Twin Falls ID - Farewell Bend Oregon

When I left the Ashley National Forest I headed for a rest stop in Snowville Utah but I got there to quick and decided to continue on into Idaho and find a car wash and a place to camp. I found a waiting line at the Bubble Barn carwash in Burley ID  I just wanted to get the Uinta mud off the RAMVAN. While I was waiting U discovered the Milner Historic Recreation Area right on the Snake River just west of Burley. There was plenty of spaces available and only $15 per night. I got parked and went for a walk on down by the river, "Grandpa lives in a van down by the river", experienced a nice sunset and got visited by the local mosquitoes.  I had a very relaxing evening and a good nights sleep. 

I was up early because there was a couple Virtual geocaches I wanted to find before I left the southern Idaho area. Shoshone Falls Earthcache  took be to the very scenic Shoshone Falls Park, "The Niagara of the West". I went straight into tourist mode answering all the required question to complete the earthcache, and I even found the nano cache on the railing. Even though it was about 100° there was steady turn over of cars and buses driving through the park. I spent about 90 minutes walking around the park and watching the beautiful falls. 

Next on to  Thousands Springs Scenic Byway  Whoever put this virtual caches together went overboard on the questions. All 11 fill-in-the -blank questions came from the same sign. Kind of boring. The main attraction here is the Perrine Bridge, 4 lane highway that spans across the snake river 486 feet below. This bridge is popular for Hang Gliders that jump of the bridge. The reason it is popular, is the gliders do not need a permit.  This is near the sight where EVEL KNIEVEL attempted to jump the snake river on his custom SkyCycle in 1974.  The welcome center was great for escaping the heat and learning about the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway. 

My next stop is known as the last camp on the Oregon Trail across the Snake River Plains. The Oregon State campground is called Farewell Bend. The last camp on the snake river before reaching the Columbia River that leads to the Pacific Ocean.  The mosquitoes were very thick and hungry especially down. by the river. I camped next to 3 ladies from Pennsylvania  on a trip to kayak the rivers of the west. But I think the Mosquitos ran them off. I went off on the Jaguarundi up a jeep trail pointing at a geocache about a mile away. The cache was at a sight where there was Remnants of the Oregon Trail written on a sign that depicted the hardships the pigrams endured to complete the journey  

👀Twin Falls ID - Farewell Bend Oregon Photos 👀

This inspired me to move on with my journey to Olympia. So after returning to the RAMVAN I got ready for the road and took the scenic route, avoiding the Portland traffic, taking my time driving through Yakima farmlands, over White Pass and down in the forests of southwest Washington.  Now begin the days of the camp, Iron Creek, Cashmere and Centralia ...... to be continued, thanks for reading my blog. 

Spirit Lake 2025

Spirit Lake 2025

 If you are ever traveling through Vernal Utah and plan on heading into the mountains, stop by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Region Office and get the latest on road access, campground closures and fishing information. They also have free wildlife reading materials and state park stickers.  

I got a fishing license, propane and provision in Vernal before heading up the south grade of US highway 191 into the Ashley National Forest, I reached UT 44 and Spirit Lake Rd FR 001.  

Spirit Lake in Ashley National Forest is a high-elevation lake with a geological history shaped primarily by ancient mountain-building forces and subsequent glacial erosion. It is situated on the northern flank of the Uinta Mountains, the only major east-west-trending mountain range in the contiguous United States.  

The weather was beautiful, temperature high 60° with calm winds. The campground was less than half full, I took space #5 an set up camp. At about 1630 I got on Jaguarundi to ride around the lake.  I headed to the north end of the lake where the water spills into Middle Fork Sheep creek. As I rode by the lake I noticed how high the water is. July is the highpoint of the snow melt off, so the lake is full. So full there was no way I was getting across the spill area and there is no foot bridge. So I turned around and head back towards the lodge on the south end of the lake.  The lodge was not open, only a "be back later sign"

I downloaded the the offline geocaching information,  so I pointed the GPS to Osprey Cove at Pappy's Lake GC1X7GJ hidden 16 years ago on 08-10-2009 by Todduh.  I saw how high the water in lake is I knew I needed to check on this one. I found the old road by the lodge. From there it was just a matter of weaving to the GZ. The cache is in great shape, looks like it was hidden last week.  

