A few weeks ago the Girl and I went out for a geocaching run. We visited John C. Rudy County Park in York County, PA. There are supposed to be five geocaches in the park. But, we found only one. Still, one is good.
But, far beyond that, we had a beautiful day for a four or five mile hike, lots of beautiful foliage, and the park was not very busy. It was a very good day.
On our geocaching adventure last weekend, the Girl and I paused for a few images of the rock climbers on Chickies Rock before finishing our logging of the Chickies Rock Earthcache. When we returned later to visit with one of the guides, Katy, we learned that this was a group of students learning to climb.
Yesterday, 11 October 2015, was International Earthcache Day. I decided to celebrate by traveling to a nearby park and finding at least one earthcache.
An earthcache is a particular kind of geocache that is peculiar in two ways — it does not have a container and it is focused on one of the earth sciences, usually geology. That means I love them because there is something to see and something to learn. I am still all about science and geology is one of my favorites.
So I was excited to get out, see if I could find and log at least one earthcache, and also to enjoy a beautiful fall day with my Girl. We headed east from Daughter’s about 1130 hours and drove east to Chickies Rock Park adjacent to the Susquehanna River. I parked the geocaching 4Runner in the area around the Breezy Overlook, got my gear, and let the Girl out. We hunted around for a virtual cache (Breezy View) near the parking lot, but I couldn’t find the answers to the questions so we headed down the trail.
The hike down to the Heritage Trail was pretty-darned steep (technical term), but we managed. The Girl has all-paw drive and a high strength-weight ratio so steep doesn’t bother her. This old man was happy to have his hikers on because there were slidies (another technical term) on the path. Regardless, we got down to the trail without issue. It was only a short distance down the trail to the Henry’s Clay Furnace earthcache. We greeted numerous other walkers/hikers along the way and paused at the site to read the description, collect the answers to the questions for the log, and explore. I came away with a couple of nice frames of the ruins and a fascinating glimpse into the local history.
After a few minutes, one of the other guides (the lead) came over to visit and give some direction on capturing some video of the climbers. So, I bid them farewell and the Girl and I headed back toward the trail up the hillside and back home. It wasn’t a long hike and the climb up wasn’t as steep as I thought. It was enough to get my pumping, but I wasn’t tired when I reached the top.
At the top, I was also able to find what I needed for the Breezy View virtual cache, so I collected my information and then we mounted up and headed home. The round trip (boots on ground) was shy of three miles, but it was still a good day.
“Football season is our busiest time of the year,” Daughter said. She was being honest. It’s been a very busy week. But, I’m ahead of myself.
I finally buckled down and drove out the remaining miles to Daughter’s home. I spent a lot of time on the turnpikes (which I deplore) and another night in a motel. I did pause to pick up geocaches in states where I had not found any so as to collect the “souvenirs” for those states. The pauses gave me an opportunity to see some of the country that I had not seen. But the focus was on “getting there.”
Daughter has a wonderful house. They are in the process of filling it in as time and money allow. The grandsons are wonderful, as I expected. I’m deeply enjoying spending time with them. I’ve watched more TV than I have in years, but it’s fun to simply be with my family.
Daughter is amazing. A deep calm strength emanates from her. There is confidence there and well as competence. The boys are attentive and respectful. I expected that, given their Father. It is good to not have to be the one in charge for a change. I am not the leader here, just a beloved family member. It is good.
I’ve been going to football practice with Daughter and Younger Grandson (YG). Daughter and I sit on the sidelines and observe while YG works. He’s got a great attitude and is not afraid to mix it up a bit. He’s learned a lot, I can tell. I shot a bit of video of his workouts and will share that material with Daughter. She can do whatever she wants with it.
Saturday was the YG’s first scrimmage this year. OG, Daughter, and I sat on the sidelines (along with the Girl in her training vest). It was hot and humid, but not awful. I think I finally got some Sun on my right leg, which is usually shaded by the 4Runner when I’m driving. I have a farmer-tan on my left side and it’s time to balance it out a bit.
