Climbing Rocks

Ryan learning to use the GPS.
We stopped here early in the day but decided to come back later since there were some people camping nearby. We started off the search in the wrong area, but after awhile we found the right area and began searching in earnest. It took a little bit of time, but Daddy found it eventually. Ryan and Abby had a great time climbing around and hunting among the rocks and moss and trees.

Off The Main Road

We had been hunting caches that were pretty close to the main highway, but we decided to turn off and find this one before calling it a day. It was a beautiful drive, and we found the cache easily. In fact, Ryan found his second one of the day without help!

Waited Awhile

When we got here there was a couple right near the cache area, so we had to wait while they tied down their boats. It took about 15 minutes, but they finally moved on so we could get the cache. It was easy to find and we also found a letterbox while hunting!

Fun Family Cache

We were caching along Highway 30 today, so we stopped at a local restaurant we often visit when we're out this way and then went to find the cache. It is located in a park that we have let the kids play at in the past, and they had fun playing again today. There is also a Veteran's Memorial in the park, so it was another good stop for our Memorial Day weekend.


This is the first cache we have found that wasn't actually hidden, kind of a unique attribute. It was clearly marked and easy to spot. After you locate it you have to answer a couple of questions in order to open the lock on the cache. It was full of travel bugs and other goodies for the kids. We are going to remember this one whenever we're traveling to the coast so we can hit it again sometime.

Ryan's First Find

This cache is located in one of our favorite nearby parks. We go here quite often, but not usually on this side, so it was nice to see a different part of the park. Ryan found this one on his own without any help, his first!


On our way back to the van to get another info sheet for another cache, we saw this beautiful heron (or is it a crane?) just hanging around the pond.

Quick and Easy

My hubby found this almost before I got out of the van! Nice, easy find and good for a quick stop if you're driving along Highway 30.

Took Awhile

We headed out for another day of geocaching, and our first stop was this cache not too far from home. It probably took us 20 minutes of hunting, but I found it at last! We also saw some of the biggest slugs you've ever seen...yuck. The kids had a blast climbing the rocks and hunting for the cache. I think these kind of hides are their favorite, lots of stuff to climb on and interesting bugs and rocks to look at.

Memorial Day Cache

We thought this cache might have too many muggles since it was Memorial Day Weekend, but there was no one there when we arrived at dusk today. This was our last cache of the day, and it was my favorite of the day! I love this person's hides, always very clever, and this one was too. I found it fairly quickly, and that gave us some time to look at the memorial and appreciate those who have fought and died for our country. Nice memorial and fun cache!

Park Break

One of the things we like about geocaching is that it takes us to some really great places that we never would have seen otherwise. I don't know if this park qualifies for "really great," but it was nice after our long walk to relax a bit and let the kids play on the playground while we looked for the next cache. I like caches that have a theme or goal, and this one was neat except for the fact that some muggle had emptied the cache of its goodies. We dropped off our Geocoin here, and hoped it won't be taken too. After making the easy find (though a neat disquise), we all took a turn swinging for a while.

Number 10!

This is my 10th find! Hubby found one on our last outing that I had missed, so he beat me to number 10. I hope to go back to that one soon and see if I can locate it myself.


We had been doing lots of heavy yard work and I was not feeling well the day we went looking for this cache. The notes said it was a quarter mile from the parkiing spot, but it turned out to be a half a mile.


Preschooler rumble ensuing.
We took it slow and easy, and it's a nice little trail, lots of blackberry bushes. This would be a wonderful trail to ride bikes on. I even saw a coyote come onto the trail briefly.


Mt. St. Helens in the clouds was visible along the trail.
We found the cache quickly and easily and traded some stickers and travel bugs.

Three Local Benchmarks

We struck out looking for a couple of benchmarks, but I think they have been destroyed. So we decided to find some that others had recently found, since they are likely to still be there. Found three in fairly quick succession, though our GPS was doing really goofy things.


