Day 2...teaching 1st Sgt!

I really have to go easy with this....he has already threaten to sue! Ha....let's see, you can have the dogs!

Anyways, out with Peanut...the day of caching was going to be INTERESTING! Peanut, still running gun shy....still on the steroids from her last poison ivy gift. ( I feel sorry for "Dan, the man" you know...women on steroids!...anyways, that 2 law suits now!)

We decide to do a small series...terrain 1 to 1.5 Weather was nice....early autumn ( too hot for 1st Sgt, well anything over 50 is too hot for him, until he is adjusted to "the lower 48"

Turns out 1st Sgt is still doing the numbers game...going north or South, east or west according to the coords....(wow!) We remain silent... ( hard to believe) so as he is heading in, I 'm calling the shots....go more to the right, little more...and he has that same dumbfounded look on his face. ( so much for remaining silent) Peanut and I are grabbing them right and left....Peanut finally whispers to me...."let him get the next one" Ok....I know he outranks her, but really...this is the brother that put barbells over my neck, so I couldn't move! Well, that was a "few" years ago...so....we let him find the next one!

He doesn't know this ...so let's keep it to ourselves!

He finally sees that we are using the compass feature, and...I think we converted him! Or as, he would say..."hell ya!"

The best part...he has been out geocaching on an island...with bears and such, but has the "begeezers" scared out of him...when a little field mouse joins us! And just to make the story clear...he "claims" it ran across his arm....ok...whatever!

It really was a good day of caching...and just to call off the lawyers...his gps did "drop" all the satellite's...( true story) and he did find caches, by just writing the coords on some paper...so really....I was impressed!

But, we have come a long way....and looks like I will be trying to get some caches in Michigan...his new home!

He's Bac-c-c-k-k-k-k-k-k........

1st Sgt.....he is back. Finally decided to leave the land of Eskimo's, deer, antelopes and BEARS! Well, not sure of antelopes....anyways....he 's back.

We decided to do a day of geocaching....really I decided and he complied. I wanted to show him some recent caches, and see how far we have progressed. Last time he was in town, Was really when he introduced me to geocaching. Boy, have we come a long way....my first hide was a tupperware container, in a bush! I didn't even know about cammo tape yet!

I think he was a little impressed....so I really have to blog about this! Took him out for the slab series...he struggled a little. ( hehe...) But, of course, he found them all. I think the highlight was when I was " guarding" the intersection, while he hunted for a cache...I yelled out the window, that we had a combine coming in from the north and a truck coming down the slab from the west...He looked at me like I was an alien!
I don't think he has ever heard me use north, east, west etc directions! LOL !!!

After a grueling day of doing both my AND Peanuts series...he was whopped !

Next day plans are to go out caching with Peanut! We are going to show him, what caching is all about ! Haha!

We secretly hope we can find some caches, keep our keys in our pockets and our feet flat on the ground! ( Help!)

And the winner is.....

The Garmin Dakota 10 ! I love this little guy!

I went back to the "mans store" determined to find something. They were still having a problem with the alarms, but it turns out....they do automatically shut off after 2 MINUTES! LOL

Armed with a little internet knowledge, I was finally able to get my hands on this sucker. It is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand. It comes with a nice" rubber , yes you can probably drop it and not do damage" cover. A nice lanyard, not to hang your self, but you can actually sign the log, without putting the gps on the ground. 1 button...yep just one...the screen is all touch screen. ( one of the features I loved on the I-phone) It is geocaching friendly....just download from the computer. It shows the description, hints, logs etc! NICE!!!!! You can log your finds as you go....and it takes you to the next closest cache. Hmmmm....nice, no real thinking involved! It also lets me manually enter coordinates....just in case....and I am sure this never happens....the coordinates are off a little...and someone logs some better coordinates. AND the compass is great...it points in the direction I need to head!!!

WAHOO ! Finally someone who understands ME!

So, I manage to pick it up on sale...then with a rebate....and a saver card....you know how it goes! I was so excited! My biggest learning curve...how to get it out of that stupid hard plastic casing!

Not to make this sound like a GARMIN commercial...but I am sure we can use Garmins in the movie deal! ( hint, hint!)

Down...down...done!

After the whole key incidence, we are feeling that luck was on our side! After our fill of chocolate....we head for the next nearest cache. No way, am I even touching the keys! Peanut puts them above the tire. As we head down this little trail, we realize that this has to be the path the owner took to hide the last cache. Duh...why we never listen to our common sense is really beyond us...but....we head out!

Half way down the path, reading the description out loud...something is wrong...the terrain is not fitting the area. Re check everything....ahhhh...this makes sense, we are using the coords of one cache, and reading the description of another....see I told you our ju-ju was completely off. We get that all quickly turned around...feeling a little better that this cache is not in a wooded area...we are finally on flat ground, nice dirt packed trail.....and WHAM! Peanuts down! Tripped over....ahhh... nothing...own two feet. Good grief ! We find the cache...head out!

