Saturday, April 01, 2006

GCV4NG Saxy's Place

The truth is I'd like to have slept in this morning. But some of the boys were making a little noise, and that woke me up a little. Then I thought about that first-to-find waiting out there, and I couldn't go back to sleep. In case you weren't sure I was obsessed with geocaching. :)
I got to meet the cache-owner, SAXman, last meeting in Denver. So I had an extra connection to this cache. I saw that he posted this morning that the coordinates were off. I'd seen the night before that the coordinates were in somebody's back-yard. But I could tell the secret trail, as I call them, was pretty narrow here, limiting the places the cache could be if the coordinates were close. So in spite of only having a short time, and in spite of the coordinates being off and in spite of it being a micro, I was drawn to do this cache.
I was glad I was able to find this cache - that means I was able to confirm more accurate coordiantes, so the cache-owner doesn't have to run out himself to check - especially since he works on Saturdays.
There is a bit of irony in how easy this one was compared to the 2 others I tried today. I could not find another micro, even with the help of my 2 younger pirates. And the middle pirate found a medium cache that I was having trouble finding today too. I guess I used up all my luck in the morning :)

GCV4NG Saxy's Place Micro 1.5/1.5
MrWitzAbout
Found-It log: April 1, 2006 by WitzAbout
N 38° 56.813 W 104° 47.381
Mr.WitzAbout on his own - about 8:30am.
A day later and nobody has claimed the find. I saw the DNF last night. I woke up this morning a little early wondering if anyone had found it yet. Checked - nope - no finds. So I got out of the house while half the family was still asleep.
I tried coming in from the south, I'd sort of turned the map 90 degrees in my mind. I parked at the spot that showed I was the closest, at what looked like a path in. I got out of the car, and started walking a couple of feet down the path when I realized it was actually a driveway. Wrong way!
I got back in the car and drove the long way around the block clockwise, past where they were building a church.
I saw a couple of people near the spot as I rounded the construction area. I was thinking I was too late for the FTF. But I figured I might meet up with a couple of other cachers this way, and perhaps get some help with my nemesis: the micro cache.
I found the secret trail entrance from the North, so I did not have to cross the construction zone. I hurried out to the cache coordinates. The other two people seemed to be talking about 200 feet away. I wasn't sure then if they were geocachers. I tried to look nonchalant as I looked around the natural cache hiding places. Boy is this area screaming for some CITO. But the only caching gear I had with me is my GPSr. And I was on a tight schedule - I had to stop looking in a half hour to get home in time. So I will have to come back to CITO. I think there may be more trash here than all of Midland Trail ;-) Watch out for the fresh doggy droppings.
So after a couple of minutes, I figured out what the other 2 were doing. I had wandered about 50 feet further down, and saw that they were filming some sort of intro or sales video in the construction area. But the camera was facing the other way. The guy with the mic was facing towards me, but he seemed to be more interested in his script.
So I turned my back to the muggles and continued my visual search.
I was not optimistic. A micro. A micro that had a DNF. A micro in an area with many places it could be hidden. And lots and lots of trash that could possibly be a micro.
I checked one piece of trash that didn't seem likely. Nope.
I was walking back to the general area of the coordinates. I check my GPSr and got as close as I could to the coordinates without going into the back yard. I looked around the area some more. I spotted something in a logical area. I think I said out loud - that doesn't seem right here. Poke, poke. Pick up. It must be the cache! It reminded me of something from the listing!
Cool container! I wasn't positive it was the cache until I tapped out the empty log.
I got the FTF - yay :) :)
I have to acknowledge the Spot Crew for trying first and having trouble with the coordinates.
Signed the log. Put it back. Took a GPS reading.
N38 56.813 W104 47.381 - checking google earth, it looks like the right spot. Double checking the listed coordinates - same exact longitude, just a different latitude.
I think I spent more time finding the right place to park than finding the cache. :) I agree with the rating.
I had enough time to run over and get some fresh bagels for the family.
Thanks for the cache!
Mr.WitzAbout

No comments: