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!