Geocaching

I Think I’m In Love

While cleaning up my office for the move to the new digs in the back of the plant I came across my litter of Taco Bell chihuahuas (all two of them.) In trying to keep with management’s policy of not making our new cubicles into Shrine’s to Ourselves and maintaining a businesslike atmosphere I opted to bring the dogs home.

Not knowing what else to do with them Donna and I have decided to make them into geocaching Travel Bugs. The first dog to be returned to the wild is called I Think I’m In Love after the phrase it says when you squeeze it’s stomach. I’m guessing it was a special promotional item for Valentine’s Day in 1998, 1999 or 2000. After a dozen years or so the voice box still works.

Look for it in a cache near you. Or go your own on eBay.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 925

1/1/11

We went out early to do some geocaching today. We always go early to avoid you muggles out there, but today, I guess it being a holiday and all, there was little traffic or people about late into the morning. We had a real good day too. Found a new personal best for a single day at 15. We missed a FTF by about an hour and we only had one DNF. We had DNF’d it before, but we got cocky because we had already found 4 so far that we had previously not found and the cache owner was one that had been giving us fits with their tricky hides and we had found four of hers so far today. Knocked us right back down a peg.

We ended up in Augusta visiting Borders to spend the $40 gift card that came as a Christmas gift from my sister and brother-in-law. We spent about an hour wandering the racks and stack contemplating our purchases. Seven items, total spent, 4¢.

The top was down from yesterday and we managed to keep it down the whole time we were out and about. It was a little cool in the morning, warming up during the day and we got home about 4 o’clock just before the rains came.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 922

Wednesday

$3.29 a gallon gas
226 miles
9 geocaches found
4 Georgia counties
3 GA State Parks
2 GA Delorme pages
1 tick bite

I was wrong about people mailing Christmas cards from Santa Claus, Georgia, it can’t be done, there is no Post Office. I think people mailed it to City Hall where they used a special postmark, then carried the cards up to Lyons for actual mailing. The city hall building was locked up at 2:00 o’clock on a Wednesday, so we couldn’t get a definitive answer on how it worked.

Started up, went down, went up, back down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 919

Santa Claus, GA

Tomorrow morning we start a small trip to meet up with the Florida wing of the Morrison Clan. Aiken to St. Augustine is about 300 miles and in typical Bogardus fashion we will be taking 2 days to get there while geocaching through five Georgia State Parks on a slightly zigzagy route. Our path will take us right through the small town of Santa Claus, GA.

I have known about this place almost since we have lived here, because some people would drive there to have their Christmas cards postmarked there. Always thought that would be a cool thing to do, but it is 100 miles away and who looks at the postmark anyway? We’ll find out who, because Donna is finishing up a couple of late Christmas cards tonight which we plan on mailing from there tomorrow.

I would have thought that there would already be a geocache in town, but nope there’s not. We have a small bison tube lying around the house that is perfect for hiding somewhere, so I’ve attached a couple of little super-strong magnets to it and if we spot a suitable location, there will be one there tomorrow.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 915

Road Ends

We went over to the bike/hike trail along I-520 this morning. We wanted to check up on the condition of our three caches there. Plus there were two new caches we wanted to find, along with a couple of dangling DNFs we thought we’d take another shot at.

All three of our caches were AOK, we found the two new caches and DNF’d the two we couldn’t find the first time. It is not always true, but more often than not, if we don’t find it the first time, we won’t find it on return trips.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 913

Worst BBQ Ever

We went geocaching today in Crawfordville, GA and A.H. Stephens State Park. We took along a coworker and because the Miata does not seat 3 comfortably we took her car. Crawfordville is where Hollywood comes calling when it needs to film in a quintessential small southern town. There have been about a dozen films that have used this town as a bit player in them and there are 8 caches here with names that are the titles of those movies. We looked for 4 and found 2. The two we missed I don’t count as DNFs because they were in locations that made us very nervous searching which was only heightened by the fact that we were driving a car with New Jersey plates. There were 6 caches in the state park that you can get to by land and we found 5 of them.

Probably the most recognizable movie that was filmed in town was “Sweet Home Alabama” and for lunch we decided to eat at the BBQ place that was used in the bar scenes (Stella’s Roadhouse) of the movie. We were talked into getting the Plate by the almost surly woman behind the counter at Heavy’s as it included meat, brunswick stew and coleslaw. We opted for a rib plate and a chicken plate to split between the three of us. The coleslaw was too vinegary and had way too much pickle taste. The “stew” was run through a food processor for too long as it was kind of a sickly looking brown mush. The only thing remotely edible was the meat and that was overpowered by the amount of BBQ sauce it was covered in. Interesting place to visit, but you don’t want to eat there.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 911

Geocaching Souvenir

I didn’t know such a thing existed until I received an email last night telling me that we had been retroactively awarded one for Maryland. I read the about page for them on Geocaching.com and I’m still not sure what they are all about. Whatever they are, BTR & D2! have been awarded four of them…

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 911