National Name Yourself Day

A geocache event! Nation Name Yourself Day, Fun!

It was a mini flash-mob event with a twist. At 9 am today we looked for the green Mazda in a local parking lot. We brought along Lego characters that we designed to look like us for the contest

1) most unique character
2) look-alike


The competition was open for 20 minutes and we got a chance to vote for other peoples lego folks. There was also a tossing game where you could win prizes but I didn't want our people to break and literally shied from it.

The judging has yet to take place but we loved how our lego people turned out. Many folks dressed as existing lego people, that might have been easier.

Here are photos of what we did:

Jim wasn't sure what he was going to wear at first so I painted both sides of his reversible geocahing jacket. Out gps is in the foreground.

ABT logo added to his khaki cap and we are holding mini signature stamps (not venti coffees). Jim is also holding the printed info for the event.

Just in case it rained I made our umberella and Jim got a final gray beard added.

The day was chilly but folks were friendly and turned out.

Jim and our mini lego people!

We stamped into the log and it even had an event stamp!! YAY!

The dahboard of the host's car - fun!

Thoughts from the Road - #31711

My runs have been going well. The temperatures are moderating and I only have a couple of weeks until my race in Harrisburg. I logged a 12 miler earlier this week, I ran out to Waddle on the old rail trail. I am loving my new jacket, it is perfect for brisk temperatures when I warm up quickly. The pockets are deep and zip closed so I don't lose anything.


I did lose my water bottle on that long run but it was not in my pocket. I had Jim leave it for me at the 4 mile point. I was glad to see it sitting there undisturbed with a note on it alerting anyone who might see it that it is not trash. The note also states that it is cached on that spot for a distance runner and that it will be removed by the date I write onto it. I drank about half of the contents from the bottle over a couple of miles and sat it on a level fence rail on the trail so I could rehydrate on my return trip. I am glad the temperatures were cool because upon my return the bottle was gone! I ran back and forth a few times looking for it everywhere I imagined it could be but it was not to be found.


Lately on some of my shorter runs I have mixed it up a little by looking for geocaches without carrying a gps. I have found them about 50% of the time because I can't stand around too long without getting cold.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. I ran down to Benner Springs and back. At the bottom parking area they have replaced the old bridge with a nice wooden one. On the way back up I felt my way to where there is another geocache in the old Benner Cemetery. I didn't find the cache yet but the cemetery is worth many a return trip. This is the best thing about geocaching, finding new and amazing things right in your own backyard.

My final geocache attempt yesterday was successful but also reminded me why it can be ungratifying. The only thing in the container was a flier for civil war reenacting. No logbook, no writing tool and no trade items. The last person may have found it empty all together since they were signed in on the flier. So odd.

Mid-week Delights

It's that time of year when RGBisMe & I revel in the bike commute. For years he would come home everyday for lunch and about 3 years ago he said he would like to start biking onto campus during warmer weather. The only thing that he felt conflicted about was not making it home for lunch. This dear man came home for years so I have no problem spending my spring lunch hours bringing lunch to him - via bicycle.

It really only doubles the commute time and is so satisfying. I know our bodies thank us for it. We have added a little more gear every year to make things easier and enhance our safety. This year even I got a head and tail light. Okay, it was really bought for finding the geocaches in the abandoned turnpike tunnels but I have used them on the road one rainy day this past week.

Today, I took a route so that I could check out the area where I thought I might gather some clue information for finding a new letterbox by Angrist, I Need Some Food! I was so pleased at solving his challenging geocache clue, Listen to the Music, just the day before. His first letterbox plant was more straightforward but still had some interesting twists to it.

First I had to check on my Hitch Hiker Resort to see how it weathered the Blue White game traffic. It was just fine. Off to campus. I was glad for a change of direction because it allowed me to photograph a Red Tail hawk chasing birds in and out of Beaver Stadium.

I decided that the theme of the letterbox was making me so hungry that I better get some lunch before I started hunting in earnest. I biked on to the HUB and got us 2 hot & sour soups in hopes that we might find a nice picnic location while seeking this new letterbox. The clues were very engaging and it was hard to say just where we might end up.

I biked to an area that had some potential and phoned RGBisMe to meet me when he was able to get off for lunch. I checked some places that seemed to make sense but wanted to wait for my dear friend so that he could enjoy the hunt also. While waiting for him I took a walk to get a vegetarian strawberry yogurt. This was just in case we were successful in finding the letterbox, we could have it as a celebration treat.

We met at the arranged place and with only one muggle around just nodded to each other in agreement as we walked by a landmark. We parked ourselves in a sunny spot, pulled out our soups and started to slurp just as the muggle left. We probably looked like crazy people, running for where we thought the letterbox was before anyone else could come into view. We were not disappointed and neither would you be if you saw the time and care put into crafting this beauty.

We cracked open our celebratory yogurt and enjoyed it (and our soup) after stamping in and returning this special creation with care. It's so exciting that even more quality letterboxers are blessing our area with their efforts. Well done Angrist.

RGBisMe had to bike back to his office and I had to get back to work at home. On my way home, I was (as I frequently am at this time of year) overcome with the beauty of the area I live in. I just love my commute.

Holey Turnpike!

What type of adventure can one get into on a day where it is pouring down rain in icy torrents? Exploring abandoned tunnels along a section of the old PA Turnpike! Last week we were invited to join in the hunt for a difficult geocache in the abandoned Sidleing Hill tunnel.

The history of the area is interesting. When the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940 the four lanes of traffic narrowed to two lanes at each of seven tunnels. By the 1960’s, four of the seven tunnels on the original Turnpike received a second tube to accommodate heavier traffic: Allegheny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, Kittatinny Mountain, and Blue Mountain. The other three tunnels were bypassed and abandoned. This adventure starts near the eastern portal of the abandoned Sideling Hill Tunnel.

The now abandoned section has an unofficial bike trail that goes through it. We used a lot of the information for the Pike to Bike website. Google and Wiki searches will get you more interesting tidbits if you can't get enough.

Our goals for the day were four geocaches; PA Turnpike Cache #1, PA Turnpike Cache #2 "The Cache Down Under", PA Turnpike Cache #3 "The HoJo Cache" and PA Turnpike Cache #4 "The Four Way Stop" . The most difficult one, PA Turnpike Cache #2 "The Cache Down Under", was the one many of us had our sights set on for logging as milestone finds.

RGBisMe and I arrived near the HoJo cache bright and early before meeting up with the good geocachers of the day. We had some letterboxing in mind and didn't want those plans to get in the way of everyone else's.

On our way to the tunnel, we stopped and found PA Turnpike Cache #3 "The HoJo Cache" leaving a surprise for Redtailforester when he stopped by later. It was very rainy on and off all morning but we were able to log into this cache during a dry moment.

Back onto our bikes, we went off to take a peek into the tunnel before meeting up with the rest. This is when we planted our new letterbox, Holey Turnpike. Now you might recognize that name, and it's not just because it's cute. Jbzfarm had an awesome letterbox planted along the turnpike called Holy Turnpike! We need to give them proper credit for doing a little spin off of the name and make sure to mention that in the clue. Gotta give credit where credit is do, no? Might there be soon to come, a series along the entire thoroughfare called "Wholly Turnpike"?

The whole crew of adventurers included 2GuysNamedMoe, Redtailforester, feralgyrl, Angrist, HolyCowboys, George1, carels, RGBisMe and myself. We were so honored to be invited along for this milestone adventure. Everyone who came to hunt this cache brought ideas and tools and expertise with them. I knew that the day would not end without finding this cache and it was great to see how we all came together to tackle it.

Exploring high and low, the tunnel was just amazing. Success did not evade this group and we all reconvened to sign the log, pop the cork and celebrate. What a good time sharing snack and celebratory drinks. We snapped many photos. Congrats to The Moe's 600th, George1's 600th, HolCowboy's 400th, Carels' 4500th milestone finds! We celebrated finding a round number of "things" ourselves.

One the way out, I noticed that lack of lunch and much celebration made for some more interesting adventures. Biking in this tunnel was challenge enough, very disorienting in the dark. Some cachers were game to take on our WOM clue for the new letterbox and stopped to stamp in before heading out to find a cache just on the outside of the tunnel. Very sporting of them.

I wasn't smart like feralgyrl to head on to the port-a-jane. I hung around to log into the geocache all the while having to pee like crazy. Carels had gone exploring up the one bank so I climbed the opposite side of the tunnel to "find a tree." Just as I got to the top level of the tunnel, Carels pops his head out from the old structure on the second level. Too cool! I quickly "found a tree" and ran around behind to find him and HolyCowboys inside exploring where the giant exhaust fans for the tunnel were. They helped me through a broken window of a door and Carels showed us how you could walk above the roof of the roadway for the entire length of the tunnel. George1 snapped a photo of me sticking my head down through an exhaust vent way above the ground level and Carels took a photo of me and HolyCowboys by the giant fans.

