Walk the Labryinth… Don’t worry It’s Muppet free!

Last year was the first year we decided to partake in the underground phenomenon of geocaching. The main draw of this worldwide scavenger hunt is of course, finding caches, however something I have yet to discuss is the art of hiding caches themselves.   

July 1^st, 2010 is the day that Joe and I hid our first geocache. We hid it in a beautiful little park in Burlington, that we used to frequent because of the enchanting Labryinth that was built there. This particular one is a Chartres design, characterized by its elegant concentric circular pattern. A popular misconception about Laybryinths is that they are mazes, this is untrue.

A maze is a series of corridors that is meant to confound the individual attempting to navigate it, whereas a Labryinth is in fact, a single path. There is a set starting point, and a set end point, which is generally its centre.  People walk a Labryinth to achieve some kind of inner peace or spiritual enlightenment. We just think it’s a cool location, and the movie Labryinth is one of my favourite Henson films.  The star of Labryinth, is the venerable Mr. David Bowie so we decided to name our geocache, Ziggy Stardust.

(Below is a screen capture of our cache's description)

Ziggy Stardust is an offset Multi-Cache, meaning that you have to find clues at multiple waypoints to determine the final coordinates of the cache. It’s takes about a half an hour, or longer if you struggle with math, to complete. Joe and I have had a lot of success with our cache. Thus far, it has been found by 61 people, with only two logged failures, and it’s been favourited by 2 people as well! Most cachers have been very kind with their comments. Not only have there been multiple logs celebrating our caches meticulous puzzle-like construct, but most people have actually been very appreciative of being able to explore such an intriguing park.

If you’re an avid geocacher and you happen to venture to Burlington Ontario, do an online search for Ziggy Stardust. It’s a great little cache and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon exploring a beautiful green space. Also, if you get the chance, let me know how it’s holding up. Since moving, we haven’t had many opportunities to make sure it’s still in good condition.

“Ziggy played guitar, jammin’ good with Weird and Gilly and the Spiders from Mars, he played it left hand but made it too far Became the special man, then we were Ziggy’s band… Ohh yeah, ziggy played guitar.”

Home Again, Home Again Jiggity-Jig!

A few weeks ago, Joe and I took a week off to visit my family in Magog, Quebec. Although I miss my family and friends dearly, a whole week sans work presented an ideal opportunity to do some hard-core, unadulterated caching. Seven whole days of exploring the beautiful, raw wilderness of rural Quebec, was far too enticing to pass up!

We began our journey on a rainy Sunday morning. Joe started off as driver, I was the sleepy co-pilot, and Tumbler was the amazing little trooper snoozing in the backseat.

The scene from our car

Our first cache was named “K3: Joe Canuck”, and was situated off highway 401 outside of Kingston, Ontario.  We had to make a pit stop, so we also took the opportunity to take Tumbler for a walk and to find the first geocache of our vacation. Joe sprinted across a very busy road to retrieve it, as Tumbler and I found a safe patch of grass to wait for his return. Within minutes we were back on the road to Quebec with our first cache logged.

Record Breaking First Day

The drive to Magog was rather uneventful, with the exception of the $232 speeding ticket I received 20 minutes from my parent’s house. The rain persisted all night and into the next day, but regardless we decided to try some light caching with my folks. We set our sights on a recreational trail, with an abundance of ripe caches. Our first find of the day was called “La Descente”. My parents joyfully searched the banks of the river as Joe mulled over the limited online description, however, I managed to find it hanging in the coniferous tree I was standing beside. We left a breast cancer awareness pin in the geocache, but took nothing.

My parents enjoying the joy of caching

After we were able to break the ice, we proceeded to a more remote section of the trail that cut through a gorgeous rolling pasture. It was starting to rain a bit harder now, but we were determined to get the multiple caches in close proximity to our location. My Dad was very excited to find his first cache in a small tree, and I knew by the look on his face that he was hooked!

My dad finding his first geocache

We trudged along the trail collecting caches as we went, until my father exclaimed, “I’m hungry!” He noticed a patch of blackberries growing on the opposite side of a five-foot wire fence, hopped it like a gazelle and began harvesting the sweet fruit! This seemed to satiate my father for the time being, as we were able to continue on our journey.

