Saturday 21 March 2015

Memorable caches





 
Bolt Cache
 
I have been caching now for just over 6 years and have found caches of all shapes and sizes from a small bolt cache to Canada's Largest Ammo Can. #geocaching


Made in Canada Eh!!
 





 

But it's not usually the size or shape of the cache that makes it memorable. It's most likely the place or the journey to the cache that makes it exciting. I am excited to share some of my more memorable caches that I have found in the past. Trust me when I say these are not all of cool ones I've found, as you can see from the banner above, I have found over 3400 caches and these few are just some of the awesome ones I've found!!!

NOTE: The highlighted words in my blog can be clicked on as they are links to other cool stuff!!
PS: On the right hand side of this webpage is where you can find my YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Google Plus links. Please feel free to check them out and follow or subscribe!!!


 Original Stash
This was a very cool and exciting trip with friends C2C2C & Toby and Me and my wife Angelcheeks, to go to the place that started it all. That's right the first ever geocache was placed at this spot in Beaver Creek, Oregon, and now they have a Tribute Plaque in its place.

On May 3, 2000, a five-gallon bucket was placed right at this very spot by Dave Ulmer containing a Delorme Topo USA, 2 CD Roms, a cassette recorder, a "George of the Jungle" VHS tape, a Ross Perot book, 4 $1 bills, a slingshot handle and a pretty notorious can of beans. The coordinates were then listed on the internet and modern-day geocaching was born.


 
 
Original Stash Tribute Plaque




















The A.P.E. Cache
On this same trip we did a hike up a mountain in the Snoqualmie pass to get a cache know as The A.P.E. cache
It is no longer there, as years later it was stolen. We would revisit this spot a few years later as part of a Mega Event.

The A.P.E. Cache


Risky Rock
This cache had a high terrain rating. It was called Risky Rock
It was quite the hike with some climbing slippery rocks and a bit of leaping, but in the end you had a beautiful view of Comox Lake.
Risky Rock
Flotsam Cove
This next cache was quite the adventure. Its a cache called Flotsam Cove
I was planning a trip to Ucluelet one day and noticed that this cache had been published days before but was not found as of yet. I thought, no prob, while I'm there I will quickly go there and grab the FTF!!! Ok....truth be told, not quite as easy as that....It is almost 5 years old now and has only been found 5 times. (at the time of writing)
Here is my log on the cache:
YAY FTF!!! Found this morning at 11:01am
WOW, what can I say...found what I thought may be an easier spot to start from just up the road from the suggested starting co-ords. Parked the car, only 750meters to the cache...cool, off I go with my little geo-dog. get about 400meters down this wide decent path and BLAM!!! There is a wall of logs, stumps, brush, and dirt in front of me. Do I go back and find a different way? NOPE!!! Climb up and over very carefully with little dog under arm, on to other side which looks like a digging site of some sort. Walk down the road and find the next trail. Only 300ish meters to the cache from here, no problem...ya right....1hr and 10mins later of the roughest, narrowest, steepest up and downs, windy, confusing, poky sticks, mossy logs, skinny little goat path I have ever seen, I pop out onto a beach that is just beautiful. I wander down the beach and make the find. Awesome...oh wait, I have to go back the same way...on the way out I made some wrong turns and got turned around a couple of times even with my waypoints. Once I even started to backtrack and I look on the ground and there is my cellphone laying there, glad I made that mistake, must have popped out of its case, ooops. All done and said it was an awesome cache in a fantastic place with a beautiful view. T4TC

Flotsam Cove

Play with me
I actually visited this next cache twice. The cache was called Play with me
I was the FTF, but one day a couple of weeks after our wedding in Panama, we were in the Comox area doing a wedding photo shoot as we did not have a photographer with us during our wedding.(Although we did have a gentleman who was at the resort offer to help us out and use our camera and shot a ton of pics for us) After the photo shoot we were passing this cache and I thought since my wife Jenna(Angelcheeks, is her caching name) had not found it yet, and was still in her Wedding dress we should get the cache, for another quick photo opportunity. (This pic made its way into FTF Geocacher Magazine)

A wee bit overdressed
End of the Road
While we were still living in Courtenay, one evening a cache called End of the Road was published. I was known in the Valley as a cacher who loved to go after the FTF(First to Find the cache)
My good friend Tom (C2C2C) decided to make a cache in hopes that I would be the FTF, then he asked several other caching friends of mine to meet at the cache in the dark woods before it got published and hide to scare the crap out of me. Even though they were there before me, the cache was not opened until I opened it, so I could be the FTF!! It was a great night!!!
My log on this cache:
YAY FTF!!!! This cache popped up and when I read "Something special awaits the FTF on this one!!!" I assumed a scratch ticket, an FTF pin or a New Geocoin, NEVER did I assume that 15 or so of my good friends would be waiting at the cache site in the bushes to scare the #%&$ out of me!!! So when we got to the parking lot at the trailhead and NO vehicles were in site, I thought right on!!! A huge Thanx to C2C2C and all who helped orchestrate this EVIL but FUN "Event"
I shall change my pants now!!!


