Notes: Continuation of the 3 day Spokane caching trip

[log] Our final and fourth cache of the hill for the day. We had hiked a total of 5 1/2 hours on the hill, enjoying the views, and the various trails. Penny had been to Coeurd a'lene and the boardwalk many times, but neither of us had ever explored Tubbs Hill. What a great place to be on a hot day. Took a slowcrawl 83 coin and left pink shoelaces. This was #100 for us! What a great milemark at the top of the hill .

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What, you say, is a Turdus Migratorius?? American Robin

[log] Boy were we sheepish when we read what the scientific name meant; the setting for the cache made sense then. Thanks - frogwarts and bearfr.

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Notes

[log] James lucked out and parked the car at the Honeysuckle Well site, so this was an easy find; clever container that fit the name. Took a slow crawl coin and a Winnie the Pooh pez container and left a hairclip and a green frog. Thanks-frogwarts and bearfr.

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Our tour of Couer d'Alene would not been complete without the Moose statues!

[log] Our last of a 13 cache day. Loved the play on words. Drove to within 5 feet of the cache, and logged our fastest ever cache find - 30 seconds. Thanks for a fun end to the day

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Notes: Finished our 3 day trip back in Missoula

Notes

[log] Ah ha! Found one like this yesterday in Spokane so the hardest part was the people.

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Penny remembers this program on her list of favorite TV shows while growing up, especially since the female lead was called Penny, so it was cool to find his final resting place was in her beloved Montana.

[log] One of my favorite TV characters next to Roy Rodgers and Zorro and he's from Montana. Way cool. Easy find after we found the road; clever way to verify find.

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Notes

[log] We got lucky and only moved a few things Red Hot Mama could lift. Took a flamingo pin and left a pink salamander.Thanks for a beautiful piece of the trail system

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With so many muggles nearby, this cleverly hidden cache was a turkey to retrieve, but its way of being hid made us grin at the cache owner’s cleverness.

[log] This was our favorite of a 13 cache Missoula Day; what a hoot for both the container and the site. People drove us crazy, but we managed it within muggle sight. We took an iridescent bean and the Hotwheels ambulance and left a frog and a 2-part key chain.

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We had to enlist the help of Debbie, James’ work mate, to go to www.umt.edu/grizcam and capture the picture the webcam took of us and our GPS so we could log our first WEBCAM cache. These caches are easier now since we carry portable Ipads with which to capture pictures to log, but this type of cache has been grandfathered – no new ones allowed – so that makes this, our first, very special in our memories.

[log] The camera gave Debbie fits in Helena because it wouldn't zoom any closer, but she got a picture of the two of us that you can tell we're waving in; you'll have to take our word for it being us, Yumatori. This was a fun one; Debbie enjoyed helping from work at home.

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Listen to the bells while you find the hide.

[log] Found this one easily, and when Penny went back later to get a picture, she actually got to hear the bells. Had a cute little squirrel friend join us.

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A tiny squirrel helped us sniff out this cache.

[log] Thank goodness for hints, huh. It was easy with that; interesting that the site doesn't get cleaned up.

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We love multis that take us all over an area to see the sites while solving a puzzle to get cords for the cache, and this was one of the best. Ending near the beautiful Missoula Carousel was a plus; Penny will never be too old to ride or reach for the brass ring.

[log] We really enjoyed the history and sites in this one and appreciated the fact that all the sites were within easy walking distance of each other since it was a hot day and we were multi-caching from Helena. The hotel in particular was gorgeous. Thanks for a good one

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Didn’t think we would get this one, but Frogwarts reached a little harder to succeed at last.

[log] The clues were right on, but Penny knew she couldn't have gotten this one alone, since she is shorter than James. Short people might want to take a tall friend.

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[log] To get wet, or not get wet. That was the question. Even with reading the logs, we missed the obvious and proceeded to search with the wrong assumption in mind. Took going away and coming back then suddenly seeing it by accident. This cache might need a little first aid. "Cool" hiding spot. Left hairclip.

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Our first time of many in Greenough Park; even came back once for a night cache.  Jen & Dean introduced us to a new kind of cache here.

[log] We enjoyed the clues on this one, poking around with thoughts of "...well rounded qualities", "...not always black & white", & "...hidden in plain sight." Persistance and variations on one of the clues paid off. We took a stone and left a frog.

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[log] Number 12 of 13 for the day and we were tired. We took the dirt road described in the directions (it was really paved) and parked at the trail head. I looked up the hill and said to Penny, "Are you sure you want to do this one?" I figured she would decline for sitting in the air-conditioned car. "Sure," she says. "Why not?" In the end it as actually a very nice hike with great views of Missoula. Additional hint. You don't have to climb the hill. There is a lower trail to the right just as you start up, but you'll miss the views. We came back that way. We ran into one hiker on the way back who said to be aware of a black bear hanging around the old barn. He hasn't appeared dangerous, she said, but just don't surprise him. We never saw him but thought we'd mention it for following geocachers. Took the stone, bottle cap, and golf ball. Left a frog, sport shoelaces, and a smiley fishing bobber. Thanks for the hike that showed us another side to Missoula. Frogwarts & Bearfr

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[log] Our last cache of the day and looking forward to getting back to Helena. Cute hint. It got us barking up a lot of trees, then we started thinking outside the box, or was it we started seeing the forest despite the trees. Anyway, Penny was excited to be the one to find it. We took a shell, a gem and the Traveling George Bug. We left a cool rescue ambulance and a Hummer. I don't think the Hummer is going to stay there long. Thanks for a nice one to end our day. Frogwarts & Bearfr

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Notes: Back home caching in Helena

[log] The rain had passed through and the hot weather of the last week had been pushed aside, making this short hike to the Capitol Overlook cache a pleasure, except that when I got to the top I discovered that my GPS hard-case was no longer on my belt. Fortunatly the GPS was in my hand. I spent the next 10 minutes frantically looking for the cache because all I could think about was where the case came off my belt. When I found the cache (great hiding spot) I quickly logged, stamped, and exchanged my frog page marker for a small suffed unicorn. I then started following my trail back on my GPS. That's not as easy as it seems, especially when you are trying to stay exactly on the trail. Exactly halfway back, there it was. I walked to within eight feet of it. I'd never have found it without that GPS trail. By the way, this is a nice cache in a nice area of Helena, giving a great view of the entire valley. Thanks Packyfan. Frogwarts

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Notes: Our first event hide

Since we change our mailbox cover with the holidays, we created one just for our Geocaching event and added colorful ballons tied to the mailbox to guide them to our backyard event. This event was the launch of Geoffrey the Grasshopper and Felix the Fly TBs, which are still traveling the world in 2013.

	Bite Me TB joins CCC on Sunday, and he is hungry.

[note] Just a quick note to drop another TB into the cache. This one is that special yellow we all are keeping our eyes out for.

[note] What made this event so great was all the great people who showed. The rain held off at all the right times and we managed to fill stomachs, and give out prizes. It's a real thrill to put not only faces to the handles, but the personalities as well. We have yet to meet a geocacher we haven't liked. Thanks fire23, Greg, Di & Max, Jennifer&Dean, leonata, Xvampire, zac59410, yumitori, The Straughns, Packyfan, Anawimess, and TWO4GEOFUN. The group photo is attached. If you would like a high resolution version, e-mail me and let me know.

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Beneath shielding eaves,
Genial drinking with friends;
Rainy afternoon.

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Notes: Doing some Montana Wilderness caches around Bozeman

A Day of 10 in Bozeman starts now along the multiple of trail systems designed to bring hikers to the wilderness areas around the city. After being scared we’d high-center the tiny Saturn, we finished hiking (and bushwacking), on Just Another Cache, having had a tremendously beautiful day.

