Showing posts with label Ammo cans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ammo cans. Show all posts

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Beaver's Playground

Here the other day it wasn't raining out for a change when I got off work. I really need to mow the yard something bad, but really wanted to go for a little hike. I have a couple of caches I hadn't done yet in an area in Central City. There's a park to the south east side of there that is really a neat tucked away place. I saw a couple of car's in the parking area's, but never ran into anyone. I was thinking they where mushroom hunter's.

I went and did this two stage cache. A really neat one. Stage one was a mask hanging up on a tree. On the back of the mask was the cord's for the final location, which turned out to be a well hidden ammo can. The sketter's where pretty bad and I haven't fully loaded my cache bag for summer yet, so I didn't have any bug-spray or anything with deet in it. So I had to fight my way threw them. The weed's in the wood's where up to my knee's and I saw a lot of mustard seed plant's and a lot of neddle's. Lucky I had one jean's.

I found a nice animal trail to follow on my way back form the final and if I would have spotted that I could have avoided walking threw the weed's. Oh well, what fun is in that.

Then I was off to this one called LCC 50th Beaver's Playground. I headed off on the main trail and found a spot on the trail that looked like it went back toward's the cache. Some of the brush there was up to my armpit's all ready. But shortly after I made it threw the thick stuff and it was easy walking under the tree's. I got closer and closer, and then I saw swamp water. I looked down at my GPSr and saw only 400 feet or so away. I seemed to have walked out to a "peninsula" (for lack of anything better to call it) as I had to follow the water almost all the way back to where I left the trail. But I kept on following the side of the water hoping to find a low spot to cross. I think in a few week's the water level will go down and the route I tried to take will be passable.





As I was walking along the edge of the swamp, I looked over and saw kind of a clearing threw the tree's. Sure enough there was the trail it had twisted and turned and was going in the direction I wanted. So I hopped back on the trail and follow that till I came to a stream. Now it was a big decision time. Don't cross on the trail and hope the cache was on this side of the stream and swamp, or cross and hope I can find a way to wrap around.

I finally decided to cross the stream and found an animal trail that went the way I wanted to go. I followed that all the way to the edge of the park and the edge of the swampy water. Then wouldn't you know I found another clearing. Only this time it opened up to some farmer's field. I keep to the edge of the wood's and closed in on the cache.



When I was about 50 feet away I found a neat stream I had to cross. Luckily there was some stick's, mud, and clay, that it kind of formed a natural bridge. But I didn't see that till I took the old "leap of faith" across. I was able to hone in on the cache itself easily enough. But I did spot a much easier way to get to this cache. It wouldn't have been as much fun though, but it would have been an easy walk.







I traded some travel bug's, signed the logbook, and returned the cache how I found it. I ended up take the same way I came in all the way back. I'd have to say it was a fun day in the park, and the weather was perfect. Just if I would of had the bug-spray with me. The funny thing though, is I didn't pick up any tick's. I thought for sure I would have picked up a few going threw some tall grass. I'm not complaining at all, just thought I would have a couple to toss out the window as I drove home.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

MOGA 2009

It's just about that time again this year, where a bunch of Iowan's will head to Mo. for a mega event known as Moga. This year I'm not competing in any of the comp's. Just going to get out and explore the area, and find some caches.

Last year was my first trip to the Mark Twain Lakes area, and what a neat place to visit. I'm not sure again what's all in store, but last year it was like ammo can heaven. Got's to love that. These year it's just me going again. I think next year I'll take PJ out of school and take him down. These are just what he loves to find.

I've got the tick spray now and I think just some packing and I'm all set to go. I was able to find a terracache there as well last year. It was a virtual cache and it really highlighted a neat monument.

The view from the top of the dam is really cool as well as from below. This year they say there's over a hundred new one's coming out, plus I still have a few from last year, and a lot from the year before that.

Regardless, if you love to hike, this event you will enjoy.

I'm getting excited now about the trip. I'm hoping to shoot some video while I'm down there as well as post the photo's. Last year I never got the time to post the photo's. It sound's like we have a great group of IGO'ers going again. Some of the older cachers (I mean that have been around longer than I not age) are not going this year. :( If you enjoy event's check it out. It's quite a lot of fun.

MOGA, MOGA, MOGA!!!!