Christmas Weekend - Cache Factory Area, Horseshoe Trail, French Creek, Hot Chocolate Flash Mob
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fell on a weekend this year but I took Monday off to make it a 3-day weekend. Saturday's trip was to the area around Norristown, Lower/Upper Gwynedd, North Wales, and Colmar, where remarkably, there was still quite a bit of cache placement activity going on. The "phobia" series of caches was once again entertaining and disturbing, as one can see from this baby head, which was the "Pediophobia" cache. Since my itinerary wasn't too packed, I took a chance to do the two mile-long hikes on either side of the Gwynedd Nature Preserve.
Sunday's trip started with a long hike on the Horseshoe Trail for 9 geocaches. After that, I went to French Creek State Park, which I'd never visited before, for JQ004 - French Creek, a 15-year-old cache! It's in remarkably good shape despite its age. Just a bit rusty along the edges. Handheld GPSes weren't as good back then so the original coordinates were somewhat off. Fortunately, someone posted better coordinates in a recent cache log and I used those to cut down the search.
On Monday, I hit the areas to the North and Northeast of Baltimore again to get some caches that I hadn't had time for on previous trips. I visited the Jerusalem Mill section of Gunpowder Falls State Park, where the covered bridge stands. Elsewhere, in Parkville, there were a few neat caches, like Leaping Lizards. (although leaping was not recommended because it's up on a wall) In the evening, I went to the "Aint The Chocolate Hot Flash Mob # 8 Straight!" geocaching event at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre. It's an annual event but this is the first time I attended. Although it's an outdoor event during the winter, it was kind of nice by the fireplace and holiday light decorations.
Saturday 2016-12-24:
Submechanophobia (Pennsylvania)
Building 50 Blues (Pennsylvania)
Lunch Break VI (Pennsylvania)
Ornithophobia (Pennsylvania)
Trypophobia (Pennsylvania)
Pediophobia (Pennsylvania)
Pendulaphobia (Pennsylvania)
Zayman (Pennsylvania)
Fenceaphobia-A tribute to Taxman (Pennsylvania)
SPACE2081 [1.5/1.5] Starbase N.E.S.T. (Pennsylvania)
CONGRATULATIONS Hank15 on your 10,000th find! (Pennsylvania)
Wetlands at Work (Pennsylvania)
Hornbaker's Top 20 Finders Redux (Pennsylvania)
Yet Another Spring Valley Park Cache (Pennsylvania)
A Cache for the Streak Keepers (Pennsylvania)
Hydrophobia (Pennsylvania)
Dine on 309 (Pennsylvania)
What A Wonderful Area IX (Pennsylvania)
Put Your Hand in the Crotch (Pennsylvania)
Sunday 2016-12-25:
Gateway to the Horseshoe Trail (Pennsylvania)
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors (Pennsylvania)
Check Out the Woods (Pennsylvania)
See Any Rocks? (Pennsylvania)
50 Candles In The Wind (Pennsylvania)
The Sanctuary (Pennsylvania)
From Triplets to Twins (Pennsylvania)
Glacial Relic (Pennsylvania)
Another Oak Hollow (Pennsylvania)
Happy Caching! (Pennsylvania)
Scott's Run (Pennsylvania)
JQ004 - French Creek (Pennsylvania)
Scott's Run #2 (Pennsylvania)
Monday 2016-12-26:
Deception: Christmas (Maryland)
Ranger Rick's Jerusalem Mill: Gunpowder State Park (Maryland)
Bear's Den (Maryland)
Janis's Treasure Chest (Maryland)
Just another Church (Maryland)
Ridin' the Storm Out (Maryland)
Hanging out near all the Rollers (Maryland)
Fireball (Maryland)
Leaping Lizards (Maryland)
Hearts-A-Flutter (Maryland)
Cub Pack 161 (Maryland)
Your Furst Cache (Maryland)
Lake Montebello Pumphouse (Maryland)
Aint The Chocolate Hot Flash Mob # 8 Straight! (Maryland)
Sunday's trip started with a long hike on the Horseshoe Trail for 9 geocaches. After that, I went to French Creek State Park, which I'd never visited before, for JQ004 - French Creek, a 15-year-old cache! It's in remarkably good shape despite its age. Just a bit rusty along the edges. Handheld GPSes weren't as good back then so the original coordinates were somewhat off. Fortunately, someone posted better coordinates in a recent cache log and I used those to cut down the search.
On Monday, I hit the areas to the North and Northeast of Baltimore again to get some caches that I hadn't had time for on previous trips. I visited the Jerusalem Mill section of Gunpowder Falls State Park, where the covered bridge stands. Elsewhere, in Parkville, there were a few neat caches, like Leaping Lizards. (although leaping was not recommended because it's up on a wall) In the evening, I went to the "Aint The Chocolate Hot Flash Mob # 8 Straight!" geocaching event at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre. It's an annual event but this is the first time I attended. Although it's an outdoor event during the winter, it was kind of nice by the fireplace and holiday light decorations.
Saturday 2016-12-24:
Submechanophobia (Pennsylvania)
Building 50 Blues (Pennsylvania)
Lunch Break VI (Pennsylvania)
Ornithophobia (Pennsylvania)
Trypophobia (Pennsylvania)
Pediophobia (Pennsylvania)
Pendulaphobia (Pennsylvania)
Zayman (Pennsylvania)
Fenceaphobia-A tribute to Taxman (Pennsylvania)
SPACE2081 [1.5/1.5] Starbase N.E.S.T. (Pennsylvania)
CONGRATULATIONS Hank15 on your 10,000th find! (Pennsylvania)
Wetlands at Work (Pennsylvania)
Hornbaker's Top 20 Finders Redux (Pennsylvania)
Yet Another Spring Valley Park Cache (Pennsylvania)
A Cache for the Streak Keepers (Pennsylvania)
Hydrophobia (Pennsylvania)
Dine on 309 (Pennsylvania)
What A Wonderful Area IX (Pennsylvania)
Put Your Hand in the Crotch (Pennsylvania)
Sunday 2016-12-25:
Gateway to the Horseshoe Trail (Pennsylvania)
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors (Pennsylvania)
Check Out the Woods (Pennsylvania)
See Any Rocks? (Pennsylvania)
50 Candles In The Wind (Pennsylvania)
The Sanctuary (Pennsylvania)
From Triplets to Twins (Pennsylvania)
Glacial Relic (Pennsylvania)
Another Oak Hollow (Pennsylvania)
Happy Caching! (Pennsylvania)
Scott's Run (Pennsylvania)
JQ004 - French Creek (Pennsylvania)
Scott's Run #2 (Pennsylvania)
Monday 2016-12-26:
Deception: Christmas (Maryland)
Ranger Rick's Jerusalem Mill: Gunpowder State Park (Maryland)
Bear's Den (Maryland)
Janis's Treasure Chest (Maryland)
Just another Church (Maryland)
Ridin' the Storm Out (Maryland)
Hanging out near all the Rollers (Maryland)
Fireball (Maryland)
Leaping Lizards (Maryland)
Hearts-A-Flutter (Maryland)
Cub Pack 161 (Maryland)
Your Furst Cache (Maryland)
Lake Montebello Pumphouse (Maryland)
Aint The Chocolate Hot Flash Mob # 8 Straight! (Maryland)