Post date: 12-May-2009 21:10:31
On Saturday, May 09, 2009, we headed to Hawrelak Park for geocaching. The park was very busy for a rather windy, but mild temperature day (shorts were fine but long sleeves were also required to combat the wind). The park was busy because it happened to be Emergency Preparedness Day, so we spent our first 30 minutes looking at the 630 Ched Chopper that was parked on the field next to the City of Edmonton police helicopter. The police helicopter can fly for 3.5 hours on one tank of gas. It also only takes 10 minutes to re-fuel.
We also toured an ETS bus hospital, a hazmat fire truck, and a regular fire truck. We witnessed some kids hoisting their Dad up by a harness that was hanging from the end of a ladder truck. They used a pulley system to do it and there was a fireman helping too. Colin captured some great pictures. Across from the hoisting excitement, a swarm of teenage girls were crowded around a young fireman. They were playing a simulated game that required them to put out a fire on a TV screen using a fire extinguisher. Colin asked a fireman if they still did simulations for Elementary schools of how to escape a smoke filled fire truck, but they do not. Colin got to do this when he was in Elementary.
Next, we went to the stage area of the park and visited with one of Colin’s friends who works in the park. He helped us find our Shakespeare geocache which was located outside the stage area. The coordinates lead us to a thin whitish tree (probably a birch tree). The size of the cache was described as the size of a penny, so we began our search for a micro or nano. The three of us began feeling up the tree and two geese a few feet from the tree started to honk and throw their tongues out of their mouths. I think they were upset that we were violating the tree.
Colin found the first valve in a woodpecker hole about half way up the tree (If you’re less than 5 feet tall, you would not be able to reach the cache). I found the second one on the ground a few feet from the tree (perhaps a wild Canadian goose knocked it out of the tree). I say valve because the cache containers were two tiny tire valve looking metal capsules about the size of a bullet. I have to say kudos to the people who hid this cache in a woodpecker hole because ever since I found my first cache, I have wanted a cache to be hidden in the hole of a tree. We signed the tiny log book.
We walked around the pond to find our second cache that took a bit of searching (the coordinates were a bit off), but it took us about 15 minutes to find it. Arctic Perseverance was resting shelved between two tree roots. The cache is rated 2/2 for terrain and difficulty and I would agree with 2 for the terrain. It’s located on the edge of a steep ditch. Finding this cache gave me a chance to test out my new Teva sandals and they had great grip to prevent me from sliding down the bank.
The regular sized lock n lock container was covered in camo tape and contained an angel pin, a few toys, a Canada tattoo and a geocoin that has been traveling since 2006. We left a Cuba purse keychain in the cache in exchange for the geocoin. We’re going to place the coin in a cache on the way to Red Lodge campground this weekend.
We took a Timmy’s break for a few addictive trail mix cookies and a hot smoothie since the wind was really picking up. Colin found our last cache of the day which was a block away from Tim Hortons. A black film canister was hidden in the metal shaft of a no parking sign. The hint was “Loosen the bolt.” Colin had to take two bolts off the sign and actually remove the sign to get to the cache. I thought we were going to be charged with defacing public property or something. Very cool spot though.
It was a successful day. We found all 3 of the caches we attempted. This weekend we’ll try to find some caches on the way to our campsite. Let’s hope for warm weather and the removal of the fire ban.