The rain was really starting to pound down at this point, but Joe and I had our sights set on a large geocache hiding beneath a small bridge. We had brought a trackable geocoin all the way from Mississauga, and desperately needed to find a large enough cache to deposit it in.  The cache’s name was, “Piste – ou est le heron”, it provided no hints but proved to be an easy find regardless. We dropped off the coin, logged it online and discovered that we had moved it 391.8 miles! Not too shabby! Five days later it was picked up by a cacher named TopCoucou. Hopefully it is already on its way to its next destination!

All in all, we were able to find ten caches that day! Making it, one of the most fruitful geocaching days ever! We fully indoctrinated my parents into the wonderful world of caching and survived a very rainy excursion!

Come to the Dark Side… you know you want to!

The next day we ventured to Waterville; a town that is famous for its one religious building and its bridge… yup, that’s it. Oh, and it’s where my best friend Kelley, has currently taken up residence.

Joe and I had a lovely visit with Kelley, her boyfriend Stephane, and their two gorgeous babies, Nayeli and Sukee. But of course, our obsession started to take control as Joe noticed that there seemed to be a geocache in the cemetery across the street. So, we grabbed the kids by the hands and dragged them across the street, telling them that we were going treasure hunting. Within minutes, Stephane had discovered the small container in a clump of trees in the centre of the cemetery. I took nothing, but thought it very appropriate to deposit a Jesus fish that I had picked up in a previous cache.

Stephane was very interested in the idea of caching. He asked us a bunch of questions, which I did my best to answer despite the fact that my French has become quite deplorable since moving to Ontario 12 years ago. After dropping the kids off at daycare/nightcare, we went out for dinner at a local pub, then retrieved an additional two caches in Sherbrooke, with our new caching buddy Stephane. Kelley had to run off to get a massage, boy did she miss out! ;)

Boating, hiking and Mountaineering

The next day, my mom packed a delicious picnic lunch and we headed out to a picturesque park on the shore of Lake Lyster. Lake Lyster is situated in a small town called Baldwin Mills, near the US border and in the shadow of the beautiful Pinacle Mountain. We ate lunch, then found a small unassuming boat rental, where we rented a row boat for two hours. After about an hour, we returned to shore with shore shoulders and extremely sore bottoms.

Pinacle Mountain

Despite the excessive exercise, we decided to tackle the primary trail on the Pinacle. My mom, feeling a little sea sick from the row boat stayed behind in the van while my Dad, Joe and I headed out onto the trail. Our goal was the one cache on the mountain, entitled, “Pinacle: jonction piste 2 et 3”. 

The description suggested that it was close to the intersection of trails 2 and 3, and the only clue was that it was in a tree stump. Considering that we were in a dense forested area, the clue did very little to aid in our search; and the heavy tree cover reaped havoc on our GPS. Joe and I fine-tooth-combed the area, but alas it was my father who emerged victorious!

Not Rain Nor Sleet…

Our next day of caching proved to be quite the visual spectacle of nature’s raw power! We set out rather late in the day with my parents, with the intention of taking Tumbler for a walk along the shore of the beautiful Lake Memphrémagog. It had been quite a warm day, but the afternoon sky was starting to look dark and inhospitable. We walked at a quickened pace and found our first cache with little difficulty… then, the heavens opened up and it began to pour!

The four and a half of us, darted back to my parent’s van and watched the gorgeous light show with bated breaths. The lightening danced off the shimmering lake and the thunder rumbled through our small metallic safe haven. I was convinced the storm was going to be short and spectacular. Sure enough, it cleared briefly and we were able to find our second geocache of the evening. Shortly after retrieving it, the torrential rain commenced once more. We decided to call it a night, and wait for nicer, cache conducive weather.

North Hatley Bound

North Hatley is a small, primarily English settled town in the Eastern Townships. It is well known for its scenic, old fashioned ambiance and its lovely Lake Massawippi, inhabited by its very own Lake monster, Wippi. Magog also has a world famous lake monster called Memphré. There is a theory, however, that the two creatures are one and the same. An interesting concept considering the lakes are not visably connected.