The next day I decided to hike up to Tamarack Lake, there are 2 new geocaches on the trail and I want to check on Tie one On cache. This is the cache that Todduh found while we were fishing in 2008.  

Nothing has changed on the Spirit - Tamarack Trail 024 over the years, up and down at the edge of the meadow behind the lodge, across the bridge over the creek then the trail goes up to the Lily Pad lake where it splits off, left to Jessen Lake, right to Tamarack.  The 2 new geocaches are hidden in this area. Found then both pretty quickly, however the coordinates are way off on one of them. Trail 024 continues southeast up to 10400' elevation where Tamarack sits under the penumbra of 11500' east west ridge featuring treeless rock cliffs a snow covered domes.  

I was able to locate  Tie One On GC8328 hidden 08-22-2002 and found it is great shape. The theme is to leave a fly and take a fly which are all organized in small plastic cubes, I selected a nice bumble bee looking fly and left a renegade fly. I dropped a geocoin that I got at the New York state campground in Cooperstown NY.  (as of 8/31/25 it is still there) then made sure the cache was well hidden. I wonder how long it will be before someone else finds it. 

So I took my new fly and rigged my pole with a fly behind a clear bobber 1/2 full of water. Wouldn't you know it, that I caught a fish on the first cast.  The fish got off just as I was landing it, but it got stuck in a pool near the bank, I used my needle nose pliers to grab that the tail fin sticking out of the water and flipped it onto my rock. At first I thought it was a Golden Trout, but after

referring to the fishing guide, it looks like one of those Tiger Trout, or maybe a hybrid.  I did not keep the fish I caught because I think I have caught my fair share over the years. I ate my lunch and headed back down the trail.  I met 3 groups on their way up  right as it started to rain. Back at the Van, the rain has stopped, so I rode my bike to check if anyone was at the lodge, but again the back later sign.  I really want to buy a sticker!  Once again back at the camp, I busied myself organizing my stuff and relaxing after a active day. Honestly I kind of missed the people I have been here in the past,  remembering all the fun we had, and thinking about Pappy and Kim. 

The next morning I was out early to get another geocache across the meadow from the lodge. Parked the bike at the lodge and made my way across the marshy meadow and past the snow survey station and found snotelin' where it is. Back to the lodge, someone called out that they would open in a minute. They must have seen me checking the door.  I was able to get my stickers and I got a mug! 

The next cache, Woodpecker Camp is half a mile passed the north end of the lake off the road on the edge of the meadow Pappy named Rainbow Gardens. Been 5 years since anyone logged this lonely cache. I found it full of water. I dumped and tried to dry but everything was soaked. I let everything dry out a couple hours. I went back to RAMVAM and retrieved paper pencil and baggie. The container is a little cracked but ok. I replaced it on its side, hopefully it will drain. I said hello to Bullwinkle grazing in the meadow.  Spirit lake is a special place for our family and I plan to not let as much time pass before I return again, 

👀Spirit Lake 2025👀

I know this is a long post, thanks for reading my blog. 

Pueblos and Toadstools

Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July. After my long trip to the east and Canada, I ventured over to check in with family in San Diego. Fireworks, fishing and cookout I was ready for another adventure starting with heading north to find the closest to 70 degrees as I can. First stop was Lomaki Pueblo where I walked a path to look at the ruins, 900-year-old structures balanced on the rims of an ancient earth crack, learning about how the Navajo trapped water in natural runoffs. 👀Lomaki Pueblo photos 👀

After a quick lunch, I headed to tonights camping spot at Paria Valley Farm outside Kanab Utah. It is the off season for this Farm that has RV parking. All I needed to do was buy a t-shirt.  Even though it was 95° when I arrive it soon cooled down. I slept with my rear doors open, but had to close them after dark. In the morning I left early and hiked a nearby trail that featured Toadstool rock formations

From the trail sign, "A toadstool is a spire-like feature with a boulder perched atop a pedestal rock, like a

mushroom, or toadstool." It forms when softer rock erodes away, leaving a column sheltered from wind and water. The route ahead leads to an area where conditions were right for toadstool development."  

 👀Paria Valley Farm and Toadstool Photos 👀

I was back on the road by 9:30 heading north through Kanab on highway 89. This is one of my favorite routes through Utah, it runs through the Dixie National Forest and passed Brice Canyon. There are frequent opportunities to stop and eat, geocache or just rest. Much better than flying 80 mph on the 15N.  