[log] Our first cache of 10 for Bozeman. The camouflage was a great one, combined with an easy roadside find. It was interesting to wonder how much easier life would have been for Lewis and Clark if they could have used GPS's! We took the Moose on the Loose TB, a 1971 dollar and a small panda bear; left a frog, a salamander and a mini photo album. We were coming from the east and it ended up being between the Main St. and the Bear Canyon Exits. Thanks for a fun one GadgetGrandma; we learned a new twist to camo. Frogwarts & Bearfr from Helena, MT.

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[log] What neat trail systems Bozeman has! Workers were working to clear a new section of trail as we walked by after finding the trailhead off Kagy Blvd. Some searching in the bush, but basically an easy find. We took a CD of music, left a frog, a letter opener, and a pair of plier cutters. Beautiful blue sky day for a great cache.

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Notes

[log] This was an easy find for us; our GPS's lead us on all the right turns. The stream and vegetation are beautiful! We left and address book and our signature frog, and took a tiny slinky. The log book is totally full; several cachers including us have logged on separate paper and included it in the log bag; otherwise the cache is fine. Enjoyed another great Bozeman trail; thanks. Frogwarts & Bearfr from Helena, MT.

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[log] Number 4 of 10 for the day, and our third piece of the Bozeman trail system; we are impressed. The stockyards definitely still have cows (and horses, too)and the old railroad bridges are very interesting. We didn't consider what we had to do bushwhacking, just a slight stroll off the trail. We left a slinky from Urban Thickets, a 16 ft tape measure, and a frog; the lottery tickets were a no win, but will work great in my geocaching scrapbook as a souvenir. Thanks for a good one. Frogwarts & Bearfr from Helena MT.

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Notes

[log] We're not sure where the Urban Bridges part comes in, but this was a beautiful trail along the golf course. We passed another set of geocachers coming out as we went in; we met them later. They were from Oklahoma, dropping a college son off for school. Isn't geocaching great! We left a frog bookmark and a set of "grows in water" dinosaurs; took a golf ball, a postcard and a tiny moose. Bozeman trails get better and better.

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[log] Joined our new geocaching friends from Oklahoma that we met at Urban Bridges in finding this cache; they took one travel bug; we took the other - Tailfin, along with a Troop 16 Boy Scout coin. We left a frog bookmark and a PDA holder. Beautiful little lake.

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How could a died-in-the-wool Trekkie like Penny miss finding a cache name Beam me Up? 
Here’s one for you Scotty!

[log] Wonderful trail system geared for the difference in Frogwarts who could race around the longer sections, after finding the cache with Bearfr, who, as a Trekkie, really wished Scotty had been around. She enjoyed the stroll down along a different route. We left a skateboard toy, and took a golf ball and postcard. Nice hint about where to get off the trail, WaterBugz. Thanks for a beautiful hill. Frogwarts & Bearfr from Helena, MT. By the way, if anyone sees a tiny frog peeking out of a signboard on the trail, think of us.

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Notes

[log] Of course, being us, we packed below it and clambered up, instead of parking right by it above the cache. But it was a fun find. Had to dash for the car at the end because of rain. Retrieved the Hummer Travel Bug and a postcard; we are planning a card theme cache, so it's fun to gather them from all over. We left a kid's road signs game and a frog. Thanks for a quick stop cache; we were tired after doing Beam Me Up; Frogwarts says speak for yourself, Bearfr. But the thank you is definitely from both of us.

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Notes: We went caching in Bozeman just for fun.

Found Frogwarts a squishy bean-bag frog for on top of this computer monitor.

[log] Frogwarts and Bearfr always have to do things the scenic way; we took the right fork in the road and ended up bushwhacking 300 feet up the hill in the rain, instead of the left fork which went 30 feet from the cache, like you said. But the smells in the wet forest were worth the trip, as was the cache. We traded your frog for one of our bug-eye ones and a golf ball for 2 fishing bobbers. by the way, it was a Happy Tuesday too.

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Notes End of the Bozeman trip

[log] Our 10th and last Bozeman cache for the day. We got lost once and worried that our little Saturn wouldn't make it (The Explorer was sitting at home), but no sweat. It was our last bushwhack in the rain, and wasn't Just Another Cache, because we scored a Professor on Bicycle travel bug for our troubles. We also took a pice of crystal-like mica and a tiny bear. We left a green squishy frog, a spiral keychain and a calculator case.

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Notes: A Frogwarts Solo cache

Notes

[note] ZigZag Lake Saturday, 28 August 2004Montana N 999.7 mi from your home location Dropped by this cache on the way to Grace Lake with the intent of picking up the Billings Bulldozer TB. Couldn't see it sitting there all winter. I so doing I spotted the harmonica -- very nice. I decided to trade a statue of wolf heads for it. I also left a smiley fishing bobber. I hope I'm not being out of line to hit it twice. Have to admit this was a lot more pleasant hike than in June when I was pushing snow. Thanks again for great challenge, LoneRinoWolf.

[log] You challenged my on this one, Packyfan. While Bearfr was away today at a quilt show in Bozeman, I, Frogwarts, did this one solo. From where I parked it was 6+ miles ---- one way. I didn't realize that until I staggered back to the car. It was then that I saw the sign. There was also a total of nearly 1000 feet of elevation change. Yikes! But it was a good hike even though I felt toward the end that I had hit my wall. Once there, the find was easy--a really cool hiding spot. I actually spotted it from 20 feet away and said to myself, "If that's not where it is, then that is where it should be." It had been spitting a little rain so I took the poncho just in case. I left a soccerball key chain with a compass attached.

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Notes: We set up this cache so cachers could trade a postcard from their home state with one from Montana to hallmark their trip

.

[note] Dropping the tail fins car TB into "Post It"

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Winds pusing the waves,
Water drips from my paddle;
A fishing osprey.

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Spring Meadow is our favorite lake and short 1 mile hike; Penny brought her kids here to swim, canoe, and play with the turtles, so we hide a cache dedicated to play animals and children.  This cache survived many years muggle-free until a bush fire wiped out the secret bush trail it was hidden on. 

[note] We thought we'd start this cache with a juicy bug, The Bicycling Prof

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

A woodpecker hunts,
Fitting among ancient trunks;
Papping, rapping, rap.

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Notes: We hid a new cache out Montana City way to celebrate dropping off the new brown-camo Jeep TBs.

[note] Dropping the Team Geo-Remdation HUMVEE TB in the "Great Granite Boulder Cache"

 

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Notes: A scenic hike through a formerly burned area that is now re-grown, with several tiny creeks and wildflowers in abundance in the spring and summer.

[note] Dropped the "The Moose is on the Loose" TB into the Warm Springs Fire Cache

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[log] A most pleasant evening for a drive into the mountains for this cache. It was so pleasant we just wanted to lay back and listen to the mountains sing. We found the cache easy and now know what Bubba Teeth are. We were envisioning all sorts of things. Frogwarts got a picture of Bearfr sporting one pair. She is taking it to her Junior High School classroom. We also took the Bullwinkle TB. We left a Pez dispenser and a pair of girls sunglasses. Unfortunately when I got home I found one of the ear pieces still in my pocket. Ooops! We also left a frog, of course.

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[log] Nice evening hike with beautiful views;we found it easily but had to hot-foot it down to beat the dark. the cache was pretty empty so we left a stuffed pony, a container of office supplies, a SlowCrawl geocoin, and our usual frog. We also dropped the Billings Bulldozer TB; Ron Weasley was not in residence.

