Snow White, eat your heart out!

Last Friday Joe and I decided to head to our friend Heather's art show, in downtown Oakville, Ontario. Heather is a brilliant painter, who is a beloved fan of the Chris McCandless (Alexander Supertramp) story, that was made famous by the book and movie, "Into the Wild". As a sort of tribute, she did a series of paintings chronicling his extraordinary life. You can read about her various exploits at the following link: http://heatherhortonartwork.blogspot.com

It was a beautiful sunny evening, so Joe and I opted to head to Oakville a few hours early to hit up some caches situated in the downtown area. Breathtakingly scenic, downtown Oakville is enriched with history and a quaint small town ambiance. 

Our first geocache brought us right down to the waterfront, to a lovely park bustling with muggle activity. Trying to remain incognito and failing miserably, we searched the area, methodically scrutinizing the most common cache hiding places. Finally, Joe triumphantly pulled a small container from its hiding place while simultaneously trying to hide our exploits from the young couple making out on the grass 10 feet from our position! We were disappointed to see that it didn't contain a writing implement, and unfortunately on this particular occasion, neither one of us had a pen. So, we merely glanced inside, logged our visit online, and went on to the next cache.

This is a picture of the park in Downtown Oakville:

During the trek to our second cache of the evening, a truly remarkable thing started to occur. The local wildlife was descending upon us in full force! While at the park, we noticed an abundance of squirrels and chipmunks, however within minutes of walking along a small trail down by the waterfront, we found ourselves surrounded by geese, ducks, swans and what looked like a swoose (a swan, goose hybrid.) 

Joe was giddy at the chance to take some cool, stylized photos with his new Iphone, so I left him to his devices while I systematically dodged the goose poop lining the otherwise scenic trail. Once we were at street level once more, we were able to get some stunning photos of the Oakville harbour, just as the sun was starting to set. 

While searching for our second cache, we had to turn down a small side street, where yet again we were truly captivated by nature in all its glory. We spotted several bunny rabbits darting across our path, and even managed to snap a photo of this little guy.

Even more fascinating was the incredibly rare brood of creatures we came across next. To give you a few hints: they are rarely seen outside after dark, they are mostly solitary creatures on occasion meeting in large groups to execute specific tasks and lastly, they are characterized by their shiny, white manes. Any guesses? The picture below should be self explanatory ;)

It ended up that our second cache of the evening was relatively uninspired, so I won't go into great detail. But, I will throw in a photo in case you're ever in the area and need some caching assistance. The main draw of this particular area isn't the caching, because they are few and far in between. However, the look and feel of Downtown Oakville makes it a truly worthwhile destination. If you're ever close by, take a few hours and admire the quaint shops, the old historical buildings, and the beautiful flora and fauna that inhabit this eclectic location. You won't be disappointed! 

We're Cache-Machines Part Deux!

So, it's come to my attention that I neglected some very interesting photos and their subsequent stories, from my last blog. I didn't realize the sheer number of photos we had taken last year. Therefore, I decided to do a part two. Enjoy!

A FUNNY STORY ABOUT OUR FIRST CACHE:

Over a year ago, we decided to start caching in our then place of residence, Burlington Ontario. A reasonable place to start was directly across the street from our apartment, in a small cemetery. Our first attempt was on a balmy night, it was perhaps around 11:00 pm which we assumed was a good idea because of the lack of muggle interference.

The cemetery is quite tiny and is in fact the oldest one that still exists in Burlington. Ironically, they built a bustling shopping plaza around it that holds a huge grocery store, and an Ikea... of course. And yet, there it still stands up on a small hill, guarded by a rod iron gate and surrounded by a gaudy parking lot.

We very stealthily approached the gate, climbed the hill and were just about to enter the cemetery, when I saw a dark shadow moving in front of the largest tombstone. I put my hand in front of Joe and told him that someone was in the cemetery. Now, this wouldn't be unsettling during the day in a modern cemetery, where people often visit the graves. But, this was an ancient burial ground, where the newest grave was from the mid nineteenth century, and it was quickly approaching the witching hour! 