A slab of granite with a map of Lake Massawippi, and its lake monster!

The gazebo jutting out into the water in North Hatley

 Apparently a long time ago during the winter, there was a large horse drawn sleigh that was traversing the ice on Lake Memphrémagog. The sleigh hit a very unfortunate patch of thin ice, broke through and disappeared beneath the dark waters. The local authorities did a moderate search, but were unable to find any remnants of the vehicle or its passengers. Months later however, various parts of the sleigh began to wash up on the shore of Lake Massawippi! After much investigation, they discovered a series of underground tunnels connecting the two bodies of water. So of course, the elusive lake creature or creatures use these tunnels to travel between lakes. At least that’s the tale I’ve heard… I have no idea if there’s any truth to it, but it makes an interesting story regardless.

We only found two geocaches in North Hatley, however the stunning scenery was well worth the trip. Tumbler in particular had a brilliant time running around in the local parks.

Joe finding a cache in North Hatley

Tumbler taking a much needed break

That evening, we headed to my brother Andy’s house, for dinner. We introduced my three adorable nieces to caching by telling them that we were treasure hunting. I think that the idea of treasures hiding all around you at any given time is an incredibly enticing concept to a child. My niece Melia, was so excited to find her first cache! I can’t wait to do more with them the next time we visit!

Melia finding her first cache ever!

Joe and Bethany

Charlotte

Orford Mountain, our Final Destination

The last day of our week long caching frenzy, brought us to Orford Mountain. Orford is a massive peak in Magog, renown for its amazing skiing, and various hiking trails. Joe and I had done some previous reconnaissance and knew that there were approximately fifteen caches on the mountain, ripe for the picking.

Orford Mountain

My parents, Tumbler, Joe and I set out early in the afternoon. We fought our way through the insane summer traffic in Magog, all the way up to the ski resort on Orford Mountain. Much to our chagrin, however, upon entering the parking lot we noticed a rather alarming, NO DOGS PERMITTED sign! Quebec, unlike Ontario isn’t as progressive when it comes to K9 rights. So, we headed back home, dropped off my Mom and Tumbler, then headed back up the mountain.

Our first attempt of the afternoon, was a terrible failure, so I won’t bore you with those details. We retrieved the next cache however, about 300 feet up the mountain, in the dense forest. It was called “La Foudroyée” and the only clue was that it was inserted in something… not a very helpful hint when you’re battling difficult terrain and thick foliage on the side of a mountain. Never the less, I was able to spot it hidden in a knot in a tree. One down, 14 to go!

Caching on a mountain made me acknowledge two very significant things. First, I am not in as good a shape as I thought I was, and second, my 65 year old father is in incredible physical condition, as he more than kept pace with me. Joe however schooled us both. He effortlessly climbed the rocky terrain, leaving us in his dust!

The second cache we found was another 300 or so feet up the mountain. It was named “La Vieille Souche” (The Old Stump) and the clue insinuated that it was in something that resembled hands. After a few minutes of searching Joe found the cache in a gnarled looking tree stump.

Joe logging the cache

Our third and final cache of the day, that’s right we didn’t get all 15 caches, was another several hundred feet up the mountain’s face. It was named “La 14” and had a photo clue of a tree with a sign on it that said 14. Sure enough we easily found said tree, and my dad was able to retrieve the small container hanging from behind it. Considering that each of us had found one geocache each, and considering I was on the verge of vomiting from overexertion, we decided to head back down the mountain.

My Dad the mountaineer

Joe, Tumbler and I had a wonderfully adventurous time in Quebec. All in all we collected 23 geocaches, bringing our total up to 209! Not only were we able to surpass a significant milestone, we were able to explore the beautiful Eastern Townships, get some much needed rest and relaxation as well as some exercise and we got my parents into Geocaching. It was a GREAT vacation!

A Few of My favourite Things

Two Weeks Ago:

I haven’t written a blog in a few weeks, because life has been hectic and my geocaching partner was away at the San Diego Comicon. While Joe was away however, he did manage to do a tad bit of geocaching; which is a difficult feat during the comicon when the city is bustling with hordes of ravenous nerds! So, he waited until the Monday morning after the Con was over, and the city resembled a ghost town!  He found two caches that morning, and snapped a gorgeous photo of the San Diego palm trees and he took a stunning shot from the plane as well.