This trip I stopped for some geocaching and lunch at the Spry Cemetery 1885. I caught interstate 70 then north on Utah 10 to Huntington State Park.  When I arrived the site I reserved was very small and on a hill. The camp host let me change to a site on the lake. There was a nice strong breeze and a impressive sunset. I found the lone geocache in the park and had a nice walk down by the lake.   👀Spry Cemetery and Huntington photos 👀

This is it for this post. The next post will be about camping at Spirit Lake. I know I am very behind on my post. I have a week at my Habitat in the desert, so I will be able to catch up, so check back when you can. Thanks for reading my blog. 

 

Oklahoma - New Mexico - Sun City

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I fueled up in Dodge City, did not run into Marshall Dillon or Wyatt Earp. Then headed SW towards the Oklahoma state line. There was a corner virtual cache called Coloklakan where Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas all connect. It was located on a farm road the went right along the border of Kansas and Oklahoma. After finding and logging I continued SW through the pan handle and stopping at another road side park in Felt OK. Overgrown parking lot with a vault toilet and picnic tables. I parked in the far corner and made some dinner.  I was the only one there for about an hour, then 2 car campers arrived. This made me feel better about a Sheriff showing up to tel me to leave. It rained pretty hard before the sun went down, there was some nice rainbows. It rained again overnight and I was the first to pull out about 7am. 

I targeted another corner virtual cache called Texhomex where Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico all connect. This farm road was very muddy from the rain, half of the road was flooded so I was careful not to get stuck. After I left this one, I found another cache on the northwest corner of Texas. The drive from here was to Albuquerque starts out as rolling grasslands that lead you into majestic mountain cliffs then ending in the Alamo River valley through Santa Fe. I stopped on I-40 in Albuquerque for Fuel, then headed west. By the time I made Grants, I was only 5 hours from home, but I did not want to break my rule to drive only 5-6 hours, I decided to find a space at Pinon Cliffs Campground. There was only 2 tents sites available but I squeezed into #19. An hours later it looked like all the spaces were full. The weather was real nice, 72° F  7,434 elevation. 

In the morning I dumped my grey water tank, but did not fill my fresh water. I was within 6 hours of home, so I did not plan to camp. I stayed on I-40 until Winslow, then took the scenic route through the Forest that the Mogollon Rim is located, then through Camp Verde, on the I-17 pulling into my driveway about 1500. Home again. 

Here is a link to Oklahoma - New Mexico photos.  So what's next? 4th of July weekend in San Diego then take off north to Washington.   

to be continued.........

Thanks for reading my blog. 

Iowa City - Kansas

 0625-2625

After a couple nights free parking, I looked for a campground with facilities so I can get a shower. I have

heard good things about the Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds, they are well maintained and cost less. I was able to make reservations at one of these camp grounds on the Iowa River near Iowa city. I did pass the worlds largest truck stop on the way to Iowa, but I didn't stop. I got to the campground early and the checkin booth was closed, so I went ahead and found my spot then rode my bike back to the gate and checked in, I really enjoyed riding around the camp grounds and learning about the Devonian Fossil Gorge  After my bike ride it was hot with high humidity so I went and took a long shower. I had shore power connected so I closed all the windows and used the AC which worked pretty well. I think I am understanding the difference between RVing and van camping. My time at the West Overlook campground was short but very productive, a shower, dumped the gray tank and filled up with fresh water. All for $20. 

The next day I headed west. I realized that the farther west I go, the farther away from the midwest heat wave. I continued through Iowa and into Nebraska. Looking for a a target geocache, I came across the geographical center of the United States in Lebanon Kansas. So about 1/3 into Nebraska, I turned south towards Kansas farm lands. The center monument was easy to find, but the small cache that was hidden in the BBQ stand was a pretty tricky hide. I was far away from any freeway rest stop or Walmart parking lot. So I felt fortunate to find a roadside park on the Campendium app in a farm town called Smith Center.  I had Subway tuna for dinner. The park was next to corn fields and the feed supply building. All I had was the app review that said overnight parking was allowed. I waited for the Sheriff to run me off, but no one came. It was a very nice and quiet place to sleep. I was on the road by 0700 heading south towards Dodge City, then onto another free camping spot in Oklahoma.  👀photos of Iowa - Kansas 👀 Thanks for visiting. If you have a google account, you can leave a comment below. 