The scrimmage was round-robin style. With the exception of one team, it was fun to watch. The lead coach of one team was a total butt. He was screaming at his kids and had a generally bad attitude. I’m thinking he’s a candidate for the antagonist of one of the Karate Kid movies. These are ten-year old boys, for goodness’ sake, not professional players. There’s a lot of learning for them to do and it can be done in a far better way.
Enough of that…
Friday we drove up to Gettysburg to visit the national park. I put the Girl in her training vest and she was perfect! She went right to work, stayed close to me, was very attentive, and did exactly what she was supposed to do. We visited “The Cyclorama,” which is a huge oil painting of Pickett’s Charge and is accompanied by a soundtrack. There were several cannonades, which the attendant warned me about. Although the Girl didn’t like the loud noises, she only trembled a bit and realized this was not thunder.
They made us take the elevator to avoid the escalator. I didn’t remember, but the Girl knows escalators and has no problem with them. I have video of my lead trainer working her on the escalators at the airport last Christmas and the Girl did great. But, she knows elevators too and was fine with it, even as herky-jerky as it was. They put us in the handicapped seats so the Girl could place next to me. I put her in a down-stay and she was fine. The cannon blasts and rifle reports disturbed her a bit, but not badly.
We drove part of the CD-guided automobile tour. The entire place has a sense of the holy about it. I want to go back and spend more time there. They have a number of short hikes to various places that would be good to see. It is also possible to hire a guide to go along to tell the story. I want to spend time there with my cameras, but that will mean getting up early to get the good light.
Pennsylvania reminds me a lot of Missouri. There’s lots of vegetation, the air is warm and humid, and wildlife is abundant. I stepped out the back door with the Girl Sunday morning for her morning outing and watched a wild turkey at the treeline between lots. That was a sight I haven’t seen in a long time.
I’m very happy I decided to come here. It’s good to be with family, I haven’t seen Daughter and her family in two years (since Wife died), and it is good to see new lands.
Many years ago there was a Clint Eastwood movie, Play Misty for Me. It was one of the psychodramas of the time and quite spooky. The title for my article was a free association based on my acquaintance, which I’ll tell you about.
Thursday evening came and my friend Jimmy arrived home from his first job. He looked into my room and remarked “I see boxes by the door, but it doesn’t look like you’re ready to leave.” I shrugged and said “Well, maybe Saturday, maybe Sunday… I have some work to do on this project that will take me a few hours.”
It was really hot that afternoon — the 4Runner’s dash thermometer read 102F. The Girl and I had been running errands, wrapping up a small project, procuring necessary items for my next trip, and trying to stay cool. I had been working on my report to address comments from the prime before I headed out. It was too hot to sleep yet anyway. But, I got settled down about 2300 and slept pretty well.
Friday morning came and while drinking my morning coffee, I decided I could get away if I really wanted to. So the Girl and I made our walk, I worked out, fed us, and got started on the last few things. It took me about a half-hour to pack them, so I showered and began loading the rig. I took my time with the rig because I faced a huge Tetris problem. In the end, I got my things in there plus the few things I wanted to stow in my unit.
We were out of the house by about 1100 and headed for Carson to take care of some last errands and stow those things I was leaving behind. On the way out of town we stopped at Sportsman’s Warehouse to pick up a couple last things, said goodbye to my neighbor (who works there), and then headed east on U.S. 50.
It was a much cooler afternoon than Thursday. I could have worked and been fine at Jimmy’s. Oh well… I had no idea. Regardless, it was good to be moving again. We stopped in Fallon for a few minutes to get out of the car and drink some water. I picked up a couple of geocaches along the way as well.
One of our stops was near Sand Mountain, to find a geocache. I thought about driving out there, but could tell it was already crowded with weekenders and decided that I didn’t want to interact. So, after the Girl chased a few lizards and I logged the geocache, we headed on.
