Island Caching

Island caching

So we postponed our trip to the Gold Country due to the weather on October 18th, and headed out caching on the islands.
Tilbury Island and Deas Island that is. Both of these areas are called Islands but they are joined to the main land mass by bridges as there is a part of the Fraser River that separate's them.

Tilbury Island (I have Highlighted the River, which is more like a Slough that separate's the island from the land mass)

 Deas Island

As you can see in the picture below, I have circled the Massey Tunnel and the Highlighted portion is the trail where you walk above this tunnel. To think while you are walking on land and there are 100's of cars zooming below you is a weird feeling.

It is the only road tunnel below sea level in Canada, making its roadway the lowest road surface in Canada. The Massey Tunnel was the first to use immersed tube technology in North America. The tunnel forms part of Highway 99.

We found several caches on both islands and even 1 Adventure Lab.

The Massey Tunnel was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on July 15th, 1959

This trail sometimes floods due to high tides. Today it was dry so we were able to get the Puzzle cache Tip o' the Island to Ya! 

The cache for the puzzle was up in the tree, way above the tide line.

Found a cool log cache also.

As you can see we found more on Tilsbury

than we did on Deas Island over the 2 days

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!!!

Sunday Caching

Sansue and I went out on a sunny Sunday November 1st and did a bunch of caching near the Coquitlam River and the Oxbow Sidechannel

Most of the caches we did were part of cacher Buggirl1975's series called "Insect series" with a total of 8 caches to find and gather clues, then finding the final cache.

We couldn't find one and one was missing the log book so we were not able to get the final coordinates. We will have to come back another time.

We also found a puzzle cache about Wooly Mammoths.

The Oxbow sidechannel runs thru this area off the Coquitlam river and is a habitat for spawning salmon. We were able to see lots of Salmon coming upstream to lay there eggs at the end of their life cycle.

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!!!

Caching the Fraser-Foreshore Trail

 Oliver, Susan, and I went out caching during a day off down  the Fraser-Foreshore Trail. We saw this cool looking splash of paint on some rock beside the trail as we were walking.

 

 

 

This is the area we went caching. It has a lot of cool trails and little bridges, you even go under a train bridge.

Lots of wildlife in the area. We didn't see anything more than bird, but we did here a noise in the bush's on the way to one of the caches.

This was near a cache called "Rockin' Weather Station"

It was a rock hanging from a tree on a string. How the Rock weather station predicts the weather:

1. If rock is wet: it is raining!
2. If rock is white: it is snowing!
3. If rock is dry: no precipitation!
4. If rock is swaying: it is windy!
5. If rock has a shadow: it is sunny!
6. If rock is frosty: it is cold!  (Potentially below 0!)
7. If rock is gone: Hurricane 

We got here just after a train had gone across.

End of the year Souvenirs

From Groundspeaks blog page:

We did it. We made it. This year brought unprecedented change, but we still came together as a geocaching community despite challenges. We adapted by figuring out Zoom to see our friends, geocaching solo, and planning future outings. Even through it all, caches were found, souvenirs were earned, and travel bugs achieved their mileage goals.

Kintsugi is a traditional Japanese art that uses a liquid precious metal to mend the pieces of broken pottery. This art form honors what the pottery has been through and is the perfect metaphor for our souvenir to close out the year.

This year, we invite you to leave 2020 stronger and to welcome 2021 with hope by introducing two new geocaching souvenirs.

How do I earn both souvenirs?

1. Earn the Last 2020 souvenir by finding any geocache from December 24-31.
2. Earn the First 2021 souvenir by finding another geocache from January 1-8.

Geochallenge of the month

Just made the geochallenge of the month requirements with only a couple days before end of month. 

Sometime back I spotted a tweet from a fellow cacher and she posted a pic of the puzzle cache with a big clue. I saved the pic, thinking I would not have to do all the work to find it, I just need the picture. Today I was victorious in finding the cache. No work needed, but A big thank you to the CO and my fellow cacher for the clue!!!  Check out my log on "This cache"

I may have one more blog post before the new year, but in case I don't please stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask and most of all be nice to each other!!

