International Geo-Dog Day!

Yesterday was International Dog Day, and Cacher TinyFlufferino attached this log photo to my Fantastic Ferndale cache — LOVE IT!

Our Amazing Adventure to Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge

 Off to another adventure last Saturday with TaGeez and ShelleyJean.

Geocaching has taken us to some extraordinary places, but, sometimes, extraordinary places give us an excuse to geocache!

I'm a huge follower of the National Parks/Forest system, and one day I spied an Instagram post for the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge appeared in my feed. Pelicans in Michigan?!?! How cool is that! 

So, connecting with ShelleyJean, we decided a Virtual Run was in order. Since completing the Michigan State Parks Centennial Geotour, we've been at a loss for a new challenge. Logging all the Virtuals in Michigan seemed enjoyable, and we decided on this trip through the thumb we would add High Favorites and a little Roadside Americana.

Have you been to the Shiawassee NWR? It's a hidden gem in Genesee County outside Saginaw.

Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1953 and contains 10,000 acres of marsh, bottomland hardwood forest, and grasslands. It was authorized by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act “...for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds. 

Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge’s diverse habitats attract more than 270 species of migratory birds. Its four trails and seasonal 6.5 mile auto tour route, the Wildlife Drive, offer visitors an opportunity to see many of these birds as well as a variety of other wildlife. The Ferguson Bayou Trail and Wildlife Drive offer three wildlife observation decks, two with spotting scopes. 

 90-degree sunshiny weather, social distancing, and FREE! Perfect anecdote to the COVID-19 blues.

We saw herons, egrets, seagulls, ducks, Monarch Butterflies, turtles, geese, swans.. too many birds to tally.

Another great shot from SJ

Great shot by SJ

We also spied a very friendly bug!

SJ and her steady hand - beautiful!

And, lucky for us, Great White Pelicans!

Oh, we will be back again!

THE VIRTUALS!

Oh, yes. I forgot about those. Traveling around the thumb area, we had a hoot steering toward steers, posing near flagpoles, jostling giraffes, tromping across the Tridge, and staring at statues! Another glorious adventure visiting Michigan history and Roadside America!

Knox County Geotrail Geotoken

I forgot to share the Knox County Geotoken from completing the Knox County Park District's geotrail. I like the silver rewards, trending in Ohio, but I was a little disappointed it isn't trackable. I'm taking it to Things Remembered to have a coded added.

Fayette County Geotrail Geocoin

Received our trackable Geocoin from the Fayette County Ohio Historical Society Geotrail (GC6K48X ). The reverse shows a map of the county.

Nice reminder of a beautiful day roadtripping amongst Ohio cornfields.

Shout-Out from the Knox County Park District

Shelley and I made it home safely and discussing the Knox County geotrail geocoin. I did a Google search, and, much to my surprise, look what came up!

WE MADE THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE!

Now how cool is that? Knox County is doing it right!

Hiking Shoes on Ohio Geotrails (again)

It's Midwest GeoBash week so where else would we be but Ohio? 

Ohio, yes. GeoBash, no. 

GeoBash is another casualty of COVID-19, but ShelleyJean & I needed an road trip. With WAY too many supplies in the back of Shelley's car, we headed to the Columbus area for an overnight adventure (and an awful lot of rain). 

Our goals were high Favorites, Roadside Americana, and several geotrails posted on the GeoTrails with Rewards Facebook group.


Fayette County Ohio Historical Society GeoTrail

Fayette's geotrail is old for a geotrail - released in 2016, we were told there were coins left (but there's a current debate if the latest batch are trackable). We selected this one because it is near our target-area of Columbus, and (up until the last minute) all the caches were reported intact.

Fayette County is a peaceful, hilly area dotted with quiet little towns. In some instances, the "trail" cache was the only cache in area. Shelley and I enjoyed our drive cache-to-cache along roads dividing vivid green cornfields and many, many memorial benches. 

The SQ Presidential Past was our favorite stop - a small cemetery tucked back into private property.  We received a nice message from hiram392 via Messenger, congratulating us on the find (on his wife's family farm) and wishing us a good time in Fayette County. (Ohio cachers are the nicest people!) Pretty cool cache write-up, too. SQ Presidential was one of four cemetery caches including one along the Underground Railroad.

Off to the races gave us some trouble. First, it was at the county fairgrounds which was hosting... a county fair! Second, the rain started to downpour and would follow us the rest of the trail. And, finally, after 45 minutes of standing in the rain, the CO messaged us and confirmed the cache is missing. Kudos to the FCHS for their quick response in checking the cache and sharing the code word.

End of day one and we completed the FHCS trail, completed a cool Virtual (Grove City Remembers) using Phip technology, and then headed to our hotel to sanitize our rooms.

Cornhenge and the Knox County Park's District "All Aboard" Geotrail

Thursday morning started overcast, but we didn't mind as long as it didn't mean rain. I mean... the forecast said 'no rain'. Really, it did. It lied.

We checked out of our hotel and headed west for a little Roadside Americana. We can't pass it up.

Have you been to Cornhenge, in Dublin, OH? 

"The inventor of a number of hybrid corn species is immortalized with a field of giant corn.  Corn stalks are notoriously tall but the ears themselves were never as tall as a human being until the construction of the public art display in the Columbus, Ohio suburb of Dublin." 

Early in the morning, this place is kinda creepy. Shelley and I walked up and down the rows. We found the Traditional cache in the odd rows of of Osage Orange Trees, but we decided to save the onsite Puzzle cache for another day.

A forty-minute drive took us to the newest Ohio geotrail, Knox County's "All Aboard" released in June 2020. 

