Lunch Time GeoCaching

What a sweet hide. This one actually took me a couple of minutes to figure out the geocache hidey spot. There are severa areas of possiblity and you know me. Even when I read the heeds of the owner I still have to find the most difficult way of finding the cache. This was no exception and I have the bleeding pokes to prove it.

Once I figured out the spot and had cache in hand I had not a single DOH but a Double DOH moment. The first moment was when I reached down to my pocket to pull out my writing utencil and realized I left it in the car which was about .15 of a mile away. DOH! Then I actually was desperate enough to think I could use a stick to at least mark HHH on the log sheet. Then I realized I had already taken my geocaching carrying pouch which of course had several pens. DOH - DOH !

Needless to say we are glad to see a new hider in the area and look forward to more geocache finds.
Signed log and took nothing but the 20 sided die was very tempting.

Three Caches Found Before Breakfast.

The sun was just starting to rise and already have Three Caches Found Before Breakfast. On the way to work and hitting a few areas around the east side of I-440 in Raleigh, NC. Found three quick grab and goes including this unexpected ammo box cache.

Pictured below is also a unique cache container. Simple idea but I have not seen before this. It is a basic small plastic bag covered with cami tape. Great idea.

Post From HeadHardHat's Phone

Argh, not one of the most focused photos of myself but it was darkish out, raining and I had about 2 hours sleep last night. Guess I really was out of focus and to top it off with only one cup of java in me too.

Cache Found! This was number two of three for this morning on the way to work. Note the magnetically held silver bison tube under lamp skirt.

Number three was definately more interesting to behold. Check out this soup can protector of the cache.

The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men

You can't escape the reality of caching. You start out making plans to do some specific cache hunts and sometimes stuff just happens.

Wanted to do some caching on my home from work today. You see I go one way to work in the morning and another way at night, mainly due to the volume of traffic at those times. So that means there are bunches of caches available on my going to work route that I never have much time to find. So yesterday I thought I would put up with the extra traffic and have some fun caching in the mean time. Well.....

My route takes me from Oxford, NC down Hwy 96 to Hwy 1 (Capital Blvd.). This normally takes me about 30 minutes or so and the only caches available are the Barnyard Fun Series I set up a month or so ago. So not much joy in the caching department there. Eventually though I come down to Hwy 1 and the joy, or so I thought, begins. Started out okay finding the one cache in the area with TBs available. Traded up the last of my current stash and started what I thought would be a fruitful adventure.

That was when my phone rang.. Spent 20 minutes talking some family chit-chat. Normally would not mind at all but when I have the caching bug going I have a one track mind. C'mon, taking too long, (fuzzy static, sorry losing you, fuzzy static, will call you later, bye.) okay I know the blow in the phone/talk partial words trick is stale but hey I'm burning sunlight here.

Found a cache, quick micro bison tube in a tree, two for today but want more.


Phone rings again, it's the wife. First thought that flows through my mind is, "What did I do now?", turns out everyone wants to go out to eat and they are all are hungry. Hint - Hint. My eyes roll up and I know that I have another 45 minute drive ahead of me. Sigh. Okay I may stop for one more as a chaser and then drudge home.


I watch the sun on it's march for the horizon and know that my caching day is done. Heavy sigh. Three for the day. Hardly the effort for putting up with the extra traffic. I now remember why I go home the other route. I can feel myself get a little angry. You can't cache if you are playing beat the clock. You end up frustrated and give up on caches you don't find instantly. I decide enough is enough and that there will be another day. Doesn't make it any easier though when you make plans and they get blown apart. I know this makes me look selfish. I know I have responsibilities. I also know I have X amount of time in a day and when I designate it as my caching day there better be smoke, blood and lots of it to be interrupted. Not always the case though. Sigh. I'm Not obsessed... Right?

Cache Found!

Cache Found! White Deer Park,NC

Having a great afternoon with my daughter walking the trails of White Deer Park near Garner, NC. Found six caches in this area and logged about four miles of hiking.