I stopped at the Austin, Nevada cemetery to find another geocache, hoping it would be large enough to accommodate a couple of travel bugs I’d been hauling around. But, the hide was a small container so no joy.
I also was tiring and didn’t think I’d be able to make Eureka or Ely. In looking at lodging in Austin, the Cozy Mountain Motel got a lot of good reviews. But, when I drove by, the No Vacancy sign was already illuminated. So, I looked again and found the Pony Canyon Motel. The price was a little higher than I expected and I was surprised when I learned there was no air conditioning. But that wasn’t really bad as the evening cooled quickly.
The Girl and I settled in and were sitting outside enjoying the late afternoon air and light — watching the world go by. I noticed the beautiful light and retrieved my Fuji X-T1, making the capture above.
A young woman pulled in beside my rig and started rushing her things, including two cats, into her room adjacent to mine. The Girl took too much interest in the crated felines and drew a correction. “Sorry about that,” I said.
“No worries… they are so much work to take care of, not like a dog.”
“Well, dogs just require a different kind of work.”
“I gotta hurry, the restaurant closes at eight…” and off she flew. When she returned, I was boiling water to add to my freeze-dried supper, lasagna with meat sauce. I’m experimenting with backpacking meals. All that is required is the foil packet, boiling water, and a spoon. A long-handled spoon really helps. (I’ll write about that more in another article.) She walked past with her boxed pizza. “I see you made it.”
“Yep, health food,” she responded. The Girl’s nose went up as she walked by. “Must be pepperoni,” I said, “The Girl loves pepperoni.”
“I’ll save her some, then.”
“Don’t do me any favors, she’ll gas me.” We both laughed.
After I ate and cleaned up, I sat on the bench outside my room with my guitar, playing softly. A new goal of mine is to do those things that are important to me daily — reading, writing, music, photography. I’m working on getting some of my skill back on the instrument. So, I want to play a few minutes everyday. She came out of her room to get a few more of her things and smiled as she passed.
When she returned, she sat down in a nearby chair. I played for a few minutes and then she began to talk. She is learning the ukulele. She had no artistic encouragement when she was young and a friend had encouraged her to play. She took up the ukulele as something relatively easy to play and quite portable.
“Are you practicing regularly?”
“No. I often intend to, but I don’t. I binge, playing hours on one day and then nothing for a week.”
“You should commit to 15-minutes per day,” I suggested. “Don’t be regimented about it, like ‘I have to practice today,’ but make it something you do because you want to, because you get something from it. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a session. But you’ll build muscle memory much faster if you practice regularly, even if it’s just a few minutes.”
I used to teach music in another life. My encouragement to my students was always to practice a little. Make it a focused session and keep it short. The goal is to be regular and focused. That’s the fastest way to learn and it’s a lot more fun.
“I’m Misty,” she held out her hand.
“I’m Dave,” and I took it.
Mid-visit there was a crash as the screen on her window fell out, hauling a small tan and white cat along with it. I called to Ki to stay in the room and we went over to grab the cat (she did) and I grabbed the screen. After a bit of futzing around, she got the window closed and I had the screen (mostly) back in place. After a few minutes getting her cat settled back down, she returned.
“I’m headed for Dallas to work on my Ph.D.” That led to a talk about graduate school, background, and a lot of stories about things. After an hour or two just chatting, I could tell she was tiring as she began yawning and had that look about her.
“I have to go to bed. I’m tired.”
I nodded, understanding.
“Perhaps I’ll see you in the morning. I want to see how you cook.”
I really enjoy these encounters. I enjoy interacting with people and hearing their stories. I meet interesting people along the way and am thankful for that.
Indeed, she was up and about before I cooked breakfast the next morning — a Saturday morning. She watched me prepare my eggs and oatmeal and was surprised that I had all the fixings. I was amused at her surprise. Why wouldn’t I have the things I like with me?
As I cleaned up and began my packing process, she loaded her vehicle. She knocked on my door and I asked her in. I gave her one of my cards. “Email me. I’d like to hear how your progress on your Ph.D. goes. When I’m in Dallas, I’ll drop by for a visit and we can have coffee or a beer.” She smiled, nodded, and looked at me for a moment.
