You've Been Tagged: Team Monkeyboys! - 8/26/11

Man, it was dark! I felt like I was a part of the Blair Witch Project - the hamster version! Journey and I took turns scaring each other and playing tag, but we couldn't really find the cache.

It was a fun place to hang out and be scary, but after a while I was done. I guess Monkeys don't hide like hamsters do.

Boneless Wings - 8/25/11

KBLAST went after a puzzle we had never solved, so we asked him if we could make a quick late night stop at the nearby cache, Boneless Wings, to have a stab at it. It was dark near GZ, so we went to the nearest light source to have a good look. Well, no luck tonight! This looks like a day job to me. I'm just glad the menu doesn't include anything Hamster related!!!

CanStashFindACache?AJourneyTribute - 8/24/11

When I heard about CanStashFindACache?AJourneyTribute I was super excited, and so was Journey! The two of us enlisted the youngest member of KBLAST to help us on this one!!! It was an awesome trip to the cache, and we stopped to smell the flowers along the way!

We got closer and closer to GZ and I could hardly contain myself! Then I FOUND THE CACHE CONTAINER!!! I was ecstatic!!! But then... something horrible happened... I realized I had to sign the cache!!!

WHAT A MEAN TRICK!!! You do realize they make those things to keep hamsters from getting out, right?!!! What makes you think I could ever get IN?!!! I tried and tried, but in the end, I had to give up. I WAS SO CLOSE!!! At least this helped me get a little closer to success! SOME DAY!!!

Hallelujer praise the Lort - 8/23/11

We decided to head out to get what looked like a nice easy one called Hallelujer praise the Lort. As you can see, we found ground zero just fine. Unfortunately...

I had no idea where to look. I wasn't about to go underground that late at night!!! So... once again - DNF. I think even Journey was confused by this one! Wonder how KBLAST found it?

Big Boy's Toy Shop - 8/22/11

We searched FOREVER for a nano yesterday, so today I was NOT very happy we were searching for the nano at Big Boy's Toy Shop. I asked Journey to help me, and I thought with two little guys, finding THIS little guy would not be that hard. Well, I was wrong. Once again, I felt like I was REALLY close, but no cache for me!

Our 30th Anniversary - 8/21/11

We were heading uptown to have a look at one of KBLAST's caches and stopped by Our 30th Anniversary. My sister and I looked for quite a while in all of the spots that looked like a nano might be hiding, but we eventually had to quit and get over to the cache KBLAST was going to work on. The picture was beautiful, though!

Clean it up - 8/20/11

After not being able to find the cache at the Cache & Pizzeria Aug 2011 - Pickerington - 20 Qs! (apparently they have a thing about rodents in there... who knew?) we went for a late night quick stop at Clean it up. I thought about the name of the cache and immediately started searching where people clean things. There was a lock there, though, so I wondered where else it could be. Then I had an idea:

I searched all around that thing with no luck. The hint said I wouldn't need one, but man, what a disappointment! I guess I just still need to work on this. Journey is at least being very patient with me. :)

Darlin's Trackable Express Lane

At Darlin's Trackable Express Lane I searched the nearest thing to Ground Zero but was unable to make the find. Journey would have nothing to do with it, and eventually it smelled so bad I had to give up.

ABC and Ninja Training, Stage 6: Deception - 8/18/11

I went to try to get the FTF on ABC with KBLAST, blandestk, TheLadyBee, and Dos-Boot. Journey came along and tried to show me the ropes, but I just wasn't getting the hang of it. I hung around trying to climb until the blood was running to my little hamster head, and I finally had to give up.

At the next cache, Ninja Training, Stage 6: Deception, we donned our ninja gear and tried to be stealthy. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the cache. It was awful dark up there! KBLAST said this was a pretty hard one anyway, so I didn't feel quite as bad.

Musical Coordinates - 8/17/11

I never solved Musical Coordinates, but while KBLAST was getting it, Journey and I stayed in the car and tried to figure out the puzzle by playing our imaginary bongos. We never could solve this one, but it made a fun beat for us to play to!

Hauntings - Lincoln Lodge - 8/16/11

At Hauntings - Lincoln Lodge I told KBLAST and Journey I was too scared, but they made me search a little anyway. They want me to find a cache so bad! Journey looked low, and I looked high, but I couldn't find it.

The Spice of Life - 8/15/11

Journey and I were searching for The Spice of Life all around the main sign for a couple of hours. Well, it turns out that wasn't ground zero at all! By the time we found out, KBLAST and his friends were back from finding the cache. Oh, well! We had fun searching by that front sign, anyway!

Hauntings - Schmidt's - 8/14/11

Searched around Hauntings - Schmidt's for a while, but I hate rock pile hides. :( I also got a little scared here, so I didn't really want to search for any of the other Hauntings. I could have sworn I heard the guy making sausages nearby, and I did NOT want to be one of them!!!

My new sister Journey!!! On a Budget - 8/13/11

Today I was surprised to find out about Journey coming to live with us!! She's my new sister!!! Groundspeak has been reading about my adventures (well... misadventures) and sent us one of the retired server hamsters!!! A real live hamster who has even met SIGNAL!!!

I'm super excited to find out what she can teach me about geocaching!!! Finally, someone who can relate to my size, who's been successful, and she's going to be my SISTER and go with us on our trips!!! Words can't describe how happy I am. We went out and tried to find our first cache together...

The cache was called On a Budget and Journey thought it'd be a nice easy one for me to start with. I think I was a little overzealous and eager to show off, though, and I think I missed what Journey was trying to tell me. :( I'll just have to listen better and keep trying! At least I had someone like me I could share my adventures with now!

You Thought It, I Just Did It!, City of New Orleans, and earock 2000finds - 8/12/11

Started today at You Thought It, I Just Did It! I looked at the terrain rating and thought I was onto something, but nope, no cache up there. If it was higher, I think my little hamster legs are not adequate for this cache.

After that we headed over to City of New Orleans. I looked at the hint and you can see me doing what it says, but I could not find this one either!!! After that I decided not to even try any other caches until I was back in Ohio.

Here I am at a cache back in our home state of Ohio after a great road trip. I am searching for earock 2000finds. KBLAST and Dos-Boot were busy spending their time playing, but I was searching hard! I finally spotted a great looking sycamore and tried climbing it...

but it was just too slick and too high for me! I'm about ready to give up on geocaching all together. I told KBLAST this, and he told me to hold off, something special may happen tomorrow. Hmm... I can't wait!!!

Covert Cache, Beverly, and The Soup Nazi - 8/11/11

Today we headed to Wisconsin to do what we've been told is an AMAZING cache, called Covert Cache. Well, this was as far as I got, because apparently animals, once again, are not popular in some cache areas.

I got a few pictures from KBLAST, but something happened to them between his camera phone and my blog. The whole thing was weird, anyway, since KBLAST was bound and gagged by Dos-Boot when he was taken into that door. Weird.

After that we headed to the Chicago area to get the third oldest active cache in the world, Beverly. It was a beautiful area! When we got to the cache area, I looked up...

and down...

But I had no luck. I had a feeling I was very close, but could not see it for the life of me! I wanted to search more, but KBLAST said he was being eaten alive by the local insects, so we got out of there. We finished up at one more cache, called The Soup Nazi. I thought I had it, but this is what I found...

Man... that message was like opening a fortune cookie for me. I may not be cut out for this geocaching thing! I'll try again tomorrow, but with no experience and no one my size to help me learn, I'm not sure this is possible. I often wonder how the other geohamsters succeeded and ended up working for Groundspeak!!!

Northbound Trader and The Honeymoon Cache - 8/10/11

I started a road trip today with KBLAST and Dos-Boot. We were on our way to get a first to find in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! Unfortunately, Dos-Boot was driving and he has a thing about animals being in his car. I got to see a lot more than I probably would have otherwise, though!

We made a stop at a cache called Northbound Trader and we started by getting a great shot at the overlook. Look at me! I look like a big bus on the road! :D

After playing around, I got searching. I tried the obvious spots but was not having good luck. I was so excited about the first to find up north, I wasn't really all that focused though.

After traveling forever and meeting up with blandestk and TheLadyBee, we got to The Honeymoon Cache where I immediately started searching while the others played in a nearby tree.

I searched high and low...

and inside anything I could find...

But there was no cache to be found! I was starting to think I might get the FTF when I found out this little girl...

Got that dollar as a ftf prize out of the cache!!! I was very disappointed I didn't get the FTF, but I was glad to have made a new friend!

She was pretty cool, so I couldn't stay mad at her. After that, though, I decided it was my turn to play...

Then, as the sun started to go down, I just sat and thought about my caching career so far...

I began to wonder - is there any hope for me? I know there has to be someone out there who can help me get better at this. I mean, KBLAST has been really helpful already, but I'm just not getting this. As another famous rodent once sang... "Somewhere... Out there..." Maybe I'll find someone to help me someday.

Our First Year - Puzzle Challenge - 8/9/11

I knew I hadn't finished the challenge on Our First Year - Puzzle Challenge, but with my luck at my last challenge, I thought I'd give this a shot anyway to work on my geosenses. This tree was about the right terrain, but it was WAY up there!!! Then I spotted it...

I asked KBLAST to use the tool left by the CO to fling me up into the tree, but he refused. :( I'm not sure if I was onto something, and I guess I'll never know. Oh, well, we're going on to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan tomorrow - maybe I'll have a chance there!!!

Hottie - 8/8/11

After a tough weekend, we came back to town and tried Hottie - which should have been an easy one by one of my favorite cachers. The hint said to look up, so I did, but I couldn't find anything but those little berries! I thought the beer can was a hint, but I wasn't about to try those berries. They could have been bad! So I walked away with yet another DNF. :(

ACGT #5 (A): Dear Dairy - A Letter From The Art, ACGT #16 (T): Stroll Along Strouds, and Witch's Cache - 8/7/11

We did a run around Athens County trying to find the caches to complete the ACGT challenge and get the ACGT Geocoin. I tried to find ACGT #5 (A): Dear Dairy - A Letter From The Art. This one was supposed to be a really easy Letterbox Hybrid.

I searched everywhere I could see, but I could NOT find this one anywhere!

We then attempted ACGT #16 (T): Stroll Along Stroud's... but there was WAY too much ground to cover on this one (though the view was BEAUTIFUL!)

We finished up the day with Witch's Cache. Here was the view from part way up Witch Hill. We had an amazing trip, jumping rocks, boulders, and trees.

There were a lot of really cool places to look! At one point I thought I saw the cache:

 You can see me climbing up from the right, and the pot up at the top of the fallen tree on the left. It turned out it wasn't the cache at all, it was a real cooking pot! I never looked in - I was afraid _I_ might have been on the menu!!!

Then we searched the boulders close to Ground Zero. You can see Amazing A in this picture, and I'm the little guy just to the right. At least the graffiti artists were patriotic! After a long search, I never found the cache, but we had an amazing time! I guess that's part of the joy of Geocaching - even when you are unsuccessful, it can still be a lot of fun!!!