Joe and I slid down the hill and waited; he was quite convinced that I was seeing things. He bravely tip-toed up to the fence once more to get a closer look, and was appalled to see a body lying on the ground in front of a very prominent grave! The man lying on the ground, began to stretch and groan, so Joe and I did the only thing that made sense at the time, we got the hell outta there!

A few days later we returned during the day, and found our very first geocache! Luckily the man wasn't there, but there was an obvious patch in the grass where he had been sleeping. After reading some logs concerning that particular cache, I came to discover that many avid geocachers had encountered this man, and they dubbed him the GUARDIAN OF THE CEMETERY.

Here's Joe with our first ever geocache. It was contained within the gullet of a small rubber frog.

AN OASIS IN THE BIG CITY:

Last summer, Joe and I joined our friends Mary, Neil and Ted on an excursion to Centre Island in Toronto. Centre Island is a short ferry ride from the shores of Toronto, and is a beautiful Oasis for those looking for a little escapism. 

It has lovely sandy beaches, beautiful and eclectic homes, an amusement park and of course many prime geocaches. Our goal was to spend the day, eat copious amounts of ice cream and get every cache on the island. We succeeded in all of our goals. 

Cache number one was near this stoic looking structure. We made short work of the cache but unfortunately, the fire ants surrounding it made short work of us!

We made our way all over the island collecting a multitude of fascinating caches, but my favourite had to be the largest cache I have ever seen! It was a cart, a trading post of sorts, where residents of the island often left items to be shared and exchanged. The cache was the trading post itself! We searched for a souvenir, but decided to leave the items for future adventurers. I believe I left behind a toy dinosaur, which I hope found a good home. Below are some of the pictures we took!

I would truly recommend spending a day at Centre Island, even if you're not an avid geocacher, there are still plenty of stimulating events to keep you busy. 

CACHING AT WORK (DURING MY LUNCH BREAK) :

One thing that I really enjoy about geocaching, is sharing it with friends. When Joe and I were still residing in Burlington, I was commuting every day down to the Niagara Region, where I worked as a graphic designer for a local newspaper. As a good obsessive little cacher, I would often find the general locations of nearby caches online, print out the map, then venture out during my lunch break with my friend, co-worker and fellow cacher, Jessica. Because it was my boyfriend who was in possession of the smart phone with GPS capabilities, we were forced to used other more analytical methods to find the caches. Our first find, was in a very ancient, and mouse infested oak tree.

It ended up being an awesome find! I traded a coin from Hong Kong for a Wolverine Hero Klix! (Joe was especially excited when I showed him my treasure!) 

A few days later Jessica and I set out again. This time we brought our friend and first time cacher Priscilla along for the adventure. We set off from work into the nearby woods, dressed in our work clothes and prepared to get dirty none-the-less. We were terribly excited by this particular cache. The description said that it was in fact a series of carvings that a local chain saw artist had produced in a multitude of dilapidated trees. Our goal was to find the carvings and post pictures of them to the geocaching website. Here are a few of our pictures, of the majestic works of art.

CANADA'S OLDEST MAPLE TREE:

The last photographic journey I'm going to explore in this particular blog post, is of the cache located at Canada's Oldest Maple tree, the Comfort Maple. 

On this particular day, I was out caching with Neil and Mary... Joe was indisposed at the time. We began our day at Balls Falls... heh heh... a lovely nature preserve built around a stunning waterfall. We spent most of our day hiking, and taking pictures, but before our journey home, I asked if we could stop by the Comfort Maple. I had never ventured there myself, but had heard that it was an incredibly serene place to go, and much to our excitement, there just happened to be a geocache nearby! 

The Comfort Maple is indeed an impressive specimen. It's incredibly large, especially for a sugar maple, and is considered to be Canada's oldest. It still grows year after year, displaying a massive green canopy, even though it looks to be more concrete than tree.

I believe the bricks were put into place to help preserve it. They've apparently worked, because the tree still continues to thrive. Here is a photograph with me sitting on its roots, to illustrate scale.

