Fall Update

Yeah well...I have been slacking on my geocache numbers this year so far. Since Fall is my favorite time of year to go geocaching I have a renewed fever. I turned over 800 finds last week and I have a goal to get 900 by March. I thought about making it either 1000 by March or 900 by the end of the year, but geocaching in NE Ohio in the winter is difficult. 
While out on a run I found a unique cache this week in Indiana:

The cache in its hiding spot.
It is on the limb of a tree.

The log is rolled up inside of the nano container

Needless to say, I was rather surprised to see it sitting there. 

On my way home I stopped and grabbed a cache in a cemetery and saw this:

Hopefully they are just waiting for the headstone to be finished and delivered, I can't imagine that the 1880's era makeshift cross will be the only marker.
On a closing note, I figured out a great way to help look for containers...a flashlight! "Yeah so what's the big deal?" you may ask. Well, I use it during the day. It seems to be especially helpful when searching in trees, bushes or just in the woods. Using a flashlight is also nice when the containers are in little hidey-holes. I don't know why it took me so long to think of this, but I look forward to using my flashlight more often.

Night Of The Living Dead

I recently had the pleasure of finding a cache in a cemetery that has a bit of film history. The location is Evans City Cemetery in Evan City, PA. This is the location for the opening of George Romero's 1968 classic "Night Of The Living Dead." I have always been scared of zombies, much more than other "monsters." Vampires, werewolves and mummies...ppssssshhh just stories. Zombies, however, could happen! 
The cache itself is pretty standard, it is a nice sized ammo can located in the nearby woods. I took the photos below to compare to some movie stills. It was cool to see some of the landmarks from the film, I would have liked to find the grave site where Barbara and Johnny placed the memorial for their father, but I didn't plan ahead enough to find that actual location. I enjoy visiting famous locations during my travels and I hope to run across more soon.
Link to the geocach page: THEY'RE COMING TO GET YOU, BARBARA!

The building in the background of the still above.

The headstone Barbara was clinging to as Johnny struggles with the zombie.

The entrance to the cemetery. The still above is the entrance from the opening of the movie.

Squaw Rock Earth Cache

A couple of weekends ago my youngest son and I went to the Chagrin River to find an Earth Cache. It was one of the coolest I have seen. The cache was a sculpture created by local, self taught artist Henry Church and was completed in 1885. Squaw Rock is carved from a very large block of sandstone and is said to depict Church's opinion of the treatment of American Indians in the United States. Squaw Rock is located on the SW side of the Chagrin River in the South Chagrin Reservation. A word of advice for anyone planning to find an Earth Cache:  Because there is no container to find or log to sign, you usually have to provide proof that you were there. Most owners of Earth Caches ask for at least a photo of you with your GPS with a landmark in the background. Very often, they will have a few questions for you to answer as well. I recommend first, reading the cache page carefully so you know what the logging requirements are and being prepared with a way to write down the answers to the questions and having a camera of some sort. Happy hunting! 
Geocaching.com link to Squaw Rock: http://coord.info/GC1KZTD

Number 700

Still not much to report, I didn't go out very much at all this year. I'm not sure why not, I guess other things took priority. The good news is that I was able to find my 700th cache this year. I was recently visiting East Texas and not only found number 700, I also added a new state to my list. I flew into Shreveport Louisiana and drove to the town in Texas so I stopped and grabbed a cache on my way. I currently have found caches in 25 states, that's one half of the U.S. to you and me.
Hopefully more adventures in 2012, Happy New Year!

Rain, Rain..

Not many adventures to report, I haven't been able to get much Geocaching in so far this year. Between the snow and rain I haven't had the inclination to get out in the muck to tromp around. Hopefully we will start to see some nicer weather and the swampy conditions will dry up a little. There are a handful of new caches in my area that I would like to go after, so we should be able to get out soon.
I never did get out this winter to find those few that were surrounded in poison ivy, so I either brave the stuff or wait until next winter to find them. I learned at poison ivy really becomes a problem when the plants are agitated such as being walked upon. So maybe if I take one route in and another out I will be alright. It won't hurt to be sure to wipe my feet off before getting back into the car either. 
Hopefully I can convince my lovely wife to join me more this year. There are several caches that are along some hiking trails in our area that we can find, while getting some hiking in at the same time. Here's to dry(er) weather!

Winter Caching

Here in NE Ohio winter caching can be a bit tricky. A foot deep blanket of snow really adds to the difficulty of some caches. On the other hand, some of the more active hides are easier to find because of all of the foot prints from previous searches. Most urban caches are still fairly accessible unless you're looking for a light post cache that happens to buried under a huge pile of snow from the parking lot plowing. Other problems include containers that are frozen in place or frozen closed.
This winter I have been much less active than last year. Probably because caching was so new to me then I was more willing to brave the cold and snow than I am this year. I have been out a few times and was able to find my 600th cache in January. Unfortunately it coincided with my grandfather's funeral. I decided to dedicate my 600th to him and found it in the small town of Carlsbad, New Mexico. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=03023a4d-f97e-473b-9371-f69543d56148
I'm anxious for the weather to break so I can get out there again. Hopefully I can  some of my adventures this year and help newer geocachers as well. The cold and snow of winter gives way to the mud of spring but I'll take that over the bitter cold any day. However, there are a few local caches that I want to find before the Poison Ivy takes hold. Last summer I took one look at these areas and said "Nope, I'll be back in the winter." I suppose I should get out to those caches before it gets too late.

Cemetery Caches

My favorite kind of caches are cemetery caches. I find cemeteries very peaceful and interesting. I especially like old cemeteries and I enjoy looking at the headstones and markers. I discovered that some cemeteries have mainly flat markers and most older ones have headstones. I have come across several interesting headstones in my travels. 
As for caches, all that I have found were hidden respectfully at the edge of the cemetery or in trees or bushes within the grounds. In Twinsburg we have two great cemeteries, one loaded with seven caches. Crown Hill Cemetery is located on Darrow Road (Rt. 91) just south of the 480. This cemetery has large grounds and a few ponds. Locust Hill Cemetery is located off of Aurora Road (Rt. 82) just north of the 480. Locust Hill is a small cemetery but it is the final resting place for notable families from Twinsburg's past. The Wilcox Twins (Twinsburg's namesakes,) Chamberlin and Bissell families have several markers. 
When I travel I really enjoy exploring new areas and the cemeteries I come across while geocaching often give me some history of the location.

A cast iron headstone.
Location: Noblesville, IN

An interesting headstone from 1907. There is a photo inlaid into it.
Location: Houston, FL

Detail of the inlaid photo.
Location: Houston, FL

An ornate headstone.
Location: Indianapolis, IN

A rather foreboding message.
Location: Delphos, OH 

This is how I would like to be buried...with a huge tree on top of me.
Location: Noblesville, IN