My long trip last month took its toll in writing the journal. 335 finds plus some YOSM’s which no longer count as finds and a degree of non finds has taken a while to write up and I only completed that task on 8th July.
I wonder how I will fare on July’s trip which I’m not really greatly prepared for as yet. Throw clothes in a case and just hope I can cope I guess.
1st July
Just one birthday cache today.
2nd July
Time out to relax a little at the Sunday scones event then took a loop of a few miles seeking some local caches.
10th July
The day started with me not particularly knowing how it was to progress. I was expecting a parcel to be delivered so would be staying in until after that.
Then I switched on the computer and the todo list reminded me I needed a birthday cache today. A few trads local and a puzzle I’d not solved but prominent on the list was;
London – Beatles Abbey Road
The parcel was soon delivered so it was decision time. Probably curse if I didn’t go.
A quick feeler out on the local social media to see if anyone wanted to join me and also someone willing to captuer the photo.
Soon had someone to take the photo but noone wanting to join me so it’s a lone drive. Perhaps they’ve heard of my driving and navigation.
Not the quickest drive or parking but we got there. Soon the photo was taken and I did a Virtual and three trads but the parking timer went off before I finished a multi.
Glad to have got the web cam on it’s 15th birthday. Originally planned to visit this one a few years ago doing the two London ones in a day but ran out of daylight and time to get to this one on that occasion.
14th July
I’m sure I heard someone say Colin should go to hell.
Well maybe I went there and beyond today.
Anyway blanked by some and befriended by others.
Hell is quite a distance away so lots of travelling and lots of waiting time too.
Some nice caches though in the evening.
A lamb had been slaughtered and that was delicious just the thing when midday food had just been a hotdog and breakfast had been shortly after 1am.
15th July
Well I’ll admit to being like an Englishman lost in the Jungle. No I’ve not returned to the Brazilian Rain forest that was an organised trip last October so I was just guided all the way.
Out on my own this time. Generally going well but the public transport didn’t work quite the way I was hoping. Need to research further how best to visit the oldest cache or befriend someone with a car to quench my need Monday or Tuesday.
Today started with my waking at 5am now have to wait until 8am for breakfast.
Well it was a great day lots of walking for the the Lab caches lots of interaction for cacher’s bingo and even needed a couple of applications of sun cream.
After that Mega day my penchant for seeking a birthday cache kicked in and there was a pleasant surprise at the end too. Some thing I wrote in another channel because I’m missing the local Mary Hyde based events.
Well no walking the plank for me but the end of the day brought me a nice piece of eight.
Had done a lot of walking throughout the day then after a tiny respite set out for a birthday cache.
1.3 miles crow but urban, forest and other caches made that much longer.
The last one I attempted I didn’t find and had started to walk back to the hotel.
A lady and a lad of eight or ten were coming in the other direction and said is there a cache up there. I said yes but I didn’t find it.
The lad was full of I’ll find it. I said ok then I’ll come back and watch you.
GPS less the lad asked how far? Quick as nine-pence he had his hand on it.
The lady made a phone call as we walked back down the street for her husband to come out to the car.
A chat and I was presented with that piece of eight somewhat greater than nine pence worth I imagine.
Been quite a Mega day in Finland so sorry Suzanne Turner your plank is not long enough for me.
The big and weighty 2016 Estonia Mega coin.
16th June
The hope today is to do a wherigo, they don’t always go well for me though so here’s hoping.
There are quite a lot of wherigo caches here but anything complex and other than English will probably be a fail for me.
Picked the one that is definitely in English but its quite a walk to get out to it. Three or four caches to visit on the way there though.
Didn’t do well with the wherigo. It took ages to trigger at one spot and failed completely at another so I had to give up. So disappointment it was a long and tiring walk in today’s heat.
Guess the highlight was seeing a guy doing the T5 tree climb. Not easy to spot him in my hastily snapped photo but it will give you some thing to focus on, perhaps he is a camo cacher rather than it being a camo cache.
17th July
Before I booked this “Holiday” my Jasmer grid lacked 4 cells on the year 2000 line. My plan then was to fill those with Sweden, Denmark, Norh Island New Zealand & South Island New Zealand.