I think it was because the tune of Raiders of the Lost Ark started in my head or that HolyCowboys and Carels magically turned into Nicholas Cage and Jon Voigt in National Treasure that I found myself exiting the second level over a deep chasm. I couldn't see the bottom but Nicolas Cage told me to be aware that there weren't any stair but just put my leg and brace it to the left on the ledge. HolyCageBoys has legs that go on forever as opposed to my 26" inseam. I committed to the decent at the same moment I realized that strategy wouldn't work. I relied entirely on my upper body to carefully lower myself along the old rusty hand rail for 10 - 15 feet. Nicolas Cowboy was there to spot me or cheer on my plummet to death if I fell and I think Carels-Voigt was singing another John Williams movie score unless this was all in my champagne bubbled brain. All I am sure of is that the folks from ground level were a little surprised to see the 3 of us emerge from a place where they had seen no stairs to go up.

The party continued back at the trail head with a lovely cake brought by the Moes. Sugar and wine and beer and champagne, we all needed some lunch enroute to the other end of the tunnel for the final geocache in the series. The weather was quite rainy all day and torrents of water poured down the way some of us approached the location of the cache.

This would have been a miserable day if it had been shared with any other type of folks. Those who love a good laugh, sharing thoughtful ideas, stories of great hikes are the best kind of people to hang out with. Thanks for sharing your milestone day with us peeps.

We all took a bunch of photos. I will try to add more below this.

Carels hit 4500!!

George1 celebrates in his own way.

A milestone kinda day.

Carels makes the moment special.

Me and my bike under a cold air vent.

RGBisMe having a good time!

Hucklebuckle.

Geocaching on Nittany Mountain

It's just 1pm and I am sitting in my warm apartment blogging away but earlier this morning I was hiking on Nittany. When I woke to single digit temperatures I never thought that I would be doing something like that but some obstinate spirit possessed me.

A new geocache was approved on Nittany Mountain this morning. I compared the coordinates of where it was to where my letterboxes are. I try to mark all of my letterboxes with my gps for reasons like this. I took time and put the info on google maps and can look at where they all are at an easy glance. This allowed me to also put in where the new geocache was. It looked like it was 100 feet from my one box. That concerned me because there is a thick stand of little pines right where the cache could be and geocachers might have poor satellite reception when seeking the cache. I really didn't want them to find this box and moving it would be tricky because it's location is critical in a clue to finding a bonus box in it's series.

I looked at the clue to the new cache and looked at the thermometer. Brrrrr, no way. A letterboxing pal I was chatting with online asked what I was doing today. I told him, "Staying home and cooking vegan food." Having put it into type, that made it so. No more thinking of hiking in the cold windy weather. No more being tempted by the long abandoned call of FTF a geocache but I had to check the log just one last time to see if anyone had found it. No finders but a note from someone saying, "If it wasn't so cold, I would go and get it." AUGH! That did it! I had to go.

At 10 am, I was throwing food and stuff into my pack. RGBisMe called and I told him my plan. I grabbed my bike and started the bitter and grueling trek to the trail head. While huffing and puffing, I had plenty of time to ask myself why I was doing it. I wondered if it was just to be first and if someone else had logged in first if I would be disappointed. I was clear on that, I wouldn't be disappointed because the call of FTF was spurring me into checking on it's location. It was also throwing me into another extreme weather adventure on the mountain. I had hiked it years earlier in a hurricane. I am not sure why when the weather turns foul that I am compelled to tackle the mountain. Hiking it in good weather is really a challenge enough.

Now don't all of you letterboxing geobashers® start in on me. I know I have a problem with getting the call of the FTF out of my system. Geocaching in this area years ago started it. Our posse, Deetylong, Diggles & Liggles and others would dash to a cache to try to beat each other as first finders. Deetylong was truly king before he left the area. This abhorrent twist on the geocaching game sadly gave many newbie geocache locals the impression that was the thing to do. An older couple we knew through my work who were interested in finding out more about geocaching came to a local event, much like our Huntin' Tupperware last year. At that time they had not settled on a trail name but they soaked all of the information up, including the call of FTF. When we speak of the now geo-famous carels, we usually say that we were responsible for creating a monster.

Carels came to mind this morning as I started up Mount Nittany Road, there was a yellow Hummer like theirs parked at the bottom of the hill. If anyone else in town would be foolish enough to brave what was 11° when I left the house, it would be them. They had gone on crazy hikes to find geocaches by bushwhacking for miles, fording rushing rivers, scaling sheer volcanic rock faces. Crazy and amazing people, they are also some of the most positive and kind folks we have ever met.

