Sunday, November 9, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Housing is for the Birds
Subject says it all. This place is at the intersection of US 6 and Santa Cir in Johnston, RI (N41 49.981 W71 33.143) if you want to fly the coop and see it for yourself.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
First Cache Short Changed
Does one have to fail to succeed. Is there a silver lining in the clouds. Do you have to know how to toot the tin horn to play on the bandwagon. Which came first the chicken or the egg. Did the Wright Brothers get their plane off the ground the first time.
Well I went out to find my first cache. Location was N 42° 05.625 W 071° 38.251. I followed the instructions closely. The additional clue said "focus the search where the 2 walls meet".
I climbed, I clamored, I stood on my toes, got down on my knees, jumped off walls, got poked in the eye by a tree branch, brushed leaves away, walked in circles. Gave up and decided I just didn't look hard enough. Repeated everything 2 or 3 times and finally
Happens sometimes. So what did I gain from the experience. GeoCaching may not be just going to the coordinates and viola you find the gold. As in motorcycling, it is not always the destination but the journey to get there. If I had not tried finding the cache I would have missed out on this.
I did learn that it is not uncommon for caches to be muggled
Whitin Pond cache is now under investigation for the muggling event.
Well I went out to find my first cache. Location was N 42° 05.625 W 071° 38.251. I followed the instructions closely. The additional clue said "focus the search where the 2 walls meet".
I climbed, I clamored, I stood on my toes, got down on my knees, jumped off walls, got poked in the eye by a tree branch, brushed leaves away, walked in circles. Gave up and decided I just didn't look hard enough. Repeated everything 2 or 3 times and finally
I CAME UP EMPTY HANDED
Happens sometimes. So what did I gain from the experience. GeoCaching may not be just going to the coordinates and viola you find the gold. As in motorcycling, it is not always the destination but the journey to get there. If I had not tried finding the cache I would have missed out on this.
I did learn that it is not uncommon for caches to be muggled
Verb
to muggle (third-person singular simple present muggles, present participle muggling, simple past and past participle muggled)
(transitive) (in geocaching) To remove, deface or destroy a geocache.
(transitive) (in geocaching) To remove, deface or destroy a geocache.
Whitin Pond cache is now under investigation for the muggling event.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Cashing in on the Caches
The days are getting shorter, winter is right around the corner, and I can feel the onset of PMS (parked motorcycle syndrome). As you may have gathered (rather presumptious of me to assume anybody else is reading this), I am a bit over zealous about chasin stuff. (God forbid I used the word compulsive). Over the past year, I have been casually researching another form of treasure hunting, but really have done nothing about it other than just read. Well I finally decided it was time to stop testing the water with my pointer finger and to dive in. I got one of these.
Yup I am gonna go out in the woods and walk around and get healthy and be one with nature and associate with the Audobon Society and become a member of the Sierra Club and maybe join the NRA and the Peace Corp and and ...hey hey I am gettng a carried away here. I am just gonna search for stuff and of course I will use the Connie for getting to those places that are simply too far to walk to (anything over a 1/4 mile)
There are a couple of sites that I have found which assists (read enable) one to partake in this endeavor.
For Geocaching click this part of the sentence, see you have already started to get the hang of it, you found your first treasure
G E O C A C H I N G !!!
Yup I am gonna go out in the woods and walk around and get healthy and be one with nature and associate with the Audobon Society and become a member of the Sierra Club and maybe join the NRA and the Peace Corp and and ...hey hey I am gettng a carried away here. I am just gonna search for stuff and of course I will use the Connie for getting to those places that are simply too far to walk to (anything over a 1/4 mile)
There are a couple of sites that I have found which assists (read enable) one to partake in this endeavor.
For Geocaching click this part of the sentence, see you have already started to get the hang of it, you found your first treasure
Geocaching is the hunt for caches that people hid in various places aroun
d the world and provide the coordinates to find the caches. The caches are containers, hopefully weatherproof, and can be be as large as a Gallon jug or as small as a thumbnail. Heres some examples of the containers. According to the above site there are 673,265 sites hidden, so I shouldn't run out of places to find any time soon
The caches contain things such as
log (a small note pad) for signing, a pen and pencil, and other trinkets. I h
ave seen notes on some caches that say a Hamilton for FTF, which my interpretation is $50 for the First to Find. Caches can contain TravelBugs and Geocoins, which travel from cache to cache, gathering stories along the way. Each one has an unique ID and is logged into the Inet so you can follow it around the world.
Included in the GeoCaching world is another from of caching called Benchmarking. These are official markers placed and verified by the National Geodetic Survey ("NGS") that can be found using the yellow thing above. The following is an example of a benchmark. You can find benchmarks at the Geocache site too
Oh its the little brass thing next to me. Benchmarks can also be a church spire, the dome on a building, an antenna or any type of marker that can be located and relatively permanent.
Waymarks were once part of GeoCaching called virtual caches, however they have been established as their own sport called Waymarking. There are tons of categories of waymarks which can be found here.
We then have a sport called Letterboxing, which has their own site too. As described best by the site "LETTERBOXING is an intriguing pastime combining navigational skills and rubber stamp artistry in a charming "treasure hunt" style outdoor quest. A wide variety of adventures can be found to suit all ages and experience levels."
Yup a new hobby that fits right in with riding, just a little more gear to take with me, but alot more places to go.
If you're going to Shelburne Falls you Don't Need to Wear Flowers in your Hair
because they have plenty.
