AA to Adrian

This was an absolutely gorgeous fall day. We began with breakfast in Saline and then headed in a southwesterly direction, stopping whenever a cache looked inviting and do-able.

This area of southern Michigan is a picture-perfect farming area. The farms are huge, well-maintained and extremely neat and tidy. It is a real pleasure to drive the country roads and see one pleasant farm after another with multiple outbuildings and impressive barns. As far as we could tell they seem to be growing mostly corn and soybeans. Most of the outbuildings and barns are painted red, but we did see several white farms where everything was painted white. Judging by the size of the farm equipment that we passed on the road, I thought maybe those big farms were corporate. Dick says that they could be co-ops instead.

We went through many small towns and villages. A couple of them were not well known, at least to us! Saline, Mooreville, Macon, Clinton, Tecumseh, Wellsville, Palmyra and Adrian -what a lovely drive.

We had a great time. Here are some of Dick's logs:

10/07/2010	You found A very old resting place
We spent the day caching from A2 to Adrian. The return trip had been nonstop along the back roads until our Nuvi dinged for this one. As we read the description, we just couldn't pass it up. We have found 7 cemetery caches on this trip and were discussing the segregation of the Catholics and the Protestants. Was it that the Catholics didn't want to be buried with the Protestants or was it the other way around? Who rejected who? What did they do if someone who died was Jewish? Oh well, found the cache about 4:30, signed the log and drove home. Thanks for bringing us to this unusual place.
10/07/2010	You found Fair Haunting Grounds
We started out this morning in Ann Arbor with the goal of having breakfast in Saline and caching our way to a late lunch/early dinner/supper in Adrian, so here we are. We found this one at about 3PM. Signed the log and went off in search of food. If a combined breakfast and lunch is a brunch, I guess we are looking for lupper or linner. TFTC
10/07/2010	You found A Room With A View
Yoik!! I'm gettin to old for this stuff! We wanted to give this one a shot because we think this is how SQ caches should be placed if possible, off the actual site and away from the graves. Although I was carefully inching my way down the slope, (The silly Garmin was pointing to a spot about half way down.) suddenly my feet went out from under me and I did a kiester plotz. Luckily I grabbed a bush and pulled my self back up to my feet. Now the blankety blank GPS was pointing back up the slope. So just climb back up! Easier said than done, but slowly I pulled myself up, only slipping back a couple of times. I knew I was close because I found a Pokemon card. I didn't know it but I was searching the wrong side of the hide.The better half of the team was saying "That's enough!"as I clambered up to the top You know how it is, just one more peek. SCORE!! Signed the log and left a Pokemon card. Thanks for the adventure!
10/07/2010	You found I Ain't No "Old Shed"
When we started out this morning with the idea of caching our way to Adrian, we didn't focus in on cemetery caches but we did wind up with quite a few. We find it fascinating that these old sites in southern Michigan have tomb stones that are so much older than those we are familiar with up north. We are surprised to note that so many of the early settlers lived to such a ripe old age. It appears that, for the most part, if they made it through their teens, they were good for 70 or more years. Thanks for the history.
10/07/2010	You found Good Lord!
We are caching our way to Adrian and here we are in Palmyra, a town we've never heard of before. Thanks for giving us a reason to stop, thanks for the history and thanks for the cache. Signed the log and left a smilie pencil.
10/07/2010	You found STOP !!! BUCKEYES ADVANCING #1
Palmyra. Palmyra? Palmyra! Are we still in Michigan? Never knew there was a Palmyra. We almost bypassed this one just to see what Palmyra looks like. But Hey! How can you just drive past #1 TFTC
10/07/2010	You found STOP !!! BUCKEYES ADVANCING #6
Today's goal was to cache our way along the back roads from Ann Arbor to Adrian. Traveling from cache to cache in a south westerly direction on a beautiful fall afternoon we were struck by the cleanliness, neatness and beauty of the farms. Almost every one was well maintained and orderly. It was extremely enjoyable. Thanks for another smilie!
10/07/2010	You found Treasure Trove
What a great spot! From the great number of stones in German, we're guessing that the Lutheran church must have stood near to here in the past. Our question though is about the mound. With all the surrounding land being flat, could this square mound be natural? Did the settlers using teams of horses scrape the land into a mound? If so it doesn't appear to have affected the surrounding top soil. Or perhaps this is the site of an ancient settlement of the mound builders. We really appreciate it that you brought us here. The camo on the tin is falling off, we often have some in the cachemobile but couldn't find it today. We added a little heart to the stash after we signed the log. TFTC
10/07/2010	You found STOP !!! BUCKEYES ADVANCING #5
When these caches pop up on our route we have to grab them. This weekend we aren't worried about stopping the Buckeyes, can we stop the Spartans. We are quite apprehensive about sitting in the Big House Saturday and being subjected to the worst pass defense in the nation (120th of 120 teams). But thank you for another smilie on our caching expedition down to Adrian on an absolutely fantastic fall afternoon..
10/07/2010	You found SQ - Holloway Hide
Thanks for a hide that we could decipher. We just had a run of 3 DNF's so any find looked great. There were no trackables in the cache. The zip lock is torn but we did not have a replacement. We got quite a chuckle over the nearby name "Freshcorn". Thanks for the fun. (We're always respectful in the cemetery areas, but we did find this unusual name and respectfully photographed it.) 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Adam's Adventure Michigan Visit Log Didn't find it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] These events have SO moved me Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] EAGLE TRAIL CACHE: COMMUNICATIONS MERIT BADGE Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] FACT: The Un Zipped Mail.... Michigan Visit Log Didn't find it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Dont forget them Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Service's 1st hide Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Thanks Dad... Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Big Oak On A Hill

