Alberta Trip, and caching with my new TOTT!!

Caching with a TOTT

I always carry some simple TOTT's (Tools Of The Trade) such as tweezers, magnets, string, pens, paper, flashlights, knife, and even some specialty items like UV lights, and mirrors.

For this puzzle cache (Conway Conundrum) near my place, the TOTT needed was a telescoping pole (Painters pole) with a hook on the end of it.

The pole fully extended is about 10 feet, and as you can see we just made the reach. Since I noticed there are more and more caches like this, I went to a golfing store and bought a 16' pole. I will also be able to use this pole in a magic trick....shhhhhh

Weekend Caching with Sansue

This is one of the oldest bridges in BC. It goes over to Westham Island and is a one lane bridge, and they have workers stopping traffic when others are coming across from the other side.

The Westham Island Bridge is a partially single-lane, wood-deck truss bridge located in Ladner, British Columbia. The bridge passes over Canoe Pass in the Fraser River Estuary and connects Ladner with Westham Island. The bridge's length is approximately 325 m (1066 feet). The bridge was constructed between 1909 and 1912 and has undergone extensive refitting over the years.

We did a Adventure Lab over there that was basically a driving lab as we didn't have to get out of the car to get the info. We only got 1 cache on the island, as the other 8 we planned to do were in the Alaksen National Wildlife area. We found out, it is only open during the week and not on weekends. Those will have to wait for another trip over there. 

The Iron Cow

This was a cool structure in Tsawwassen with a hidden in plain sight cache called, "Disguise is Crying (2.0)"

The rusty parts were all welded together to make up the cow.

I milked the cow, but there was too much iron in the milk. lol

International Geocaching Day

This year is the 10th Anniversary of International Geocaching Day. Starting in 2011, every year on the third Saturday of August is our day to celebrate geocaching and geocachers worldwide!!

Of course, I made sure to get a cache on that day to receive my souvenir!!!

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!!!

Grabbing a couple more caches that are up in a tree, and a pole is needed. One we found today, I even had to attach my 10 foot pole to the base of my new 16 foot pole to reach it as you can see in the pic below. 

Sansue wanted to give this one a try!! Took her a little bit as it was up there quite high, but she got it!

Alberta Trip

Oliver and I flew to Alberta for 5 days, to visit with Family. Of course, I searched out some cool caches to grab while there of course. The first cache we got on the way to our destination for the evening on route from the Airport was a library cache. It was for the Geochalllenge of the month. Back at home I have got all the library caches in my area, so it was important that we grab one while here. We actually ended up getting 2 while here.

The first one we grabbed was inside a book, and very nicely made, while the other one we got was just a nano cache inside the free library.

 

We also got some really cool gadget caches that were all in a row along a rural country road. Most of them were in birdhouses attached to a fence, and out in plain view.

The toughest one to do that's pictured above, was a cache called 

"Lock picking 101 Birdhouse"

They had it padlocked with a see thru lock and the picks available to pick the lock. Being a magician, when I was the President of the Fraser Valley Magic Circle, I arranged a lecture about lock picking, and had a locksmith come in to teach us how to do that. I even purchased the same see thru lock and picks that were in this cache. Even with the training it took me a little bit to get into this cache. But persistence prevailed. 

The Heart Lock had the key with it, but you had to make sure it wasn't all the way in to open the lock. Another one had blocks to add up to the code for the lock.

This cache had a sealed tube full of small beads, and you had to shake it to find the 4 discs with numbers on them for the lock code to get at the Logbook.

Lots of fun and creativity went into these caches. I prefer these type of caches that make you think instead of a bunch of pill bottles or bison tubes on a trail.

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 also had two Challenge caches targeted that I needed to get. The challenge for these caches, was a harder challenge to complete. The owner had 100 geocoins made for prizes to the first 99 cachers to complete this challenge. I looked at my stats, and was glad to see that I met the requirements. One of the challenges was called "XXXTREME Challenge-Triple Crown of Geocaching"

This cache was Extremely well hidden, we even had to bushwack to get to it. On our way to this cache we saw a structure that someone built, that looks like someone lives in it from time to time. 

I contacted the CO to set up a day and time to pick up my geocoin, and headed downtown to meet up with him. Here is a pic of my new coin....

Thanx again Scavengermonkeys.

On the way to the airport on our last day there, we stopped and grabbed 4 caches, one was a puzzle called "K is for Kids"
I did the puzzle before coming to Alberta, and it was a Dot to Dot puzzle, so I wanted to make sure I got it before heading home.
We only got 18 caches while there, but we did stay busy doing other things also.

International Earthcache day is coming up in October........

I will write more about this in my next blog. Until then, Stay Safe, Get Vaccinated, Wear your Mask, and Wash your Hands!!

