Jigidi Puzzles, Adventure Labs, and Magic Awards

 Ferndale Trip

popped across the border for a show in early February, and I planned on getting A Wherigo Cache called "TS-Spare Parts" as well as several other caches.

To get the codes for the Wherigo, I had to do a 396 piece online Jigsaw puzzle, which would give me the codes needed to input into the Wherigo. A few days before the trip, I started the puzzle and It took me 4 hours and 50 minutes total to finish it. Yikes!!!

Unfortunately, plans got altered and we didn't get across the border as early as I was hoping to, and had to get to my show, so this cache will have to wait for another trip.

In MAGIC News.....

Also in the beginning of February the S.A.M. had our Annual Banquet, and I was awarded the Carl Hemeon Award of Excellence in Magic. A very Prestigious award!!

The Carl Hemeon Award, given annually, is one of the most coveted recognitions in the magical community. It celebrates creativity, technical mastery, and the ability to captivate audiences with a unique style and original approach to performance. Chris Yuill’s ability to blend traditional techniques with fresh, innovative concepts has set him apart as a leading figure in the field.

Over the years, Yuill has garnered local and international recognition for his performances, events, and contributions to magic. Known for his expertise in Comedy and Magic, he has performed in prestigious venues and collaborated with some of the biggest names in the magic industry.
The Carl Hemeon Award is presented by S.A.M. Assembly #95, a respected institution that champions the development of magic as an art form and supports magicians in their pursuit of excellence. The award was presented at the S.A.M. Annual Banquet, by his peers.
This recognition further solidifies Yuill’s status as a trailblazer in the magic world. His passion for the craft and dedication to pushing the limits of illusion ensures that he will continue to inspire audiences and fellow magicians alike for years to come.

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!!!

Recently I was looking at some challenge caches and came across one where you need to find 7 different Icons in 5 different countries. You can look at the "Challenge Cache" here.

This is the list that Project GC gave me when I entered into the geochecker.

Canada (14 types)

•  GC9RW7C GPS Adventures Maze Canada - Abbotsford, BC on 2022-08-13

•  GC8HMXA GeoWoodstock Registration Event - GWXVIII on 2022-08-12

•  GCAGW9H Brow of the Hill on 2025-01-05

•  GC86VDF GeoWoodstock XVIII - GWXVIII on 2022-08-13

•  GCANTJ0 Dinosaur at work on 2024-07-21

•  GCPKQ5 BigWave Dave's Dallas at Cook GeoCam on 2013-04-21

•  GC9WPMF LE - Deas Park on 2024-09-21

•  GCAJK4Q Flying Seven on 2025-01-09

•  GC4HDRW Grid/Terrain Points Challenge cache on 2025-01-01

•  GCB2P87 For TPB on 2025-01-27

•  GCAHDEZ Hoy Creek Riparian Zone on 2024-10-11

•  GCAY05V Last Chunk of the Elephant? - Cerulean Macaw on 2024-10-01

•  GC349MK Island Spirit 2012 (WestCan2) on 2012-07-07

•  GCB168M 100th Event Celebration! on 2025-01-27

United States (13 types)

•  GCAC6MF 🇮🇹 Maximus Shopilius 🇺🇸 on 2024-08-06

•  GC9XA5P Memories of Sumas on 2024-12-11

•  GC3X684 2013 Geocaching Block Party on 2013-08-17

•  GC1169 Mission 9: Tunnel of Light on 2010-07-02

•  GCKVR5 High Five over Eye Five on 2022-09-09

•  GC8M53D Easiest Wherigo Ever on 2022-07-16

•  GCAJH23 Old Sumas Customs Building on 2024-11-28

•  GCAZ2T0 City of Blaine - Over All Walls Murals - AL BONUS on 2024-12-18

•  GC4QCPB Race To The Border 2 on 2024-12-11

•  GCAHT7F Letterbox 98057 Renton on 2024-05-31

•  GCK25B Geocaching Headquarters on 2013-08-17

•  GC9N8PG WSGA's Going Ape XI on 2022-09-10

•  GCA94X7 Maker Magic: Happy Canada Day! on 2023-07-01

Mexico (1 types)

•  GC22YA7 SUPERMERCADO NANO on 2010-07-15

Panama (3 types)

•  GC6CD6 The 8th Wonder of the World- The Panama Canal on 2011-02-20

•  GC24E2C Rio Chagres Earthcache on 2011-02-20

•  GC163XA Aleithometer Cache on 2011-02-16

As you can see by the list above, I do not qualify but it was interesting to see what types of Icons I have found in each country I have cached in. Plus it shows the last cache of that type that you found, so if you needed to check again it might change. Interesting!!

