Nurses Have Heart Geocoin

  It's funny how some things take on a life of their own. Or, in the Nurses Have Heart Geocoin, it took on a story of its own that I'm still trying to figure it out!

  Part of my Geocaching 'fun' is to order geocoins like this and use them for several purposes although they were created to be 'trackables' in geocaches.  Many are saved in a special notebook for no particular reason except that they are pretty and might even be valuable someday.  They are often used as gifts for special occasions.

  But, this one was placed in my cache called, "Road Less Traveled" (because it is).  Someone picked it up and sent me a note about how beautiful it was and that he almost hated to give it up and put it in another Geocache. (I sent a note back saying he could keep it.)

  Actually, I'm not sure what he did with it, but all I know is that it has become very popular, and other geocachers have sent me notes saying how much it means to them because their mom, aunt, brother, sister, was a nurse, or a Navy nurse, or a school nurse, etc.

  But this last Tuesday night (January 8, 2013) as I was traveling on my rounds as a visiting nurse, my phone kept chirping with new messages. At first, I thought it was work adding more patients to my already busy schedule.  My assignment for the shift was in the Aurora area. (Who hasn't heard of Aurora by now?) I had patients up and down Colfax Avenue.  Nine miles to the West, then turn around and go 10 miles to the East!  Find a legal place to park at 8 p.m. at night. Take all my equipment with me because it wasn't always a safe place to park. I had patients who wanted me to change a wound vac before dark, and patients who were waiting up for their IV antibiotic. Patients upset because the day nurse didn't show up.  Patients waiting with warm cookies and milk!

  The flurry of messages were on my Geocaching email.  I pulled over to try and figure out what in the world all these messages were.  I hadn't placed a new Geocache, so I didn't expect messages like this.

  "I discovered your Nurses Have Heart geocoin at the Greeley event tonight.  Safe Travels!"

  Who knew I was traveling except my husband?  (He enjoys keeping track of where I am with our Find iPhone" app.)  I didn't know what was going on, but it was perfect timing for someone (ME) who felt badly about missing the Greeley event because of work!

  I still don't understand the how and why of all the text messages about my Nurses Have Heart geocoin from the Greeley Event.  I'm sure I'll learn more when I'm able to get the night off and attend more events, but in the meantime, please know that when I finally figured out the messages were coming in because of my beautiful, popular, Geocoin, IT MADE MY NIGHT!

  It didn't feel nearly so desolate on a cold, dark, winter night. Friends were as close as my Geocoin!

Thanks for all who made a busy night less stressful, and for the reassurance that we are not alone!

Take Care on the Journey,
Your friend in Geocaching
Starcatcher55 aka Linda

Email: bestnurse@usa.com



Shiny Baubles and The Snake

How about a nice facelift too?
If you've ever gone to Black Hawk via Highway 6, you may have seen Shiny Baubles Geocache (GC11V7F) as that small decorated "Christmas tree" on the right just beyond Mile Marker 3 (headed to Black Hawk).  
If you are a Geocacher, you might have even wondered if this was a Geocache?
Yep, it was placed there April 1, 2007, and today September 1, 2012, it got a new outfit and great facelift! 
Curious about it, a few weeks ago, I looked it up and read the posts from Geocachers who have had fun with this one over the years, but entwined was a gentle undertone that the shiny baubles were no longer shiny.  
Suddenly, I had a brainstorm!  
Tucked away in a dresser drawer since 2003, was a plastic bag full of shiny necklaces that I had collected from the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida. 
I would bring that cache back to life by adding all my Gasparilla necklaces!
By sharing, more could enjoy my necklace treasure!  
So, today hubby and I headed up to Shiny Baubles with the necklaces and a few of my polished stones that I like to leave everywhere.  
Before you scroll to the pictures, I have to tell you about the snake...  
We didn't find the cache although now that I'm posting the photos, I suspect I took a great big picture of it with new necklaces all around it... (Look)  (It's a micro)
But about the snake...  Hubby walked about 15 feet from the tree looking for the Geocache when suddenly he yells, "Snake!"  
He and the 10-inch snake had a stare down while I continued decorating the area with all the necklaces.  He says it wasn't like that, but the fact remains that he did not take one step away from that snake the entire time I was busy with the tree. 
(Photos by Starcatcher55)

New look for an old cache!

There's a cache there somewhere!

I got a little carried away...  LOL

Hope you can see these from the road...

New necklaces make old baubles pretty!

Some Baubles have hit the dust.

I dropped off some of my polished "Thank-you" stones under this rock.
NOT part of the Geocache.

Is that It????