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A Frogwarts Solo Cache

[log] WOW! What a great hike with an awesome end of trail. Anyone who thinks that six miles might a bit long, I say go for it. It is well worth it. Be prepared for a 2400 foot climb in the first 4 miles from Vigilante Campground, and then a 1000 foot drop at the end. It is all very good trail, though, just a lot of lung and leg power. Oh, and by the way, the cache is cool, too, and easy to find. DO NOT consider bushwhacking to this. I took the little box full of dimes and nickels, and a Montana hat pin. Wanted the box for Bearfr since she didn't come because the terrain is not her forte. Will use the change to buy more cache goodies. Left a bug-eyed frog, a small rubber snake, a smile fishing bobber, and a small race car. Also took lots of pictures. On the way out I ran into a wonderful family from Havre (forgot all their names, even the neat girls' names) who I told all about Geocaching and they appeared very excited about it. He had a GPS so I gave him the coordinates and a location description with instructions to log there and here. A new Geocaching family in the making. Thanks WindDrinker & jdobbsr for a great Saturday adventure.

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Notes: Heading to the Butte area for some caching

[log] This started our day caching in the Deer Lodge/Butte area. We wondered why we waited so long to do this one; the roads were easy to find, and the area lovely. The cache is cleverly hid. We were surprised to find that just uphill from the old homestead site is a brand new two-story home. That's a long way from town unless you're retired! We took a small radio and left pliers and our trademark frog. Thanks for a nice area Bruce & Cathy.

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[log] Were we glad we decided to get off the beaten track with this one! We came down from Deer Lodge by taking the road through Galen and out. The State Park was well worth the drive. The falls were flowing wildly, and the trail up the hill is through a beautiful forested area filled with the smell of pine and the sounds of running water. We spied on a toad and his house, marveled at the gigantic cliffs, and found a full set of wild ram horns. Go see this one before winter hits everyone. We took an apple pin for bearfrsince she is a teacher and uses Apple computers at school, and a tiny midget car and left a traveling alarm clock. Thanks sidewinder, Frogwarts & Bearfr from Helena.

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Our first nano; we will incorporate this idea in several ways in future Helena hides

[log] We agree with Jennifer; what a neat micro container. This was an easy urban find for us, since we've done similar ones before. The history was interesting; only Butte could make ruins into a great history lesson. Had to sharpen the pencil to log. Thanks Dubl-Doodie; let us all know where you found that cool thing.

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[log] When we looked at our maps last night we realized that this cache was on the road leading to the area where Frogwarts(James)spread the ashes of his parents in 1997, so it was especially pleasant to visit their memorial spot, and then walk on to the cache. This is a gorgeous mountain forest area with an easy road and trail to walk. The road is open to 4W drive vehicles now as they are encouraging people to cut the dead beetle-infested trees for firewood. The road is improved, but still not car worthy. We thought the hide method was unique; we took a Sacajewea dollar and 2 postcards, and left a 16 ft. tape measure, a letter opener, and of course a frog. Thanks for a special one for us. Frogwarts & Bearfr from Helena MT.

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This was one road where Bearfr got out of the Explorer and walked!; fortunately Frogwarts is a great driver. End of our Butte caching day

[log] Of course Bearfr wasn't ready to quit after 2 hikes and 4 caches, so we decided to see if Pipestone really was at the end of an "evil" road. We went in from the Homestake exit, taking the lake road, which was great for 2.5 miles. Then the fun began for the next 2.5 miles. If there is even one tiny rain cloud in the sky, stay home and watch TV. This would NOT be a fun road, or even possible, in the rain. WE made it to within .53 of the cache, but the road was closed to road vehicles at that point. So we bushwhacked through the sagebrush, around the giant boulders, and along the deer trail through the aspen forest, but we found it. Frogwarts was smart and set a waypoint at the car, so the hike back was easy, but it wore Bearfr out enough that she may be quieter next time. Thanks for one to do only once. Frogwarts & Bearfr PS: We picked up Bullwinkle the TB so he could move before winter; we left a harmonica, a woven leather bracelet

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Notes: Off we go to Augusta again; Zac keeps us busy with so much fun!

[log] Nice drive out to this location for the first in seven of Zac59410 caches. Would like sometime to come back and explore the Wildlife Management Area. The weather was exactly as ordered with a few wispy clouds thrown in for affect. We found the cache easy and took a golf ball and a plastic seashell/crab. We left the Bullwinkle the Moose TB and a small tackle box.

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Bones everywhere; the creature must be hungry and storing up pounds for the winter hibernation.

[log] Number 2 of 7 for another great Zac day. As we left, the Monster "roared" in anger over the fact that while he was away, we had raided his treasures. We ran for our lives toward the car, tripping over bones as we went, and scrambled up the final bank to safety. We actually took nothing, but left a fabric business card holder that Bearfr had made, so it was a good thing we didn't lose our lives over nothing.

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[log] Conned the lake on this one; we found a tiny peninsula where only the middle 3 feet of channel was under water. Rolled up the pant legs, make sure we had dry socks, and off we went. A definitely unique use of natural materials as cover for the cache, but an easy find. TN, but left a letter opener and our trademark frog. I'm sure the nearby fisherman really wondered about the strange people, who waded twice to only be gone 10 minutes. Thanks for a challenge Zac.

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Notes:

[log] What a gorgeous canyon this is! The history of the pictographs from real Indian lore made this walk even more interesting, but the real treasure was the canyon views - both the cliffs and the teal blue water. We were in time to snag XVampire's mini scrapbook kit, and leave a crossstitch kit of our own. Zac - you bring us to great places, man.

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Picked up a great set of ram horns nearby.

[log] After we got done reading the neat history of the dam, we started out for this one. Bearfr had both this cache and Overlook in her mind, so kept mixing up the clues. That, and the GPS being 20 feet, meant we searched a lot of bushes, but we got'er. TN, and left a Kitty with a logbook, which is not an official travel bug, but has logged miles all the way from Pennsylvania. We threw in a smiley face fishing bobber for good luck.

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Notes

[log] Of the seven Zac59410 caches for the day (this was #6) this was hands-down the most difficult. We did Gibson Cache first and read Xvampire's log about not being able to find the Overlook Cache so we a little concerned when we got to it. After fifteen minutes of poking around with the clue in mind, Bearfr went back to the car to again read the description and the clue. When she returned we search for another fifteen minutes before Frogwarts decided to start circling out 30', since his GPS had been off that far all day. Bingo. Great disguise, Zac, the second like this you have done. We want to do one just like that if we can find the material.

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Notes End of our Augusta caching day

[log] Although we had been having trouble with the GPSs all day, being upwards of 30' off, Frogwarts walked right up to stage 1 of this cache, the final one of seven for the day. Stage 2 was a little more elusive, but alas, after 7 or 8 minutes, Frogwarts put his finger on it. The GPSs were bouncing all over the place so as Zac59410 suggested, we resorted to pure Geocaching, as well as knowledge as to how he hides his micros. You're going to have to get sneakier, Zac. Then it was off to the cache itself. It was better than 10 minutes before, you guessed it, Frogwarts found it again. A very nice hide. Bearfr was a little perturbed that he didn't share. What he didn't tell her was that he had spotted it five minutes before and tried to guide her to it with little suggestions. She kept ignoring him. Oh, well. It was a wonderful Zac59410 day as his caches guided us through the many beautiful areas West of August.