The cache was very cleverly hidden, but we still managed to find it rather quickly. I have a picture of it, but I've decided not to post it, because it would certainly give away its exact position. So, you're on your own fellow cachers. My suggestion is to bring a picnic lunch, sit beneath it's expansive, shadowy canopy, and enjoy the beauty that nature has to offer. This magical tree may not be here in a few years from now, so please enjoy it while it still stands. 

MMMMM SLEEP:

Lastly, before I turn in for the night, I wanted to leave you with this sketch I meant to add to my blog about travel caching. This is a drawing I did of Joe and Tumbler after we arrived home from San Diego. Joe passed out on the couch with our little dog, as he often does after an adventure. 

Good night all, and happy caching!

We're Cache-Machines!

Over the past year we've found over 140 caches in various fascinating locations. Since I've just recently started this blog, I thought it would be fun to share some of the photos from our many caching related exploits.

2010: A Photographic Reflection

GEOCACHING IN DOWNTOWN TORONTO: 

Caching in a highly populated urban area poses several problems and several challenges. First of all, the caches are usually microscopic, and exceedingly difficult to find. Reasons being, if you leave anything around larger than an M&M, it will disappear. A large, plastic container full of treasures will quickly become a homeless person's lunchbox... true story! The above picture illustrates that exact point. This little magnetic cache, is about the size of a finger nail. I found it stuck to the bottom of a park bench. Miraculously, it actually contained a small piece of paper rolled up inside, that you could log your visit on. That's my friend Ted, using his finger to show the scale.

Another prominent issue that arises from treasure hunting in the big city is that, cities are disgusting places! I was convinced I had found a particular cache hiding in a crack on a concrete slab. After pulling out the foreign object I was mortified beyond belief to discover I was holding an old, and visibly used bandaid! EWWWWW! (It's important to note, that hand sanitizer is an essential tool for any avid geocacher ;) 

Despite all of the obvious disadvantages, caching in an urban area can still be challenging and quite fun! Give it a try, if you're brave!

TRAVEL CACHING!

One of our favourite activities is caching while travelling. Last summer, I attended the San Diego Comicon with my boyfriend, and four of our close friends. While there we mostly engaged in geek related activities, such as attending panels, meeting comic book writers and artists and ogling our favourite sci-fi actors. I met my all time hero... BATMAN!

 (I'm not Catwoman, I'm the one eating the apple.)

During the evenings, we explored the city. We managed to find an exclusive party on an aircraft carrier, where the rumour was that William Shatner was onboard partying it up! Unfortunately they denied us access to said party, so my boyfriend and I decided to search for a few caches. At the time, we had a geo-coin in our possession; a trackable travel bug that people create and drop in geocaches. Other cachers find the travel bug and move it to another location, then log it online so the owner of the bug can trace it as it moves around the world. So naturally, vacationing is the perfect opportunity to move a travel bug to an exotic locale. We had originally found the coin in St. Catharines Ontario, and when we moved it to San Diego, it traveled an astonishing 2,165 miles! Not too shabby!

I can't wait to cache on our next vacation! ;)

CACHING IN THE WILD

My all time favourite place to cache is out in the woods. The setting is clean and serene, and the people scrutinizing your every move, or as we call them, Muggles, are very few. The above picture is from a lovely trail in Burlington Ontario. Tumbler helped sniff out the cache's location. 

The caches are generally, quite large and full of tradable items. Not all hidden treasures found while geo caching are the caches themselves, however. Sometimes the places they're hiding in are treasures unto themselves. 

Above is an old truck that we found abandoned in the woods. The hint was "Fill er up".  Just guess where the cache was hidden? Joe was the only one brave enough to stick his hand into the rusty hole where the gas tank used to reside. 

CACHING WITH FRIENDS

NEIL FOUND IT!

Geocaching with friends is probably the most rewarding aspect of amateur treasure hunting. Being outside and getting fresh air and exercise with close friends is super awesome, and finding all the caches yourself while your friends languish is even better! ;)

HI MARY! :)

These last two pictures, are from a day of caching in Burlington as well. We had a brilliant day, finding various caches in a number of clever locales. This one was hiding under a bridge like a common troll, but had some beautiful glass beads inside it. 

