Waymarking Gone Astray - Bring Back Virtuals!

Waymarking replaced Virtual Geocaching and proceeded to go astray.

According to “The Geocaching Handbook” by Layne Cameron, Virtual caches offer “beautiful or unspoiled views. A pristine view, the soothing rapids, or sand dunes at sunset…”

In “The Essential Guide to Geocaching” by Mike Dyer, a virtual cache is “tailored to those who would like to visit someplace “magical” or unique…a particular location, which has unbelievable natural beauty, uniqueness, or ambiance…Whatever the location, the object of the game is that you will see and experience what the Virtual cache creator deems truly incredible to see.”

In “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Geocaching,” Virtual caches are “a distinct, unique object...”

I became deeply disappointed with Waymarking over a year ago. Waymarking had deteriated into "Yellow Pages." Bring back Virtuals which I enjoy visiting i.e. Seven Feathers Casino Sculpture!

Health Law Critic is upset he has to wait for coverage

Andy Harris, Republican, new House Member from Maryland and Health Law Critic, is upset that he has to wait a month for his new health insurance coverage to take effect. He was informed in a briefing last Monday about employee benefits for new members of Congress, staff aides and family members. The Federal Employees Health Benefits plan starts covering new members of Congress and their families about a month after they enroll. Harris is strongly opposed to the new health care law, which he would like to see repealed. So let me understand his position. Representative Andy Harris is complaining that he has to wait a month for health insurance for him and his family that he wants to deny to millions of Americans. The American people deserve the same government provided Health Care benefits as Congress receives.

Letter to Republicans

Now that the election is over, I have a challenge for the new Republican majority. If you are retired or nearing retirement, I challenge you, as fervent believers in smaller government, to "just say no" to your Social Security and Medicare.

If you truly are in the majority and if you truly have the courage to stand up for your beliefs, by turning down these two socialist programs you will reduce the size of two mammoth entitlements by over 50 percent. We can shrink the size of government without relying on Congress to do anything.

You will instantly reduce the deficit by a huge amount, be an example of real patriotism and no longer feel guilty about being a closet socialist. So, stand up and do the right thing for yourselves and your country. You can do it!

(This blog has been paraphrased from a Letter to the Editor by Carl Darnell, Central Point in the Mail Tribune, November 10, 2010)

Trip to Turlock - Wednesday, November 17, 2010

This is the last day of my eight day trip to Turlock/Yosemite. I had to scrape the ice off my car windows. I ate a bacon-egg-and cheese biscuit and small orange juice at 7:30AM at Yreka. I stayed the night in Yreka as I did want to go over the Siskiyou in the dark. It turned out that I might as well have gone anyway. The fog was so thick I could only see a couple hundred feet. I found a red car to follow until the fog cleared. I stopped at Harry & David in Medford to purchase some gifts. I found two caches near the Valley of the Rogue State Park: Watch Your Step and [Our] Lady of the River. I ate tendercrisp chicken sandwich, diet coke and apple pie for lunch at Burger King in Grants Pass about 12:15PM.

I stopped for an hour at the Seven Feathers Casino. I did not play any of my money. Walking around watching the players and looking at the machines reaffirmed my belief that Indian Casinos are only profitable for the casino not the patrons. It was windy and dark by the time that I reached Eugene. Soon there was torrential rains and flooding. I got home about 7:30PM and unloaded the car in the pouring rain. There were television broadcasts of Urban Flood Warnings until 9:00/9:30PM.

Trip to Turlock/Yosemite - Tuesday, November 16, 2010

I ate a bacon-egg-and cheese biscuit and small orange juice at 8:30AM at Willows. I ate tendercrisp chicken sandwich, diet coke and apple pie for lunch at Burger King in Shasta Lake about 2:15PM. I stayed the night at Motel 6–Yreka. I took the bedspread and the paper thin blanket off the bed and covered the bed with my unfolded sleeping bag to keep warm.

I found two caches: Willows Break and Woodson Bridge Caches. I did not find four caches including the I-5 Interstate Highway Challenge Cache. The tree had all of the lower branches cleanly cut off. I found a large white plastic spider in the grass and leaves under the tree. I took a flashlight and looked in the large circular drain but could not see anything. I came across an interesting sight in an olive grove this morning – a large green olive with a red straw diagonally through its center.

Trip to Turlock/Yosemite - Monday, November 15

After a breakfast of blueberries and yogurt topped with Quaker Oats, my daughter, Catherine, left for work. I packed the car and headed north for Vancouver, WA. I purchased an Italian sub sandwich, chip and soft drink at Subway in Galt. I ate my lunch near Hwy 99 overlooking flooded fields west of Coursman. I watched a couple white herons. I got a hot fudge sundae at McDonalds in Gridley. I ate tendercrisp chicken sandwich, diet coke and apple pie for dinner at Burger King in Willows. I stayed the night at Motel 6 in Willows.

The most memorable cache was “In Memoriam” in Yuba City. The caretaker told me about the plaza which was an Eagle Scout project and the story of the tragic event. Twenty eight Yuba City High School Choir students died after a bus loaded with 57 students plunged off a Hwy 680 off-ramp near Martinez and landed upside down about 11:00AM on May 21, 1976. Two teachers were also on board with the husband of one of the teachers following in a car. One of the teachers, Cristina Estabrook, died in the crash.

Trip to Turlock/Yosemite - Sunday, November 14, 2010

After a breakfast of blueberries and yogurt topped with Quaker Oats, my daughter, Catherine, did a few hours of work while I read Carl Hiaasen’s “Sick Puppy.” We stopped at Safeway for snacks and bottled water about 1:30PM. We found four geocaches and a benchmark in Modesto and Merced areas. The sunsets this weekend have been really spectacular! We got Subway sandwiches, chips and soft drinks for dinner at 6:00PM which we ate in the apartment. We watched a funny DVD movie "Analyze This" starring Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, and Lisa Kudrow. Somehow I lost the spare key to my car. Probably threw it in the trash when I cleaned out my car.

Trip to Turlock/Yosemite - Saturday, November 13, 2010

After a breakfast of blueberries and yogurt topped with Quaker Oats, my daughter, Catherine, did a few hours of work while I read Carl Hiaasen’s “Sick Puppy.” Catherine is the Civil Engineer for the Castle Airport Taxiway Project. I visited her over the weekend to break up her month and half long stay in Turlock. We had sandwiches for lunch.

