It's not JUST about what I had for breakfast...

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Cache and Smash

Stopped by Lake Murray this morning to search for an elusive geocache. When I got back to the vehicle someone had smashed the window and rummaged around inside. They didn't take anything that I could see.

Didn't find the cache, either.

Window guy can't come till Monday, and it's going to rain this weekend, so I gotta tape the window with plastic. That has to be good for the paint!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Over Hill, Over Dale

I hit the not-so-dusty trail this morning in the dark to search for the geocaches on the west ridge of Spring Canyon, north of the 52 and west of Santee.

It was a chilly and misty morning in MTRP. The frogs were croaking, and there was a bit of water in the streambeds. And puddles on the trails to negotiate in the dark!

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On the trail in Spring Canyon.

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I keep passing these shot-up cans, I better take a picture to remember them by.

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Climbing up the trail out of the canyon I saw a deer, so I got out the camera, but it was gone. Then I saw a hawk sitting on a wire, so I took a quick pic.

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But it flew away! So, we get to look at some interesting slippage of land.

Artistic shot of power lines crossing a canyon.

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Looking southeast towards Spring Canyon, Santee, and Cowles Mountain, from the ridge.

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Elephant geocache.

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Blood from getting stuck by pointy things near elephant geocache...

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SpongeBob Squarepants geocache. These were the two cuties of the day.

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Well, this one was SUPPOSED to test your ability to spot the geocache in the center of the image, but something went wrong!

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I reduced the size and saved it at full quality. Pooh!

This dad and daughter duo passed me (with no warning) as I was heading back to the truck. Daughter is not wearing a helmet, and was riding like a maniac!

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These guys took the muddy path, and I took the somewhat drier path.

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Well, that is it for today. I found fifteen caches, I think. I'm sure I didn't find two. And that makes nine hundred and twenty career total.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Two Posts In One Day?

His new Hello Kitty blanket and her new Snuggie.

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Yes, I realized I have a lampshade on my head. I am quite the card!

Xmas tail-less cat has a Maker's Mark ribbon to adorn him.

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And that is all for TODAY!

The Day

Finished Time For The Stars, by Heinlein, AGAIN, and started The Kedrigern Chronicles Vol. II, by Morressy, AGAIN.

Yes, the library was closed on Xmas eve. Whose stupid idea was that??

I got to the door a few seconds after a woman left. I didn't realized she hadn't come out of the library. The joint was locked up tight. I wailed, "But I need something to READ!!" The lady smiled.

Friday, December 24, 2010

A Caching We Will Go

I checked my email at ten this morning and found there was a new cache just listed, and no one had claim First To Find! And it was over by College Grove! I printed out the particulars, including a cache at The Grove itself I hadn't looked for yet, then rushed... no, I had to wait a couple of impatient minutes for the Grocery List to be completed--my excuse for sneaking off.

I got there and found I was THIRD To Find. Missed it by thirty minutes.

I went over to The Grove and spotted the cache there, and even touched it, but couldn't open it because of couple of muggles were sitting on the bench nearby, and they weren't moving anytime soon. Oh, well, at least I know where it is!

I hit a few stores on the way to the grocery--Dixieline, Target, Wal-Mart, and Trader Joe's. And Michael's. Couldn't find anything much, gift-wise. I weep.

Got the groceries, headed home. Spotted a couple of women lurking suspiciously around some bushes. I pulled over and approached them, and called out, "You ladies can't be geocachers, you're too well-dressed. Not scruffy enough!" Turned out the younger lady was ZoePDX from Portland, down visiting her mother and showing mom her new hobby of geocaching. I told her it wasn't in the big bush, but I couldn't remember exactly where it was. I spotted it, eventually, and gave her a couple of minor hints, and she found it too. I took off, as the groceries were probably melting.

When I got home I found I had missed Brenda's visit for the second year in a row. But, I still got the cookies and candy!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Rain Rain Rain

The San Diego River seems to be leveling off at 4,000 cubic feet per second flow and at 11.5 feet. We went for a little drive down to Missing Valley to check out the flood.

In Mission Valley at Camino Del Rio North and Ward Road. Flooded, a car stuck in water. Hey, isn't there a geocache on this corner?

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Where Mission Center Road crosses the San Diego River. That car is stuck in the water.

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Heading west on Camino De La Reina traffic is pretty well stopped. I wonder why?

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Oh, here is why! The 163 underpass is flooded! I thought it was only the connecting road to Fashion Valley that flooded! Everyone has to turn around and go back the way we just came!

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A fortuitous break in the turning traffic allows a peak at the flood, it's up to the barricades!

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We avoided the freeway madness and came back via University Avenue. It got dark! Here we see University Ave. in La Mesa, nearish to Helix High School, in the rain.

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Is the rain over, yet?

Rain Rain

It's been raining all night, it's raining right now, the San Diego River is flowing at 1,070 cubit feet per second (normally is around 10 CFS) and it is almost six inches over the road at Fashion Valley at 8.43 feet (normally around 2 feet), according to the USGS Real-Time Water Data for San Diego at Fashion Valley site.

I just finished Dewey : The Library Cat, by Vicki Myron. A touching story of a bedraggled kitten found in the book drop of a small-town library in Iowa.

I'm still plodding away at the Pearl Buck Christmas story collection that I haven't mentioned before, I don't think.

Too rainy to go geocaching, I've taken the garbage out, I guess I'll have to go read some more!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Drippy Monday

Quite by accident, we got a new sink and faucet installed today by Steve the plumber! Now we have non-dripping hot water in the bathroom!

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I had turned the hot water off some years ago, as no one seemed able to fix the drip properly. The plumber came by the other week, by misteak, as it turns out. He was directed to the wrong apartment. He saw our situation and talked the property manager into approving a new faucet for us! The old one was the original from the 50s, I'm sure.

I hope I still have some of that yellow paint around!



C. took a picture of the tail-less cat under my shirt.

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I just came back from geocaching, that's why my pants are slightly muddy and the hair is mussed. Plus, I'm a slob!


Found this pretty little wheel while geocaching at Grossmont College Sunday morning. The back seems to have a ball-bearing. What do you suppose it is? It's about an inch in diameter.

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I watch The New Adventures Of Old Christine at lunch every day. I love it! Here's a line from the show that I thought especially humorous, as I used to be an electrician, of sorts, back in the day.

Richard (the dad, a contractor) to Richie (his young son), as I recall it:
At my job, we hid a bunch of barbeque ribs in the wall. We're gonna freak out the electrician.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

It's Raining

Yes, it IS raining now, and it has been raining or sprinkling for the last four days, mostly.

I went geocaching this morning in the Santee and El Cajohn areas. Found one cache that I've been looking for for (Yay english!) nearly a year.

I'm reading Julie & Julia. No, I haven't seen the movie! I haven't seen a LOT of movies. I think my attention span has diminished woefully. Probably because of the internets.

But I digress...

That author sure has a potty mouth, but she knows it. I feel quite the ass for having judged Julia Child so many years ago on such superficial qualities as her looks and raucous voice. I hope I'm a better person now, but probably not. Know thyself.

By the way, I don't see an easy way to read the comments without checking EVERY post, except for the oncs I see to moderate. And I don't see an easy way to comment on THOSE, so don't expect any especial replies to comments. I don't know how the big guys handle their comment-ers. Maybe other blogging programs work differently than blogger.

Yes, I did copy'n'paste that paragraph from my bicycling blog.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Bug Video

I posted the Bug Video on YouTube.

Sunday, December 05, 2010

West of the Dump

Got up early and headed out to Santee to deal with the geocaches on the ridge just west of the dump. Access is through Spring Canyon under the Highway 52 bridge. I parked at the Equistrian Staging Area in Mission Trails Regional Park, so it's a bit of a walk just to get started!

I didn't find the geocache under the bridge, so I headed up the canyon. Even though it was still nearly not dawn, there were several people already hiking the trails.

I found a couple of caches in the valley that I didn't get the last time I was here, then headed up a steep trail towards the ridge. There were three caches on said steep trail, one I couldn't find, and two that I did.

When I got to the top I headed north to find the northernmost cache on the ridge. Because of the military installation to the north and west, one has to be careful not to cross 'the line'. To the east you can look down upon the Santee dump. If the wind is just right, you can smell it, too!

The northern-most part of the dump complex.

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There is the dump up on the hill. You can see Cowles Mt. in the background.

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I headed south along the ridge, finding caches along the way. Tons of fun!

An hour ago I was down there in Spring Canyon.

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El Cajon has its normal haze.

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You can see forever from up here! Highway52 bridge over Spring Canyon, with Fortuna Mt. in the background.

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Here are some examples of geocaches I found today.

A mortar round container makes a nice watertight hide.

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Didn't someone sing a song about Blue Bison? Anyone?
This kind of container is called a Bison, after one of the manufacturers.

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A camouflaged Altoids tin.

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Now that's a nice 'treasure chest'!

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Pill bottle hiding under a guy wire cover. Almost missed this one!

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Cute gingerbread cookie tin, with lucky horse shoe.

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The only wildlife I saw today was two battling bugs. What kind of bugs are they, I ask?

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You can see the whole route at Gmaps Pedometer! It claims I walked 6.8 miles. Feels like seven to me!

Don't forget you can usually click the images to see bigger versions!

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