No agenda cache

Zingo!! This is my 2nd {FTF} today! The first was just over three hours ago in Austin. Wait—what?! Yep. Grabbed one on my way from leaving my parents’ house (was there for Christmas) and this one on my way into Houston. I’m surprised it was still available!

It was dark when I arrived at the parking WP, so I broke out my favorite Christmas gift before heading into the woods. Let me tell you, a 2000-lumen lantern makes walking in the dark feel like walking at noon! Well, almost. Kind of. Okay, not really, but it was still easier, and more fun, than usual! After dodging some rather fresh horse apples as I stepped onto the trail, I found GZ quickly. A few minutes later, the log was signed and the cache placed back in its hidey spot.

Thank you, NanoBanana. God bless and merry Christmas! 2 Corinthians 5:21

~ myrthman, AKA NtN065

GC8H8DE

Phenomenal

How Do You Say It?

The OCB

No Patience for That

Up and at 'em

Just For Fun

Memes

Power Trail

Not So Loud!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Inspiring

Seven Types in Seven Days

The hosts of my favorite podcast recently issued a challenge to their listeners: find seven different types of geocaches on seven consecutive days. I attempted and accomplished it. You can read my individual logs at the links below but here is what I sent Team PodCacher:

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I had a great time with your seven types in seven days challenge. My weeklong adventure started off slowly with some urban micros but really picked up on Day 3.

I took a short drive to a virtual cache at the largest single-family home I have ever seen. Well, sort of. It was started by former NBA star Hakeem Olajuwon. The story goes that his wife didn’t want to live in the area anymore, so the project was left unfinished. It’s currently being completed as the future home of a school. There is a LARGE garage (more than four doors!!); a full size, indoor basketball court; and quite a few smaller guest houses. At more than 7,000 square feet, it is truly breathtaking!

Days 5 and 6 were also quite memorable. I did an earth cache that required driving to several spots along a fault line in Houston. Yes, you read that right: a fault line in Houston, Texas! I took several altitude measurements and learned that not all faults cause earthquakes. Some just demand periodic repaving of affected streets. The next day, I found a letterbox hybrid cache that’s part of a series about different Christmas traditions around the world. This particular cache was all about how the holiday is celebrated in France. I felt obliged to write my log in French, so I turned to good ol’ Google Translate. I hope it makes sense when someone who actually knows the language reads it. C’est la vie!

I capped off the week at a monthly eat-n-greet event with some of my best friends. We ate. We laughed. We shared trackables and told stories. It was a good time, as always, and a great way to finish this challenge. Thanks for the idea! As I’ve mentioned, I had a lot of fun. Even learned some things and snagged the annual earth cache souvenir.

Happy caching!
~ myrthman

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10/9/2019 Traditional GC81PR4
10/10/2019 Mystery GC81DBQ
10/11/2019 Virtual GCF44D
10/12/2019 Multi GC1WG51
10/13/2019 Earth GC1QQ32
10/14/2019 Letterbox GC6VFB2
10/15/2019 Event GC8DV1C

Nice Meeting Place

As I was leaving my day job, my myrth-hearing picked up the faintest whispering plea for help. And faster than you can translate “muckadaymashkeekiwabu” from Ojibwe, I raced back into the revolving door and exclaimed, “This is a job for MYRTHMAN!!!”

I was off to the myrthmobile as fast as the crossing signal allowed! I really wish my myrth-speed worked during rush hour, but such is Houston! Anyway, all is well at this great place to meet! There’s a well-hid container, a log sheet, and a happy CO!

Now, to take off my cape and put on my teaching hat... Hey! Where’d he go?!

GC89GN5

Quantum Leap

Call it serendipity or fate or a Divine appointment (my personal choice), but the timing of me seeking this cache could not have been better! As a surprise for Labor Day weekend, my parents took me, the myrthlings, and a lifelong friend to the circus on Saturday. There were tigers, robots, superheroes, a human cannonball, high wire stunts, dancing dogs, acrobats, ponies, elephants, and so many unhealthy snacks! We had a great time! However, no circus is complete without a legion of clowns. And boy, this circus did not disappoint!

My oldest actually went around getting autographs in the program/coloring book from such characters as Handi, Splatter, and Miss Daisy. While they signed, I struck up conversations with them. Through the course of the afternoon, I pieced together that this particular merry band would soon be in need of housing and that funds had run dangerously low. I fully believe the Lord put me there at that exact moment because I had just recently learned of a spot that would perfectly suit their needs for space, shelter, facilities, and privacy: a bunker only a few hours outside of town! I mentioned my idea to the ringmaster. He was over-the-moon excited and in gratitude, gave me tickets to come back for the Sunday show. We could not have been more delighted!

