Groundspeak HQ and the Snoqualmie Tunnel

Note: Please remember that the highlighted words are links and will take you to a different webpage that will be of interest!!!

The last little while I have been doing a bit of travelling around, due to work and some play.

Molly's Reach

Persephone

Welcome to Beachcombers

While working in Sechelt I was able to grab a bunch of caches including one that was close to Molly's Reach in Gibson's and was a tribute to the show that made the diner famous. While there I had a great supper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



                                                                                        Log book in a Log

 

Block Party and A.P.E. Mega Event

We went down to Seattle for the Groundspeak block party on aug17, and the A.P.E. Event, on the following day.

We got down a day early to relax, check out some sites such as the Seattle Space needle, and of course grab some very cool caches. After taking a ride up to the top of the Space Needle and checking out some of the sights around it.

 

 

 

We then decided to head over to Pike Place Market. Not only is there a Magic store there that was on the agenda, but there was also a cool(OK maybe a bit gross) cache that I had my sights set on. It was a cache that I have been studying for the last couple of months.

It is called  "Double Bubble toil & Trouble"  and it is at the site of a local landmark

 

 

 

I looked at about 300 photos that are on the cache page and was able to come up with one that may help. I saved this pic and the day we left for Seattle I emailed it to myself, so I would have it on hand when at the cache sight. When we arrived there was at least 8 other cachers on the scene who had been looking already for about an hour. I started chatting with them, and gave them my take on the Hint, and showed them the pic I had. Within 10-15 seconds the cache was in hand!!!! (Yes it was in my hand)

 

Geocache in hand!!!

We then did a bit of shopping and then headed back to the hotel.

The following morning it was time to head over to Groundspeak Headquarters for their annual Block Party Event 

We arrived early so we decided to do some of the nearby caches that Groundspeak placed around the event area. Most of the caches were easy to find as there was usually about 10-20 other cachers already there signing the log. One was in a “Chairy Tree”

The "Chairy Tree"

Jenna, Dayton, and Oliver meet the Bridge Troll

 

We had an awesome time hanging out with more than 3000 other cachers on a super sunny Seattle Saturday. We also got to log Groundspeak HQ, while at the event.

 

Got to take a pic with the 2 co-founders, I had already met Jeremy at the Mega event in Drumheller a few years back.

 Bryan and I

Jeremy and I

 

 

Got to discover some cool TB's including one that went to space.

This travel bug, was launched aboard Soyuz TMA 13. Which was also the 100th Soyuz launch to date. It was 10 days aboard the International Space Station and left behind in the Russian segment of the ISS, in locker #218.

The following day was a very exciting day(well for me at least) A few years back we were in Carnation, Wash. For Geowoodstock VIII(My first Mega) and we got to hike into the Snoqualmie Mountains to find one of the last remaining "A.P.E. Caches"

We(Angelcheeks and I) did the hike with our good friends Tom and Heather (Coast2coast2coast and Toby&Me)

But the "Iron Horse Tunnel" was closed for major repairs, so we had to hike up the back side to get it. But it was definitely worth it.

This year for the "Going APE 2013" event the tunnel was open. YAY!!!

We signed into the event by logging our names on the board hanging off the APE.

We(Angelcheeks, Crazyboy02, our little guy and myself) then headed down the trail towards the entrance of the 4.7km long tunnel, that is normally a chilly 5-10 degrees Celsius . As we approached the tunnel you could feel the chill of it even from about 200 metres away. When you enter the tunnel, you feel like you have just entered a different world...a world of the underground. Very Cool!!!

Entrance to Iron Horse Trail

Monsters???

Exit the Snoqualmie Tunnel(Iron Horse Trail)

Halfway thru the tunnel we came across the keeper of the cache in the tunnel.

 

 

Upon coming out of the tunnel you feel as if you have been transported into a whole different world or place. We took a short break, and then headed a bit further up the trail to grab the A.P.E. Tribute cache.

Although the original cache has been archived as it was muggled, they had a tribute cache in its place. While there we met lots of other cachers milling around and telling stories of the original cache. Chatted with a fellow cacher who is a “Geocaching Vlogger”

www.geocachingvlogger.com

We also got to check out another TB at the Tribute cache, that had been to space as well.