After lunch we drove to Yosemite via Merced. We saw a 68-foot obelisk at the corner of Hwy 140 and Arboleda Drive. It is the final resting place of George Hicks Fancher, 1828 – 1900, a prominent Merced County farmer and businessman. His tombstone was the subject of a lawsuit that went to the state court of appeals. Fancher's will set aside $25,000 for burial and a "monument" on one of his ranches. One of his sons wanted to spend $2,000 on the gravestone in the local cemetery and build a library in Merced with the rest. Another son wanted the will followed to the letter, and so the legal battle began. The court ruled, in effect, that monument means monument, and that his wish to be buried on his ranch was to be followed. So the current monument was erected presumably with him under it (no evidence of his original burial in the local cemetery remains). Yosemite travelers gained an unexpected sight on the way to the park.

At Yosemite we saw Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan, Upper and Lower Yosemite Fall, Half Dome and the outside of The Ahwahnee. It was getting dark by the time we returned to Turlock. I photographed two water tanks as the sun was setting but do not have a clue where they were located!

Trip to Turlock/Yosemite - Friday, November 12, 2010

I left Red Bluff quite early. I ate a bacon-egg-and cheese biscuit and small orange juice at 8:30AM at Willows. I got a muffin at the Dunnigan General Store at noon. I ate a Chicken Classic at McDonalds in Galt about 4:00PM. I arrived at my daughter Catherine's apartment in Turlock about 6:00PM. We visited and then went to Cool Hand Luke’s for dinner. Since I ate late at McDonalds I just had Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream.

My most memorable cache of the day was located at the historic City Cemetery in Sacramento. Captain John A. Sutter established the cemetery in late 1849 with a ten-acre-gift to the city. In 1880 Margaret Crocker donated the final acreage on the hill. The highest point in this cemetery may also be the highest elevation in Sacramento, as well. During the flood of 1861, the cemetery served as a safe haven from high waters.

Trip to Turlock/Yosemite - Thursday, November 11, 2010

I backtracked from north Medford on I-5 to find a cache and then headed south. I ate bacon-egg-and cheese biscuit and small orange juice at McDonalds in Phoenix for breakfast. I ate lunch at Burger King in Yreka and stopped mid-afternoon for hot fudge sundae at McDonalds in Red Bluff. I had big bowl of chili with corn bread for dinner at Perko’s Café in Red Bluff. I stayed the night at Motel 6 – Red Bluff.

The most interesting cache of the day was “Stone’s Turnpike.” Until 1860, only a dangerous pack trail through the upper Sacramento River Canyon linked Oregon with California. Yreka’s merchants and settlers wanted a safer wagon road. The rugged terrain defied road building efforts until the Upper Soda Springs-Pitt River Turnpike Company built 44 miles of road from Upper Soda Springs (north Dunsmuir) to Stone’s Pitt River Ferry (now under Lake Shasta). Stone’s Turnpike Road is now Interstate 5. The most interesting sight was the snow capped Mt. Shasta.

Trip to Turlock/Yosemite - Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I decided that I was going to drive the entire trip off the top half of the gas tank which was a very successful decision. I left Vancouver about 6:00AM. I spent most of the morning learning how to use the Garmin GPSmap 60csx and the Garmin nuvi. I got a Bacon-Egg-Cheese Biscuit at McDonalds in Woodburn. Ate lunch at Taco Bell in Sutherland about 12:45PM and stopped at Myrtle Creek Dairy Queen in mid afternoon for a Dilly Bar. I ate dinner in Medford at the Wathams Truck Stop Restaurant about 8:30PM. I stayed the night at Motel 6 - Medford North. The most interesting cache of the day was the “Bite of Heaven.” I went inside where I mentioned that I was a geocacher to the employees and received a special treat.

American people deserve the same government provided Health Care benefits as Congress receives

While over 46 million Americans remain uninsured and millions more underinsured, members of the U.S. Congress -- Representatives and Senators alike -- receive some of the best health care benefits in the country, much of it paid for with taxpayer dollars.

Yet these same members - especially Republicans - vow to delay the implementation of Health Care that would extend similar protections to the rest of America and want to eventually abolish Health Care altogether.

The American people deserve the same government provided Health Care benefits as Congress receives.

"Glass Art in the Northwest" - Day 6

On Friday, October 15th, we viewed a film made in 1962 about the construction of the Space Needle. We rode the monorail to the Seattle Center where we rode the elevator to the top of the Space Needle for a view of the city. Mount Rainier did not make an appearance unfortunately. I located and photographed the Seattle Sacred Heart Church which is a benchmark. I also photographed the labyrinth and the Experience Music Project (EMP).

Afterwards I wandered over to Starbucks where I had a slice of frosted lemon loaf. I walked to the International Fountain where I found the geocache “Under the Needle.” The water was shooting high in the air accompanied by music.

I rode the bus to Fremont. I ate lunch at Starbucks. I walked over to Groundspeak Headquarters arriving at 2:00PM. I left a Geocoin, was given an HQ tag, and purchased two Geocoins – “10 Years Geo Caching” and “Lackeys 2010.” I took my picture in the photo machine. I put one four photo strip on the wall above the reception desk and took the other.

I rode the bus back to Seattle Center, rode the monorail to Westlake Center and then walked to the Red Lion hotel. I picked up my checked suitcase. I walked down to 3rd where I caught a bus to 5th & Jackson.

I got my Business Class seat assignment and checked my suitcase. I boarded the train at 5:00. I had a seatmate, Ann who worked for Bank of America. I told her about Geocaching and Benchmarking and showed my trip photos on the digital camera screen. I got a bowl of Ivar’s Clam Chowder from the Bistro car. I arrived at the Vancouver Amtrak Station about 8:45. It was a fun trip but it was good to be home.

"Glass Art in the Northwest" - Day 5

On Thursday, October 14th, the Road Scholar group traveled 45 minutes south on I-5 by motor coach to spend the day in Tacoma. We visited the Chihuly exhibits at Union Station, the Tacoma Art Museum and the spectacular Chihuly Bridge of Glass and Museum of Glass.

While the group finished touring the Tacoma Art Museum, I walked a couple blocks to a stop where I rode the Tacoma Link light rail to the end of the line at S 9th. I photographed the old Tacoma City Hall. There was a NGS benchmark and a USGS benchmark. I walked back to the S 9th stop and rode light rail to Union Station stop. I walked across the Bridge of Glass where I joined the group at the Museum of Glass. We ate lunch in the Museum of Glass Café.

We saw the Glass Art Exhibits and watched artists blow glass in the hot shop. I watched a short film, The Making of Recycle, about a kid who designed glass art, the recycled robot, and then watched his design crafted in the Glass Hot Shop by professional artists. The Recycled Robot was displayed in the Kids Design Glass gallery, a uniquely MOG exhibition. The kid is given a Recycled Robot also. Tacoma’s Triniti Media filmmakers who created The Making of Recycle won a 2010 Telly Award.