Last weekend we felt the need to catch up on our caching so we hit up my old neighbourhood of Port Credit. Port Credit, I believe, used to be a small town on it’s own, but was absorbed by the expanding beast that is the city of Mississauga, Ontario. It’s a beautiful area that lines the shore of Lake Ontario, boasts a quaint small town atmosphere and has a bevy of unique shops and restaurants. It also has a few geocaches in its many parks and under its many bridges. Therefore we set out on a ridiculously hot day and risked heat stroke to feed our caching obsession.

We found cache number one in JC Saddington Park. The cache was called Parking on the Credit, and the clue was “Pick a post any post”. When we got close to ground zero the clue made perfect sense, as there was a slew of wooden posts jutting out of the ground. Each post was partially rotten and hollow, which meant the geocache could have been in any number of them. Joe had the brilliant idea of kicking each post, which seemed like a good concept until a swarm of bees flew out of one Them!

After losing our wits and running around like a couple of small children for a few minutes, we checked out a post at the end of the row, tucked under a branch and sure enough it was capped with a slab of concrete. I held the branch back as Joe lifted the slab. He quickly dropped it. “More bees?”, I asked.

“No babe,” Joe said. “There’s a mouse in there!”

Sure enough, nestled inside the post beside the geocahe was a little brown mouse. We decided not to touch the cache because we didn’t want to disturb the little fellow. We logged it online and went on our merry way. Caches two and three were relatively uneventful, in fact they were somewhat marred by the intense heat. We found the second one beneath a rock under the bridge on Lakeshore and we found the third one in a small cemetery on Stavebank. All in all, it was a great geocaching day, but I think we’ll return on a day when the heat isn’t quite so intolerable!

This Weekend:

Yesterday Joe and I did a little geocaching on the Credit Valley Trail, this time starting from Derry Road instead of Burnhamthorpe like we did last time. Our first find was a large Tupperware container shoved in the cracks of a huge stonewall lining the trail. It was a fun climb to the top of the wall, and an easy find.

Our second cache of the day was approximately a 15 minute walk down the trail and off into the woods. The mosquitoes were starting to act up, so we tried to make quick work of it. The cache was called “Find the Path – Celebrating 100 Years”, so we assumed it was in a very old tree. Sure enough at the end of the path, was a huge, decrepit tree, broken in half and splayed out on the ground. I climbed up over its branches to its hollowed out trunk still jutting out of the earth. Inside the trunk was a broad piece of bark that was casually covering a massive plastic container! Inside was a cool variety of interesting tradable items. I quickly traded a small bauble for a silly band, signed the log book and ran out of the woods before I was devoured any further by the ravenous insects!

 Our third try at a cache for the day, was in an incredibly cool location. It looked like an abandoned grain silo with a dilapidated stonewall surrounding it. There was something quite mystical about that place, it almost resembled a scene from The Secret Garden. Joe snapped some very cool photos with his IPhone.

Unfortunately, we came up empty handed from that particular cache. At this point the mosquitoes were so horrible Joe was starting to look like he had Chicken Pox. So we headed home to an air conditioned and mosquito free apartment.

Finally, a Few of my Favourite Things:

Over the past year, we’ve actually managed to find and trade some very interesting items. I’ve added some photos of said items below, including my favourite which is a Rod Stewart fridge magnet. I’ve also included a photo of some gorgeous handmade glass beads that I found one by one and a beautiful geocoin, which we currently have in our possession. We picked it up in Mississauga and are planning to drop it off on our next vacation. Stay tuned for its drop off point!

The Art of Getting Your Numbers UP!

For all avid geocachers, getting your caching numbers up is the penultimate goal! It's this irrational desire within each and every one of us, to show our supremacy over our fellow cachers and close friends alike. Joe and I often reflect upon our first attempt at collecting a cache, a few blocks from our former residence. The thrill of sneaking around in the middle of the night, stealthily climbing in trees and over fences, and acting strangely casual when muggles came sniffing around, was truly intoxicating! We were hooked from the get go, even though our fist cache eluded us!

