“Kitchen Remodeling” – oops! I mean “Geocaching in Unusual Terrain”

I started getting my kitchen redone this week, but that’s not what this blog is about.

After finding a few caches around the San Fernando Valley on Thursday and Friday, I spent the next two days is some of the most striking terrain around: Vasquez Rocks and Devil’s Punchbowl. First a quick rundown of the urban caches:

Thursday –
It’s On The Green – a short stroll along a new greenway
Around the Bend – a quick cache at a trail junction

Friday –
Hollywood Tabernacle – a not-so-simple micro near an historic building in Koreatown
Elvis Is On the Building – a Burbank restaurant with statues of Elvis and Marilyn on the roof
Crosby, Stills & Cache – a CD exchange cache in Johnny Carson park
Burbank P & G Pizza !! – a common hiding technique now, but really it’s really hard to find the first one like this
Wooden Saguaro – in a nice area near a community hall in Burbank
A Royal Summons – evil nano in an unusual object
The Name’s the Thing – at a restaurant with the word “cache” in the name

So, it’s really weird to not have a kitchen sink right now, but that’s not what this blog is about.
Now on to the scenic stuff!

Saturday –
I spent the day with Spoondoggie and my friend Jody, who’s not really in to caching, but loves to hike. They are a couple of my best friends ever, and it was special to spend quality time with both of them. We wandered all the way south through the park and back up along another path, barely making it to the car before getting rained on. The ground was carpeted with wild flowers, and the air was clear for lots of wonderful views of the area.

The central landmark formation (can you find my Prius in the picture?):

Jody at an old foundation:

Spoondoggie finds the cache!

The creeks had a bit of water in them, and we found these tadpoles in one:

Cinderella’s Canyon – the one gnarly DNF of the day
ToyKeepers Toy Keeper
Warmouse4000
Debbie’s Decon at Vasquez
Tataviam Spirit
Darling Road Too – this was on the road back, and it was HAILING on me as I signed the log!

I’m looking forward to having a stove again, but that’s not what this blog is about.
The next day, I headed out with Cybercat to what was supposed to be a CITO event, but it had snowed the night before! Since it would be impossible to find any trash to pick up under the white stuff, we had a regular event instead and really enjoyed seeing this amazing place.

At the Devil’s Punchbowl:

The snow was really a beautiful addition:

I’d never seen snow on cactus before!

The have a couple of owls there. They’ve been injured and can’t return to the wild, and it was marvelous to see them up close.

After soaking up the scenery, we picked up a few in and around Palmdale.
Devil’s Punchbowl “Cache In Snow Out” Event (Event Cache)
Devil’s Punchbowl (Earthcache)
Drinking from the Devil’s Punchbowl
A Forest Adventure
Road to the Devil’s Punchbowl
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Jackrabbit Soup
Blue By You
Welcome East
Dogrun
Grand Army of the Republic Highway
Josh, The Dancing Dude
LM Homestead
Skunk Works
Unspoiled…For Now
WALK? Way Out THERE? What FOR?
Christmas Cookies?

I’m really glad that I at least have a refrigerator and a toaster oven, but that’s not what this blog is about. I’ll be taking a road trip with my sister to see my parents and will find some caches all up and down California. Now that’s what next week’s blog is about!