Adventure Labs and Uncommon Cache types

 My Newest Adventure Lab

As I said in last month's blog, I was gonna build an Adventure Lab in the Las Vegas Dessert!! I have been there enough times and have enough pictures and info, that I was able to set it up without having to go there to build it. It is now live and I am looking forward to the reviews, and doing a test run when we go there in June. If you are in the Vegas area, go check it out!!

NOTE: The highlighted or underlined words in my blog can be clicked on as they are links to other cool stuff!! Also if you click on any of the pictures they become bigger!!!

This picture shows the most Uncommon and Rare types of caches.

Some of these above Icons are not available anymore. Webcam caches are no longer allowed to be made, but the ones that are out there are still active.

Virtuals are still being made from time to time as Groundspeak gives them to cachers to place on a limited amount. (I am hoping to receive one someday)

Locationless caches come up once and awhile when Groundspeak publishes them.

(Groundspeak is the Geocaching head company, who runs Geocaching.com and all the rules for caching)

 GPS Mazes comes around once and awhile still, but usually only at Mega or Giga Events.

A.P.E. Caches where hidden back in 2001, and only 2 of the 14 are still active to this day. (1 in the Snoqualmie pass, WASH., and 1 in Brazil)

 -I have found all of these types of caches:

 -I have been to the APE cache called "Mission 9: Tunnel of Light" in Snoqualmie pass 2 times for the original and also visited there when they had the replacement tribute cache, when the Cache got stolen.

(the original cache was found years later and replaced back in its original spot)  I have been there during the "Going Ape" events. Will probably go again this year. (To get to it, you have to walk thru a 3.625Km long tunnel)

-I did a GPS adventure maze 3 times, although, 1 of them I was not able to log as the date had past for the event. Of the 2 I was able to log, one was in Edmonton at the Space sciences building, and once just recently at the Geowoodstock XVIII Mega event.

-I have done 5 webcam caches. (2 in BC, and 3 in Washington)

-Got 3 locationless caches, and 160 virtual caches.

I hunt after these type of caches (Virtual and Webcam) whenever I travel somewhere.

I am interested in seeing who has also found all of these Rare Icons. Please feel free to comment on here, would like to know who also goes for these rare and uncommon cache icons.

PS: On the right hand side of this webpage is where you can find my YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, links. Please feel free to check them out and follow or subscribe!!!

Bike trip to Kettle Valley Rail trail and Myra Canyon

As I noted in last months blog, I have been planning a bike trip to Myra Canyon just East of Kelowna, for Susan and I. As of right now I have 37 caches on the Trail that we will go to. (I have already found 3 of them)
The section we will do is about 30-40km round trip depending on how far we decide to go. We will cache along the way, but then on the return trip there will be no caches to get unless we miss some.

First to Find

Was able to grab a couple of FTF's this month. 

One of them was a Puzzle cache where you had to complete 2 Jigsaw puzzles to get the Coordinates. The cache was up in a tree, so an extendable pole was needed to retrieve it. Can you see it? How about in the next pic?? 

I have a 16 foot extendable pole, which made easy work of it.

Once I had it hooked, I brought it down and was FTF!!!

San Juan Island Trip

I booked a corporate show in Roche Harbor, Wash. on San Juan Island, so I planned out some cool caches for my trip.
I went down and spent the night in Oak Harbor. I have cached there a couple times in the past, but still lots of others to get. I started caching in Burlington where I got a Geochallenge cache, a Multi, a traditional, as well as several puzzle caches, and an Adventure Lab. 

I then made my way to Oak Harbor and grabbed some cool caches. 

One of the caches I grabbed was inside the local Library. Susan and I tried to get this one back in July when we did a weekend trip down to the bottom of  Whidbey Island, but the clue was missing at the first stage. It was replaced so I was able to make the grab before the library closed.

The cache was inside a book. I then headed out for some more caching.

I grabbed a couple of cool caches near the water, one was near a cool Flintstone car. 

I went for a quick ride and made the find!! 

I then started searching for a cache called "Adrift". It was down on the beach and I was having trouble locating it, until someone from a nearby apartment building yelled and asked if I was a geocacher. She gave me a hint and then the cache was in hand. 

I grabbed 2 stages of an Adventure Lab that Susan and I started when we were here, so I could get the bonus cache. I also grabbed a total of 8 Traditional caches and 2 Multi caches before heading back to my hotel for the night. The next morning I was up at 4:30am to head to the Anacortes Ferry to get over to the island for some caching before my show. At the Terminal I was able to do an Earthcache. Always nice to have a cache handy when you happen to be somewhere that you have to wait.

Friday Harbor

After the hour and 20 minute ferry ride, I arrived in a cute little historic town called Friday Harbor. 

 

When I arrived I did 3 Virtual caches all in the same little park, and also started one of the 2 Adventure labs that I would eventually complete. 

There was a cache at the end of the pier that was under a bench but it was a regular size not a micro. I then cruised thru the town completing the AL's and grabbing several caches, before heading across the Island to my final destination for the night.

This Little Piggy was made of Bricks...wait, that's not how the story goes, I thought his house was made of bricks??

On the way to Roche Harbor I got a Letter box cache that was a TB hotel. Can you see the cache in the next picture?

How about now?

English Camp

Stopped on the way at "English Camp" to do a Adventure Lab. This is where in 1859 the killing of a pig on San Juan Island brought England and the United States to the brink of War over the issue of territorial rights here. The "Blockhouse" that you see in the picture above here at Garrison Bay is built with the upper part of the structure turned 45 degrees on the lower half of the building. This was so the soldiers could be protected from all angles as they aimed their rifles out of the loopholes, including down. 

Roche Harbor

I am Here!!!I arrived in Roche Harbor, and was able to do 3 more caches and 4 stages of an Adventure Lab.

I then went and looked at some of the sculptures in "San Juan Island Sculpture Park" Some very cool sculptures within this park.

These were among my favorites.

A whale made from auto parts.

There is no town here in Roche Harbor, It is just the Marine resort.

I did my show on the Dock for a private group of boaters, of 120 people from all over. Even some fellow Canadians. How cool is that!!

The show was in the tent down on the dock. After my show I headed back to Friday Harbor to get the last ferry back to Anacortes, and headed home back to Canada!! All in all an awesome quick trip where I got to perform my comedy and magic for some great people, and I found 4 complete AL's plus 6 stages of 2 different AL's, 44 caches made up of 1 Earthcache, 4 virtuals, 1 Letterbox, 8 puzzle caches, 3 multi's, and 27 Traditional's.

I look forward to coming this way again on another caching adventure!!

 

Well that's it for this month!!

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65