Well that's it for this month,

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65

Cool Stats and Statues

 Statues of Interest

A recent "BLOG" from groundspeak caught my eye as it talked about some cool statues, that have caches nearby. One of the statues they showcased was called "Cloud Gate aka The Bean"

It is a virtual cache in Chicago. I was there back in November 2014, and went to visit it of course.

Cloud Gate(The Bean in Chicago)

 It is lovingly known as the Bean in Chicago and is one of the main attractions at Millennium Park. It's a monumental public sculpture by Anish Kapoor which weighs in at 110 tons. (WOW!!!) 

Named Cloud Gate by the artist, it's a seamless stainless steel sculpture is designed to reflect the Chicago skyline, the new park and everything around it. You can check out my original Blog and story on this cool statue by clicking the link here: "The BEAN"

The "Bean" and I

Reading the geocaching blog got me thinking about other statues that I have visited and found a cache nearby. Most of the time I go there for the cache and it is the reason I get to see the cool statue, or else I would not have seen it. That is the only reason I visited "The Bean" when I went to Chicago on Business. I would not have even known it was there otherwise, and neither would the 3 other guys that were with me. (They thought it was very cool)

Here are some lesser known cool statues I have seen while caching

           Sasquatch on the move

                                                                        Giant Octopus Carving

Canadian Penny

             Gassy Jack 

That's Oliver (My 8 yr old) standing between the legs of this Tin Soldier.

This is a Tree statue, but it is actually a cell tower in Las Vegas

A statue of Siegfried and Roy (Very famous Vegas Magicians) with a virtual cache at it. Sadly the Virtual was archived some time back, I even contacted Groundspeak and asked if I could adopt it. Unfortunately I was not allowed. Since that time, just recently Roy passed away due to Covid-19. He will be missed by many!!!

This is a large letter "W" made out of Sea cans on the pier in New Westminster, BC. Sadly just recently (Sept. 13) there was a large fire on the pier, which burnt up the whole pier. It burned for over a week. These were removed and taken across the river. 

This one was really cool, not so much a statue but an airplane on top of a pole that acts as a weathervane. It is at the airport in Whitehorse, Yukon.

This shot was taken from the same spot as the above picture, to show the movement. It only takes a 5 knot (9.1km/h) wind to move it. I was there in the summer of 2012, and was surprised it was not a Virtual cache, but there was a cache nearby. 

The Great One....and Wayne Gretzky

Seattle Troll

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!!!

Stats and stuff

So in case you have not noticed by now, I enjoy seeing stats about my caching experiences. Here are some basic stats about caches and the distances from where I am.

Oldest caches I have found

I would love to find some more Old Caches, and will plan a trip someday. 

Need them to fill my Fizzy chart.

Favorite caches

Theses are not my Favorite cache choices, but they are caches with the most

favorite points that I have found so far.

Some cool stats on caches that I own

Some other facts that don't show up on stat pages:

I have to this date found 404 First to Finds(FTF) meaning I was the first to find the cache after it was published. Groundspeak does not recognize FTF's but cachers do!!

"Other Important stats about my caching"

**Most FTF's in one Day Feb.23/12 "13 FTF's"

**Most finds in one Day May 21/11 "200 caches" Lake Cowichan to Port Alberni (71 was previous record)

**Most Icons in one Day April 21/13 and April 15/18 I found 7 different icons on both those days

**I was Groundspeaks "Geocacher of the Month" Feb. 2012 (Nominated twice, Oct./11 and Jan/12)

**Longest caching streak was Jan.1st/13 to Feb. 4th/14 (400 days)

**I was the B.C.G.A. Vice President 2011-2014

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!!!

Steveston Greenways

Had a day off work, so Sansue and I went to Steveston area for a few caches. We did several caches along the Greenway.

It was a nice level walk with awesome paths, and some great views on the waterway. I got 6 caches and she found 2 others that I had already found. She planned an adventure lab while there for the Greenway.