It was supposed to be in a pagoda-like structure situated in a lovely little area, directly outside a bustling bank! We knew the cache was quite small, and we knew it was magnetic, so we of course assumed that it would be attached to this giant metal structure. For three nights straight, we combed over the area, meticulously inspecting every nook and cranny. But unfortunately night after night, we came home empty handed. Finding a geocache couldn't be that difficult, could it? 

Joe checked the logs for that particular cache, and nothing insinuated that it had gone missing. So, he messaged the owner of the cache to help us out. The owner, being the jerk-face that he was, said that the cache was still there and that we were lame nubes with zero finds, and therefore lacked the appropriate experience to find a stupid magnet stuck to a hunk of metal! A few days later however, the owner logged this cache as missing. VICTORY WAS OURS! A year later, we have 174 caches found and 1 cache hidden under our belt, and very VERY few failures. 

The Bruce Trail - A Perfect Place To Get Your Numbers Up!

A month ago, our friend's Neil and Mary messaged us to go caching with them in Orangeville. Apparently Neil had found a string of over 100 caches lining a section of the Bruce trail. The geocaches were so close together that it presented a good opportunity for us to collect a huge number in one day. So, off we went with Mary, Neil and their adorable little baby Ryan, for a day of caching frenzy! How many did we manage to get that day out of the possible 100 or so treasures you may ask? 3! The mosquitos were so bad that Joe came home looking like he had the mumps, and even though I only had one bite, it was right on my lip and swelled up to the size of a chocolate covered almond! So, we decided to come back on a less damp, mosquito ridden day, and that day was last Saturday.

As you can see by the map below, the trail is lined with a multitude of caches in very close proximity to one another. The green squares indicate the caches we still have yet to find. The yellow happy faces at the bottom of the map, are the caches that we've already found. As you can plainly see, we still have a lot of work to do!

We started our day last Saturday on the Bruce Trail just off of Mississauga Road. We figured we could work our way towards the caches we had already found to bridge the gap, and then if the day was going well, we could start going north to collect a few more. Our first cache of the day was called, "Resting in Loving arms", and even though it had quite an auspicious name it proved to be a rather disturbing find. 

I assumed the geocache was situated in the loving embrace of a nearby clump of trees. So I veered off the path and into the woods. Sure enough within minutes, I could see a small camouflaged container shoved between the trunks of three intertwining trees. I could SEE the cache, but there was NO WAY I was going to stick my hand in and retrieve the cache, because at the base of the tree was a pile of bones, picked clean by god who knows what kind of predator! When I yelled out, "Hey guys there's a pile of bones here!", Neil asked if they were chicken bones. I said, "No they look like a pile of small femurs!"

Now I'm no expert, but there are definitely some vertebrae, and potentially arms and legs in there. If anyone can identify these, drop me a line. The skull was missing so there was very little else to help us identify them, and I wasn't about to touch them in any way. In any case, we logged the geocache online and went on our merry way! (BTW, if the owner of the cache put these here, not cool man!)

The day progressed rather nicely. Overall we managed to snag an additional 8 geocaches. Most of the caches lining this trail are named after geographical locations and were placed there by the same person. We found Barbados, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. To be honest the majority of the caches were rather uninspired, easy to find and were in yogurt containers. So, either the person who placed them there worked at Yoplait or was a HUGE yogurt enthusiast. As pictured below, we did manage to find one really interesting geocache, that was built into a carved piece of wood and gingerly placed in the crevice of an old stump.

Strike a pose Joe!

All in all, we had a fantastic day, but in the end the excessive heat and pesky insects made us turn back early once more. We'll be back however, perhaps in the fall when the mosquitos won't tear us to shreds. The draw of conquering this string of geocaches is far too enticing to give up on. It may take us multiple tries, but I'm confident that one day that long green string of unattained caches will be replaced with smiling yellow happy faces, and our numbers will take a healthy leap forward. Happy caching!

Below are some more pictures from that day. GOOD TIMES!

Neil and Joe displaying the same caching technique!