Adventure Lab Caching

The weather this weekend was quite wet with pouring rain in the forecast. So we decided to grab some Adventure Labs. One of the stages for one of the labs we were doing was at the Port Moody Skytrain station, but it was past the gates where you pay to ride the skytrain. Susan was looking around just out side the gates and the 2 security guards asked her what she was looking for. She told them what she was looking for and they escorted her thru the pay gates and to the plaque which had the info we needed.

I just stayed near the entrance while she got the information. lol

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!!!

I am moving in a few months so I have already been organizing and packing stuff. Upon moving stuff around and packing, I came across a book I have that I haven't seen in awhile. 

It is a book called "200 things any Geocacher must do sooner or later."

Above are a couple of pics from the book. It's like an essay book with all 200 items and you write stuff down, when and what you have done on the list of 200 things. I am going to keep it handy now and start filling in the pages to see my journey. It will be cool to look back years from now and relive those moments made during caching.

Well that's it for this month!!

Keep on caching!!

Magically yours,

Chris Yuill

Magicman65

The New Year has Arrived!!

 New Year's Eve 2024

Happy New Year to all!!! I Went to Sooke, on Vancouver Island on New Year's Eve to perform some magic at a NYE celebration with 240 guests.

Went over on an early ferry that morning and did several caches on the way there and would also do some on the way back to the Ferry on New Years day. Was able to get these 2 souvenir's:

 

Grabbed a Challenge cache called "Grid/Terrain Points Challenge Cache"

Before I went to the island I did a GSAK Macro to see if I qualified. Seems everyone is using the same WRONG Project-GC Checker to see if they qualify. It doesn't find the info it needs to.

The cache page said:

This challenge cache will have you trying to find different caches in different grid squares to make up a minimum of 60 points in just one day.

The idea of different types of grid square caches is to find multiple caches that fill up different grid squares.  For example: a 1 difficulty and 1 terrain would make up 2 points.  A 2 difficulty and 1.5 terrain would make up 3.5 points toward the 60 points that you will need to log this cache.  A 5 difficulty and 5 terrain would make up 10 points to fill this challenge.  The hard part is that you cannot use the same grid square more than once for this challenge and the caches must be found on one calendar day.  It would be too easy to find thirty 1/1 caches to make up the 60 points so you must use different difficulty and terrain levels.

 NOTE: Many cachers were using a Project-GC Checker to see if they qualified, but it is not looking for different grid squares, it is using any of the grid squares multiple times.

I stopped and grabbed this one while I was over on the island to perform a show on NYE at the Prestige Oceanside resort. Posting a screenshot from GSAK(Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) of the day I completed this challenge with 70 points using 16 Different D/T combinations, from the list below.

On April 26/2019 on a trip to Whidbey Island I found 28 caches plus was able to log a challenge cache I had already signed in Las Vegas. The main reason for the trip was to find some specific caches. I was looking to do multiple Earthcaches to complete the Las Vegas challenge and I was also looking to do several older caches to fill my Jasmer chart. (Jasmer Challenge: One of the oldest and most popular geocaching challenges is the Jasmer Challenge. To complete the challenge, you must fill your Jasmer grid by finding caches placed in every month since geocaching began in May 2000. Popular in the United States, the Jasmer requires geocachers find one cache hidden each month since geocaching began in May 2000)

You can read about my day trip at one of my previous blogs at: "Road Trip to Whidbey Island"

Here is my list I found that day of 16 Different D/T caches:

GC1C6CY     Coupeville Erratic 1/1

GC3C3BX     The Bluffs of Whidbey 1/3

GCD6J6         Kittywillow 1/3.5

GCQ4EA       Flower Power 1.5/1

GC17VC9     Pulverizer-Not a NANO 1.5/1.5

GC3BTB0     Erratic Art 1.5/2

GC13DC       Ebby Bluffs 1.5/3

GC1E057      Deception Pass Earthcache 2/1

GC1A5K8    Gruman Ironworks 2/1.5

GCC5FB       Burrow Island Vista 2/2

GCSTAYW   I've Grown a Lichen to you 2/3

GC34Y23     Pet Rocks 2.5/1.5

GC4DB        Burrow Channel Cache 2.5/3

GCRJYC      I'd Turn Around if I were You 3/3

GC3JTVX    Independence 3.5/1.5

GC1QAAW  Earthcaches: Challenge of the Century 5/5

Also got a puzzle called "#1 Cross-Canada Cache: Pacific (BC)" I solved it several years back, and was gonna get it when over there for one of the H.A.G. Events, but when we arrived at the trail it was on, it was still early in the morning, very dark and pouring rain, plus I was anticipating many caches to start being published. You see we went to the area at about 430 in the morning to be ready for all the caches that would be published that day and I had a hunch there was going to be several in East Sooke park. My hunch was correct and I got 18 FTF's that day.(Feb. 6/21)

Besides finding the "Grid/Terrain Points Challenge cache" and "#1 Cross-Canada Cache" I also found 3 other puzzle caches, 2 of which were Bonus caches for some Adventure Labs, 2 Virtual caches, 4 Traditional caches, and a total of 24 stages from several different Adventure Labs. Not too bad for a quick overnight trip to the island. A total of 35 finds!!

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!!!

Multi Caches have feelings also!!

Recently I have started looking at doing more Multi caches. Looking at my stats I have less Multi's than I do Traditional's, Puzzle caches, and Lab Caches. Even my Virtual count is closing in on the number of Multi's I have done, and there are less of them available.

I am working on one right now that looked interesting called "The Devil is in the Details"

It is a 4 1/2 Difficulty and 5 Terrain. It has four stages and each stage is a different kind of puzzle or challenge to complete. You need different TOTT's (Tool Of The Trade) for each stage. I have only completed the first stage so far as I went to the Co-ord's and scanned a QR code which brought me to a Jigidi puzzle(Online Jigsaw Puzzle) I had to come back home to do it on the computer.

It was 300 pieces, and it took me over an hour to complete it. It then gave me the co-ords for the next stage. Not sure what I will encounter next, but looking forward to it. Will update as I proceed.

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!!!

Got 3 FTF's so far this month, hope I can get some more soon. lol

Anyway that's it for January, Looking forward to February as I will be headed to Ferndale, Washington for a show and will make sure I grab a cache or two while down that way, although I have found most of the cache in the Ferndale and Blaine area, BUT...More about that Next Month......

Well that's it for this month!!

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65

Vegas Baby!!!

 Vegas Trip

Drove down to Bellingham, Washington with a Magician friend to spend the night before flying out to Las Vegas for a 4 day Magic Convention and several days extra to see some shows, cruise the strip, hang out on Fremont Street, and of course do some geocaching. Tried to get a cool Multi in Ferndale called "Stamp Panorama"

It brought us to the Ferndale Post Office. 

It had a bunch of large stamps painted by 45 local artists ranging from ages 11 to 80.

You had to find certain stamps to get the 

co-ords to the cache nearby. We found all the info but just couldn't find the cache. Oh well, still got to see this cool place. Sometimes that's good enough!!

We got into Bellingham, checked into the hotel and then went to grab some supper. Afterwards I grabbed a nearby cache.

Next Stop Vegas!!!

Had a nice short flight to Las Vegas from Bellingham, and then got an Uber to where we would stay for the next 9 days!! 

The Orleans Hotel and Casino is an awesome hotel with everything you need such as several restaurant's, food court, a convenience store, Liquor store, bars, 2 coffee shops, swimming pool, a 52 Lane bowling alley, 18 movie theatres, plus for the convention, there is the Main theatre where all the magic shows would be, and banquet rooms for all the lectures and special events. Once the convention starts there is no need to even leave the hotel.

The first night there, we went and saw Carrot Top the comedian. Very funny show and I would recommend it to anyone!! We also saw a few other shows while in town, such as Illuminate, Farrell Dillon, Tape Face, and Potted Potter. All great shows!!

MAGIC LIVE!!!

The convention was awesome as always and was 4 days filled with magic, fun, excitement and surprises. I can't even explain all of it to you as that would be a full blog in itself and this blog is more about caching!!!

The day after the convention, a bunch of us headed down to the strip for some sightseeing and shopping. 

I have gotten most of the caches on the strip, but was able to do an Adventure Lab while on the strip. Also while there, we visited the Siegfried and Roy statue. The other magicians I was with, had never seen this important statue before. I might not have ever seen it as well, but because of Geocaching taking me there, that's why I knew it was there.