We drove back to the Red Lion hotel about 3:30PM. We met in the hotel lobby about 5:45 to walk to the Pilchuck Glass School auction pieces on display at the The Westin Hotel. The Pilchuck Auction preview was open to the public. I was given a glass of champagne as I entered the room with the Auction Glass Art. There were more than 250 of the “hottest works in glass art by renowned masters and outstanding new talents from around the world.” I found about a half dozen pieces that I liked including a Chihuly, a Singletary and art glass by Mielle Riggie.

Back at the Red Lion hotel we photographed and then bubble wrapped the pieces that we had created at the Pratt Fine Arts Center earlier in the week. Someone won the large purple pumpkin in the drawing. We had dinner at Benihana a couple blocks south of the Red Lion hotel. We had frozen vanilla ice cream for dessert.

"Glass Art in the Northwest" - Day 4

On Wednesday, October 13th, we had a guided tour of the Pilchuck Glass Collection at City Center, the Dale Chihuly chandeliers at Benaroya Hall and The William Travers Gallery. We also visited the Vetri Gallery around the corner.

I walked down to the waterfront to locate and photograph several NGS and USGS benchmarks as well as five National Ocean Service benchmarks. Afterwards I located the Parking Garage with its bright red neon sign "To The Market" near the Pike Place Trolley shelter. I took the garage elevator up to the upper level, walked to the street, turned right for a bit, crossed the street and took the Pike Place elevator located to the left of the stairs to the upper level of Pike Place Market. I had lunch across the street at Starbucks on 1st & Pike.

I went back down to the waterfront reversing the route that I had come up. I found a geocache at a well known sculpture. I walked to Pioneer Square where I found two benchmarks near Prefontaine Park.

I took a bus to Union Street and walked to the Red Lion where I dropped off some things in my hotel room. I walked north a couple blocks and rode the monorail to Seattle Center. I had planned to find a geocache at the International Fountain but there were too many Geomuggles and the benchmark, a gilded cross atop the Sacred Heart Church steeple, was outside the Seattle Center. I wandered around until I came across the Seattle Repertory Theater. I ended up getting a Rush ticket at 7:00PM to “God of Carnage” by French playwright Yasmina Reza who snagged a Tony Award for the play in June 2009. I had a great seat – Section 3, Row D, Seat 3. The play was hilarious!

I rode the monorail to downtown and walked the couple blocks to the hotel. I ate a late dinner at the Elephant & Castle Pub with vanilla ice cream topped with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

"Glass Art in the Northwest" - Day 3

On Tuesday, October 12th, we visited Olympic Color Rods that sells premiere glass colors and all essential glass blowing supplies to glassmakers from all over the country. We were unable to visit Dale Chihuly’s studio in Ballard after all however we visited two glass artists at their studios: Martin Blank and Preston Singletary. I saw Preston Singletary’s glass art a couple years ago at the William Traver Gallery here in Seattle. I was quite impressed with his blown and sandblasted glass bowls.

We had lunch at Racha. The coconut ice cream was delicious! Afterwards we traveled by yellow school bus to the Seattle Art Museum. This was my first visit to the new wing. We saw the Picasso exhibit which I had seen in Paris at the Musee Picasso a few years ago. Afterwards I wandered through the museum looking at the other exhibits. I found a comfortable chair in front of a video set and took a short nap. I stopped at the Seattle Public Library to check my e-mail. I purchased a book reading yellow duckie. We had dinner at the Red Lion hotel at 6:00. Afterwards we watched a video – “Chihuly and the Masters of Venice.”

"Glass Art in the Northwest" - Day 2

On Monday morning, October 11th we had a short talk about the history of Pike Place Market. We rode a yellow school bus to the Pratt Fine Arts Center to blow glass. We watched the glass blowers make a large purple pumpkin and then we each blew glass mostly making colorful bowls.

We traveled once again on the school bus to the waterfront where we had a delicious lunch at Fishermans Restaurant, Miners Landing at Pier 57. Afterwards we toured a bit of Pike Place Market. We saw the famous Pike Place Market neon sign and clock, Rachel, the life-size bronze pig, the flying fish at Pike Place Fish, an Italian grocery, DeLaurenti, Giant Squid, the Gum Wall, Giant Shoes exhibit, and the original Starbucks with its life-size pig “Pork and Beans” over the doorway. Then we had free time until dinner at the hotel. Patricia and I wandered around looking at the stalls of fresh produce, cut flowers, seafood and crafts and then wandered along Post Alley stopping briefly at a tea shop.

I had a glass of chardonnay wine at the Red Lion lounge at 5:30 where I sat with three other women until time for dinner. After dinner we watched some videos about Seattle. It was much quieter in our hotel room this evening!

"Glass Art in the Northwest" - Day 1

On Sunday, October 10th I traveled on Amtrak Business Class from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington. I saw the red lights on the St. Johns Bridge spires when we crossed the Willamette River. We passed through a 1,200-feet tunnel as we left Kelso-Longview. A few miles past Centralia I saw acres of the mysterious Mima Mounds. I saw McNeil Island prison in the distance at Steilacoom. The train passed the tall, elegant Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridges. We traveled under the Bridge of Glass which connects the old Union Station with the Museum of Glass. About ten minutes before reaching Seattle, we passed Boeing field. I arrived at King Street Station about noon. The interior of King Street Station is being renovated and restored to its original beauty.

Seattle was settled in 1852. It was named after a friendly Duwamish Indian Chief, Se’e-aahl (1786-1866). Most of the town burned to the ground in 1889 and determined citizens rebuilt it. I arrived at noon, got my checked baggage and rode the outside elevator to 4th where I caught at bus north to Union Street. I checked into the Red Lion Hotel on 5th Avenue. I settled into my Room 908 facing Elliott Bay. I walked over to Pike Place Market where I purchased a Starbucks bear and ate lunch at Starbucks and purchased some colorful chrysanthemums for $5.00 at a stall in the market. Back at the hotel I got a vase for the flowers. My roommate, Patricia, arrived around 3:00PM from Victoria via the Clipper.

