tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010457859099914342024-02-07T16:08:36.153-06:00Andean TrekkerDesigned to inform and encourage you as relates to hiking, camping, geocaching.Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.comBlogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-12047469019904913822015-09-19T17:06:00.000-05:002015-09-19T17:06:15.775-05:00A Visit to the Home of Bush's Baked Beans....and Duke, of course<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qRbLzgZG2yI/VfSlFyTDNMI/AAAAAAAAFJw/bGJRu8ttMCE/s1600/15%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qRbLzgZG2yI/VfSlFyTDNMI/AAAAAAAAFJw/bGJRu8ttMCE/s320/15%2B-%2B1" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried to get to the recipe but couldn't</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We enjoyed our recent trip to Tennessee. Of course, this meant looking for geocaches along the way. We decided to visit Pigeon Forge for a while before continuing on our trip to Athens, TN to visit family. As we were headed south off of I-40 we suddenly came upon the town of Chestnut, TN. Suddenly there was the sign and a huge factory. It was the Bush's factory. We just had to stop along the way. There's a nice little museum, gift shop and a restaurant. Up and down the road are some nice caches worth your visit. I didn't see one dedicated to this famous site nor to the dog that wants to sell the secret family recipe. The closest cache to Bush's was <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC39MRJ_jcps-chestnut-hill-4" target="_blank">JCPS Chestnut Hill 4 (GC39MRJ)</a>. We tried to get the secret recipe but gave it our best shot.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nf-cRKUcESs/VfSnnPRXNtI/AAAAAAAAFL4/CsZVadfYpfU/s1600/15%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nf-cRKUcESs/VfSnnPRXNtI/AAAAAAAAFL4/CsZVadfYpfU/s320/15%2B-%2B1" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-79977804938298415262015-09-12T17:51:00.000-05:002015-09-12T17:51:23.474-05:00Claustrophobia Anyone?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0u7yrfR3UZo/Vetq0bwyRTI/AAAAAAAAFHI/I7UERINprDk/s1600/IMG_20141024_142342_971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0u7yrfR3UZo/Vetq0bwyRTI/AAAAAAAAFHI/I7UERINprDk/s320/IMG_20141024_142342_971.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to the Big Water Bottle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of my favorite local caches is <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5300Q_grande-garrafa-de-agua?guid=4a5f331b-c4c9-4fb7-a63d-6a4d5b706a7d" target="_blank">Grande Garrafa de Agua (GC5300Q)</a>, located near the Palladium Shopping Area in eastern High Point, NC. This is located close to where I live. When I read the cache description I thought I might be getting into a tight situation. When I drove into the area my GPSr almost zeroed out, signifying that I was almost over the GZ. But this is open fields and a road. I'm looking for a regular size cache. How could it be?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JModPgL68JM/VetrfyRrDnI/AAAAAAAAFHc/Sz1WGaHOpWs/s1600/IMG_20141024_142058_814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JModPgL68JM/VetrfyRrDnI/AAAAAAAAFHc/Sz1WGaHOpWs/s320/IMG_20141024_142058_814.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is pretty much one way right now</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1qDzkdVflc/Vetrw3ZsbaI/AAAAAAAAFHw/6MwiBDdReM4/s1600/IMG_20141024_142047_608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1qDzkdVflc/Vetrw3ZsbaI/AAAAAAAAFHw/6MwiBDdReM4/s320/IMG_20141024_142047_608.jpg" width="320" /></a>It was what it was. The GZ was near a rain drain along the road. It had to be one of those claustrophobia caches. I head for the lowest ground around. Sure enough, the drain pipe. Out with the flashlight. I didn't want to bump my head nor did I wish to crawl and get my knees wet. Hunched over I could probably make it. There was a little light at the end of the tunnel. Or was that really the end of the tunnel? I set out after storing my GPSr so it wouldn't end up in the water. After about 100 feet I came out into a box-like area with a manhole cover over head and a little light. There were several options now. Straight ahead or off at an angle to the left or right? I chose to go straight ahead. I pushed on, even with the pain in my back. Finally, another box-like area with a drain overhead. I could hear a vehicle pass overhead at times. What if I were to get stuck in here? What if I were to pass out and no one knew where I was? May this wasn't such a good idea. No one knows here I am. Maybe I should re-think this. But then, I'm almost there. On I went, just a little further and there it was. I found my pen, got the container opened, signed it and began my trek back to the open world. I must admit, it's better to have this one off of my cache list and behind me. Thanks to the cache owners for the adventure! Now what?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0High Point, NC, USA35.9556923 -80.00531760000001235.7490423 -80.329414100000008 36.162342300000006 -79.681221100000016tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-39939787061824725202015-09-05T16:44:00.000-05:002015-09-05T16:44:16.626-05:00Garden City Beach, S.C.Man, it's been a while since I've posted. Here's another run at recording my geocaching adventures. <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/home?alabel=photos_from_posts" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="gphoto-album-cover-img" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t0PpIY_wMP8/VetQxGGqaFE/AAAAAAAAFAE/HZU-haNzvDU/s144-c-Ic42/9515.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the hunt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="goog-icon-list-icon-img" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-28SD2J_3T7U/VeteopNtftI/AAAAAAAAFB4/ejKE3DY1tdQ/s288-Ic42/15%252520-%2525201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street Fishing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</a>This summer's family beach vacation was fun. We went to Garden City Beach south of Myrtle Beach, S.C.. Littleman2010 announced he wanted to go caching. He hasn't been interested in it in a long time. I guest being at the beach and wanting to do something different got a hold of him. He and his uncle took off with me to find a few caches in the area. We had a good, hot, sweaty time just south of Garden City. One cache that he liked a lot was<span id="goog_555767631"></span> <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2JF38_le-petit-nichoir?guid=bef5324e-2574-4be9-b8c7-de8f375dbc9b" target="_blank">Le Petit Nichoir (GC2JF38)</a><span id="goog_555767632"></span>. The picture shows you just how obvious the cache was and how easy to find it was. We hit several more easy caches so that Littleman's attention wouldn't wane. <br />
<br />
A fun thing happened to us. We were staying in a rented beach house a block from the beach with a backyard backed up to the inlet waterway. The tide would rise and fall. In the evening the water would come up, flow back through the street drains and then flood the street up to six inches. Littleman2010 took advantage of the opportunity to do a little fishing. Note the clothes pin as a hook.<br />
<br />
Better off geocaching. More catch there!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="goog-icon-list-icon-img" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OvAmxo6lWQU/Vetf6u2cSRI/AAAAAAAAFCo/0zKXnWWMXzY/s288-Ic42/15%252520-%2525201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view from the back at high tide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - Sep 5, 2015" class="SzDcob" height="300" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTpJeF20zTgmsLCJ1EO8ygLg8clIGfTv4OcNVY9XM_qLQ7esjIdn8jls3uZtPJamiFI_4Q3jra84MYDjbCA-eIASLySZl3n7V2S4l2JqZKcIIMUc0J9ztHyO__6rKqWGP2Im4jvv0AFmz/w828-h621-no/" width="400" /><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
<div class="goog-icon-list-icon-img-container">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span id="goog_555767644"></span><span id="goog_555767645"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-51433250544758918492014-10-19T00:30:00.000-05:002014-10-19T00:30:01.123-05:00Alamanace Battleground, North Carolina<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3ekON90FGPpONNPg9_ASQK4YYUVmPAwxEhpEQ2Q4jiNrVyRLWB2jWUwenX2m82nHNFi6ECKsh89HAcRV0o5HixVE0drFqzHHnI4dBpUQjIj2aw6ZatpZ8tzvrZUN-8BgyKgpLe2clUAX/s1600/IMG_20141017_103401_295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3ekON90FGPpONNPg9_ASQK4YYUVmPAwxEhpEQ2Q4jiNrVyRLWB2jWUwenX2m82nHNFi6ECKsh89HAcRV0o5HixVE0drFqzHHnI4dBpUQjIj2aw6ZatpZ8tzvrZUN-8BgyKgpLe2clUAX/s1600/IMG_20141017_103401_295.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alamance Battle Monument</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNiWsEIL3uTY6e1QUx1DA4aNICfeB55JyPNO3NnOS8QyXbSlA_sTnNxu8yygFFrzP7vg1zWbV64zAq5hWZH8VtGQnph5IM9DGnes-jhu13VaCp7LOnYV8VpYsbgc34zSuqy9HHgTRaHu2/s1600/IMG_20141017_100632_938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNiWsEIL3uTY6e1QUx1DA4aNICfeB55JyPNO3NnOS8QyXbSlA_sTnNxu8yygFFrzP7vg1zWbV64zAq5hWZH8VtGQnph5IM9DGnes-jhu13VaCp7LOnYV8VpYsbgc34zSuqy9HHgTRaHu2/s1600/IMG_20141017_100632_938.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today I went to a special event. It was the 243th anniversary of the battle of Alamance. Here the forces of the British colonial government engaged in battle the of local farmers in what is called the Regulator rebellion. In 1771, just a few years before the Revolution began, the first shots for independence were fired here in this battle involving about 3000 men. The British forces won. Yet, many of those who fought on the British colonial side would join the American revolutionary forces six years later.<br />
<br />
Today hundreds of school children from all over the county were here for reenactments and demonstrations in colonial handcrafts.<br />
<br />
There was one cache just off the state property. It is called <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCMECZ_just-hanging-around-8?guid=b1d0714a-c89f-4afd-a8b0-bf419eb016f4" target="_blank">Just Hanging Around #8 (GCMECZ)</a>. it was located in a tree near parked school buses. I know the drivers were wondering what I was looking for. I finally found the cache and was on my way.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbQZk4R1WKFxd5g_6szWDts2_kDOxT8ILSW-w2rpgYTkfLZRQFvFit6UT38vW5kyJLYEP-Ak8gyQ9ClUtaKgtKsmYpZoW7RFGuTHGMfXV0dIBRGJoZb7HIuiWOQzlqtHxN73rMYub1cI4/s1600/IMG_20141017_102712_029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbQZk4R1WKFxd5g_6szWDts2_kDOxT8ILSW-w2rpgYTkfLZRQFvFit6UT38vW5kyJLYEP-Ak8gyQ9ClUtaKgtKsmYpZoW7RFGuTHGMfXV0dIBRGJoZb7HIuiWOQzlqtHxN73rMYub1cI4/s1600/IMG_20141017_102712_029.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Battleground</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWM2ce1kohIifmwEkPAB6dUurgigzxCMOjoPMddYv89Gk1b8qMPu0g60YBFJAM5kjuHguW4DI5ZNgq5bE2uOe48K0vzk053j8UPFnK7QV6LoUxaGjmwlWlMS9Onuz9x5mSbroJcOINOABf/s1600/IMG_20141017_103142_722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWM2ce1kohIifmwEkPAB6dUurgigzxCMOjoPMddYv89Gk1b8qMPu0g60YBFJAM5kjuHguW4DI5ZNgq5bE2uOe48K0vzk053j8UPFnK7QV6LoUxaGjmwlWlMS9Onuz9x5mSbroJcOINOABf/s1600/IMG_20141017_103142_722.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the executed Regulators</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVSGO6sm3a4KNcEfsaPBb5-9bvZV5FLBN2d0vwqI-VDRVz7HvIds0q9Ihe-_J5cIfnIVpqE4pWPgORhoohjGDPH94quEb45b779OgDaDRevDIWU80ioey0cl16gJBaH8C95UXGUre9j-P/s1600/IMG_20141017_121947_821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVSGO6sm3a4KNcEfsaPBb5-9bvZV5FLBN2d0vwqI-VDRVz7HvIds0q9Ihe-_J5cIfnIVpqE4pWPgORhoohjGDPH94quEb45b779OgDaDRevDIWU80ioey0cl16gJBaH8C95UXGUre9j-P/s1600/IMG_20141017_121947_821.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">50th Anniversary cache/cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTo3Zdmrwn2kOL322CTn_vLkcJK2Cx2GlHQpEmxEgoIJq1_DQpoajWO2zkNj-rj8HgcyOVKeAUM4dO9ZDqoyEEy6Ich1xgwHdE1AGT3maONA4AVk6MzHSyYKLjHJpyip3KxDI0pwMDrSC/s1600/IMG_20141017_122024_394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTo3Zdmrwn2kOL322CTn_vLkcJK2Cx2GlHQpEmxEgoIJq1_DQpoajWO2zkNj-rj8HgcyOVKeAUM4dO9ZDqoyEEy6Ich1xgwHdE1AGT3maONA4AVk6MzHSyYKLjHJpyip3KxDI0pwMDrSC/s1600/IMG_20141017_122024_394.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wedding Chapel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfOwALARZM_ZRjnQgq9igh6RMJjymV9EcgavILg3pOBK4llMcphrL1cgIS8LULF-bhk6vP5DLFz1ty4knY3hnQ-oO6e0JOSl4n_QG0LNfB5bQk5MPGUFIzKpC9wAW5B_MfyARpncKqow3/s1600/IMG_20141017_103531_019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfOwALARZM_ZRjnQgq9igh6RMJjymV9EcgavILg3pOBK4llMcphrL1cgIS8LULF-bhk6vP5DLFz1ty4knY3hnQ-oO6e0JOSl4n_QG0LNfB5bQk5MPGUFIzKpC9wAW5B_MfyARpncKqow3/s1600/IMG_20141017_103531_019.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alamance Monument</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Driving back to High Point through the country I found more caches. My favorite was <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4AGMX_50th-wedding-anniversary?guid=3262e86b-8d59-4599-96aa-b0f43386fd08" target="_blank">50th Wedding Anniversary (GC4AGMX)</a>. It was hidden pretty open and in view behind the wedding chapel. I couldn't have asked for a better day off weather-wise.Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-61826209280550226082014-09-14T00:30:00.000-05:002014-09-14T00:30:00.771-05:00Rattlesnake Summit<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaL60hpC8iXqqv9mR02byJfRtDroEeNLjWLmgTiud_cUG1Ds7t64dZMwfo5vf2d15xVnvcwJDh8FPP9tJB1KNpYLxPwVIIm2FPrzCWQhIEqNajj-h-U7UajRIAM7Cj1ezRG8Uqh4i8wDB/s1600/Mapfix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaL60hpC8iXqqv9mR02byJfRtDroEeNLjWLmgTiud_cUG1Ds7t64dZMwfo5vf2d15xVnvcwJDh8FPP9tJB1KNpYLxPwVIIm2FPrzCWQhIEqNajj-h-U7UajRIAM7Cj1ezRG8Uqh4i8wDB/s1600/Mapfix.jpg" height="640" width="564" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rattlesnake Mountain Trail (shown in red)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of our favorite get away places is Ridgecrest Center in Ridgecrest, NC. It sits right at the continental divide. As you climb up the mountain along I-40 West bound you crest the ridge and there it is over to the right side of the Interstate. We took a trip to Tennessee a few weeks back but planned to stop off at Ridgecrest for a night on our way back. We cached our way up to Ridgecrest, checked in and then took a few minutes to consider whether the weather was going to hold or not. The last 30 minutes of our drive put us in a steady drizzle. It had been my plan to climb Rattlesnake Summit to find three geocaches on the ridge connecting to the summit but with the weather looking menacing, I was reconsidering. Fortunately the weather looked like it might clear <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuCbGD7g2io85ThfT6msL_SQ50v4BdoBDRz7qQaNN7bVyWHrgaDSXk1MJqoekicrgJFXoca5illc-9HKESRawdmTEnRsF5ePXWvmtEtfmQZJY7iBnbzp5ISFMnQY_a22cAi_gm_LpWWWr/s1600/Cross.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuCbGD7g2io85ThfT6msL_SQ50v4BdoBDRz7qQaNN7bVyWHrgaDSXk1MJqoekicrgJFXoca5illc-9HKESRawdmTEnRsF5ePXWvmtEtfmQZJY7iBnbzp5ISFMnQY_a22cAi_gm_LpWWWr/s1600/Cross.JPG" height="209" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cross thanks to Jessica</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
up so off we went. We drove up to the tennis courts, cutting half a mile off of our hike. From there we grabbed the trail head. The hike consisted of a gentle climb along a well prepared trail. I got a little turned around on the trails at the lake. Once I got straightened out there (don't always trust the signage) we were again on our way towards the first cache. As we climbed we were ever cognizant of the threat of bears. Just that morning there were reports of bears rummaging around the retreat center after garbage. We made noise and talked loudly in hopes that any bear in the area would hear us coming and leave before we ever saw it.<br />
<br />
