  It was generally fairly easy going (except for the hills and some slipery rocks).  I was able to find all three reasonably easy and picked up another travel bug (Light my way) that I'll move along to the next interesting cache I visit.  Here are the videos.

Flush with 4 finds and after warming up after the half mile walk back to the car I noticed that Gas n' Joe was nearby.  A cup of coffee seemed called for so I parked in the store lot and walked over to the cache.  It was a quick find but protected by some serious thorns that caught on my clothing.  Here are the photos.  Click through to see videos.

Warmed from a quick find and not ready to stop I decided to do another that I'd planned, Hidden Beaver.  This turned out to be a delightful little walk from good parking along well trod paths.  The cache was a fairly quick find and make it 6 for the day.  Here are the photos.  Click through to see videos.

Time for a bit of lunch and to rest this old man's legs after 3 miles of walking in the snow, much of it deep and some up hill.  But it's all good as part of my retirement health program.

Flue shot and geocaching

I went out today to get an H1N1 flu shot (Wallgreens) and do a bit of geocaching.  It's interesting to note that Lahey still doesn't have vacine!  That speaks rather poorly to them as a PCP.

I started by trying to find Callahan North Supply Station.  There is good parking just a 100 yds or so from the trail.  The coordinates are just off one of the Callahan trails.  I looked at the GPS position without success.  I also checked around where the clue indicated (about 80' away) also with no success.  It was a bit overcast so perhaps the GPS was off.  I loged it as a DNF.

From there I tried Callahan South Supply Station.  Ditto.  Parking was good and this should be an easy find but after checking where the clue indicated and where the GPS indicated it was a DNF.

Finally I tried  Dogs Gone Wild.  Again parking was good and the cache nearby but despite the clue and tracks from another cacher I had no luck.  Interestingly my GPS indicated a different location than the other cacher based on their tracks.

Zero for three for the day I drove home as my feet were beginning to get chilled.  Along the way I checked out parking for Return to Tradition #8: Henry's Hill Hybrid and X marks the spot.  There simply isn't any winter parking.

After I got home I defined a pocket query that will search for caches within 10 miles found in the last week.  This should make it a bit easier to succeed in winter caching since there is some reason to believe that the cache exist and is findable in the snow.

Spent the afternoon reading.

Geocaching

Went out geocaching to get some exercise and find my 25th.

Started at Zamboni's Hideaway.  This was almost a park and grab.  Great parking in the lot for the ice rink.  Short somewhat steep downhill walk to the cache area.  Today it was rather slipery with snow, ice, and hidden rocks.  The GPS was jumping around a fair bit.  I ended up digging out several wrong places.  Eventually I turned off the GPS and then back on.  This seemed to settle it down a good deal and took me to the rock wall where the cache is hidden.  Found it after only a little looking underneath some loose rock.  Here are the videos.  Click to see the actual video.

Then I went on to The Grove.  This one was a bit more of a challenge.  There were some tracks from the parking lot headed toward the cache.  Unfortunately, the tracks lead to a stream that seperated the parking from the cache.  The crossing was down by the pond.  So I ended up walking down to the pond to get across the stream.  A bit further along there were tracks going off toward the cache so I followed these.  This worked well untill I came to a water filled low area.  My GPS suggested the cache was on the other side.  I hiked around to the other side but now the GPS said it was on the original side.  I ended up circling back to where I'd started were the cache was in fact located!  Here are the videos.

I went on to try to find a couple of others - Train Rock (doubtful parking) and Jaws of the Monster (good parking but I'll need skis to get in).  By then it was getting a bit late so I drove home.

I had a bit of a brain freeze and managed to delete the tracks for these!

Plan for the day

BB didn't go out yesterday, thankfully.  We ended up hanging out and relaxing.  The plow came early and then about 9:30 to finish.  We watched a bit of TV and then called it quits about 11 or so.

Plan for today is to go geocaching and get some exercise after several days of no activity.  I'll also need to do bills.

SNOW

It snowed over night again so we've had about 10in or so in the last two days.  I've done the decks a couple of times and things are in reasonably good order.

BB is commited to going out.  I don't think much of the plan but she'll not be disuaded.  That means I'll have to do the driveway to get her back up it.  Sigh!

After two reasonable nights sleep we've about recovered from the party.  Age clearly has an effect.

Lazy day

Both BB and I are a bit under the weather, mostly tired and over fed I think so we had a lazy day working on cleaning up the last of the party.  It took most of the day but things are finally back to rights.

We've got a lot of food left over and will be eating for some while.  Also the refrigerator is stuffed and we've food for at least a week or so.  We've sent food back with MM and JM but there is still a LOT left.

BB and I watched a movie in the evening and called it quits reasonably early.

Cooking and new years party

Spent the day cooking the rest of the meal.  Made lamb stuffed with spinach and goat cheese, cod with black olive tapanade, roasted new potatoes, asparagus with hollandaise, stuffed mushrooms, brie stuffed puff pastry, and artichoke dip.  It took the entire day but I did manage to get in a bit of rest in the afternoon.

Dinner was at 8PM but people came late (I really should know to plan for 20 minutes for such events).  John and Marie showed up a couple of minutes before Bob and Burnedette and Chilie and Joyce.  Mark and Miriam and Josh were late but came just as we were finishing ordurves.  We had a wonderful meal and people really seamed to enjoy the various dishes.  Chilie was a big help in matching wines and dishes.  We greated the new years and people left about 2am.  It was close to 3am before BB and I got to bed.

I'd wanted to sleep in but by 7:30 both BB and I were wide awake.  Mark, Miriam, and Josh had stayed over.  I made a couple of stratas for breakfast.  We ate (I'll not want food for some time) and talked.  They left about 2PM. 

BB and I took our time cleaning up since we've another two days to get the house back together.  I was amazed at the glassware, dishes, etc. that we used.  Still it was a good time.