I picked up my Elderhostel/Road Scholar Registration Packet at 4:00PM on the 5th floor. The Reception was held at 5:00 and Welcome by Carol Barton at 5:30. We ate a salmon dinner with chocolate brownies for dessert at 6:00. We introduced ourselves and saw a video at 7:00PM on glassmaking techniques. Back in the room Patricia and I could hear the television sound coming from the next room. I finally fell asleep at 11:00 with the television still blaring. It woke me at 4:00AM. I got dressed and went to the lobby with a novel. I reported the noise and set in the lobby reading until breakfast at 6:30. Evidently it was an elderly woman with hearing loss who fell asleep with the television on. Argh!

Backroads of Oregon - Day 8

On Saturday, September 4, my son, Christopher, daughter, Catherine and I had a complimentary continental breakfast. We traveled back to Crescent Lake, back to Oakridge, crossed the river at Lowell, through Fall Creek, Springfield, Marcola, Crawfordsville to I-5 and home to Vancouver/Portland. We stopped at Oakridge Ray’s for sandwich and bottle water. We ate lunch at a picnic table near the red Office Covered Bridge.

The highlight of the day was visiting the various Covered Bridges: Lowell, Office, Unity – Fall Creek, Pengra, Wendling, Ernest (this bridge appeared in the movie Shenandoah starring Jimmy Stewart that was filmed in the Mohawk Valley during the mid-1960s. The movie company altered the bridge to reflect Civil War architecture, and then restored it back to the original condition in 1965), and Crawfordsville Covered Bridge. We found 13 caches (Catherine found three additional caches and Christopher found two additional caches) and 2 benchmarks. All together we found 152 geocaches and benchmarks during our eight day trip.

I took Catherine to her home in east Vancouver, stopped by my house to get Christopher’s cat where he had been staying, drove Christopher to his apartment in northwest Portland and then got back to my house very late at night. It was good to sleep in my own bed once again!

Backroads of Oregon - Day 7

On Friday, September 3, my son, Christopher, daughter, Catherine and I traveled from Lakeview to Valley Falls, Paisley, Summer Lake, La Pine, Crater Lake, Chemult, Crescent Lake and Oakridge. I got bananas and Greek Yogurt for breakfast. We ate lunch at Taco Bell in La Pine. We drove around Crater Lake clockwise stopping briefly at the Lodge as the sun was setting. We got sandwiches for dinner at Odell Sportsman Center in Crescent Lake. Christopher tried to find the nearby cache but it was just too dark. We stayed the night in Room 217-A at the Best Western Oakridge Inn at 47433 Hwy 58.

The highlights of the day were the Memorial Gravemarker at Silver Lake Cemetery; Fort Rock; and the drive around the Crater Lake rim stopping at the Viewpoints including Crater Lake Lodge. We found 16 caches and 2 benchmarks

Backroads of Oregon - Day 6

On Thursday, September 2nd, my son, Christopher, daughter, Catherine and I traveled from Hines/Burns to Frenchglen, Fields, Adel and Lakeview. We had breakfast at Apple Peddler #7. Once again the food was good but the service was terrible! We stopped at the Safeway in Burns to purchase sandwiches, BBQ chips, and Devils Food Cookies. We ate the picnic lunch at the grounds of the historic Frenchglen Hotel. We had ice cream at The Narrows in Princeton located 26 miles south of Burns on Highway 205 at 6:59 PM. We stayed the night in Room 138 at the Budget Inn on 411 North F Street.

The highlights of the day were a visit to the Wild Horses just west of Hines; a stop in Frenchglen for a picnic lunch; and crossing into Idaho and Nevada briefly. Christopher found part of a dead rattlesnake at Denio Junction. We found 7 caches and 1 benchmark.

Backroads of Oregon - Day 5

On Wednesday, September 1st, my son, Christopher, daughter, Catherine and I had a continental breakfast at the Inn. We traveled south from Ontario to Nyssa, Adrian, Jordan Valley, Burns Junction, Voltage, Burns and Hines (Hwy 201//95 (Idaho)/turned west at Jordan Valley on Hwy 95; then NW on Hwy 78 (Steens Hwy). We got lunchboxes at Albertsons.

We had a picnic lunch in a park in Jordan Valley. It was really windy. We had ice cream at The Narrows in Princeton. We stayed in Room 206 at the Best Western Inn at 534 Hwy 20 North in Hines. We ate a late dinner at Apple Peddler #7 in Hines, Oregon. While the food was good, the service was terrible!

The highlights of the day were seeing the Pillars of Rome – tall, chalk-colored cliffs above a dry tributary of the Owyhee (they stand 100 feet high and measure about five miles long and two miles wide); Jean Baptiste Charbonneau’s (1805 – 1866) grave at Inskip Station near Danner and the Machine that Won the West in really good condition. We found 11 caches and 4 benchmarks.

Backroads of Oregon - Day 4

On Tuesday, August 31, my son, Christopher, daughter, Catherine and I had breakfast at BW. We traveled from Enterprise to La Grande, Baker City, Sumpter, Huntington, Weiser, Payette and Ontario.

As we left the BW I took several photos of the nearby gutted US Forest Service Building. Fire engulfed the US Forest Service Building located at 88401 HWY 82 in Enterprise, Oregon late afternoon on Sunday July 11, 2010. The investigation has identified the probable cause of the fire to have been spontaneous ignition of materials (cloths) used in the application of sealant to the exterior of the building. We purchased sandwiches at Albertson’s in Baker City for lunch. We had lunch at a picnic area at Phillips Lake. We had delicious ice cream in Sumpter at the Scoop-N-Steamer Full-Service Restaurant. We stayed in Room 215 at the Sleep Inn at 1221 S.E. 1st Avenue in Ontario. We ate dinner at Denny’s.

The highlights of the day were delicious ice cream at The Scoop N Steamer Station in Sumpter; the Chinese Cemetery in Baker City; the Oregon Trail Wagon Ruts at Birch Creek (The area was first named "Riviere aux Bouleaux" (River with the Birches) by French-Canadian fur trappers however emigrants found Willows and not Birch trees); and seeing the Snake River. The Snake is a major river in the greater Pacific Northwest region. It is the largest and longest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. We found 11 caches and 1 benchmark.

Backroads of Oregon - Day 3

On Monday, August 30, my son, Christopher, daughter, Catherine and I had a full breakfast at the BW. We traveled from Pendleton to La Grande, Elgin, Wallowa, Enterprise, Joseph and Imnaha. The Mt. Loop Road (Hwy 39/86) was closed until fall or later as the road was washed out in five places so back to Enterprise.

We purchased sandwiches for a picnic lunch at Albertsons in Pendleton. We ate our lunch at a picnic area along the Wallowa River located at the end of a very long, narrow gravel road. We stopped at The Blue Banana at 143 Hwy 82 in Lostine where Catherine got a coffee drink. We backtracked to Enterprise where we stayed the night in Room 204-A at the Best Western, 1200 Highland Avenue. We got a large pizza at Family Bake Pizza in Enterprise about 7:30 PM.