We climbed to the ridge line where the trail took a sharp 90 degree turn to left allowing for a more gradual ascent towards the summit. The closest cache was just above us some 60 feet so I couldn't resist climbing up to look for it. sumajhuarmi stayed on the trail and kept checking on me. I was just beyond her view. I couldn't find the cache but found another trail above the cache. I gave up, came down to where sumajhuarmi was and we continued up the trail. The summit was only about 600 feet up the trail. The last couple hundred feet was rock outcropping but it was easy. We made it to the top but couldn't see anything for the clouds. We set out to find. <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4ERWJ_rattlesnake-mountain-summit?guid=a6f553b2-5a7e-4476-a43e-c817b64399fb" target="_blank">Rattlesnake Mountain Summit (GC4ERVJ)</a>. We searched the area until finally sumajhuarmi pointed out a reference that might help us. Sure enough, it was there. Just as I was kneeling down to sign the log sheet I heard from maybe 15 feet above me at the summit (also beyond some bushes) a loud hop like a wild animal. At first it startled me, then I realized it was another climb. I hollered back, probably surprising her as much as she'd surprised me. It was one of the camp counselors at the girls camp below. She'd taken off on her own to climb the summit and thought she was alone on the summit. Surprise! I managed to hide the cache without her being any the wiser. We talked a few minutes, then headed back down the trail. We thought we'd look for the cache I had not found. As we walked down we found the intersecting trail that passed just above the missing cache. Within no time sumajhuarmi had <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4J3XR_my-left-foot?guid=b4af0b57-7415-4530-a05b-c7220215aa9e" target="_blank">My Left Foot (GC4J3XR)</a> in hand. We pushed on up the trail a short distance more to look for the other shoe. That's right. The next cache was <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4J1K9_get-off-on-the-right-foot?guid=fb43a2b6-8aba-4aa1-85f1-bc0fe22d3c2a" target="_blank">Get Off on the Right Foot (GC4J1K9)</a>, placed by the same cacher. Again, sumajhuarmi came up with the cache looking through the rhododendron. All done. The sun broke out and we started down the mountain back to Ridgecrest.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGN7we1w4Qww8jA2kmlchojHWe11j8ZTM-aHi3pi6WBfgnSgyyTW4pfCBmKhIUdM50PFiXdu6lRoF0AyAEzPJWua167MvWrD6POjZZCEcT5qvggOi12PttX0AYIQ3pTirhhisd-GDE3Ry/s1600/Lodging.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGN7we1w4Qww8jA2kmlchojHWe11j8ZTM-aHi3pi6WBfgnSgyyTW4pfCBmKhIUdM50PFiXdu6lRoF0AyAEzPJWua167MvWrD6POjZZCEcT5qvggOi12PttX0AYIQ3pTirhhisd-GDE3Ry/s1600/Lodging.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laural Bluff Lodging at Ridgecrest thanks to Jessica</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGw1w4VqVZ-DHNqXwK9vZx6tpcNRALd7w13yhLhDjz4UGz9dWuu5YBQpZEv5AGiCKjc_cajDnD7O9JSfGMO2_TN434Ag0F6tgi2OdYgFZJJ4v3mxjXuydZv7_CF7KNaxLyJ-OoUIqMGnWW/s1600/Ridgecrest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGw1w4VqVZ-DHNqXwK9vZx6tpcNRALd7w13yhLhDjz4UGz9dWuu5YBQpZEv5AGiCKjc_cajDnD7O9JSfGMO2_TN434Ag0F6tgi2OdYgFZJJ4v3mxjXuydZv7_CF7KNaxLyJ-OoUIqMGnWW/s1600/Ridgecrest.JPG" height="188" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ridgecrest from I-40 thanks to Zepfanman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When we got back to the room I logged my finds and out of curiosity checked to see how far we were from some previous caches we had found on this mountain. I posted that adventure on April 7th 2013 entitled <a href="http://sumajman.blogspot.com/2013/04/geocaching-lookout-mountain-trail.html" target="_blank">Geocaching the Lookout Mountain Trail, Montreat, NC</a>. I was so surprised to find that I was practically at one of the key caches in that March 2013 climb. The climb from the Montreat side was significantly harder (and provided some vistas making it well worth the climb) than the Ridgecrest climb. I also noticed that some fellow cachers have populated the area with some new caches. Anyone wishing to find these caches should contact the Ridgecrest Retreat Center to climb from their side. They might let you. I don't know. For no questions asked, check out the April 7th post and go from the Montreat side. It's all public entry from that side and gets you to the same area. Happy caching!Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-73589511495685108382014-09-07T00:30:00.000-05:002014-09-07T00:30:02.419-05:00Fort Fisher, some history and a geocache<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlREOkfij4VnbmcnKMr4xuTLCKNqijy_cjcuaqWtRCZ5404D3b_F6TvlSTi83LY8xBmY9VydXjipWqNj1lu88qC8D-qzHGr2LFUffbUDhJwFAcWmTP9jHHzYlroTPy-wKPHdqL6-ELq2ln/s1600/canonJPG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlREOkfij4VnbmcnKMr4xuTLCKNqijy_cjcuaqWtRCZ5404D3b_F6TvlSTi83LY8xBmY9VydXjipWqNj1lu88qC8D-qzHGr2LFUffbUDhJwFAcWmTP9jHHzYlroTPy-wKPHdqL6-ELq2ln/s1600/canonJPG.JPG" height="243" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort Fisher, thanks to Suess</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Carolina Beach is one of our favorite beaches in North Carolina. My wife was raised going there every summer for two weeks with her family. We continued the tradition for a while but now kind of hop around to different beaches when family can arrange to go and rent a house. This year we made it back to Carolina Beach and all the fun that goes with it. We hit Big Daddy's Seafood at Kure Beach, the boardwalk at Carolina Beach and Fort Fisher.<br />
<br />
Fort Fisher is a place that has always captured my attention because family tradition is that my great-great-great grandfather Henry Stephen King was a Confederate soldier there. In a history produced by Sampson County, NC the family of Henry Stephen King is featured. Apparently family members claimed that he was there for the fall of the fort in January 1865.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6SW6Y81-oOUXNFZbhk7jjinfHR3cRdh6rBpslpaKylwIIOo5-IKZCs6uYXrZJtan1iTuw50gwiejdxAxSyLtIRucQEF8XQeIn1lv9oyaJ58MCoxPvUPvq07NlwRBhN8rRCEWEEkBHFXe/s1600/Flag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6SW6Y81-oOUXNFZbhk7jjinfHR3cRdh6rBpslpaKylwIIOo5-IKZCs6uYXrZJtan1iTuw50gwiejdxAxSyLtIRucQEF8XQeIn1lv9oyaJ58MCoxPvUPvq07NlwRBhN8rRCEWEEkBHFXe/s1600/Flag.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort Fisher thanks to Suess</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My research over the years does indicate that he enlisted in the Confederate Army in Company C, 5th Cavalry of the 63rd Regiment of Confederate NC Troops. Muster rolls say that he was discharged due to a disability within a few months. This was actually before the unit finished its boot training and was officially organized and deployed. I can't just ignore family tradition so I continue to believe that he could be among men conscripted or who volunteered late in the war to fill vacancies. I don't know.<br />
<br />
Fort Fisher still stands with its sand dune defenses. Some are washing away into the sea through erosion. There is a nice museum worth your time. For more information on this battle click <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Fisher" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
I pushed on from the museum area up to the end of the peninsula, out to Battery Buchanan. This was the artillery battery located close to the mouth of the Cape Fear River, positioned to defend that river against invading Union ships. I found <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC37C_fort-fisher-cache?guid=2382e66f-7a1f-489a-9aa5-40f6c23bda58" target="_blank">Fort Fisher Cache (GC37C)</a> placed in 2001. You can tell from the short number that it is an early cache. I sat out from the public parking at the end of the peninsula and tracked right out to the cache with no muggle interference at all. The find was straight forward and easy, just a little poking around in the prickly bushes. It was an easy find on top of the overlook and behind the gun positions. What a view of the scene of some pretty serious fighting so long ago. Thanks to the cache owner for bringing me here.<br />
<br />
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0Fort Fisher Historic Museum, 1610 South Fort Fisher Boulevard, Kure Beach, NC 28449, USA33.9717513 -77.9175991999999848.4497168000000009 -119.22619319999998 59.4937858 -36.609005199999984tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-68730246473109964972014-08-31T00:30:00.000-05:002014-08-31T00:30:00.079-05:00Smith River Fieldale Trail<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg727RhE0jJBVrCJeMFOatAsgo3ImP68_BcJlQJP_0HUaSnhBIVVO1tDgERWnslmd4ZAgSZR7w2sT6GEbxC72021C6qutgcKXmcTaIs09Qpxvbaqy6LUYtp59B_aiBQBhN7N16lQbhulyU8/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg727RhE0jJBVrCJeMFOatAsgo3ImP68_BcJlQJP_0HUaSnhBIVVO1tDgERWnslmd4ZAgSZR7w2sT6GEbxC72021C6qutgcKXmcTaIs09Qpxvbaqy6LUYtp59B_aiBQBhN7N16lQbhulyU8/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="438" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smith River Fieldale Trail near Martinsville, Virginia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Just a week ago today I was riding the trails at the Bear Cabin, the subject of my previous post. Yesterday and today I had the opportunity to do it again. The pastors of our church gathered at the Bear Cabin for a short retreat and for a time of looking to the future. Add to this some time on the ATVs out on the trails. It was fun. We wrapped up today in order to head back to North Carolina. One of the pastors came with me in order to see what geocaching is. We headed over to the Smith River Fieldale Trails, hosting a collection of riverside geocaches of various sizes.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRL9aVrjRUEgovqlkmsRTCOmjQeAorZr3ekASLgeI781qvtq1ok-N4lLezGaTztH_T9Yu0RbUDopkcOQIaESHN5QDQDsO7qfVY5wXOxueeRhYio6XkVttfIUy2LR2j1ohNX0AiAm2eIxB/s1600/Image08222014131737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRL9aVrjRUEgovqlkmsRTCOmjQeAorZr3ekASLgeI781qvtq1ok-N4lLezGaTztH_T9Yu0RbUDopkcOQIaESHN5QDQDsO7qfVY5wXOxueeRhYio6XkVttfIUy2LR2j1ohNX0AiAm2eIxB/s1600/Image08222014131737.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Smith River Fieldale Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We parked at the first parking lot (not the recommended area) so as to work the caches from west to east and then return. The trail runs along the Smith River for 2.4 miles. We found 7 out of the 8 caches on the trail. As we walked I answered all my friend's question about geocaching, how it was started and where, how it works and I demonstrated how to find a cache using the GPSr. From there it was his job to make the finds. Several caches were good enough for me to give them a favorite status. These were <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC23XVP_snow-bank?guid=ad45c6f5-0646-4c46-85bf-b3ad5eace02c" target="_blank">Snow Bank (GC23XVP)</a> and <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1PA13_cachefishing?guid=013531bf-5ef4-4774-b933-30f32f75edc2" target="_blank">Cachefishing (GC1PA13)</a>, both by the same cache owner. The first took us up a steep embankment. Because of signal bounce I ended up going <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoSCzl8hsqCflyFi4wgiC8ipkTMk1g102UuFY2iVGlZ73OHvOK_B1GrTd2T_fLZBRYRS1bMKVR1Rl9U4caAstD5DFfBJWJ3CzoKES2eU7k1Ky577975mMlK711lHY0_b_HLF0SMMwUdqL/s1600/Image08222014140752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoSCzl8hsqCflyFi4wgiC8ipkTMk1g102UuFY2iVGlZ73OHvOK_B1GrTd2T_fLZBRYRS1bMKVR1Rl9U4caAstD5DFfBJWJ3CzoKES2eU7k1Ky577975mMlK711lHY0_b_HLF0SMMwUdqL/s1600/Image08222014140752.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning about caching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
above the cache and then being surprised to find it down the hill about 50 feet. That was 50 feet of huffing and puffing I didn't need to do. It was a large ammo can with lots of swag. We almost tumbled down the hill to move on to the next cache. It was the other favorite cache mentioned above. I knew it had to have something to do with fishing by the title. Sure enough it did. I found the tell tale sign that it was and followed that to the cache. After signing these logs we were off to further adventure, sweat and dirt as we worked our way to the last cache on the trail. It was a great caching afternoon with my muggle friend. He got to see the different types of caches and to experience a terrain 4 cache at the same time.Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0Martinsville, USA36.684918760196908 -79.91923049453129136.583042760196911 -80.080591994531289 36.786794760196905 -79.7578689945313tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-79312128309288103072014-08-24T00:30:00.000-05:002014-08-24T00:30:00.529-05:00The Hermit Story<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxGXr6W5HNxh2rWxymiOeXcpP-xZobAQmRwIUJW7TBShMeWpO4S9j_IMSSRjx0V81RFfhriNzGC7T3SeXkWH2xo8wckwLyxU_mlLRz_vxgNQfhghPT9FyZ9PZRyh31pXu4aNYqQFnkBhB/s1600/Pool.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxGXr6W5HNxh2rWxymiOeXcpP-xZobAQmRwIUJW7TBShMeWpO4S9j_IMSSRjx0V81RFfhriNzGC7T3SeXkWH2xo8wckwLyxU_mlLRz_vxgNQfhghPT9FyZ9PZRyh31pXu4aNYqQFnkBhB/s1600/Pool.JPG" height="304" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the Basin Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFLBm4icoYTXxbv6ucVm3-QQ4eGJkpzXa2n5YlbmJIbK8HcrvWhGI7jf15aq0vJk_CWn86x7WZ04shofJG6xxftVY4vTNbhR1lAJuSSwsjm-aiffVJdIL4eT2ZzEHWZdG4FjwYollIJkW/s1600/walk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFLBm4icoYTXxbv6ucVm3-QQ4eGJkpzXa2n5YlbmJIbK8HcrvWhGI7jf15aq0vJk_CWn86x7WZ04shofJG6xxftVY4vTNbhR1lAJuSSwsjm-aiffVJdIL4eT2ZzEHWZdG4FjwYollIJkW/s1600/walk.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boardwalk along the Basin Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We love our summer beach vacation. This year because several family members are taking a Christmas vacation out of the country and needed to save up vacation, we cut our beach trip down to three days instead of a week. We found a nice condo at Carolina Beach, NC within half a block of the Sea Ranch Motel, where my wife always stayed with her family growing up. It was like old times for her. We enjoyed the sun and the surf for several days.<br />
<br />
I broke away from the family for a short while one day to go down to the end of the peninsula to visit a series of geocaches called the Hermit's Hangout Series. It was located along the Basin Trail in the Fort Fisher Recreation Area. I parked at the designated parking, just 100 meters from the trail head and the first cache. It was 5 p.m. in the afternoon, sun shining and a nice sea breeze blowing. The trail began in the tall shrubbery and trees that grow in the sand along the coast. It then broke out into the open and followed a sandy road for a while, then darted into the marsh grass. At two points I was traveling on a raised wooden boardwalk over swamp but out in the open sun. The trail ended at the inlet. Along the trail there were several geocaches. I'll post one that was typical of them all. For instance, <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4P01A_hermits-hang-out-series-end-of-the-road?guid=0b85a7dc-7784-4fd0-a9c4-ae168bf3e8c6" target="_blank">Hermit's Hangout Series: "End of the Trail" (GC4P01A)</a>. The caches were mostly micros and there was nothing particularly special about them. What was special was the walk, the wildlife (I saw several bucks), the hermit crabs, and the Hermit Hang Out. When I first started out on the hike I thought that the series was named after the numerous hermit crabs that scurried along the path as you approached. Not the case. There is a story here.<br />
<br />