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Notes

[log] Fortunately this was an easier find than we expected as we were pushing right to dark and wading waist deep in the bushes. Then we fell onto a little game trail and the GPS walked us right onto it. Made a nice first find. We took the LED key Fob, and left a frog and the Bullwinkle the Moose TB. Thanks, Fire23 for bringing us to another park we knew nothing about. Frogwarts & Bearfr

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Notes: Caching out and around the Helena mountains

[log] Did we have fun with this one or what? As soon as it showed up we loaded the parking and cache coords into the GPSs and headed out that evening. We ignored the parking and went straight to the cache -- the parking lot of St. Andrews School. Something wasn't right so we checked the parking coords which took us directly to Nature Park. Now this made more sense. Figuring that Helena5 errored on the cache coords we applied some error back-figuring, walked for a while, applied some more back-figuring and walked a whole lot more. All we ended up with out of the evening is a nice walk and a park we never knew about and pictures of a deer and her fawn. We gave up and e-mailed helena5 with our non-find and our theory. The next day Anawimess posted a note to the same affect. And then we waited. Finally Helena5 responded saying that he made an error on the parking coords. The Parking Coords!! That was contrary to our theory. He said that the cache coords were correct -- in St. Andrews parking lot? Hmm? Very curious. So we left it alone waiting for someone else to find it. No one did and no one left a note. When we couldn’t stand it any longer and were restlessly moping around the house, we headed out to St. Andrews parking lot. It only took about five minutes to determine that that was definitely wrong, so we headed for the new parking coords. Now it started making sense if we could figure out the error in the cache coords. Frogwarts knows now why he keeps Bearfr around. She did a little female deductive reasoning and said, “This number is wrong.” To make this long story less long, we changed a zero to an eight and walked right to the cache. We decided we deserved this first find. And so, for the record, the cache coords are: N46 36.050 W112 04.845. We took the Bentley Bug TB and a Pack of Dog Figures. We left an LED key chain flashlight. Thanks, Helena5 for a most unique and challenging cache.

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The bevy of bluebird houses courtesy of the Boy Scouts forned a new community in this fading ghost town.

[log] This was our first of two for the day. We had a big Geocaching day planned for the White Sulfer area but Bearfr woke up not feeling well. After half a day she got tired of just sitting around feeling bad, so we headed up to Elkhorn. It was a long drive only because the rough roads didn’t make her feel any better. We drove within 300 feet of the sight (could have gotten closer I discovered) and Frogwarts went solo from there. The find was easy even though the GPS kept bouncing all over the place. Thought this would be a first find as there hadn’t been a log entry here yet, however there were two log entries in the cache. Took nothing, left a Boy Scout Geocoin from Illinois. Whoever picks it up, be sure to email the owner as to where you found it. Thanks, Fire23, for putting these out. We are starting to put Helena on the Geocaching map.

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Notes

[log] Second times a charm. We were running into dark and a little frustrated by the bushes and such the first time four or five days ago. This time, on the way back from Fire23's "Trip in the Past" we decided to give it another try, or Frogwarts did anyway. Bearfr, feeling a little under the weather, was just along for the ride on both caches. I'll pass a little advice and hint to Soylentpink and whoever else gives it a shot -- Don't give up; dig a little deeper; it was in the first place we looked the first time. This one was kind of cool because Fire23 won it at our Crazy Cachers Confluence event just three weeks ago. This is the third cache we gave away that we have then found. Thanks Fire23 for putting this and "Trip to the Past" (another of our give-a-ways) out there.

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Notes: Doing some Great Falls caching

[log] Decided to do a day of caching between White Sulphur and Great Falls; first we got delayed from Saturday 'cause Bearfr had the flu, then it decided on Sunday to pour, but what the heck - we're hardened cachers right. Started out anyway and had a beautiful drive up 89. Found Newlan with no problem; took a key fob, and left a yellow lab and a frog. Thanks for a nice start to our day XVampire.

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Notes

[log] It was pouring when we got here today, so out came the ponchos; Bearfr's is big enough to cover both of us. It took us a while to spot the signs connected to the hint, and never did figure out the 121, but we found it anyway. Frogwarts took the golf balls, and we left a German Shepherd and a frog. Great area; glad the wildlife trees are being preserved. Thanks - Frogwarts & Bearfr from Helena.

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	Notes:

[log] We saved this for special - our 150th cache, and it lived up to all our expectations. The trail is not bad at all, even in the rain, like today, and the falls and creek are gorgeous. We could see from some recently tumbled boulders that the Forest Service must work mighty hard to maintain this trail; thanks, guys. We were about 50 feet off the cache, until Bearfr remembered the birdhouse clue, then we found it on the first sweep. Took two balls; left a Collie and some Bubba Teeth (bet you can't guess where we got those!)Thanks for a really special one, XVampire.

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[log] Our last find of the day, and a beautiful drive between the canyon walls. Had no trouble finding the cache; first time our GPS wasn't off all day. Took a golf ball and wolf head and left a CD. Interesting that we can get this close to a missile site without being strip-searched by armed guards or having our cameras confiscated. Thanks for a unique one, Tommygunz. Frogwarts & Bearfr from Helena. .

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Notes: A caching event and day in Great Falls

On our way to our very first geocaching event put on by Xvampire in Great Falls, Montana; grabbed the Memorial Cache on the way up from Helena.

[log] Nice easy cache on the way to Great Falls. Thanks for this one, Xvampire. We were going to take only the golf ball and the eye glass key chain, but then couldn't get it closed, so we took the moose to make more room. We left something but we didn't make notes like we usually do, and cannot remember.

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We love this walk along the Missouri in Great Falls; so do other cachers, because they plant many caches here to bring us coming back and back.

[log] While Frogwarts was busy looking in an area that to him seemed most likely, Bearfr was busy picking the cache up and pulling the log out. So much for her saying that Frogwarts always finds the caches. It was a wonderful walk along the trail with views of wildlife and falls and all. We wish Helena had something like this that was as picturesque. Thanks Greg, Di & Max

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Outdoor caching and use of the brain; what a great combo!

[log] This had to be the funnest cache of the seven cache day. Not much of a challenge for Bearfr who has her masters in mathematics and teaches Junior High math. Frogwarts, who by the way does have a bachelors in Math, was a little slower on the puzzles and swears he would have gotten them if Bearfr would have given him a little more time. We exchanged post cards, left a ball and the USA Down Under Travel Bug.

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Notes

[log] A very nice little park. We were starting to face a little rain and Bearfr, still recovering from Pneumonia, decided to sit and let Frogwarts chase this one down. It was an easy find and a quick return to the car where Bearfr was busy planning the next couple of caches. Left a colorful pack of Kleenex and took an AM/PM pill box -- appropriate for those of us on the downhill side of 50.

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Notes

[log] We couldn't let this one go by without another try. We were tired and Bearfr wasn't feeling well (Found out the next day she had Pneumonia) so we gave it up after only a few minutes. This time, though she was still moving a little slow and being cautious with her energy, we approached it with the "Think out of the Box" attitude. Frogwarts had his hand on it in less the thirty seconds after arriving at the coords. Didn't even have a chance to get the box open let alone get to thinking out of it. Very nice hide, XVampire.

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Named after Penny?  Had to stop and add some real pennies.

[log] It is only appropriate that the first finder on the Penny Cache be Bearfr, aka Penny. In light of the September 11 theme attached she found it only fitting to select the Freedom Calls Foundation as the charity of choice. In reference to the efforts of this foundation, "One Army General recently observed that our effort represents the single greatest boost in morale for the troops in the past 25 years." This is also appropriate as we have a son who has done both Afghanistan and Iraq. This is the drive also of the yellow ribbon "Support the troops" magnets now all over the country. For more information about this foundation go to the Freedom Calls Foundation, (visit link) We dropped in our handful of change as we scribbled in the log. Thank you XVampire for the very unique and deserving cache. Anytime we are in the area, we plan to visit again. This is a cache we can all afford to drop a few coins in now and then while enjoying a walk along Belt Creek. Frogwarts & Bearfr

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Bearfr’s favorite cache of all time. Riding off into the sunset on the way home, only to see what? – a Camel?? – N0! –in Montana!  What a great place to hide a cache and make a cacher smile. Terrible picture, but best we could do in pitch dark!