Mary looking sad from all the nasty bug bites!

The Scarborough Bluffs - A Slice of Paradise Near the Big City!

The Scarborough Bluffs is a stunning geological wonder, situated along the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just outside of Toronto. The Bluffs is a 14 km long escarpment formed during the last ice age, and is an impressive 65 m (213 ft) at its highest point. Last weekend, Joe and I decided to check out this unique feature, with the hopes of enjoying a fruitful day of hiking and caching. The above picture is of me standing on a small pathway, jutting out above one of the precarious cliffs of the Bluffs. It's truly hard to believe that something this incredibly gorgeous could exist right beside Canada's largest city, on the overly polluted Lake Ontario. We were both made speechless by the crystal clear azure coloured water, and sandy white beaches below. 

Our journey began last Friday, which of course was the long weekend here in Canada because of Canada Day. We set out early in the afternoon and despite the heavy holiday traffic and the various festivals lining the waterfront, we made decent time to the Bluffs. On our way, we managed to snap this notable picture while speeding along the Gardiner Expressway. Believe it or not, it's rather difficult to snap a photo of another vehicle while travelling at 100 km an hour, but when an authentic looking DeLorean fully equipped with a Flux Capacitor passes you by, you must take the opportunity!

We arrived in the general vicinity of the Scarborough Bluffs around 2:00 pm. We weren't entirely certain where to go, where to park or where the best vantage point was situated. Even with the aid of Google Maps we were a little confused, because ultimately Goggle Maps does not show you elevation. So, it will indicate that you have reached your destination, even though you may be 200 metres directly above your intended destination. In this case however, this fact seemed to work to our advantage. 

We easily found parking along side a small, unassuming municipal park, which had some tiny signs up indicating sheer drops up ahead. When we traversed the park, we were shocked to see that we were indeed standing on top of a very high, and stunningly beautiful cliff, overlooking the blue-green waters of Lake Ontario. 

Amazingly, even though the Scarborough Bluffs have the appearance of being comprised of Limestone, they are in fact compacted sand. So, I would imagine that they erode at a ridiculous rate! This lends to the spectacular geological features that make the Bluffs so unique. It also makes walking along the steep edges a slippery and precarious undertaking!

Below is a photo gallery of some of the gorgeous views:

After admiring the view for quite some time, we decided to try some caches in the area. The first Cache was entitled "Suicide", so for obvious reasons we decided to skip that one. We had no interest in marring a beautiful day, by having to take a trip to the emergency room. The second cache, was a multi, which we again decided to skip because hitting up multiple points along 14 km of sandy cliffs, in 30 degree weather didn't seem feasible. So, I'll be honest, we didn't actually do any geocaching on this particular day, however if you are an avid geocacher, who is perhaps a tad braver than my boyfriend and I, this is a perfect spot to feed your obsession!

From our vantage point, we could clearly see Scarborough Bluffs park far below. It was clamouring with people and bustling with fun July 1st activities! Joe and I looked at a map online to see how we could get down, and it seemed to require quite a lengthy drive through heavy traffic. So, we decided to hike along the ridge and see if we could find a relatively safe way down. Within 10 minutes or so, we discovered a path leading down a rather steep hill. We chanced the hike down, and very shortly found ourselves at our desired destination!

Again, we were not disappointed by the unbelievable sight of the stunning white cliffs! Below are some of the gorgeous snapshots we took from the park:

Joe and I had a marvellous time at the Scarborough Bluffs, and we would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a glorious, inspired time just outside Canada's largest city. It feels more like an exotic holiday than a short jaunt. Treat yourself to the Scarborough Bluffs, you won't be disappointed! ;)

Some Caches To Remember

This proved to be an incredibly busy weekend! Our friend's baby shower was yesterday, today is father's day, it's the beginning of festival season all over Southern Ontario, and Green Lantern opened in theatres! So, Joe and I were and still are being great little weekend warriors!

First off was Neil and Mary's baby shower for their little guy, Ryan. It was a BEAUTIFUL day yesterday and everyone was in great spirits. Thanks guys for a wonderful afternoon! We ate some delicious food and had a fabulous time socializing with superb friends! We stuck around until approximately 6:30, then realized we had to go home to take care of Tumbler before heading out to our next venue, The Sound of Music Festival in Burlington.