Back in 1973 some teenagers found Robert Harrill's body in his makeshift home. Robert had become famous, even known as the state's #2 tourist attraction for a time. He had moved from the hills of western North Carolina at age 62 back in 1955 to get away from it all. For the next 17 years he lived a hermit's life, at least in the sense of leaving behind a job, a home ownership, a vehicle, and other normal responsibilities. He found an old World War II bunker and turned it into a home on the North Carolina coast. He lived off what he caught and what was given to him by visitors. One of the caches dropped me off right close to the bunker. At the bunker there was a plaque left by the Hermit Society and a large information sign telling about Harrill's life. Check out the following <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Fisher_Hermit" target="_blank">link</a> for more of Robert Harrill's history. When I got back to the condo and told my wife about the experience she said she remembered as a child hearing about the hermit. This is just another example of how geocaching takes you places you don't expect to go to but are blessed to learn about!Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-43973238779329951732014-08-17T00:30:00.000-05:002014-08-17T00:30:01.009-05:00The Bear Cabin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegOSTUUNFuJ-e9EX1bMK25mfF6HeXrBiFeMIoZbF5cUqWbGJW-DWZ4aEyhJt8ATVRn-1GGntPUZxma9CUmozBBNe-kWH5UzMqjVO1thbGYEIVyznVvc5TYKmoTcIIv3QU7g2aQFjexEP8/s1600/10500249_10204832668121467_1991869802673430087_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegOSTUUNFuJ-e9EX1bMK25mfF6HeXrBiFeMIoZbF5cUqWbGJW-DWZ4aEyhJt8ATVRn-1GGntPUZxma9CUmozBBNe-kWH5UzMqjVO1thbGYEIVyznVvc5TYKmoTcIIv3QU7g2aQFjexEP8/s1600/10500249_10204832668121467_1991869802673430087_n.jpg" height="230" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkx5U2sa5ifZ2eDZAbqnVn3gK5UM5pGnKTuf_23bGvHYuEUVINE89UI6X2qghMH1fOZuoALZydT3wSY0ZEJ-JE2cxHa5MOk9VMde2qOTCpkt_Lx7TK5r8Xhy_6bY-KMWyNFo3ZXYTt_2pL/s1600/10559734_10204832662681331_9221367444429888761_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkx5U2sa5ifZ2eDZAbqnVn3gK5UM5pGnKTuf_23bGvHYuEUVINE89UI6X2qghMH1fOZuoALZydT3wSY0ZEJ-JE2cxHa5MOk9VMde2qOTCpkt_Lx7TK5r8Xhy_6bY-KMWyNFo3ZXYTt_2pL/s1600/10559734_10204832662681331_9221367444429888761_n.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3rXl7aeMORz8gtQfH-mLKxEF6s0mbI8kqxDkQCH2hc0a4ws5rAvoKmMuQvKRS9AsoXJIwQbjDQL9MJBC_Yiiow2YaprD7gHWxZnCWYr-BDeQCgObXVmO4R3M1SnJ-frP5yXd9SrB1UDo/s1600/10301182_10152212566530685_3138058026514764395_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3rXl7aeMORz8gtQfH-mLKxEF6s0mbI8kqxDkQCH2hc0a4ws5rAvoKmMuQvKRS9AsoXJIwQbjDQL9MJBC_Yiiow2YaprD7gHWxZnCWYr-BDeQCgObXVmO4R3M1SnJ-frP5yXd9SrB1UDo/s1600/10301182_10152212566530685_3138058026514764395_n.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cmi784_N9pCcrZw3Y7yGLlWCRZJ-q0WgWvdnKn1yVatghXTfh95yGscpHWWhys9kvnhNy1wq-zUfoxHgdcEj5AXZWESvsMB20bMd8mBUq_HxfichcC8B0WRxkaHwpjoA-lBOybJVslB5/s1600/Image02122014111448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cmi784_N9pCcrZw3Y7yGLlWCRZJ-q0WgWvdnKn1yVatghXTfh95yGscpHWWhys9kvnhNy1wq-zUfoxHgdcEj5AXZWESvsMB20bMd8mBUq_HxfichcC8B0WRxkaHwpjoA-lBOybJVslB5/s1600/Image02122014111448.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2V-fXwJgJEL_aoIfAXHgPNNJSQT_ttE6i7l3WXXic8BKK9P9vPrpvD3_ftoV3LD5Q_lhR6uGDJG8hdTM-2-Dn0TQ2SzEEAKNN9xQ83TS1XugAEcRFwmaHZopVAzOPm52RekrWbDuMZA4/s1600/Image02122014120559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2V-fXwJgJEL_aoIfAXHgPNNJSQT_ttE6i7l3WXXic8BKK9P9vPrpvD3_ftoV3LD5Q_lhR6uGDJG8hdTM-2-Dn0TQ2SzEEAKNN9xQ83TS1XugAEcRFwmaHZopVAzOPm52RekrWbDuMZA4/s1600/Image02122014120559.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5sqnBoW70zPZDxtghHznlrsFjdqNNR3uRjv2wQf9GepZkaY_8GUg7SqXgnv5dM2H6TLU3iAE6FEsU5miipQwD8fzQBBZeGbrs5s4Nc7UdbDniKVOR3lTd-FMLHK-VtExYXLQ3-08rRom/s1600/Image08152014091613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5sqnBoW70zPZDxtghHznlrsFjdqNNR3uRjv2wQf9GepZkaY_8GUg7SqXgnv5dM2H6TLU3iAE6FEsU5miipQwD8fzQBBZeGbrs5s4Nc7UdbDniKVOR3lTd-FMLHK-VtExYXLQ3-08rRom/s1600/Image08152014091613.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOm1xTFSoJ0onipp3ALAFm_FiAxfK-92trytIszjiTcZNLIgqufgn7ce_o_ZdaSb6IJE5i1x3T0WN0bM8jKuqtGYH8kCcUPckxhM40ncu70Fj15nz1HK2MYfjvnMrnQVLqlpzlK0sB-bny/s1600/Image08152014175121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOm1xTFSoJ0onipp3ALAFm_FiAxfK-92trytIszjiTcZNLIgqufgn7ce_o_ZdaSb6IJE5i1x3T0WN0bM8jKuqtGYH8kCcUPckxhM40ncu70Fj15nz1HK2MYfjvnMrnQVLqlpzlK0sB-bny/s1600/Image08152014175121.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZNCjVZK6mH-bPT81KQTargKyydx4XI6LLV9vk5-pcANGTeQ16_1IudcDMealThPwvAElZS2eVeqDLJBv1fU_7w_BluqxBT3NrZo2T8XNNtTTumF74H02TLAxOs_DSUlSlIVT8udgBknv/s1600/Image08152014134018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZNCjVZK6mH-bPT81KQTargKyydx4XI6LLV9vk5-pcANGTeQ16_1IudcDMealThPwvAElZS2eVeqDLJBv1fU_7w_BluqxBT3NrZo2T8XNNtTTumF74H02TLAxOs_DSUlSlIVT8udgBknv/s1600/Image08152014134018.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
August, just before school starts back, is a great time to get away. Most of our family broke away from routine to visit a cabin in south central Virginia. We call it the Bear Cabin as the dominant animal in the cabin and in the mountains around the cabin is the wild Black Bear. We departed home in High Point, NC on our journey stopping periodically to grab a few caches along our route. I stuck with simple Park and Grab caches. The area we went to was so far back in the countryside that there were no caches anywhere close by. Most of the land is private and mountainous. We stayed at a beautiful cabin big enough for our extended family. The main activity for the vacation was something we'd never done before: All Terrain Vehicles and mountain trails. We hit the trails and spent hours riding them. It was great! We saw deer, wild turkey and most impressive, one wild black bear. The owner puts out corn for the deer. Bears go for the corn too. Fortunately bears are as afraid of us as we are of them. He took off as soon as our jeep came into sight. He could really run!<br />
<br />
Running low on fuel for the ATVs gave me an excuse to get back out to civilization and hide a couple of simple caches nearby. I was glad to see that several people found the first one published quickly. My coordinates were off so thankfully the second finder provided a better set of coordinates from which I made changes. There's nothing special about these two caches, just that they are in a an area that is beautiful and will remind me of our wonderful stay there every time someone finds them.. I hope we can go back again.Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-18845584916136631062014-08-12T20:58:00.000-05:002014-08-12T20:58:09.178-05:00Chimney Rock, North Carolina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-G52gYulfhK1vD_pCmP-JpH0OeGdGy1xRnZoa8HIAHPqUctDOFNbuneFNIZK5UukPv-jVI3_CtO8loBdy4nzdhvIHmUAMIi2R4cTMyuL7k_4GqJi1Yrn_aUMyNJ91Ga3PRVuEr5EDk6X/s1600/Image08022014112053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLgeU-8efAJ3qqy4RK9T62M7hZQxmPPpiXROi61sbxr8WMXkNj0R9-pB8AReRD9sf-MuzFa9nXOI9T416D88m6sbBFgkd4JGqAB8QEf55SFh0lOzuPWoosQNMOAOUv17zoO2uqTDmyw3_/s1600/Image08022014123223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLgeU-8efAJ3qqy4RK9T62M7hZQxmPPpiXROi61sbxr8WMXkNj0R9-pB8AReRD9sf-MuzFa9nXOI9T416D88m6sbBFgkd4JGqAB8QEf55SFh0lOzuPWoosQNMOAOUv17zoO2uqTDmyw3_/s1600/Image08022014123223.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-G52gYulfhK1vD_pCmP-JpH0OeGdGy1xRnZoa8HIAHPqUctDOFNbuneFNIZK5UukPv-jVI3_CtO8loBdy4nzdhvIHmUAMIi2R4cTMyuL7k_4GqJi1Yrn_aUMyNJ91Ga3PRVuEr5EDk6X/s1600/Image08022014112053.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></div>
I've been off the blog way too long. I'll try to ease back in so the blog will be short on words and bigger on photos. Chimney Rock State Park was a great visit. We found the several geocaches at the park, climbed the rock and walked to the waterfalls. Afterwards we followed our daughter's advice to go to Hershey's Ice Cream down in town. That was a treat. Check out the caches at this park if you get the opportunity. They are: <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1H7EB_chimney-rock-park-geology?guid=8ecadd23-9259-4859-8153-30c5b2f82822" target="_blank">Chimney Rock Park Geology (GC1H7EB)</a>, <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCG0PP_chimney-rock?guid=7ae0d6dc-f0b1-4f11-99d3-fb3e63cbc7df" target="_blank">Chimney Rock (GCG0PP)</a> and <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2AWG2_hickory-nut-falls-earthcache?guid=f301a199-e7c4-4f37-b7c2-a24f08e3bfec" target="_blank">Hickory Nut Falls Earthcache (GC2AWG2)</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsc_3Of0xQrwh4594kCIKIUaBupC0yPOepN3M4oO-AD6sNO4uF_TQpnGX21NnKXNuxgVn-c0A5Cv5v6Btsg_JqdgAtbF2TyV9lhb1AQwroPzd9yXrD2i1bdVdHwHnygHj71v9SrIVfELX8/s1600/Image08022014111812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsc_3Of0xQrwh4594kCIKIUaBupC0yPOepN3M4oO-AD6sNO4uF_TQpnGX21NnKXNuxgVn-c0A5Cv5v6Btsg_JqdgAtbF2TyV9lhb1AQwroPzd9yXrD2i1bdVdHwHnygHj71v9SrIVfELX8/s1600/Image08022014111812.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-52894624617630938352014-03-23T00:30:00.000-06:002014-03-23T00:30:00.072-06:00Sportsmen's Banquet<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQXT9ar_V5GyL0h4R8HWdt5lWd_mRkQDWV9TQSctm3HLUsU8GBU9E_kC3EeWPbAXWr-JLZbaNQK57JmEkyUNFqBvW63OdU3xRgftBv7IHY_1TUv-OQD_EmEV5C5GsccifJp37MyZvLmgT/s1600/146-DSC_0494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQXT9ar_V5GyL0h4R8HWdt5lWd_mRkQDWV9TQSctm3HLUsU8GBU9E_kC3EeWPbAXWr-JLZbaNQK57JmEkyUNFqBvW63OdU3xRgftBv7IHY_1TUv-OQD_EmEV5C5GsccifJp37MyZvLmgT/s1600/146-DSC_0494.JPG" height="200" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paige Patterson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoR0nkkwd02Nw1Gj3LmtC-1ZGZlb9Njk2al1VYsO_gqY-4TdUbDUubnCWPK91yWGx_7XJjG1ISUpz5mg22WJS0Auj_SOn9DerAE6gXZltQoVfmt8jKux8YJq013NmZ2PLtZhUHQrNTlaF/s1600/001-DSC_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoR0nkkwd02Nw1Gj3LmtC-1ZGZlb9Njk2al1VYsO_gqY-4TdUbDUubnCWPK91yWGx_7XJjG1ISUpz5mg22WJS0Auj_SOn9DerAE6gXZltQoVfmt8jKux8YJq013NmZ2PLtZhUHQrNTlaF/s1600/001-DSC_0253.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a>Two weeks ago we held our first every Sportsmen's Banquet for men in our church and community. We filled our Multi-Purpose Room with about 375 men from all over. We came together to first of all enjoy a nice wild game dinner. Second, we enjoyed some good Blue Grass music from a local band. Third, we had prize drawings and gave away some really nice gifts. The grand prize was a three-day Family Get Away to the Bear Cabin near Martinsville, Virginia. This cabin, located on 600 plus acres of land affords our winner the opportunity to get out on the trails on the two ATVs and in the jeep at this large cabin in the mountains. We also listened to Dr. Paige Patterson talk about his Safari experience in Africa. Later he also shared how men can be the kind of Fathers that God wants. Thanks to the men in our church for both the financing and the muscle to put this together. Fun was had by all.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d3RPSORmhnZl2PeNu4DQ3oIDsxNF0aUGc4QtD6-7GniIF09lCQ1WmdqB5C_1sit9fOBz6nlWFFmhlDtQFMQHA55ktp3OnL6jCGfMLnucsGhZHEQIkI47eEO3NqShTQ6YJ6Z95QWRqf6K/s1600/007-DSC_0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d3RPSORmhnZl2PeNu4DQ3oIDsxNF0aUGc4QtD6-7GniIF09lCQ1WmdqB5C_1sit9fOBz6nlWFFmhlDtQFMQHA55ktp3OnL6jCGfMLnucsGhZHEQIkI47eEO3NqShTQ6YJ6Z95QWRqf6K/s1600/007-DSC_0259.JPG" height="213" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><br />
I posted last week that I was breaking a geocaching slump. This banquet was the chief reason that I was busy and unable to cache any.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0ytCCpk_XQq56T1xU-5zD1O9JEXD3WM-OCA6wh3ftBi1O6sNSeqkOdoFWt0YGzjX7IHPh1zgdrDzNX73ki2vLc_AyYqHimVQFpm5Lh1msWpRCqilZS8F35EoaJcFiDoIaE2uNgGLzzMo/s1600/003-DSC_0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0ytCCpk_XQq56T1xU-5zD1O9JEXD3WM-OCA6wh3ftBi1O6sNSeqkOdoFWt0YGzjX7IHPh1zgdrDzNX73ki2vLc_AyYqHimVQFpm5Lh1msWpRCqilZS8F35EoaJcFiDoIaE2uNgGLzzMo/s1600/003-DSC_0255.JPG" height="129" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57tgu4HhvMDacetERiGdcOi4pNBfmqX6zcAhYIYsmTt8epog2NJNV_OlUH7aif9yvIsR8aU4XiH2OsBwKU-sWHC4ukrmzzp5GYwuDOQylyz7D4e0yQ7ICu9k-AkSzb1cM2DRUTGzm8meB/s1600/004-DSC_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57tgu4HhvMDacetERiGdcOi4pNBfmqX6zcAhYIYsmTt8epog2NJNV_OlUH7aif9yvIsR8aU4XiH2OsBwKU-sWHC4ukrmzzp5GYwuDOQylyz7D4e0yQ7ICu9k-AkSzb1cM2DRUTGzm8meB/s1600/004-DSC_0256.JPG" height="136" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst3dkxXKd_11nKkmN7CZUBJy22ORQXAWjUT072Amt1GDIWFHuqFatk0dYFg_-Au8Ax53PsiT408KrSWSGBTFcQupKvFTo1DeSOqatVQ7gjimBr6ybM8ojNhFfKkjL6vaN8yknmMRqwuyY/s1600/033-DSC_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst3dkxXKd_11nKkmN7CZUBJy22ORQXAWjUT072Amt1GDIWFHuqFatk0dYFg_-Au8Ax53PsiT408KrSWSGBTFcQupKvFTo1DeSOqatVQ7gjimBr6ybM8ojNhFfKkjL6vaN8yknmMRqwuyY/s1600/033-DSC_0293.JPG" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-3199810435606927882014-03-16T00:30:00.000-06:002014-03-16T00:30:01.779-06:00Breaking up a slumpThe last time I went caching before this past Saturday was the 1st of January 2014. With all the work I have it became almost an impossibility for me. I've cached most of the area around where I live so driving distances for a few caches seemed too much.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I offered to take my wife out to buy some silverware to replace some she had lost in the many moves we have made over the years. We drove from the west side of Greensboro to a store along the Interstate that specializes in replacing silverware. When we pulled up I was unpleasantly surprised to see the cultural/social/political statements the management is obviously making about distorting marriage. They were represented by a flag flying in their back parking lot and a symbol on their door. I simply had to turn around and go somewhere else. I value marriage too much. Some would tell me my little protest (not shopping there) does not mean anything nor does it make a difference. For me it does. Others would ask me what skin is it off of my nose if two men or two women marry each other. I do have a stake in it. They are called my children and grandchildren and those who come after them. What kind of world they live in matters to me.<br />
<br />
Scripture is informative. Genesis teaches that we are made in God's image. Romans 1 teaches that when we show irreverence to God, either by turning to idols or by making the God described in Scripture into something He is not (this is something we do in our minds) then we subject ourselves to character distortion too. What these people are advocating for is not natural; not the way God intends us to live. Yet, in Romans 1 Paul tells us that this type of distortion of human character (some find it politically correct to call it an "orientation" today) is simply the distortion that comes to us as a result of our having distorted who God is. It stands to reason that we would not be unscathed. When men want a God after their own liking (some say "in their own image") then they get a "god" who never requires anything of them that they don't want to do. They are free to explore the depths of every type of variation on life that their minds can fancy. Without any "right" and "wrong" boundaries in life, we fallible humans go far astray from that which God created us to be. Paul writes in Romans 1:22-27:<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.972221374511719px;">
<span class="text Rom-1-22" id="en-NASB-27953"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">22 </span><span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-27953AP" title="See cross-reference AP">AP</a>)"></span>Professing to be wise, they became fools,</span> <span class="text Rom-1-23" id="en-NASB-27954"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">23 </span>and <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-27954AQ" title="See cross-reference AQ">AQ</a>)"></span>exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and <span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-27954o" title="See footnote o">o</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ro+1&version=NASB#fen-NASB-27954o" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote o">o</a>]</span>crawling creatures.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.972221374511719px;">