I was all warmed up for my hike from biking when I reached the trail head. There it was, the yellow hummer and carels sitting inside with the heater running. I waved to them and they jumped out into the cold to greet me. I asked if they were just starting out, waiting for someone or if they had already been successful. They had just returned from being first finders. I congratulated them and told them about someone logging that it was too cold to go for the cache was what goaded me into coming out. They laughed and we swapped a few stories before I hit the trail.

I had no problem with making the hike even knowing I would not be first and the hike alone was pleasant. The snow under feet my made menacing noises as it can in super cold temperatures. I started up the north face but the cache was on the south side of the mountain. The cold weather kept most people from the trails even though there were no classes on MLK jr holiday. One lone hiker on the south face passed me going in the other direction. He sure was a hottie and added to the beautiful scenery.

As I got within a tenth of a mile of the cache, I was getting a little concerned about how close my letterbox was going to be. As I approached the blue side trail and tight group of pines I checked my gps to see how much farther it was to the cache. If people started to look behind logs and things at this point I would be in trouble. The gps said I had over 250 feet to go to the cache so I breathed a sigh of relief. It was well down the trail away from my closest letterbox.

So, mission accomplished. My toes had gotten a little cold at one point during my ascent but once I hit the level they seemed to warm up. I kept my cell phone close to a hot spot on my body in case of an emergency but it looked like I would make it home in time for lunch. Do I keep going 250 more feet to find a geocache that has already been found or head back to my bike? Lead on gps, let's see where that cache actually is.

The cache was placed in a very tasteful manner where nothing will be damaged if the seekers have common sense and good satellite reception. It was a cammo taped Lock n Lock packed with McToys and a used deck of kids cards. A geocoin that carels had left was on top but who knows when I would be able to put it into another cache. I took nothing, stamped into the log and left a coupon good for one hand carved stamp before replacing the cache.

As I returned to the trail head and my bike I mused as to why I had left the coupon. We originally started leaving them as trade items in geocaches to try to get a few cachers to try some of our letterboxes. Of the ten or so RGBisMe and I have carved for geocachers, not one has shown any interest in letterboxing. It's not that they don't know about it. It's not that the hikes are too hard for some of them like carels. They even have some brain ticklers that are required to solve some of their coordinates so it's not like all of our clues would be too difficult for them. I know Archaeobirder has also geocached so I conclude that although the hobbies are similar, there must be some elements lacking in letterboxing that do not entice local geocachers.

I think it is fine that both hobbies currently peacefully coexist and I will hope that they will continue to. I will keep my finger lightly on the pulse of the geocaching community so that I can stay aware of how my letterboxes might be effected. Today a geocache got me out on the trail. I am glad for it.

Spritz!

The weekend was looking like a bummer. True Indigo's nasty cold nixed any chance of making a surprise appearance at any of the local CITO's in the chilly and blustery weather. They were stuck inside, no geocaching, no letterboxing, no fun.

If they could, they typically would try to get far out of town during any of the big Penn State football events. This morning found them in the heart of Happy Valley with the excitement of the Blue & White game buzzing all around them and clogging the roadways. To top off the grumpy morning, they were out of milk for their morning tea and that would require braving the bustling tail-gaters doing last minute shopping.

RGBisMe opened the front door to brave the elements and masses as Spritz smiled up at him, "Wha...?" True indigo heard RGBisMe exclaim along with what she assumed was the sound of rain splattering into their flower garden. Spritz shook off a last few drops and asked, "Well, are you going to invite me in?"

"Where did you come from feller?" asked RGBisMe as he helped Sprtiz into the house, "Are you wearing True Indigo's bandana? Did she drop it on the trail last week?"

"No, mine is still in my backpack, his looks just like it. Isn't that strange!" exclaimed True Indigo. "Where are you from and what are you doing in our area?"

"Oh, just pissin' around," remarked Spritz as he refueled with water from the turtle tank. "I am hoping to make my mark in Happy Valley. Could you give me a lift to the Nittany Lion Shrine?"

The day wasn't nearly as glum for them anymore. Grabbing a box of Kleenex, a camera, and Spritz, the posse battled the pig-skin obsessed crowds across campus. They introduced Spritz to the Nittany Lion and hooked a little souvenir of the day onto his collar.

"Where would you like to go next buddy?" asked RGBisMe.