An unexpected *FTF*

Thursday, November 6, 2014

I hear you ask: FTF, what is that?  Well, that's jargon for First To Find and it is geocaching-speak :-)

I may have mentioned it before, when I had my first FTF, but I thought I just tell you again.  It's such a good feeling to be able to put your name down in a blank logbook!

And very unexpected at that, because I'd been to the airport today to pick up my house sitters and we arrived home in the middle of the afternoon. Upon checking my email I noticed three published caches, the first two too far away, so I didn't get very exited, but no. 3 was only 200 (!) m from home so.... I told my visitors that I'd go for a wee bit of a walk and tell them what it was about when I'd return.

As usual I had to wear white shoes, didn't I, and I had to search in the mud underneath a small bridge! Found it without a problem and nobody had beaten me!

So here are my pictures:

Bridge on the river Kwai

Oh, and I nearly forgot the most important thing: a FTF 'medal'!  I've never come across anything like this, so I was happy to add this to my geocaching stash... ;-)

Only a short update, but this way I can keep on top. Saturday I am leaving for Adelaide.

Geocaching at home again

Sunday, November 2, 2014

What a surprise!  I got invited by some lovely geocachers to join them and Heather and her hubbie to go in search of hard-to-get caches along the beach on Bribie Island north.  It's a long stretch of beach, accessible only by 4WD and even then not without great difficulty (for some).  We encountered a number of vehicles stranded in the deep sandy tracks on the way in and out.  Apparently nobody gets too worried, because there are always others to get you out.  It's a macho thing methinks... ;-)

There are approx. 6 caches along the stretch of beach, but 3 only to be reached by means of a 4WD. The last three can probably only be done by kayaking from the coast of Caloundra across Pumicestone Passage, because access by 4WD is restricted, or rather prohibited, at the narrow top end.

We did get 4 caches in the end, because Robyn and Darren knew of an archived cache which could still be found and logged.  The first 2 caches could be reached by bike if you wanted to do so, but I reckon a 4WD ride on the beach is so much more fun!

We also visited the remnants of bunkers and artillery batteries from WWII.  It's amazing what is still standing after more than 70 years, considered that they are concrete and timber constructions and very exposed on the beach.  

A Stroll to Norfolk

The archived cache: (and no, it's not a typo, that's its name!)

The Silent Sentinal

Plantman Geocache#22

Defender Bribie North

The sun was stinging on bare shoulders

Heather, Marion, Robyn and Darren 

Finally up-to-date with my blog.  That won't be for long I'm afraid.  On Thursday my housesitters arrive and then I am off to Adelaide to travel a bit with Patricia. Of course I will update whenever I can, but don't hold your breath, because internet connection will be scarce.  So long.

Just two more in the Redlands

Friday, October 31, 2014

While in the Redlands to look after the grandchildren and staying on a bit I had to go for a drive to Redland Bay, so I decided to pick up a few caches on the go.  It didn't quite work that way, because of the total four that I tried I found only two!  My GPS is not always very accurate and when looking for one cache it sending me to the middle of a bare field, while I knew I had to look close to the nearest big wall.  However, even knowing that I still couldn't find the cache.  No. 3 had a specific description of where to look, and I used the hint since I wasn't going to hang around and look suspicious for long, but even that didn't help me.  In saying that, there were two enormous 4WDs in the way who block my view and restricted my movements.  Perhaps better luck next time.

I did find:

RBBW - Oh! Brother.

Yes, in the tree hollow!

and

Get the Whird out

The black stump on the left

This last one was in an environmental park at Thorneside where I have found a few more when doing some geocaching with James. I got this one done just before I had to pick him up from school.  There is another recently placed cache and a puzzle cache which I only solved last week.  Something for next time I guess.

A geocaching bike ride at Shorncliffe

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Spring is well and truly in the air and I felt like a bike ride, so I asked Joyce if she would join me. For a while I had wanted to start on Monster Lane, but I hadn't quite gotten around to doing so.  Since we could also earn another souvenir if we found an earth cache it was just the day to head to Clontarf where we could kill two birds...  Also a good reason to try out my new bike rack, so we loaded the bikes and took off.

Warra

Warra is the earth cache, and as earth caches are meant to be, an interesting geological site.  The bluff is made up of various layers of sedimentary rocks dating back to the Triassic period.

While taking pictures of the site we meet other geocachers: Joel and his parents.  We have met them earlier in the year at a CITO event and Joel was, and still is, a very helpful young man.

Monster Lane 54... Mr Sin

Having assured ourselves of our earth cache souvenir we wander a bit further to find a cache that Joel mentioned. For us the first of the Monster Lane series, but not quite no. 1. :-)

Walking back to pick up our bikes (the earth cache path was very rocky!) we forget to look at our GPS and miss a few caches.  Oh well, always a good reason to go back one day.

Monster Lane 51...Robot  

Monster Lane 50...Fendahl

The Cache of the Sandgate Pier

A Tawney Frogmouth hidden in the tree

Monster Lane 49...Krynoid

A warm day, but windy

You're supposed to see the kite surfers in the distance,
but the picture isn't clear

Monster Lane 48...Zarbi 

A better picture of the kite surfers

Monster Lane 47...Menoptera

Yes, this is the logbook!

And this indeed the cache container...

...hidden underneath that picnic table

Monster Lane 46...The Kraal

For a quick grab I love these magnetic ones

 Monster Lane 44...Mona Lisa

Monster Lane 45...The Swarm

Morpheus' Challenge

Can you spot the cache?  We did!

And Morpheus' Challenge was the last one of the day.  Of course we had our lunch break and found a quiet spot away from the bunch of people on the water's edge, because it was surprising how well we did considering the number of people around.  We didn't get all of the caches, because some people we even sitting 'on top' of them, but all in all we had a marvelous and successful day.