Getting Back in the Groove 1/13/12

After taking a couple of weeks off, due to aching knees and colds, and all other events otherwise known as life, and finally relaxing on a Friday afternoon after a tough week at work, the batphone goes off with a F2F ring. (That is First to Find for you muggles) Springing into action, we check the secret message and decode that this is actually only just over 1 mile from our house. We jumped into the GeoJeep, off we go and manage to get to the target zone in less than 10 minutes. We scampered up the hill, or rather Phil scampered up the hill.  I scamper, walk and finally crawl to the top.  We managed to sign the log a mere 17 minutes after the anouncement. What a way to get back into the groove.   Number 8 FTF!!

Happy New Year 2012 - F2F Multi-Cache 1/1/12

I think it is over here!

It seemed a lot of people hid new geocaches yesterday so they would be up and running on New Years Day. We ignored most of them as it was just too damn early. Once we had gotten up though, all bets were off especially as it was just 2 miles from the house. Off we zoomed for one of the most fun geocaches we have found - "Hello ... Watson".

This was a multi-stage cache - which means at the first marker we find coordinates for the second and in this case the final stage where the actual geocache is.

We arrived at a bus stop with a clue directing us to the advertisements. After searching what seemed like forever, assuming someone else would be along searching for this F2F (First Too Find) we re-read the description which said bring a cell phone. I had spotted a phone number so we decided to dail it and low and behold we got an answering machine with the coordinates. At the second stage the hint was "Read my lips no more taxes". As we were driving there we thought it must be outside a tax office or something, but when we arrived there was nothing like that there. But I got to thinking who said that saying, and I remembered it was George "Bush", so a quick look in the bush by Melanie and we found it. A great way to start the New Year.

Happy geocaching everybody!

Hiking Geronimo Trail at South Mountain 12/29/11

Melanie at the top of Pigsam Overlook.

Hiking around the Heard Boy Scout Pueblo on the Geronimo trail allowed us some incredible views of Phoenix and catch most of the geocaches in that area. It was a great hike. We climbed almost 800ft, so the way down was a bit tough on the ol' knees coming down, but it was great fun.

Melanie finding a geocache up in the rocks Eye of the Valley.

Martin eating a Freezze Dired Ice Cream treat he got for Christmas.!

Geocaching in South Mountain 12-27-11

We have had wonderful weather over the Christmas Holidays, so we spent a couple of days hiking  South Mountain and drove up one day to the top to have a picnic one day when Melanie's son Chris was in town. Yes,we even dragged him along and he found his first and probably last geocache. I hiked along a less travelled trail, the Pyramid trail. Some great views of Ahwatukee and the Estrella Mountains.

Travel Bug being dropped off.

View from the ledge off the Pyramid Trail on South Mountain

Channel 3 cache container- I dropped off a couple of TBs.

View from the top of the Mountain - down to where we parked the car.

Chris finding his first and probably last geocache at Scorpion's Gulch.