The highlights of the day were seeing the exterior of the famous Opera House at Elgin; exploring the exterior and interior of the Blue Banana Espresso at Lostine; and seeing the Brennan gravestone and learning about Walter Brennan’s ranch in Joseph. We found 14 caches and 5 benchmarks.

Backroads of Oregon - Day 2

On Sunday, August 29, my son, Christopher, daughter, Catherine and I had breakfast at the Sleep Inn. We traveled from Redmond to Bend, Prineville, Spray, Heppner, Pilot Rock and Pendleton. We drove to the top of Pilot Butte in Bend to do a Virtual and photograph the benchmark. From Prineville, Oregon we took Hwy 26 east about 60 miles and then north about 7 miles to the bold yellow and red striped Painted Hills. We ate our picnic lunch in Mitchell at a park with a really tall children’s slide.

After our picnic lunch we visited Sheep Rock Unit where Christopher left both GPSr in the Men’s Restroom. We discovered they were missing an hour later when we were a couple miles north of the Visitor Center. We were able to retrieve them from a young man that found them. I was really worried that we would run out of gas before we got to Pendleton as we traveled through the dark, deserted hills. We had dinner at Shari’s Restaurant in Pendleton about 9:00 PM. We stayed the night in Room 202 at the Best Western, 400 SE Nye Avenue in Pendleton.

The highlights of the day were the Scenic Viewpoint at Pilot Butte, a 511-ft-high cinder cone; viewing the Painted Hills; and visiting the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center at Sheep Rock Unit (John Day Fossil Beds). We found 9 caches and 6 benchmarks.

Backroads of Oregon - Day 1

On Saturday, August 28, 2010 my son, Christopher, daughter, Catherine and I traveled from Vancouver, WA through Sandy, Zigzag, Maupin, Madras, and Terrebonne to Redmond on Hwy 26 and Hwy 97. We stopped at Joe’s Donuts in Sandy, Oregon for donuts about 10:00 AM. We stopped at Safeway in Madras to purchase sandwiches and BBQ chips. We had a picnic lunch in the park at Madras. We had dinner at Shari’s Restaurant in South Redmond about 9:00 PM. We stayed the night in Room 308 at Sleep Inn, 1847 N. Hwy 97 in Redmond.

The highlights of the day were getting fresh donuts at Joe’s Donuts in Sandy; visiting Timberline Lodge at the 6,000 ft. level of the 11,235 ft. Mt. Hood to see the photos of the 1951 movie “Bend in the River” starring Jimmy Stewart and Julie Adams; and visiting Ogden Scenic Wayside Park to see the three bridges that cross the Crooked River Gorge. We found 12 caches and 3 benchmarks.

Geocaching Segment on KATU, Portland, Oregon

http://www.katu.com/amnw/segments/100784559.html

How many caching errors can you spot?

Rod Blagojevich - No Smoking Gun

CHICAGO — They were close. After three weeks of respectful but increasingly tense deliberations, 11 jurors were ready to convict Rod Blagojevich of what prosecutors called a "political corruption crime spree."

Not close enough. On vote after vote, the jury kept coming up one juror short — a lone holdout who wouldn't budge and would agree only that Blagojevich lied to the FBI. "The person just did not see the evidence that everyone else did," said a juror.

My thoughts: Rod Blagojevich does have a big, foul mouth. But if you could be convicted for talking too much and using profane language, threatening to kill someone or their barking dogs, etc. we would all be convicted and sent to prison.

There was no money involved. He did not actually do what he talked about doing. It is only talk.

And now the government is going to spend thousands of dollars of taxpayer money for another trial -- both for prosection and for the defense. Now there is money involved but it is our money!!

Richland's Geocoin Challenge, August 6 - 8, 2010

Christopher and I left Portland, Oregon around 2:00PM on Friday, August 6th. We stopped at a grocery store and got gas in the car. We traveled I-84 eastbound to Kennewick finding four caches along the way and did not find two caches. Christopher got something in his right eye at one of the cache sites from a tree limb which was quite painful. We stopped at a laundry in Irrigon, Oregon so he could wash it out. We stayed two nights in a suite (with two full bathrooms!) at the Quality Inn in Kennewick. We ate dinner nearby at Shari’s.

After breakfast at the Quality Inn, we arrived at John Dam Plaza about 8:30AM for Richland’s Geocoin Challenge -- Celebrating Richland's 100 Year Anniversary. The challenge consisted of a series of nine historical caches. Participants had to find eight of the nine caches to receive a free Richland Geocoin. They printed a total of 250 geocoins.

It was really hot. I do not do well in hot weather. I wore my Tilly hat which helped. We found nine caches but forgot to get the code word for Island Vue Drive In. We went back after getting our coin. I walked out in the sagebrush field using the GPSr to get the code word.

We went back to the suite for a couple hours during the heat of the day. Christopher took a nap in the bedroom while I watched a program about Laura and Whitney mistaken identity on the living room television. We found eight more caches and one earthcache (did not claim a find but just wrote a note). We ate a late dinner at Denny’s.

After breakfast at the Quality Inn, I packed up the car. It was easy this time. Instead of making numerous trips, I used the luggage cart. We found 13 caches in the Richland/Kennewick area and on Hwy 14 on the way home. We did not find Roosevelt Grade Overlook. It was much too dangerous for Christopher to be crawling around on the cliff. The view was breathtaking though.

We crossed over to Oregon at Biggs. We stopped at McDonalds in Hood River for ice cream. I was really exhausted. It was hard to stay awake. We took a break at Multnomah Falls. I took Christopher home with me so he could check the Internet. We unloaded the car. I took Christopher home about 9:00PM. It was good to be back to cool weather!

Who is Rose Red?

Rose Red is my Geocaching name. Rose Red was not taken from "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer - My Life at Rose Red" ghost writen by Ridley Pearson nor from Stephen King's televison drama, "Rose Red." Rose Red was taken from the Brother Grimm story of "Snow-white and Rose-red."

