Colorado Adventure 1 - Mingo and Arikaree

Have you noticed I’ve been a little quiet lately? TaGeez and I were on an amazing adventure out west!

During our Jasmer trip to Indiana in June, TaGeez and I decided this year is the year for Mingo (GC30), the oldest active geocache in the world. We’ve been meaning to make this pilgrimage for years, but the “3 C’s” got in the way. Deemed safe to travel now by my oncologists, Steve and I decided this was the year.

But do we really want to spend 3 days driving out and driving back? Because as geocachers, it would take more than 3 days each way. Let's save some time and fly!

Well, no sense in flying into Denver and just return so we decided to make an entire adventure out of it! So, in mid September, we headed out.

TaGeez's first plane trip in DECADES

Day 1 - Sunday: Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska

Our first day was all about geocaching: landing at DIA, grabbing our rental car, visiting Mingo and a few other choice caches along the way.

Travel has changed! There were wonderful Adventure Labs and Virtuals at both DTW and DIA! We didn't get to enjoy the Conspiracy Theories as much as we hoped because when we landed in Denver it was chaos and construction! But we were able to grab it! Our first Colorado cache!

DIA Conspiracy Virtual GC88Z0M

After a trying experience at the Budget rental counter (long lines and a rental with a brake failure message), we were on the road, past the giant blue stallion outside DIA, and heading the Kansas & Mingo! 

Kansas Visitor Center

The 3-hour drive from Denver to Mingo was gorgeous! Miles and miles of amber fields reaching to the skyline. The rhythm of the road, my audiobook, and TaGeez's snoring in the passenger seat. It was a gloriously peaceful drive to Mingo. Surprisingly we were so busy enjoying it that we captured no photos of it - but no camera could capture the majesty and sheer immensity of it.  

We made it! And, of course, Signal sporting his new Colorado trackable had to pose first. If you look close, you will see one of our Mingo geocoins, too. Mingo didn't disappoint - it was exactly as described... a fence off a defunct park & ride with nothing for miles around! But we made it and had to pose with it!

Signal's TB is actually a dog tag from Amazon.
The vendor engraved my tracking code on it for free!

When in Mingo and nearby Colby, don't forget to grab the Mingo Virtual (marker missing), Adventure Lab and high-favorited caches.

Mingo Madness Gadget Cache GC8GDEW
almost drove us mad!

Geo-General Store GC5P98P

Grain Bin GCYC7A

You could tell the sun was already starting it's descent, but how could we head to Colorado Springs without detouring for another JASMER gem? Beautiful Arikaree GC31 is a May 2000 cache, too!

 

It's funny about this trip. Each day we had one main goal and one side adventure planned. Funny how the side adventures were in many ways more memorable and enjoyable than the main one. 

Take Arikaree, for instance. Located 1.5 hours northwest of Mingo and just a few miles south of the Nebraska border. Take I-70 to a scenic road, which turned into a sketchy dirt road the further north you go. Before you reach Arikaree (we still have no idea how to pronounce this), you must pass through the Arikaree Breaks. Now, I'm not big into Earth Caches, but this place left an impression (literally and figuratively). 

The Arikaree Breaks are a finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas because the deep canyons make this a distinct and scenically dramatic part of Kansas! The Arikaree Breaks are a rugged landscape of canyons that have formed in a type of windblown silt called loess. [Kansas Sampler]

The Arikaree Breaks are located on the extreme northern edge of Cheyenne County just a few miles east from the Land & Sky Scenic Byway. The stunning views of the gullies and rock formations are comprised of loess rocks which are a mixture of wind deposits from sand, silt, and clay. The breaks are 36 miles long and approximately two to three miles wide but mostly reside on private land. [Kansas Tourism]

Again, no camera could do this place justice.

Arikaree Breaks GC2RNXB

Arikaree GC31

We spent a lot of time appreciating Arikaree, but the sun is setting and Nebraska is just a few miles north. We had to take the opportunity to grab another state souvenir.

Nebraska Keeper of the Cache

Texas Trail Canyon Cache GC1X9DZ

Ok, cacti is a thing? I almost stepped on it!

Now the sun is truly kissing the horizon, and we still have HOURS of driving to Colorado Springs. Although beautiful, we had several opportunities to test our bravery. Try driving for hours, in the dark, along unfamiliar country roads with NO houses in between in a strange rental car. Bumps! Animal eyes flashing in the headlights. Miles and miles and miles of emptiness and darkness with almost no phone connectivity. 

After 3 hours in the air and 12 hours on the road, we pulled into Colorado Springs in the darkness. Little did we know what morning had in store for us!

3 state souvenirs!

June 2023 - The Perry Adventure

It seems like you can always make an adventure with geocaching.

TaGeez and I found ourselves in Perry, Michigan in June. There's a Lego store on the outskirts, and we found we had an afternoon to kill so we decided to explore. 

We felt we were off to a good start when we pulled into a local rest area for a high favorited cache, and we realized we were being watched...

Keeper of the Cache

Surprisingly enough, Perry had a sweet little downtown (close enough to the former Grand Trunk Railroad line and the Perry Mitten and Glove factory). We even found one of our favorite shops - the Swan Creek Candle Company! Long-lasting clean-burning soy candles. We tripped across it doing the local Adventure Lab. 

Another favorite stop on the Adventure Lab tour was the local Roadside America-featured King Kone!

Twistee Treat buildings are 28 feet tall and 20 feet wide fiberglass ice cream cones topped with cherries. The design was created by Robert G. "Skip" Skinner who built the first location in North Fort Myers in 1982. The buildings were produced in Cape Coral, FL. They were made from 19 pieces of fiberglass and assembled on-site. By 1986, there were 30 locations, all of them in Florida. It is believed that about 90 of these buildings were produced over the years. About half of them have been demolished. [source]

King Kone was DELICIOUS!

It was a short Adventure Lab, but we enjoyed the history of this little town.

Old Perry Centre GCXEKQ

We found ourselves making a quick stop at a local rest stop. True to form, I stuck with the motto of "Always read the plaque!" You discover the most unusual sites the the Michigan Center of Population.

What else can we do in the area? Come to find out MSU has another research property nearby with the appetizing name of Muck Soils Research Farm. It has several geocaches, a linear adventure lab and an earth cache. It would've been a lovely place to explore the birds if it wasn't for the lack of shade on a 90 degree day!

Muck Soils Research Farm GC9PQMY

We added 2 more birds to our life list! I believe they have logged approximately 130 different migrating bird types here. 

It seemed fitting that we ended our day the same way we started... with another "Keeper of the Cache"!

Keeper of the Cache

What a sweet little afternoon in small town Michigan! 

MSPCGT: Muskegon to Home

**WARNING - SPOILER IMAGES**

As you can see, the weather changed Sunday morning. This was a first in all our geotour days.

It not only rained - it rained so hard we found out later they closed the coastal road several months early due to flooding.

It's hard to see here, but it continued to pour at Muskegon State Park's Blockhouse. Located at the highest point in the county, this is a reproduction. The original was burned down by kids (who were forced to rebuild it as punishment). 

Luck did not hold out for us here at Hoffmaster State Park, also. There are two versions of this cache - the fun Summer one inside the Visitor Center and the less exciting Winter one outside. I'll let you guess which TaGeez found.

And then we arrived in Grand Haven and the Heavens were beautiful & the waves high.  Kite surfers!

And Grand Haven's lighthouse is beautiful! So amazing to see how high the waves are! 

This was a rarity in the GeoTour - the site of an Earth Cache. Here's the obligatory group picture. #besthairday

Like Ludington yesterday, we spent a considerable amount of time here, too. Amazing view, kite surfers riding the waves, and (best of all) no hoards of tourists! After getting our thrills from the thrill-seekers, we made it to downtown in no time flat -- front row parking, immediate seating at Dee-Lite Bar & Grill, clear sidewalks up and down the main drag. Perfect for lunch and shopping for stickers (and Irwin Chocolates - TaGeez & ShelleyJean had some fun there).

Back on the road, and we're heading away from Lake Michigan. The rain ceased for a bit, but now Mother Nature is spitting on us. 

Yankee Springs involved Hunter's orange, mushrooms, a cemetery, and one of the best caches in the tour yet!

And, with that, ShelleyJean, TaGeez and I have completed 86 parks! It's like a good book -- it'll be a great sense of completion and a little bit of sadness when it's all over. 

Sun On My Toes

Oh! I thought it was called "Robins NEST"!

Robin's Rest Stop GC7E3FX

That was the beginning of our adventure last weekend to Lake Huron. TaGeez and I had started the day intending to visit a quilt shop in Ann Arbor. Instead, with the need for the road under our wheels, we turned towards Port Huron and the fabulous Sew Elegant Quilt Shop. 

Really, though, it was just an excuse to continue north for a much-needed mini-adventure. I told TaGeez as we set off that I wanted water, people watching, sunlight, geocaches and a lighthouse.  He nailed it on all accounts!

100x5 Icon Challenge GC235MP

Have you cached along lower Lake Huron? It's about 30 miles between Port Huron and Port Sanilac. That's 30 miles of the bluest lake, cabins with funny names, and scenic pull-offs. Our main goal is Lexington, named for the famous Revolutionary War town in Massachusetts and once a Great Lake lumber port. Now its full of free festivals and quirky shops. 

And did I mention beaches? This was our view from Windjammers restaurant at the intersection of Main Street and Lake Huron. TaGeez and I enjoyed Alaskan cod and the best damnedest clam chowder. Poor TaGeez turned his back once and his chowder just disappeared!

After lunch (and listening to the Kentucky Derby on the bar TV), we moseyed over to the public docks and breakfront. 77 degrees, sunny with a light breeze. It sounds corny but you could feel the mantle of Winter left in a bag back in the car and the sun warming our very white toes. Too bad nobody informed Mother Nature - that water was 43 degrees and frigid! Holy frigid witch!

This sweet beauty is the mate of the one we spied from Windjammers. You may think this creature is the epitome of nature's grace, but, after we took this photo, it preceded to continually moon us. Asshole.

Windjammers on the right

Back up the hill and to the shops of Lexington. There are only 4 caches in and about town, and we just found the one outside the theater. We were surprised this little tourist town are headlining country stars like Lorrie Morgan and Kenny Chesney this summer.  I can't imagine where everyone will park.

Speaking of 4 caches... WE FOUND A LONELY CACHE! A multi/puzzle Spirit Quest in Lexington Cemetery unfound for TWO YEARS!  We were about to give up after fighting thorns, vines, standing water, and bugs, but we noticed a gold glint amongst the dead leaves. And this cemetery had a 'DEAD END' sign out front.

SQ - Lexington GC2RK6K

Back in the car and heading towards Port Sanilac, we pulled off at a number of scenic stops. Each conveniently had a scenic view and a geocache! Pure Michigan!

Secret Huron View GC5A8P1....

... and the view.

Port Sanilac is known for "a rich history with attractions such as the lighthouse built in 1886, the oldest continuously operating hardware store in Michigan, the Sanilac County Historical Village and Museum ... " 

Port Sanilac Lighthouse

We spied all three as we navigated to the beach for a little more caching. We happened upon geocache #1 of the Shore to Shore series and then one of Rattrak's Earth caches.

Shore to Shore #1 GC6W8T9

Admittedly, I don't seek out Earth Caches. Too many of them are cut-and-paste creations from Wikipedia, but we've come across some amazing ones in Ohio (Artesian wells, Berea sandstone castles), Iowa (limestone kilns, bedrock refrigeration), Massachusetts (dinosaur footprints), Washington DC (Smithsonian Natural History Museum). 

Great Lakes - Lake Huron Earth Cache GC127DA

So, when it presented itself, we acquired a clear bottle from a random trash bin, scooped some frigid water, and then stared at it on our washing machine for three days to see if it performed a trick. It did.

I think the coolest cache stop we've experienced this year is this SQ in Lakeport. Very cool bridge. It had a grated walkway with vines and ivy growing in. Luckily TaGeez was on his game for this one!

SQ - Lakeport South GC71EYR

After a long, glorious day it was time for a cold refreshment to counter the saltiness on our upper lips and the sand stowing away in my pant cuffs. We met a few new friends including an A&W Papa Burger statue and...

And Greg E. Normous Muffler Man! Yes, a Muffler Man SO close to home!

This trip was exactly the tonic we needed to take the edge off our cabin fever and stoke the road trip fires! One adventure down and two more to go this month!