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 Harris is strongly opposed to the new health care law, which he would like to see repealed.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.