The Maryland Geocaching Society

By the way, I spent the first 35 years of my life in the area (and I'm only 29 years old now), and I still have most of my rather large family living there, so I have or can get answers to just about any questions you might have in planning your visit. I also did the triad just this last December, so I can answer any questions you might have on those caches as well. Feel free to ask.

Mrs Bocco are you reading this - all the puzzle caches for the asking!

Except that

Cteam, WV Muddy Boots and the CacheDetectives have rented a cabin for the week. Cteam is driving all the way from Ohio but the rest of us are flying. We have spent many hours going over people's favorites lists and we have a very long list of caches that we want to do, most of which involve some very nice hikes. Cteam can't stop talking about doing The Bloated Festering Head of My First Victim (GCJ7VH). I think I'll be the videographer for that one! This promises to be a caching trip we will be talking about for a long time!

Lori, Amy, Billy and I have bought our tickets, booked a couple of rooms and got leave approved. We had planned on driving but there were leave issues so flying won. We're leaving on the 30th and getting back the following week. This should be a blast.

terri

Be sure and check out the GW forums. Lot's of cool events. Of special note are organized trips to Mission Nine Tunnel of Light (including a special APE Cachekinz). Also, if you are planning on visiting the Lillypad, you should make your reservation NOW. They have plenty of space outside for the party, but if you want to get inside to find the cache, they will have limited spots.

Check out the Additional Events section of the forums.

Also, anyone planning on entering the random draw to participate in the poker event? I blow at poker, but I'd love to root one of you on!

Here are some personal recommendations of areas in Western Washington that hold a special place in my heart.

North Cascades Highway and Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Highway 20, the North Cascades Highway East from Rockport, WA into the mountains is incredible. Very scenic. Along the way, you will pass through the Skagit Valley hydroelectric project. This is a series of dams and other structures. All large, and all in rough terrain. I went up there every year for most of my life and I look in awe every time. Near the center of the Cascades on highway 20 you will enter the Ross Lake Recreation Area. Ross lake is formed by Ross Dam (part of the above mentioned hydro complex). Beautiful area. I used to go to the Ross Lake Resort for a week of fly fishing every year. Drive to Diablo Lake (formed by Diablo Dam, take the Puget Power tugboat up to the base of Ross Dam, load onto a flatbed truck and drive through the forest to the top of Ross Dam, then take a boat across the lake to the resort. Alternatively you can hike in from Highway 20. If you're in to hiking, canoeing, etc. The area can't be beat. http://www.rosslakeresort.com and tell Tom I said hi (I'm the skinny kid who used to come up with Ralph R. every year).

Hurricane Ridge. I can't say enough about this area in the Olympic Mountains. It will blow you away.

Hoe Rain Forest area. What? A Rain Forest in Washington? You have to see it to believe it.

Pacific Beach. This is a small state park on the pacific coast. Another traditional camping spot for me. This is near Ocean City, Copalis, and Moclips. It has the added bonus of being just a bit North of the Cache Across America - Washington cache. Bring your kite. In many areas here you can drive right on the beach (it is a state highway). Heed the cautions if you do. Also just south of Pacific beach is the Sandpiper. It's a cool store full of all sorts of wild items. Worth a look. I spent many late nights with my father in Moclips. We'd walk the beach at night by lamp after a storm, looking for glass floats that made the journey from the far east. We have found several together. Probably a rare find these days.

Take a Ferry Ride. From the main dock to Bremerton and back is nice. Or, drive from Seattle, across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, then North to Bremerton and take the ferry back to Seattle. If you have the time to take a Ferry up to the San Juan Islands, do it.

All these are long day trips from the Seattle area. If you like, I can make some recommendations for things to do in town.

This is getting closer. Hurricane61 and I have a schedule to try and adhere to so we can catch all the main caches and events. We will be staying at Sierra hotel in Belvue. Where is everyone else staying? I am also bringing the MGS banner to represent us so look for it while your there.

I'll be staying at either my parents or my in-laws house, both near sea-tac airport. If you get in a pinch, or need a ride from the airport somewhere, give me a ring (I'm in the PAF thread). If I'm around I'll be glad to help out.

Don't forget if you go for the APE cache, you CAN NOT get there from Hyak through the tunnel. You MUST hike up on the Annette Lake trail.

For the Original Stash Tribute Plaque, there is parking for one, or perhaps 2 cars at the cache. It is on a narrow twisty hilly road so you can't really pull over anywhere you feel like it. Anticipate waiting, or walking a bit if they are occupied. Don't forget to grab the very nearby traditional cache.

For the Lily Pad, there is plenty of parking, but it is all metered within several hundred feet. Don't forget to visit the Troll under the Aurora Bridge nearby.

Thanks for the info. Our group is doing the Ape Cache Event on Friday, so I don't think we'll take the wrong route. The stash info is good to know. The HQ Event on Sunday may solve the meter problem. I understand they're shutting down some of the streets so hopefully they made some provisions for parking too. We'll keep your number handy ICE thanks for the offer.

HiTech MD

Thank you for offering some help. I will call you in the nextcouple of days to ask you some questions. We are headed to Oregon on Wed., have an appointment at the Lily Pad on Thur, the Ape cache and luau on Fri., Geowoodstock on Sat. 10 yr. event on Sunday and fireworks. It will be a full week.

Quill and I will be driving up from Oregon on Friday 7/2 to the luau. I'll try to remember to wear my Hawaiian shirt that I got from shop99er. We will be staying at the Days Inn-Bellevue Friday night. We"re looking forward to a great time at GW8. I have to be back at work at the fire lookout in Oregon on the 4th (double time).
I have a cache less than 200 feet from the lookout if you want a short hike up a butte.

My group is staying east of Seattle....instead of trying to drive to the event at headquarters, what is the best place to catch public transit to headquarters?

Thanks,
Preston

There is Light Rail and the Monorail, but they run North/South. From the East you'll need to take the Metro Bus assuming where you are staying is in King County.

http://metro.kingcounty.gov/

Now that I'm NOT going to GW8, I'd like to find someone I could pass a TB to who would be willing to take it out.

Quatchi (TB3450G)
Current GOAL: To visit his home in Bristish Columbia, and then travel from cache to cache taking pictures along the way.

Field Report: Seattle is still here. Weather is gorgeous.

Just swinging through on the way to Hawaii. Hope to see some of you next week at gw8!

Check out our very own CacheDetective and WVMuddyBoot being interviewed by KING5 News during GeoWoodstock VIII. See July 6, 2010 on Geocaching in the news located at http://www.geocaching.com/press/default.aspx.

Thanks to the Cyberkids for sharing that link! I'm glad they cut that interview when they did. When the reporter asked Mark why he caches, he answered "It keeps me out of jail!" The reporter was stunned and speechless, but sometimes the truth hurts!

That's a pretty good piece other than the anchor's comment about buried caches. I can totaaly see Mark making that comment, it's a shame it got cut.

It was fun seeing familiar faces in that report (not to mention a reference to WV!)

Of course, they weren't the only MGS members to get interviewed while out west: hkids4 also got featured in a report about the Going APE event — http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/video/mediacenterbc3.html?bctid=108826156001 (He's the second one interviewed).