2016 Mission GC #1: Favorites Finder

How lucky! I take a yearly trip down to SC to drop my son off at camp, and was so happy to find that this time the date was to coincide with the first of the Mission GC dates, so I grabbed up my friend MayberryZoo and took off to find a cache with 10 or more favorite points. 

This mission was not as easy to accomplish as it sounds, many of the  caches in our area do not have more than 2 or 3 favorite points, so I was lucky enough to be in an area that had one with over 50!

A half hour drive out and a few photos later and we had claimed our first mission's souvenir with a virtual just outside of Rock Hill.

 Although I would have been willing to drive more than an hour to win those colored pixels for my page,  I'm so thankful to the CO and to all of my fellow cachers who had saved me the drive by giving this "border" cache a high number of favorite points so close to my friend's home!

I am now looking forward to receiving and completing my next assignment for Operation: Mission GC this month! 

Book Review: The Little Paris Bookshop

In my effort to reach my goal of reading 100 books this year, I have found another diamond of a story!

Does love at first sight exist in the world of reading?  If so, that was certainly the case for me and "The Little Paris Bookshop"!  I ran across this book on one of my many trips to Barnes and Noble and as soon as I laid eyes on the cover, I felt an immediate draw to it. But I kept putting off buying it for several months due to the price since it was only in hard back at the time.

But every time I went into the store, there is was sitting on the shelf just begging to be read. So I finally sat down and read the first two chapters and decided that if it could hook me within the first few pages that it would come home with me.

Literally, from page one I was hooked! So I walked to the counter and made my purchase and clutched my new treasure close to my chest like a lover as I hastily left the store to begin reading.

I had no idea at the time how much this book would both open up my heart and temporarily lend light to my darkest inner corners. I was far from disappointed!

Many of my poor pen pals were forced to read of my new obsession with this story, and for that I am perhaps a little sorry! But I hope it inspired them to also consider picking up their own copy of this fantastic book!

When describing it to friends, I say that this book is not just your ordinary story of love and loss and redemption...though it has plenty of that to share.  The name of the floating bookstore owned by the main protagonist is nicknamed the Literary Apothecary and never has anything been more accurately named.

One of my favorite lines from the book goes, “There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only a hundred. There are even remedies—I mean books—that were written for one person only…A book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy. Putting the right novels to the appropriate ailments: that’s how I sell books."

No, to me, this story is about the magic power of books to meet us where we are and to rip off the bandages that have been hiding our pain and to force us to heal from the inside out!! That is what this book did for me in so many ways.

I can usually finish a book of this size in around 3 days. This particular one took me almost FOUR WEEKS to get through because I would read a chapter and have to set it down and absorb the thoughts and ideals that it had just presented. Then sometimes I had to re-read the same pages again just to fully grasp the sheer veracity of the truth that the author was conveying in the most simplistic of terms.

"Everybody has an inner room where demons lurk. Only when we open it and face up to it are we free."

And that is another great point to this book...it's perfect candor and directness. It is a great and easy read for both the voracious reader and the casual skimmer.

There are so many endearing lines in this novel that caused me to stop and think and have a few "ah ha!" moments. I felt easily connected to the main characters and their emotions and fears and hopes became my own.  When they felt shame or doubt, I felt it right along with them and when they faced their greatest fears and longings, I walked there hand in hand with them as well.

I love it when an author can create characters that are so easy to relate to and ones that make you care about them, whether you agree with their actions or not.  To me, that is one of the things that can really set a novel apart from the thousands of others out there!

As the writer herself puts it: “Books are more than doctors, of course. Some novels are loving, lifelong companions; some give you a clip around the ear; others are friends who wrap you in warm towels when you've got those autumn blues. And some...well, some are pink candy floss that tingles in your brain for three seconds and leaves a blissful voice. Like a short, torrid love affair.”

There were so many lines in this book that took my breath away that I am struggling not to quote them all, but that would be a sad case of spoilers.  As it is, let me just say that if you find yourself, especially as a woman, in need of a story to help you heal from life and or to help you find the courage to start your life, then this might just be the book for you!

After all, a book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy!

Should you decide to add this one to your reading list or if you take the plunge and read it yourself, please let me know!! I will be eager to hear your own thoughts.

PS....I am aware that I did not go into great detail of what the story is about since I know most of us have Google.  Rather, I aimed to share what this book meant to me and the emotions that it stirred up inside my soul. To me, that is the true measure of an artist's work.

Geocaching the Vallejo Trail

Finally! I am caught up from writing about just the fun sites to writing again about geocaching!

In my own defense, sometimes you go to a place so wonderful and full of its own charms, that even geocaching has to take a back seat to simply experiencing the moments in front of you. But we always seem to come back to our big love...the hunt!

And this was a very special hunt with some very special new friends! This my account of my time in Vallejo and just another reminder to myself why I LOVE this game and that the true prizes lay not with the rise in your numbers, but with the unexpected treasure of sight, sound, and emotion that you stumble upon when you give it a chance!

 

My terrific trip host, MayberryZoo, and I found a listing for a local caching group holding a breakfast meet up with plans to capture the free reward geocoin of the Vallejo Historic trail afterwards, and we knew it was where we were meant to be that Saturday.  Good food and great company followed by cool caches and new friendships....yeah, there really is no down side!

Though we were running a few minutes late from unexpected California traffic that morning, Deena and I made to Good Day Cafe' in plenty of time to enjoy both the delicious food and the excellent geo-stories being shared all around! The town itself was absolutely sweet, right out of a storybook, complete with a charming Main Street Farmer's Market and quaint historic homes!

Instantly, I could tell this was going to be a day for making happy memories!

It is always a little worrisome when coming to an event where you are not familiar with any of the locals that you will be too shy to actually join in, but our excellent host, bassocanter, was not about to let that happen!  He took the initiate and came over and introduced us around and then suggested a good table for us to take a seat at where some of the most friendly and entertaining fellow cachers were seated already!

Thank you to HockeyHiker19 and papa EGTH for sharing your stories and the awesome Travel Bug tattoo with me! How fun!

No one seemed afraid to share their wonderful stories (like how not2be got his name and tales of working the cable cars from RVCrew and so many other wonderful stories) and it did not take long to forget that I was not a regular here, everyone was more than happy to make sure everyone else was included. What a fantastic group!

I know that I won't be able to remember everyone by name, but you were all so friendly and open and welcoming that it made the trip there all that much memorable by meeting you all. Thank you!!

And now on to talking about the trail!!
(Warning: Photos may hold small spoilers, though no GC codes are listed, any spoilers were unintentional, I promise.)

The Passport tour that we completed after the breakfast event was a very well placed one and the caches were creative and fun!

This was the kind of reward trail where you can tell that the owners really care about caching and about their town's history. The geo-trail had a lot of thought and care put into it and the free coin afterwards was absolutely gorgeous!

How do you spot a group of geocachers??

The trail is a mix of cache types and filled with interesting and scenic places such as the Naval & Historical Museum, St. Peter's Chapel, The Alibi Clock, O'Keefe-Minahan House, and the Ferry Building. Many of the caches themselves are quite fun and clever and take a little imagination to open, which was a refreshing twist on the typical urban caches that I had been seeing around the bigger city.

 

 

 I can't say enough kind things about this great group, nor about the creative trail and reward coin! Thanks to each of you for making a Southern Belle feel right at home on the Pacific coast!

 

A fantastic group of geocachers!

 A super big thank you to Don and Dodie for taking Deena and me under your wing and escorting us around town! I think that is a huge part of what made the day as awesome as it turned out to be, having a car full of fellow cachers rambling about the countryside. Go Team 4D! (hey, we could even have gone with Team D Four-ce!)

Between the views and the gadget caches, it is with all confidence I can say that you will not be bored on your quest to fill your passport if Vallejo is your destination!  I highly recommend making this one of your stops while in the Bay area!

And if you have the opportunity to join in with one of the local meet up events, be sure to take it! It is a warm and lovely group who make sure that everyone who comes is made to feel welcomed and appreciated, whether they travelled near or far!

Ewoks, Dirty Apes, and a Zoo with a Chipmunk

So what do any of the things from this post's title have to do with each other, you might be wondering? Plenty, I say!!  We have all been filmed in one scenic location...among the towering majestic redwoods of Muir Woods National Park!

 

President Theodore Roosevelt used authority granted him by the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the park by proclamation on January 9, 1908. In doing so he honored John Muir (founder of The Sierra Club), the “Father of the National Park System," and created the country’s tenth National Monument.