<span class="text Rom-1-24" id="en-NASB-27955"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">24 </span>Therefore <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-27955AR" title="See cross-reference AR">AR</a>)"></span>God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-27955AS" title="See cross-reference AS">AS</a>)"></span>dishonored among them.</span> <span class="text Rom-1-25" id="en-NASB-27956"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">25 </span>For they exchanged the truth of God for <span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-27956p" title="See footnote p">p</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ro+1&version=NASB#fen-NASB-27956p" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote p">p</a>]</span>a <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-27956AT" title="See cross-reference AT">AT</a>)"></span>lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-27956AU" title="See cross-reference AU">AU</a>)"></span>who is blessed <span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-27956q" title="See footnote q">q</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ro+1&version=NASB#fen-NASB-27956q" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote q">q</a>]</span>forever. Amen.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.972221374511719px;">
<span class="text Rom-1-26" id="en-NASB-27957"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">26 </span>For this reason <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-27957AV" title="See cross-reference AV">AV</a>)"></span>God gave them over to <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-27957AW" title="See cross-reference AW">AW</a>)"></span>degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is <span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-27957r" title="See footnote r">r</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ro+1&version=NASB#fen-NASB-27957r" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote r">r</a>]</span>unnatural,</span><span class="text Rom-1-27" id="en-NASB-27958"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">27 </span>and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-27958AX" title="See cross-reference AX">AX</a>)"></span>men with men committing <span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-27958s" title="See footnote s">s</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ro+1&version=NASB#fen-NASB-27958s" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote s">s</a>]</span>indecent acts and receiving in<span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-27958t" title="See footnote t">t</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ro+1&version=NASB#fen-NASB-27958t" style="color: #b37162; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote t">t</a>]</span>their own persons the due penalty of their error.</span></div>
<br />
Forget replacing the missing pieces. Not if it means shopping at a place that seeks to turn from what is so clearly stated in Scripture and in nature. We went on down the street to another location. Instead of replacing a few pieces, we replaced the whole set. We probably came out better because of the sale at Belk's. On top of that, we stood by our convictions.<br />
<br />
Now before someone becomes intolerant of my right to believe that Scripture is true and that there are some rules to be followed in life, let me say that while I do not support the movement to recognize two men or two women as a legitimate marriage, I have gay friends. I visit with them and talk with them on a weekly basis. Some of them have been in my house. I care for them because I care about truth. I care for them because Jesus cares for them. I want them to know that Jesus died for them as much as He died for me. Because I care I want them to know that what they are doing is not pleasing to God and that, like all else the Bible calls sin, their sin can be forgiven through repentance and trust in Jesus. Whether they change or not will not cause me to "un-friend" them. But I cannot approve what they are demanding. This radical, foolish shift from a Scriptural understanding of marriage to an unnatural (take a look at nature) understanding is a cancer that will bring great sorrow to those who participate in it and approve of it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BkqozYN_EaEpoH0ROsQqRtqnkTsmxXIPRowI4lx3Z-fJwtosAKJfUMHZ0K3-O4-rwzShEGyfj7q4gJqBEgNI4ilJ6yAOXzi03pGP4oOoibISw0yXHKjHwXqvOdoLmwy3lnT5zJ6kEWGI/s1600/Image03142014161113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BkqozYN_EaEpoH0ROsQqRtqnkTsmxXIPRowI4lx3Z-fJwtosAKJfUMHZ0K3-O4-rwzShEGyfj7q4gJqBEgNI4ilJ6yAOXzi03pGP4oOoibISw0yXHKjHwXqvOdoLmwy3lnT5zJ6kEWGI/s1600/Image03142014161113.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Just before our little buying spree we stopped to grab a few caches. The first one proved to be easy and fairly nondescript. The second one was interesting. Had we not had an ice storm last week bent and broke many trees in the area, this cache would not have been more important than the last one. But due to the ice storm, it gets a special mention here.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvANQV6noi8IjSLPgFHMjr-RbHmcmnYQXCYw2BZqZSI-837dTl3eCaOVUtlbpNpkVZcZd7c4VcNdlLilK1rS-O6sOVjyZr7LXQIHJmkNhEoeZ7lC-D7TskP6ofRxz3Qnr1c0v3eVRvWUJU/s1600/Image03142014161129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvANQV6noi8IjSLPgFHMjr-RbHmcmnYQXCYw2BZqZSI-837dTl3eCaOVUtlbpNpkVZcZd7c4VcNdlLilK1rS-O6sOVjyZr7LXQIHJmkNhEoeZ7lC-D7TskP6ofRxz3Qnr1c0v3eVRvWUJU/s1600/Image03142014161129.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to see but this is the base of the sign</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
sumajhuarmi and I pulled off the road near the GC. The small North Carolina pines along the opposite side of the road were still bent over towards the road from the recent weight of 1/2 inch of ice. They'll likely straighten up in a few more weeks. For now, it looks like they are bowing down to some unseen deity. The cache is <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2DCQW_cache-island?guid=36adf4b7-121d-4e3f-ad53-42583ea8d737" target="_blank">CACHE ISLAND (GC2DCQW)</a>. As I crossed the country road I saw just off the road skid marks where a vehicle had run off the road. It had taken out a traffic sign. The sign was laying on the ground face down. At first the signal bounce took me into the woods a ways. Then it brought me back. I turned the sign over to find that it said "Traffic Island Ahead". I looked at the base of the sign. It had been severed about 8 inches from where the metal pole entered the ground. After a quick search I found the base still in the ground but badly damaged. It was split in two piece lengthwise and bent. Taking care not to get cut by the sharp metal protruding from the ground I fished around at the mangled base and came up with the cache. Too soggy to sign I replaced it. When I got home I logged the find. I was the second person to find the cache since the accident. Apparently during the ice storm someone lost control on that road, took out the sign and ended up on the shoulder. There wasn't much of a ditch so they probably got out ok once the ice was no longer an obstacle.<br />
<br />
We went for one more cache but came up empty handed. From there we made our way to Belk's to find a great deal on a nice set of everyday silverware to replace the old. All in all, we had a great day. It's good to be back in the swing of caching. Maybe I can pick it up again.<br />
<br />
Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-33533407133564985252014-02-23T00:30:00.000-06:002014-02-23T00:30:01.450-06:00Unmaintained caches .... sometimes the better of two evilsEcuador doesn't have much geocaching going on. At least not compared to the movement that takes place in North America and Europe. There are a few cachers there but the majority of <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRO_IQXWgECwX3LS8a_X20P6GmuR6pKbT4MqdwXqdKNoQZBbtoSaKlWj-6dGs4c-Vahu6qX8g4bMGxVKMw2H1GRASXMihc_YPtRDsCCtm2gge-_HOvDMiCOwC3gXoRIKEM8D1S_UCUfzQU/s1600/ParkSE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRO_IQXWgECwX3LS8a_X20P6GmuR6pKbT4MqdwXqdKNoQZBbtoSaKlWj-6dGs4c-Vahu6qX8g4bMGxVKMw2H1GRASXMihc_YPtRDsCCtm2gge-_HOvDMiCOwC3gXoRIKEM8D1S_UCUfzQU/s1600/ParkSE.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metro Park SE</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
caching done there is by tourist visiting the country. While there one of my favorite activities was placing tourist-friendly caches. By this I mean caches that are easily accessible to tourist who have a limited amount of time to get to a cache between one of their tours and going to the airport to head to the Galapagos Islands or on to Peru.<br />
<br />
The best place I found to place geocaches that tourist could easily find was in Parque Metropolitano. We placed the second one in the park but the longest standing cache there to date back in 2007. It is <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC15JCC_metro-park-se" target="_blank">Metro Park SE (GC15JCC)</a>. This cache has proven difficult for many for many because it is well-hidden and because, if you don't have much time, like many tourist, it is a good walk to the far end of the park and takes some time. The elevation doesn't help as you huff and puff to get there in the thin air.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpAV7-CYLgh0tlgBlJtJ5xzVf6P4KS6IHujrXSo7cegV_f5dAxvP4OE7NZBLa3OkeJC4_wYhsAWuIyZ-yzhLaO_62yIM4vj7TTDZbwIYmySjZCVJMMAB_TE782OudgR59MnqeADOp2Le6/s1600/Reforest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpAV7-CYLgh0tlgBlJtJ5xzVf6P4KS6IHujrXSo7cegV_f5dAxvP4OE7NZBLa3OkeJC4_wYhsAWuIyZ-yzhLaO_62yIM4vj7TTDZbwIYmySjZCVJMMAB_TE782OudgR59MnqeADOp2Le6/s1600/Reforest.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reforestation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next long-lasting cache I placed is one called <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC168M3_reforestation-metro-park" target="_blank">Reforestation (GC168M3)</a>. When I placed it the area was cut back and had just a few bushes in ankle high grass. Dispersed throughout the area were small saplings that were recently planted to replace Eucalyptus trees that had previously been cut down. Now, as you can see from the photo, it's a jungle out there.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC182AC_karens-caper-travel-bug-hotel" target="_blank">Karen's Caper Travel Bug Hotel (GC182AC) </a>and <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1K4MD_brandons-tb-boarding-house" target="_blank">Brandon's TB Boarding House (GC1K4MD)</a> are two of the tourist-friendliest TB hotel caches in the country. They are both placed very near the entrance to the park so that the tourist can get out of their taxi right at the entrance gate and make a short one-minute trek into the woods to claim their prize, drop <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGeAQr6A38onqnriAtYlUjY4xOqIfiBI4wWKiebLb1AKEF5W_8_NFEWROx5jlM0dJ6sEJM776I0tjiaLb3wbqS0R0gxB0EIIaunm7iK5oInbCdi0eKWHzB1I41gXEme6necYoCWnEs1Vq/s1600/Karen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGeAQr6A38onqnriAtYlUjY4xOqIfiBI4wWKiebLb1AKEF5W_8_NFEWROx5jlM0dJ6sEJM776I0tjiaLb3wbqS0R0gxB0EIIaunm7iK5oInbCdi0eKWHzB1I41gXEme6necYoCWnEs1Vq/s1600/Karen.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up while at Karen's Caper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
their trackables and still get back to what they have waiting for them.<br />
<br />
What makes these, plus a number of others we have placed, so special to us is that we no longer live in Ecuador but have been able to leave a gifts that keep on giving. The choice that obviously faced us upon departing from Ecuador was whether to archive these caches or simply leave them for folks to find and then archive them when they finally play out. With no one to call on to maintain them (there were no active geocachers nearby who were able to maintain them) we knew that they would deteriorate over time. We left them. They have proven to be gifts that have truly kept on giving, both to those who come to Ecuador and geocache as well as to me. I have been joyfully watching the messages come in as tourist and a few Ecuadorians alike, have continued to find them. We've had some go missing, requiring that we archive them.<br />
<br />
It's been almost three years since we left our beloved Ecuador behind. We feel just a little bit closer to our home-away-from-home when we revisit the caches there on geocaching.com!Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-8907167657680834652014-02-16T00:30:00.000-06:002014-02-16T00:30:01.801-06:00Check out these interesting caches!!!!Here's a few interesting caches I've come across in my travels. I won't say where so as not to create a real soiler.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMKD6VFltEGkweQuoJ45n4c2EcNxtd83H_2usW71_ZCbylNIkuEsmKBJt-25C-yrZ_FPANJ30WSrxG5poHpaTdATCx0ZjnWed-SYaqJPljjC5FFKuyLfJj9ndAGcfGT3Zhn55dXtOYlvC/s1600/DSCN2950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMKD6VFltEGkweQuoJ45n4c2EcNxtd83H_2usW71_ZCbylNIkuEsmKBJt-25C-yrZ_FPANJ30WSrxG5poHpaTdATCx0ZjnWed-SYaqJPljjC5FFKuyLfJj9ndAGcfGT3Zhn55dXtOYlvC/s320/DSCN2950.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gate intercom cache</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This one had us looking. We drove up to a gated area with a garden all around. There was a large rock on each side. The GPSr pointed to one of the rocks. That's where we began our search. We looked and looked. We had a time schedule and were getting in the car when I decided that maybe that wasn't a real doorbell/intercom box. Sure enough, it was the cache.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrRAUfFNP_rh9wIrXDLPRMF2al-eVHIWwV23iTcv7rZj3e-iw6yqlTiZksLeWahBmEZTaSJWbcECnVkR-miIHiRuBsZdIh1seDh3RPDHjSriw5SJ1YxTJ5aLnvuU3puz16hxaNuo5fzoH/s1600/Image11282013151256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrRAUfFNP_rh9wIrXDLPRMF2al-eVHIWwV23iTcv7rZj3e-iw6yqlTiZksLeWahBmEZTaSJWbcECnVkR-miIHiRuBsZdIh1seDh3RPDHjSriw5SJ1YxTJ5aLnvuU3puz16hxaNuo5fzoH/s320/Image11282013151256.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Another cache that caught us by surprise was one of those electrical-type caches. I've seen them before but just wasn't thinking along those lines the day I looked for this one. I was the driver so three others were already at the GZ looking all around the sign. I came up and joined the search, looking in all the obvious places they had looked before it dawned on me that I ought to look at the fake box. There it was!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXvaaHOqMcCWkZR8lW3bYlO0FG5Rq5AO6__t5StncUbWFbkzd6PamBc8b-sA56CofBqbUCwL2e4EWh1ZFvwSEPnW14iTokXRfSEZ1xGyTbcVUlIz-5cfZEyQkv5hlhWQhyEDuglU4EhzH/s1600/Image11232013103655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXvaaHOqMcCWkZR8lW3bYlO0FG5Rq5AO6__t5StncUbWFbkzd6PamBc8b-sA56CofBqbUCwL2e4EWh1ZFvwSEPnW14iTokXRfSEZ1xGyTbcVUlIz-5cfZEyQkv5hlhWQhyEDuglU4EhzH/s320/Image11232013103655.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Some of the caches we find are nothing more than attractions to some strange art. This one seems to represent an angel of some kind. It's located at Guilford Technical Community College near Jamestown, NC. We had to spend a while dodging muggles and turning over stones to find the "one" stone we'd have to turn over to find the cache.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-48347060232176189372014-02-09T00:30:00.000-06:002014-02-09T00:30:01.698-06:00A Great Christmas Gift from some special friends!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOr3TF2wl8xaavA1936dDLd3lrOGB7qk0ct9_hyphenhyphenUV8EolNMLAv3gtpCWtOwBHVZYaoMspo3VvxFocdHuQ5QNZnswt5RoiCXngPm7WWq4tCVQWiePJof7b_qhEcjfVr3VkmWsqj3K2sVyv/s1600/Primium.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOr3TF2wl8xaavA1936dDLd3lrOGB7qk0ct9_hyphenhyphenUV8EolNMLAv3gtpCWtOwBHVZYaoMspo3VvxFocdHuQ5QNZnswt5RoiCXngPm7WWq4tCVQWiePJof7b_qhEcjfVr3VkmWsqj3K2sVyv/s1600/Primium.JPG" /></a></div>
One of the nicest gifts I received for Christmas, right there along side my Kuerig Coffee Maker, was my one-year membership as a Premium Member of Geocaching.com. Two really good friends, Chickenlvr413 and Chanak80, were so kind to give this to me as a Christmas gift. It has opened up more caches right close to home!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_KuShCX3mzQf8o02GsQ4N6EOG91K6fJWMuuzu90MazjUjrdCg_TeRdg3xQMbYg-0xkCZiPDkRUa5l8d7HyzFhcqqhue1B5E1_6nUTxzeNDmDXQsKcRetlVJxgNx6BnvG1QgK0-aMxOGH/s1600/Chan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_KuShCX3mzQf8o02GsQ4N6EOG91K6fJWMuuzu90MazjUjrdCg_TeRdg3xQMbYg-0xkCZiPDkRUa5l8d7HyzFhcqqhue1B5E1_6nUTxzeNDmDXQsKcRetlVJxgNx6BnvG1QgK0-aMxOGH/s1600/Chan.JPG" height="98" width="200" /></a></div>
