3 Doubles, 1 Single… and an Error

I just had time this week for a little inside baseball as I was running errands. I noticed that there were a few twofers in the neighborhood: a geocache and a munzee at the same location. I nabbed three of those, then a solitary geocache. I wrapped up with what I thought was another munzee, but my iPhone did not capture it, so I’ll have to go back for that one.

Celestial Serinity (sic)

It’s hidden near a little garden where I’d hidden various caches myself a few years ago:

Nano-like Hide
Of course, I drive by this fire station often, but never noticed the training tower in the back:

Top Secret
This solar array is in an otherwise vacant lot on a hill by the CSUN campus, and goes unnoticed unless you happen to climb up there for some… odd reason…

From up there, I also had a nice view of the mountains to the north:

Hedge City
As intimidating as this looks, I found the cache hidden here very quickly!

Whew.

Big Bear Escape

The annual Big Bear Cache Bash drew me up in to the mountains for a weekend escape.
BIG BEAR CACHE BASH 6

I got up there barely in time to see some folks at the event, then headed for a scenic bed and breakfast to relax.

Breakfast was served on the veranda:

After the homemade, healthy repast, I heading out for a quick find in the nearby hills. The sky was the deep blue that you can only see at higher elevations:

Italian Stallion II

I then found a handful around town:
Hangin Aound the Gazebo
Jones Loves finding Reward in Mindyana's bush
TGC's BB Cache #1
15,000!

A couple of caches each had a Munzee in the vicinity, so I ended up snagging a bunch of those new-fangled things, too. The hider chose an easy-to-see sticker style!

These are fun, but it doesn’t trump the creativity of geocaching. Here’s a prime example of a delightful container!

Variations on a Theme

I came across a different kind of geocaching that’s just getting started, and thought I’d give it try. It’s called Munzee, and is similar to geocaching, in that you find the game piece at the posted coordinates. The difference is that to log it, you scan the QR code on the game piece with your iPhone or Android, and the app does the rest.

I had to search around a bit, but I did find an article on how this variation of high-tech scavenger hunt got started, and why it’s called “Munzee”:
Munzee article

This seems like a fun version, but it’s so new that the nearest one hidden is way down in Palos Verdes, over 30 miles away. Therefore, I figured the best thing I could do is hide one near me, and see if it catches on.

I picked a place and container I’ve used before, and it turned out to be an ideal way to hide a Munzee.

Glue Gun Assembly

Original Container courtesy OLdweeb:

Yes, there is a Cold Stone Creamery behind this sign….

No one has captured it yet, so if you are in the vicinity, go for it!

Hat tip to Head Hard Hat for bringing this to my attention.

I got an e-mail from another creative geocacher who’s hidden a real treasure and published a book with the clues!

“Grandpa Thrifty’s Treasure Hunt” ($2.99) is a storybook and puzzle contest that offers readers a $10,269.01 prize. In the spirit of “Masquerade” and “The Clock Without a Face”, “Grandpa Thrifty’s Treasure Hunt” is a story filled with clues and hints that readers can put together to find a real hidden treasure.
You can check out the book here:  book link Or go to www.grandpathrifty.com for more info.

I’ve taken a quick look at the puzzle, but don’t know where it is… yet… Let me know if you find it and win the big prize!

Meanwhile, I’m enjoying a challenging series in my own back yard, using photos to triangulate to the cache location.
Where Am I Standing #7-Granada Hills Again
Where Am I Standing #5-More Granada Hills

What happened to #6? DNF….. but I think I have a bead on it after some more online research… Hm….