Muir Woods was the first National Monument created from land donated by private individuals (William and Elizabeth Kent), the first created to preserve a living species (the Coast redwood), and the first created in an “urban setting.”

 

There is an amazing cross-section cut of one of the trees that began around 909 AD that gives you a glimpse into how much of our history these incredible giants have witnesses over the thousand years it stood. 

 

This one tree, before it fell in 1930, had seen the lives of countless Native Americans being born and witnessed the arrival of the white man and his New World and lived to tell us about it.
This tree stood proud through the French Revolution, The Declaration of Indepence being signed, the California Gold Rush, the Wild West and so much more! To me, that is simply amazing!

 

Some of these trees are well over a thousand years old and as tall as a 25 stories tall building!!
Here is a fun photo to help you imagine how tall one of these trees might grow...

Mind-boggling indeed!

But if you are a geek at heart as I am, all of that may be mind blowing, but it's not even the coolest part!

Enjoy these lovely nature photos, then we will talk fandom and film near the end!




Using my companions for height comparison,
which didn't work well as you cannot see
the top of the tree due to its height!

 

Some of these trees are so large, you
can fit a NinjaChipmunk inside!

 

 

 



Straining upwards to try to get a photo
of the top of the trees.

 

See, chipmunks can hide anywhere, we really are the
ninjas of the woodlands!

Look what I found in a tree! An Abby!

More height comparison along the trail,
these trees are abswolutely amazing!!



Mayberry and her Zoo taking a breather





It doesn't get much more peaceful and
tranquil than here.  I could have spent all day
just sitting and thinking.

 Now, as promised, how do all of those words in the title relate to a place as historic and majestic as Muir Woods? So glad you asked!!

This is apparently the place that inspired a famous scene in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

The movie, which stars Palo Alto's James Franco, features a scene where apes run across the Golden Gate Bridge and escape to Muir Woods.

And while none of the CGI filled movie was actually filmed in the park, the movie's producers took pictures of Muir Woods' famed redwood trees and replicated them on screen.



Planet of the Ape

 

Imperial bunker site from Return of the Jedi

 Also interesting to note is that Muir Woods was inspiration for the planet Endor and where some of the filming may have occurred of where the lovable and vicious little Ewoks lived in "Return of the Jedi".  As you walk around, it is very easy to see how this is likely true. 

Ewoks of Endor

Does anyone else look at an Ewok and immediately get a sense that Lucas' pet Shih Tzu had inappropriate relations with his Teddy Bear and they were the demented offspring demanding a part in his latest movie??  Just me?  Yeah, probably so. 


Hope you enjoyed this walk through nature with me and thanks for reading!

Special note:  No Ewoks, Imperialists, Dang Dirty Apes or Shih Tzu were harmed in the writing of this blog. Also... I am in no way insinuating that George Lucas is a careless pet owner. Sometimes things just happen.

My First CA Sunset: The Cliff House

The Legion of Honor might have been my favorite site, but allow me to share this shorter than usual post with you about my favorite and most serene moments, and they were certainly the most scenic. They were spent at the Cliff House at sunset...



Sunset over the Pacific

 I know it is same sun that is setting in North Carolina that sets in California, but I have never witnessed a sunset as beautiful as the one I experienced while touring the Cliff House. Here are a few photos and some history of the site that I wanted to share.

First off, here is the Cliff House before the chimney fire destroyed it on Christmas Day in 1894.  Notice how the rocks in the first one on the left side are still the same today as they were nearly 200 years ago? Don't know why that fascinated me so much, but for some reason, it did. I wish I had been able to visit the house in its heyday, what a grand and magnificent thing she must have been!!

 

A shot of the Sutro Baths before the fire:

 

note that the site in the foreground here
is nothing more than ruins and caves to explore today.



 

 

 

The place looks completely different today, but still has gorgeous views and a nice restaurant for drinks if you have the time:



Mayberry Zoo and NinjaChipmunk capturing the moment

 

 

 

 

Where the Sutro Bath House used to be, now just ruins

 

Surfers riding the waves on this cold evenng

I was not after a geocache here, so I have no GC code to send you after. But if you are looking for just a few moments of tranquility amid a very busy and non-stop city, I recommend coming here at dusk to remind yourself of what life is all about.