This picture of the second benchmark also shows a Geocoin Benchmark Racer next to it that hubby found and was moving along for the owner. When we were taking a picture of this, a man leaving the movie theatre asked what we were looking for. When we told him he looked like he thought we were nuts...I supposed we are a bit!



The kids loved the Lewis and Clark trail at this park. Each stepping stone has a different notation from either Lewis or Clark's diary.

Need Bug Spray!

We decided to find one last cache on our way home, so we stopped at this Oregon one. We should have read some of the other posters' comments before attempting this cache. We found the cache, but paid dearly for it with our blood! It was the last cache of the day, and everyone was a bit grumpy, especially Ryan who was terribly upset he didn't get to trade trinkets from the cache. I snapped this horrible picture and made haste out of the woods!

Friendly Cache

It feels really awkward hunting for a cache that's hidden on someone's property instead of a park or hiking trail, but we knew that this person was a friendly geocacher, so we hunted away. I thought it would be a bit easier to find, but it was such a clever cache that we just kept walking right over it. Finally, the owner of the house came out to encourage us. He said he didn't want us to give up and leave without finding it, especially since we were so close. At last I found it! The kids played on the sidewalk while we chatted a bit. It was nice to meet another geocacher, and his hide was very clever indeed!

At the Mall

We got a little turned around by our GPS and ended up in an apartment complex instead. We quickly discovered our error and found the spot. There were muggles around so we had to make sure they weren't looking as we grabbed the cache. We then took it to the van to sign the log and trade some items. The muggles were gone by then and we could replace the cache safely back in its home. It wasn't well hidden and I saw it from 100 feet away as we approached, so hubby made sure it was better camouflaged when we left it.

First Benchmark

Though we didn't really know what we were looking for, it appears we found the benchmark after all. It's the flagstaff on top of the school cupola. A couple of women asked what we were looking for while we were searching, probably thought we were crazy!


This marker for the Lewis and Clark trail is also located at the school. After searching for the benchmark, we went to the Caples Museum to give our travel bug another museum to visit. Unfortunately, despite the big "OPEN" flag flying in front and several other OPEN signs around, everything was locked up and we could find no one around to let us in.

Hunting in Washington

With five Oregon caches under out belt, we traveled to Washington to do some geocaching this afternoon. We wanted to move a couple of trackable items to another state, plus there's a Wienerschnitzel we wanted to patron! This was our first cache in a neighborhood, and it felt a little uncomfortable looking around their front yard. But the cache was in the easement and turned out to be an easy find. Ryan saw it right away once we pointed him to the right shrub. Both kids took a Toy Story toy, and we also found a Travel Bug we wanted to give a ride to and dropped off another one.

Just For Abby

We were excited to find two caches especially designed for a little boy and a little girl. We were headed to the zoo and made a stop to find these two caches first as they were nearby. We had hoped the rain would let up, but we had no such luck. It poured on us as we hunted for the caches. We had to wait for some muggles to leave before we could let Abby make the find by herself (she had to have a bit of coaching too). She slipped and fell and got absolutely covered in mud before we made our way back to the van. I had to change her clothes, including her shoes!


Abby enjoyed making her first find, and she loved the Travel Bug she found inside. It was a little doll who is trying to make her way to Alaska to meet up with her hubby and two children. We hope to come back to this area when it's dry so the kids can play on the fantastic playground that's right here.

Just For Ryan

We've been wanting to do some more geocaching, but today was the first time we've been able to get away. We took a break from our yardwork due to rain and headed to the zoo and a few caches nearby. The first one was especially for little boys, and we let Ryan find it on his own (after a bit of coaching in the right direction). He was thrilled to make the find and to also find our first Travel Bug in the cache, and it was a Hot Wheel, no less! Daddy was a little excited too when he discovered a Colorado Geocoin in the cache.


If it wasn't for the rain, this would have been a very easy find, but the rain just kept coming and it was muddy and slippery and a bit more difficult to get to than if it had been nice and dry. All the same, it was a really fun find for all of us!