The M Trail

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Michael, aka journeymnn, on the occasion of his #1000 cache. After doing all the work required for the Los Angeles County Quad Challenge, he wanted to do the final cache as his 1000th. He tried to do #1000 on Monday, but the cache was missing. Instead of finding a cache, he placed one–M–that’s M for 1000, M for Michael, M for Mystery. I replaced the cache yesterday and was on hand when Michael got number 1000 and a couple minutes later, #1001. Here is a photo of Michael and his 2-year-old son, J. Cacher, looking for the cache.

Yesterday was Michael’s turn to find my caches (3 of them), so today was my turn to find M.

Here are some photos that I took along the way.

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Mustard Along the Trail

 

Entering the Poison Oak Forest

Approaching the Cache

Find #3500

On the way to work today, I found Giraffe Adjacent, a quick cache-and-dash nano. After logging it, I realized that it was my 3500th find.

I found my first two caches on May 6, 2001–Sage Ranch Park and Rocky Peak. While I found 2 more caches in the next few weeks, I really didn’t get caching again until April 2002. Over these 7 years, I have averaged 3.6 finds per caching day and have found a cache on 963 days of the 2508 days since that first cache.

I’ve enjoyed my geocaching adventures. This hobby has taken me to places that I’m sure that I never would have seen. I know southern California, and specifically Los Angeles, better than I would ever have imagined. I have a network of friends, most of whom I have only met via e-mail or perhaps a cell phone call, that are helpful and gracious. I’ve quit counting how many cases of poison oak I’ve gotten (I’m currently finishing up on my last rash). I’ve had one trip to the emergency room for a badly sprain ankle, but for the most part, geocaching has helped me work on getting and staying healthy.

So 3500 down and who knows how many to go. Actually the count is now 3511. I got a few at lunch and on my way home from work.

Tujunga Hills Caching

I stopped for a 4-cache hike this afternoon on the way home from work. It took 75 minutes on the way up and 30 minutes on the way down. Longer up because it was UP and I did the caches and took photos.

Here is the cache list, from lowest to highest.

Electric Slide

Geode Cache #1

Geode cache #2

Compound W

Here is the hike map:

Here are some of the views along the road.

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A Long View toward Compound W

View North toward Compound W

Compound W Location

View from the Compound W

 

Ahmanson Ranch

I had some time this afternoon, so I hiked into the northern part of the Ahmanson Ranch area. It was a great day for hiking and caching—sunny, a light breeze, wildflowers and grasses.

Here are some of the views today.

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These are the caches that I found:

TACKLE ME

An OLd Foundation

Charred Oak Hill

Liar’s Lair

Twin Tanks View

Hang In There

Caching Along Rt. 150

Here are a few views from our caching adventure to and out of Ojai. We had an nice day of exploring. Have too many overly challenging DNFs, but, all in all, it beat staying home and doing yard work.

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Here is the list of today’s finds:

Bridge Over Moo Poo

Vista de Shangri-La

Bah Bah Dip da Dip da Dip

No. Six

Gateway to Thacher

Don’t You Just Hate It X2

Days of Swine and Roses

La caja detrás

Another Baldwin Hide

Share The Road

In A Wooded Area

Barking MandM’s

Extinguish the Flame

Light My Fire

Velocity Restrained by Walter O’Reilly

849 Baldwin

Shakespeare Bridge

Driving today between doing some cache maintenance and trying (unsuccessfully) to get GC198HF PALERMO, I drove across the Shakespeare Bridge. I first came here to do GC937D What’s the Point Virtual. I wasn’t sure if the virtual was still active, or, if the virtual is active, if a traditional cache could be placed near it. I decided to take the chance and placed a micro at this interesting bridge.

After lunch, I figured out that the virtual is active and very close to the cache that I placed. I wrote Marko Ramius and asked him about the rules–could I place a regular cache within the .1 mile radius of a virtual. He promptly responded that it wouldn’t be a problem and I submitted the cache for approval.

The bridge is a movie star, having appeared in at least The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Dead Again (1991).

So come on by my newest cache, Shakespeare Bridge GC19R2W. Parking might be a little challenging, but it’s an interesting sight and a chance to pick up 2 caches at about the same time.

PS–I wasn’t alone with a DNF on GC198HF PALERMO.  There is a string of DNFs.  It’s probably MIA.