Fantastic end to our Great Falls caching trip

[log] A really nice spot for a cache because of the unique sights. Bearfr is now working on getting this area worked into a field trip for her Junior High. Thanks XVampire for bringing us here. We just wish we didn't get here ten minutes after sunset.

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Notes: Right or wrong you’ll always find this cache.

[note] Leaving the Bentley Travel Bug for the first finder.

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

An ancient graveyard,
Rank grasses among the stones;
Crows hunting for snails.

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Notes: Some solo finds by Frogwarts while traveling for work

[log] Found this cache easy with some friends. Trying to do some recruiting, but they only seemed so-so interested. I, Frogwarts, was in the area for the Caring Foundation of Montana Caring Classic Golf Tournament at Eagle Bend. Great event for a worthy cause -- insuring uninsured Montana Children. Took a bottle opener key fob, left a toy car and something else I can't remember. Later took some great sunset pictures across the lake. Did not see the Wings TB in residence.

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[log] Up from Helena helping put on the Northwest Caring Classic Golf Tournament to raise money for uninsured children, part of the Caring Foundation of Montana, Inc. so I, Frogwarts, had to log a few caches. Walked right up to this one after admiring and taking pictures of the great views of the valley. Took the beer bottle key fob and the Home Run TB. Did not see another TB in there but may have missed it. Also didn't see the geocoin, again may have been an oversight. Left a backpack keychain kit and a Frogwarts

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[log] After reading Ramblin Ron's notes about this cache I couldn't not stop on the way by even though I was pushing sunset and a long drive home to Helena in the dark. Took a bit to figure out where to park but once there enjoyed the hike along the canoe trail. Found the cache easy--GPS put me right on it. Scared up a deer about 20 yards from the cache. Had to take pictures of the now famous teeth-marked decorated container as well as some great views along the trail. Took a Smokey-the-Bear eraser. Left a belt radio and a frog. Thanks Ramblin Ron for bringing me here. Will have to come back with Bearfr and the canoe someday.

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Notes: Back to Great Falls for more caching

[log] Took off on a gorgeous fall day to pick up the new one and finish up the caching in the area south of Great Falls. This was a neat one; RAM explorer is good at sneaky hides. We checked out the stairs and wondered how they came to form originally. The geese were busy trying to tell us, but we couldn't translate. Thanks for a unique one, frogwats & bearfr.

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[log] Third time is a charm, especially when you hire reinforcements. Bearfr used her teaching contacts to locate a environmentally conscious troop of boy scouts from somewhere in Northern Idaho to assist on this search. We felt bad that the previous location had been trampled to death and decided this time, on this 5 by 5 cache, that we disturb nothing. We understood that these Northern Idaho boys, 11 of them, would leave no evidence that they had been present, not a gum wrapper nor a crushed leaf. They did not disappoint us on this claim. We stood upon the trail and watched and it was like they weren’t even there. They communicated with little wires running to their ears, or maybe directly to their brains. We could not hear their voices. “Are they human?” Bearfr whispered. Fifty yards away, the scout master turned and gave us a look. Frogwarts felt his insides loosen a bit, like standing on the edge of high cliff. The boys were so good that several muggles passed by without seeing them, though the muggles chatting did extract another look. They chatted their way on down the trail in oblivion. Frogwarts suddenly noticed a fawn and its mother bedded down in the high grass, nestled together, secure in their assurance that they were alone and safe. A scout approached and gently looked beneath the fawn. The mother licked his hand and he moved on. There are no words to say how impressed we were. Frogwarts raised his camera to his face (Bearfr keeps scrapbooks of all their caches) and felt a chill on his neck. “The look.” He lowered the camera. There would be no evidence of this for the scrapbook. Like a choreographed dance these young men, older boys, moved about the extremely difficult and challenging terrain. We held our breaths, watched and waited. Then suddenly they all stopped and turned to look at one who was pointing down at . . . well I don’t want to spoil it for all those Geocachers to follow . . . the place under which the cache resided. We attempted to not leave a trail as we carefully made our way to the location, but we could still feel “the look” running up and down our spines. We were thrilled because we knew we would be the first finders following XVampire’s efforts to bring this cache back to life.. We excitedly opened the log book and to our dismay found someone else’s scribble. RAM Explorers were maybe minutes ahead of us. Drat anyway. We made our own scribble entry, took nothing, left a frog, rehid, and looked up. We were alone; not a scout to be seen; not even muggles on the trail; not a blade of crushed grass except our own; the fawn and mother were scurrying into the brush toward the Belt River. It was time to move on, chase after Ram Explorers before they got to the next cache ahead of us. We crushed a bit more grass to get back to the trail and head for the next two caches on our list for the day, which in the end totaled seven, though only four were planned. Thanks, XVampire. We’re glad we persisted on this one.

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Frogwarts went for an “anatural” swim in the river to cool off, but Bearfr’s feet were always cool from wading the multiple stream crossings.  This is the kind of long hiking, multiple caching she loves with Bearfr.

[log] We were hoping to run into Ram Explorers on the way in but they either were a lot earlier than us and were long gone or we missed them because they went out a different way. We enjoyed the river crossings a lot. Frogwarts actually took a swim--after being assured there were no muggles lurking about. The climb in the end wasn't bad except that the GPS had it in a place that Frogwarts didn't want to go. He is as much of a whimp as Bearfr when it comes to high, edge of the cliff places. "I ain't doing this," he called down to Bearfr who was still struggling below, because his GPS was pointing 40 feet over the edge. "Where are those boy scouts?" (See log of Prevaricators GCKA6H) Then he looked into what looked like a great spot to hide a cache, and there it was. What luck! We took the Dairy Queen coupon coin and left a bug-eyed frog. Thanks Gary & Bernie for this great hike.

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[log] Four river crossings and a bit of scrambling around dead end trails where the old railroad bridge was gone, took us to this 3rd of 3 caches along this Belt Creek Trail. There was a surprise in this cache, though. It was infested with wormy little centipedes. We’re thinking that maybe a corner of the container was ajar and they just liked this nice little home. We proceeded to dump everything out and clean the container, then one by one put everything back. If there are any more reports of the little creatures in there you might want to change out the container. It’s possible the seal wasn’t all that tight. Anyway, we took the little yellow dog and left a frog bookmark and a small rubber snake. Thanks for bringing us here, Bill, Marnette, Sammie, Jourdan. It was a wonderful, sight-seeing hike.

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[log] Yes, little car would not have liked the last mile of road, but the Explorer handled it with no problem, and the views at the end were worth any and all effort. The valley with the fall foliage and the river was like a painting, and of course the hide was clever. We're getting some great ideas. Thanks for another good one, frogwarts & bearfr

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Notes

[log] Our third "Ram" of the day; interesting little cemetery in the midst of the forest. Had no trouble spying the cache; we know what to look for now. It was such a beautiful evening that we decided to continue up the road to Ice, Ice. We had been following Ram explorer from cache to cache all day from the evidence in the logs; sorry we didn't get to say hi. Frogwarts & bearfr from Helena.

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Mother Nature dwarfed James with the size of this cave hide; he barely made the first branch of the pine guarding the entrance.