After Sunday’s show, we helped the seventeen clowns pack all their gear into their polka-dotted MINI Cooper and led them southwest on US 59 toward “the boonies.” We found the special tree stump without incident, waited for the ventilation cycle, and descended the ladder to see what lay below. Have you ever seen a troupe of clowns go down a ladder? Each one did it differently: Splatter lowered himself upside-down, one rung at a time (like a handstand!); Handi somehow managed a Jar Jar Binks leap-flip-dive into the darkness (I don’t know how she didn’t hurt herself!); Miss Daisy placed a banana peel next to the hole and purposely stepped on it to slip and tumble down (also miraculously unharmed); and on and on. Needless to say, my boys and I were once again thoroughly entertained!

As the clowns unrolled their sleeping bags and began to settle in for their first night, I eagerly perused the sealed mission envelopes until “Eureka!” I found one requiring me to travel by exotic animal to San Antonio, scale the spinning Tower of the Americas, and zipline into the Alamo’s basement for the final cache. What perfect providence: I had just befriended a group with immediate access to elephants and tigers, climbing gear, and safety nets. I was set!

The excursion itself was easier than I expected. “LEO” seemed to be fully aware and onboard; they actually stopped traffic for me at one point. I experienced such adrenaline rushes that I may go back and do it again just for fun! Found, signed, and replaced the cache, and headed back toward Houston. We arrived back at the bunker this morning. The clowns that had remained behind had prepared us a brunch feast in the woods around their new, albeit temporary home, and eagerly awaited the story of our adventurous week.

I think Splatter, Handi, and the rest really like the bunker. The next person to do this excellent cache experience should probably run the ventilation cycle several times because it will very likely smell funny down there.

Thanks for all the fun, Snoogans! +1 fave point (because the scale doesn’t go any higher ;-) ). God bless! 2 Corinthians 5:21

~ myrthman, AKA NtN065

GCHRVB

Second Wind

CCC Meet & Greet - Goode Sauce for Sir Ross

Tuesday, August 20th

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

at

Goode Co. BBQ

5109 Kirby Dr.

Houston, TX 77098

Ever wonder what those "event" caches with a little speech-bubble icon are all about?

With a name like "event", it seems like it should be a bit more formal, and well maybe it should be, but that's not the way we roll here.

This event is a bunch of folks with something in common getting together for food, drinks, and conversation.

So, if you've been caching for years or maybe you just started, events are a great place to learn more about our obsession (er, hobby, sport, pastime, etc...).

Want to learn about geocaching? Want to know where all the cool geocaches are? Or maybe just meet the person behind those devious hides out there? Come on out and join us!

We will (likely) be the rowdy group at one big table, eating lots of Goode sauce (because it rhymes with Ross). August 20 is World Mosquito Day, an annual observance of Sir Ronald Ross' discovery of how one of our geo-nemeses is involved in the transmission of malaria. Look for trackables and maybe GPS units or other sundry nerd-like-paraphernalia on the table.

GC8AWRR

South Paw Gadget Bird House Series #3

A roach surprised me when I pulled the first wall away. I brushed it off or thought I had. I learned that I had missed it when a second grade girl scout screamed nearby. Thinking a deadly spider was about to bite me, I launched the board into the woods and did my instant ninja dance. I settled down and recovered the board when Eric1701 said, "Roach!" I also realized there wasn't a girl scout nearby.

More roaches greeted us when I removed the second wall. Eric was beside himself, stomping furiously as the creatures fell to the ground. I laughed and laughed! He insisted I go first and threatened to use his geocaching skills to hide my body if I allowed a roach to get him. I thoroughly inspected the apparatus before making the plunge; I’m not fond of roaches myself, but more importantly, I’m pretty familiar with Eric’s hiding skills!

I’ve never seen or imagined a cache like this. So cool! Thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially laughing at—with— Eric. +1 fave point.

Thank you, sfcacher360. God bless! 2 Corinthians 5:21

~ myrthman, AKA NtN065

GC7JF29

Conn Seal's Cursed Goblet (AKA myrthman’s Mary Hyde Geocoin)

At events, this is a full-sized geocoin in celebration of myrthman's completion of the Mary Hyde souvenir campaign in the summer of 2017. Howe'er...