Take Care on the Journey,
Starcatcher55

Email: bestnurse@usa.com

Geocaching On The Way To Yellowstone

This Geocache was found on our way to Yellowstone from Denver.
We were about 40 miles west of Casper, WY.
I was tired of driving so looked to see if there was one close by!
What a surprise and a treat!

This was a "location" for the movie Starship Troopers (1997)

It was also in the daylight scenes for Planet P.

You might miss this completely (all lower than ground level) if you hadn't heard of it, or were looking for the Planet P Geocache (GC14M2R)

The Planet P Geocache is just outside the edge of this.

Ha Ha These Buffalo were from another part of the trip, but I thought they fit in here nicely.

THIS is geocache GC14M2R or Planet P.
 It looks like a bird's nest at first glance.
TFTC
Starcatcher55

King of Da Hill by DaToad

This new Geocache has become a story within a story.  
Usually there's the serendipitous First to Find (FTF) and the others follow with a polite Thanks For The Cache (TFTC).
Here is a copy and paste of some of the first postings of this new cache titled King of Da Hill.
We have enjoyed several laughs over this one!

(Sorry the cut and paste looks funny. I'm working on how to fix it.)

After the cache was posted, here's what Jacokas had to say about being FTF with the CoHounds.

"Energized after getting a FTF earlier, the cohounds and us decided to go for this one too. When we got to the GZ it looked daunting. Geo-spouses and geo-child decided to stay in the car. After a false start up the "wrong" trail, we decided to try the other one as it seemed less steep. I'm not sure that was the case but we made it to the top. I with sandals, Mr. CoHound with shoes with no tread. That was certainly a challenge. We poked around and looked through the sharp plants until we made the find. We took the toad as a prize for geo-child. We signed the log just as the ink ran out in both of the pens we took up. We debated whether to sign with blood as neither one of us was willing to go back to the cars to retrieve another pen. The down climb proved more challenging than the up climb. It made us wonder who in their right minds would hide a cache there but then again, who in their right minds would go, in the middle of the night, ill equipped, just to have the privilege of being the first to sign a piece of paper.
TFTC! great hike. This one gets a favorite!"

This is what WE had to say after finding the cache...

Ahhh, we wonder if DaWife hopped up this hill with you, and if so, is she still speaking to you?

After reading about the FTF CoHound's experience, Geo-hubby and I fortified ourselves at Cracker Barrel, strapped on our finest hiking boots, and packed in bottles of water. 

We think this is not for the faint of heart, those over 40-years old, or those who have a fear of heights. Except for not being faint of heart, I will be 62-years old on September 3, and I do have such a fear of heights that Geo-hubby thought he would have to bring me down in a sling bag! 

Geo-hubby tells the family that I climbed a 60-degree incline about 1,000 yards with slippery stones, sage brush and stickery cactus under my feet. He still doesn't understand why I wouldn't zigzag but insisted on "walking straight up to save steps".

I honestly thought we wouldn't ever find a way down and live to tell the story! We must have walked back and forth for 20-minutes until Geo-hubby took my hand and said, "If you don't want to go this way, you can sit down and slide."

Now, we suggest that future Geocachers turn immediately right (North) at the parking lot and follow the gulch that is right after the second telephone pole (count the one at the parking lot). That is how we returned to our beautiful car and headed to the closest McDonalds for a cool drink of sweet tea. 

One little suggestion respectfully submitted by Geo-hubby. He would love to have seen a much larger Geocache at the top for all the hard work to get there. We took the bouncy ball for our little dog, DeeDee, and left a RN token, a polished stone by Starcatcher55, and a wooden dollar.

I know this is long, but one more thing. Along the way and on the ground at the top are many stones including lots of pretty quartz. Please save some for the Golden B's.

All in all, thanks so much for this incredible cache and the awesome views from the top.
Starcatcher55 and CatsEye55
(Linda & James)

And then, here's the last posting by DaWife...

"After seeing the log of the previous cacher I challenged myself to climb the hill. I don't know what has gotten into DaToad with all his "hills" lately! I had just recovered from the last climb and here his next cache is up - yet again - another hill. Well, I decided to climb the hill the easier way, instead of straight up, I went around and up. What a beautiful view from up here. I nabbed the RN token because I am an RN too. Now to nurse my knee again! Sheesh. TFTC. SL."

That's our tiny little car!

Now that I see the photos, I wonder if this is the 'easier side up'?

We're going down that way!

I might have slid down the hill except for THESE!

... and THESE...

Happy Hunting 

~Starcatcher55

First Earthcache, 200th Geocache, and First Benchmark TODAYIn One Day!

What a busy day driving up the mountain on I-70 West to the Easter Seal's Mountain Village Camp where I'm thrilled to be one of the camp nurses this summer. I leave in a week, and have everything to do including a call for Jury Duty!


