2014 Compass Rose Geocoin: Immortality

Look at what appeared in my mailbox last night!  My prize from the Podcacher raffle (episode 502).

It’s antique bronze with a Swarovski gemstone on the front.

Gorgeous, isn’t it?  CoinsandPins.com had a fascinating explanation of the coin detail. Every aspect represents something.

I’m a lucky, lucky girl!  It's beautiful next to the Compass Rose: Protection geocoin won on the GeoGearheads show last month!.

New Tools for Calculating Coordinates

Seen on the How To Puzzle Cache (FB Page)

This was something I found interesting.  We know that when you use Google Earth to drop a pin (to check a cache or object location), you have to go through a series of clicks to move the pin to tweak it's location. HTPC suggested using the Flash Earth site. You can enter coordinates or search for a location, and then move the map under the pin.  As the map moves, the coordinates correct on the left.  Click the coordinates to toggle between coordinate formats. Pretty cool, eh?

Sorry if you can't see the crosshair on the Belle Isle Bridge clearly.
This screenshot was taken on a large, wide monitor.

I could get it to work on my desktop but not my iPhone 5 (because it is flash-driven).  I do, however, have a sweet app on my iPhone called Mapped by Datalung.

As long as I let my phone settle, it normally takes pretty accurate reads on my iPhone, which I can save and/or email.  I use this app alongside my Garmin Oregon 450T to fine tune my cache hides.

Geocaching: This is what happens when nerds go into the woods!

Google Earth and Tracking Trackables

It's been an exciting week for Google Earth!  They're offering the license key for Google Earth Pro (normally $399) for free!

Get Google Earth Pro for Free! Formerly $399!

I will confess here that I have a love/hate relationship with Google Earth.  It was thanks to Google Earth that I bought my first iPad.  We were vacationing in Traverse City and my nephew pulled up satellite images of Grand Traverse lighthouse!  First time I've ever seen anything like that.  We spent the evening scanning other Michigan landmarks. It was thrilling every time I opened the app to see the globe and then watch as we swooped to our current location!

Grand Traverse Bay Lighthouse

And then Google Earth seemed to drop the ball when it came to it's iPhone app.  The app would take up more and more room and offered less and less features.  Someone also said the desktop version would no longer pin the coordinates you were entering but the closest building or address.  Annoying. So it was with great excitement when I downloaded the Pro version on my desktop for free - already playing with it!

Google Earth Pro - Detroit Ren Cen in the lower right

And I LOVE Google street view.  My sister-in-law asked the name of the restaurant in Mexicantown next to "that great mural".  Well, there's murals everywhere down there - a very colorful neighborhood.  I told her to "street view" it and see if it was the right one. It can be a powerful tool for planning trips and routing cache runs. 

One of my all-time favorite caches involves Google Earth (Views from Orbit GC27MAW). You can see an airplane in the Google map of the historic and ever-popular cache, Beverly GC28 (rumor has it people have searched for the plane!) And there's even funny websites dedicated to the wackiest scenes captured on Google Earth.

Beverly GC28

Why all the ruminating about Google Earth?  I was listening to the latest GeoGearheads show. Someone had emailed asking how to map out a trackable's history.  

I had the same answer as debaere - above the logs, click on the View Map link.  It takes you to this map, which diagrams, in order, each visit.  As an added bonus, if you scroll down you will see all the logs (including GC codes, mileage, and state information).

DarrylW4 had a different answer.  In the Trackable Options box (upper right corner), click on View in Google Earth.  It navigated me to the Google Earth app on my iPhone (and downloaded a .kml file to open in Google Earth in my desktop) to generate this map.  Pretty cool, eh?   

It's a slightly different perspective. Weird that I pride myself in knowing Geocaching.com so well and never noticed that link before.  

Next up is to take a test-run of Geotribes, whose tagline is "interactive maps & statistics for geocaching travelbugs, geocoins and all your trackable items...".  Debaere said it has some pretty nifty features so that's good enough for me.

TOTT: Winter in Michigan

On some of the recent podcasts, they've talked about "essential tools of the trade (TOTT)" or "must haves" in your geocaching bag.  I was thinking about updating a blog post on that, but how different would my answers be? GPSr, iPhone, spare batteries, tweezers.....

Check out a handy summer kit here: Geocaching 101: Caching Kit Essentials

But one thing nobody seemed to mention was the need for different tools for different weather.  I have different gloves, coats, wellies/boots depending on the season.  Bug spray in summer and hand/feet warmers in winter.  In summer you carry extra water and bug bite remedies, and in winter you carry extra water and a different road emergency kit.

Winter finally struck in Michigan during the Super Bowl - we received 16.7" of wet, heavy snow.  I'm grateful it's not as bad as last year but am a little worried as I'm just 4 weeks away from completing my 3-year cache-a-day streak.

What is driving me to do this crazy streak?  I have no idea.  But I'm having a blast!