Back in the US Michigan - Indiana

 0623-2425 

I got an early start out of Bedrock Campground, after dumping and filling and stoping at the ranger station for camp stickers.  Right away I was on the highway, 110 kph, heading SW past Toronto, 5 hours to the US border at Port Huron, then just a few miles to Port Huron Michigan Welcome Center where I aim to park for the night, The traffic was thick, but moving down CA 401. The line of trucks at the border was immense, luckily GPS routed me through Sarnia to the car lane.  From there it was about a 30 minute wait. I made sure I cooked all my eggs before crossing the border.  

Overnight parking at a rest stop is not camping. Everything you do has to pretty much be done inside the vehicle. So, after going for a walk and finding 2 geocaches, I went into town and had dinner at Cracker Barrel. 

I was off early the next morning heading west towards Flint, then south to Indiana. I believe it is a point of pride to pay $0 for camping, especially for full time van lifers. So while I was looking for a campground or another rest stop, I cam across the RV Hall of Fame & Museum at Elkhart Indiana. If you pay for the museum entrance fee, you can dry camp for free. They also have electrical hookups for $40. With Military discount, it cost $15 for the museum, plus I spent $10 on stickers. But I camped for free! It was pretty hot when I got there so I took my time in the museum. I think the one I liked the most was the 1928 Pierce-Arrow Fleet Housecar . THe parking lot was vast, plenty if places to park. There was also 3 pretty good geocaches.  I going to leave it here for this post. Thanks for visiting. Here are the Michigan - Indiana photo share. 

Quebec - Ontario Canada

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During this trip I try to stay on the country roads and avoid the speedways as much as possible. So it was no different when leaving New Brunswick. At first the GPS did not suggest alternate routes to the Casino parking lot on the border of Quebec but right around Moncton, GPS alerted that she has found another route that would save me 8 minutes! Why ever should I question the GPS, but I did check it against another app and it had the same results, so I took it thinking I would see more of the countryside, which surely did. The route through Northumberland turned out to be one lane logging road, mostly dirt, or in my case mud! Basically I went over the mountain rather than around. When a logging truck came by, I had to pull way over to the side, almost in the ditch, to let him pass. I didn’t time it, but I doubt I saved 8 minutes.

I arrived at the Grey Rock Casino just before 9pm. When in the casino and had a burger for dinner. Coincidentally, the couple I parked next to left Murray Beach this morning as well. Kelvin and Kristy are headed  home in North Ontario, 30 minutes east of Thunder Bay border crossing. I told them I had considered going that way, but I’m not sure I have the time. In the morning, they were already gone and they left a note on my windshield inviting me to there property. I pinned the note to the vizor and thought I can decide when I see how the next couple days go. 

Heading northwest, the drive into the Quebec province was very beautiful. The ridge line road followed a long skinny lake, Lake Témiscouata,  winding through small logging towns with colorful building and vistas showing thick timber and green meadows. 30 miles past the lake the road turned 90° to follow the banks of the St. Lawrence river  I earned the Quebec Souvenir by quickly finding a cache off the hwy witha scrabble up a nice trail. I picked another one near the river with a pier.  When I arrived St-Jean-Port-Joli, the church bell was ringing as I parked right next to the wharf.  I walked around, gathered the information for the cache, jumped back in drivers seat to log the cache. I looked up and there was man standing in front of the van giving me the thumbs up. He came around to the window and Louis and I talked about vans, he called them trucks. We went into the cafe across the parking lot and had he bought lunch and beers.  I followed Louis into town and on to his house/workshop so we could see his his van. We shared numbers and I told him to follow me on this Blog. 

It took the rest of the day to get to the maple farm, Aux Petits Plaisirs (To the Little Pleasures) in Warwick, the owner was waiting for me when I arrived. Part of the deal with Harvest Host you are expect to shop during your stay, so the owner was there to make sure I could shop. I bought maple candy, butter and some sausage made with maple. There was another RV there, a senior couple from Quebec. They were there to watch their Granddaughters soccer match in the morning. Our conversation was short because I do not speak much French and they did not speak much English. Once I got RAMVAN some what level, I took a walk around the farm. The road side geocaches both had Did Not Find (DNF) logs so I let them go. The weather that day was wonderful, sunshine all day. When I left in the morning, it was raining pretty hard. I hoped that it did not ruin the soccer match. 

