18 May 2011 Seattle to Portland

This was our first leg of finding the Triad. Geocaching is such a big part of our life. We were in awe. We came, we met with the Lackeys, we started south. It was an amazing way to start our pilgrimage.

The Groundspeak Headquarters is in a really great neighborhood. It just fits the company to be here.

We both enjoyed Tacoma. Our ability to find geocaches seemed to disappear in this town so we walked a bit and hunted some waymarks and benchmarks.

The spring melt and heavy rains meant some really strong water on our journeys.

17 May 2011 Going West

It seems as though most of my flying days have lately been filled with rain or snow.

16 May 2011 Easily Amused

I always enjoy the first couple miles after a fill-up at the last station on the way home. On the drive into the valley the mileage meter happily gives me some crazy number. Today's was 56.7 mpg.

All that joy is lost by the time the little sport ute climbs out of the valley and stops at home. By the end of the tank, it is always somewhere back near 30, but for those few fleeting moments, I have fuel economy nirvana.

14 May 2011 Hiding Caches in Warren

Eva locates a spot for Gwen and Eva's Superior Hide

13 May 2011 Holden Plant Sale

8 May 2011 We Came For The Flowers...

Really, we did. Yes, there were a few caches, and I spotted a few Waymarks to post, but this trip was all about the flowers. Ali had visited here last year with a friend and raved about the flowers. It was certain we were visiting this spring. It was as good as she said. Poland Woods is in Mahoning County.

There were acres of bluebells. They were everywhere. They covered the ground. They filled stream banks.

They lined the trail.

They even came in pink... wouldn't that make them pinkbells?

The amazing thought is bluebells weren't even the 'star' of the show. The real winner was sessile trilliums. These are supposed to be common in Northeast Ohio, but we've never seen them before visiting Poland Forest. Ali had seen one cluster last year. Today we made our way back to the spot and there they were.

Ali was thrilled because there were a lot more in this location than last year.

I feel like I'm in a wildflower infomercial... but wait there's more. As we continued to walk the trails, we continued to find clusters of sessile trilliums. The one cluster she saw soon became many.

In fairness to the 'other' flowers, there were just lots of flowers in bloom at this wonderful place.

Poland Municipal Forest is in Poland, Ohio in Mahoning County.

7 May 2011 Plant Sale

We spent the morning at the lawn bowling club helping with the grounds. After that, I remembered a sign for a plant sale in South Chagrin. We were able to find a number of native wildflowers we want to spread on our land. After the sale, we decided to take a walk in South Chagrin to see what wildflowers might be in bloom.

It was a special day for the Nature Nuts. The rain had made some of the trails a wade rather than a walk, but the sights and sounds were so good, wet feet were forgotten.

4 May 2011 Birds in the Air (and on the Ground)

We stopped at a nearby park to walk and see the progress on the work being done. While we were still in the parking lot, we were surprised to see a transport plane fly overhead. It was strange to see a plane with almost no markings. I'm not an expert on planes, but this appears to be the new C27J.

On the ground, we also spotted a few killdeers near a small pond.

1 May 2011 Geauga Parks

After doing chores, we headed out to walk some parks with the dogs. Our last visit at Eldon Russell Park was cut short. All the recent rains had sent the Cuyahoga very far beyond its banks. The trail we were hoping to walk was well under water. We had to settle for a visit to a super area for marsh marigolds.

That's the bridge we need to cross in the distance.

The trail marker for the trail to the bridge was surrounded by deep water.