After mingling about for a bit, we knew we should get going, so back thru the tunnel it was. This time we decided to time our trip into darkness. We were underground for 43 minutes....one way!!!

Oliver and I ready to make the journey back thru the tunnel

See ya next month

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65

Southern BC Caching and Magic

Note:(Do not forget that the colored words are links to other cool webpages that you can click on)

I had a tour booked down in Southern BC and decided to go over to the mainland a few days early before heading off on tour(Magic shows and lots of caching)

Got to go to a evening of magic called “Share the Magic” in Vancouver, hosted and put on by a friend of mine in support of the food bank. It was a great show with four of my Vancouver Magician friends.

Went to the CAM Jam(Canadian Association of Magicians) the following day, and got to see a couple of great acts do their shows and also do a lecture. Learned a lot of cool stuff, and got to hang out with them after the shows.

While in Vancouver, I continued getting at least one cache a day and found a couple of cool ones while there.

Bolt cache



Can you see it?

 

A couple days in Vancouver and then off to southern BC for shows, but was able to cache all day on the way to each show.

This one was a puzzle with blocks of wood to sort out for the coordinates and clues to the cache final

Did many traditional caches along the route, and tried to do as many earthcaches as I could also. Always lots of cool info to learn by doing them.

I also was looking for as many Virtual caches as I could find also as I have started a Virtual cache challenge"Virtual Victory Challenge".
Groundspeak(Geocaching Head Quarters) is not allowing the placement of virtual caches anymore, they are only keeping the ones that were made in the past. They started a new thing some time back to simulate the old virtual caches called challenges, but it did not catch on and they eliminated them from the game. (I even did quite a few of them and even set up one of my own in the sign post forest in Watson lake, Yukon(Watson Lake blog)

 

Heading down the highway, I stopped at many interesting places to grab caches.

I have done the Hope slide earthcache and the cache in the parking long ago on a past trip, but this trip was the time to do the cache out in the rubble from the slide. It was about 300 meters from the parking area.

 

Panorama of Hope Slide rubble

 

Half the mountain gone!!!

 

 

 

First stop on the tour was Crawford Bay.  Tried to find this terrain 4 cache called "Drive Safe" but could not find it. I don't think the driver of the red car found it either. It was near a Nude beach. (I kept my eyes closed, lol)

 This is "Roses Cabin" Grabbed the cache there and learnt some cool history about the area and the last man that was hanged in Nelson, BC.

 Roses Cabin

 

Not sure why they are Metric Free??

 

Can you spot the cache??

Earth Cache called "Mars on Earth" The rock and soil in this area was all reddish just like the surface of Mars.

 

 I always like to take pictures of cool or funny signs if I see them while travelling. This sign was in a pub that I performed in at Bull River. Very cool that there was a cache right inside the pub!!!

One day to early!!

 

 Red bull does give you wings!!!

 

 

The Sasquatch is drinking again!!

 Ground Hog

This cache was easy to find!!

 

 

 

 

While I was in Sparwood to do a show, I had time to pop over the border into Alberta to grab a few caches as well including an Alta/BC border virtual.

This is the post in the woods, that marks the border line of Alberta and British Columbia.

 

I also replaced a cache in Sparwood for a cacher that lives in Port Alberni, that is in the Mid Island Cachers group.

There has been a sign on this Grain Elevator in Nelson for some time. I have seen it before when passing thru.

Can you see it...No not the advertising for the Kokanee Pub, but the smaller sign that the arrow that says "1 Block" is pointing at. It is a "For Sale" sign.  (Yes you can own this lovely grain elevator)

Cranbrook

A Penny for your thoughts??

All in all on my week long trip I found 70 plus caches. Not a record(My record so far is 200 caches in one day) But a fun trip, with lots of caching and Magic.

Whats up for next month?

Jenna(Angelcheeks) and I will be heading down to Seattle, Washington to participate in the Groundspeak Block Party. The following day we will be heading to the Snowqualmie pass to go to the Ape Event where we will get to walk thru the Snoqualmie Tunnel which is 3.7KM(2.3 Miles) There is even a cache in the centre of the tunnel somewhere. But more about that adventure after it happens....

 

 



See ya next month

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65