I set the GPS for directions to a city park Virtual cache in Montreal, the second-largest in Canada. The

Title of the cache is called Moi, mes souliers (Me, my shoes), about Félix Leclerc, Author, composer and performer. he is considered the father of Quebec song, as a literary and poetic genre. His songs celebrate the imagination of childhood, nature, the country, love and the world of ordinary people, still close to their pioneering origins. (GC9P6D4) It also says that with his influence, Félix Leclerc was help Quebec maintain as a French speaking country.  There is a youtube video if him singing Moi, mes souliers  To get credit for the cache you have to locate the information panel nearby and answer 3 questions. Then you need to take a picture of your shoes with the Félix Leclerc bigger than life size statue. I love these interactive virtual caches that have you learn about influential

people and culture. After uploading and logging my find, I took a nice long walk around the park. I sensed a feeling that people were eger to get out in the sunshine. Many joggers, walkers and bike riding. There numerous activities for children, duck ponds and play grounds. Really it was pretty much like any city park. I enjoyed my visit.  I arrived back to RAMVAN and found no ticket, it was Sunday so I assumed like most places there is no fee for parking, but everything was in French so I was not sure. When I got in I had to leave quickly because there were others waiting for me to leave. The route out of Montreal to Bedrock Campground in Ontario took through a really long tunnel under the St. Lawrence River, fascinating!  Soon I was out of the city and back in the countryside. 

I had decided to stay at a provincial campground because I wanted to dump my grey water, refill fresh and

most importantly take a shower, in a shower. On my way, right after crossing the border into Ontario, I pulled off and found a quick cache at the entrance to a truck stop, thus earning the Ontario souvenir!   I arrived Ferris Provincial Park, Bedrock Campground just before 5 pm and got all set up. I checked for geocaches in the area and was please to find some along a over grown trail along the bank of the Trent River. It was about 85° felt like over 75% humidity so I figured geocaching first, then shower. Honestly, the hunt on this trail was a little creepy, lots of bugs and I was sweating like a horse. I found 3 traditional, a letterbox and a Multi all in good shape and well hidden. Evidence the local Cacher's are keeping an eye on things.  When I got back to camp, I was soaked through, muddy and thirsty! I pulled my cold water out of the fridge and got ready to take my shower.  Tomorrow I will be driving past Toronto and out of Canada. Not sure how the traffic will be and I do not plan to go into the city. I decided not to travel to Northern Ontario, I feel I have enough time to slowly make my way home.  Northern Ontario can be it's own adventure in the future.  Here is a link my shared photo album for Quebec and Ontario, thanks for reading my blog. 

Plage Murray Beach - Provincial Park

 0618-2025 46.17747, -63.97891

You should have seen the custom officer's face when I told him I going to visit "Saint" Edwards Island while I am camping at Murray Beach. I made it to the At the Canadian border. He asked so many questions, he didn't even give me time to correct myself! Maybe if I would correctly said "Prince" Edwards Island, he might not have made me itemize the contents of my refrigerator.  Looking at me hard, the officer said "Where did you get the eggs?" "Roaring Acres Farm in Connecticut" I responded. He told me to park the van and go inside. Entering the building, looking for the group W bench, I thought the next question will be do you now Todd Thedell, but the pretty lady at the desk just asked my name and said I was good to go.  
So I entered Canada, jumped on Hwy 1 and headed east. I stopped in Fredericton for lunch at Tim Hortons, in Canada Tim Hortons is as popular as McDonalds is in the US, but they have good coffee. After lunch I found a Micro cache in the parking lot and earned my New Brunswick Souvenir. 

I arrived at Plage Murray Beach - Provincial Park and checked in at the office. Site 101 was right on the edge of the loop, only a short walk to the beach and the North Atlantic. My spot for the next 2 days. The view out the van door pretty nice. 

In the morning I packed up and drove to Cape Jourimain and took the 7 mile bridge across the bay to Prince Edwards Island (PEI), there was a virtual cache and a couple traditional caches in the park at the end of the

bridge, Earning the PEI souvenir, I paid the toll and went back across the bridge then headed to Nova Scotia. Just across the province line, I found a peanut butter jar cache in a tree behind an old church.  