Blast From the Past

OK boys and girls, your challenge for today is to identify these faces from your past. This is the Van Buren Public Schools monthly retirees breakfast.

Ten points for each ID. Ready, set, go !

DIA Day

Off to downtown Detroit for more of the Detroit Institute of Arts cache quest. The museum is very interesting - and on a Sunday it wasn't crowded at all. The displays that I enjoyed the most were the European medieval sections. The colors are so vibrant, and the craftmanship is amazing.

They have several versions of the Madonna and Child - it's fascinating to see the various interpretations.


This medieval French chapel was brought here piece by piece after WWI. The architect of the museum incorporated the chapel into the general framework of the building.


It was a thrilling place to be this morning. I haven't even mentioned the Rivera Hall. which is painted on all sides with Diego Rivera murals.....


....and VINCENT VAN GOGH!



Then off to the Detroit River to do another part of the DIA cache quest. Did you know that there is a William G. Milliken State Park? We didn't. It's right on the shores of the Detroit River.

The fabulous glass wall where we found the clues to the cache coordinates (with a little help from our friend).

VIEW OF LE CROTOY FROM UPSTREAM by Georges Pierre Seurat

(with Windsor casinos in the background!)

The paradox of Detroit - The beautiful Renaissance Center and condemned buildings as seen from Atwater Street.


When we left downtown Detroit, we headed north to Oxford, Lake Orion and Walled Lake to pick up three more DIA caches. Two out of three isn't that bad! At Oxford, there were way too many muggles to make a find!


Here are Dick's logs for today:

Found it 10/03/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] Chevy
Working on the series today we decided to try one up north. This was so straight forward after the puzzles we had worked on that it was an absolute pleasure. Thanks very much for the cache. Took nothing but pictures, signed the log, grabbed the code and left a flask of hand sanitizer.

Found it 10/03/2010 You found [Unknown Cache] View of Le Crotoy from Upstream
Today was a classic "Had it not been for geocaching, we would never have seen this place". For us, "this place" is downtown Detroit. Years ago we used to laugh at our step-father, who, when they were on their semi-annual trips to Florida, would not drive I-75 because it went through the city. Now we have become him. However, a cache in a park named for William Grawn Milliken, Michigan's greatest governor, is something that we couldn't resist.
Arriving at GZ, we were stymied. The puzzle form is something outside our experience. Even though the cache owner had answered our email prior to our seeking the cache, we didn't have a clue. Standing in the wind and the rain we just could not see the solution. Another phone call to Rattrack, another very patient answer. Eventually, the light dawned and we were able to solve the riddle of the glass wall.
Construction in the area caused us to track and back track but eventually the cache was discovered. We signed the log, traded sigs and bugs, grabbed the code and split town.
Many, many thanks Rattrack for your patience and assistance. With out your help we would have never puzzled it out.