Well that's it for this month,

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65

Adventure Labs, and Fizzy grids

 Adventure Labs

I wrote about Adventure Labs (AL's) in the past and I am still curious why they count for 5 finds if you finish all 5 locations when you just have to answer a question at each stage. I understand some have said its like 5 little virtuals all in one package, but then why is it with a virtual cache, you may have to fulfill multiple questions or put a photo online, and with a wherigo, you may have to go to 3, 4, 5, 6, or upwards of 10 or more spots to complete it but only get 1 (one) find?? 

So as I wrote last month, when we were in Hope, we found 1 and 80% Adventure labs, let me explain. When you do an AL you go to normally 5 locations, and answer questions based on where you are and what you see. After you complete all 5 it gives you a chance to rate the AL out of 5 stars, and post a comment on the AL, just like you post when you find a regular cache. So in Hope one of the stages of  the 5 locations, we could not find the info for the question. We went to the other 4 locations and found those no problem. So what happens is we got credited for 4 finds, but the AL owner did not get a rating from us or a nice comment on his AL. There is a couple other AL's that I only completed 2 locations of the 5 because I didn't have the time to complete them. Again same thing, I received 2 finds very easily, but the owner of the Lab, got nothing in return. It just doesn't seem to make sense to me. I also just found out from another cacher at the last event I went to, that if you go to the location for 1 stage of the AL, and it opens to a question, that it will stay open. So if I am at home in Vancouver area, I can still answer the question in Hope 200km away. Now I just have to find the answer...lol

Although I still don't understand why they are set up like that, I do enjoy doing them as they take you to some cool places, that normally you would not be able to place a cache box, just like a virtual cache. Here are some pics of one we recently did that took us to some cool art installations.

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!!!

A cool bronze statue, so life like!!

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!!!

Speaking of Virtual caches, got this cool one in Abbottsford called "International Friendship Garden and Golden Tree" when I was there to show some Magic close up to some people from a company that are having me do close up for their event in October. Even had a chance to show my new trackable keychain. One of the requirements to log the virtual.

Katzie Marsh Caching

Today(Aug. 2nd) Oliver and I hiked over to a Puzzle cache called "Katzie Marsh". It was an interesting Puzzle cache and the final was a container 8 meters up in a tree!! This was a must find for me as it is a 1.5 Difficulty and a 4.5 Terrain.

As you can see after almost 13 years of caching, this was the only space on my Fizzy grid that I needed to fill. 

It has never been about the numbers for me, it has been about the fun, the adventure, and the people. On the way to this cache besides some nesting stations with young birds, we saw a boat carrying 1 car across the lake(small private ferry??)

Once we found the tree which was easier than I thought it was gonna be. I thought there was gonna be a whole bunch of trees, and I would have to figure out which one. The co-ords I got were within 30 meters of the cache site, and not specific.

Then we spotted the cache container, both Oliver and I headed up the tree. It was a fairly easy climb.

Oliver and I in the tree

Up in the tree, we made quick work of signing the log and headed back down.

S.W.A.G. (Stuff We All Get)

I recently received some geocoins and pins in the mail.

I traded pathtags with a cacher in Texas, and because my logo on my caching account is Mickey Mouse as the sorcerers apprentice, she mentioned she had  worked at Disneyland.  She ended up sending me her pathtag along with some cool Disney pins from her collection. Thanx again Cewhite43!!

These 2 Gold Country coins were a gift from "Explore Gold Country". For every 24 Gold Country caches you find and send in the stickers, you receive a geocoin that looks like a gold bar. I had enough stickers from our recent trip to get 2 coins, so now I have 4 of them. The Mars Rover coin, I bought from Geocacing.com store, and the 20th anniversary of the A.P.E. cache coin, I purchased from Cache Advance. (shipping was more than the coin, so will not be purchasing from there again)

Trans Canada Highway Adventure Lab Series

So as I had mentioned in last months blog, I will be taking part in placing 1 of the Adventure labs on the Trans Canada Highway that will be stitched together with many others to make a series that spans across Canada. This is a very exciting project and I am super happy to be a part of it. I have already started working on my AL as I have traveled the part of the highway I chose several times, and know the cool places on it. A lot of the people in this area were picking locations close to home, but I chose a section of the Trans Canada that is the last section in BC, before it crosses the border to Alberta. Right now it is from Golden to the border, but may get expanded to Revelstoke. This AL can be up to 10 locations close to the highway. I already have 7 spots of interest picked out, and have written about them. Looking forward to visiting the area to add a few more locations. Plus I will grab a few caches while there of course. 

Look for that story in a future blog.

Weekend Caching

We went out caching on the weekend as Susan was only 15 finds away from her 1000th cache. I planned out the day with a few neat caches and just some simple ones as well to add up to 999, and then I had a gadget cache picked out for her 1000th find.