As you've seen in a recent post, the snow mounds are getting bad.  TaGeez and I are finding ourselves climbing banks and skidding down the other side.  If the bank is too high or too steep, TaGeez helps to propel me over it, both ways.  It's fun but tiresome on workdays.

On Thursday I needed a quick find as I was meeting Dad for dinner and didn't want to cache afterwards (the temps were supposed to drop drastically as night falls).  I stopped by one of RayQix "Happy Birthday caches" that I've been saving for such an occasion.  See the problem?

Happy Birthday Hawaii Vi - Chik'n House GC5APTF

This one disturbed me.  It was one of my "emergency CaDs" and it was buried.  There was no way to get it out without drawing MAJOR attention as it's in the parking lot of a Chicken Shack and located RIGHT up on a very busy road.  I had to use up another one of my emergency caches nearby.

You might be thinking about whining about nothing, but, after caching for almost 1100 days straight, the pickings in my area is getting slim.  And I had less than 28 more days to go with the threat of Michigan's unpredictable weather looming....

This one ate at me so early Saturday morning, after dropping TaGeez off at work, I circled back here.  I figured at 7 a.m. there would be little traffic (and a sparse chicken-buying public).  As I hadn't expected to go for this cache when I sleepily left the house, I arrived unprepared (don't ask where my emergency car shovel is - it's a sore subject).  Digging out my ice scraper, I set to work.  I can't imagine what the patrons of the family restaurant across the street were thinking, watching me wail on an ice block with the handle of my scraper, but I got it!

As I said later in my log, I've never worked so hard for a cupcake!

Afterwards, feeling all accomplished, I headed off for chores.  Stopping in the local hardware store, I spotted these babies and have added them to my winter caching supplies!  Kid-sized so they fit easily in my trunk and less than $5 apiece.

No snowbank is safe! And, yes, I did get my car shovel back.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Winter Streaking Tip:

I normally leave the house with a plan, but we know about the best laid plans, right?  This major snowstorm really did some damage. I find if I'm DNF'ing caches and still need the daily fix, I will check the recent activity of other streakers to see what caches they found accessible.  Nothing like pulling up to a GZ and finding footprints leading the way and the cache unburied! 

Let you in on a little joke...

Ben and Amanda (aka TheGrundalows) are fabulous cachers. 

They've gone on weeklong hikes in the Rocky Mountains and camped in the Appalachians. They adore Earth Caches and high terrains and kayak caches. Amanda races Ben for tree climbs. And  I haven't checked in awhile, but last I heard they were trying to complete their D/T grid for the third time! Majorly impressive!

But there's one thing that's stopped them in their tracks: The 12 Months of First to Finds. Every year February bites them in the butt. Because we live in Michigan. And it's Winter. The shortest, coldest, most brutal month.

They almost succeeded last year, but that's a different tale.

So, for the last year I've promised to hide a cache near their house for February. Thanks to MPMcGill, we even found a good spot!

The cache is part of my You Might Be A Geocacher If.... series which uses Geocaching memes that relate to the hide. The tag line is, "A fun series to start you off with a chuckle that will hopefully lead you to a smiley."  

Well, here's today's meme. The cache was published an hour ago.... and a new streak begins!

Congrats Ben and Amanda on your FTF!

Podcacher 502: I'm a Winner!

I received a message on Monday from a geocaching friend in Australia (FireSafe), asking me if I had listened to this week’s Podcacher.  Nope.  It’s not Tuesday.  A creature of habit my podcast rotation is Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me for Monday’s commute and Podcacher for Tuesday. (I won’t bore you with the rest of the rotation, but now I have to insert The Moth somewhere.  Have you heard of it? I’m thinking Wednesdays).

So, curious at Firesafe’s enigmatic message, I loaded Podcacher episode 502 and started to skip through the episode.  Have you used the handy 15-second fast forward button on your player?  It’s a great way to bypass overly long segments on any podcast (sorry, like the News from the Northwest.  It feels like one long infomercial).  I must admit on some podcasts I listen to it at 1.5x speed for the same reason.

Big moment at minute 50:30

Ok, where am I going with this (in case this post’s title didn’t clue you in). 

I’M A WINNER!

I need a profile picture.  I look like a
deranged bowling ball!

Several week’s ago I entered the 2014 Compass Rose Geocoin contest and was one of 5 lucky winners!  I was too late to claim the limited edition Cosmos coin, but I did win my second choice: The Immortality Coin.  I’m so grateful for Firesafe reaching out to me when he did!  Isn’t it beautiful? 

It’ll pair beautifully with the Compass Rose Protection Geocoin I won earlier this year on the GeoGearheads show!  

Can You Spot The Cacher?

Can you spot the cacher?  Can you?

Ok, I'll walk around the snowbank.  See him now?  By the time I arrived, TaGeez had already cleared away a few feet of snow from the skirt top.

So, how useless do you think a terrain rating in this weather is?  Detroit received about 16.7" of snow over 24 hours - third snowiest day in our history.

And it looks like we're not the only crazy people.  Doug's log is a hoot!

Another example of not underestimating the challenges of an LPC cache!