My new job is keeping me in the office and hard at work. I'd really like to get out and hit the trails to find some caches but am held back right now. I'm hoping that this kind gift will motivate me to get out and find some more caches!Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-31252295664527755242014-02-02T00:30:00.000-06:002014-02-02T00:30:00.934-06:00Granny Codine and her neice ModeanGeocaching puts you in touch with lots of nice folks. Here's a case to prove my point. After learning about geocaching I had the pleasure of introducing it to a special friend. She just has to be my most favorite geocaching friend for 2013! Her name is Granny Codine. She's a character to say the least. She gets around to visit the folks in the nursing home and is sometimes invite to help friends roast other friends. Granny Codine is right funny to listen to. For that reason I thought it appropriate to place a cache in honor of this friend. It turns out that Granny Codine has a neice or something. She's a dental technician and goes by the name Modean.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrS6NqfTt8NLzaflSC1Qkb31DOwbGnZF1gRwh_wMQ1UZv_-5H0DUSVXtlevjibLXSzHSiOhPCtTDUmDPLl7eK4ThPXFz42rvcZl29OR0nCAMahJKeFvOsKyeuqoEcaae6NEGfOdmIG-Ldc/s1600/dentist+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrS6NqfTt8NLzaflSC1Qkb31DOwbGnZF1gRwh_wMQ1UZv_-5H0DUSVXtlevjibLXSzHSiOhPCtTDUmDPLl7eK4ThPXFz42rvcZl29OR0nCAMahJKeFvOsKyeuqoEcaae6NEGfOdmIG-Ldc/s320/dentist+2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modean</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
While out in the country near where Granny Codine goes to find her roadkill, I placed a micro in her honor sometime back. It goes by her name and is <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC445AX_granny-modean?guid=e706f69e-7fa6-4efc-963f-cf2f87b06923" target="_blank">GC445AX</a>. Several folks have ventured out to find it. So far none of them have seen Granny. Thank goodness! As I understand it she dresses up like a normal person and goes geocaching on those double days like January 1st (1/1), February 2nd, (2/2), March 3rd (3/3) and so forth. So be on your lookout when out in the woods south of Greensboro, NC.<br />
<br />
When our church has the wild game dinner, even though it's just for men, I'm going to invite Granny for sure. She'll probably provide most of the take.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<span style="text-align: start;">Recently Granny was so kind. For Christmas she gave me a premium subscription to geocaching.com. I appreciate her and wish her a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I went out and placed a another geocache in her honor, only to have it disapproved by my reviewer. He felt it was too close to a major highway and that geocachers would park along this Interstate to get to the cache. I've seen thousands of caches just like mine but its not worth the time to argue it. I went back to move the cache to another nearby location and hope it gets approved. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-pDQfyWxsVRMdJVM_yV6kfY2EXiKBF3yeR_QmcRXWDtoL8yeUV9tiy1Ir63bDNMcNqHO5lD0poFfwpGJALHtF1SfqzE9mFg3fHtmrBXOpATHBZmvVAFUQEcHmXx_xPGkb09Pfdifbkk5/s1600/IMG_1730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-pDQfyWxsVRMdJVM_yV6kfY2EXiKBF3yeR_QmcRXWDtoL8yeUV9tiy1Ir63bDNMcNqHO5lD0poFfwpGJALHtF1SfqzE9mFg3fHtmrBXOpATHBZmvVAFUQEcHmXx_xPGkb09Pfdifbkk5/s320/IMG_1730.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granny Codine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-36098006311362143772014-01-26T00:30:00.001-06:002014-01-26T00:30:00.869-06:00Moses H. Cone Mansion along the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrv6MsDEq61Yvv0ndJGAXR_ctm_Ql0QNDdz6vD_lePBNO0aSFKgSnrJUbOu0oXh7i_TKELd9NBGiiF0aakrQL3aE-eep0tOdAAuQ-u5x15bgQH3pvIVabhiae55D9botM6HK4o3YfOCGr/s1600/Larry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrv6MsDEq61Yvv0ndJGAXR_ctm_Ql0QNDdz6vD_lePBNO0aSFKgSnrJUbOu0oXh7i_TKELd9NBGiiF0aakrQL3aE-eep0tOdAAuQ-u5x15bgQH3pvIVabhiae55D9botM6HK4o3YfOCGr/s1600/Larry.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mansion thanks to Larry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of my favorite places to travel and cache is the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is so much to see along the parkway, which runs from southern North Carolina to northern Virginia. Every chance we get we head up to the parkway. During winter months you have to check ahead to see which portions are open as winter weather closes stretches at higher elevations.<br />
<br />
Twice during the last year I had the chance to visit the Moses H. Cone Mansion along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Moses Cone became famous in the late 1800's as he and his brothers, all wealthy men, invested in the textile industry and providing means of employment for thousands of North Carolina residence. As a summer get away he built the mansion, known as Flat Top Manor, along what is now the Blue Ridge Parkway.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ef0FCcLeNDZacUSy7zLInjUlUWKfhYdsOTenkQvAWtqeik0HDFNylcaGJnJ1F5-AwvSxdGhI9xz-RpFJuUtv1FHZBR0nWSnjtjKHXIjlg0pfjZxzZ1mBbhbjJtJA0ZHnHA6zHeP3VvDh/s1600/Christina+Dulude.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ef0FCcLeNDZacUSy7zLInjUlUWKfhYdsOTenkQvAWtqeik0HDFNylcaGJnJ1F5-AwvSxdGhI9xz-RpFJuUtv1FHZBR0nWSnjtjKHXIjlg0pfjZxzZ1mBbhbjJtJA0ZHnHA6zHeP3VvDh/s1600/Christina+Dulude.JPG" height="221" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking the trails thanks to Christina Dulude</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_FODR2ec7ze8JObRuuTWcF54ZGrTlit6wtxXzAYW_Dgs02V22cHA5GBICnpQTb-OCP0BTRKs_PdeDj4YahRuQUGX7DnaIfmiktrJvBeknmv9OuKyjMMnH_RLknYlMhDJ6JyChGS-Ob_w/s1600/T.Cowart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_FODR2ec7ze8JObRuuTWcF54ZGrTlit6wtxXzAYW_Dgs02V22cHA5GBICnpQTb-OCP0BTRKs_PdeDj4YahRuQUGX7DnaIfmiktrJvBeknmv9OuKyjMMnH_RLknYlMhDJ6JyChGS-Ob_w/s1600/T.Cowart.JPG" height="210" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the lake thanks to T.Cowart</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On our first trip during cold weather we found the part of the parkway near Blowing Rock, NC open. We had driven up from Greensboro, NC along highway 421 to intersect with the Blue Ridge Parkway just east of Boone, NC. We were able to travel southwest along the parkway, stopping to pick up geocaches along the way. Since geocaches cannot be placed on parkway land, most caches are just off the parkway. As we traveled along we found ourselves stopping to take in the marvelous views from the many overlooks along the route. What beauty!<br />
<br />
One of my favorite caches was <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3R7RK_the-blowing-rock-rest-area-cache" target="_blank">THE Blowing Rock Rest Area Cache (GC3R7RK)</a>, which is the closest cache to the mansion. The first time I came to the mansion I was with sumajhuarmi. The rest area was closed so I had to pull off the road and walk into the rest area. The cache was back in the rhododendron in an area free of muggles. It was an easy regular-size cache. I walked a little further to catch a glimpse of the mansion from a distance but went no further. I knew then I wanted to come back to see the mansion when it was opened. We continued on our trip and spent the day in Blowing Rock.<br />
<br />
Later in the year, during the warmer months, I came with three colleagues on a pastor's retreat to the Valle Crucis area. We stopped at the mansion on our way and spent about an hour. The mansion now houses the Parkway Craft Center. There are all kinds of wood and weaved crafts and much more to browse through and purchase. While I didn't get to tour the mansion (I don't know when that is possible) it was fun to walk around the grounds and take in the view. There is a beautiful lake at the bottom of the mountain the mansion overlooks. At times during the year there are carriage rides through the area. There is a walking trail that cuts underneath the Blue Ridge Parkway that's worth a walk and a little exercise while you are here.<br />
<br />
The Parkway has some nice caches. If you have the time you'll want to cruise the parkway and grab these while taking in the beauty of the place. Stop in at the mansion too!Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-75568028651164511492014-01-19T00:30:00.000-06:002014-01-19T00:30:02.056-06:00Bear Country and Geocaching<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyrw9_CO1PfEVkERJk-dtayUDpu63dt30uzfyinxN5osXtVSIM2Iuth6FrSeupktqdTyWxQoc7LDhjSra6MByb5dg_oRg8q7zaPoP51aoc4YtD3xLVZNXV7GdTkO2xVORX0BT8ZV57mnl/s1600/Image12132013102346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyrw9_CO1PfEVkERJk-dtayUDpu63dt30uzfyinxN5osXtVSIM2Iuth6FrSeupktqdTyWxQoc7LDhjSra6MByb5dg_oRg8q7zaPoP51aoc4YtD3xLVZNXV7GdTkO2xVORX0BT8ZV57mnl/s320/Image12132013102346.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bears in a tree!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Not far from our home is a business park that is well organized with lots of greenway walking areas, picnic areas, schools for the employee's children and woods. Naturally, there are also a number of geocaches in these woods and fields. One of the caches that grabbed my attention was <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4Q8TX_rock-the-cazz-beah?guid=9502a39e-1a3d-4317-9b01-40dee5ea92cb" target="_blank">Rock the Cazz Beah (GC4Q8TX)</a>. The cache was simple and fairly easy to find. What I liked the most was the location and the art work. Two bears were climbing a tree to get to the beehive and the honey.<br />
<br />
There is a series in the area related to New England bridges. One of our geocachers is a transplanted New Englander and has placed a series of caches named after bridges up North. One of those is in this business park. I trekked to the GZ and began my search. All the office buildings surrounding the area provided a fishbowl experience for me. I was the fish and the employees at the water cooler were sure to have been wondering what the strange man was doing crawling around under the bridge. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRzJNYMNhNPHwxdsiVf1VLsLKtcpd5wzFm3q50wn5Imq4Rv3d3TmnVv1c2RzbLZ4bWiMgUPi86Lx2141urzWWOPKXK_2hEw9pi6sTN3Yqw4EYDKSFSxx6llm2qhBsUygt1ish36822rIL/s1600/Image12132013100450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRzJNYMNhNPHwxdsiVf1VLsLKtcpd5wzFm3q50wn5Imq4Rv3d3TmnVv1c2RzbLZ4bWiMgUPi86Lx2141urzWWOPKXK_2hEw9pi6sTN3Yqw4EYDKSFSxx6llm2qhBsUygt1ish36822rIL/s320/Image12132013100450.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lost mind bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Has he lost his mind?<br />
<br />
The iced over water made for a beautiful morning. I searched and searched, thus proving that I'd lost something. Fortunately it was too cold for folks to come out and ask me if I was all right. Finally I gave up. I'll have to come back when I am dressed appropriately and ready to fall into the water in order to get this one.<br />
<br />
Another cache that eluded me was near a pond. I love the look of this area. As I tracked down the hill I realized that the cache was on the opposite side of the small spillway. The water flowing over the spillway was only an inch deep so I decided to cross it. I was fortunate not to fall when I lost my footing. I made it to the other side and purposed to go all the way around to get back to the car. I searched and searched but came up empty handed. That was all right thought. The hunt in a beautiful place is the real prize.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2lWAXzWD3VQhES3ViyyQpTWYO9qd-yMRQ8PQrXv_pj3I9U94pk1mn35vfZZL7RORMN0IhD4UT4QHMtFlunVXlwt830q_innt7T0QommWTZB98VMAyGv3OI2CvVTHKUL7-eH0rX20eaeV/s1600/Image12132013110751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2lWAXzWD3VQhES3ViyyQpTWYO9qd-yMRQ8PQrXv_pj3I9U94pk1mn35vfZZL7RORMN0IhD4UT4QHMtFlunVXlwt830q_innt7T0QommWTZB98VMAyGv3OI2CvVTHKUL7-eH0rX20eaeV/s320/Image12132013110751.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting on an idea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My final cache in the business park was <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4PWFV_waiting-for-an-idea?guid=57fea968-bcce-44b1-a83c-90783f218a4c" target="_blank">Waiting on an Idea (GC4PWFV)</a>. The title is a combination of thoughts as one clue. I parked nearby and walked to the GZ. It was a covered bus stop in the business park. I looked down and the "idea" that I was waiting for was right before me. I twisted it out of the ground, opened the light and found what I was looking for. I signed the log and was on my way.<br />
<br />
Ok, so I called this "bear country". I guess the title is a little misleading. But the caches will be worth your while if you ever get down this way.Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-71910576179473433352014-01-12T00:30:00.000-06:002014-01-12T00:30:00.737-06:00Geocaching the Grandover<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5zNJFQEQa-g5G4FnXmsgLhfqp0w29U_6DVgskI8_sjO6H0SbSPzjslatsMPsnFsFx1T6oxeOGuuwNk8upId2S2WeRFwphbPn4IBjHtFqrqC-MDUMtS-xYgLxwSTvb11f4-ARH0q0QIQD/s1600/Image12122013153933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5zNJFQEQa-g5G4FnXmsgLhfqp0w29U_6DVgskI8_sjO6H0SbSPzjslatsMPsnFsFx1T6oxeOGuuwNk8upId2S2WeRFwphbPn4IBjHtFqrqC-MDUMtS-xYgLxwSTvb11f4-ARH0q0QIQD/s320/Image12122013153933.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandover Golf Course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the more exclusive residential areas around here is Grandover. It is a large golf complex with expensive housing and a large hotel for visitors. Thankfully some really nice caches have been scattered throughout the area. Most of the caches are part of a series called, "Geo-liter". While the name isn't all that appealing, these are often well done and well hidden caches. I sat out one morning to grab a few by myself. Most were fairly straight forward caches. There were a few that were more of a challenge than I was up to. For instance, climbing a tree is no longer a possibility for me now that I'm on blood thinners. I guess I'll have to bring my grandson along on a mopping up cache run to get to those that are out of my reach.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOBhpU6dmJ2lQenQykqc1TcP6jjSEt2gQ1estUazGLgfZPmBIjM96pAJH5raMEAzUuRTpymBownnRa9VoZo6RYqUh9m6H-k2SCgedqX-gEKiMbw1tE4JMMenr3iN2djV11uXVbvWM9Nm0/s1600/Image12122013155556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOBhpU6dmJ2lQenQykqc1TcP6jjSEt2gQ1estUazGLgfZPmBIjM96pAJH5raMEAzUuRTpymBownnRa9VoZo6RYqUh9m6H-k2SCgedqX-gEKiMbw1tE4JMMenr3iN2djV11uXVbvWM9Nm0/s200/Image12122013155556.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great cache</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Winter time along the golf course is pretty. I found several that were placed in beautiful locations. On one street there were some one million dollar homes being built. Across the street from one I found one cache in a fallen tree. One cache required me to work my way through the woods to avoid the briers that populated the open hillside. It was an unseasonably warm winter day so I'd decided to find a few caches on the way to the YMCA. So, here I was in shorts and paying the price as my legs got a little scratched up. Being on blood thinners the slightest scratch looks ten times worse than it really is. I came back from this hunt looking worse for the wear.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcDioPMqHGIwl9LR8Auoenaf0ZBbd3FpbE2W0WIw_uDErVOW3EUG_Q_wZ27JOD0XYacC5BMavW9tFufSA8bFj6wZ94B_0XqqBnGLNrNm8EHwrcvy46Qvc1RSW8PtZ6zW5QKv7FexfjUl9/s1600/Image12182013085027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcDioPMqHGIwl9LR8Auoenaf0ZBbd3FpbE2W0WIw_uDErVOW3EUG_Q_wZ27JOD0XYacC5BMavW9tFufSA8bFj6wZ94B_0XqqBnGLNrNm8EHwrcvy46Qvc1RSW8PtZ6zW5QKv7FexfjUl9/s200/Image12182013085027.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tied off</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFYevw78-OW5ZY8hxfY-eDW9oTIap_5IX_KXTV_VLOO0lFxVglIv89GquJBDx2ZUBFzi6B6JHzP08q1GaIokVgTXGI8dPZ4g2MGRQrUg3tQrDD9fzjn235dHmbGsr1HFMu9Eol1h8xMVK/s1600/Image12182013085104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFYevw78-OW5ZY8hxfY-eDW9oTIap_5IX_KXTV_VLOO0lFxVglIv89GquJBDx2ZUBFzi6B6JHzP08q1GaIokVgTXGI8dPZ4g2MGRQrUg3tQrDD9fzjn235dHmbGsr1HFMu9Eol1h8xMVK/s200/Image12182013085104.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Suspended"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Probably my favorite cache was entitled <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC47CH1_geo-litter-21?guid=0cad8fef-80ce-4553-9772-302d38ef9f41" target="_blank">Geo-liter 21 (GC47CH1)</a>. I <br />