Susan felt what it was like to "Ride the Lightning"

This cache was in a spot that we have been before but it was not there at that time. I did one like this a few years back in Agassiz, which you can watch the video "Here".

We were driving down 0 ave at the very bottom of BC, right at the border of Canada and U.S.

I noticed they have markers at the border, so I got a quick pic at one. You can decide if I am in Canada or the U.S. in this pic. lol

This is a cache called "Project Ape: Tribute" I recently bought a geocoin for the 20th anniversary of one of the Original Project A.P.E. caches called "Mission 9: Tunnel of Light" which is one of the 2 Project A.P.E. caches left. There was a total of 14 of these caches place 20 years ago as a publicity stunt for the movie "Planet of the Apes." I had already found this cache but wanted to have my new coin visit here before moving around with me, or putting it into my collection at home. You can read more about the project "HERE"

R2-D2

This was the cache I picked out to be Susan's 1000th cache. It won the Fraser Valley Cache Bash this year as "Best Gadget Cache." It is called "R2-D2 Gadget Cache FVCB4"

A very cool cache that you need to bring a 9Volt with you to get it to work.

I also had bought a 1000 finds pin for her when she hit this Milestone and presented it to her at the cache!!

The following day we went out and grabbed a few nearby caches. This one had us climbing up a tree. Well, I climbed while she watched. lol

 

Found the little guy, now how do I get down??

Oliver and I are headed to Edmonton In September to visit family, and of course I have already started making a list of some cool caches to grab.

I will write more about this in my next blog. Until then, Stay Safe, Get Vaccinated, Wear your Mask, and Wash your Hands!!

Well that's it for this month,

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65

10,000 page views!!!

So just recently I noticed my blog page had hit 10,000 page views. It was weird that the day I looked at it, it was exactly 10,000. A great big thanx to all my followers and to all who read my blog on a monthly basis.

Tree caches

I have recently grabbed some more tree caches, just for a bit of a challenge. They are always fun and I get a bit of exercise.

Up I go!!!

Yup, it's up there

Hanging out in a tree!

New west whereigo

Cool bench

Did another whereigo cache with angelcheeks and close up Matt in the New Westminster Quay. It was their first wherigo, and we saw a lot of interesting things while there.

A recent FTF, can you see it??

Magic Convention and caching

Went to Chilliwack for a magic convention this month, and was able to get out in the mornings for a few caches with my good friend and fellow magician Close Up Matt. We even took a newbie with us, and I think he may start caching. Not only did I find a few caches while here for the convention but I also found this:

 This is an "Anything is Possible" Bottle.

A fellow magician, Jamie D. Grant, makes these and places them out somewhere at Magic conventions and elsewhere for his twitter followers to find. He will tweet a pic like the one shown here and wait for someone to come find it. I got the tweet and noticed the pic with the Christmas tree in the background and knew it was in the lobby of the convention hotel. I missed out on about 3 or 4 of these bottles in Vegas at Magic Live, but I did not miss this one. It is now proudly displayed on my Magic bookshelf at home!!!

Caching in December

Headed to Vernon and Kamloops to do some shows and was able to grab several caches on route as well as while there. Had a chance to get some challenge caches as well.

A Cool Earthcache in Kamloops

Look out for Turtles. This was the entrance to the resort I stayed at in Kamloops where I would perform for a bunch of realtors.

This was a challenge cache that was in the parking lot of my hotel room in Vernon, and it was actually a bit challenging for me to find. I kept looking in the tree and a nearby shrub, but was not having any success. It was only when I stepped back and just looked when I realized where it was. Can you see it??

Hmmmm, could it be

Spoiler alert!!!

finally got to sign it. Now to see if I qualify for the challenge, so I can log it. lol

 Some cool caches along the way

Google hangout interview

Some time back I was interviewed by "Ultimate Caching Quests", a group of dedicated cachers that chat about all that is caching on a live internet broadcast every week. I had fun doing it and they even asked me back at some time to guest host the show. They asked me a wide range of questions from my position as VP on the B.C.G.A. As well as my beginning into caching and my magical capabilities as well. Check them out live every Sunday at 10am. It was aired on Google hangout, if you wish to check it out on youtube  "Click here"


Some comments on the show:

Hello MagicMan65! Great interview! Very good show with lots of interesting stories, tips and advice. I really like the group-geocaching hike notice idea. I'm going to message a few local cachers to see if they'd also be interested. Thanks for the great show!

Too funny on your laughing doves in the back ground, anytime I try to vlog in the house my parrot does the same thing. Sometimes she competes with me. LOL

-In my opinion this is the best UCQ Hangout show yet! -Creating new notifications is a must when traveling to new areas. -Thanks for the shout out to globaltreckers(myself) and quadsinthemudd as we had a hoot completing the "blindfolded cacher" challenge.

Well that's it for this month

Keep on caching

Chris Yuill

Magicman65