This shows the skeletal structure of a boat while also simulating a backbone of a salmon

We also passed thru a cool dog off leash park with 14 painted steel dog sculptures that range in size, pose, and color.

AbbyPD Caching

 Oliver and I went to 3 of the six caches on our way thru to Kelowna during the Canada Day weekend. They were all supposed to have some cool AbbyPD coins in them. We wanted to get all six. We did not find any, so after 3 caches, we headed back to the highway and off to Kelowna. A post was made on the BCGA Facebook page about the caches that the AbbyPD placed out for summer. I made a comment about not finding any, and AbbyPD contacted me for my address. They then sent me 2 sets (One for Oliver and one for Me) plus all the  you swag see in this picture. That was so awesome of them to do that!!! Thanx again AbbyPD!!!

Port Royal Caching

Susan, Oliver and I went out to grab some caches on a sunny Sunday afternoon. I got only 6 of the 9 we visited, as we did not find 1, and the other 2 I had already found a few years back. 

Cool Mosaic tiles

Cute sign on this fence.

Magic and Mystery cache

I set up a cache near my home a few months back. It got a fair bit of hits when it first was published, but has since diminished. A good reason for this, is it's a Puzzle cache, and on average Puzzle caches don't see as many people visiting as a Traditional cache. The sad part, is because of the nature of my cache, it has to be listed as a puzzle, as the coordinates are not just given, but, the cacher has to watch a video to receive the location. So far it has been found only 19 times and has 12 favorites on it. Would love more people to visit it. (hint, hint)

Gold Country

Sansue and I are planning to do some Gold Country caches. The trip will take us through Hope(we just cached there a few weeks back, and I talked about that in my last blog) We will head North of Hope, up through Lytton, Lillooet, and up as far as Clinton. Then we will come back down through Cache Creek, Ashcroft, Logan Lake, Merritt, and then back to Vancouver. I already have 91 caches loaded, but I have already found 39 of them. But because a lot of them are the Gold Country caches, we will be grabbing them for Sansue.

Well that's it for this month,

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65

Beyond Hope!!

Geochallenge of the month

So the Geochallenge for September was an easy one. All you had to do is submit a pic of yourself wearing something geocaching related (a shirt, hat, pin, etc.) while out caching.

Here is my newest geocaching outfit.....Just kidding!!! This was taken in Hope, BC where much of the movie "RAMBO: First Blood" was filmed. I will be chatting about our caching day in Hope, a little later in this Blog.

First Blood is a 1982 American action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It co-stars Richard Crenna and Brian Dennehy, and is the first installment in the Rambo franchise, followed by Rambo: First Blood Part II.

The film is based on the 1972 novel of the same name by David Morrell. In the film, Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood veteran, must rely on his combat and survival senses against the abusive law enforcement of the small town of Hope, Washington. (Yet it was filmed in Hope, BC) (I assume they had to keep the name Hope, as in several shots you see signage that says Hope)

“In November of 1981, Hollywood film crews began to transform Hope, BC into a rural American town for the filming of the blockbuster hit Rambo First Blood. Over the next several months Hope and the Fraser Canyon experienced gas station explosions, gun fire and stunt men. The Success of Rambo First Blood led into a series of 4 films made from 1981-2007

Rambo fanatics from around the world travel to the small town of Hope, BC to get a glimpse of what people now call Rambo town.” 

Ok, so that is not me on the poster, as you can see below though, I have a shirt that says "The Geocaches are calling, and I must go!!" We were out caching in the Ladner area and I wore it. This is the photo that I used for the Geochallenge of the month. I also have a hat that was awarded to me from Groundspeak when I was voted to be the worldwide "Geocacher of the Month" in February 2012. But I don't normally wear hats...lol

We did several caches in Ladner including 2 Adventure Labs. We even ran into another cacher while doing one of the Adventure Labs (AL) 

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!!!

A cool boat for Search and Rescue for the City of Delta that was part of one of the Adventure Labs.

Caching in and around Hope, BC 

Bridal Veil Falls

Our first stop on Labour Day was at Bridal Veil Falls. After enjoying the beauty of the falls and getting several photo's, as well as info for the Earthcache, we headed down the road towards the town of Hope. We did a series of caches that had 13 in the series called the "PTA Caches". PTA stood for Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Surprisingly enough we saw all 3 of those including a plane taking off with a Glider in tow. Then once we had completed the series, we headed towards the Hope Slide about 10 minutes past Hope.

Beyond Hope

We were Beyond Hope, No, literally we were beyond Hope!! We went out to check out the Hope Slide which is about 10 minutes past Hope. Some history on the slide from the cache page:
Early Saturday morning, January 9, 1965, an enormous landslide descended into this valley of the Nicolum Creek, destroying about 3 km of the Hope-Princeton Highway.

Apparently triggered by a minor earthquake, the slide, consisting of more than 46 million cubic metres of earth, rock and snow, crashed down in seconds from the 2000 metre high mountain ridge forming the north side of the valley. It filled the valley bottom with debris 70 metres thick in places and completely buried Outram Lake at the foot of the slide.  Luckily, the slide occurred in an unpopulated area in the early morning hours and the disaster only resulted in four deaths, all of which were buried under the rubble. All four were stuck on Highway #3 at the time, waiting for a smaller initial slide to be cleared from the highway. Two of the bodies were never recovered by search crews and remain wherever they lie.

Hope Slide

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!!!

Susan with the cache "Hope Landslide"

I found it back in 2013 while passing thru on tour. I had also already found the other one in the parking lot as well as the Earthcahe, but wanted to show them to Susan. Realize where she is right now, was once a Lake.

Sign Board Info on the slide

Picture from January 1965

Happy Anniversary

I was answering a questionnaire on a FB geocaching page, which asked when did you find your first Geocache, so I looked on GSAK and noticed that 11 years ago on Sept 7th, 2009 I found my first geocache and I was hooked. So Happy Anniversary to me. Thank you Geocaching!!

Earthcache rises up like a phoenix!!

Recently I had archived one of my Earthcaches, as I talked about a couple of blogs ago as can be seen "Here"

I was a bit sad as this was the second Earthcache of the 4 I have created, that I had to archive, but then a caching friend contacted me after I had archived it and asked if he could go there and log it as it was a part of a loop of earthcaches. I said sure no problem. When they got there he took some photos and got some info and messaged me and suggested I resubmit the Earthcache. I took his info and was able to resubmit it as a new Eartchcache. It was published only a few short hours after submission. YAY, I now have 3 earthcaches again!! Looking for my next one to create!!

Ladner Waterway caching at Brunswick Point

Deva Vue!!!

A beautiful Sunday afternoon out caching with Susan. The Round trip of  6.6km, We got a total of 21 caches, and 16 of them we had found already....wait, what?? Yup, we did this series of caches just a few short months ago. Seems as if the caches were adopted by a different cacher as the original owner was going to archive them. The new cache owner archived them and resubmitted them as new caches. One that we found even still had some of my FTF trading cards in it, that I left the last time we did these. Here is their exact quote from one of the cache pages:

"It was exciting to adopt the PB series from mcwilli, but we noticed most of the regular cachers had found the caches and the number of finders was dropping. Add to that some of the locations were suffering from overgrowth. So we felt it was time to refresh the series. Some caches have moved slightly and a few have remained in place because the hide was too good to let go." 

I'm not sure I understand the value of archiving someones cache and resubmitting it with a different name?? Not much creativity or thought put into it. The only one that looked as if it changed was one that was inside a log. 

My thought is if you can make a cool cache like this, you should be able to make a bunch of quality caches, not just resubmit the same old micros. Just my opinion!!

Caching on Mars

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is on the way to the Red Planet. Perseverance, or "Percy," is one of three craft traveling to Mars and is slated to land in February of 2021. The Rover has a Geocaching Tracking number etched on it somewhere and that number will be revealed when it lands on Mars. Geocaching is a worldwide hobby that will officially  be out of this world in February of 2021.

Well that's it for this month,

Keep on caching!!

Chris Yuill

Magicman65