Afternoon Tea at Myrtle's Tea House, Ridgefield, WA

My neighbor, Pat Gutierrez, and I had afternoon tea at Myrtle’s Tea House at 112 S. Main Avenue in Ridgefield, Washington today, July 23, 2010 about 1:00PM. The Tea House, formerly the Ridgefield Library, had lovely décor. We had the window table which looked out at the white church and churchyard. Our first course was a raspberry sorbet. We had dainty tea sandwiches (I ate one of the sandwiches and then remembered to take a photo), a bowl of tomato bisque soup and fresh fruit followed by a scone and desserts. Afterwards we went to the gift shop to pay our bill and browse the gifts. I bought a lavender butterfly mobile/wind chimes. Tearoom hours are 11:30am to 3:00pm Wednesday through Saturday. Contact: 360 887-9018. Reservations are a good idea.

Geocaching for six DeLorme Pages

My #2 son, Christopher, and I left Portland at 7:00AM yesterday morning. We drove south of Corvallis on I-5 where we turned east on Hwy 228 almost to Hoodoo Ski Bowl, then north to Idanha on Hwy 22 and then northwest on Hwy 22 through Stayton to Salem, and the north back home to Portland and Vancouver. Christopher got home about 8:00PM and I got home about 9:00PM as I stopped by my daughter, Catherine's house to have a piece of her Happy Birthday cake.

Our three favorite caches were "Rocky Road" - The Living Rock Studio in Brownsville, the cache at Crawfordsville Bridge, and "The Tasty Ol' Soda Springs." We were deeply disappointed in "An East Linn History Lesson" - we were there on a Thursday about 11:30AM but it was not open; "Cash in Trash Out!" (DNF), keller cache" (DNF) and "Historic Stayton: The Brown House." "Welcome to Gates" was a physically challenging cache.

Canby, North Clackamas and Estacada Geocoin Challenges

My #2 son, Christopher, and I did three Geocoin challenges the weekend before going to GeoWoodstock VIII. We found the Canby Geocoin Challenge on Friday, June 25th. We found the North Clackamas Geocoin Challenge on Sunday, June 27th. Afterwards we went to GEOregon Meet & Greet in Clackamas. We found Estacada Geocoin Challenge on Monday, June 28th. We picked up the North Clackamas and the Estacada Geocoins on Monday. Ornith (Bob Taylor) gave us out Canby geocoins at the Meet & Greet and Luau on Friday afternoon the day before GeoWoodstock VIII. We found ten caches for each of the Challenges.

GeoWoodstock VIII - Day 5

We packed up our stuff, hauled it in a wheelbarrow down to the car and left for home on Monday, July 5th. We stopped at Pine Lake McDonald’s in Sammamish for breakfast. We found ten caches and benchmarks on the way home. I stopped for a fish sandwich at Burger King about 5:15PM. Back in Portland I took Christopher to his apartment to unload his stuff. We went to Fred Meyer on Burnside to get some things and then back to his apartment. I got home about 8:30 PM or so. It was good to wash my hair, take a shower and sleep in my own bed!

GeoWoodstock VIII - Day 4

On Sunday, July 4th, we found ten caches and benchmarks. We ate lunch at Subway about 12:30PM at Kimball Creek Village in Snoqualmie. I had finished reading the novel “Legend” so I swapped it for another novel in a bookcase at the Snoqualmie Ridge Starbucks. We rode the Snoqualmie Scenic Train at 3:01PM from Snoqualmie to North Bend, back to Snoqualmie, to Snoqualmie Falls and then back to Snoqualmie. Round trip took approximately 70 minutes. I purchased food at QFC for a light dinner and breakfast. It poured down rain most of the day but it cleared up at 10:00PM for the fireworks. Christopher chose not to watch the fireworks and slept instead. Recorded music i.e. Aaron Copeland was played during the spectacular fireworks.

GeoWoodstock VIII - Day 3

Christopher and I attend GeoWoodstock VIII, an annual get-together of geocachers from all over the world, on Saturday, July 3, 2010 in Carnation, WA at Remlinger Farms, which is approximately 30 miles to the east of Seattle. Our Chinook Salmon level was $35.00 each which included Parking, Customized name badge, Lanyard, Meal (fresh strawberry shortcake with whipped cream topping for dessert or large chocolate chip cookie), GeoWoodstock event T-Shirt and GeoWoodstock event trackable geocoin. I checked out all of the booths but did not purchase anything. I enjoyed meeting cachers and helping them with a caching game -- "Getting to know you...". We left early to do more geocaching. We found five caches. We got sandwiches at QFC that evening for a light dinner.

GeoWoodstock VIII - Day 2

Christopher and I are “Twin Peaks” fans. We took a driving tour of the television series locations in Snoqualmie, North Bend and Fall City area while in the area for GeoWoodstock VIII.

We took the Highway 202 exit to North Bend. We stopped briefly at the Double R Diner (now called Twede's) near the railroad tracks. A man behind the counter was wearing a “Twin Peaks” T-shirt.

We took a right onto W North Bend Way and went through the downtown area of North Bend. We saw Mt. Si Motel on the left side of the street. This is the motel that Leland met with Teresa and saw Ronette and Laura in the motel room.

We turned around and went back to downtown North Bend, hit Highway 202/North Bend Blvd S, and took a right. We followed this road to Meadowbrook Way SE and took a sharp right. There was a high school from the pilot to our left. It looked very different as it has been remodeled.

We drove pass the high school to an intersection before a bridge. There was old garage to the right formerly white and now a dark gray. This was the Leland/Laura/Gerard intersection. Fat Trout Trailer Park was to our left. In the middle of the park was the Number 6 pole. As of eleven years ago, Teresa Banks' trailer was still there.

We drove across the bridge. Only one vehicle can cross at a time so traffic is controlled by a signal. We continued down the road to Ronette's bridge. The trestle used to go across the road but doesn't anymore. This intersection of Reining, Mill Pond and Meadowbrook was “Twin Peaks” Sparkwood and 21.

After taking some photos of the bridge and finding the geocache, we headed down Reining Road. We think that we found the actual place where the “Welcome to Twin Peaks” sign was located.

We turned around and headed back and got onto Mill Pond Road. We turned off to the left. This is the location of Packard's Saw Mill and the “Twin Peaks” Sheriff Station. The mill was gone and the office building was being renovated into a driver training facility.

We went back the way we came and got back on Meadowbrook Way SE. We headed back to Hwy 202, turned right into Railroad PL SE and headed northwest. As we entered Snoqualmie, we noticed the very big log on our left which was in the credits of “Twin Peaks.” We did the Virtual Geocache and a couple other caches. In the same area is the Railroad Car Museum which housed Laura’s railroad car way back when.

We kept going northwest on Railroad PL SE to the Salish Lodge (TP’s Great Northern). We walked to Snoqualmie Falls. The mist obscured the falls at times. We found two Geocaches.