I have been in this area a ton of times on the bike, but never to the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. If you are in the area this is a must stop. Here's some pics from Shelburne Falls
I have been in this area a ton of times on the bike, but never to the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. If you are in the area this is a must stop. Here's some pics from Shelburne Falls
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Gunnin' the Delaware Gap
This weekends' destination was the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area but of course there were a few diversions along the way. Headed out the Mass Pike to Exit 2 Lee and headed for Red Hook. Couldn’t resist stopping for this picture of a dam.
In Woodstock, NY stopped at the HD shop to get another double shot glass
This was somewhat unusual so of course I had to snap the button
Into the Catskills via RT28. Stopped at Brio’s for one of their infamous burgers. Now I have been here before, but didn’t stop for lunch because the place was too busy. Today it was a perfect day outside and very little traffic and Brio's wasn't over crowded
Came across this Post Office. It was suggested to me that this place is where they are keeping the remaining Tax Rebate Checks, until the government can back the checks with some Lehman Brother and AIG funds
Now for the important stuff. Stopped in Narrowsburg PA visitor center for the Upper Delaware River area, and headed south of NY 97. Quick stop at Zane Grey NHS and the Roebling Aqueduct Bridge. It is one of the oldest surviving wire suspension bridges in the US and was supervised by the Roebling of Brooklyn Bridge fame. Zane’s place is right across the river.
Zane's Place
Ended the day’s journeys at the Carriage House in Barryville NY on the RT 97. Had some of the best Hungarian Goulash I have ever had. I stopped here about 2 years ago and it my guess the current owner had just purchased the property and it was ungoing some major renovations. It is quite impressive what he has done with the place, especially the bar and dining room. I believe the gentleman is also a rider, so supporting his endeavor as a fellow rider makes it all that much more worthwhile. The rooms are very reasonably priced.
Bright early on Sunday was a quick run back up to Narrowsburg for INK and then headed south on 97. Brief stop at this place and my traveling buddy spotted these guys across the river. Nice, but I would have rather seen an eagle.
Of course if you are in NY on RT 97 one is compelled to stop here and take some pics
At the bottom of 97 as you turn right onto RT 202 the Erie Depot sits, right next to it is a Historic Landmark the Erie Turntable. This was a major facility in it’s hey day
Dingman’s Ferry is on the agenda for INK. If you are don’t miss the 2 awesome waterfalls. One is only a 100 yards from the VC and the other maybe ¼ mile and well worth the walk. This place is chocked full of Rhodendrons, which according to one of the Park Rangers are in full bloom at the end of June [Note to myself return here in June]
At the bottom of the Delaware Water Gap NRA is Kittatinny Point VC. Last INK of the day.
Finished the day at the Gap Diner. Good food at good prices. It was then a bee line home on the slabs. The Upper Delaware and the Gap has it all. Twisty roads, scenery, INK, sweepers, panaromic views high over the river and valleys, plus it has look and feel of a time gone bye when scotch coolers, kingston charcoal, swim clubs and wood paneled cars were at their peak.
In Woodstock, NY stopped at the HD shop to get another double shot glass
This was somewhat unusual so of course I had to snap the button
Into the Catskills via RT28. Stopped at Brio’s for one of their infamous burgers. Now I have been here before, but didn’t stop for lunch because the place was too busy. Today it was a perfect day outside and very little traffic and Brio's wasn't over crowded
Came across this Post Office. It was suggested to me that this place is where they are keeping the remaining Tax Rebate Checks, until the government can back the checks with some Lehman Brother and AIG funds
Now for the important stuff. Stopped in Narrowsburg PA visitor center for the Upper Delaware River area, and headed south of NY 97. Quick stop at Zane Grey NHS and the Roebling Aqueduct Bridge. It is one of the oldest surviving wire suspension bridges in the US and was supervised by the Roebling of Brooklyn Bridge fame. Zane’s place is right across the river.
Zane's Place
Ended the day’s journeys at the Carriage House in Barryville NY on the RT 97. Had some of the best Hungarian Goulash I have ever had. I stopped here about 2 years ago and it my guess the current owner had just purchased the property and it was ungoing some major renovations. It is quite impressive what he has done with the place, especially the bar and dining room. I believe the gentleman is also a rider, so supporting his endeavor as a fellow rider makes it all that much more worthwhile. The rooms are very reasonably priced.
Bright early on Sunday was a quick run back up to Narrowsburg for INK and then headed south on 97. Brief stop at this place and my traveling buddy spotted these guys across the river. Nice, but I would have rather seen an eagle.
Of course if you are in NY on RT 97 one is compelled to stop here and take some pics
At the bottom of 97 as you turn right onto RT 202 the Erie Depot sits, right next to it is a Historic Landmark the Erie Turntable. This was a major facility in it’s hey day
Dingman’s Ferry is on the agenda for INK. If you are don’t miss the 2 awesome waterfalls. One is only a 100 yards from the VC and the other maybe ¼ mile and well worth the walk. This place is chocked full of Rhodendrons, which according to one of the Park Rangers are in full bloom at the end of June [Note to myself return here in June]
At the bottom of the Delaware Water Gap NRA is Kittatinny Point VC. Last INK of the day.
Finished the day at the Gap Diner. Good food at good prices. It was then a bee line home on the slabs. The Upper Delaware and the Gap has it all. Twisty roads, scenery, INK, sweepers, panaromic views high over the river and valleys, plus it has look and feel of a time gone bye when scotch coolers, kingston charcoal, swim clubs and wood paneled cars were at their peak.
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