Walking Around Milwaukee - Our Birthday Adventure

 A little-known fact: in non-Leap Years, TaGeez and I celebrate our birthda ys two days apart! This year we decided to celebrate our birthday adventure in Milwaukee! ShelleyJean and I enjoyed exploring Milwaukee last year, and I knew it was TaGeez's kind of town.

You know we love a good road trip!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TAGEEZ!

Michigan to Indiana and Illinois to Wisconsin. Traffic was so bad in Chicago that Waze detoured us to Chinatown in Chicago! What a cool energy! We will spend more time here on our summer visit to Chicago.

And we detoured ourselves to downtown Highland Park. It's nothing like the one back home. Here's another area to explore during the daytime - there are so many restaurants!

HAPPY SATURDAY!

Saturday morning found us explore Lakeshore Drive in Milwaukee. What is it about Lake Michigan and our birthday adventures? Not really much ice on the lake after an unusually warm day the day before, but this morning the wind was brisk! Perfect day to visit a historic cemetery, water tower, lakeside park, and lighthouse. 

And part of the charm of this adventure is our antics in front of THREE webcams! Again, that wind was harsh, but we love a road trip! 

Milwaukee webcams

We are cold and hungry so it's time to turn inland and head for some food. No trip to the area is complete without a stop at the Tardis cache! It deserves the 1100+ favorite points!

We found out later that our good friend from back home, GeoConsumer, visited this cache just a few hours earlier!

Hey, TaGeez, I think it's time to head out for some food. Any idea where the spy bar is? 

This door looks promising!

The Safe House is definitely a place to spend the afternoon exploring! Check out this 1,000+ Fave point geocache, watch the magician at the bar, and visit all the rooms, reading the walls. Happy Birthday to us!

The Covert Cache

Afterwards, we explored the ladybug building, the Milwaukee Riverwalk, drove by the yacht-shaped art museum, sought the Pabst Mansion, and visit the Lego Store on release day!

One last sweet cache before we headed to our temporary home with some takeout.

Story Time

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCRAPCAT!

We are starting early heading home so we can make many stops along the way. First stops were different travel bug hotels to drop off our birthday trackables. Then we found the Frank Lloyd Wright houses on the Burnham Block before heading to the Third Ward neighborhood for the Milwaukee Public Market!

We picked up vegetarian samosas and birthday cupcakes for a picnic lakeside before heading home.

TaGeez loved Wind Point Lighthouse in Racine - we had the place to ourselves! Too bad too cold for a quick dip!

We stopped in Portage, IN for caching and then dinner at Quaker Steak & Lube! We wrapped our caching adventure at sunset by grabbing Adventure Labs and puzzle finals at the Pure Michigan rest stop across the Michigan border.

What a glorious weekend! We drove 1,000 miles, sang in the car, enjoyed good food & great experiences. What more can you ask for? 

Happy Birthday, Team TaCat

 TaGeez and I received these fun birthday trackables at Syfun’s NOMAD event. It’s great timing as TaGeez and I were preparing to embark on our birthday weekend! Our birthdays are just 2 days apart.

scrapcat and TaGeez

As we typically spend our birthdays on a Great Lake, the trackable missions are to visit caches near lakes!

Party Blower	Party Balloons
Scrapcat	TaGeez
TBAZ3KZ	TBAZ4GJ

It's almost time to make more TaCat tags. Yes, we are still optimists - we hope these trackables go far!

Even Assassins Have Birthdays

WE PULLED IT OFF!!!

 WHAT.A.HOOT!

Two weeks ago I received a message from the cAche ssassin (further called TCS) of San Diego. Half of Team Assassin, Ezio Cachitore, had moved to Troy and TCS wanted to surprise his buddy for his birthday. As my geocache was closest to Ezio's house, TCS wanted to know if we'd tuck a picture from a very special trip in there. TCS would send Ezio a bottle of Scotch, same as the one they enjoyed on their trip.

What fun! Well, TaGeez and I couldn't let it stop there. Let me introduce you to Even Assassins Have Birthdays GC76NPF.  It sounded like a good excuse for a party and a new geocache!

With very little time to spare, messages and calls went flying! The geocache contained a gift from TCS (an End-of-Days spinning geocoin and a photo album), a special logbook and lots of new toys for interested girls and boys! TCS even sent along Team Assassin stickers for the container.

I can't believe we found this great spot! Public enough not to draw suspicion being in the area but private enough to duck in and make the find.

TaGeez hiding it between the retaining pond and freeway

The big day arrived way too quickly. Ezio received his bottle of Scotch days before his birthday with coordinates on the label. Then the wait began. With the cache publishing the evening of June 15th, we had no clue if Ezio had visited or not. He didn't even know it was a cache - just coordinates on the label!

Mission from the Geocache page

TaGeez and I were in the area Thursday night, and I couldn't wait any longer. Let's go see if he found it! We happened to be standing at the opening of the geotrail when the email notification pinged and the cache was live. Ducking in, we pulled out the container and found....

FOUND! Pre-publication FTF. Not only did he grab his Birthday gift, Ezio left a signature item, 3 trackables, and an Assassin's Creed video (snagged by the post-publication FTF, Team Lareau).