Next cache area...nice little cache...kinda of a grassy area....looks like the last cachers....took some time to find it ( and they are good cachers) I am convinced we can find it...after all we just found keys...in a jungle! Heading down a little slope....and WHAM....I am down! What the ------------? Peanut does a whole photo shoot...as she is laughing...."all I saw was a blur of white...."

Ok...day over....we decided not to press our luck! 2 downs and we are done! Crack open the Mikes hard lemonade...this has been a hell of a day!

Cheers!

UH ...OH

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Yes, I had the keys, we both knew it...I had the keys when I locked her car. I had the keys when we entered the woods. I had the keys when I poked a small knot hole. I had the keys on my left hand, ring finger. So....why was it, when I looked down and saw no keys....that I said...I gave them to you. Now really that was said like a hopeful question....but I knew.....I HAD NO KEYS!

We both just stared down at my hands, no keys. I slowly patted my jean pockets, no keys. Neither one of us has said one word....but it was like slow motion as we both turn our heads, and surveyed the area....the vast area of "wooded jungle" The 116 foot circumference that we have just trampled all over.

Ok...remaining calm, let's just do the obvious...use the spare. No spare? No spare at home either? Looking at all our options, we realize: holiday weekend.....no spare key....no Saturn dealers....we are on call for work....and NO...I am NOT calling her hubby!

We did have a small laugh, after all this is our luck and just unreal! The options were narrowed down to looking for the keys . After all we had to make an effort. I decided to start looking while I was practicing the words I would use when I make the call.

Peanut started out with the theory...no way, we are never going to find the keys. I was determined. After searching, I decided we were never gonna find the keys, but Peanut was reassuring me, we could find them. When we decided it was hopeless...we did the obvious....we split up, ... hanging onto our phones....no need losing each other at this point....and started literally searching every inch of trampled down grass!

I can not even tell you where we were, or how long we had been looking, or how I happened to look down and see the keys... embedded in mud...neither one of us can even believe we found the keys...but we did !

Babbling at 100 words a minute, we somehow managed to find our way out of this jungle. After brushing off the bugs, pulling off the cockaburs, and making a much needed chocolate pit stop... we headed off to the next cache. After all, how much worse could this day get.

Wow....we found the keys! (Thanks Goldy)

4 Little Words

How can 4 little words, wipe a smile right off your face? Well, let me tell you... they did! Let's start from the beginning......Peanut and I are both put on call....decided to go do a little geocaching. Now to be on call for your job...takes a lot of "little requirements" for the most part you stay by the phone and wait to be called in. BUT NO! ... we decide to go caching.

In preparation, we do our hair, put on make-up, load the car with shoes, scrubs....and all the likes. Have to be half way presentable , and we have only a small time frame to get into work....so we feel we are chancing it, but do-able.

First we run around knocking a few errands off the list, then , of course, we have to eat. See, if we get called in, we won't have time to eat. Food is a necessity, it seems!
With a boat race being held in the area...we decide to go get a few caches, " a little further out".

First stop, looks ok. We head across a park, " knowing " the cache is going to be in the woods...outer tree line. EZ!!!!! But when we get to the tree line...our phones ( no longer, worthy of the term gps) tells us, we have some almost 400 feet to go in. Now common sense tells us, that the owner...no way... took this route to hide that cache. This is not only a woods, but it has a jungle inside ! These grasses/weeds/ foliage is way over our head, and they are not the kind you "part"...they are woven into each other. It was like being a tick in macrame. We walk along the outside of the woods, until our little blue ball, lines up....tossing common sense to the wayside...we walk in.

Peanut is a navigational guru..need I remind you...I am not. We purge ahead. The little blue ball is bouncing all right....we are all over the place. The closest we got was 22 feet....and, of course, trying to sharpen up the numbers, we attempt to get a little closer...no way...now we are at 116 feet. Common sense, our ju-ju and Peanut's navigational skills seem to be gone! So, when I say...follow me...everyone should be a little afraid.

Some time later, we come across the cache. We do our little celebratory dance...sign the log, Peanut takes pictures to use as evidence..(.also as exhibit #1,) for when she challenges the term "knot hole" vs "woodpecker hole"

We have to laugh aloud...as we are covered with cocaburs , so much for make-up, hair is full of twigs and leaves. We have to laugh, hope we don't get called in...
So, with those thoughts, we decide to get our act together...first is find our way out. And with that thought....the 4 little words are spoken!

You may be thinking...what? I have to pee.... (nope) which way is out... (nope) is that work calling.... (nope) my phone is dead...(nope) what a great cache....(definitely nope)

WORSE....believe me....!!!!!!



You have the keys........

The Big Guns

Just as I was getting ready to go out, and do a second attempt on a local cache, I get the notification...the big guns are in town ! Peanut and I had just listed a series of caches in our area. And the big guns were here doing the series! OMG! It is like have celebrities in town.

My excuse for not finding a cache on the first time around, of course, was the "it was getting dark excuse" . But now that I know the big guns are here, there is no way in hell, I am going out with my little blue dot on my I-phone, looking for a cache.

So lock the doors, close the curtains, stay inside! And just like a tornado, they blew through town getting cache after cache! We may take a beating in the logs, but we are so excited they came to do OUR caches !