We continued going northwest. As we entered Fall City to our right was Fall City Grill (Hap’s Diner). From that intersection, we turned left and went across the bridge. As we got to a stoplight we saw the Roadhouse on our left and the Bookhouse behind it. This was the exterior, not the interior.

We headed southwest down Preston Fall City Road SE/Hwy 203. We scarcely recognized Big Ed’s Gas Farm. We saw the Hurley house with that window across the street.

We continued south on Hwy 203 until we got to Interstate 90 (the town is Preston). We headed south toward North Bend. We exited near Exit 27 on Winery Road and followed it to the end of the road/parking lot to Snoqualmie Point Park. On a clear day you can get a great view of the “Twin Peaks” area including the mill however today it was raining and cloudy. This is the location of the “Twin Peaks” picnic scene and the scene where James sits looking at the necklace. Christopher found the geocache. From here we headed to Lake Sammamish State Park and the Meet & Greet and Tiki Luau arriving about 2:00PM.

Christopher and I had a great time at the COWWS Meet & Greet and Tiki Luau. We picked up our GeoWoodstock VIII Registration Packets, T-shirts and Geocoins. I purchased two Tiki Luau event Geocoins for Christopher and I. There were hotdogs on the grill along with cookies, chips, and drinks. The rain held off so the weather was cool but enjoyable.

We drove to the Tolt-MacDonald Campground in Carnation where we hauled our stuff to Yurt #3 in a large wheelbarrow and settled in. The pit toilets were a bit uphill and the showers were a long ways away!

We found a couple caches in Carnation. We ate dinner at Pete’s Grill & Pub about 8:30PM. Another couple joined us but the music was so loud that we could not talk very much.

We found eight caches today. Christopher also found the cache on the suspension bridge in camp that was later lost in the river.

GeoWoodstock VIII - Day 1

My #2 son, Christopher, and I left Portland, Oregon about 1:00PM. We stopped at Fred Meyer in north Vancouver where we ate lunch at an outdoor Starbucks table about 1:15PM. We traveled north and then northeast to North Bend. We found 11 caches on the way. One of the caches was near a lonely gravesite in the woods. I purchased a couple food items at QFC. We stayed the night at the North Bend Motel. It was chilly so I used my sleeping bag as a quilt.

McMenamins Tavern on 1716 N.W. 23rd, Portland, OR

Last night we had the worst meal. My son and I invited two singers, Diane and Dee, to join us at McMenamins Tavern on 1716 N.W. 23rd after the concert about 8:45PM.

We got the menus rather promptly and the waiter was anxious to bring us drinks. After serving the drinks it seemed like forever for the waiter to return to take our orders.

The food was terrible. My son ordered chili which came warm not hot. I ordered one-half tuna sandwich which came with brunt grill marks w/ drippy tuna, too much sliced onion, hard green tomato slice and very little lettuce. The tomato and rice soup was cold. My soda crackers were not in wrappers. The waiter said that he had taken the liberty of unwrapping them. They come two to a package so I should have been given four soda cracker instead of three. It was like I had been given someone's leftover soda crackers. Dee’s cup of tomato and rice soup was also cold. And the fries were dark brown, thin, lukewarm, and limp and the fish undercooked on Diane’s fish and chips.

It took forever to get the bill from the waiter and then it took forever to get the waiter to get our credit cards. We finally stood up to get the waiter’s attention.

I had requested that my meal and my son’s meal put on a separate check as I planned to pay for our meals with my credit card. The other two women were going to pay separately. However it all came on one bill. I circled the items that I would pay for. The waiter did not seem to grasp why he only ended up with three credit cards.

Last night’s Chef would not last one night on "Hell’s Kitchen". Serving hot food cold and undercooked fish is unacceptable.

The Keizer Iris Festival Geocaching Challenge, May 23, 2010

My daughters, Kimberly and Catherine, my son, Christopher, and I drove to Keizer for The Keizer Iris Festival Geocaching Challenge early. We stopped at Starbucks for blueberry muffin and drinks. We found a few caches, picked up our Passports and hit the road. We found all of the caches in three hours. Kimberly almost walked off with a colored pen and Catherine almost walked off with a large green lid to a cache container. I drove down a service road into a golf course and had to turn around in the tight space. We found two caches in two locations. We had a fun time!

Trip to Cannon Beach, May 9, 2010

Christopher, Catherine and I went to Cannon Beach yesterday. We drove into town where I purchased an Oregon State Park year pass, orange and poppyseed muffin.

We drove to Indian Beach, parked in the lower parking area and hiked up the trail about a quarter mile. We found the fourth and last of the “twilight” series caches. The coordinates were over 80’ off.

It was warm day with a light breeze. We ate at a picnic table overlooking Indian Beach (La Push in the movie). There were a lot of surfers. Driving back to Cannon Beach I stopped briefly at Ecola Park to take photographs of Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.

We drove into Cannon Beach where Christopher found a cache. Catherine and I waited at a bench with a view of Haystack Rock. We headed back about 2:30pm. Clouds and rain met us as we drove east over the Coast Range.

Christopher and I will find the "twilight" series Bonus Cache someday soon. I plan to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. I met the owner a week ago and had an interesting chat.

10th Anniversary of Geocaching Event at Redland, Oregon

On Friday, April 30th, I drove my #2 son, Christopher, around to all of the caches so he could fill each with stamps and passports. Yesterday I dropped him off at the Grange in Redland, Oregon before 8:00am so he could give coordinates and passports to the cachers. I had a very early start and knew the caches locations so I stamped my Passport but did not sign the logs. I placed one of the ten caches set for the 10th Anniverary Event - "Slumbering Giant." I stopped briefly at the Original Stash (Cache) Plaque on S. Fellows Road. About 150-200 cachers attended the Event at the Redland Grange. I have my "10 X 10 Challenge Official Passport" as a souvenir.

Trip to Astoria and Cannon Beach, Oregon April 21-22

Christopher (Dancing Penguin) and I drove to Vernonia and Astoria on Wednesday, April 21, geocaching and benchmarking along the way. We had a free guided tour ride on the waterfront trolley in Astoria. We stayed overnight in a motel suite overlooking the Astoria bridge and the Columbia River.

After breakfast we did some benchmarking in Astoria and then traveled to Ecola/Indian Beach to complete the 4th and last of the "twilight" series. We hiked up the hill where we hunted for two hours for the cache but were unable to find it. I slithered under a log and Christopher climbed over it. We searched both sides for about 100 ft. Found some likely places but no cache. There was a lot of blowdown from winter storms. We did find a brown beer bottle and Christopher found a frog. Deeply disappointed.

