Have You Been to McCourtie Park?

I'm sure every Michigan geocacher will say "yes", but have you been to McCourtie Park in Hillsdale County?

In 1924 William Herbert Lee “Herb” McCourtie began to transform his family’s 42-acre farm into a gracious summer home fit for a gentleman and his both illustrious and somewhat shady friends. It was in Somerset Center, and he called it “Aiden’s Lair.” The cost for the renovation and expansion of a simple farmstead into a rich man’s hideaway exceeded $500,000, an impressive amount in those days. [Hillsdale County Historical Society]

The main estate house is gone, but the parklands are amazing. It's dotted with a series of bridges, the country's largest collection of "el trabejo rustico". This is the Mexican folk tradition of sculpting concreate to look like wood.

Yes, these are all made of concrete!

For a geocacher, it's a bit of a paradise. There's a traditional, a county challenge, a Virtual, the Michigan "cache across America", and an adventure lab!

We were there early yesterday morning to finally grab the Historic Caches of Hillsdale County Challenge cache - FINALLY! Checking our logs, we posted our requirements 10 YEARS AGO! I bet you it wasn't as overgrown back then! But one more puzzle/challenge off our list (47% of our "solve list" found!)

If you are ever cruising down US 12 south of Jackson, McCourtie Park is worth a detour.

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! 

April 2023 - Michigan Waterways Adventure COMPLETED!

Winter has come and gone so we're back on the road to complete the Michigan Stage Waterways Adventure Lab. 

To help you explore Michigan's waterways and maritime heritage, we have seven adventure labs that each feature 10 locations. The adventure lab originally kicked off as part of the 75th anniversary of the waterways program in 2022. Thanks to MiGO and Jay's Sporting Goods.

We set out on this rainy day with 6 labs completed (Southeastern, Lower Michigan - East, Lower Michigan - West, Upper Michigan) and now Lake Michigan! Off we headed to the Waterways of Allegan Ottawa!

Not too many pictures today. We're visiting beach towns along lower Lake Michigan, but it's so cold and bone-chilling drizzly. I couldn't help but take this one, though... ShelleyJean and TaGeez trying to find a final clue in Coast Guard City! I swear, SJ, that WAS a little road down there!

It didn't rain the entire time so we did snap a few pictures at the various boat access sites. These were great havens for new birds, and we added a few to our life lists including the house finch and pine warbler. 

With that, we have completed the geotrail and can claim our rewards: 1 coin and 4 path tags. It was another enjoyable Michigan geocaching adventure, and we can't wait for the next one!

Adventure Lab App Update: Photos!

Just saw this on another site! You can now add photos to your Adventure Lab reviews in the latest update!

New Adventure Lab: Detroit Firsts!

I published my Adventure Lab yesterday!

Welcome to Detroit's Campus Martius! 

It is considered the heart of the city and the symbol of Detroit's rebirth. However, it also embraces Detroit's colorful history. The Motor City is internationally known as the birthplace of the automotive assembly line and the hub of the auto industry, but it should be celebrated for its many other "FIRSTS", too. 

This adventure lab is a 5-stop art tour of Campus Martius, sharing Detroit Firsts, both old and new! From start to stop, this tour is a half mile stroll through downtown Detroit. If you start from the North you will end at the Detroit riverfront.  

Come by car, Q-Line, People Mover, ride sharing or the famed Detroit Slow Roll, but try to avoid coming down during Festivals or late at night. It is an urban city.

_______________________________________________________________

Speaking of Adventure Labs, I really enjoyed these "play anywhere" Labs 

NETCHVILSKI: LABrador

The Professor has been kidnapped! Work you way through a series of puzzles

ala MOAP (Mother of all Puzzles).

HTML launch - LAB game

PROJECT-GC Adventure Lab

Take a quick tour (and learn a thing or two) of Project-GC.com

LAB game

Merry Cache-mas!

Christmas Eve geocaching in the 'D'

TaGeez and I had a fabulous Christmas in Detroit!

We hit the road on Christmas Eve to find our cache-a-day and enjoy the holiday lights: Pleasant Ridge to Campus Martius to Belle Isle and Lakeshore Drive (in exclusive Grosse Point).

Belle Isle Aquarium and Conservatory

On Christmas Day, we headed to Hamtramck (ham-tram-ick) -- one of Detroit's most prominent multicultural neighborhood comprised of Polish and Middle Eastern inhabitants. We figured we'd have the narrow streets to ourselves, and we were right. Perfect day to do an Adventure Lab!

Hamtramck, MI

Less than a month old, TeamGMMP released his 5-stop Adventure Lab and Bonus cache in an area rich with amazing food (pierogis and latkes, crepes and stuffed cabbage, bakeries every few feet) and murals. As we cruised up and down the one-way streets, we found ourselves driving in circles to reach the new-to-us murals on the walls. 

What's up with scrubbing bubbles? 

The five stops included a park mural, downtown mural, Polish art center, and two churches including St Florian's. St Florian's is known for its community events, holiday lights and Nativity.

We discovered LIVE DOVES in their Nativity! Totally unexpected as we approached when their little heads popped up to greet us!

Fabulous time on the tour and a quick find at the final. Definitely an enjoyable experience while working off Christmas breakfast.

Did you win one of the Adventure Labs? 

TeamGMMP shared his experience and advice in my last blog post. 

Speaking of Christmas, did you see Cachly's surprise for iPhone users? All our finds have Santa smileys today! I'm sure, like last year, it will revert back tomorrow, but that's so happy, right?

Michigan State Park Centennial GeoTour

Honeybee GeoArt

I hope you found some time this holiday to go outside and adventure!

Merry Cache-mas to All!