Monday, June 18, 2018

Part 5 - Annual Geocaching Trip - 2018 version

For those that may have missed a previous part 1 - here are some links!!!
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Day 12 - May 29

As mentioned above -  the first part of the day will be
spent in the parks of Chicago's waterfront finding Virtual Caches.

The first thing we did was fight - well not really fight as we just sorta went along with the flow - all the morning traffic into downtown!!!


The very 1st thing we found out about Chicago - parking...
is EXPENSIVE!!!


The 2nd thing - they have some amazing Virtual Caches in downtown!!!


Once we parked, and then headed back to the SNAP!!!-mobile
after I realized I had left my phone sitting on the
dashboard - smh - we set off on a path that would take us to
4 of the cities virtual caches!!!

Let me say - these caches did NOT disappoint!!!

Some of our friends had told us to be very careful - that
downtown was not the place to be.
Well we had no problems!!!


Now I do not want to give anything away but one of the
most amazing caches we found on this entire trip was
GC8FBF - Stone Faced!!!


  An excerpt from the cache description tells you:


The structure (not pictured on this page) was completed in 1925.
It features, on the ground
level of three of its exterior walls, fragments from famous buildings
and historic sites around the world -- a total of 136 of them! In
some cases, these fragments were gifts. In other instances, it was
the enterprise’s staff, on assignment abroad, who gathered and
presented these items to their esteemed leader.

So when you are walking around the outside of this building you
actually see pieces from stone from all over the world!!!

Knowing we had to get back to the SNAP!!!-mobile soon, we started
back towards the garage but decided to try a local traditional.
We opened our C:geo app and noticed one which
was right on the way!  The first words in the hint were:

typical downtown hide

Oh, we might be in trouble here!?!  Not sure what a "TYPICAL"
 downtown hide is as there is no real downtown where we are from!!!


Turns out it was a very fast find!!!   WHEW!

Once we made it back to the SNAP!!!-mobile, we had 2 daunting tasks left:
1) Pay for the parking - turns out it wasn't as bad as expected
2) Fight our way out of downtown Chicago


We headed west towards one last target for the day!
Dickeyville Grotto

What an amazing place!!! Now, we can't show you most of it
as it may answer some questions you need to log the cache
but all I can say is "WOW!!!



 Finds with the most favorite points:
GCJZDR - Cloud Gate aka The Bean - 1243 Favorite points
GC8FBF - Stone Faced - 793 Favorite points
GCMDAX - Chicago's Water Tower - 319 Favorite points
GCGAXY - Dickeyville Grotto - 211 Favorite points
GC73FD - Passing The Buck - 188 Favorite points

We awarded Favorite points to:
GC8FBF - Stone Faced
GCMDAX - Chicago's Water Tower
GCGAXY - Dickeyville Grotto
GC4AC9D - Duck Tape

Winner of the "COVETED" SNAP!!!
Cache of the Day Award (and a favorite point):
GC8FBF - Stone Faced


States Cached Day 12:
Illinois (new state for us) & Wisconsin


Total Finds Day 12 = 8

Types of Finds Day 12
Virtual - 5
Traditional - 3

Total Finds for Trip - 215

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Day 13 - May 30

After spending the evening in DuBuque, Iowa we awoke with only
one thing on our minds - getting our first cache in Iowa!!!


On the agenda for today is a small series of caches crossing Iowa.

This will be a short day as we need some extra rest.


We did travel to The "Original Field of Dreams" today.



We followed that with a very unusual Virtual that made you
do a "Double-take".


Another TB hotel, this one was a twist in the
usual and I really liked it!!!


And although we did grab a few others the surprise of the day
had to be "Treetop Getaway".


The drive to GZ was rather unique considering we were in Iowa.
Then, once you were at GZ you were taken back to the days of Camelot.


 Finds with the most favorite points:
GC3PMCM - Boondocks USA Travel Bug Motel - 235 Favorite points
GC1J4Q8 - Iowa's Premiere Five Star TB Hotel - 164 Favorite points
GC2532 - Treetop Getaway - 112 Favorite points
GC359Z4 - "The Original 1988 Field of Dreams" - 109 Favorite points

We awarded Favorite points to:
GC3C0WGHwy 151 Exit 77 Travel Safe House
GC359Z4 - "The Original 1988 Field of Dreams"
GCHJ67 - Double-take
GC1J4Q8Iowa's Premiere Five Star TB Hotel
GC2532 - Treetop Getaway

Winner of the "COVETED" SNAP!!!
Cache of the Day Award (and a favorite point):
GC1J4Q8 - Iowa's Premiere Five Star TB Hotel

States Cached Day 13:
Iowa

Total Finds Day 13 = 7

Types of Finds Day 13
Traditional - 4
Virtual - 2
Unknown (Challenge) - 1

Total Finds for Trip - 222

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Day 14 - May 31

The only agenda for the day was to continue towards
the main target of the entire trip - MINGO!!!


We had spent the night in Council Bluffs Iowa so we were
bound to find our first Nebraska cache first thing in the morning!


We arrived right after the part opened and ventured up the steps
toward what had the potential to be an
extremely hard find. 


Nana managed to make fairly quick work of our first Nebraska Cache!!!


Our next stop would be Creighton University for 
a quick stop at the Web Cam Cache!!!


Our next stop was a really nice Virtual in a lovely park
named "Cancer Survivor Park"


After traveling a bit and finding another TB Hotel, we
happened upon GCM97B - The Holy Family Shrine.


We spent quite some time at this cache before continuing our trip.


Seen along our route
Before heading into Kansas we made one stop in a huge
cemetery for not one but two Virtual caches!!!




Towards mid-afternoon we arrived at the 
Center of the United States!!!


And just so you know - the only roads to this
picnic shelter are dirt roads!!!


We ventured onward only to realize it would probably
be best for Mingo to wait till the morning!!!

We located a nearby motel and planned our
attack for the morning!!!

 Finds with the most favorite points:
GCM97B - The Holy Family Shrine - 276 Favorite points
GCP9FF - Creighton Webcam - 163 Favorite points
GC10N63 - Center of the United States - 151 Favorite points
GCB88C - A Song In His Heart - 146 Favorite points
GCX0GM - Train Yourself To Cache - 102 Favorite points


We awarded Favorite points to:
GCX0GM - Train Yourself To Cache
GC6CKYT - Portal LAN Travel Bug Hotel
GCM97B - The Holy Family Shrine
GC10N63 - Center of the United States

Winner of the "COVETED" SNAP!!!
Cache of the Day Award (and a favorite point):
GC10N63 - Center of the United States


States Cached Day 14:
Nebraska (a new state for us)
Kansas

Total Finds Day 14 = 8

Types of Finds Day 14
Virtual - 4
Traditional - 3
Webcam - 1

Total Finds for Trip - 230

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That is all for now

Till next time...
Stay Safe & Keep Caching!!!
and...
coming soon
350 more to go
Suffolk Nana & Papa - - - or just plain ol' - - - -  SNAP!!! 

#geocaching   #gogeocaching   #SNAPgeocaching   #geocache

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On Twitter at: @SNAPgeocaching
On Instagram at: snap_geocaching




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