I gave her a big hug, as I could see that was what she wanted.
Then she was off to Denver to see a friend, then to Dallas to get started on her work. “God Bless and be safe,” I said as I watched her go.
Once again, a living, breathing being moved into and out of my circle. She brought her energy and liveliness into my life for a few moments and then was gone. Will she email me? Will I see her again for that coffee or beer? I have no idea. I’m not even sure that it matters. It is what it is and I’m happy with that.
Then, as she drove away, my free-associating mind came up with “Play Misty for Me” and I knew I had a title for my story.
The Girl and I left Denver on Friday, 3 July 2015 headed for western Nevada. I had some personal business there that needed my attention and I wanted to retrieve some things from my storage unit. Plus, it was just time for me to get out of Denver.
Older Son and DiL live on Capitol Hill in Denver. It’s a busy place and deep in the city. So, it has all the noise, commotion, and energy of a city. Although the place where Older Son and DiL live is fairly quiet, and the window A/C units we installed while I was there provided quite a bit of white noise, I could still feel that city-energy. After a couple of weeks, I just needed to be out of that.
I originally intended to stay in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. But I was unable to reserve lodging there so elected to go on a bit farther west and stayed in Craig, Colorado. Craig is not a small town at all; but it isn’t a city and the vibe there was calm, orderly, and a slower pace of life. But, I’m ahead of my story.
I left Denver and drove north on I-25 to Fort Collins, where I turned west on CO 14 — the Poudre Highway. Heading up into the foothills was quite busy as many folks were headed for the mountains (and I learned later, Steamboat Springs). Although I stopped for a couple of geocaches, I felt uncomfortable with all the traffic and eventually blew off searching for more hides. I elected to relax, enjoy the drive, and enjoy the river.
We stopped several times along the way to enjoy the warm mountain air (we also drove with the windows down and the A/C off), stretch legs, and make a capture or two. There was no reason to hurry as my mileage for the day was less than 300 miles.
When we arrived at Steamboat Springs, Jumping Jehosaphat! The town was crazy-busy with folks there for the 4th of July celebration. It was no wonder that no lodging was available. In any event, I was thankful that there was no lodging available as I would have simply traded the Denver energy for Steamboat energy. That would not have been a good thing.
So we drove on, thankfully.
About an hour later we arrived at Craig, Colorado. It was bustling, but the vibe was much calmer and my intuition told me that this was a good thing. Our motel was on the west side of town (missed it the first time), so we pulled in and walked into the office. The manager was there, remembered my telephone call, and checked me after consultation with an Asian woman (his wife?) about which unit would be best.
“That one too hot!” she exclaimed to two of his suggestions. “Put them in 18,” she said. So he did.
I backed into my parking spot so I could unload a few things from the 4Runner. I opened the door and looked around. The room was large, definitely old-school, and fine. I tossed the spread on the floor and brought in a few things. The Girl and I mounted back up (man it was hot) and drove to Walmart to reprovision for a couple of days. At the Walmart, we bumped into the manager who greeted us, “At Walmart already?” I laughed and bought a couple of salads, some fruit (bananas good!), and a six-pack of Coronas to celebrate our survival to date. Then we returned to our room.
I elected to boil a couple of eggs for my chef’s salad. It was my first use of the Pathfinder canteen stove I bought and my Trangia burner. I elected to sit outside my room because I was uncomfortable with the combustion products of the methylated spirits used in the Trangia. The wind gave me a little trouble and the simmer ring of the Trangia is, as the Brits say, “fiddly.” But I got my eggs boiled and learned a bit about using the stove and the process was relaxing (along with a Corona). The addition of the egg made the salad much better.
The Girl nibbled kibbles while I ate my salad and surfed the TV a bit. Yep… I still have little use for TV.