If ye find it in th' wild, 'tis a copytag anchored to the black spotted goblet of one Conn Seal, former first mate 'n' consort of the dread piratess Mary Hyde. It canno' resist sailin' from one cache t' another. Whate'er ye do, drink not from the goblet!! YE BE WARNED...

ARWQEJ - Discover me!

Initiation

FTF Spiders, Skeeters, Swamps, and Thorns

So I started this one today after work. I walked the whole trail and collected the numbers, feeding the mosquitoes along the way. I also discovered a hidden repository of colorful and/or four-letter words that erupted from my mouth as I stumbled into a few spiderwebs. Scratch that. SpiderWEBS!! Holy moly! What are they trying to catch out here, a sasquatch?! The first one turned me into an instant ninja; the second one prompted me to lead with my hiking stick the rest of the walk. I swung that thing in front of me like a sword just about the whole way thru and back to my car! Kinda glad I was the only one around to witness that behavior but wow! And the little devils themselves: EVERYWHERE and HUGE! I think they were the harmless spiders that we love in our gardens for natural pest control, but I’m no expert and didn’t really want even harmless ones dropping on me. Ugh!! Still got the heebie-jeebies now just thinking about it!

When I got back to my car, I crunched some numbers and then was disappointed with a red light on the checker. While I was going over my work, a park ranger came up and told me he was about to lock up. I had to cut the fun short but I’ll be back. Definitely with some bug repellent; maybe with a flamethrower!

GC8B97M

New Toy

Lunar Anniversary

Proximity Matters

Geoprank

County Run

Could've Been a Giga

Don't Endanger Others

No Walk In The Park

Robin_1 and I left Houston early yesterday morning to attend the GPS Adventures Maze and GeoWoodstock events. Today, we left our hotel at 7:00 AM for an all-day county run to add some green to my map. Robin_1 completed the Texas Counties Challenge earlier this year but I've pretty much just gotten started.

This is probably the most memorable stop of our day. We read and pondered the description on the way to the parking area, so we were pretty sure we knew what to expect. On arriving at GZ, another cacher was already searching nearby. We quickly greeted her and then set about decoding the provided poem. Once I got my bearing, I took off in as straight a line as I could while Robin_1 compared notes with the other cacher, who we'd learned is Fpscc.

It took some time for me to zero in on the right combination of distance and direction. It's hard to make a straight line through thick brush. It's hard to count paces correctly when the terrain changes and obstacles pop up. I quickly got off track and lost count, so I did a little "reverse projecting" of a waypoint using the provided coords as a reference point and the compass on the app as a measuring line. With some trial and error and lots of perseverance, I finally found the cache. I bellowed to my fellow seekers and they came as quickly as they could, but lo and behold, the group had grown! A fourth cacher, Duke Room, had joined the crew. We all gathered around the cache, signed the log book, examined swag. laughed a bit, and then learned that this cache completes Fpscc's Jasmer grid. She was so excited; it was awesome to celebrate with her even if only briefly.

As we arrived back at our geomobiles, we met several other cachers, all in search of this ancient treasure. We offered a few tips before heading off to find another adventure.

TFTC. God bless! 2 Corinthians 5:21

GCC9

GPS Adventures Maze-Texas Wesleyan, Fort Worth, TX

What a day! I left my home in downtown Houston at 4:30 this morning, stopped in The Woodlands to pick up Robin_1, and headed to FW for our 2th Geowoodstock. After serving as “docents” for a few hours at the GPS Adventures Maze, Robin_1 and I enjoyed the Maze and associated lab caches for ourselves, grabbed a few caches nearby, ate a quick lunch, and turned our sights on the main event. Several hours later, we are exhausted and happily resting at the hotel. What a day, indeed! 👍👍

Natasha, the trackable SCUBA diver, and I had a blast greeting people as they turned the first corner in the maze to land at the first two lab caches. So many smiling faces from so many near and far places with so many quick snippets of fun stories! I wish I’d had time to talk to everyone at length to hear the rest.

The Maze is not quite what I expected but it was great nonetheless. TONS of geo-info to learn and trinkets to examine. It’s quite a journey!

Special thanks to the Maze builders and others for renewing an experience I thought I’d never get to enjoy.

