Sunday Morning In Oak Canyon

I got to the equistrian staging area around 6:30 and headed west. Saw a couple of deer before I passed under the big bridge over Spring Canyon.



Yes, that is one of the deer in question there. It was dark!

I headed up towards the ridge on the west.

The sun was starting to come up, and the moon was in the western sky.



Or maybe the moon was in the south-western sky...

The sun kept rising, as it will, and I saw my shadow across the canyon.



This was much more impressive in person!

I left this little penguin button-badge at this geocache.



I saw another deer--or maybe it was the same one, in Oak Canyon.



I found all the geocaches I was looking for, plus two I had looked for before, EXCEPT this one.



The sign says Federal Property, No Trespassing.

I found THIS geocache rather easily, however!



There was a note from the Military Police inside warning that the military property line was near, and not to cross it. This cache was a few hundred feet north of that sign.

I saw zillions of caterpillars on the move today. This is one!



I wonder what they turn into?

I left this horsie from a bottle of tequila (My boss gave it (the horsie, not the tequila!) to me, I don't drink that stuff? My strength is the strength of ten because my heart is pure.



I liked that star geocache a lot, but this was my favorite geocache of the day!



I took a toy soldier Travel Bug that had been sitting in it for six months. The T.B. was started by a little boy back east who wanted soldiers to take their picture with it, and pass it on. He wants it to visit Mexico, then to come home to him. The T.B. is in the plastic bag next to the cup, FYI. I'll have to find a more active cache to drop it in.

There have been several fires that went through Oak Canyon, including the Cedar Fire of 2003. I noticed this burnt-out tree trunk had rocks inside. I wonder if the tree originally grew over the rocks?



As I labored up the washed-out "road" out of Oak Canyon I stopped at a few more caches. I left a Jeep at one, so whoever found it could ease their labors...

As I headed down the ridge road, backtracking my route, I came upon many fellow walkers (and bicyclists, did I mention all the cyclists I saw today?).



I talked to this family as I passed them. They had come from Mission Trails via Oak Canyon and were now heading back.

I found an SDI Pencil Knife, whatever that is. I haven't a clue what it is for. Sharpening pencils? What is this, 1850?

As I was leaving MTRP I observed a tyke on a bike crossing a small stream at full speed. Trevor, it turned out was his name. I complemented him on his technique.

Did I mention how windy it was? Here is a movie...





Whoops, I see a typo! I am NOT fixing it. Just deal with it!

Sat. Morn.

Snuck off to look for geocaches in the 'hood this morning. Found all of them (three), even the one I've visited three times in the last two days. And one of those times was on the trek out this morning. I find one can be much less conspicuous when one is not on the bike. I forgot to take the camera, so you do not get to see the Morris Minor nor the Opel GT I saw. Perhaps another time.

Finished reading There's A Boy In The Girls' Bathroom!, by Louis Sachar. It was recommended by a student who said it was not what she expected, but was very good. I teared up a bit at the end. Sachar wrote Holes, if you recall the movie or the book.

I want to publicly thank the good folks who left their "stamps for pans" at Albertsons. I was a few short of the required number for a small pan, but the cashier said customers had left ones that they were not able to use with her, saying to give them to someone that needs them. So, I got a free pan!

Last night I waded through the morass of the FCC website and renewed my license. Actually, once I got my password reset it was extremely painless. Now, if I could only figure out how to do my taxes online!

Speaking of, I talked to several people who PAY someone to do their taxes for them, just so they can get the refund early. If you have simple taxes, it seems fiscally foolish to pay what one person said was around three hundred bucks. I don't know, do the tax refund people REALLY charge that much for a simple return? I advised them to do it themselves, as a backup, and see if they come up with the same numbers. I remember I missed a twenty dollar refund one year that a professional would have caught, but it didn't seem worth the hassle to file a amended return. I am exceedingly lazy!

And, speaking of, at least in California, how do people not know they have to pay "sales tax" on internet purchases? I know some (most) people blow it off, but really, how do you not know? It's right on the form. Do the professional preparers not ask them about their online purchases? You really should know what you are signing!

Power Strip Blues

Today I took apart another power strip that was giving me some annoyance. Turned out to be yet another bad solder connection. I don't know if it overheated and melted, or what. I tried soldering it, but it did not look too good. It looks the wire isn't even copper. Maybe I should replace the wire with piece of #12 copper.

Firstly, remember to turn on Macro when taking closeup photos...



Now, with macro on, we can almost see the bad connection. This is before soldering, remember. I could pull the wire right through the hole.



It was so warm and clear yesterday, but today the clouds and fog came in early. You can see a bit of blue to the right of Cowles Mountain, but it was totally gone by the time I rode home. I even turned on the strobe when going under a bridge, a bridge with a diminishing bike lane.



I tell a lie. I just remembered I took that photo after work. Forget I said anything!

I was going to take a photo of the ENORMOUSLY LONG (a foot, two??) curly hair that was stuck in the library front door panic bar when I came in Tuesday, but the custodians seem to have disposed of it. Too bad!

I got email notice that three nearby geocaches went active this morning, but I was at work. So sad! I did a ride-by on two of them. I think I spotted the one in the Mario's parking lot, but there were two many folks around. Maybe I'll check it out tomorrow. The other, I didn't see it. I note the second cacher to log DNFed it.

I found the cat in the garage when I got home. C. says she didn't go in there, and the cat went out around three. Maybe the neighbors (we share a garage) let him in.

I got an email from a purportedly Russian chick:

Hi dear! I am for a decent man.

As for me, I am a young Russian girl
Do you like Russian women?

They are not just beautiful and smart, but very tolerant too.
Russian women value family and try to be with their husbands as much as possible.

It's time to get to know each other!
See you on marriage agency. Cheerio!

Do I like Russian women? I don't know any, right off hand, but I do love the accent! Sounds like they beat the heck out of Chinese Girlfriends who think they are Superior! But what's with the "Cheerio"? Is that a Russian expression? извините!

Today & The Other Day

As far as the other day, I was "working" on the computer (either reading reddit or playing DTD) and I kept getting distracted by a rustling from the other room. It was very annoying. I thought that either C. was rummaging around in the closet, or we had mice.

I finally got up to look. This is what I found.



A rather despondent-looking cat!



I figured he did not want to deliver Avon products, so after making him wait while I took numerous photos, trying to get him to look up (strike a pose!), I finally took the bag off. Unfortunately, all the photos (except these) had the flash reflection, making him look rather demonic.

Last night I finished reading If You're Reading This, It's Too Late, by Pseudonymous Bosch.

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As for today, I went geocaching this morning (big surprise) in Allied Gardens, Cowles Mountain, El Cajon/Santee (my canyon, as it were), and Hillside Park just off of Fletcher Parkway.

One of the caches I found on Cowles Moutain was this one. Can you spot it?



It's behind the fake green leaf, under the smaller rock, next to the larger rock!

The view is nice from up there, too. From the right perspective you can't even SEE the Santee sprawl!



Hey, I've been on that ridge over there!

I talked to a lot of people today, for a change. In an Allied Gardens canyon I talked to a fellow walking his dog about the trails there.

On Cowles Mountain there were a ton of people going up and down the trail from Big Rock Road. Up near the top end of the trail I helped some bicyclists find the correct trail to Mesa Drive. on the way back down I was queried by an Asian-looking woman as to whether I had seen a group of Asian people. I replied in the negative. I encountered a group of people with a group of dogs. One of the dogs was a Basenji, the first I've ever seen in real life, as opposed to television (and the movies--Good-Bye, My Lady, a title I always misremember as Weep No More, My Lady, which I find is the title of the short story that the book, and thence the movie, is based on.). I told her it was my dream dog. Too bad I didn't think to take a picture! Near the bottom of the trail I passed three chubby South Pacific-looking (give or take a few thousand miles) men going the other way, one of whom said "How's you doing, boss", which I thought was rather exotic.

In the interest of journalistic integrity I must clarify that I did not hike the Big Rock Trail all the way to the dirt road that goes up Cowles Mountain, much less to the peak. I went as fair as the Mesa Road trail, then down that trail for four hundred feet. Then I retraced my steps back to the vehicle.

All clear now?

It's Friday!

My bathroom reading at work is The Return Of Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Excellent vintage stuff.

It is passing strange how much my Happiness Quotient depends on my bowel movements. I'm sure you will be fascinated to learn that I have had a much higher Quotient this week, compared to last week. Last week was...difficult.

Overheard in the library today:

An eighth grade girl to to a sixth grade boy -- "You are a noisy little thing, aren't you?"

I arrived home from work to find the kitchen sink plugged up. BOTH sides. Insert ragetoon here.

On the other hand, I find I have Monday off. Happy surprise! I thought it was NEXT weekend!

Of Pipes & Glass

Took a picture of the glass from the break in.



I was thinking of collecting it and creating an artistic pile of glass crumbles with a bit of epoxy. Or maybe not.

Sunday last I went geocaching in that canyon off of Waring Road. There was an impressive mass of cactus up the hill from one of the 101 Dalmations caches. I'm glad I didn't have to go up there!



One of the caches I revisited turned out to be so beautifully camouflaged that I ALMOST didn't find it again! I must have spent an hour (total) on this one! Can you see it in there?



For the last cache I was chagrined to find that I had forgotten to load or print the coordinates. All I had was the none-too-detailed aerial image. And I remembered there was something about some pipes. I found the pipes.



Didn't find the cache. Found a camo hat hanging in a bush. Left it there.

Actually, there are four pipes. Big ones!



Turns out the cache is not really all that near to the pipes. Maybe next time!

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!

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!



On the trail in Spring Canyon.



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



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.



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

Artistic shot of power lines crossing a canyon.



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



Elephant geocache.



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



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



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



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!



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



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.

Two Posts In One Day?

His new Hello Kitty blanket and her new Snuggie.



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.



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.

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!

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?



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



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



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!



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



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.



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!

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!



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!

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



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

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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.

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.

Bug Video

I posted the Bug Video on YouTube.

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.



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



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

An hour ago I was down there in Spring Canyon.



El Cajon has its normal haze.



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




Here are some examples of geocaches I found today.

A mortar round container makes a nice watertight hide.



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



A camouflaged Altoids tin.



Now that's a nice 'treasure chest'!



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



Cute gingerbread cookie tin, with lucky horse shoe.



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



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!