The Sound of Music Festival is a 4 day long, FREE music fest, that boasts a beautiful lakeside setting, scrumptious food, an amusement park and amazing musical talent from all over North America. Joe and I have been going for the past few years and have been lucky enough to see some phenomenal free shows. This year we able to catch, The Hollerados and Tokyo Police Club, who incidentally put on great performances.

Tokyo Police Club:

I would highly recommend trying to check out the festivities next year if you happen to be in the area. Not only is Spencer Smith Park a stunning setting, the music is great and of course for the avid geocachers amongst us, there are several treasures lining the lakeshore.

I thought Sunday was the day of rest?

Today, after recovering from the concert last night, Joe and I hitched up Tumbler and decided to take her out for a little exploration. Our first stop was just off Derry and Creditview, in Mississauga. Surprisingly, Creditview transitions rather quickly from a bustling industrial area, into a serene, lush setting. 

We began our search just off of an incredibly busy road, where we had to carefully sprint across to an auspicious looking wooded lot. Upon closer inspection however, the area proved to be thick with inhospitable vegetation. Also, while walking along the thin patch of grass that lined the street we had to dodge various types of roadkill. One of which resembled a fur covered throw pillow with a head, which I later surmised was most likely a racoon. 

Joe very bravely jumped through the high wall of grass and vines, while Tumbler and I chilled out on the grass. After finding the micro cache, he burst out of the woods covered in mosquito bites and scratches on his legs from all of the brambles he encountered. Needless to say, I was glad I had not entered those woods. I was hoping the rest of our day was going to be more fortuitous. 

Fortune Smiles!

Our second stop, was farther down Creditview Road, in a very interesting municipal park. The park itself resembled more of a nature preserve, with mowed walking paths carved out of high lush grasses. We felt like we were exploring another country as we followed the winding path into a dense forested area. 

The name of the geocache we were looking for was entitled, "Dinky Car Treasures" and the clue was, "Less than natural graveyard". Minutes after leaving the trail both the title and clue for this particular cache came together as we encountered a rusted out corpse of an abandoned vehicle. The cache was easy to find, and contained serval toy cars within it. We took a small Batman toy and a toy car and left behind a trackable item called the, GeoKid Micro Geocoin. I hope someone finds it and keeps it moving on its journey.

Our third and final cache of the day was situated in Joe's old hood, so it was rather nice to go down memory lane. It was entitled, "Levi Creek" and the clue was, "2 storeys up". Once we got to the general vicinity, we were thrilled to see two very large dilapidated trees, one of which had an old set of steps leading up the trunk. Here's a picture of the first tree, with Tumbler taking a much needed break on one of its fallen branches. 

Again, Joe used his Spiderman-like climbing abilities and scaled the rickety steps, while I played babysitter to our little dog. I desperately wanted to climb that tree, it looked SO fun, but alas duty called. So I waited down below, snapping pictures and hoping to spot the cache from the ground to aid Joe in his search. 

After about 20 minutes of descending one tree and ascending the other, we eventually found the much desired duct taped wrapped container. Joe very carefully signed the log while he was still up in the tree, we took nothing and left nothing. It proved to be a very fun and challenging geocache. It's a very rare occurrence when it takes us longer than 5 minutes to discover a cache's location, so we were grateful for the challenge! 

All in all, it ended up being an exceptional weekend! Tonight to end it off, we're planning on watching Green Lantern in 3D. It's getting deplorable reviews, but we're such big nerds that we desperately need to get our fix! 

FYI:

A few weekends ago, Joe and I joined our friend Neil for a few geocaches around the central hub of Mississauga. He brought us to a rather beautiful park just off of Hurontario and Karya. It's a Japanese garden park, equipped with gorgeous Japanese architecture, turtle pond and colourful blossoms. While there we managed to find a small geocache situated behind a little waterfall. If you're ever in the area, check it out! It's beautiful, peaceful and ripe with stunning photo-ops! 

Kick that bell Neil! ;)

P.S. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DADDY!