29 December 2007 The Medicinal Powers of Caching








I've had a few days of very bad pain. I had also realized that the pain was hand-in-hand with a severe fever. I was wasn't certain traveling was a great idea, but Ali drove us to PA. I really wanted a day of fun so I decided to take the risk.

By the time we reached the first cache, I realized how much I was forgetting. I had left my winter jacket at home and something that never happens had. My camera had stayed behind. :-( We were going for AGT caches in Venango County, but stopped for a couple that looked interesting along the way. I am really glad we did. After about 4000 finds, the caches are still fun, but there just aren't many that knock you over with excitement. Indiana Jones and the Geocache did. It may be the best cache ever. We were in two caves before finding the right cave. The second cave was the largest I have ever seen with narrow paths leading to the chambers and drop-in chambers. It was amazing.

The really funny thing is that I felt better as the day progressed. I paid dearly Saturday evening, but had a great time. The photos are from one of Dove's Christmas presents. She was wonderful and let me borrow her new camera for some photos. She was even gracious when I wanted to grab a few waymarks. :-) It's a good thing to have friends.

27 December 2007 Mantua Esker and Headwaters Rail Trail

Through the magic of earthcaches, I learned today what an esker is. We went caching in the small town of Mantua. The walks were short, but there were enough of them to combine into a nice day walking without freezing in the cold weather. Besides learning about eskers, we also found what seems to be a nice bird area. We saw a pileated and a couple bluebirds plus the normal northeast Ohio winter inhabitants. It looks like a place to add a spring visit.

We also got a chance to walk for a bit on the Headwaters Rail Trail. It has been so long ago that I forgot the perpetual donations we made to make this trail a reality. It's still quite new, but it has the makings of a really wonderful place to bike. As long as the wolf hybrids at the one street intersection stay behind their fence. It's a little scary to see some serious teeth growling at the front of a creature and see the tail wagging at the rear. :-O Does that mean it will enjoy biting me?

We finished the day with a stop at a local pharmacy in Mantua. The last few days of pain were terrible and had worn me down so we made an emergency stop. We were really happy see an old fashioned ice cream counter inside the pharmacy. We stopped for an ice cream treat and visited with a very friendly lady who owns the store. It was a pleasant way to end the day.

There's not a lot of color around these days so grey scale seemed the way to go.

10 July 2007 Scenes of an old paper mill






In June 2004 the 147-year old Ivex paper mill in Chagrin Falls closed. These photos are 3+ years after that closure.

10 December 2006 Caching Bedford Gorge

7 September 2006 Benchmarking Depew