We rose early on the 4th and drove into town to find some food and coffee. We stopped at the local CoC and I found a self-guided tour of the area north of town in Routt National Forest. So we drove back to our motel, gathered up a few things to take along (camera, lenses, fruit, water) and headed out. Along the way, I found a big grassy area at the local middle school (out of session), so the Girl and I had a big play, refueled, and headed out on an adventure.
Once off the state highway, the route was all gravel road. We stopped to look for a couple of geocaches, but I lost phone signal and had not planned ahead, so there wasn’t much of that.
What there was, however, was a nice climb up to 5,000&endash;6,000 feet and the commensurate cooling. The sun was pretty, there was a little breeze, and the temperature was wonderful!
As we drove along, I noticed a bluff of columnar basalt. I stopped the 4Runner, got the Girl out, collected my camera, put on my boots, and we started up the hill. After just a few steps, a big mule deer jumped up, snorted at us, and bounced over the ridge. I didn’t have enough lens to capture him, but the capture is in my memory and will always be.
After a few minutes of hiking up the hill, I puttered around the bluff while the Girl did her thing. I have a few more captures that I still need to process.
The remainder of the drive was interesting, especially the Bear Ears (a pair of mountain tops). It was a good way to spend the Fourth of July — much better than hanging out in town. We were both tired and hungry when we got back to the motel. So, we ate, drank, and then cuddled before it was time to go to sleep. The fireworks bothered the Girl some and she stayed close to me. But she settled down after a bit and only stirred again for the finale.
It was a good day.
The Road Less Traveled[/caption]The Girl and I got out fairly early this morning for a geocaching run. August is the “31 Days of Geocaching” event and the objective is to get a 31-day string of finds. This sounds like fun to me and I can do some easy finds during the work week and then work a little harder on the weekends. So, I picked out three geocaches I’ve been meaning to find for a while and loaded them into the GPSr for a morning run. We stopped at McD’s so I could get a biscuit and some coffee… and, well, three oatmeal cookies. I ate my biscuit outbound and then we paused at the staging area for me to finish my coffee and share my cookies.
Then I let the Girl out and I grabbed my gear. My gear comprises a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack in which I carry my geocaching stuff and my small camera slingpack. I carry a quart of water as well. It’s a pretty good load, but manageable.
We humped it south 500 feet to get the first geocache, a Baily’s hide (always a challenge), found it, then turned around and headed north up the hill to the second geocache, then some more to get the third. I paused a few times on the climbout because the frickin’ road was steep. I can do it, I just have to give my legs a few minutes to dissipate the accumulated lactic acid.
On the way down from geocache White Tiger 3, the Girl and I paused for a few minutes under a tall old pine tree. I wanted a break before heading down the long hill and I wanted time to make a few images.
So, she did doggie things while I spent a few minutes with the water bottle, my thoughts, and my camera. It couldn’t be a much better day. It was warm in the sun, but the air temperature was only about 70F and there was a bit of a breeze at 6,000 ft. The shade of the pine was welcome.
The Girl jumped a lizard as we rounded the tree. I love it! She posed for me while I made the image. Then she gave up and wandered off looking for another lizard to chase.
I rested for a few minutes before we headed off down the hill. The climb pretty well blew my quads and I hate the idea of slipping on the gravel. So we took it easy, pausing a couple of times for other tail users. I like to make the Girl sit and wait for them to pass. Some folks are spooky about dogs.
I wasn’t ready, but a pretty young woman was jogging up the hill. She looked fit and strong and greeted us as she passed. She even spoke to the Girl, who’s ears perked when spoken to. I should have had the camera out and ready to go. It was a missed opportunity. Oh well…
We paused at Kings Canyon Creek so the Girl could get a drink. I had picked up an empty water bottle someone discarded along the trail. The top was already cut out, so I filled it and gave her a drink. She drank two bottles full.
The view of the old Borda Ranch was also interesting. It was a big sheep ranch at one time. I drove through that field a few weeks ago on my way down the hill from the other side. I could see the trail I used from the path.