But today, I wanted to make my 200th Geocaching find a special one, so I could move on to find the new ones arriving daily close to home and the new ventures and geocaches that await me near the camp!  Hubby enjoyed the day with me and very sweetly took my picture!


I also wanted to get my first Benchmark and my first ever Earthcache along with the 200th cache all in one day!!!  It took many hours, but it's a goal accomplished!  Here are some photos to enlighten the story.  Some were found right next to the entrance to camp!!!! Who knew???

The local cops like my hat!
Found my 200th Geocache  (GL84YA3V)  west of Idaho Springs, CO in a cemetery!

First Benchmark!  (We tried to clean it with some water.)
(AA53650)

Found close by my 200th cache at 8,316 feet above sea level!
(No, I didn't climb all that.)

My first Earthcache! This was one of those mandatory photos to prove you were there.
All Colorado sunsets are unique and beautiful.

I got my answers to the Earthcache questions from these signs.
Hope I passed the test!

Take Care on the Journey,
Your Geocaching friend,
~Starcatcher55 aka Linda

Wyoming Stones and Possibly Jade From Our Trip

Hubby and I recently took a couple days from Denver to Wyoming on a gemstone hunt. I found a website of a geologist who spent 30 years finding gemstones in Colorado and Wyoming. We drove to places he said we should find something. We came back with a car full of "rocks", but not being a Geologist, we're "stumped" as to what we brought back.


Here are a few photos if anyone knows geology, maybe you can enlighten us.

Our trunk when we got home.

A mystery.

The only one we know. Milky Quartz. I have lots of these. But this is the largest!

What's inside this rock?

Someone said this is what the earth is made of.

Looks like a cave!

An assortment of mystery rocks.

A lovely little green stone...

Neat!

Does anyone think this is Jade?
We were in Jade territory.

It sparkles!

 (Linda Meikle photos)

I'd love to see some comments.

Take Care on the Journey,

~Linda

Sandy's Cache

I love my little sister, and miss her a lot. She and her husband live in Tampa, FL. So I decided to make a cache dedicated to her. She will be so proud!


Day before yesterday, this Rubbermaid container with an almost real bird's nest on top was placed 50 miles away at Estes Park, because Sandy and I had such a grand time there when she came to visit last summer for her birthday. But, alas, it was hidden too close to the medical center there, and we had to drive all the way back up to Estes Park today and remove it.


But, I'm happy to have found a perfect little tree about three blocks from our home (near Lowell Road) at the edge of WalMart parking lot. There's a bike path from this parking lot that goes right by our house! How neat is that?


So we (hubby and I) waited with bated breath tonight for Sandy's Cache to get published!  Our geocache publisher seems to enjoy doing all her publishing about 9 p.m. at night. If one wants to go to bed early because one has to be at work very early in the morning, no luck. I got notice on my iPhone that it was published at 8:30 p.m.


When the notice came out that the hiding spot was approved, and the GPS coordinates came out on the Geocaching website, I got in the car with camera in hand to catch the First to Find (FTF) in photos. 


Earlier, I told my sister that I 'bet' it would be The Golden B's and Chihuahuas-3's. Sure enough, just as I gave up on anyone showing up, and I was leaving the parking lot, here they came! The entire clan of the Golden B's and the Chihuahuas-3's. There were four of them, but the two ladies were running around looking for the cache with their Geo-flashlights. I sat in the car smiling from ear-to-ear as they quickly found the geocache.


"I've been waiting for you an hour." I greeted them cheerfully.  They happily posed so I could take pictures for this website and for my sister, Sandy.


Because my sister absolutely loves the quartz rocks I've found here in Colorado and mailed to her, I placed a large one under the tree for the FTF. 


I plan to add another rock the first week of every month at the cache under the tree, so all Geocachers take note,  and get the chance to be another FTF every month!


Mrs. Golden B especially loved her rock because she collects rocks! I was happy that worked out so nicely.


It was very nice to meet up with some of my favorite Geocachers again.  :)


Here's the story in photos:

 Golden B's and Chihuahuas-3 enjoy being FTF at Sandy's Cache at 9:31 p.m.

"I know there's something good in here!"

Husbands enjoy watching the family fun!

Golden B really loves her quartz rock!
(FTF reward)

Fun was enjoyed by all
TFTC

I always love the messages that are left on the Geocaching website. Geocachers can read the entire comments on the website at www.geocaching.com ("Sandy's Cache")  in Colorado. 
They wrote, "It was nice to see the cache owner and happy to participate in honoring sister Sandy"!

Take Care on the Journey,
Your geocaching friend,
~Starcatcher55 aka Linda