We traveled back to Portland/Vancouver on Hwy 26 stopping for late lunch at a Dairy Queen. Christopher had a Geocaching meeting at a restaurant at Clackamas Town Center so I took him. Afterwards we went back to my house to watch "Survivor."

The Dalles-Dash Geocoin Challenge - Saturday, April 3, 2010

My daughter, Catherine, and I drove to The Dalles so she could do The Dalles-Dash Geocoin Challenge. We stopped in Hood River at McDonalds for breakfast where my Subaru Forester, a Travel Bug with the license place TVL BUG, was discovered. Catherine found The Dalles-Dash caches rather quickly using her Garmin Etrex Venture GPSr. She slipped on the muddy trail at one of the cache locations and got her sleeve and the seat of her jeans muddy and injured her shoulder. It was unfortunate as she was supposed to play First Violin with an orchestra on Monday and Tuesday evenings and had to cancel. We had time to visit Maryhill Museum to photograph and get the coordinates for a Glacial Erratic at the far end of the museum parking lot. We arrived back at Anzac Tea Room in The Dalles in time for a lovely afternoon tea. Afterwards we traveled west on the Old Columbia River Highway over Rowena Crest. At Mosier we stopped to view another Glacial Erratic in the quarry. We saw a lot of waterfalls from I-84 as we drove back to Vancouver as the sun was setting.

On Thursday morning, March 18, 2010, Christopher, Catherine and I went to Walla Walla for the Cache Machine Event. I picked up Christopher in North Portland, picked up Catherine in east Vancouver, and headed east on I-84. Catherine got a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit at Troutdale McDonalds. We had lunch at Subway in Biggs. I found nine caches, Christopher found ten caches and Catherine found 11 caches on the way to Walla Walla. We also found a benchmark by the Two Sisters marker and another at the Fort Walla Walla monument. We explored both ends of an old concrete highway bridge over the Walla Walla River with the middle section missing. The bridge had been inundated by waters of Wallula Lake in 1964. We checked into the Holiday Inn in Walla Walla and later had dinner at Shari’s Restaurant.

On Friday, March 19, 2010, Christopher, Catherine and I had breakfast at the Holiday Inn. We started Geocaching about 8:30am. Catherine bought a Goodtime Crossword Puzzle Book at Rite Aid. We found about 19 caches. We found an Elevation 1264.29 Benchmark atop a rock mound however it was not listed. Catherine really liked a nearby cache – “A Bird’s Life.” I enjoyed “Log Book on Tape” where I took a photo of each of us standing in front of the statue -- "Matilde On Her Way to the Market," by a local artist Nano Lopez. We attended the COWWS Poker Event at the Crossroads Steakhouse. We talked to a few cachers, had dinner in the poker room, didn't play poker, signed the log and left early.

On Saturday, March 20, 2010, Christopher, Catherine and I had breakfast again at the Holiday Inn and started Geocaching about 8:30am. The car was frosty. The days are quite warm but the nights are cold! We found about 18 caches. We had light sandwiches for a mid-afternoon snack at Taco Bell. That evening we attended the Cache Machine Event Dinner at Lorenzo's Pizza. The pizza was not very good. We did a couple caches and then went back to our motel. We watched “The Nanny Diaries” starring Scarlett Johansson on television.

On Sunday, March 21, 2010, Christopher, Catherine and I had breakfast at the Holiday Inn, packed the car and headed home. We found four caches on the way. We stopped at a gazebo at Umatilla to eat wrap sandwiches that I had purchased at the nearby Harvest Foods market. The wraps were delicious! It was a lovely spot but a bit chilly. Catherine drove part of the way so I could take a nap. I got a hot fudge sundae at Biggs McDonalds. Catherine got home about 4:00pm. We went to my house where Christopher logged his finds and ate dinner. We watched “Amazing Race.” Christopher went home afterwards. I logged most of my finds and then finished logging the next morning.

"Cataclysms on the Columbia: The Great Missoula Floods"

Yesterday evening I went to the West Linn, Oregon where I had a light dinner at Starbucks - fruit and cheese plate, drink and shortbread cookies.

While I ate the shortbread cookies I read "twilight Directors Notebook" by Catherine Hardwicke (First Edition - March 2009). I am reading "twilight" by Stephanie Meyer. My son, Christopher, and I recently visited several locations in the film i.e. school cafeteria exterior, ballet studio, Oxbow Park, Viewpoint Inn (prom), Multnomah Falls (seen in background in baseball game scene), Bridge of the Gods, Meadow (baseball game), and huge fir tree at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Columbia River just above Cape Horn.

Afterwards I drove to the nearby Public Library to hear "Cataclysms on the Columbia: The Great Missoula Floods - A Major Update" by Dr. Scott F. Burns, chair of the Department of Geology at Portland State University. He specializes in environmental and engineering geology, geomorphology, soils, and Quaternary geology. For the past 40 years Burns has been studying wine and terroir - the relationship between wine, soils, geology and climate.

"Spidermonkey - Twilight Movie Tour Challenge," Monday, March 1, 2010

My #2 son, Christopher, and I did "Spidermonkey - Twilight Movie Tour Challenge" yesterday. This was one of four multi-caches in the challenge. We racked up more miles than was necessary as we took the long way around to the first waypoint. We were relieved to find a bridge across the Sandy River so we wouldn't have to backtrack. It took us awhile to find the trail at the last waypoint (just follow the black plastic "wall"). Clever cache hide. We got the clues from inside the cache to solve the fifth and final bonus cache. We found a couple other caches also.

Vancouver Grid Challenge

I took the photo of the tree blossoms on my way to pick up Christopher in Portland yesterday morning. My son, Christopher, daughter, Kimberly, and I completed the Vancouver Grid Challenge (GC212WH). We found at least one cache in each of the 33 squares over four days. We hiked the trail to the Final Cache and walked back on the levee where a two-foot-long snake crossed my path.

The Year of the Tiger

I visited the Chinese Classical Garden in downtown Portland this afternoon. This is the Chinese New Year – The Year of the Tiger. At 1:00 p.m. I attended a Feng Shui Lecture - Welcoming the God of Wealth – in the Scholar’s Study. I received a red envelope, symbolizing good luck for the coming year and two chocolate coins. There was a ceremony in the Scholar’s Courtyard (see photo). Afterwards I sat on the deck of Painted Boat in Misty Rain where I ate my lunch that I had purchased earlier at Starbucks. There was a very fragrant Meyer Lemon plant in a large ceramic pot next to me. I purchased a yearly membership so I can return many times this coming year.