Ezio left a great log!

I want to tell you about the time I almost was outgifted. I never thought it would happen to me. Not at this age. Beaten. Outsmarted. How did I get into this fix? How did it all begin? No, no, no. If I go back to the beginning that will take forever. 

Earlier this week, a courier enticed me with his suspicious looking container, if only I would exchange my signature. A 15-year scotch was revealed. What good taste, this one has! Conspicuously affixed where one might expect branding, a clue was to be discovered. GPS coordinates and vehemently urging to hurry. 

Use the key 

Miniature as it were, but nonetheless of great importance. Existing obligations made tardy my journey. Was it weeks that passed, or merely days of anticipation, rolling the key between fingers and pondering what fate awaited? Eventually, destiny allowed for a journey on one muggy, overcast June evening. In what one might describe as the La Jolla Business Park of Oakland County, fear instilled that perhaps some Katz desired new cabling and this key was merely weak protection for a plastic box in the MPOE. Abated quickly, horrible feeling, as approach to the GZ lifted one's spirits. 

HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE PULL THIS OFF? 

Yes, in a never-ending competition to do better by one another, the cachin assassin had managed to coordinate an exciting scavenger hunt halfway across the country through enigmatic finagling and a most honourable assistance from Team TaCat, cachers of a level one truly aspires to reach. Thank you both for making this the most wonderful surprise an assassin could never ask for. This was likely the most thoughtful thing anyone could put together for me and on such short notice, even more impressively executed. My hood pulled back to the cachin assassin. 

An assassin always pays his debts, and now this one owes you. 

The cache contents made me feel like the center of attention (normally avoided) but for such an honor so great, this time I reveled immensely. TB's swapped and a few assassin-themed swag items were placed for the first non-assassin to discover this cache, along with one of my signature bills. Happy birthday, everyone!

I was geeked to see an appreciator of the Assassin's Creed was the next finder. Loved seeing the cache on @Lareau67's daily Instagram post.  Great log, too!

Ezio added a sticker

Very fun adventure, and I'm looking forward to seeing the future finds.

Welcome to Michigan, Ezio!

Happy 16th Birthday, Geocaching!

You don't look a day over 15!

Sign us as "GeoThugs"

FRIENDS + FRIENDS + FRIENDS + FRIENDS + FRIENDS + FRIENDS 

One of the most fabulous aspects of geocaching is the diverse and interesting friends we make!  After last night’s event (Happy 17th Birthday, BSW2010!) we headed out to a nearby Roseville park for gsix5666’s 17-stage multi!

RCS – A Long Trek Through Huron GC60Z8D
[Source: TheGrundalows]

Nothing like hanging out with a roving band of GeoThugs on a beautiful summer night!

FRIENDS + FRIENDS + FRIENDS + FRIENDS + FRIENDS + FRIENDS 

Western Michigan Adventure with a Kriket, an Indian Chief, Big Red, and a Webcam

There are fabulous people that just enrich our lives.  Have I mentioned my sister, WikidKriket, before?  Or my birthday adventure?

Every year we take each other’s birthdays off for an adventure.  We’ve done this for years.  We’ve toured Meadowbrook, visited the Edsel and Eleanor Ford house, taken a skyscraper tour, explored the Guardian Building, walked the Belle Isle Aquarium, seen Potted Potter in the 2^nd City Theater.  Can’t forget the Richard Avedon exhibit – which turned out neither of us wanted to go to but both were greatly affected by it.  Let’s not forget the amazing meals at Slow’s BBQ, Small Plates, Good Girls go to Paris Crepes, Green Dot Stables and Zehnder’s.  This doesn’t touch half the amazing experiences we’ve had.

This year is a little different.  When Lorna asked what I wanted to do for my birthday, my answer was, “Go for a ride.  Anywhere.”  I have cabin fever, and I needed to see old roads and new experiences.  Boy, did she come through!

On Monday morning, the Lime Squeeze (geo-mobile) pulled into my driveway.  With a twinkle in her eye and a plot… er… plan in her head, my sister sat with her Sphinx-like smile and was silent about today’s plans.  This all occurred after several hours of taunting texts from my brother-in-law about ‘I know where you’re going!’ With the car in drive, we headed WEST! After a short visit and a 2-hour drive, we found ourselves in Kalamazoo!

Our first stop was the fabulous Kalamazoo Valley Museum – first class exhibits packed into a small museum.  As this is my geocaching blog, if you want to read more about this museum, click the link for my museum blog post.  Let’s just say we tried every experience and managed not to get thrown out!

After lunch (and a cache, of course) at the wonderful Old Peninsula Brewpub & Restaurant (yum!  Still craving that burger, the beer battered fries, the house root beer), Kriket asked, “What do you want to do next?”  Ride, baby!  I want to see the sites!  We are so close to Lake Michigan and we were experiencing a very rare, very blue, sunny day.  After dealing with -10° sleet-filled days, this sunny 25° Monday was considered balmy!