Found it 10/03/2010 You found [Unknown Cache] The Detroit Institute of Arts
The puzzle caches in this series overwhelmed us. Because we were apprehensive about how to proceed after reading the earlier logs we contacted the owner prior to heading out for a drive into the city.With his answers in hand, we picked Sunday as the time for the least traffic.
In the past, we had visited Detroit on many occasions starting with birth for one of us. When our children were young, trips to Belle Isle, Tiger Stadium, Hudson's, Cobo, Hart Plaza etc. were commonplace. However since it's been more than 20 years since we have ventured into the Motor City, today we were both somewhat outside our comfort zone.
When we arrived and went to GZ, our expectations were dashed, how to get the required answers? We bought tickets and went inside. We had a great visit and saw many of the pictures that have been posted around the area but were surprised that none of the docents were familiar with geocaching, let alone the DIA series. (They do now) We answered the questions, and completed our tour. (We think that the section with medieval armor and early Christian art is spectacular) With the questions answered and the cords entered we set out to find the final only to be accosted by a panhandler seeking enough money for a burger". We discovered that our solution led us to private property. Ouch!
A call to the owner pushed back in the right direction but it was being staked out by the panhandler seeking more "burger" money from other visitors. We waited him out and finaly scored the cache. WOW!!
Many thanks toRattrack for his help and putting up with us today.

Found it 10/03/2010 You found [Multi-cache] Dancers in the Green Room
Thanks to a hint and encouragement from the owner we stopped back today when we were in the area. I can't imagine how we missed the first stage on our earlier trip. It was right where we expected it to be and we both think we looked there. Successfully found the final, took the code and left a small hand sanitizer.
Thanks 5* for the help!!

DANCERS IN THE GREEN ROOM by Edgar Degas

On beautiful Walled Lake, "Where the shores meet the stores" !

Oh My Goodness!

Gracious sakes alive! What an exciting game. At the end we were sure we'd be going into overtime, but no...Denard threw a hail Mary pass that actually worked, and we scored the winning touchdown.

We couldn't receive ESPN-U here at the apartment, so we went to a sportsbar (Damon's) to watch the game. It was delightful - full of young families with really adorable, well-behaved little kids and lots of TVs, not to mention good food and a charming young waitress.

We had such a great time. I'm just coming down with a mild cold, so I was happy to be inside watching today instead of at the stadium.

Quick-Score Offense Leads Football to Triumph at Indiana
10/2/2010
U-M posted five scoring drives of fewer than two minutes -- including a 48-second drive that culminated with a five-yard touchdown rush from Denard Robinson with 21 seconds remaining -- to hold off Indiana, 42-35.

Cache Quest Series

The Detroit Institute of Art has placed copies of 40 paintings in various places in the metro area to celebrate its 125th anniversary. They have included a series of caches associated with some of the paintings - a cache quest series.

THE LILY POND by Charles Harry Eaton

Found it 10/01/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] The Lily Pond

For nearly 20 years this park was literally in our back yard. Our son ran here as the captain of the Belleville cross country team and both of our daughters worked for the park at the pool which no longer exists. This grove and the water park are new since we retired but we have hiked, skied and biked from one end to the other. Signed the log and left a flask of hand sanitizer. Thanks for the fun and the memories.

Found it 10/01/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] In the Garden

What a great sounding series! We decided to start on it today and do the ones closest to where we are staying in Ann Arbor. We lived in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti/Belleville area for more than 35 years. We have had some good times in this park. Signed the log and left a magic frog. As we recall, this area was named Frog Island.

Great Day for Caching

First we went to the senior citizen work-out at the mall. It hasn't changed much since last year. Dick got the oil changed on the Rav, and then it was time for caching. We had a fun day in Ann Arbor, followed by an event at the Grand Traverse Pie Company! We had pie AND cake - no kidding!



09/27/2010 You found I HOP Around the Car Wash Visit Log
Well I did it again. Pulled into the parking lot and knew right where it was. Don't need no stinkin' GPS! Pulled up, she popped out for the quick grab and . . . Ooops! OK I'll check the silly GPS, Oh its a couple of hundred feet that way. This time I'll make the grab. Wow! what a collection of wasps. All right! All right I'll take the GPS with me. (Aren't we supposed to get smarter with age?) Nice hide, nice camo, as previously noted the log should be replaced soon. Thanks for the fun.

