MGA14 - May 1st!

It's Here!

My free 2014 Huron Metroparks pass arrived in today's mail. Can't wait for MGA2014!

I WON! I WON!

By completing the Michigan Geocaching Adventure, I was entered into a drawing for a free 2014 Metropark pass! Woot! And I won! That is a wonderful reward - our parks are gorgeous!

I've been so lucky these last few months! All due to my love of geocaching.

October - Won family passes to the Detroit Zoo after completing the zoo caches.

November - Won a geo-prize pack after sharing the GeoGearHeads podcast.

December - Won my Metropark pass after completing the MGA series!

I must be doing something right and am really grateful!

UPDATE: I just found out that my sister, WikidKriket, won one of the five passes, too! Woot! 2014 MGA HERE WE COME!

MGA13 Path Tag - Woot!

We had quite a successful weekend, so far. Steve and I received our path tags for completing the 2013 Michigan Geocaching Adventure! Woot! We already made plans with WikidKriket and SnakeyLicks to start earlier and plan more picnics next year!

We also went out and hid the first six caches that we're contributing to the Happy New Year 2014 series! Awesome weekend!

MGA13 - Lake St. Clair

Our second stop was Lake St. Clair.

Here, we were distracted by the most wonderous of sites! Did I mention that a tornado watch had been posted? The winds were whipping and the kite boarders were taking advantage of the winds and waves!

I’ve never seen this before. The colorful kites, the flips in mid-air, the speed. We spent a little time before our next adventure to appreciate this awesome phenomenon.

After getting our fill (and realizing that darkness was rolling in as speedily as those fast-moving clouds), we set off. What a fabulous board walk!

Even with everything dormant, it was quite beautful. We enjoyed zig-zagging through the marsh.

Again, TaGeez made the find (you could see it from the path as all the camo had blown off).

Dropped a personal pathtag, signed the log as Team FRL, took a pic of the code and headed back to the car. We did stop one last time to watch the colorful kites dance!

MGA13 - Wolcott Mill Metropark

What a glorious day yesterday! Team Free Range Lobsters (scrapcat, TaGeez, WikidKriket, SnakeyLicks and Fiona-the-wonder-geo-pup) were off on an adventure. We had two last caches to complete the 2013 MGA series and we knew we would be successful – because it’s raining! It has rained on all our outings this year and as we set out we had a tornado watch!

Our first stop was Wolcott Mill. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't know there was a farm - I've only been to the Mill. We struggled a little because the constant rain turned the trail into pure, slippery mud.

That didn’t seem to phase Fiona so we followed her lead and headed to the cache.

TaGeez was the first person in and had the advantage (the rest of us were distracted by the braying of a donkey!) Dropped in a personal path tag, signed the log as Team FRL, took a pic of the code and then headed back to the car.

We took a slight detour before the parking lot and Fiona saw her first bull. Very funny with her little yips and the bull bellowing back!

Now off to our final cache in the MGA 2013 series…

MetroPark Caching on Saturday

I realized that I haven’t shared too many pictures from our Metropark adventure on Saturday.  TaGeez, WikidKriket, SnakeyLicks, Fiona-the-wonder-pup, and I went to Indian Springs and Stony Creek to grab two more caches in the MGA13 series.  Although it had rained all morning, it was still a beautiful (squishy) walk and resteful picnic afterwards.

1- SnakeyLicks holding our Secret Weapon!

2- TaGeez enjoying riot of color at Indian Springs

3- LOOK DOWN!

4- Family Photo Time!

5- scrapcat and TaGeez

6- Not really feeling the leash

7- In the chamber under the pond

8- Working hard for the cache!

9- Stony Creek greenery

10- Fiona for the find! Worth seeing twice!

11- Picnic afterwards.  Puppies eat first!

12- Victory Meal!

13- Oh so tired!

It really was a fabulous time!  Just two more MGA13 caches to go!

Fiona for the Find!

Out MGA caching with TaGeez, WikidKriket and SnakeyLicks at Stoney Creek Metropark. They brought 8-week old Fiona on her 2nd caching trip, and FIONA MADE THE FIND! No kidding!

Metropark Adventure!

Every year the Huron Clinton Metroparks kick off an annual Michigan Geocaching Adventure. You visit 13 designated metroparks in southeastern Michigan for special geocaches.  Each cache is a sizable lock-n-lock right off maintained trails filled with swag and a special code.  Collect all 13 codes by the deadline to win a path tag and enter a drawing for a free Metropark pass.

I love this series – look forward to it every year because our Metroparks are stunning!  My family tries to visit a park a day so we can grab the MGA  cache plus any other caches nearby.  Each Metropark has some type of learning center for the kids.  One has a wave pool, one an eagle habitat, one with a hawk habitat, one has a beaver habitat, one has a rattlesnake habitat and allows you to walk under the pond!

As a result, we’ve seen some stunning areas we’ve never explored before.

This year we’re a little behind as our schedules didn’t quite coordinate.  On Sunday, late into the afternoon, we visitited Kensington, Huron Meadows and Dexter. 

This year we had an addition to our caching crew – Fiona the Wonder Geopup!

I’m really, really looking forward to next Saturday as we’re exploring the eastern Metroparks.

Happy caching!

Elisa