There used to be a Virtual cache at this location, which I found while here for Magic Live in 2015. Sadly it was archived in 2017 as the CO closed their account. I am hoping some day I will receive one of the Virtual rewards, and I may place one at this location. Sadly both performers have passed away in the last couple of years.

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!!!

Day 7 in Vegas: Caching!!!

Rented a car, and spent the day caching and drove a total 205.2 KM to grab 17 caches and an Adventure Lab. It's not about quantity, but about Quality. The day started out by going to Seven Magic Mountains to see some very brightly colored rocks, and then heading to Red Rock Canyon, where the mountains and rocks looked like they were painted but they are all naturally colored. 

Seven Magic Mountains

The Seven Magic Mountains is an Art installation that opened in May 2016.

Renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s colorful large-scale, public artwork Seven Magic Mountains is an exhibition located in the desert outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring seven, 30 to 35-feet high dayglow totems comprised of painted, locally-sourced boulders.
Visible across the desert landscape along Interstate 15, Seven Magic Mountains offers a creative critique of the simulacra of destinations like Las Vegas. According to Rondinone, the location is physically and symbolically mid-way between the natural and the artificial: the natural is expressed by the mountain ranges, desert, and Jean Dry Lake backdrop, and the artificial is expressed by the highway and the constant flow of traffic between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

This was the second time I came here. Last time I got a virtual nearby, and since then someone placed a cache here called "Stonehenge in the Desert".

The cache is far enough away from the public, as this can be a fairly busy spot.

These awesome structures are very cool to see from a distance, but even cooler to see up close!!

Goodsprings, Nevada

Next stop on my list was a little town called

Goodsprings. It is an old mining town located 41 km south of Las Vegas. 

Goodsprings is the home of the Pioneer Saloon, considered to be one of the oldest saloons in Nevada (over 100 years old). The saloon features a bullet hole on the side of the building and a coroner's letter describing how it was created. The saloon is said by many to be haunted by the victim's ghost. This was the first stop in town, as it is part of a Virtual cache, and there is also a cache located inside the building that you have to ask the bartender for. 

 

Always cool, to learn some interesting history and grab a cache or two.

In this pic I am holding the Ammo can, that is normally behind the bar until it is asked for.

Pioneer Saloon

Lots of history in this little town!!

Red Rock Canyon

I headed back into Vegas and right back out west towards Red Rock Canyon.

The last time I was in Vegas in February of 2019, I went out to the Red Rock Canyon to do some caching, but that was the year it snowed in Vegas for the first time in 20 years. 

Check out these two photos, and my blog at: "2019 Vegas Trip"

The top pic was taken by me in 2019, and the other one I took while here this time. Not a lot of snow back then, but enough for them to close the scenic circular drive in the Canyon, and I was unable to do the caches in the loop at that time.

The Red Rock canyon is very picturesque and had many different earthcaches.

The pictures don't show the Vibrant colors of the hills and rocks, as good as they do when you are there. If you are ever in Vegas, I would recommend coming out to see these very cool mountains!!

Nice to see geocachers giving back!!

Virtual challenge cache

So a few years back when I was here in February of 2019, I got several challenge caches and one of the ones I wanted to get was a challenge cache to have had found 100 virtual caches. It was a simple Lamp post cache. I went to get the cache and sign it as I only had 3 more virtuals to find at the time, but did not want to enter the parking lot as there was something there and I decided to wait for another trip to Vegas. Check out the pic and let me know if you would have gone to get it. 

Today there was nothing in the parking lot, so I made the find. And because I have now found 137 Virtual caches, I can log it. Challenge complete!!

Of the 17 caches, I found 1 Virtual, 5 Earthcaches, 5 Puzzles, and 6 Traditional caches. Not a record of any sort, but some awesome caches, and a day well spent.

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!!!

Pathtags

I was running out of the first batch of Pathtags I had, so I ordered a couple hundred more pathtags awhile back, to be able to give them away at Geowoodstock, and they arrived while I was away 

 By the way make sure you log your will attend for "Geowoodstock XVIII" and the "Geowoodstock Registration Event", and I will see you there!! Come find me doing magic and ask me for a pathtag!! 

#geowoodstockxviii #geowoodstock2022 #pathtags

Well that's it for this month,

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65