Post From HeadHardHat's Phone

Cache Found! Seven for 90 minutes play.

Daughter Headhardhat and I was able to hit the Garner / Clayton, NC area for about an hour and a half this evening. Had a great time together and met some nice people along the way.

Cache Found! With Amanda

Cache Found! With Amanda and her first find by herself. I of course dressed to conceal my true nature and blend in with the environment.

Sunday Cache Fest...

Had a great time caching today with several hours worth under my belt. Here is the overall list and it would appear that I walked over 8 miles. No wonder me dogs are barking.
Found - Rock Pile, North Carolina

This was a beautiful walk. The cache itself was quickly found but again with all the green of North Carolina, why rush?









Found - 'Cause You Love Me For It, North Carolina

Ever have one of those caches where you know where the cache is, you can hear it breathing, there is even a clue telling you it's there.... yet you can't find the dang thing.. Looked for 10 minutes on this one until finally success. Phew!


By the way saw this at the cache site... What is it? Benchmark maybe?

Found - Watta View, North Carolina

This was fun. My parking coords did not put me near the cache and I did not take the time to Google Earth the area.. Big mistake. Tried to find an entry point to what is actually a well used park. Ended up going up a road that I thought was part of the park. Instead it turned out being an area next to the park but the owner said if I parked down the entrance way I could enter the park there. Cool! Found the cache after some frustrating tries and then enjoyed walking several miles from beginning to end. Not because I had to mind you but because I wanted to. The view was fantastic and I wanted to see more.


Found - Parking Aside, North Carolina

A rather quick cache that include a bit of a hike to actually get to the site. This was the first of three separate places today where I spotted deer walking around.






Found - Crowder Cache, North Carolina
Had to laugh at this particular cache. Apparently the other caches in this area have been muggled. The owner of this cache took extra steps to make sure it didn't happen again.






Found - The Fairview Roundabout, North Carolina

When I stopped near this area I confused what I thought was a roundabout and the actual roundabout itself. Turns out this roundabout is in a church parking lot. Had an added challenge of a squad car parked about 50 yards away with two fine officers doing paper work. So I do what I always do and put on my backpack and head off into the woods. I guess I didn't look suspicious and they never stopped me. With my caching done I waved as I drove off. Received another woodlen scare when I found several deer in this area too. That do make the heart start a pump'n.


Found - Mack's Micro IV, North Carolina

I really wanted to do this particular cache for several months now. Though the thought of a briar patch and some serious bushwacking did not appeal to me. Determined even with the possibility of some good scrapes I grabbing my favorite bushwacking stick and swiped through.
Note, I don't have a problem showing the cache here because the owner tells you straight out what you are looking for. Finding it is entirely another matter. After several minutes of searching I found my prize and not a scratch on me.







DNF :( - Keys to the Cache-l Part 2, North Carolina

This one makes me want to wallow in my own beer. Spent over 90 minutes looking for an ammo box high in the hills of South West Raleigh. The walk included some very deep woods trails to the point where I was thinking to myself - dang this is some deep stuff. Cell phone had five bars so on I went. Then there was a rather steep climb to the upper levels. This 300 pound cacher made it up with a little wheezing but felt great doing it. Then after scouring the country side came up with nada, zip, nothing, etc. Long story short, a whole lot of exercise but that is about it.
Will have to take another whack at this when I get a chance. Saw all sorts of swamp areas, ponds, streams and other wildlife like more deer.
All in all a great day of fun and lots of walking. Going to lose this weight one way or another. Might as well enjoy how I do it!

Cache #2 Found Half Way To Japan.

This was fun. Another grab and go with an unexpected twist.. I pulled up to this cache and saw the obvious spot where it was going to be. Was more concerned about the creepy crawlies in a place like that but that is why I wear gloves.