[log] Our seventh cache of the day, just at dusk. We were afraid from the sound of the logs that we wouldn't find this one, but the parking coordinates were right on. The blazed trail is neat; it keeps you wondering what blaze will be next. We used the hint to get the cache coordinates. Our GPS put them a little off, but frogwarts found the cache easily anyway. On the way back down the hill, we figured out why the area was so cold - thanks for a cool surprise, abearir.

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Notes: Caching the Divide

[log] A wonderful evening for Frogwarts & Bearfr to take a drive and a short stroll for this nice little cache. The trees had the GPSs bouncing all over the place but we gradually worked our way toward it and found it without the need of the hint, which we couldn't make heads or tails of anyway. Where is Polaris? Has to be something to do with the stars but we couldn't figure it out. We took the L&C hat pin for Frogwarts' hat. He's up to six now, all but one picked up from caches. Bearfr wanted one of the maps. We left a frog (our signature), a small rubber snake and a baseball. We also dropped of the Home Run Travel Bug. Thanks wolf223 and all the scouts who scratched their names into the log.

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Notes: Off to the Blackfoot River

[log] We love caching along the Blackfoot River. It was a calm and sunny mid-sixties day as we wandered around looking for this one. Sometimes we worry about searching for a micro in the woods, but although the hint was a help but it would have been an easy find without it. We logged and headed on.

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[log] Except for initially taking the wrong trail--only added a few minutes to the hike--we pretty much walked right up to this on. Nice hide. We left something and took something but forgot to take notes. Also left a frog.

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[log] Although we had been here before a few years back and knew what to expect, the falls were just as awesome. The hike was longer than we remembered, figuring at 5.3 miles round trip, pretty much wiping Bearfr out. We took the Angel pin for Bearfr’s hat, left a frog and something else we can’t remember. Had a terrible day of remembering to make notes along the way. Thanks, Leonata, for bringing us back.

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[log] After tracking down the Blackfoot Boogie we tried unsuccessfully to reach this cache from the wrong side. Our maps showed the road but it did not exist. We went on our way up to Seely to grab some other caches, deciding to hit this one on the way back. We picked the road up off of Hwy 200. That worked perfectly. The turn is right next to the log home business. You'll need a medium high clearance vehicle to get in (no wimpy town car) to the parking area. From there it is a .6 mile pleasant hike. No matter what the GPS says, you do not need to enter private land. The trail will take you around that. I spotted six elk, (several bugling), several huge bucks, and two rather angry bow hunters who, after I explained them what I was doing, proceeded to tell me to limit my Geocaching to the summer because I scared away all their game, and then proceeded to advice me to stay off private land. They then promptly climbed over the fence onto private land. I wanted to give them a piece of my mind but I couldn’t find one to give them, at least not until well after I had walked away. It may have had something to do with the fact that they were armed and the only thing I had to shoot back with was my camera. Visions of Deliverance kept popping up in my head as well. After that I came upon the two bucks I had seen early. I could have herded them back toward the hunters but in the frame of mind I was at the time I decided to push them away (I'm not against hunting, just these two guy’s attitudes) toward the car where Bearfr was waiting. She had decided not to hike this one. That worked much better because they walked right into her and she got to see them. So, future cachers who enter this area, be cautious of hunters. This is probably true throughout the hunting areas of Montana. Maybe it would be a good idea to avoid those areas while the shooting is going on. If I were hunting I wouldn’t like it spoiled either. Back to the cache. Found it easy, out of view of the Hunters. Took a squirt gun and left a toy car and a frog. If I'd had time I would have hiked over to the lake as that was where the elk were heading. Thanks, Ramblin Ron, for this one. Frogwarts

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Notes: Start of a Missoula/Bitterroot Valley caching day ; Off we go to the event in Hamilton, Montana with a day of Missoula caching along the way.

[log] Finally found this one on the way to the Cache & Grub event in Hamilton. Third try is a charm.

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[log] This is a great idea. We loved it.

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Check out the history of the movie made about the Salazar gang who robbed the main branch of the this bank.

[log] Interesting little hide. On a quiet Sunday morning there wasn't anyone around so we found it easy without being noticed. We left a mini car and a hat pin, took a flashlight key fob and Canadian coin.

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[log] Found this one fairly easy. Nice little hiding place. It is unfortunate that someone has to use it as a dump site.

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[log] The clue was perfect. Didn't even need the GPS as we knew immediatly upon parking where it was. Great little hide.

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A tiny squirrel was SURE these pesky cachers were here to steal his winter stash of nuts and scolded us until we logged the find and left.

Notes

[log] Very nice hide. We really enjoyed the park. Grabbed this one on the way the Cache 'n Grub Event

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Mr. Grubstake had 3 local hides for us to find just for the event, but first we had to solve three dastardly puzzles – It Makes no Diff, The Fishing Pole, and The Baker’s Daughter.  With some stops and starts, we we successful and off we went to the nearby hills to try to be FTF.

Notes:

[log] We both had a good time and enjoyed meeting more Geocachers. Thanks loads to Mr. Grubstake and Jennifer&Dean for hosting and putting this event together. We did all the puzzles, ran the poker run and traded out bugs (somehow we left with more than we came with). Hope to see you all next year.

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Notes End of the Missoula trip

[log] A little slow in getting this one logged as we are outside the 100 mile notice area. Decided to go check. This was a great location (says frogwarts) as he huffed and puffed to be the first to this cache. Heights are not his friend but he braved it anyway and worked his way into position to get the container. Bearfr yelled and waved from below.

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Notes: Come to find the cache and watch the eagles fly for salmon.

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

A dusty pathway;
Among dried up mud puddles,
Sunning butterflies.

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Notes: Caching and hiking around Helena

Quite a hike up from the trailhead off Grizzly Gulch.

[log] A great November afternoon for a hike into a new area for us. Lots of people out taking advantage of the fair weather. Found the cache easy. Took gloves. Left a cool big wheels truck and a moving parts horse. Also took the Ollie Otter TB. Frogwarts & Bearfr

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Our bad on this one; we forgot it was hunting season and got stopped by the game warden for not wearing our red vests.  That’s why we saw herds of deer being fleeing – driven by their flight from hunters.

[log] Sorry we missed Zac59410 and family. It would have been fun to run into them. This was an easy cache on a pleasant November afternoon. We took the calculator and left a hair clip, compass harbinger and smiley fishing bobber. On the way out we were stopped by the game warden and warned that we should be dressed more appropriately for the season. We never think about it as we are not hunters. He is so right, though. To all cachers, be sure to be aware of where you are during hunting season. WEAR RED!! We are going to head out before our next caching expedition and pick up a couple of bright orange or red vests to keep in our vehicle. Thanks WindDrinker & Silver Streak & jdobbsr for this nice cache and increasing the cache count in the Helena area. Frogwarts & Bearfr

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Notes: Off to Bozeman again

All the way up to the “M”, Frogwarts?!

[log] We were so anxious to try out the new camel-back packs and two-way radios that we treated ourselves to, that we drove 90 miles to Bozeman just so we could hit caches 184 (this one) and 185. It was a gorgeous crisp sunny day, about 46 degrees - just right if you dress warm. Bearfr is learning to take Frogwarts not quite so seriously, since he said this was an easy one - then we hiked 3/4 mile l to the "M". Frogwarts got there first, but Bearfr made it - in a decent time even. She did get lapped by a runner doing the loop though. Found the cache easily - great tree - but were a little concerned about whether it is still OK to go off-trail to log it. Everybody must have had the same idea about hiking today, because we had to hide from a million people. Great cache and superb views. Thanks,Frogwarts and Bearfr from Helena MT.