parked along the road near the golf course, trekked a short way into the woods and started my search at ground zero. It took me a few minutes to realize that I should look at the clue. "what happens to a kid who draws a picture of a gun at school", was the clue. I'd searched the ground around a log so now it was time to look up. I extended my search area out and happened upon some fishing line taunt across my path. I followed it down to the lower end to find it tied off. Then I let it down and found the "suspended" cache. I signed the log, snapped a few pictures and then hoisted the cache back into place. I like this kind of cache!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7j_yXoCydopRrFLiayhK_SU4Or_7RSLgkTevLWh4Fn4ud3QK1z3K6CRqbHWPW5gpJGxSb6xKZEKB-t-TAgcObKIYe6F0lre3EEsKWC008yBLxx3Ca-XiOQ4_ow0ZvzKLeUvGskiQ8B2UA/s1600/Image12182013085817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7j_yXoCydopRrFLiayhK_SU4Or_7RSLgkTevLWh4Fn4ud3QK1z3K6CRqbHWPW5gpJGxSb6xKZEKB-t-TAgcObKIYe6F0lre3EEsKWC008yBLxx3Ca-XiOQ4_ow0ZvzKLeUvGskiQ8B2UA/s200/Image12182013085817.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stone walling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Further down the road I found another interesting cache. It was part of the Geo-liter series but <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX3JPdGTfZN3qQFIg4MaXLaDwZDsciY8Cvtyponarykcfr1pR5WfGL7o97UkkE-1xh5V8RV5B5_XID0QhcIXOz2dXtL651CG9W8BC5_cHaw8117zVS1lrAMTOjOWvqGO7C04Mz2S3yZXA/s1600/Image12122013154815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX3JPdGTfZN3qQFIg4MaXLaDwZDsciY8Cvtyponarykcfr1pR5WfGL7o97UkkE-1xh5V8RV5B5_XID0QhcIXOz2dXtL651CG9W8BC5_cHaw8117zVS1lrAMTOjOWvqGO7C04Mz2S3yZXA/s200/Image12122013154815.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underground</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
required that I climb into a culvert a little ways. Fortunately this was a larger culvert and I could sit upright. I got out my headlamp and soon had the large bison tube in hand. I had to wait out the passing cars so that I wouldn't raise too much suspicion from them as I came up out off the creek bed. I like this cache too!<br />
<br />
Finally this caching excursion took me to some wall caches. There were several like this that were located in the stone walls that decorated <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEmpkmQ6dpV3-VuwUQcwD33tyM0VVeU_o0Wby-1mV4_X_WzlJGuT9xjw_8KSMXPqbtQK-nP3E-F6vsk5cY3tVuGoc8JzPz8Dl2pORgGpgivyzTFvTih8ZhJn1N8w45Vb0G1Dqld7jgF2z/s1600/Image12182013085757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEmpkmQ6dpV3-VuwUQcwD33tyM0VVeU_o0Wby-1mV4_X_WzlJGuT9xjw_8KSMXPqbtQK-nP3E-F6vsk5cY3tVuGoc8JzPz8Dl2pORgGpgivyzTFvTih8ZhJn1N8w45Vb0G1Dqld7jgF2z/s200/Image12182013085757.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
the entrances to the tunnels used by golfers in their golf carts as they traveled beneath the main road to get from one green to the next. These were pretty quick finds.<br />
<br />
I really enjoyed the caching at the Grandover. If you get the opportunity to visit our part of the country, check these out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-11160935303827213432014-01-05T00:30:00.001-06:002014-01-05T00:30:00.762-06:00New Year Night Caching to get to # 2500<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOpYM4W0ccRmypFeuNFOUUM4rDgbT-uQzG2noB4qLC4hVf-a0o0osLA3n2C9jpRTRlZjt6sCylj1obl0W4Fl0fAAOSTDfu98wCI_A1qWScM2YxyK-fltSmcT46T9iZ2KqXqqj96X2r1uq/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOpYM4W0ccRmypFeuNFOUUM4rDgbT-uQzG2noB4qLC4hVf-a0o0osLA3n2C9jpRTRlZjt6sCylj1obl0W4Fl0fAAOSTDfu98wCI_A1qWScM2YxyK-fltSmcT46T9iZ2KqXqqj96X2r1uq/s1600/Capture.JPG" /></a></div>
We had a great New Year's Eve but were undecided on what to do on New Year's Day. We slept in, had breakfast and all. But I could tell my wife was homesick to see some of her mom's relatives about an two hours south of here. I recommended a day trip and she was in for it. This was the fastest I saw her get ready for anything. We were out the door and driving south in no time. We drove straight through to make it in time for lunch with the her aunt and a cousin. I don't know what your New Year's <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH20yJk5iBbdiMIALHw8s58s0uZaoqmR61mDTTXV0duQyFwHYpU3Z_zgR1GMxCQ19xNUZOXyx4EdZO09Mi-O79XvmJEMrilyVWAWeEfwf35uCY0b4yIRDEzT6ChHAgrLRHQ83VtA5OF_zT/s1600/Collards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH20yJk5iBbdiMIALHw8s58s0uZaoqmR61mDTTXV0duQyFwHYpU3Z_zgR1GMxCQ19xNUZOXyx4EdZO09Mi-O79XvmJEMrilyVWAWeEfwf35uCY0b4yIRDEzT6ChHAgrLRHQ83VtA5OF_zT/s200/Collards.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">thanks to beardenb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
traditions are but her family was big into eating a lunch of collard greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread and hog jowls. Now I've been in a number of countries and have seen some interesting, even strange New Year's traditions. See a previous blog from January 2, 2011 entitled, "The Old Man...an Ecuadorian New Year's Tradition" to learn more. Even though I was raised in the southeastern US and had heard of folks eating this special meal on New Year's Day, my family didn't prepare this meal. Let's just say it was good to visit the extended family.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx88N0luEZ1mVZhI3K5j67feKF92FchDO7MQ0ECV7HYRSKj6XOWbgLW8afBJllwoy9qhf3hUoT9ZcclLEDX9ZgJm7TYs4QM4vaQdYJ-Ny0UVW2STLjAK8EjDP4RbYS6HmLgehioNFlpifb/s1600/Image01012014161517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx88N0luEZ1mVZhI3K5j67feKF92FchDO7MQ0ECV7HYRSKj6XOWbgLW8afBJllwoy9qhf3hUoT9ZcclLEDX9ZgJm7TYs4QM4vaQdYJ-Ny0UVW2STLjAK8EjDP4RbYS6HmLgehioNFlpifb/s200/Image01012014161517.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Play. Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When we finished up there we had less than an hour of daylight left. I had the goal of getting 15 geocaches on the way home in order to reach #2500 this day. We drove from the North Carolina town of Wadesboro to the east to the town of Rockingham to start our search. There were several urban and suburban caches there that I hoped to get before dark. Also, most of these were small and bigger. I'm used to micros in an urban setting like High Point (where we live) so this was a nice touch. We visited a Veteran's Memorial and a dead end road to find some fairly standard caches. My first favorite cache was entitled, <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1N1BM_play-station?guid=91326537-e759-4035-8c72-4cd1daa7a6b7" target="_blank">Play. Station (GC1N1BM)</a>. It was an old train station in downtown Rockingham. We worked our way around the side of the building to begin our search for this regular-size cache. At first the signal bounce was a problem but finally I had the cache in hand. It had lots of trade items and was in good shape. We signed the log and moved on. We moved up the hill to the county courthouse. Being New Year's Day there were very few people out. We grabbed a virtual at the courthouse before heading over to the site of the Cole Murder. The cache of the same name <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3XKEN_the-cole-murder?guid=96522c23-37d8-4ff9-a55a-99d52c9a25ca" target="_blank">(GC3XKEN)</a> was hidden in a bush right on the street and below the front window of an administrative office in the "manufacturing building", as it was called. Read the story in the cache page. Yes, someone was killed here in the early part of the last century. I suspect that the cache owner has the cache outside of his workplace window so he can watch cachers beat the bushes. It was a nice ammo can on a major downtown street. We DNFed a few caches downtown. They just seemed to be gone! With the sun going down, we headed north out of Rockingham on the Interstate.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
We took a side road at one point to look for <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1CJ21_off-the-beaten-path?guid=21ef35d1-1fad-4978-bcde-edc97aed000e" target="_blank">Off the Beath Path (GC1CJ21)</a>. It caused us to stop on the side of a country road right in the middle of two homes to walk 70 feet into a field to find a large cache under a big white bucket that was situated about 30 feet from someone's bedroom window. By this time the sun was basically gone and I was using my twilight vision. It felt kind of awkward, like I was on someone's property. I guess I was. The cache page said "permission from owner to hide" but it still felt wrong. I signed and got out of there, even as the neighbor was giving me the eye.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQL7-4OWw9d7TPo13gpwPXsj9VBaI-PC1wSOk1Keq1o3FHqiZpFfHuOGYFIuERpaBG_eNMax40Tp4hmNpw_ucBf7sLD06Ydy0I5RhHFrO8rBFxTldfT7OZ7RseByG8Hdfx8gcpNMd2gvd/s1600/Image01012014183236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQL7-4OWw9d7TPo13gpwPXsj9VBaI-PC1wSOk1Keq1o3FHqiZpFfHuOGYFIuERpaBG_eNMax40Tp4hmNpw_ucBf7sLD06Ydy0I5RhHFrO8rBFxTldfT7OZ7RseByG8Hdfx8gcpNMd2gvd/s320/Image01012014183236.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sumajhuarmi @ Kiln Cache Virtual</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Soon we were in the Pottery Producing Area of Central North Carolina. We tracked into the small town of Seagrove, NC in the dark. We drove to a virtual cache at The North Carolina Pottery Center. This was an old cache, one that predates the "no photo" requirement. Here we had to log along with a photo with the gpsr next to the sign. These photos were night photos so the light is low. <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCHTNM_kiln-cache?guid=81b27742-9aa7-4352-a776-5e57a82deae5" target="_blank">Kiln Cache (GCHTNM)</a> was fun. It would have been more fun if we could have toured this place. We'll have to come back when it is open.<br />
<br />
From here we hit the Interstate and head about 15 miles further north to the town of Ashboro, NC. We were now getting back into our geocaching territory where we recognized the cache owners by name. There were a few caches in the 100 series that seemed like pretty easy roadside caches. I had my headlamp and was ready to search for these. We stopped in and around the Randolph County Community College to find a couple and to DNF a couple. We stopped to eat at a Bojangles and DNFed the last of these easy ones just as I got to #2499. What to do? It was time to head home and I am not connected with a smart phone and have no additional caches up my sleeve to find. How will I make my #2500 tonight.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFtI-04sINdX1r9xtrmR1t3niiJRxZTETjbUnQR4hph6PdgnG0LZ7FicTsNprNJKORYazTMplKgC1YUJfe07xm5wm0KVHDhNJmydH10i6mYt9-9N7OlJrnQqkVcnqBIRQhVBJmm7c7b0J/s1600/123Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFtI-04sINdX1r9xtrmR1t3niiJRxZTETjbUnQR4hph6PdgnG0LZ7FicTsNprNJKORYazTMplKgC1YUJfe07xm5wm0KVHDhNJmydH10i6mYt9-9N7OlJrnQqkVcnqBIRQhVBJmm7c7b0J/s320/123Capture.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to sauvageone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We headed home with a plan. It took another 30 minutes or so to get there. We ran in the house, found a cache list I had made up for the previous day that had cache information for a nearby premium cache called, <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3D5CW_tube-try-out?guid=fb0608eb-6673-45cf-8f8a-e62f8fcd9668" target="_blank">Tube Try Out! (GC3D5CW)</a>, and then headed out to wrap up the evening with #2500 in the dark. This cache was only a few minutes away. We pulled into a good parking area and saw that it required a trip into the woods. No muggles were around but sumajhuarmi wasn't crazy about traipsing around in the woods. I went with my headlamp. I tracked right to the GZ and started cautiously shining my light around. I didn't know if night watchmen might be around or not. Soon I saw the cache in the tree. I signed the log and with celebration replaced it and headed to the car. I was thankful to have made my goal. I'm also thankful that sumajhuarmi put up with my need to get to this goal tonight.<br />
<br />
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-60708797760182907582013-12-29T00:30:00.001-06:002013-12-29T00:30:02.104-06:00Chair City Caching Experience<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5R31tGwV6RXdnz_vkXImoho-Y6UTdLhF4FbDeQUBUFttmBdwpdEM47JeF5M7i3bibolIOTv0fKp5FrfBa-ikqziJVvU9quKHTDr9M7C0tSREtLLNEXeSK9zQTn9fipsQn5s9T6GWWCwu/s1600/Image12272013144140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5R31tGwV6RXdnz_vkXImoho-Y6UTdLhF4FbDeQUBUFttmBdwpdEM47JeF5M7i3bibolIOTv0fKp5FrfBa-ikqziJVvU9quKHTDr9M7C0tSREtLLNEXeSK9zQTn9fipsQn5s9T6GWWCwu/s200/Image12272013144140.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chair City</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIvZ2gSVHqdKfvtkkrCbYeRQguatRPsqtomcoupn8Et_wNgCXEU5HsTIGcGCkOF4QUXFmxRoNa9MxQb2_ZB8_XP2cpZm6tpe9jIDcS_eex9wxak23NLd8aWawpzJwk-Ng3xb8TGqDuoQ5/s1600/Image12272013150913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIvZ2gSVHqdKfvtkkrCbYeRQguatRPsqtomcoupn8Et_wNgCXEU5HsTIGcGCkOF4QUXFmxRoNa9MxQb2_ZB8_XP2cpZm6tpe9jIDcS_eex9wxak23NLd8aWawpzJwk-Ng3xb8TGqDuoQ5/s200/Image12272013150913.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big 105</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujiT-FBYdYI47bYK5GHlvJPocX_jXomIX-rEnILUSFD4lMMEYttLbeciKbkI40eLPBW_KUyL3nRzD3EY59ns6x6soX9dWoePzNcitsGHamov6DJqCKOimOuwpuGhY6F-QBBqzzyqm08iw/s1600/Image12272013151626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujiT-FBYdYI47bYK5GHlvJPocX_jXomIX-rEnILUSFD4lMMEYttLbeciKbkI40eLPBW_KUyL3nRzD3EY59ns6x6soX9dWoePzNcitsGHamov6DJqCKOimOuwpuGhY6F-QBBqzzyqm08iw/s200/Image12272013151626.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A simple LPC????</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGgJJ4HrR96Jq3qDOayccRZ5IH0GLnjkLUCoaq7lbIBXKemTCOw3ieplbM4MoLMKy0L7YDtx57j6A_ER5w0jGj1oxL5t-kueLo8xWHc0Ty4Jn-Z8p8U5TA4clf5UeamB444cDJ5mz1mU0/s1600/Image12272013151616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGgJJ4HrR96Jq3qDOayccRZ5IH0GLnjkLUCoaq7lbIBXKemTCOw3ieplbM4MoLMKy0L7YDtx57j6A_ER5w0jGj1oxL5t-kueLo8xWHc0Ty4Jn-Z8p8U5TA4clf5UeamB444cDJ5mz1mU0/s200/Image12272013151616.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tkyQXvPP_6SAPgHHvfdixzaOniN-b2PvX_xboJ8Sl-ySRy4CvPsmWzXEjvDSVQ-sd3vYnLaVFltnUfRtnI8FpLdIyJinNDR4KvvgnZrI5yrI8P9FCl79RA5aBBjzVMbBsMmP5wFzErtW/s1600/Image12272013152334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tkyQXvPP_6SAPgHHvfdixzaOniN-b2PvX_xboJ8Sl-ySRy4CvPsmWzXEjvDSVQ-sd3vYnLaVFltnUfRtnI8FpLdIyJinNDR4KvvgnZrI5yrI8P9FCl79RA5aBBjzVMbBsMmP5wFzErtW/s200/Image12272013152334.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cache</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdBL5oOSm8Bu_kRCtSpmpC9n-bmXeb6rWXmHCYW4DtpOBkNiJgXe0-hRFCCZn6ATPp2GKQlhG_XjLfq70QCfjZmwP-03ERzRVnM31V0g8nlWYxCcN5QKnG22KxOiZwE6geO5zFpT9hVya/s1600/Image12272013152301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdBL5oOSm8Bu_kRCtSpmpC9n-bmXeb6rWXmHCYW4DtpOBkNiJgXe0-hRFCCZn6ATPp2GKQlhG_XjLfq70QCfjZmwP-03ERzRVnM31V0g8nlWYxCcN5QKnG22KxOiZwE6geO5zFpT9hVya/s200/Image12272013152301.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the reverse side</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKe1cTWjBQ3Rrxji8kzgrfKtdDO34JBC5dvZO9PN8vhcAmhoEYM27dd4c2Mv_Jr3RSxuVRdZA27C1lC6dFBM6EaDmv6kNB6kHvv0g0WMdEhGtLqJYTu5hb6623S0Nhc_US5LSPaqUT6-G/s1600/Image12272013152316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKe1cTWjBQ3Rrxji8kzgrfKtdDO34JBC5dvZO9PN8vhcAmhoEYM27dd4c2Mv_Jr3RSxuVRdZA27C1lC6dFBM6EaDmv6kNB6kHvv0g0WMdEhGtLqJYTu5hb6623S0Nhc_US5LSPaqUT6-G/s200/Image12272013152316.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It slipped right off</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I got all dressed up to attend the funeral service of the father of a new friend and member of our congregation. As I left home I threw my swag bag in the car in case the opportunity was there to find a cache or two. After the funeral, which gave me the chance to be in an area where I've not done any caching, I plugged in the coordinates for the first cache. I pulled into a parking space near the GZ and started walking down the sidewalk. Here I am dressed in a suit and tie walking down the street past the bandstand and the old railroad car in Thomasville, NC. Everyone is looking at me. I came to one of the biggest chairs I've ever seen. It commemorates the furniture industry and its impact on the town of Thomasville. I got a picture of the chair and then started my search. Wouldn't you know it. It took me back behind the large chair to a picnic table near where two muggles were sitting. I couldn't afford to slide into the picnic table benches and get my clothes messed up so I had to pass on <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCXW10_have-a-seat?guid=5fee6f94-5ce3-4025-b5c5-51b5d26e538d" target="_blank">Have a Seat (GCXW10)</a>. I got back in the car and headed to the next one. It also turned out to be more demanding than my apparel would support. Back in the car again. Number 3 worked in my favor. It was a P&G on a busy street. From there I went out to a small town park and started my search for <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1D6DH_big-105?guid=f1a0677a-4030-433f-84ae-f5e9982972c4" target="_blank">Big 105 (GC1D6DH)</a>. Sure enough, it was a Howitzer canon and would have required some climbing up under it to make the find. I grabbed a photo and moved on. I'll have to get back here another day. The last cache on my list turned out to be one of my favorites. It was entitled, <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1TN2B_cache-around-town-3?guid=8b96ffad-7ea6-4b81-99cc-fc1e2edf6c3e" target="_blank">Caching Around Town #3 (GC1TN2B)</a>. I pulled in and headed around behind a car wash. No one was around so I had some privacy. I headed right to the lamp post certain that this was an easy one. I lifted the skirt and found the magnetic container. Instead of a log sheet I found taped in the container a message encouraging me to keep looking as this wouldn't be as easy as an LPC. I took a photo and chuckled. I replaced the decoy cache and started looking. I looked all along a fence, checking out all the knot holes. This was listed as size not chosen so it could be anything. I looked behind a hanging sign, I pulled the car up and looked in the concrete below where I'd been parked, I tracked out and in again but always came right back to the same lamp post. Then I felt of the electrical cover on the side of the poll. It began to twist off as I pressed. There it was! A small electrical cover fixed to the poll with magnets. I signed the log, snapped some pictures and replaced it. This cache owner gets a "favorite" for his creativity! Time was up and I had to head back home. I only got the two caches but know for sure I'll be back to Thomasville to find some more caches!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-36776677305177026342013-12-22T00:30:00.000-06:002013-12-22T00:30:00.033-06:00Moravian Village of Peace at Christmas Time<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeXcwuILlq_3B7CAP_N_HWKubxUYcsqTYwgm8WFLoxIUZYMDcC6MVD6ISrwqz8KXFD-R3G-M3ggo4ojEK_LaVvqmxQFwOCf9I1txyAwIbICgWCX9GKI20ERHGINUJvI7CvPtItYG3rgI2/s1600/Image12132013142322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeXcwuILlq_3B7CAP_N_HWKubxUYcsqTYwgm8WFLoxIUZYMDcC6MVD6ISrwqz8KXFD-R3G-M3ggo4ojEK_LaVvqmxQFwOCf9I1txyAwIbICgWCX9GKI20ERHGINUJvI7CvPtItYG3rgI2/s320/Image12132013142322.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead Man's Cave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzJYkC9fVqHdx77Bucuk1jj7ZCu8_Jw_HiwzmKutPjCe1h7rUGniRt7OyU_zsuDd4HiABlphwsAzabnCdbx3EVd01eU3G79_Ylwqb42tugdqS1zdzcvVuWqtAuGgt6n-9VZV_Z6qtKGrx/s1600/Image12132013143104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzJYkC9fVqHdx77Bucuk1jj7ZCu8_Jw_HiwzmKutPjCe1h7rUGniRt7OyU_zsuDd4HiABlphwsAzabnCdbx3EVd01eU3G79_Ylwqb42tugdqS1zdzcvVuWqtAuGgt6n-9VZV_Z6qtKGrx/s320/Image12132013143104.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower Labyrinth with sumajhuarmi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBGZUuaRwnbiTIXoLwZ_ewMg4XiTJVf0tLPbFdipF3qRSYp1gEH9rwB-NhayF5aro-a8QvHcF0qm4uXaje7AuJkWyyYz5h4V3J-R4ub3kTrDZM8H0mAKfsJ28PoJEjRYJ1jEjNMvYf-1Z/s1600/Image12132013155803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBGZUuaRwnbiTIXoLwZ_ewMg4XiTJVf0tLPbFdipF3qRSYp1gEH9rwB-NhayF5aro-a8QvHcF0qm4uXaje7AuJkWyyYz5h4V3J-R4ub3kTrDZM8H0mAKfsJ28PoJEjRYJ1jEjNMvYf-1Z/s320/Image12132013155803.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second, third, fourth house and so on</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VwxrRCwwgyRN0hj5vvmjgo58mlcOdJKv4ykjYy3tAWkXg-Xz1Pt-DGXsMGaCfaX2Qc5Fp8Hb9uvTh03YkZNTFbivBK7zuNXNPm_dM5Oww9Hp3qF-GIHJ6rWvoBk7GhcaEoE837zWyfMm/s1600/Image12132013160307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VwxrRCwwgyRN0hj5vvmjgo58mlcOdJKv4ykjYy3tAWkXg-Xz1Pt-DGXsMGaCfaX2Qc5Fp8Hb9uvTh03YkZNTFbivBK7zuNXNPm_dM5Oww9Hp3qF-GIHJ6rWvoBk7GhcaEoE837zWyfMm/s320/Image12132013160307.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sumajhuarmi at the Coffee Pot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We are from the Piedmont region of North Carolina and have never made a thorough visit to Old Salem until now. It is our 37th wedding anniversary so I typically plan a mystery get-away for sumajhuarmi and myself. It's usually a surprise for Paula and this was no exception. I had clues for her to use to get us to the Old Salem via several geocaches in the city of Winston-Salem,<a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCA6E4_dead-mans-cave?guid=0b5b5348-619d-4f52-b601-0b50197504dd" target="_blank">Dead Man's Cave (GCA6E4)</a>. I immediately began my search of the area while sumajhuarmi attended to a phone call. The cave was really no more than a rock over-cropping with a jumble of large stones underneath. I was down on my hands and knees trying not to get my cloths dirty while shining a small flashlight into <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkktZi6lJNtASIhrzd-Xhcoa0Tt26xgoJtjR2znxmlGAwLzo2PM7ET9BTkzGB-nKWPYbDDfMTNwyOv0S8nYfyrzQXw1DNVzcUbQMP8as_HVAg1Zx96vmEPHEKRG535T8GihBhPqAz8ZPx/s1600/Image12132013161447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkktZi6lJNtASIhrzd-Xhcoa0Tt26xgoJtjR2znxmlGAwLzo2PM7ET9BTkzGB-nKWPYbDDfMTNwyOv0S8nYfyrzQXw1DNVzcUbQMP8as_HVAg1Zx96vmEPHEKRG535T8GihBhPqAz8ZPx/s320/Image12132013161447.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind the Single Brother's House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOeAhC6DXvvdfRNxbh6tAunomvuPAvgH-66JlKs6zYeR89yeHgMnzRipNdoravx3eAwpfIDrh59axslxDzuY3qOC4GK3I4IPwX2jeNaWVlXfABssSCDvLcrX0XkbMrkjuReYpHn0SaNxL/s1600/Image12132013164041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOeAhC6DXvvdfRNxbh6tAunomvuPAvgH-66JlKs6zYeR89yeHgMnzRipNdoravx3eAwpfIDrh59axslxDzuY3qOC4GK3I4IPwX2jeNaWVlXfABssSCDvLcrX0XkbMrkjuReYpHn0SaNxL/s320/Image12132013164041.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Zeverly Inn where we stayed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
the nooks and carnies of the little cave. sumajhuarmi <br />
walked back and forth talking on the phone and then without as much as an inflection in her voice said, "It's right here" and kept on with her telephone conversations. It took me nearly 20 seconds to back out of the mouth of the cave and see the cache hidden right there in plain sight at the opening of the cave. Too easy! We signed the log and were on our way. No dead men here.<br />
NC. We headed out on Friday afternoon <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrs6w_GZvybf0Tgl-SH30od8hDhFYpo5b7d5ASethbLro6lSV3zFJDBxGW4XhLjA0-rUTt8dOPre0xG32ahw_00F0z8UxlAEaVswBshb_dDqBaMrWGxt7vM4swgm0YwFZ1AWmaBGj4me8/s1600/Image12142013164348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrs6w_GZvybf0Tgl-SH30od8hDhFYpo5b7d5ASethbLro6lSV3zFJDBxGW4XhLjA0-rUTt8dOPre0xG32ahw_00F0z8UxlAEaVswBshb_dDqBaMrWGxt7vM4swgm0YwFZ1AWmaBGj4me8/s320/Image12142013164348.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Refuse from the rain -- on the Bridge of Death</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
after she got off work. I was already a free man. We drove the short distance from <br />
High Point to Winston-Salem to get to our first cache. I only had a few caches planned as the main event was to be our stay in Old Salem. The first cache was situated in a hilly park in south Winston. We started down a step embankment to find the GZ for <br />
<br />
From Dead Man's Cave we headed east to find one I'd already logged. I wanted sumajhuarmi to see <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCB79B_flower-labyrinth?guid=c0c359fa-952b-4970-9bb3-f79c9a28000f" target="_blank">Flower Labyrinth (GCB79B)</a>. I'd been here four years ago and on a sunny day in the early fall. Today was a cold, winter day in December. Add to it that some vandals have broken several of the wooden benches surrounding the labyrinth. sumajhuarmi made her way to the center of the labyrinth and I got her picture. She gathered the necessary information for this virtual cache and we were on our way.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa-xKtSmtr6B9-AMrRiwIxT331Kvf0H7UoHDT9ATTFa8bDMH9CTX7UDoKlYsbBDAP1bLAX1XJCyWdYyYt8hR5cV96Fy65HSiqaOGvXPPkd0bygIArkRvx-Ab-F_zgTZqcti9w-RoTFjdE/s1600/Image12132013155404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa-xKtSmtr6B9-AMrRiwIxT331Kvf0H7UoHDT9ATTFa8bDMH9CTX7UDoKlYsbBDAP1bLAX1XJCyWdYyYt8hR5cV96Fy65HSiqaOGvXPPkd0bygIArkRvx-Ab-F_zgTZqcti9w-RoTFjdE/s320/Image12132013155404.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">God's Acre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next cache totally deceived me. On paper it looked <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4KNNX_gateway-nature-center-monarch-butterfly?guid=50439159-4c13-42ea-a11e-ea0e1275dc5d" target="_blank">Gateway Natural Center: Monarch Butterfly (GC4KNNX)</a> and out of the car I jumped to track it down. sumajhuarmi was dressed too nicely to make the trek into the briers and all so she guarded the car. I tracked in several times to try to fix the GZ. I was getting a little bounce but more than anything my GPSr was taking me to an improbable place. I combed the area but no regular cache was to be found. I gave up after a fair amount of time and we moved on down the road. The next clue took us to our destination and we were on a timetable. Later when I revisited the cache page I discovered that the last finder had recommended much better coordinates for the find. Bad coordinates!!!<br />
like it was at a nature center. It turned out to be a creek side winter field. We pulled into within 100 feet of the GZ for <br />
<br />
Within minutes we were parking and beginning our search for <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2CT4B_monty-python-series-2-the-bridge-of-death?guid=5ea1895f-d6a5-434a-b4fd-4e3282086c34" target="_blank">Monty Python Series: #2 - The Bridge of Death (GC2CT4B)</a>. This took us to a wall at the base of one of the supports for the bridge between the Visitor's Center and another museum at the Old Salem Moravian Village. We started a systematic search of the wall. Soon we had the cache in hand, signed the log and were on our way.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe0N481hSPmeYDlAyrHOhCN9NymQrws4vAxQxextG-OfufKERGZgvEmkaRirLMfSmUO6Kaux8Jd4-1ibgza5YVILZUwSZja13F0I7vzRaFYKLCoNlQgGdzJy63B9GZLT78BmwKiuHdcIm/s1600/Image12142013110742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe0N481hSPmeYDlAyrHOhCN9NymQrws4vAxQxextG-OfufKERGZgvEmkaRirLMfSmUO6Kaux8Jd4-1ibgza5YVILZUwSZja13F0I7vzRaFYKLCoNlQgGdzJy63B9GZLT78BmwKiuHdcIm/s320/Image12142013110742.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainy day Christmas music at the Salem square</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next cache was just a few blocks up the street and at the heart of Old Salem. It was when sumajhuarmi found this cache that I was going to tell her that we were staying at the Bed & Breakfast just a block away. We pulled into a parking space and set out for a 60 ft walk to the GZ. <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4JDN9_old-salem?guid=2ea8d975-1f38-4ede-8fd6-ef7ccb188a29" target="_blank">Old Salem (GZ4JDN9)</a>. We searched and searched thoroughly but found no cache. Since there was another hour and a half of sunshine left, we quickly checked into our bed & breakfast and headed out to get some photos of Old Salem's buildings before the gloomy day of cold rain promised for the next day.<br />
<br />
Sunshine or rain, Old Salem proved to be worth every cent. We loved the Zeverly Inn right on Main Street of Old Salem. The breakfast was great! Old Salem was full of beauty, particularly at this festive Christmas time. I was most interested with the history of this Moravian community. The choir system -- nothing to do with singing -- in which Moravians are classified by their marital status into young girls, older girls, girls ready to be married, married and widows while the boys are also similarly classified. At age 14 the children moved into either the Single Men's House or the Single Women's House where they lived, learned a trade and awaited the day that they might marry. While it speaks to commitment, the thought of a parent giving up their children to an extra-familiar institution which would train them seemed a little too communal for me. It also seemed a bit more than Scripture demands of the family. While I respect the Moravians, on this count I don't agree with them. Of course, this was the expectation years ago, not today.<br />
<br />
The most impressive event during the holidays was the Candle Tea. We waited in the rain and cold for 50 minutes to get in. We were shown how to make festive wax candles, sang Christmas carols with our Moravian hosts, ate sugar cake and drank hot coffee (so good on a cold, rainy day) and toured all the historic buildings in the town. The reenactors (they preferred to be called interpreters) were dressed in authentic 18th century clothing and stayed true to their roles as they talked with us. There were several there to guide us in every building.<br />
<br />
We walked through a portion of God's Acre, the Moravian Cemetery on the north side of town. All the headstones were the same and laid down on the ground, not erect as in most cemeteries. What struck me most has to do with the previous paragraph. Although choirs do not regiment the lives of Moravians today, in death it does. They are buried not as family units but by their choirs. Most interesting.<br />
<br />
I hope you'll get the chance to visit this historic and picturesque location. What the Moravians of Salem accomplished is admirable. There's so much to see and more than a few geocaches nearby in Winston-Salem.Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-42449057829561280022013-12-15T00:30:00.001-06:002013-12-15T00:30:00.016-06:00Jamestown Christmas Parade Caching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkK5naiqCPqO1Pr6EgBqVbHLgysOsgqk45reurPo75twWs6mqdZbmXLMNFd_xsqfZ1hSXm20B1J1Qu3k0EmEvXAMXWXmAdiP7T4kDktlW6Jfu5Zmt0TdbFU3z_PM-1kfP7TF9FDmkn_7g/s1600/Image12012013150725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkK5naiqCPqO1Pr6EgBqVbHLgysOsgqk45reurPo75twWs6mqdZbmXLMNFd_xsqfZ1hSXm20B1J1Qu3k0EmEvXAMXWXmAdiP7T4kDktlW6Jfu5Zmt0TdbFU3z_PM-1kfP7TF9FDmkn_7g/s1600/Image12012013150725.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhRKWG1G6doKy8pv10bCqrerQoMeh_-jk8bxCpdJnpdpiXl-yPpUwQeslwQtjLU7XPYd7YrHRN0JRDxgNtWJmbsrOV0ND91dVqD0L8uR2l4pitLpbmBesQ2aGK5nr99DbTSw7-QSba3LB/s1600/Image12012013150934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhRKWG1G6doKy8pv10bCqrerQoMeh_-jk8bxCpdJnpdpiXl-yPpUwQeslwQtjLU7XPYd7YrHRN0JRDxgNtWJmbsrOV0ND91dVqD0L8uR2l4pitLpbmBesQ2aGK5nr99DbTSw7-QSba3LB/s1600/Image12012013150934.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>One of the pleasures of being back in the USA comes at Christmas. We missed it last year but not this year. I'm talking about the small town parade. We were speaking in a small Baptist Church about 10 miles east of Jamestown, NC. When we finished our lunch engagement after church, off we went, cutting across country, grabbing a few geocaches and timing everything so that we made it to Jamestown before the parade began. We grabbed three easy caches and made it. We parked in the parking lot of the local Methodist Church and rushed to find our place along the parade route.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1LYqjkv8CI_qkdhRrCDqTyEUpADSMNLTbJeI5CwnL8GVWdzgx6GcVqzv5-eceaEaNWZsELDDNORlmw_ohnuPxOI-XlWvhqPoofJQmVoDzXPYOCat4XUXvbj1rUX6O1SxnIloPl4wyq54/s1600/Image12012013151938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1LYqjkv8CI_qkdhRrCDqTyEUpADSMNLTbJeI5CwnL8GVWdzgx6GcVqzv5-eceaEaNWZsELDDNORlmw_ohnuPxOI-XlWvhqPoofJQmVoDzXPYOCat4XUXvbj1rUX6O1SxnIloPl4wyq54/s1600/Image12012013151938.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
