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!

NECT: North Central Massachusetts Cemetery Series

Well, talk about a mystery.... Two weeks ago ShelleyJean and I wrapped up a 4-month long odyssey that ended in an amazing tour of old Massachusetts cemeteries and finding gold at the end of the tombstone.  How do you describe the experience that involved progressively harder puzzles plus many onsite twists and turns masterfully interwoven with a common theme that led to several more puzzles to find the final.... and not give anything away? Hyliston has a lot to answer for.

This is the North Central Massachusetts Cemetery Series created in 2012 by Hyliston.

I believe Shelley first discovered this small series of 9 puzzles that led to a gold coin at the final (she has a thing about geotrails with rewards).  I became fixated after seeing Slamere72 and +Mo's geocoins at a local event. With its Edward Gorey/Masterpiece Mystery feel in an antique gold, the etching of a cemetery on the horizon behind a pair of cemetery gates, the rarity of only 100 coins produced and the need to pit your brain against progressively harder puzzles, the urgency was overwhelming. Add to that the road trip itch and the finals surrounding cemeteries near my old stomping grounds, there was no question we would be going.

Near mad with theories
I've passed each test
& completed this series
so here let it rest.

(Epitaph on the geocoin)

Now, here's the rub. The series is still ongoing and there are currently 4 precious coins left. So I can't give anything away. Not the brilliance and fun of each of the first 8 published puzzles. Not the work at each final. Not the twists and turns and head-scratching and crowing as each onsite puzzle was solved. Nor the surprises at the end. Nothing. Nada. No way. 

So what can I share? Shelley was brilliant and tenacious at solving the puzzles before we left. And, once we arrived, I really feel I stepped up to the plate and owned my end. The CO (plus a few sitting angels) was generous and patient with help. And the cache containers and locations were quality. 

I can also share the wonderful things we saw after a long drive across Canada and a good night's rest. This is day #2 on our adventure: completing the NCMCS and experiencing central Massachusetts.

First stop was in Gardner aka "Chair City".  They were everywhere! On the street signs, municipal garbage cans, streetlight banners. It was Shelley's favorite little town. We took our first break there after having a minor anxiety attack at the first NCMCS puzzle of the morning and the second find.

No stop in Gardner is complete without stopping at the Gardner Museum. Yes, that's a chair in front. It matches the contemporary chair facade at the local police station. Here, Shelley and I took a break for a rather fun puzzle involving several local landmarks. Can you guess what object they all centered around?

Sit Back and Relax GCXTGX

Roadside America at its best! Typical of us, we had poured over RA, AtlasObscura and Waymarking.com before the trip commenced. Get ready for a lot of kitsch!

Famed Bicentennial Chair

Not giving anything away, but if you can find this little guy you are near the final of the Sit Back and Relax puzzle. You can thank me later.

We headed out to Fitchburg called "Rock City". Why? They have a big rock in their town center. In fact, it is so precious to them and they were so determined to preserve it, they blew it up. Yep. And put it back together again. The Rollstone Boulder is in a cute downtown on Boulder Drive, across from Boulder Realty and Boulder Antiques.

scrapcat calculating the circumference for the Earth Cache
Glacial Erratic GC16HW9

The fascinating part of the NCMCS finals were their proximity to some fascinating cemeteries. I've toured cemeteries from Detroit to Atlanta and Boston to Colorado Springs. This is the first time I've seen black slate headstones. So thin (and hard to photograph) and yet in pristine condition. 

With the sun beating down hard it actually made photographing these tall but thinly-etched headstones difficult, but Shelley can attest I made my best attempt! I came home with over 1700 photos on this trip. You will see quite the funeral art evolution over the next few posts.

OOH! This was cool! Meet Joseph Palmer! His marker is inscribed "Persecuted for wearing the beard". Funny side note: a friend posted later this same day that he was having a "bad beard day" so I shared this picture - Chef Curt lost.

Several more roadside stops!

Tomb of Johnny Appleseed - Leominster

Mary and her lamb actually lived in Sterling and her 1st grade classmate wrote the poem. Rub the lamb's ears for luck!

Mary Had a Little Lamb - Sterling

In case you were wondering, we did still find time to do the cemetery series. Look at this view!

Ok, whatever you do, don't show this to Portah. If my Mainah friend found out I had a Lobster Roll at McDonald's she would flip! But, damn, it was good! And we greatly needed a break at this point.

Ok, I've shared some interesting photos around the NCMCS series, but I'm going to blatantly admit it.... 4/10th of a mile down this trail in one of the eight finals. The reason for my look of panic is they were coming for me! Big, bad, biting flies! One so large it looked like a broach on my chest! #leastfavoritespot

Things got a little spacey when we pulled into one cemetery and spied these metal monuments. Cool, eh? Quite different from the slate ones, right?

Did you see one of the local Keepers of the Cache?

He can't read signs. He missed this one by 100 feet.

I think he was heading here...

Many more finds, many more puzzles, and mix in one more minor panic attack... and we had the final in hand. With so many intricacies, even with the final log, we were hesitant to hoot in celebration. Was there one more stop? Another clue? We even messaged the CO.

WE DID IT!

How do you celebrate the end of an awesome day? Selfie with the Mohawk Motors Indian (Muffler Man)! SCOOK would be so proud!

ShelleyJean and scrapcat

Thank you, Hyliston, for creating this fabulous experience! And thank you for the beautiful geocoin!

#95 of 100