Glendale Caches

I had a little extra time while going home from work today, so I stopped and hiked up the hill for a new trio of caches in Glendale–Tin Roof, Stick Out, and Two View. I came up from the west. It was about 1 mile from the trailhead to the last cache–Stick Out.

I missed the cutoff for the first cache–Two View–so, instead of going back, I decided to pick it up on the way back. It was an enjoyable late afternoon walk.

Chumash Park, Simi Valley

One of the closest caches to my home is Graveyard Outlook. I waited for a nice Saturday to look for it. Today was the day. Here are some of the view from the area around the cache. Come on by, while the hills are still nice and green.

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Los Angeles River Bridge Caches–Not So Fast

Last month, the Los Angeles City Council declared 11 bridges historic-cultural monuments. To honor their new status, I’ve done a new cache series: The Los Angeles River Bridge Caches.

Here are the bridges where I placed the caches:

Riverside-Figueroa Street Bridge 1939
Buena Vista Viaduct 1911
Spring Street Bridge 1928
Main Street Bridge 1910
First Street Bridge 1929
Fourth Street Bridge 1930
Sixth Street Bridge 1932
Seventh Street Bridge 1927
Olympic Blvd Bridge 1925
Washington Blvd Bridge 1931

These bridges were constructed between 1910 and 1939. Before 1910, the Los Angeles River was spanned by steel bridges that were considered “ugly.” The construction of the new bridges was part of a city beautification program. The bridges were built in the beaux-arts and Art Deco styles.

Unfortunately, none of the caches was approved. This is the note that each cache received:

Hello, I am a volunteer for Geocaching.com and I have just reviewed your new Los Angeles River Bridge series of caches. I am inactivating your caches while we address a problem with them.The problem is that all these cache appears to be on bridge spanning aqueducts and other public water supply sources, and several of them are on bridges that span railroad tracks. Geocaching.com guidelines prohibit, ” Caches near, on or under public structures deemed potential or possible targets for terrorist attacks. These may include but are not limited to highway bridges, dams, government buildings, elementary and secondary schools, and airports.”

Caches may be quickly archived if we see the following (which is not inclusive):

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Caches hidden in close proximity to active railroad tracks. In general we use a distance of 150 ft but your local area’s trespassing laws may be different. All local laws apply.

You will find the guidelines here: (visit link)

Of course, the staff at GC.com has the final say on matters such as this, so I encourage you to seek approval by sending an e-mail to appeals@geocaching.com. If you send an e-mail, please don’t forget to include the GCxxxx code for each of the caches.

Thank you for your understanding and for your contributions to geocaching.

Marko Ramius
Geocaching.com Volunteer Cache Reviewer

I appealed the reviewer’s decision and this is what I received from the appeals process:

I am sorry but the reviewer was correct. Caches are not allowed in these areas. Please remove the caches as soon as possible.

I’ve tried appealing the appeal, but it didn’t go anywhere.

First and foremost please be advised there is no precedent for placing caches. This means that the past listing of a similar cache in and of itself is not a valid justification for the listing of a new cache. If a cache has been posted and violates any guidelines listed below, you are encouraged to report it. However, if the cache was placed prior to the date when a guideline was issued or updated the cache is likely to be “grandfathered” and allowed to stand as is.

I am sorry but an exception can not be granted for this series.

It was a nice adventure placing these caches. And a lot of work. Too bad the adventure won’t be shared by the geocaching community in Los Angeles.

Please know that you are all safe from being hit by a train while on the bridge, that the pristine water source–the Los Angeles River–won’t be threatened by these caches, and, most importantly, no terrorists will be aided in blowing up these bridges by the placement of these caches.

The Beginning

The first GPS satellite was launched on February 14, 1989. Eventually, 24 satellites would make up the GPS constellation that allows GPS receivers to determine its position on earth.

Selective availability, or the introduction of errors of up to 100 meters, was turned off on May 1, 2000, allowing civilian users of GPS to be able to accurately pinpoint their position. On May 3, 2000, Dave Ulmer placed a black bucket near Beaver Creek, Oregon and posted the coordinates (N 45 17.460 W 122 24.800) online at sci.geo.satellite-nav. Within 3 days, 2 people found the cache and posted their find online. Geocaching was born.