I visited a nearby park, right near the water, found 2 small caches and walked  around enjoying the beautiful weather. 

It was still early afternoon by the time I got back to site 101 and set up. Plenty of time for a long walk on the beach and in the ocean. Although I was looking forward to visiting Quebec, I could have stayed here for a week. 

👀 NB-NS-PEI👀

New Hampshire - Maine 2025

 0615-1825 

Just across the bridge over the Connecticut river, I found a quick guard rail cache to earn the New Hampshire souvenir. I set the GPS to the Home of Yankee Magazine and The Old Farmer's Almanac in Dublin NH where there is a Webcam Cache.

It was Sunday, so they weren't open so I was able to park in view of the camera and take a screenshot. 

The rest of the drive through the country side went by way to quick and I stayed off the turnpike. Before I knew it, I pulled into the Maine Welcome Center rest stop where I earned the Maine souvenir finding the 3 rest stop hides. One of them was a quick puzzle where the final was a little bird house inside the Welcome Center mounted on a post 

The campground I stayed at was north of Portland near NAS Brunswick, where I was stationed in 1984 - 1986.  The base is no longer in service, now it is an Executive Airport. I drove by the hospital where Danny was born then headed to Winslow State Park.  

My space right by the water and there was a nice winds coming off the sound.  After setting up I walked down to the cache hidden at Stockbridge Point. Sat for a while enjoying the sea breeze and the watching the sailboats return to port. Most of the spaces that were full had seasonal campers, people that reserve the space all summer. But the row I was on were by the night. 

The next day I rode Jaguarundi into town, found a nice trail by the YMCA. Locked the bike up and hiked to the end of the trail which reminded me of the trails in the NW where they use treat planks to maintain the trail. After that I rode down the main street to a roadside stand and had la lobster roll for lunch.  

When I first planned this I was going to go all the way to Canada after 2 days in Maine, but I decided that would be too far to drive on one day. So I booked Peaks-Kenny State Park for the next day. It was only 2 hours away and closer to Canada.  

I arrived in time to hike down to the lake and hunt the geocaches there. The lake had a beach that was full of families enjoying the niice weather. 

Making to Maine means that I have found a cache in all 50 states.  Instead of turning around and go back, I will get to work on the Canadian Providences, I already have British Columbia, but that is it. My route takes me to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edwards Island. Then instead of going back through New England, I will go through Quebec and Ontario. That leaves Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon. These will take more planning and maybe a few trips. 

I you are enjoying these post or if not, you can leave a comment below the post. 

👀 NH-ME photos 👀

MA-CT-RI -VT 2025

 0613-1425 

Friday morning I left Glimmerglass State Park angling down New York.  Found my first cache "Hancock Hijinks" just across the state line in Massachusetts  at a small parking area. 

Continued SE entering Connecticut and checked into the Roaring Acres Farm, but didn't set up. I proceeded into town (Windsor CT) to Nifty Laundromat and did a load of cloths. Found my first CT cache while waiting for the dryer.  Shopped at the nearby grocer and returned to the farm. 

My night at the farm was very peaceful. This is the only place so far that I lit a fire using the portable table top fire ring. I was able to visit the Alpacas and when the sun went down they all gathered near the fence. Im the morning I bought a dozen eggs.  

I really did have a plan for Rhode Island, just get in, find a cache and get out. I do not want to get too close to crowed cities. Hawkins Pond just over the state line on highway 44 where I had a nice walk around the pond and found a nice ammo can cache to earn the RI souvenir. 

 A few minutes later I was back in Connecticut heading north towards Vermont where the plan was to stay at the Guilford Northbound Welcome Center Rest Area. I made good time and was in the RV parking area by 1300 and found the biggest Trackable Hotel right there in the rest stop. 