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Golden fall aspens took the chill off the air on the way back to the car.

[log] Cache #185 for us since April 17, 2004. Found it the hard way - bushwhacking itstead of walking down the trail, but that's us as usual. It was still gorgeous and sunny when we left the car, but sunset and cold as we made our way back. The sun on the tips of the bare aspens and the tops of the Bridger Mtns. was golden beautiful. Thanks for providing a milestone cache for us. Frogwarts and Bearfr from Helena MT.

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Fanny was the undefeated lady saddle rider of the world when she retired, being born near the Gates of the Mountains outside Helena, and riding in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

Another GREAT DAY in Great Falls, hiking and caching

[log] Had to stop for a heard of elk crossing the road on the way in to this cache. We then had to wait on a herd of hunters apparently a bit over excited by the first herd. No shots were fired, however. We left the disappointed looking hunters and went on our way. Found a nice jeep TB in the cache which we will take to Billings in a couple weeks. Left a bug-eyed frog. Great day for caching. Remember all -- wear your orange! Frogwarts & Bearfr.

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Notes: Another GREAT DAY in Great Falls, hiking and caching

[log] A wonderful day for wandering around Great Falls -- a little early Christmas shopping. Nice little cache and a cool way to hide. Has to be the best. Took nail file.

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Notes: Back hiding and finding caches in Helena

[note] Dropping the Run Tweety Bird Run TB. Very interested to know if this cache will set until spring, or if there is anyone who will brave the snow to be the first find. Whatever the case, cache safe.

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Walking hand in hand,
Together along the path,
Umbrellas bumping.

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One of our favorite micro sites; we’ve brought many a newbie cacher here to train them.

[log] This was a spot we have watched being built over the summer, saying that we would put a cache there when completed. You beat us to it, Winddrinker & Silver Streak. Great Job!! We especially like the cool hide. We left two tiny frogs; took nothing.

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Notes: A really fun locationless cache

We were originally contacted by Darin (gohighsierra), who had converted his handle to a  latitude line which was near our Double Cairns cacheat N46 44.440 W 111 53.186. Elevation changes and winter weather prevented us from takinga GPS photo with ourselves and the coords  at Double Cairns, but we found another location near Hauser Lake on  the latitude  line that would satisfy the cache find conditions so we could log the cache. Meeting another cacher internationally this way allowed both of us to log the find.

[log] N 46° 44.440 W 111° 53.186 We located this North Coord from gohighsierra's user name. He contacted us originally because this was near our Double Cairns Cache; elevation changes and winter weather prevented us from taking a picture near there, however we did find a nice location alongside Hauser Lake at Black Sandy Campground near Helena, Montana, USA, our hometown. Hope this picture helps Darin log his find.

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Notes: Logging the locationless cache above inspired us to place a cache nearby in memory of a fun challenge.

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Walking hand in hand,
Together along the path,
Umbrellas bumping.

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Notes

[log] One of the fun things about Geocaching is occasionally making new friends, and we were fortunate to run into the W P Jones team while searching for Play Station. We spent more time talking about other caches then searching. When we all were about to give up, Bearfr found it. IN PLAIN SIGHT! Real cool hide Winddrinker & Silver Streak. Thanks for bringing a couple of us together.

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Notes: Starting towards Billings

Dedicated to Charles M. Russell, immortalized by the statue at the cache site.

[log] On our way to Billings for the Writer's Roundup; we thought this was a great leg-stretcher. The statue is wonderful - way worth stopping for. Easy cache, great town. Bearfr got 3 new bears for her collection.

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Cottonwood trees big enough to carve an entire canoe out of one tree were the reason Lewis & Clark choose this river crossing site on their journey

[log] Our second for Big Timber; an interesting twist on the horses, but good clues and a nice multi. Left a little yellow thing to entice someone out for winter caching.

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Another Billings Caching Trip occasioned by Frogwarts attending the Christmas Writer’s show; this time we did many caches set by our friends rscout79 and sberrybump.

Frogwarts is at the Writer’s Workshop, so Bearfr grabbed this one nearby the quilt shop at which she just had to stop!

[log] While Frogwarts was at the Writer's Roundup, Bearfr indulged her quilt shopping habit, then made a quick drive-by on this cache. Know where to look, but the hardware was a cool twist. Muggles everywhere!

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[log] Frogwarts was inside autographing books, so I(Bearfr)took a quick stroll to grab this cache. Fun hide, surprised it hasn't been muggled.

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[log] It was a beautiful Sunday morning, a tad chilly, but not bad, when we started our day 2 caching adventure in Billings. No traffic (4-wheel or two feet) so the cache was a quick, easy find. Very nice spot and clever hide.

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[log] Number 2 on day 2, our goal to hit 200 this weekend in Billings. This was 196. This one we didn't expect to do as it appeared to be on the rim and we were trying to get numbers with easy ones, but we were close and decided to give it a look. Glad we did. Very short hike. Took something, left something, signed log.

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[log] Boy, can you get some odd looks from the construction workers heading for their jobs when you're just strolling around at 7:30 in the morning! Interesting hide; don't know what it stuck to.

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[log] This one was a little difficult as Frogwarts was looking for something bigger than a gallon paint can. For some reason he was converting it to 5 gallons. Bearfr found it with only minor difficulty. Left the ET Phone Home TB, its first cache.

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A tiny unknown park we wish we had in Helena.

[log] We'd love to transport this wonderful park and trails to Helena so that we could enjoy it more often. Frogwarts had to reload batteries, so Bearfr started off alone, and was overjoyed that her pace only had him catching up 500 feet from the cache. It's so fun to find a cache that you know hundreds of people have walked by without suspecting a thing. Thanks for a great location.

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[log] Our goal in Billings this weekend was to find our 200th cache. Bearfr tried this one the day before while Frogwarts was at the Writers Roundup signing books, but got beat out by darkness. The next day, a beautiful Sunday morning we tried it together, and with a little sliding and falling in the mud, we finally located it. The way the numbers fell during the morning caching, it took the honor of number 200. Thanks for this one, rscout79/sberrybump.

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These types of trees were in my yard while growing up; to me their blooms will always be the smell of spring.

[log] Oh, the Russian Olive trees reminded me of a former house I(Bearfr)lived in; it had a whole hedge of them. Frogwarts was not familiar with them; wish he could smell them in the spring - such a wonderful fragrance - and the birds love the seeds. Easy find, one muggle wondered why we parked there, but lost interest before we got to the cache.

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[log] At one time this would have tricked us, but we're starting to get trick smart. We only get tricked about a quarter of the time now. We knew both our GPSs couldn't be wrong. After trying both sides of the river, we sorted it out and then walked right to it. Thanks for this cool one.

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Boy, it was cold enough for mittens today!

End of the Billings Trip

[log] Well - three tries and you're in. Bearfr looked on Saturday, but no could do - she's a tiny thing. Came back with Frogwarts and a flashlight after dark, but they still missed it. One last try before leaving Billings and voila! - sucess at last. This left us with no No-Finds and 13 logs for our weekend in Billings. Plus, we found two new Santas for our collection, at the Button store, and broke the 200 cache barrier(since April 17, 2004)! What a great weekend; thanks for a puzzler.

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Notes: Back home in Helena caching

Notes

[log] Nice easy find on this warm but windy December afternoon, but WP Jones beat us to it. Nice to have an occastional cache to keep us busy in the winter.

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[log] Well, Jdobbsr put the challenge to us and we failed. Two attempts today and we still can't locate this cache. We couldn't even count on any deer help. You did well in this hide, WindDrinker & Silver Streak. Don't worry, we will be back. I hope we aren't too embarrassed when we discover where it is.

We thought the third time would be a charm. Alas, no such luck. We arrived in time to share the search with WPJones, spent about an hour staring at everything that was in plain sight. After WP Jones gave up and went home, we poked around another 15 minutes until a security guard across the street started giving us the eye. We're wondering if this one is too difficult considering the area. It looks rather suspicious to have people poking around in the rocks and bushes for long periods of time. It would work OK if it was a quick in and out. We'll give it another try eventually, depending on the weather and such. Sooner or later the snow has to start flying. We'll keep watching the logs for how other cachers do, and hoping for a hint. On the fourth go at it, we found it in just a few minutes. Very interesting hide.

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Notes

[log] A beautiful December day for Caching, and a cool cache on top of it. It was even better because we ran into the cache owners, Winddrinker and Silver Streak on the way in, actually almost right on top of the cache we discovered after we parted company. This was a very nice hide. We took the flashlight, left a plastic grub, two frogs and a blue ice.

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Notes

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Waters rush and splash,
Rocks split and channel cascades;
Wee dippers vanish.

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Notes

[note] We added the parking coords for this cache as there has been some confusion on where to park. Do not park where there are signs that say "do not park." If the lot is full (business days maybe) there is street parking.

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Youth trusts in its strength,
Dreams of immortality;
Brittle stalks of grass.

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Notes

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Returning homeward,
Passing through a high valley;
Weeds along the road.

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[log] We were a little concerned about the snow cover on this one, but it ended up not being a problem. We puzzled this one out and had our hands on it within a minute of stepping out of the car. Thanks for the clues. A bit more snow will make it a bit of a challenge. Thanks for this one, Winddrinker and Silver Streak. Merry Christmas, Frogwarts & Bearfr

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Notes

[log] The clues seemed to be right on for the waypoint cords, but heavy snow may have stopped us. This was hidden before the snow started, so who knows. We will try again sometime when it's warmer. Thanks for a good outing though; the pristine snow was gorgeous.

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Notes

[log] jdobbsr, you spent some serious time on this one. We are impressed. Our GPSs took us to within four feet and Frogwarts saw it immediately. With a 4 in difficulty we were expecting a good hour search. This ranks right up in our top 5 for clever. We traded some stuff and then went quietly sneaking about looking for the Woodpeckers. What a disappointment. Evidence of them was everywhere, but we saw not one. We did hear some tapping very briefly. Maybe wrong time of day. Are there particular times when they are active? Thanks for showing us this place, jdobbsr. We'll be back another time in search of the woodpeckers. Frogwarts & Bearfr

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Another caching foray to Great Falls starts here.

[log] In town on business so decided to hit this quick easy in and out. Nobody around. Very nice hide.

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As usual with the force of the RAM behind it. We love these guys

[log] In Great Falls for the day and had to get a fix. Cool container. TNLNSL.

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Notes

[log] WOW! We're surprised we didn't run into other geocachers out there today. It appears from the logs that the place was busy. Can't believe we are caching in February in light jackets. Crazy. Left a fishing bobber and took a key chain.

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Notes

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Sitting in the shade,
Nothing to do but drink wine;
Sparrows in the dust.

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Notes

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Ripening berries,
Stolen from covetous bears,
Stain my lips purple.

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Notes

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Ripening berries,
Stolen from covetous bears,
Stain my lips purple.

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Who could resist placing a cache beside such a gorgeous mountain view?

[log] Nice little cache even though we "looked up" too early. Left a frog and bear sticker; took nothing. Beautiful day to get outside with a purpose. Thanks Scotty.

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[log] First Finders!!! We agree the terrain is a 4, although Bearfr made it up easier than expected. It was finding the cache once we got up there that was the hard part. We looked until frustration hit, and set both our GPS's down. James remarked that if you averaged them, the cache would be right here; seconds later Bearfr prevailed. Voila! What a great hide you guys, and the hint is right on. Gorgeous day, gorgeous views, and a first find - what more in life is there. Thanks Frogwarts and Bearfr Helena MT.

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Notes

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

The barren meadows,
The rabbit trembles in sparse grass;
Not a place to hide.

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Notes

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Along the high trail,
Our lunch on a jutting crag;
Hawks circling below.

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Notes

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Up and down ravines,
Dusty Scrub blocks my progress;
Bones among the hills.

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This structure is one of the Helena’s most unique miltary statues; well worth the visit and cache time just to see.

[log] This is the ultimate of easy. How many times have I gone past this and not realized it was here? Bearfr had it nailed before we left the house.

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Notes

[log] A lot going on but found this one easy. Going to have to get up a lot earlier to beat Helena5 and Scotty674. Wonderful day for caching. Heading for Augusta and then Great Falls.

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Notes: Start of another Augusta & Great Falls day for caches

Notes

[log] Another nice day of caching thanks to Zac; had no keychains to trade but left a frog and bear.

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Herds of antelope scattered as we approached the site.

[log] Cool cool bridge between Calvin's Keychains and this one; great clue Zac. After hitting these two we headed into town and found the greatest store wrapped around a tiny cappuchino bar. Augusta is always full of surprises; James is going to bring me back to Christmas shop! Thanks for a good start to our caching day Zac.

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Notes

[log] Found easy. Brought back memories of living in Black Eagle about 40 years ago. Left cup holder and paper clip dispenser. Took nothing.

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[log] We love this area, so it was great to wander around reading the information, and writing down numbers. Cool little cache in the end. Not sure we would have found it without the clue, though.

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Streaming sunlight turned the water azure and the fields a glowing gold.

[log] What a breathtaking delta view! After the view took our breath, then the wind had a go. It was really neat to see a new part of the Missouri neither of us had seen; the late daylight was golden on all the fields filled with browsing Canadian geese. Thanks guys.

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This is Decision Point, a turning point in Lewis and Clark’s journey, and a another part of the Missouri we had not seen previously. 

Notes:

End of Great Falls

[log] This is a wonderful spot with some really great history, and a wonderful chart of L&C's journey. Picked up Carol the Canoe Racer TB. Thanks Greg, Di & Max for bringing us here.

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Notes: Back doing hides and finds at home base

[note] Dropped off the Carol the Canoe Racer TB.

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Aimless wandering,
Hidden treasure to be found;
Larch needles turned gold.

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Notes

[log] Nice little cache. Easy to find once we read the instructions. Still trying to figure out the Multicache part. Thanks

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Notes

[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

In the fading light,
A brief pause beside the road;
Lonely cricket song.

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[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

Droplets on sword ferns,
Mist drifts along the canyon;
A toad by the trail.

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[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

My gaze stretches forth,
A quiet rest atop the hill;
Boats across the lake.

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[cache log in memory of our great friend yumitori, master of the haiku]

A mosquito whines,
Cattails along the pathway;
Blackbirds on the reeds.

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Notes: OFF to Missoula for a caching day. We broke our record; 20 caches in one day!

Thus starts our adventure on the Hobbit series of caches; we will pick up #1 later, and go on to solve the entire series in time to attend the event for the lauching of the final Hobbit House hide – and be FTF!!! Thanks to Raynebeau (sounded out as Rainbow) we had many marvelous Missoula caching trips and the final was our favorite cache find of all time.

[log] Great walk along the river; watched a Canadian goose calling in his mate. Left a stickyball, took a tiny neon car. Thanks again Raynebeau.

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[log] Quick find in the morning; could have done it the night before when we stopped to eat nearby if we'd been paying attention. Picked up Just Peachy bug; left bear and frog.

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