Postcard from the South

Ah, I meant to share this and never did. 

Our family sends a lot of postcards as inexpensive souvenirs to a fun trip. But, how many different ways can you say, "Wish you were here!"? Instead, we travel with our little HP Sprocket printer and sticky back photo paper. 

Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words!

The Light has Gone Out on Another Lamp Post Cache

Thank you to everyone who visited our annual cache. Another Lamp Post Cache GCBD6JT has been archived.

We really appreciated the joy and the favorite points this one generated! See you next year!

Ice Age Vista - The Last Cactus Cache!

We finally grabbed it! The last cache in the world with the CACTUS attribute! 

Located in Kettle Moraine State Forest (southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin), it earned its terrain rating. We had to share the trails with mountain bikes, and the walk was UP! UP! Up! Mosquitoes, ankle-breaking rocks, and sheer drop-offs were only part of the fun. Then there were the thorns… oh my! The thorns! But we made it! 

Stamped the log and left some Flashtags behind. Happy to finally check this one off the list before it disappears!

Caching in Grand Marais

This is what caching looks like in Grand Marais! Have you been to the Pickle Barrel House GCGK7E or rock hunting on Agate Beach?

Happy International EarthCache Weekend!

Happy EarthCache weekend! TaGeez and I grabbed ours in Ortonville on this beautiful day!

NOLA and the Gulf Coast Adventure - DAY 5

Day 5 - Time to head home

We awoke to a beautiful, sunny day on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. You can see the beautiful beach and water from our breakfast table. We really enjoyed our time at the Inn at Long Beach.

Time to head West and return to NOLA to catch our mid-afternoon flight. The further west we drove, the moodier the sky. We are sad to leave this peaceful stretch of shoreline.

Just as we reach Louisiana, we stop at the Louisiana Cache Odyssey cache. This was a fun one in historic downtown Slidell involving mailboxes. Signal had a good time, and we released a trackable heading to Phoenix.

Cache Odyssey - Louisiana GCB05R5

With just a few hours to kill, we toured several Louisiana historic cemeteries...

...spent some time enjoying a drive through City Park with its sculpture garden with its 1,000 YO oaks...

... before having lunch at Toups' Meatery. That was quite the culinary experience with the Boudin Balls, Cracklin, and the most exquisite Beer Battered Redfish sandwich.

Just as we entered the terminal in NOLA to catch our flight, the skies broke and rain came down. We are sad to see us go, too.

NOLA and the Gulf Coast Adventure - DAY 4

Day 4 - Sunshine in Mississippi! 🌞

MANY years ago I sat in a movie theater and watched a pre-movie ad about vacationing along Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Amazing that years later, when we had free plane tickets to use, I remembered those ads and we booked that trip!

After 3 days in NOLA, we rented a car and headed East! First a stop in Metairie Cemetery to see the amazing Mausoleums (and Anne Rice's final resting place) before we drove over the big bridge to Mississippi.

Final resting place of Anne Rice GCAJGRW

The cemetery flooding is real!

Diberts Derriere GCK71X

This Egyptian pyramid is so reminiscent of Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit. Powerful!

The coastal road didn't disappoint! We started our adventure shopping and eating in Bay St Louis (shopping at Fleurty Girls and then fajitas at Avocado's). They gave me a free ice cream dessert for Mother's Day ❤️

This beautiful coastal road led us through Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Ocean Springs! Stops included dipping our toes in the water and driving past Beauvoir House. Of the entire trip, we geocached the most along this shore.

Biloxi National Cemetery EarthCache GCAAMB5

The lighthouse virtual was cool because you could either take a selfie in front of the structure or use the webcam! The webcam linked to the page was down, but I found a new link to use. LOVE WEBCAMS!

Biloxi Lighthouse GC7B8V6

After dinner at a restaurant on stilts, we hung out in the parking lot to visit with our new friend!

Nice view #08 GAFNQG

We ended our day at the Inn at Long Beach. If you ever make it to the Mississippi Gulf coast, THIS is where you want to stay! It sits across the road to a beautiful but quiet beach. It's affordable, beautifully appointed, and the nicest staff you will meet!

SCORECARD

12,000+ steps walked

4 Virtuals

4 traditionals

1 Earthcache

4 cemeteries

1 new state souvenir

2 fabulous meals