Island Paradise
This cache got published, and it was a 5/5 which is the most difficult and highest terrain rating a cache can get. We decided not go after it as it was my wife's due date and this particular cache was out on a small island in the middle of a lake. The following day some friends called us to ask if they could borrow our canoe, and my wife said "Let's all go!!" We loaded up and headed to the lake together for this Awesome 5/5 Cache
This was my wife's log:
Poor magicman looked so sad when he realized there is only so much you can ask of your pregnant wife two days before her due date.
Once we realized what we were up against, I decided an adventure might be just what I needed to kickstart the process so I suggested we go for it.
My Log:
YAY FTF!!! Found at 1:51pm Didn't think we were gonna go for this one right away, as any day, any minute my sweetheart is going to go into labour. Some freinds called and said they were wanting to go get it(C2C2C and Toby & Me)
I looked at Angelcheeks and she said lets all go!!!! We went prepared with everything we thought we would need and some things we did not need. Got to the first stage and my hunch was right, got the second co-ords very quick. Had to make a few trips to the spot with the cache as my special equiptment was not capable of taking all of us at once. Once we were close to the cache as a group we headed after it. The co-ords had me about 8metres away from GZ when all of a sudden Angelcheeks came up with the find. Although our legs got all scratched up, we were not in too rough of shape, and we were excited to have been first to find a 5/5 cache. T4TC and the adventure.

A very pregnant Angelcheeks and an empty log book



A view for Giant Pickle
The cache A view for Giant Pickle would prove to be a fun challenge. You see it was a newly published cache with a terrain 4 (5 being the highest) We decided to go for it. It was mostly uphill and cliff climbing the whole way. The added factor of our 8 month old and our small dog just added to the thrill of getting to the top for the awesome view and to be the FTF!!!

On the way up to "A view for Giant Pickle"

Double Bubble Toil and Trouble
This yucky but cool cache is in the heart of Seattle, just off of Pikes street Market. It is called Double Bubble Toil and Trouble. Many people have been unable to find this cache as it is quite tricky and sticky. I studied this cache from home and looked at every one of the over 300 pictures for this cache, and I found 2 pics that might help, but in the end it paid off and the find was made!!!
It is at and ON the famous Seattle Gum Wall. Anyone hungry???
 
Cache in hand!!!




















Goose's Brain Twister
I was in Orlando, Florida some time back to do a show and was able to get this cool but tricky cache, called Goose's Brain Twister. It had a difficulty of 4 1/2 stars(out of 5) so I took that as a challenge to find it. I found it quite quick but it was a plastic waterproof matchstick container down at the bottom of a square pipe not much bigger than the container. It was down exactly 4 feet, 3 1/2 inches. I knew this for sure as I had nothing to use as a retrieving tool(I sometimes carry a telescoping magnet with me, but that would not have worked at all in this cache as the pipe was metal and the container was not) I went to the nearest drug store and bought a roll of duct tape and several wooden rulers and as you can see by the picture of the rulers taped together and the matchstick container stuck on the end by a chunk of duct tape, I was successful!!! YAY!!!
My log on the cache:
In town from BC Canada for the night to do a show in Lake Mary. Needed to grab a few caches. This one was first on my list. Found it quickly but the retrieval had to be figured out. Canadian ingenuity prevailed. T4TC



Ridgemont Mystery Cache
This cache was called Ridgemont Mystery Cache
I always look at places before I go there to see if there are any caches not been found yet. I was getting ready for a trip to Fernie for shows. I noticed this one and watched it as people looked but could not find it for 5 days. When I arrived I did a bit of searching, then I stepped back for a minute and all of a sudden I spotted it!!! Yay FTF!!! Actually I was the OTF(Only to Find) as the CO archived it shortly after as people were tearing up the area, while they did not need to. Look at the pic and see if you can spot it, it's in plain view. Shoot me a message or comment on my blog if you are able to spot it.