TFTC. God bless! 2 Corinthians 5:21

GC82ZPV

GeoWoodstock XVII

What a day! I left my home in downtown Houston at 4:30 this morning, stopped in The Woodlands to pick up Robin_1, and headed to FW for our 2th Geowoodstock. After serving as “docents” for a few hours at the GPS Adventures Maze, Robin_1 and I enjoyed the Maze and associated lab caches for ourselves, grabbed a few caches nearby, ate a quick lunch, and turned our sights on the main event. Several hours later, we are exhausted and happily resting at the hotel. What a day, indeed! 👍👍

Highlights for me were finally getting to meet Signal in person, meeting some HQ lackeys, and recounting fun stories with old and new friends. I even met a pair of cachers from Germany. I’m out of practice so not nearly as fluent as I was right out of high school, but they were delighted (and patient) with my clumsy attempt at conversation auf Deutsch.

Special thanks to everyone who played a role in making this event happen. It was a fantastic experience! I’m ready to do it again in Canada!!

TFTC. God bless! 2 Corinthians 5:21

GC7NBWQ

Thanks For The Cache

Meanwhile, in Texas

B.S.

I had a hankerin’ for some Bayou Stuff after Being Slammed all week at work, so I ventured to a nearby Business Site for a Big Supper. I had Boiled Shrimp and Boudin Sausage with a little Buffalo Sauce. I washed it all down with a Bubbly Soda.

Now I’m headed home to soak in some Bath Salts. I thought I’d grab a Bright Smiley on the way, but unfortunately it’s a Blue Sad instead.

Be Seein’ ya!

GC7GDE6

Iron Vines

Favorite Points

The Other FTF

Endgame

Board Games

The Wrong Hidey Hole

π*r^Yum

π

14 March 2019, 19:00 - 20:00

Legends abound of an ancient mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. This irrational number is often represented as a slice of scrumptious goodness. Come get some!

Bring your own $ and geo-stories to share. I'll try to reserve a table a day or two in advance once I have a decent head count.

GC841WZ

Geepus Explains

At Your Own Risk

Unusual

When Opportunity Knocks

Bushwhacking

A Bug's Life

Be Inconspicuous

End It

The Hills Are Alive

Pastime

What If I Told You...

Armchair Logging

How It Began

Better Late Than Never

Roundabout the cache

Found it* in five minutes after the sun had set, with one hand tied behind my back while hopping on one foot. Not too bad at all!

*GZ. The actual cache will require daylight and more time than I had. Note to self: it’s immeasurably helpful to view the D/T rating before killing time before the movie starts.

GC6E1T9

Viewing Party: SUPER BLOOD WOLF MOON

10:00 PM to 11:30 PM on the east shore of McGovern Lake in Hermann Park. Eclipse totality predicted at 11:12 PM.

Bring blankets, chairs, snacks, weather-appropriate clothing, binoculars, cameras, and a sense of wonder for a special visual treat of astronomical proportions: a rare “Super Blood Wolf Moon.” Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? Maybe even a bit scary? Or AWESOME! Either way, I didn’t name it. Read on for more information.

From an article at mentalfloss.com:

“This phenomenon is actually the convergence of a few lunar events. For one, there's a total lunar eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon. This occurs when Earth comes between the Sun and Moon, causing the Sun’s light to bend towards the Moon—hence the spooky reddish hue. After January 2019, the next total lunar eclipse will occur in 2021.

“Secondly, the Super Blood Wolf Moon takes place during a supermoon. This occurs when a moon’s full phase coincides with the point in its orbit when it comes closest to Earth. These two factors make it look 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than it normally does, according to Space.com.

“Finally, a full moon in January has been called a Wolf Moon ever since colonial times, so that's where the ‘wolf’ part of the name comes from.”

GC81ZG2

Central Cachers Meet & Greet: Many Happy Returns

Meet and greet local cachers

Tuesday, January 15th
6:00 pm - 7:43 pm

at

Luna Pizzeria

3435 Kirby Dr.

Houston, TX 77098

Ever wonder what those "event" caches with a little speech bubble icon are all about?

With a name like "event", it seems like it should be a bit more formal, and well maybe it should be, but that's not the way we roll here.

This event is a bunch of folks with something in common getting together for food, drinks, and conversation.

So, if you've been caching for years or maybe you just started, events are a great place to learn more about our obsession (er, hobby, sport, pastime, etc...).

Want to learn about geocaching? Want to know where all the cool geocaches are? Or maybe just meet the person behind those devious hides out there? Come on out and join us!

We will (likely) be the rowdy group at one big table. Look for trackables and maybe GPS units or other sundry nerd-like-paraphernalia on the table.

GC81T9D

The Most Essential Skill