It was an unseasonably warm day. Some folks were in short sleeves and comfortably so. As we stood on the corner we saw all the local organizations and high school floats go by... and then came Santa Claus. Every float, marching band and show car that passed was the source of more candy than kids get on Halloween. The streets were littered with candy. At times the kids were darting out in between the floats to grab the candy. The drivers stopped and waited while they got their haul of candy.<br />
<br />
Nearby there were two caches that needed our attention. <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4HA1B_dont-go-postal" target="_blank">Don't go postal!!! (GC4HA1B)</a> about made me go postal. I searched and searched and had to give up because of muggles. Then I went <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4H7KZ_garden-of-statues" target="_blank">Garden of Statues (GC4H7KZ)</a> and also came up empty. They've been found recently so I'm not giving up. I'll go back for these two.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-FqrY7aJxCiogmu7w6mo6dkIaA8oaxiaofo-4bm7mPhOvNPfUGpdfkYB5iS5RXSMp09HY_2YcGg76wXwdBg15RDHETCj4LjTJvAcmQyH7uGq5lb7I3iKpK8JyZDMGrrMZeYcUzO9MLAj/s1600/Image12012013194321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-FqrY7aJxCiogmu7w6mo6dkIaA8oaxiaofo-4bm7mPhOvNPfUGpdfkYB5iS5RXSMp09HY_2YcGg76wXwdBg15RDHETCj4LjTJvAcmQyH7uGq5lb7I3iKpK8JyZDMGrrMZeYcUzO9MLAj/s1600/Image12012013194321.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mSP3VBz4L5XXw9-S-ErQWBbj8RuPxzUhGcaV8KyFTeYy2wSBFc4ILK15zCwyW3GLcuxG_iBQr2MWEVyDkzZqODl_JCBE44RcTOuMTL1kf7kGvms4nsf2WwGGLnAyoeEObA6Lex4jntt2/s1600/Image12072013191050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mSP3VBz4L5XXw9-S-ErQWBbj8RuPxzUhGcaV8KyFTeYy2wSBFc4ILK15zCwyW3GLcuxG_iBQr2MWEVyDkzZqODl_JCBE44RcTOuMTL1kf7kGvms4nsf2WwGGLnAyoeEObA6Lex4jntt2/s1600/Image12072013191050.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
Later in the evening we went back to our church, Friendly <br />
Avenue Baptist Church of Greensboro. We hung the greens in the worship center. Check out the pictures of our Living Christmas Tree presentation. Yes, those are choir members in the tree like ornaments. The music and the message was great!<br />
<br />
I hope you are having a Merry Christmas season! God bless!<br />
<br />
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-56599011435933061752013-12-08T00:30:00.001-06:002013-12-08T00:30:02.331-06:00I watched a Black Snake eat a white mouse....<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5dOKm_l-3COAPktIgJBnacm5sTPbgwtoQ7bKzaDqH1Zm4nw9woynURSYwOLOI1mks7_i4_bYn4VBYLyGcoWiEYbJdi2eBHJGXIzMVllwnBzi68e66V9Np1fWxtOZdWQFFrxCwuyYjPDV/s1600/Image12062013140614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5dOKm_l-3COAPktIgJBnacm5sTPbgwtoQ7bKzaDqH1Zm4nw9woynURSYwOLOI1mks7_i4_bYn4VBYLyGcoWiEYbJdi2eBHJGXIzMVllwnBzi68e66V9Np1fWxtOZdWQFFrxCwuyYjPDV/s320/Image12062013140614.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing like a trail in the woods!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I took off this afternoon with the goal of finding two caches. Oh well, I only found one. Since my good friends blessed me with a gift premium membership today, I had to go! With my new job and its demands I have gotten tied down and not done enough geocaching. I've basically reserved geocaching for when I'm making a trip somewhere. This gives me new zeal to get out and find more caches. Thanks chanak80 and chickenlvr413!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaINZdDHBWbzXSDM1k7pBJStZffTcCTSdDdsSRNDlfsVnmvT8977eGS4SdmvkTBVw0jZkzoS_z27tiMAh_1TYVF57QnmQRbkPFM0ToN7djBAddb0_LuVRNNaRR7Z0RWGj4bqAk88VDmq3/s1600/Image12062013141209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaINZdDHBWbzXSDM1k7pBJStZffTcCTSdDdsSRNDlfsVnmvT8977eGS4SdmvkTBVw0jZkzoS_z27tiMAh_1TYVF57QnmQRbkPFM0ToN7djBAddb0_LuVRNNaRR7Z0RWGj4bqAk88VDmq3/s320/Image12062013141209.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic or metal?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWwApgQjjzMO_5OwP4xo1LZTgTLw_rPaZ4rugdTCSH2_nwXcvkpbKLNHgq999CQZSkJ6o8xsPUO-HGXrKrCHqmghyOM5lxs8qDErc30FLHVaYHuUmxu8deRlWxHRnLQ8tLZKDEHYTTprw/s1600/Image12062013144736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWwApgQjjzMO_5OwP4xo1LZTgTLw_rPaZ4rugdTCSH2_nwXcvkpbKLNHgq999CQZSkJ6o8xsPUO-HGXrKrCHqmghyOM5lxs8qDErc30FLHVaYHuUmxu8deRlWxHRnLQ8tLZKDEHYTTprw/s320/Image12062013144736.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I pulled into the Piedmont Environmental Center on this beautiful, unseasonably warm day, parked the car and punched in the coordinates for the first cache. There are trails all over the place here. Nonetheless, with the leaves off the trees and good visibility, I preferred to take a straight line to the cache through the woods. As I approached the GZ for <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4TBKZ_rpstews-55th-birthday-bash-cache" target="_blank">RPStew's 55th Birthday Bash Cache (GC4TBKZ)</a> I had to wait out a muggle walking his dog on one of the trails. Once he was no longer a factor I quickly recovered the cache. I'd not seen this kind of cache before. I guess these are new. It looked like an ammo can but was plastic. I signed the log, made my trade and headed on to the next cache.<br />
<br />
Again I cut across the land and through the woods disregarding the trails. Soon I was at the GZ. The cache for <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3CB7K_weathered-smooth" target="_blank">Weathered Smooth (GC3CB7K)</a> page said it was pretty straight forward. I tracked into the GZ from three or four angles to get a good intersect. It usually put me right by a dead cedar. The tree trunk, still standing, was white and weathered smooth. It had to be this. I looked in every crevice I could find. No obvious (as the cache page stated) cache. I spent half an hour searching and then expanding my search. In the end I had to give up and log this one as a DNF. I later read that the last finder several months back had found it laying out and left it where it was. It is gone now.<br />
<br />
<br />
I returned to the visitor's center. I'd never been inside so I took advantage of the opportunity. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE2wXBD-IR_vXZMU96kKxZlBY8NW4Ip3QB5QjLrI8JMJWA0DWUN5I_3eFVQ2K_9xoF3kV9tamZNHVqIsLbP98hcacW6J9tStViT8WZ09BwaGAojueEVsvLsMRmlAIPetlQtthCL42XNlD/s1600/Image12062013150415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE2wXBD-IR_vXZMU96kKxZlBY8NW4Ip3QB5QjLrI8JMJWA0DWUN5I_3eFVQ2K_9xoF3kV9tamZNHVqIsLbP98hcacW6J9tStViT8WZ09BwaGAojueEVsvLsMRmlAIPetlQtthCL42XNlD/s320/Image12062013150415.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you forgot your tent</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Inside I found a few Indian arrowheads and ax heads in a display. The most interesting thing were the snake exhibits. There were about eight glass front window cages, most with snakes. Among them were rattlesnakes and copperheads as well as your garden variety black snake. While I was watching the manager told me he hoped I wasn't squeamish as he opened the back of the cage and tossed in a little white mouse. The mouse had no idea what was coming. The snake, obviously accustomed to food when the door opened, was on alert. He began to track the mouse. The mouse had not a clue. It wondered around until the first strike attempt by the snake. I watched as the mouse then scurried off, crossing over the snake's long body. As the mouse crossed over the snake the snake struck, biting itself. I realized that the snake was operating of movement more than visual acuity. After a few more strikes the snake had his prey. He balled up around it and continued to press his teeth into the mouse. The manager feeds the snakes once every ten days in winter. Imagine waiting another ten days to eat. Maybe that is why he took his time. I decided I'd seen enough and left him to enjoy his meal. To pick my spirits up, after the demise of the mouse, I visited the tee pee structure on the grounds. I wouldn't want to be in there tonight unless I had a good sleeping bag liner and a good fire.<br />
<br />
Even though it was a short geocaching outing, it was fun. I wish tomorrow would cooperate. They are forecasting a 50 degree drop in temps as the Canadian cold air mass hits North Carolina along with rain.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2201045785909991434.post-69885036063545617202013-12-01T00:30:00.001-06:002013-12-01T00:30:00.780-06:00Thanksgiving Day Caching Outing in Forsyth County<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiGrn4uGC0cAVGk3TI9OyhVGFopkcoXAu8Ku5EvWNILl5GzB_PWz_hRmZhsPSjJOGTXrLz1q5uW2KrbL_iI_g4qy7dM9I5yC7R7Ujo-c96kHjLGIU5FcMg3liaGQlB3By74KgMokl28BA/s1600/Image11282013142805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiGrn4uGC0cAVGk3TI9OyhVGFopkcoXAu8Ku5EvWNILl5GzB_PWz_hRmZhsPSjJOGTXrLz1q5uW2KrbL_iI_g4qy7dM9I5yC7R7Ujo-c96kHjLGIU5FcMg3liaGQlB3By74KgMokl28BA/s320/Image11282013142805.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
We had a great Thanksgiving Day with our family in North Carolina! This year the same crowd gathered at the home of our niece in the northern part of Winston-Salem for our meal. It was great to see everyone again, particularly those we don't see except for at celebrations like this. As usual I had planned a little geocaching in our return trip. We cut through the country on some lesser-used roads instead of taking the Interstate highway coming back home. We had one of our daughters and her husband with me and sumajhuarmi so it gave us eight pairs of eyes as we searched out geocaches along the way.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWv3q1mpUczVDlwvHDymxXUeRGgbf3mnoYhBLgsKZJi0wUW5jMbSu9FevJU3Kw5RyCyLmQMY4TqxljArTXV0deVp6u6lcwHms7rmyW9kM6iR6qVNtATbgIwPzr788GV0hBam4iE8kNS7ED/s1600/Image11282013122737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWv3q1mpUczVDlwvHDymxXUeRGgbf3mnoYhBLgsKZJi0wUW5jMbSu9FevJU3Kw5RyCyLmQMY4TqxljArTXV0deVp6u6lcwHms7rmyW9kM6iR6qVNtATbgIwPzr788GV0hBam4iE8kNS7ED/s320/Image11282013122737.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table decorations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtW33yGGE2Ybtq2WZXSG1P8O9D9yUbmWWLLykjhYv24PVH7SgmviW4vf1kBLEbTuuVtNLsOulMmxWFj8b-kcD491XOSs3_kbGIY8x6S7RUvnTLEjtYqDVrDQXna85OVvCVO9wOE3f9op8_/s1600/Image11282013144945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtW33yGGE2Ybtq2WZXSG1P8O9D9yUbmWWLLykjhYv24PVH7SgmviW4vf1kBLEbTuuVtNLsOulMmxWFj8b-kcD491XOSs3_kbGIY8x6S7RUvnTLEjtYqDVrDQXna85OVvCVO9wOE3f9op8_/s320/Image11282013144945.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to Reflect</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our first cache along the road to Walkertown was <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4KCPG_time-to-reflect?guid=4e54ef30-8844-424c-a007-c456a92b1be0" target="_blank">Time to Reflect (GC4KCPG)</a>. We found an easy pull off and started our search. We looked in the most obvious places before sumajhuarmi found the cache in the last obvious place to look. In other words, we <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2o5QrqLKo6gvveITjcIsTRxMyjY5pPYs5O4l-sO-yaxvjNmJg4jifGKH0hI2tTh5tu5acxax_HIz-nmcZW8_EIPwD9Kkq-qN7x2mnimB9dWV9ZTA7GBp9d7XWY8p6-xajWte9Fg0vQuHG/s1600/Image11282013144926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2o5QrqLKo6gvveITjcIsTRxMyjY5pPYs5O4l-sO-yaxvjNmJg4jifGKH0hI2tTh5tu5acxax_HIz-nmcZW8_EIPwD9Kkq-qN7x2mnimB9dWV9ZTA7GBp9d7XWY8p6-xajWte9Fg0vQuHG/s320/Image11282013144926.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sumajhuarmi making all the finds!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
were off. We signed the log and headed on down the road. Being Thanksgiving all the businesses were closed near the caches we looked for so we had little or no muggle activity around us.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaHArlclUQ55SSgIt4nijo2rkBW0ptQO3nFhw-IRqJ1AAz6lD-efD5BY5zZFWlslbay3celAcFl6Ml4r0ORjA8cIkHe4FtiZz46xDGZypd6va8ILkzBoA1_SLN9ob716HbTO8F_4pKdRE/s1600/Image11282013145946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaHArlclUQ55SSgIt4nijo2rkBW0ptQO3nFhw-IRqJ1AAz6lD-efD5BY5zZFWlslbay3celAcFl6Ml4r0ORjA8cIkHe4FtiZz46xDGZypd6va8ILkzBoA1_SLN9ob716HbTO8F_4pKdRE/s320/Image11282013145946.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well camouflaged</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next cache was <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3WTDB_walkertown-mountain-view?guid=4775d0de-a0e9-4f3f-a894-49ebb62554f3" target="_blank">Walkertown Mountain View (GC3WTDB)</a>, a pretty easy roadside cache. We pulled off on a gravel road and started our search in the cedar tree. This cache was well camouflaged and evaded us for a time. Finally sumajhuarmi came up with the cache. She liked it best of all the ones we found today.<br />
<br />
Another cache that took up too much of our time was <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2RN30_botanical-cache?guid=9d17f0e0-b3a6-4501-82c6-2715bc6730a2" target="_blank">Botanical Cache (GC2RN30)</a>. It was in downtown Kernersville. We stopped into the public parking space in this beautiful Botanical Garden. There <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA7klJPbPDIvjTCrJB6YLXsi3fO-842S80lSULu43-CzVk4Qi-75cB5R_zDSryJMnOUNxcZiWzixrOtjEx4fzw15z_s11LnRlePF1Q_5hcdmIW4jMjCgZ99bgNncw9M7JZIHeARZv_J2T/s1600/Image11282013155251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA7klJPbPDIvjTCrJB6YLXsi3fO-842S80lSULu43-CzVk4Qi-75cB5R_zDSryJMnOUNxcZiWzixrOtjEx4fzw15z_s11LnRlePF1Q_5hcdmIW4jMjCgZ99bgNncw9M7JZIHeARZv_J2T/s320/Image11282013155251.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rubialoca and her husband</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
was no one around, the sun was shining and it was a gorgeous, cool afternoon. We tracked to the GZ and began our search for this nano on a black wrought iron fence. There were vines growing on the fence. Even though we felt we were in the right place, we couldn't find the cache. It was one of those searches where you are almost sure it is there and that the problem isn't with the hide but with the finders. We simply couldn't find it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC44BTH_going-going-gone?guid=69f37c8d-b5c3-46cc-8d20-6d7f24dc3613" target="_blank">Going, going, gone (GC44BTH)</a> brought us to the Triad park in Colfax. There are some great caches in the woods of this park. I've already found them so it was nice to duck in and find a newer one in the ball field area. We weaved our way back into the corner of the abandoned parking lot closest to the GZ and then set out on foot. Again, sumajhuarmi spotted the cache first. It was a nice small cache hidden in a piece of woods near the ball field.<br />
<br />
There were several more caches, one being a cache on a sign to another Baseball Complex, which proved to be a challenge to us. We searched and searched but couldn't come up with it. Some of the park maintenance people came along and thought we were having problems. I explained what we were doing. The blank facial expression made it clear that they'd never heard of geocaching. They were kind and wished us well in the search. It was getting dark and getting time to get on home so we left this one for a more thorough search another day and came on home.<br />
<br />
Thanksgiving and caching, food and fun! I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving 2013!<br />
<br />
<br />Steve Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12077427658322165430noreply@blogger.com0