What I found shocked the heck out of me. The opening you see in the photo above is deceiving. The space is about two feet tall and when you look inside and down, you can't see the bottom! I dropped a stone down there and I swear I never heard it hit..

The cache itself was suspended about six or seven feet down on fishing line tied to the bottom of the plate... Wow that was something.

Click below and watch the quick video to see my reaction..

Caches #2 and #3 today.. They just sort of happened..

Okay actually #1 and #3 where completely by being at the right place at the right time. Went to the Expo Center at the NC State Fairgrounds this morning and there is one legendary cache known as RBC.. Really Big Cache (and by the RBC Center). Anyways, since I was literally one mile down the road I thought I would give it a shot. Long story short, found it and it has been logged and is in history. That was cache #2 today...

Redneck series in the Raleigh, NC area is a real blast. Hooked this one up on my way to the local CVS store. Woot!

Cache Found! No. 1

Found this on way to a technology expo. You never know when an unexpected cache will pop up. I have about 50 of them on my Garmin that I want to eventually get to so when they show up on the radar I snag'm.

Cache Found!

Post From HeadHardhat's Phone #4 Cache Found! Creepy Camp Butler, NC

The photo above is part of the original Camp Butler circa 1945. The area wreaks of history and other creepy things. This particular area just feels creepy but that is part of the fun when it comes to geocaching. NCTreker goes out of his way to make sure you learn your history.

NCTreker is absolutely amazing when it comes to inventive cache hiding. This one was down right amazing. He has put caches in areas I sure can't get to, how he hasn't been eaten by something I will never know. All I do know is I want to find all of his and if he comes up with more I want to know about it.

Thanks NC!

First To Find!

First To Find! That makes two for two - woot. Ringer2410 put out a couple of nice new caches in the Granville County, NC area and I just had to get atleast one FTF. If I'm lucky I can get the other one tonight on my way home from work :)

Nice Job Ringer!!!

Another FTF - Woo Hoo!

There is nothing like the thrill of caching at night. Depending on the situation you obviously have to be careful but on the other hand - woot - what a rush! It is even sweeter when you are on the look out for FTFs.

Today was no exception as I just had to attempt a quick grab and go of a cache that just published. The plan was simple, try to be as stealthy as you can, find the cache, sign the log and boogey on out of there.

Slightly "Off Your Rocker" in Garner, NC was just that kind of cache. So in the dark and holding my handy dandy flashlight I went a search'n. After several agonizing minutes I was able to find the cache and make a hasty retreat to my car to sign the log. Interesting thing was I had trouble finding where the darn thing originally was but did manage to get everything placed as found. During that time though I kept thinking how embarrising it was holding half the cache and not finding the top!?! My heart did eventually stop beating and all is well - phew.

BarnYard Fun Series Open For Business

One of the things that I could not help but notice about Hwy 96 between Hwy 1 and I-85 was the lack of caches. Shy of one which was a tad off the beat'n path there was nothing.. So I had to do something about that. I hope that I came up with a cute and fun series to try.

It has a story background. You see the barnyard gate was left open and several cows and some chickens got loose. It is your job to find Farmer Bob, the cows Betsy, Buttercup and Little Bo and of course the chickens. The interesting part with these park and grab micros is I only give four of the coords. If you choose to do so you can look for Little Bo and email the HHH her coords so we can get her back to the barn..

Look up Barnyard Fun via my user name (HeadHardHat) and have some good clean geocaching fun.

Note a micro 35mm and a FTF certificate with the log book.

Micro Definition Video

Okay not the most flattering of shots but the video shows you information.

This Micro Cache was shot from my phone live at the site. Of course shot dead would not have been such a good thing... Great video, but not a good thing... But I digress.

Found three caches so far today:
You found Something else to do... (Traditional Cache)
You found "Folsom Prison Blues" (Traditional Cache)
You found Undercover (Traditional Cache)

This is a Nice example of a Micro Cache but there are smaller.

Micros are tiny!