  There was also another regular cache and a adventure lab with a bonus cache. Geocaching complete, I hunkered down for an evening in a parking lot. In the morning I waited until after 7am to leave, into New Hampshire and onto Maine.  Photos 4 in 2 days

 

Glimmerglass State Park - Cooperstown, NY

 0611-1325 42.78672, -74.86205

I arrived with plenty of time to set up in campsite 37, a space off by it's self across the road from the main campground, them go see the covered bridge and try to solve the field puzzle cache. Next thing I knew, I was bushwhacking my way to a Letterbox cache in the woods. There was more, but I decided to save them for next day after my visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

The next morning I took a really nice shower, but on my San Diego Padres gear, packed up and drove the 8 miles south to Cooperstown.  I parked at the trolly ride lot, but found out the trolly does not begin until Saturday. Good opportunity to get some steps in, it was about 3 kilometer walk to the museum. The first thing I noticed is the town was much more humble looking than I expected. I was prepared with MLB influenced hoopla and hype. There was banners for the upcoming inductees, but not a lot of MLB extravagance. The town has been kept small, historic and simple.

The museum is 3 stories of a lot of memorabilia with the plaque room on the first floor. I started on the 2nd floor, watched a 17 minute introduction film, then wandered through the many exhibits, finishing in the plaque room. The plaques are arrayed, grouped by years, so I started at the beginning and took my time, stopping at Tony Gwynn's remembering how he evolved into "Mr. Padre" in which there will never be another like him.  I spent 2 hours in the museum then went to find the various hides. 

There was a real nice Adventure Lab with a puzzle bonus cache. Now this is was I really like about geocaching, it takes to some spots that you might never have a reason to go and see. The bonus took me almost out of town to a really cool stone bridge. The cache was a baseball bat hollowed out at to top. 

That left me on the opposite side of the tow, so I had a nice stroll back to the RAMVAN, where I made a sandwich and a coffee before I went back to the campground. 

I stopped at the park entrance to get the first stage of a 2 stage multi-cache.  The first stage was a small Tupperware painting to blend in with the block wall right in front of the office window. What I found was a laminated written note " go inside and ask for the final." Inside I showed them the note and the reached under the counter and handed me a ammo box.

I signed the log and the ranger gave me a cool coin trackable. Apparently there was a cache challenge in the area and this was the last of the challenge. So you win a coin. 

I had the whole afternoon left to get on Jaguarundi and go after some more hides.  I rode as far around the park as the trails would take me. Returned to camp to plan the next days journey. Not all who wander are lost 😃

GGSP Cooperstown shared album

Sterling State Park - Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York

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I stopped at the Welcome Center rest stop just across the state line, but could not find the cache. But I did complete the questions about Michigan Rocks and got credit for a Earth Cache to get the Michigan souvenir.  I arrived at the RV Park, which was all open and rows of RVs. Most were trailers with boats.  I did not set up, I took off to find the geocaches on the beach,

which turned out to be a real long walk and I could not find either of the caches. No worries, there are three more on the bike trails, but I later found out that area was closed. I went in through the barricades but was run off by a guy on a earth mover. 

When I got back to the van it was covered with these big mosquitoes looking fly which turned out to be Mayflies.  They were really not a bother, they didn't bite, but there was so many. I put up the mosquito net across the door to keep them out of the van.  I got them off all the bins I took out of the van and got everything inside.  In the morning they were still there, but they were not alive. It's like they just dried up. I was up early and went and took a well needed shower, when I returned most if the dead ones had blown off replaced by new ones. 

 I spent the rest of my time planning my trip east through Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. 

I found a place on the Pennsylvania coast called Presque Isle State Park. There is a monument about the Naval battles in Lake Erie. I Had a good time taking the walk getting all the answers to the Virtual cache questions about Capt. Oliver Hazard Perry. 

Not knowing how far I was going to drive, I continued east into New York through Buffalo andI plan to stay the night for free at a rest stop or another Crackle Barrel.  The first "Service Station" , not really a rest stop, there is a gas station and a Dunkin Donuts but there was a sign saying no overnight parking 4 hour limit. So I headed down the road and found another one. This one was partly under construction, but there was no sign so I decided to stay and see if someone tells me to leave. Soon there was another Van, a truck and camper and semis parked for the night. 

The next day I decided not to pay the turnpike tolls and take the scenic route through the Finger Lakes. I stopped at Canandaigua Lake, Seneca Lake and Skaneateles Lake. Passing Farms and small towns, just enjoying the drive. Before I new it I was pulling into Glimmer Glass State Park (Otsego Lake) - Cooperstown, NY. 

Photos of Michigan 

Photos of Michigan to New York