Showing posts with label Tucson Arizona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tucson Arizona. Show all posts

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Halloween and Cemetery Caches - YES !

To be real honest, I am not too sure how I feel about geocaching in cemeteries.  I will do it and I know some others who do.  We all do it with respect and do not disturb anybody or any thing.  I have been told I can be a little strange at times.  That does not bother me.  So when I tell you that I just feel like I am politely visiting the homes of the deceased when I am in a graveyard, maybe you will cut me some slack.  That being said, let me share some of the fun cemetery caches I have found.

First off, I am surprised how many cemetery caches exist in the Northeastern states.  This sort of gives me the heebie-jeebies because of the amount of fog that exist in these areas.  Fog, creepy animal noises, graves, limbs of trees catching your hair, twigs snapping under your feet, weeds tickling your leg - goose bumps so big they hurt - get the picture?  But what better way to go caching when you are in a brave or daring mood.

This may not be an actual graveyard cache, but it does deserve an honorable mention here.  It was one of my first finds and there is no way to know that this wasn't a real grave site at one point.  Right?  This is El Diablo's Treasure, GCKPPC, located on the outskirts of Tombstone, Arizona. 
   Who ever said that Tombstone is the "Town Too Tough To Die" ?

The only actual cemetery cache I have done is in Springerville, Arizona, in this tiny fenced in area that sits on a hill, almost in the middle of a neighborhood.  I don't mind sharing the pic since it really is a simple find and I don't consider it a 'spoiler' or any sort.  This cache, GC2QXJB, is appropriately named R.I.P..

So that one is not scary, but we did it during the light of day.  So lets see what we can find in the southwest.

 Not too far from Tombstone is the town of Sierra Vista, best known for the Fort Huachuca Army Base and Ramsey Canyon Preserve which is considered the Hummingbird Capitol of the United States.  This is also the area that the #1 Arizona Cemetery Challenge begins.  This is how GC33FXE goes -

The challenge:
1) You must find 20 caches in cemeteries.
2) They must all be within the state of Arizona.
3) The geocaches in question could have been found at any time (i.e. they do not have to be found after the date this cache was activated).
4) Multi's, puzzles and virtuals count as long as at least one leg is a visit to a cemetery- just list which cemetery on your bookmark.
5) Lone graves also count for this challenge, ie. GC28QC5 Arizona Pioneer.

 In the San Francisco Bay area, the Mt. Hope Cemetery has a multi-cache that sound fun and not so difficult that you couldn't enjoy a bit of wondering and reading of the stories on grave markers.  Simply called Mt. Hope Cemetery, GCPW5Y is a four part cache with, what looks to be, a lot of history involved.  I believe you will could have access during the evening hours making this a perfect Halloween season experience.  Especially with the 'odd' selection of decorations through out the cemetery.

 This cemetery cache in New Mexico look very inviting to me and I am loving the name, Spirit of Garfield.  First thought - I just love that silly cartoon cat.  Reality - this graveyard is located on the road to  Garfield, New Mexico.  This unique village is a simple, no nonsense community with a matching graveyard.  No pretty lawns, no comfortable benches and no fancy buildings, just a desert home for those who have passed. 



There's an old section

 






and a new section -
not much different      




and all open, day or night, to visit spirits and find this cache. 

And just one more for now, from the Western United States.  This one is not too far from me.  The Evergreen's Stories, GCGAG3, is a multi-cache with a total of 11 steps.  Yep - it's gonna take a while.  The terrain is not difficult but there will be some walking.  The big old trees are beautiful and will provide protection from the hot summer sun.  This large cemetery was built in 1907, in an area that was on the out skirts of town, at that time.  There's a variety of patrons to visit,  Anglo, Mexican, Chinese, poor laborers, well know politicians, gunfighters, gangsters, and even the old woman who lived next door and made those wonderful pies during the holidays.  So your biggest problem may be staying on track and not wanting to visit every grave. 
 

I will be researching caches in the graveyards in the Eastern U.S. for my next post about spirited geocaches.  Check back soon to see what I find. 

Thursday, August 2, 2012

2 Days and Counting

     Cache Queens' First Annual Rods & Dogs Meet N Greet, in Tucson, Arizona, is  just two days away  -  who's gonna be here?  When she first started talking about this event she was saying that she thought there would be a dozen or two people attending.  Well guess what !  I think she has numbers approaching 40 or more.  It's gonna be a great 'first' event.

      Here is how the SchnauzerQueen describes her event -

Central located  Park Event.  Meet N Greet event.  Slap a leash on your TB pet, load up the family in your TB wagon, and haul your booties down to the park to enjoy a Tucson sunset with other cachers.

Ah yes, SchnauzerQueen's first event!  Yahooooooo!!!  From the sounds of it, we have a lot of AZ Cachers with TB Pets(spouses count!) and TB Vehicles.  Why don't we all have a casual meet up at the Park and log some love for these TB's!

Coordinates will bring you to a covered ramada with parking close by and a dog park right across the parking lot!

EVENT WILL BE HELD SATURDAY, AUGUST 4th, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

This event will be a TB Car Show and TB Pet Discovery.  There will be a Discovery Table for everyone kind enough to share their Travel Bugs and Geocoins for others to enjoy!

I am looking for feedback on contest ideas:


Dirtiest Travel Bug...Oldest Travel Bug...
TB with the Most Discoveries...Longest Distance Traveled...Ugliest Travel Bug...Prettiest Travel Bug???
  


Potluck Style:  Hot dogs and some cold drinks will be provided.  Other goodies welcome too! EDIT 6/30/12 If you plan to bring something please edit or add to your log so we dont have a bunch of mustard (thanks for the tip Black Cat)

     So - there you have it.  The only thing I would add is that you may want to bring an umbrella; if not for the shade, the possible rain.  Check back on her site to see if there are any last minutes changes; and of course, to let her know that you wouldn't miss it for the world ! 

     Just a little note here - I am wondering if it would have been more appropriate to BBQ chicken at a 'dog' event.  Sorry puppies.