BOO!
This cache I got while travelling home from some shows. The cache is called BOO! Now this picture itself was taken on a different trip thru here. I actually found this one late one night in the dark about 2am. A lot of times when I am on tour after my last show, I will start heading home instead of spending the night, and I will cache in the dark. It is right near the road, but you have to climb thru the fence to get to it. The Tomb stone is fake with the cache behind it. There is talk in the cache page of the area being haunted, so the night I got it, I took a flash picture with my digital camera and as I looked at the screen, I saw something on the screen that should not have been there, and I freaked out a bit. After I realized it was the camera strap that had swung in front of the lens I was a little less freaked but still got out of there quite quick. lol



Bloody Fingers, Dirty Diapers
This cache was very cool!!! Actually it was quite cold as it was underground.     
The cache is underground midway in the Snoqualmie Tunnel in the Snoqualmie pass, Washington which is 2.3 miles long(3.7 km)
This was a fun adventure as my wife, Dayton, and Oliver(our littlest) hiked 45 minutes one way thru this cool decommissioned train tunnel with a ton of history. Then we hiked back thru it the other way!!! You can read the full blog of this adventure if you want.

Bloody Fingers, Dirty Diapers
 
 
Houston - We have lift off
Found this cool cache just recently, called Houston - We have lift off. It looks just like a pipe attached to a sign post, but if you want to see how to get at the cache,(Spoiler Alert!!!) click the link and watch the video.

Houston - We have lift off
 
 
 


Well that's it for this month
Keep on caching
Chris Yuill
Magicman65

Sunday 1 March 2015

Banquets and FTF's


January FTF's


So far this year in the month of January and beginning of February, I have not done a whole lot of caching but I have gotten 3 FTF's(First to Find) One was a puzzle cache while the other two were just traditional caches. I also went after another one and met up with another cacher when I arrived at GZ. We looked for some time, but were unable to come up with the cache. I left after about a half hour, and he stayed there until he was joined by another cacher and they found it after some more searching.

NOTE: The highlighted words in my blog can be clicked on as they are links to other cool stuff!!
PS: On the right hand side of this webpage is where you can find my YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Google Plus links. Please feel free to check them out and follow or subscribe!!!


Magic Banquets

Victoria Magic Banquet

In January I went to the Victoria Magic Circle annual banquet. It is a great event every year, and although I do not live there anymore, I am still a member of this great club I.B.M. ring#183
I went over early to help set up and run the sound for the evening. I also, like in past years organized the close up performers. We have a bunch of great talent in this club and we had 14 close up guys including myself doing their thing. Last year I had the great honor of receiving the "Farquhar Award", and this year it was my privilege to share the stage with Shawn Farquhar and present it to Steve Hignett for all his hard work he has done over the years for the club. Congrats again Steve!!!
Steve Hignett and I

International I.B.M. President Shawn Farquhar and I

There was a cool article in FTF Geocacher Magazine this month on a cacher called Magicman65. Cool looking guy, check it out!!!


FTF Magazine Cachers Up Close

Also received my B.C.G.A. geocoin this month. They celebrate their 10th year anniversary.
I was the Vice President of the B.C.G.A. from 2011 thru 2014
If you live and cache in BC, you should become a member of this fine association.
2014 BCGA Geocoin



I was interviewed on the Dave Attwood show podcast this month also. We talked about magic and some of the latest awards I have won. Was a really fun interview with Dave Attwood and Steve Hignett. You can listen to it here:
Dave Attwood Podcast


For the February long weekend, we went down to the states to Grand Mound, Washington. We stayed at Great wolf Lodge, and while there I was able to grab a few local caches in the area. I love caches that are at historical spots and such, like this one at the start of the Oregon Trail.
Oregon Trail Marker
On some of the Facebook caching pages that I am on, a few people have asked how to find a second or third set of coordinates when using a smart phone only. I designed an "Instructable" to help those who have been asking and for those that want to know how. You can check it out here: Saving a new waypoint


Vancouver Magic Circle Installation Banquet

This banquet was an awesome event, the new executive was all voted in, and then we had some excellent food, followed by a show by Bizzaro the Optical Illusionist.
Bizzaro and I

Certificates are awarded for past achievements and awards, and as you can see by the pic, I received a few. lol




Well that's it for this month
Keep on caching
Chris Yuill
Magicman65


February is the shortest Month!!!

Seattle Trip Headed to Seattle with Sansue for a show and I set up a list with some high favorited caches, but it was raining pretty good an...