#1 All Aboard to Centerburg GC8VMWM

The best reward this trip was making new friends! 💚 Shelley and I were signing the cache at the first stop when along came three hikers. They slowed as they approached, and one (Ms.CallaLilly) asked, "Are you geocachers?" What a hoot! They were on the hunt, too.

Introductions all around and so geeked that Ms.CallaLilly recognized me, without prompting, from this blog! She was the hider of the fabulous Medina County geotrail! Post 1 Post 2 Just the night before  Shelley & I had agreed that Medina is our favorite geotrail in Ohio so far! So disappointed that it's been archived - really good caches in some really interesting spots - and so flattered that the CO remembered me.  

Ms.CallaLilly, Stachey Pete, Scrapcat, ShelleyJean and flaglady

And off we went - the five of us - to the remainder of the Knox County caches! The miles along the rails-to-trails sped by like, well, a train on a mission.

Knox County did it right. They had a mixture of long rails-to-trails walks and a few downtown caches to rest your aching feet. 

Many bridges - just as beautiful in the soaking downpour that started around cache #5. There was also a train involved, but the simultaneous thunder & lightning prompted us to wait that out and miss the photo shoot.

Each cache contains a QR code plus a URL, which navigates you to cache-specific web pages. 

There you can read history, find lists of hospitality spots (local businesses offering discounts to cachers - sweet!). and learn fun facts. Spied this "fun fact" on the Brinkhaven page. Fun?!?

To earn the geocoin, you gather information off these pages to complete a 15-question Challenge. A score of 90%+ earns the first 200 finders a geocoin. Shelley and I got a perfect score!

Reach, Shelley!

The sun is finally peaking out. Gosh, these are some beautiful trails! Here's the team (AKA "Team Soaked") trying their best to social distance as they are stepping into the Bridge of Dreams for the final two stops on this railroad geotrail.

[source: ShelleyJean]

Built on the abandoned CA & C (Cleveland, Akron, and Columbus) Railroad line, the 370-foot long Bridge of Dreams is the longest pedestrian covered bridge and the second longest covered bridge in Ohio! Can you hear the history behind it? 

VICTORY is ours as we finish the "All Aboard" geotrail approximately five hours after starting (yes, there were a few additional caches along the way!). 

Ms.CallaLilly, Stachey Pete, flaglady, scrapcat, ShelleyJean

Waving goodbye to our new friends with promises of connecting at next year's GeoBash, Shelley and I turned toward Detroit. However, we didn't get too far before we spied the "World's Largest Horse & Buggy made by 2x4s" in Greenwich!

It's outside an Amish bakery/store/deli/ice cream parlor and famous for their Fried pies! TaGeez and I can now attest to the Raspberry Cheesecake fried pie and the Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake fried pie. 

Hey, we walked 6 miles today. We deserved it!

With a double click of our (geocaching) shoes...

Just what the Doctor order, a little bit of weirdness and wackiness in Western Michigan!

Saturday found us in Holland, Michigan, where a tree tried to eat TaGeez's head while the flying monkey egged him on! (Sculptured II Adventure Lab)

While hunting out more lab locations, Scrapcat was finally able to put her feet in the water (this isn't what I meant, TaGeez!)

90+ degrees and baking outside, we decided baking was a good eye. Can't go to Holland and not shop for gadgets in Teerman's!

And then back to the Adventure Labs - great way to experience downtown (and avoid the Muggles, COVID-safe). 

DUDE! Where's your mask? 

Too cool to care!

Aw, this was unexpected but one of my favorite parts of the trip. I started this picnic quilt 20+ years ago. It laid in pieces until March, when we started working from home. We brought it to Holland and then decided on a spontaneous PB&J picnic in Centennial Part. Perfectly built for two!

Speaking of Centennial Park, have you followed the yellow brick road? Leads you from here to the Wizard of Oz bronzes across the road at the public library.

After sanitizing our room (the new Staybridge in Holland is NICE!), we needed a little water fun at Holland State Park.

Plus this GLORIOUS sunset!

The next morning brought us back for another Adventure Lab (Tip Toe Through the Tulips) and Big Red. 

The winds were kicking it!

And the parasurfors were having a blast! I could sit and watch them for hours.

We wrapped our stay in Holland with a puzzle final and visiting an old friend...

Which led us to Saugatuck/Douglas for the Singapore No More Adventure Lab. And, as we're cruising down the road, what do you think we spied? The Douglas Root Beer Barrel! 

TaGeez had a Pepper & Onion hot dog, and I had a Sauerkraut dog. But it was the root beer! Oh, SO smooth! TaGeez downed his large plus half another growler!

Energized, we continued the tour of Douglas/Saugatuck to complete the Adventure Lab. I would've said it was the best one we've done so far, until we hit the undecipherable bonus final.

Saugatuck Art Center

Herbs grown in old gutters

The highlight is seeing the Saugatuck Chain Ferry, which transport passengers across the river between vacation cabins and the bustling downtown shops.

Saugatuck Chain Ferry: The only remaining chain driven ferry in the country. It has been in use since 1838. Three pullies keep it in line as it is being pulled across the Kalamazoo River.

We love to learn new things and were surprised the Kalamazoo River starts in Douglas/Saugatuck and ends in Michigan's Irish Hills! Yes, we're the type to stop and read the plaques!

We ended the adventure with a quick detour down in South Haven for a little caching....

... and a final farewell to Lake Michigan.

What a View GC6PFRV

Just enough wackiness, wonderfulness for us to face the insanity of 2020.  Thank you to the Western Michigan cachers for the very fun Adventure Labs.