First stop, Chief Noonday’s Grave (a Virtual).  This was a memorial on a stick in the middle of farmland.  We missed it at first, and Kriket did a most excellent u-turn.  The first step out of the geo-mobile landed me into knee-deep snow, and it was tiring tromping over to the marker.  We had a bit of problems answering the verification question – it was then I noticed the edges of a low headstone poking out of the deep white.  After clearing with a snow brush, with answers in hand, we were on our way.

BEAUTIFUL rolling hills through horse country.  Pristine red barns framed with pure white snow behind large, white horse fences.  Painted ladies and hundred year-old farmhouses.  Brownstone shoppes flanking the Kalamazoo River and old railroad bridges.  A plow truck plowing through a sedan’s front end.  It was fascinating.  And all through this, Kriket would stop periodically so I could grab a quick cache in the various Western Michigan counties. 

Our next stop was AMAZING!  We visited “Big Red”, a lighthouse (and Virtual) in Holland State Park.  Oh, this is what adventures are made of.  

A local photography buff took this picture.
You think he forgot something?

Big Red sits on the mouth of an inlet.  It is guarded by two piers, one on each side of the inlet.  These piers reach out into the lake and end with two smaller lights.  The bay was frozen over and the ice went out for miles.  It was fascinating.  

The Lighthouse is opposite the red pin

The two lights guarding the bay

A beautiful lighthouse keeping watch over the frozen Lake Michigan.  And there were so many people out there!  Walking along the frozen “pier” (which was just massive ice mounds), climbing up and jumping from massive ice buckles, taking pictures. 

Kriket on the frozen "pier"

Talk about an icy walkway!

Ice plates buckled on Lake Michigan

 

All too soon, though, the light was diminishing so back to the car we went.

Kriket's Panoramic

One final stop.  I haven’t mentioned the other reason for this big day. 

Monday was the 3^rd anniversary of my cache-a-day streak!

Every day (starting on March 2^nd, 2012 during another birthday adventure with Lorna) for 1,095 days I’ve headed out in all sorts of Michigan weather (100°+ to -26°F) to grab a cache.  I’ve found caches in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maine, Michigan, and Ontario.  I’ve found over a 1,000 puzzles and over a 100 Virtuals.  According to my companion trackable, if I went cache to cache as the crow flies, I would’ve traveled around 31,475 miles!  So, on this big day… my birthday and my milestone day…. We needed to end with a special cache.

Just after 7 pm, with the sun just a memory and the temperatures dropping, we headed over to Grand Rapids for School Spirit, one of only three webcams left in Michigan.  Forever the good sport, Kriket followed me to the center of campus (and what felt like miles from parking) to stand in a lonely common, covered in snow, to have our (lousy) picture taken by the webcam.  We moved around to get several pictures, snapped every 60 seconds, to make sure we had at least one in some semblance of light.

After our victory pose, a quick nosh at Chipotle, we headed home from our adventure – 14 hours, 400 miles, and only 6 caches later.  TaGeez was waiting to hear about our adventures – with flowers, an ice cream cake, and his famous sausage rolls. 

I’m blessed with amazing people.

Streaking for 3 Years!

Happy Birthday to me! Not only was Monday my 45th birthday, but it was the 3rd Anniversary of my cache-a-day streak!

To celebrate my birthday, my sister, WikidKriket, took me to Kalamazoo and Holland (I'll post those shortly). But to celebrate my streak, we detoured to Grand Rapids for the School Spirit webcam GCK2M9!

By the time we arrived, it was very dark (and getting colder fast). Luckily there was enough ambient light to take the pics. We took multiple under different lights for best effect!

1,095 days down and ?? to go!

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Earthcaching!

Apparently we missed the party! It was yesterday. Not much in the mood for celebrating Earth Caches with a windchill factor of -14°F yesterday - ugh! But I experienced several amazing Earth Caches last year so I will dream of completing 6 more in 2015.... when it's warmer.

Until then, a Traditional here... A puzzle there...

Hau'oli La Hanau, Vi!

Several weeks ago, Frito Bandito reached out to the local caching community asking for a favor.  Would we hide up to 50 cupcakes for his daughter, Hawaii Vi’s, 50^th birthday?  Sure thing!  We had volunteers traveling miles to pick these plastic beauties up for today’s release!

As far as Ferndale to Brighton – Milford to Dearborn.  At 8 a.m. this morning, the alarms started chiming that new caches were publishing.  I haven’t heard Vi’s reaction yet (it was a surprise – which is amazing for this gossipy group!), but her Dad said they did manage a few first-to-finds!

Hidden by Captain Obvious

Hidden by Team TopKat and Miss Bella

I managed two, also!  As I pulled into work, my phone went berserk. One was hidden a mile East of work and another a mile and a half to the West.  I just beat June17 for #2.  I messaged TaGeez to let him know I had 2 FTF’s (which included an FTF prize of free cupcakes at a bakery in Livonia) when he messaged me back – he had two FTF’s himself!

Now I’m just sitting here, excitedly waiting to hear who found our four.  The Southeastern Michigan Geocaching Cachers are an amazing bunch of people!

Hau'oli La Hanau, Vi!