Anyway, we gathered three geocaches this morning. I got a great workout. The Girl got a good run and lots of mental stimulation. It was a good morning.
One of the “interesting” things from Saturday evening was this fire sculpture. As I approached the Controlled Burn event from the south (I had to park a few blocks away), I noticed the flames. As we got closer, I hear one of the blossoms “bloom.” The sound was quite pronounced.
As we passed, the Girl moved to my side opposite the flowers. When the bloom bloomed, she shied away. She didn’t like the sound and maybe didn’t like the feel of the heat. It was both funny and pitiful.
The sculpture fascinated me and I came back once I found Jimmy. We spent a few minutes trying to capture the bloom. I came away with a few frames, of which this is one of the better. I probably had the wrong lens on my NEX at the time, but I was too lazy to spend the time changing it.
July is gone and now we are into August. The year is passing quickly. This is the beginning of 31 Days of Geocaching, and I think I’m going to see if I can do the streak. I’ll want to pick relatively easy finds for work days, but can spend a little more time on the weekends looking for some of the more challenging finds. Plus, Older Son and DiL will be here for ten days in August and I’m spending some of my leave to be with them. They like to find geocaches, so it will be fun.
The Girl and I rose early Saturday morning, although I didn’t sleep very well Friday night. I was up several times, woken by my dreams. They weren’t nightmares, but they were evidence I’m still processing my life changes.
Regardless, I woke early and fed my Girl. Then I gathered up a few things and we headed out. I stopped at McD’s for a couple of breakfast burritos, a coffee, and three of their oatmeal cookies. Wife got me started on these. They are fresh-baked, soft, and quite good — especially with coffee. We drove to the east side of Carson City and I ran the 4Runner part way up the hill, found a wide spot in the trail, and stopped to enjoy the morning light and my breakfast.
The Girl was anxious to get out of the 4Runner and do doggie things. She ran from bush to bush, peed, pooped, and chased lizards while I fixed my burritos and ate them. The morning light was gorgeous and the overlook of Carson City was really fun. Although a half-mile away, I could hear the clank of steel plates as the inmates at the prison worked out.
I finished my burritos and put the Girl back in the car and we proceeded up the trail another quarter mile. The trail is only moderately rough, requiring me to work my way through a few rocks but nothing too challenging. Along the way I saw a couple of dogs running, then a hiker. I stopped to let them pass. One of the dogs approached the 4Runner and put a paw on the Girl’s door.
She barked and growled. “Leave it!” I commanded… she whirled about and jumped to the back seat, her hackles raised but obedient. The dogs and hiker passed.
We were able to drive to within about 500 feet of the first geocache. I parked the 4Runner and got out. The Girl hopped out and started sniffing about, looking for the marks of the other dogs. I got out my gear and we started off in the direction the GPSr pointed.
The cache was easy to find. There’s not much danger of it being muggled at this location. I signed the log and poked about to see if there was anything interesting in the loot. There wasn’t. So I restored the cache to its (nearly nonexistent) hide and sat on the rocks. I pulled my camera out and kept an eye on the Girl to be sure she didn’t range out too far.
The morning light made for a few interesting images of Carson City. I sat on the rocks enjoying the morning light and air, listening as the Girl ranged around. After a bit she joined me on the rocks, over-watching the surrounding area.
Satisfied, we made our way back to the car to share the cookies. The Girl likes oatmeal cookies too, although I save the raisins for myself.
After the cookies, we headed back down the trail. I drove out to the Carson Armory to stop in and see my friends there, but we were too early. So we stopped at a nearby historical marker, logged the geocache hidden there, and returned home.
I had time to take care of the front yard and spray the locust sprouts in the backyard before lunch. I also managed to get my bills paid and make a mail run before my friend from Reno called.
The Girl and I had a bit of a nap, then headed for Reno for a late afternoon coffee/tea with our friend. Later we found ourselves at A Controlled Burn, one of the events leading up to Burning Man, but that’s another story for another time. We’ll see if I have time to tell it.