09/27/2010 You found Bottoms Up Visit Log
What a neat park! The residents are indeed fortunate to have this facility right in an urban setting. We had the place to ourselves today. Nice walk, quick find. TFTC

09/27/2010 You couldn't find Dirt Don't Hurt #8 Visit Log
We gave this guy our best shot but it just wasn't good enough. Some days you bite the bear, today the bear chomped us a good one.

09/27/2010 You found Great Sauk Trail Council - Action! Boy Scouts Visit Log
Since the BSA are our hosts for game day parking across from the stadium, we had to go for this one. We weren't sure if the folks pulling in were muggles so we smuggled the cache back to the car, signed the log, left a hand sanitizer and stealthily returned the camoed can to its spot. TFTC

09/27/2010 You found A2 Park N Ride Visit Log
I think we found one here a few years ago. Found the container out in the open so we tried to cover it better. Took nothing, left a matchbox car. TFTC

09/27/2010 You found Guarding 94 Visit Log
This guy popped up when we downloaded our new PQ. We had to grab it or Nuvi would drive us nuts. TFTS

Attended 09/27/2010 You attended [Event Cache] Perplexing Puzzles and Pastries Party Part Four Visit Log
It's fun to have so many chances to meet and talk to our fellow cachers. It's a chance to trade hugs with folks we've met and talked and cached with in the past and to shake hands with and introduce ourselves to cachers whose names we've only read in log books. We didn't work on puzzles but we sure put a dent in the cake and cherry pie.

Reiko's Here!!

Jan called and invited us to dinner on Sunday. Reiko and her two boys are visiting from California for a couple of days, and so we had a great dinner and great company too. Hunter and Jet are growing up so fast - and they are so bright and entertaining - lots of potential there. Loads of personality, friendliness and politeness mixed with all of the natural all-boy characteristics! We enjoyed the day so much.

Hunter is loaded with personality:

Jet and his Momma were amazingly good at putting these cars together:

Dinner is served:

Jan and I are picking out the movie we want to see this week - we picked "You Again". It looks really cute.

U of M vs. BGSU

It was a great fall day for football. It was cool and comfortable and not crowded for a change.

Univ.of Mich 65, Bowling Green 21

Three-Headed Quarterback Helps U-M Rout Bowling Green

Sept.25, 2010
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: #21 Michigan 65, Bowling Green 21
Records: U-M (4-0), Bowling Green (1-3)
Attendance: 109,933 (sellout)
Next U-M Game: Saturday, Oct. 2 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 3:30 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan football team (No. 21 AP/No. 22 Coaches) scored touchdowns on nine of its 11 possessions in a 65-21 win over Bowling Green on Saturday (Sept. 25) at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines posted the second-most total yards in a single game with 721 yards -- 466 rushing and 255 passing -- to surpass the 500-yard mark for the third consecutive contest

Post-game celebration:

Caching A2

Found it 09/24/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] Discovering Clonlara Visit Log
Out grabbing a few before dinner this afternoon and this guy popped up. I have to say that we never expected to find this container in the city. Swapped a harmonica for a pen. Thanks for introducing us to this school.

Found it 09/24/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] A World Away Visit Log
Some times what the skirt covers is just not accessible. Quite a fake out. TFTC

Found it 09/24/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] Obi-Wan Kenobi Visit Log
Boy the muggle problem at the cache is serious. Should we wait till he gets on the bus or try our best stealth? One of us kept an eye on the muggle while the other went for the cache. Never has hiking a skirt been so loud. A quick scoop and casual stroll to the cachemobile and the report was "He never turned to look". Signed log and replaced. TFTC

Found it 09/24/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] Caching Costs $$$$$ Visit Log
It was interesting this morning when I set out to Meijer's. This cache was closer to our apartment than many caches we've sought, just over 1/2 mile. So instead of driving, it was a walk. The problem I have with this type of container is that it takes me longer to replace the log than to find it. After the find a quick trip into the store was made hoping to thank the owner but without success. Perhaps she had already driven north for her Annual Autumnal Amusement.

No Way!

Don's of Traverse City?

On Grand River at 12 Mile? In Novi??

No way.

Happy Birthday Dick

Talking to Tom - must have been good one !


The face scratch is from geocaching, of course: