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Geocaching and Odds & Ends pt 1

Good morning everyone.  This week's fun fact comes back home to Manitoba.  64 Earthcaches can be found in the province of Manitoba, along with 8 Wherigos and 10 Virtuals.

This week I want to introduce something different.  Every time we go out to find a geocache, an adventure awaits.  Sometimes those adventures can be a story by itself.  Sometimes it's just a highlight that might be worthy of a paragraph, but to make a whole blog about it would be stretching the creativity pallet.  After a recent conversation with local vlogger Hakliva, I came up with "Odds & Ends".  These will be short stories of sorts.  A mish mash of adventures or an adventure that eludes a title.

I'm going to start with this past Monday.  The plan was to team up with Hakliva to find a few caches just outside the city, to the NorthEast.  The night before, Hakliva mentioned that she had a friend from out of town and our plans may have to change.  These things happen, so I came up with a back up plan, in the event that our plans do have to be rescheduled.  My backup plan; to find one of Hakliva's geocaches that she did a recent vlog on.  https://youtu.be/4N0A6hOz0GY  She told me which cache this was so I knew where I should be going.  I had other caches to find as well as my goal for the day was to have six finds.

A few things happened over the course of the Monday.  I have used the phone (text) a friend on a few occasions and have been on the receiving end of someone needing a hint, nudge, inside info on a cache that I have found but they are currently searching for.  As I sat down for lunch at work, I got a message from local cacher, erniebertelmogrover, asking about the final of one of my puzzles.  I told him exactly where it should be.  He couldn't find it.  Looks like I'll be doing some cache maintenance in the next few days.  Later on in the afternoon, I get another message from another local cacher, missionMode, asking about a cache that I had found towards the end of May.  I told him where I found it.  He couldn't see it and is now assumed missing.

The plans to go caching with Hakliva did get rescheduled.  I'm now heading West from my work to find my caches for the day.  A couple of these were unlogged DNFs from a couple of years ago.  A couple of newer caches, and of course, Hakliva's cache.

My first stop was in a familiar area as I recall finding another geocache that has since been archived very near by.  As I searched the possible host, I discovered a Munzee.  An uncaptured Munzee.  Switch apps on the phone and I claimed First Capture.  The geocache was there too.  A fake rock that was broken.  I took a picture of that and sent it to the CO.

I found two more caches before attempting one of the previous unlogged DNFs.  It's amazing how you can DNF on a cache, come back a couple of years later with a couple thousand finds now under your belt, and that cache that gave you problems; a quick find.  It was a unique hide.  A piece of coxial cable attatched by an extension adapter.  The adapter was hollow and contained the logsheet.  I never thought to take a picture of it.  DOH!!

Next stop, Hakliva's cache.  I arrived at GZ, and began searching and poking around.  The GPS was bouncing around a bit.  I ended up using the video to help me locate GZ.  It wasn't long before I had the cache in hand.  Took a picture and sent it to Hakliva, showing off the cache like a trophy.  LOL.
Look what I found.

One more stop, avenging another unlogged DNF.  Another quick find.  I got my six finds, bringing my total for the day on my date found calendar to eleven.  That was my other goal.  I get home, start logging my finds (I like to wait until I get home so I can compose a decent log, unless it's a FTF), when I get a text from another local cacher, 4elements5senses, asking about a cache that I found three years ago.  I do remember finding that one, but I know where I found it wasn't the right placement for the cache.  The CO had since moved it back to where it was suppose to be.  This is the third time today I've been asked for help.  That's never happened before.

Just when I think my day is done, and having thoughts of turning in, I get a couple of notifications on my phone.  One is for an event in September.  Local cacher, dani_carrier is hosting the eighth edition of her puzzle solving event.  Yay!!!  I missed the last one.  These are fun and educational.  I have learned a few tricks and techniques from attending these puzzle solving events.  I don't fear puzzles anymore, unless it's some sort of precalculus, scary math type puzzle.

The other notification was a new cache.  It's just over a mile from my place.  Should I go for the FTF?  Do I want the FTF?  What the heck.  Unplug my phone from the charger and out the door I go.  On the way, I notice I only have 7% battery on my phone.  Oops.  This better be a quick find.  I arrive at GZ and have a deja vu moment.  I've been here recently.  In fact, it was just last month I shared FTF with dani_carriere and MarcoIslandGuy.  I wasn't aware that the cache was archived after a very short life.  I walked over to the host and spotted it right away.  I pull the log sheet out and there's another name on the log sheet.  What??!!  How can this be?  It was published at 9:40pm.  It's now 9:48pm.  How can someone find the cache, sign, replace, and leave before I arrive?  As it turns out, another cacher found what they thought was the previous cache.  It wasn't until after that they discovered they had found an unpublished cache.  They opted to forgo the FTF to whoever was the first one to arrive after publication.  That would be me.
(me at the original cache before it got archived.  It's the red reflector.  Now it's a fake electrical face plate) 

Now I can go home and go to bed.  Seven caches found.  Two DNFs avenged.  A FTF on a cache and a first to capture on a Munzee.  Helped three cachers when they messaged me for help.  Toss in a little bit of Pokémon.  It was quite the busy day.

Hidden Creatures wraps up this week.  Do you have all the creatures yet?  I'll be looking back at this latest promotion next week.  Until then, be safe, enjoy, peace out, and have fun.

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