The Lapland Mega was brought to my attention but I just couldn’t make flights work to do that and Denmark and Sweden in one trip.
Then the Porvoo Mega was announced and in considering that I then contemplated doing the Mega and the Oldest ones in Finland and Sweden.
So a flight to Sweden was booked with a stopover in Finland.
Though I still desire to go to New Zealand the pressure of doing a long trip of both islands has likely dropped as I’ve now signed up for a 3 week motorhome trip in the United States with another cacher and will likely complete my Jasmer during that trip.
So today’s main objective, go seek the Oldest cache in Finland.
After 3 days of glorious sun the weather forecast was for rain today and thunder storms tomorrow.
Now time to consider how to get there. From Porvoo on public transport. Well we did it with just a hiccup changing buses in Helsinki.
Right on cue it started raining as I got off the bus.
The walk through the woods went ok and I was glad of the lightweight waterproofs. No problem finding this old cache and then on to do some others. A little disappointed the first was 30ft up a tree and I don’t climb. Then I was on to some I could find.
The rest of the day was walked a lot got a few caches along the way and got a better feel for the country for doing it at walking pace. Didn’t get onto another bus until about 8pm but my was I glad when I was able to flag him down a few yards before I reached the stop.
Even though it was raining and I normally don’t like caching in the rain I was quite happy out there today and think I’ve convinced myself I wan’t to come back to Finland again.
18th July
My last day in Porvoo so a relaxed stroll around the town seeking a last few around 9 I believe.
Managed to get an intercache to work today and that was my final one of the day. That was the trigger for 10 minutes of quite heavy rain the only wet period of the day.
19th July
Only one cache today and that was at almost 10pm.
Although it was only a short flight from Finland to Sweden I let it consume most of the day.
Breakfast is available from 4am so it has scope to be a long caching day tomorrow.
20th July
Well not quite up for breakfast at 4am but still reasonably early.
Today’s main objective is to seek the oldest cache in the country. About 25 miles from the hotel so it’s time to figure out how to use the trains. I wasn’t great at negotiating the changes especially at the big hub.
I just let the GPSr route me in and it took me to three or four other caches first in a nice nature reserve area. Soon educated that this part of Sweden shows a lot of rock.
All so soon I was making the seek on the oldest cache and though the find wasn’t immediate it wasn’t too long before it was in hand.
From there an interesting blend of caches to finish off the day.
Caught the train after 9pm. I thought it was posh but was pulling out very soon after my boarding.
It set off and then a ticket inspector came along.
He spoke to some others first and then came to me. That’s the wrong ticket for this posh train.What do we do now then. You stay on the train but don’t do it again. Phew relief no charge or fine. It was a direct train too so we were rapidly at the destination station.
The half mile walk to the hotel put me in the room just after 10pm quite a full day then the cogs in my brain started turning.
Could I go for 2 web cams in a day tomorrow. Thus started communications on recruitment of someone to capture the web cam shot for me.
It was about 1.30 am when I went to bed yes quite a full day.
21st July
So with the two web cams planned it was time to get up and out there.
I’m not a great lover of cities and I found the page coordinates to be about 50 ft off so tried for a while to get to actual coordinates which you can’t.
With the camera quite distant it is never going to be a very clear shot and there was little hope of validation stance with my phone.
A few correspondences and I was convinced we had failed to capture anything. Then came the relief correspondence that indeed we had a photo.
The relocate to the second web cam wasn’t too bad 11 metro stops and a 0.3mi walk that was easy to navigate.
Just about to notify folk that I had arrived and a message came in to say one of the helpers had seen me arrive and the shots had been captured.
Many thanks to those who helped me or offered to it was greatly appreciated.
27th July
I seemed to go down with the flu the minuite I got off the plane from Finland last Saturday. I went out for a couple yesterday and today I went out for alittle longer.
Not easy going and really tired when I got home.
The few days that I was totally indoors gave me chance to run through the challenges and see what differences the trips to Scotland, Finland and Sweden made upon my standing .
I also spotted I need to seek some Mystery caches and non-trads on some set dates. Thus I was out today.
As said the simple tired me but it was another 18 in the bag at the end of the day.