I love my friends, and I love caching! Here's to an exciting new year of adventure!

ADVENTURERS BEWARE! THE ATTACK OF THE KILLER PLANTS!

So, this past Sunday Joe and I decided to hit up the Credit River Valley, hiking trail in Mississauga. It's a beautiful winding path that spans the length of the Credit River, and just happens to have some accessible geocaches ripe for the picking. We began our trek in the early afternoon, just as the day was starting to heat up. Luckily, the majority of the trail is shadowed beneath gorgeous mature trees, making the hike much more comfortable for human and K9 alike. Tumbler in particular was thrilled to be in a new and interesting place ready to be explored.

Our first cache was described as a micro, but we were thrilled to see that someone had taken the time to build this little beauty:

A camouflaged birdhouse hanging from the branches of a coniferous tree. A truly inspired idea for such a lovely conservation area. 

After logging our first find of the day, we continued down the path, making our way past cyclists, bird watchers and anglers. Suddenly, a sign on the side of the path caught my eye. "WARNING GIANT HOGWEED DETECTED IN THE AREA. STAY CLEAR."

Now, to those who often venture off the beaten path Giant Hogweed may not be a mystery. But, to the average Joe who enjoys a leisurely hike or two a year, Giant Hogweed is a plant that you must educate yourself about. My boyfriend and I only heard about this invasive, introduced specimen a year ago and have actually seen it growing in various parts of Southern Ontario. It closely resembles Queen Anne's Lace on steroids, with a size that ranges from 2-5 metres tall. It's indigenous to parts of Asia, and is suspected to have been smuggled in to the US and parts of Canada, to be used as a spice or as simply an ornamental plant.

Here's the problem with it: Giant Hogweed is a phototoxic plant. Meaning that if you come into contact with its sap and then to UV rays from the sun, you can suffer excruciating burns and blisters! They usually form within 48 hours, then they turn into black or purple scars which may last up to several years! So, do yourself a favour and steer clear.

As unfortunate as it is to see signs like that posted in such a lovely conservation area, it's the reality of a global community. As people immigrate, sometimes foreign flora can hitch a ride as well. It's inevitable, however, the Credit River Conservation area is doing a great job at identifying the species and identifying certain areas that are higher risk. So, stay aware and stay safe!

As we continued on our hike, we encountered another sign that warned us of Wild Parsnips. Apparently, they are also phototoxic, so do yourself a favour; if you get peckish during a hike, don't forage for food, eat some damn trail mix!

Despite all of the warnings, we had an incredible day, and found some inspired little geocaches. I would highly recommend the trail to any outdoor enthusiast, who needs to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It's beautiful, serene, and with the exception of some uninvited floral invaders, it's a perfect setting to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. 

With scenery like this, you can't go wrong! :)

What is Geocaching? MY FIRST BLOG POST EVER!

What is Geocahing you may be wondering. Well, if you go to the website: http://www.geocaching.com it becomes relatively self evident. But to those who engage in it, it's far more than just a poor man's treasure hunt. It's a chance for exploration, adventure and being part of a secret global community. My boyfriend Joe and I, have been cachers since May 3rd, 2010, so we are still relatively new compared to those who have been geocaching since its inception in 2000.

We were introduced to the activity by our close friends, Neil and Mary (whom I will most likely reference often), as a cheap and entertaining summertime activity. Since then, we have blossomed into full fledged, competitive, OBSESSIVE geocachers!

I am an Illustrator and Graphic Designer by trade, who currently works and frolics in Mississauga Ontario. My boyfriend is a Comic Book Artist, avid video game player and all around stand up cat. Our little dog Tumbler is an adorable little fur-ball who couldn't care less about geocaching; she does however enjoy a good hike.

The main purpose of this blog is to share our exploits as we explore our beautiful surroundings. Since we began caching, we've managed to hit up some truly fascinating locations, spanning from Southern Ontario, to Quebec, to California.

I hope to share some interesting tales, photos and pieces of artwork, that might inspire each and every one of you to get outside and become fledgling adventurers! You'd be surprised at the sheer number of treasures that surround you at any given time... all you have to do is explore the possibilities! ;)