If you CACHE it they will come (GC289R9)

After leaving Dad in Gig Harbor I head home via 512 and decided to find this cache.  It was placed by my co-worker Donny, it was his first hide.  The hardest part of this cache was finding where to park.  I ended up parking as close as I could and walking through a little park and a whole in the park fence to find the cache.

--Tom
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Lounging at the Library (GC1EGZK)

Dad and I stopped for lunch and a local Mexican restaurant and this cache was across the street.  Dad had found it a few days before but he came along with me while I found it. 

--Tom
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No Weigh, Jose! (GCYJ2G)

This was a cool little cache.  It was burred so only the bark was showing.  It took us a few minutes to find it but we did.  Just a little park and grab but clever camouflage.

--Tom
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Novra Deja Vu (GC8C27)

This was my third virtual cache.  In the middle of a neighborhood their is a little park.  In order to claim the find on the cache you have a answer a few questions about the park like who donated the land.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

Marvin G Shields (GC1V842)

This was by far my favorite find of the day, it seemed fitting to find this cache on Memorial Day.  This cache is in honor of Marvin Glenn Shields he was the first, and remains the only, Seabee to receive the Medal of Honor. He was also the first United States Navy Sailor to receive the Medal of Honor for action in Vietnam.

U.S.S. Marvin Shields (FF-1066) Fast Frigate

The first ship of the Fleet honoring Naval Constructionman third Marvin G. Shields, United States Seabees, who lost his life during the Vietnam Conflict. The ship was commissioned at the U.S. Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington on 10 April 1971.

Here is Marvin's Medal of Honor citation:

Marvin G. Shields, United States Navy, (posthumous), Construction Mechanic Third Class, U.S. Navy, Seabee Team 1104., Dong Xoai, Republic of Vietnam, 10 June 1965.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with United States Navy Seabee Team 1104 at Dong Xoai, Republic of Vietnam, on 10 June 1965. Although wounded when the compound of Detachment A-342, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, came under intense fire from an estimated reinforced Viet Cong regiment employing machine gun, heavy weapons and small arms, Shields continued to resupply his fellow Americans with needed ammunition and to return the enemy fire for a period of approximately three hours, at which time the Viet Cong launched a massive attack at close range with flame throwers, hand grenades and small-arms fire. Wounded a second time during this attack, Shields nevertheless assisted in carrying a more critically wounded man to safety, and then resumed firing at the enemy for four more hours. When the Commander asked for a volunteer to accompany him in an attempt to knock out an enemy machine gun emplacement which was endangering the lives of all personnel in the compound because of the accuracy of its fire, Shields unhesitatingly volunteered for this extremely hazardous mission. Proceeding toward their objective with a 3.5- inch rocket launcher, they succeeded in destroying the enemy machine gun emplacement, thus undoubtedly saving the lives of many of their fellow servicemen in the compound. Shields was mortally wounded by hostile fire while returning to his defensive position. His heroic initiative and great personal valor in the face of intense enemy fire sustain and enhance the finest tradition of the United States Naval Service.

--Tom
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Knot!!! (GC290A7)

Our second DNF for the day.  This one was confirmed missing by the cache owner later that day.  If they replace it I would have to come back and find it.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

HighGround (GCKMX5)

This was my first offset Geocache, that wasn't a multi-cache.  An offset cache is typically one where you have to go to a location and then get clues to find the coords to the actual cache site.  This one took us to a big tree and then said walk about 30 feet SW.

It took a few minutes but we found it.

--Tom
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GPR2 - #1 Cedar Lake (GC13EP8)

This caches posted coordinates were the most off of any cache I have even seen.  The posted coordinates take you to the other side of the lake.  It was dumping rain by this point.  It wasn't until 1/2 hour of searching on the wrong side of the lake that I found someone log posting the correct coords.  I have no idea how that cacher found the right coords but we walked back around the lake and found the cache.

--Tom
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Fairyhoney, You'll Flip For This Cache!!! (GC12172)

This was just a quick little find.  It was raining pretty hard by this point so we just made it quick.  We found the cache but didn't stay long.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

Mullenix Fire Station P&R (GC22VEP)

This was our first DNF of the day, I'm pretty sure it's gone. The area where the cache was suppose to be had recently been hit by a car and it looks like the sign where I think the cache was hidden has been replaced.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

Movie: Pelican Brief 1993 (GC10JCR)

This was our second find for the day and it was inside a storm drain.  Nothing much else to say about it.

--Tom
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Dominic’s cache (GCPT85)

So Dad and I took a little cache trip just the 2 of us today.  We meet in Gig harbor so this was just a quick park and grab to start our trip.  Dad had never seen an LPC before so it was a good one to start with.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

It doesn't fall far from the tree (GC29D4B)

This cache was published at like 10:15pm so everyone else in the house was a sleep so I decided to go for it.  road trip was just pulling out of the parking lot when I was pulling in.  He doubled back and stopped to talk to me.  He had just found it right before I pulled up, if I would have been a few minutes earlier I might have been able to get the FTF.

--Tom
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Highs and Lowes (GC27XB0)

We had to run to South Hill Mall so we found this cache on the way home.  It was just an LPC but it was another mile in the First Annual Summer Vacation Travel Racer Competition and in this race a mile is a mile.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

DNC Micro Cache #2 (GC1YDW0)

This was just a quick park and grab.  Julie and Ethan waited in the car while Oliver and I found the cache.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

Childhood Frustration (GC2984H)

This one took me a little while to solve.  I started working on it for about 30 minutes the night it was published and couldn't really get anywhere.  The next day I took what I had to work and was talking to one of my co-workers he had it solved in like 2 minutes.  It took him longer to explain it to me then it did for him to figure out the pattern.

So the next chance we had the family drove out to find the cache.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

On The Rivers Edge (GC1JQRE)

So because I'm in this First Annual Summer Vacation Travel Racer Competition which is based on which family can travel the most miles over the summer.  So I had to find a cache in Everett while up there for a poker game.

My first choice was just a quick park and grab near this waterfall.  But I didn't check the recent logs until I was at the waterfall and I realized it had been DNF the last dozen times.  So I didn't even bother to look.

The next closest cache was 1/4 mile away down this trail.  The only thing is was poring rain which is why I was going for the park and grab.  Well with few other options down the trail I went.  I figured I could run it fairly quickly and make it back without getting too wet.  Ha Ha, I didn't take into account the camouflage of the hide.  This was a pine cone hidden in a tree.  It took me awhile but I found it.


--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

Customer Service (GC176MC)

This was just a quick cache on my way North to go visit a friend in Everett for a poker game.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page

South American Tussock (GC1GBBR)

This is by far the weirdest cache I have found to date.  I have found caches on private property (with the owners permission of course). However, this cache is in someone front yard, which is ok but it's in the middle of a neighborhood.  I would be like me putting a geocache in my front yard.

It's kind of hard to be stealthy when you are walking into someone's front yard.  I completely forgot to drop my wooden nickel in the cache I just signed the log and got out of there.

--Tom
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Wigwam To Wetland (GC1RX7K)

This is my first Earthcache.  My mom took the boys to the store and Dad and I went to figure out the questions to at the earth cache site to be able to log this one.  The Earthcache site is wigwam that was used to burn plies of wood scraps and damaged boards from the wood mill.

In order to log the cache as a find you have to take a picture of yourself at the cache site so here is my picture.

--Tom
Link to Geocaching Page