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Boundary Bay Cache Machine


travisl

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Note: circumstances may change after this initial posting. Look for my posts (with the icon13.gif icon) in this thread for all the important details and changes.

 

(Link to dinner event cache.)

 

The communities of Delta, White Rock, Tsawwassen, Blaine, and Point Roberts all share Boundary Bay's edge. It's an important stop for birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, particularly for Western Sandpiper and Dunlin, and it's been designated as a Hemisphere Reserve and a Canadian Important Bird Area. It's also chock full of caches.

 

For this CM, I've again tried to pick the cream of the crop. There's cool containers. There's scenic overlooks. There's multiple border crossings. And yes, there's a few park-and-grabs. But be prepared to walk. Several caches are on the dyke trail, so consider bringing a bike if you think it will save you some time.

 

So fill up the tank, grab your passports, toss down some breakfast at way-too-early o'clock, and start on the route at Pioneer Treasures. Sunrise on Saturday, September 27, is at 6:45 a.m., so we'll start then. From there, move at your own pace and get as many as you can.

 

Dinner's at 7:00 p.m. at Pier Restaurant and Grill, 715 Simundon Drive, Point Roberts. See its event page for details. A headcount ahead of time will be very helpful. Please log your "will attends" on the event page.

 

Note that several caches on the route map may be marked with a "do not enter" icon (icon_disabled.gif). Those cache owners have justifiably asked for their cache to not be on the route, and for the cache to not be sought after this weekend. The cache is, in the owner's opinion, in a sensitive area, whether it's environmentally sensitive, socially sensitive, or physically fragile. Just don't get it. It's not like there's a shortage of caches in the area.

 

Rules:

1) Follow all traffic laws, and drive safely. This is not a race; there are no winners. The only loser will be someone who gets hurt. When the border guard asks what you're doing, the right answer is honesty: "geocaching".

 

2) Respect private property, even if the cache owner didn't. Post your DNFs proudly.

 

3) One logbook entry for "BBCM" is fine for most small and micros. Don't go filling up the logbook just because you want to mark your territory. 100 people's names and dates will fill up most one-sheets. Be kind and bring extra paper to add to caches with full logbooks.

 

4) As with all cache machines, if you find the cache, you'll be the one who has to re-hide it. Hide it as well as you found it. Handing it off to someone else and pointing down saying "it goes there" isn't good enough. Don't be a jerk. The extra 45 seconds isn't going to ruin your day.

 

If you’ve already found a couple of these caches, that’s fine - give us a chance to find the cache, and then we may turn to you for a hint. Suggestions and ''Count me ins'' are welcome on the event page.

 

----

 

The Boundary Bay Cache Machine FAQ:

 

When is it? When is the start time?

Saturday, September 27, 2014. Start time is 6:45 a.m. at Pioneer Treasures.

 

Will it be one large group, will we be split into teams, or what?

We'll start as one large group, but after a dozen caches or so, the large groups will likely fragment, and on a long day like this, you'll probably be on your own by the time most people in town are waking up.

 

Is anything going on before, during, or after?

  • Friday, September 26, at 7:00 p.m., will be a pre-event dinner at the Rose and Crown Pub, 1203 56 St, Delta, BC, N 49° 01.494’, W 123° 04.218’. This is a 19+ only bar. Last-minute changes will be announced at this dinner and in the Groundspeak forum.
  • Saturday, September 27, at 7:00 p.m., dinner will be at Pier Restaurant & Grill, 715 Simundon Drive, Point Roberts, WA, N 48° 58.610, W 123° 03.822. See its event page for details. Please let me know how many of you are coming by logging a "will attend" on the event page.
  • Sunday, September 28, you're on your own. There's a lot of caches still out there.

 

A cache on your map shows the wrong place to park.

Hey, that road doesn't exist!

What's with making us ford a river?

Thanks for catching that! Let me know, and I'll incorporate it into the route.

 

If dinner's at 7:00 p.m., why does the route run way past then? Is this a two-day event?

The extra time is a buffer, in case you're so good that you'd run out of caches before you run out of daylight. I don't expect anyone would be able to hit all of them between sunrise and sunset. Of course, if you wanted to hit them after dinner, or on Sunday, I'm sure you'll be able to find folks to join you.

 

It sounds fun, but I've already found some of them.

Then come laugh at us, or guess when we'll be at the caches you haven't hit yet.

 

You don't have X cache on the route. Why aren't we getting that one?

I try to avoid most multicaches, most puzzle caches, caches that appear to be overly time consuming, and caches that the owner has asked us to avoid.

 

You have X cache on the route, but it's disabled/archived/a two mile hike.

Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route (if archived) or will check with the owner (if disabled).

 

X cache is in an environmentally sensitive area.

By all means, let me know. I don't want to send 100 people there to stomp all over it.

 

I disagree with the whole idea of cache machines. I don't want you finding my cache.

Sorry to hear that. It's too bad you've got a neat place to show us that we won't be able to see. Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route.

 

What's this gonna cost me?

Nothing for the caching. Or, at least, nothing more than it would cost than if you did the trip solo (e.g., paying for your own gas, hotel, and dinner). I'm not collecting any money for this.

 

Lunch? Breaks? Bathrooms?

There's no breaks in cache machines! Just hold it. :-P Or find something on the way. I'm pretty sure the route will have a cache in a Starbucks drive-thru early in the morning.

 

Rain? Snow? Landslides? Flooding?

Probably, yes. Do what you safely can, and skip ahead when reality or your capabilities don't match the plan. Be prepared and flexible.

 

What do the map symbols mean?

Turquoise lines show my suggested route, but if there's a brown trail or grey road that I've drawn in, ignore the turquoise. Purple "P" icons show places to leave a car for a short time. And there's these symbols:

ce16d180-40c2-423d-a3ab-b976b7b4a2b2.jpg

Edited by travisl
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While we're waiting for event approval, a few things to note:

  • The first draft of the route is here. As always, feedback, suggestions, and "this road doesn't exist" comments are very helpful.
  • If you follow the route, you'll be crossing the Point Roberts border at least four times, twice each day. Bring your passport.
  • Point Roberts, for those unaware, is a 1 mile by 2 mile peninsula of land that had the audacity to hang below the 49th parallel. Its residents consider it the most secure gated community in the US.
  • You might consider bringing your bike. Several of the caches are on the Boundary Bay Dyke Trail, so there's going to be some walking involved.

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Interesting choice of location. I know about that little piece of land up there when I first started geocaching. Because of the nature of the location, this thread should be listed in the canada forum as well.

Moderators frown on the same discussion going on in two threads at the same time.

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Interesting choice of location. I know about that little piece of land up there when I first started geocaching. Because of the nature of the location, this thread should be listed in the canada forum as well.

Moderators frown on the same discussion going on in two threads at the same time.

Yes. I know but this is a rare case that a cache machine is on both side of the 49. I feel more people from canada will be interesting in this than we are. Its really out of the way for a lot of us due to backtracking.

 

Is there a way to get a thread over there with a link to here and lock it?

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Can one of our Canadian friends shed some light on the Gas Buddy Gas Prices? In Delta, BC Petro-Canada is listed as 142.9. I'm hoping that is not USD $142.90 a gallon.

 

I'm not Canadian, but I've done the math before. That price is CAD/litre. $1.429 CAD/litre is $4.942 USD/gallon. The Canadian dollar is currently about $0.91 USD. Definitely buy your gas in Blaine or Point Roberts, if you can.

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I was just looking at the puzzle for #3 GC1QM8M Whisper at the Point and it says:

 

The only times you have access to the cache are:

 

Tuesday.................2:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Wednesday&Friday........11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Saturday................10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

 

I doubt it will be 10:00 AM when we reach this one.

 

Terrible Ts

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I've done some of the caches in the area previously, and have noted some route issues:

1. No right turn possible at 28 Ave from Highway 17. You must go north on 56 street and use the new overpass to cross Highway 17. There is NO access from 28 Ave to Highway 17 either. Your maps also do not show the new route for the Highway 17 "freeway" through the area.

2. Parking is limited at the south end of 64th street but as you said the group should be somewhat spread out by then.

3. Parking is not permitted at the south end of 88th Street. IF (and that's a big IF) the gates are open, there may be a couple of parking spots on the dyke at that point. Otherwise, there is no parking there.

4. Ditto for 96th Street. There is a larger parking area at 72 and 104 streets.

5. The south end of 34 Street has a narrow log bridge to access the Dyke. It's not suitable for everyone and can be slippery when wet. It crosses a deep ditch full of agricultural run-off.

6. Parking for #75 is in Wellington Point Park - no access from the road to the cache.

 

Hope this helps!

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1. No right turn possible at 28 Ave from Highway 17. You must go north on 56 street and use the new overpass to cross Highway 17. There is NO access from 28 Ave to Highway 17 either. Your maps also do not show the new route for the Highway 17 "freeway" through the area.
Thanks. My next draft will have the new freeway hand-drawn in, along with the roadblocks at 28th.

 

3. Parking is not permitted at the south end of 88th Street. ... 4. Ditto for 96th Street.
OK -- those 9 caches will be off the route. To make up for the loss, I'm adding four more south of Kings Links Golf Course, near the 72 St trail entrance. That gives me one more Blue Ribbon cache to add to the route. Hope folks don't mind a little longer walk.

 

5. The south end of 34 Street has a narrow log bridge to access the Dyke. It's not suitable for everyone and can be slippery when wet. It crosses a deep ditch full of agricultural run-off.
I'll note it on the route map and let folks decide if they're up to it.

 

6. Parking for #75 is in Wellington Point Park - no access from the road to the cache.
Noted and fixed. Thanks for the advice!

 

I was just looking at the puzzle for #3 GC1QM8M Whisper at the Point and it says ... 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. I doubt it will be 10:00 AM when we reach this one.

I looked at that one several times, and am still trying to figure out how to include it on the route. Like you, I'm afraid it's going to be either too early or too late in the day. Probably not gonna happen.
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Finding decent, reasonably priced hotel near the CM may be a bit of a challenge. FYI that Travis, kiersolvd, and I (THAK!) have booked at

 

Comfort Inn & Suites

8255-166 Street

Surrey, BC, CA, V4N 5R8

Phone: (604) 576-8888

 

If you're a Choice Hotels member and book at their site, you can get a rate of $83.20 with advance purchase (no refunds).

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Finding decent, reasonably priced hotel near the CM may be a bit of a challenge. FYI that Travis, kiersolvd, and I (THAK!) have booked at

 

Comfort Inn & Suites

8255-166 Street

Surrey, BC, CA, V4N 5R8

Phone: (604) 576-8888

 

If you're a Choice Hotels member and book at their site, you can get a rate of $83.20 CN ($76 US) with advance purchase (no refunds).

Edited by hydnsek
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Accomodation prices prevent us from attending CM this time round. We've been 'bleeding' money lately, so time to reign a bit of that in. Sometimes I think it would be a great deal if enough of us booked a vacation home instead & split costs. Keep that in mind if it ever comes up with your team Abby - on this or future CMs - we would probably be willing if the price justified it.

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Accomodation prices prevent us from attending CM this time round. We've been 'bleeding' money lately, so time to reign a bit of that in. Sometimes I think it would be a great deal if enough of us booked a vacation home instead & split costs. Keep that in mind if it ever comes up with your team Abby - on this or future CMs - we would probably be willing if the price justified it.

That's a great suggestion, Lizzy. I used to do that all the time with my ski buddies when we went to Tahoe. With the rise of airbnb and similar sites, this might be something to look into in future, esp in more expensive locales like the Vancouver BC area. And definitely when we have the CM in Hawaii. :lol:

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Finding decent, reasonably priced hotel near the CM may be a bit of a challenge. FYI that Travis, kiersolvd, and I (THAK!) have booked at

 

Comfort Inn & Suites

8255-166 Street

Surrey, BC, CA, V4N 5R8

Phone: (604) 576-8888

 

If you're a Choice Hotels member and book at their site, you can get a rate of $83.20 with advance purchase (no refunds).

 

I was just getting on to see what people were looking at for accommodations. I booked a room at the Holiday inn express

Holiday inn express

10688 Number 6 Rd

Richmond, BC V6W 1E7, Canada

 

Not really happy with the proximity to the CM route or the dinner, but it is a lot closer than the comfort so I guess I shouldn't complain. Though I have not compared room rates yet. Thought about possibly switching to one of the mom & pop's near by though.

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Based on feedback from three different cachers, I'm going to move the start point of the route into Canada. I haven't worked out the "where" yet, but I'm leaning towards the far eastern end of the route, near current stops 57-59. Thoughts?

Thoughts. Its likely better for hotels, I was looking at one in that area.

 

I wonder if the later crossing into Point Roberts will cause problems with a lot delays at the border crossings.

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Based on feedback from three different cachers, I'm going to move the start point of the route into Canada. I haven't worked out the "where" yet, but I'm leaning towards the far eastern end of the route, near current stops 57-59. Thoughts?

Thoughts. Its likely better for hotels, I was looking at one in that area.

 

I wonder if the later crossing into Point Roberts will cause problems with a lot delays at the border crossings.

I doubt it. Pt Roberts is not a high-traffic location, at least when I've been there. And we're talking a Saturday.

Edited by hydnsek
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Draft 2 is up! Thanks to Brilang, MrGigabyte, Terrible Ts, Hydnsek, and JHolly for helping out.

 

The start point has moved considerably, shuffling up the route considerably, so to avoid double (or triple) border crossing and associated traffic. The endpoint, dinner, is still on Point Roberts.

 

I look forward to any additional feedback and of you can provide. I'll post the final route on September 22, and then announce any last-minute changes on the evening of September 26, both at the pre-event dinner and here.

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I would be inclined to drop #20. With the new freeway in the area, access is not as simple as it appears, and there is no direct route between #20 and #21. The only road crossing Highway 99 between #20 and #21 is the new freeway #17, and it doesn't have an exit towards #21-28. On your map, #17 is now #17A.

I would consider rerouting from 14. Proceed west on Ladner Trunk Road to 72 street, then south to the end of the road. Then re-plot the route from there. Perhaps starging from #14, go to #21-28, then #29, #30-35. #15-19 could be added before #36-37.

 

There is parking @ #51 and #56. No parking at #52, 53. Round trip hike from #56 to #54 is approximately 1km or 0.6 miles. The road ends @ #56.

 

#57-60 (I think I mentioned this earlier) are accessed by a log bridge over a deep ditch. Caution advised.

 

#75 - caution advised to not arouse suspicion of the US border guards, especially since vehicles will be crossing the border later. I would probably be inclined to drop this one.

 

#82-84 are NOT accessible from the east end of 21 Ave. Your map is labeled 56 street, but Google Maps say it's 21 Ave. You would need to cross private property to access the dyke via that route.

 

#96 & 97 - Too much traffic may rouse the suspicion of US border guards as well. Best to stay on their good side.

 

To replace some of these caches, I would suggest routing up into the neighbourhood to the west of the Highway 99 tunnel (George Massey Tunnel). I would suggest GC185CR and GC2WVRB and anything else in that area. Those could be inserted after #42.

 

Hope this helps and I'm not being too annoying :)

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Great, great comments. Thanks a ton. One by one:

 

I would be inclined to drop #20.
Done. Looking at the updated highway map on Google Maps, I see the difficulty getting there. MrGigabyte had warned me of the new highway, but I missed the challenging road to this one.

 

I would consider rerouting from 14. Proceed west on Ladner Trunk Road to 72 street, then south to the end of the road. Then re-plot the route from there. Perhaps starging from #14, go to #21-28, then #29, #30-35. #15-19 could be added before #36-37.
Brilliant. That's exactly what I'll do.

 

There is parking @ #51 and #56. No parking at #52, 53. Round trip hike from #56 to #54 is approximately 1km or 0.6 miles. The road ends @ #56.
At #52, I'm seeing a very wide looking spot in the Bing and Google satellite photos. In fact, the Google photo shows a car parked about 10 meters from the cache. Is that not there and available for very short-term parking?

 

At #53, are the coordinates considerably off? Satellite photos show it near the base of a telephone pole on the south side of the road, not on the trail.

 

#57-60 (I think I mentioned this earlier) are accessed by a log bridge over a deep ditch. Caution advised.
I've got a warning in the page 2 instructions, but I'll add it to the map as well.

 

#82-84 are NOT accessible from the east end of 21 Ave. Your map is labeled 56 street, but Google Maps say it's 21 Ave. You would need to cross private property to access the dyke via that route
#82-84: I've removed two of the three, and extended the walk from #79 to get to the third one.

 

{#75, #96 & 97} - Too much traffic may rouse the suspicion of ... border guards as well. Best to stay on their good side.
#75, #96, and #97, I'll add a warning to stay on the US side of the border. I've e-mailed the governments' border patrol agencies, but I doubt the information will filter down to the actual agents here. I'll try again a little closer to the date of the event, though. I really want to do #95, mainly because it's probably the closest I'll ever get to finding a physical cache within feet of an international border.

 

To replace some of these caches, I would suggest ... GC185CR and GC2WVRB and anything else in that area. Those could be inserted after #42.
I'll add the cluster of five caches on or just south of the Cove Links Golf Course (GE2WVRB, GC46K75, GC185CR, GCYMVB, and GC3HZA8).

 

Hope this helps and I'm not being too annoying :)
It's so much help, and far, far from annoying. I appreciate your insight.
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#52 - there may be a narrow, deep water filled ditch between the road and the dyke. I hiked that area earlier this summer and there was a ditch in some areas, and nearly impenetrable vegetation in others (Blackberries). I just don't remember which stretch had which hazards.

 

#53 is by the telephone pole. My mistake.

 

You are welcome for the assistance. I'm looking forward to attending my first Cache Machine. Anyone wanna carpool?? I can drive up to 3 others, or tag along with anyone who wants me!

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I'm looking forward to attending my first Cache Machine. Anyone wanna carpool?? I can drive up to 3 others, or tag along with anyone who wants me!
{link to event log} We are two geocachers from Germany (Jules_i5 and me, jensorgoe) who are visiting Vancouver/ Surrey during the next weeks. We would love to attend the CM beginning Saturday morning!

 

But: We can't say yet if we are able to organise a rental car. Would it be possible to join someone who can take us along during the day?

Brilang, meet Jensorgoe. Jensorgoe, meet Brilang.

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I've just posted the final route. Any changes after this point will be announced at an informal dinner on Friday (at the Rose and Crown Pub, a 19+ bar) and after dinner in this forum thread.

 

If you haven't RSVPed on the event page for dinner on Saturday, please do so. I'll be contacting the Pier restaurant on Tuesday to give them a final estimate. (Even if you don't RSVP, feel free to show up anyway.)

 

See you soon!

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Can someone please post a GPX file of this Cache Machine? I am trying all different ways to create a gpx and I can't seem to get it right. It's driving us crazy. I downloaded the GSAK software, and can't bridge the gap to get a usable file.

 

Thanks in advance from an active geocaching family, we're just not technically savvy enough.

Run a Pocket Query on jholly's posted bookmark list and you'll have a GPX file of the route. That's how many of us do it. Slicing and dicing in GSAK is just a bonus. B)

 

FYI, sharing a public GPX file is against the site's TOU.

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Can someone please post a GPX file of this Cache Machine? I am trying all different ways to create a gpx and I can't seem to get it right. It's driving us crazy. I downloaded the GSAK software, and can't bridge the gap to get a usable file.

 

Thanks in advance from an active geocaching family, we're just not technically savvy enough.

Run a Pocket Query on jholly's posted bookmark list and you'll have a GPX file of the route. That's how many of us do it. Slicing and dicing in GSAK is just a bonus. B)

 

FYI, sharing a public GPX file is against the site's TOU.

 

Thanks for the help, the pocket query finally worked, it seems like it has a mind of its own. Sometimes it is almost instantaneous, sometimes it takes several hours. The one we needed in a hurry finally showed up this morning of course.

Edited by 2manwreckingcrew
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I have disabled my cache http://coord.info/GC3233Y as I do not want it to be part of the cache machine, thanks. I've had a bad experience with cache machines and my caches in the past.

Since you waited so long before you made the announcement don't be surprised if you get a number of finds. 9:30pm the night before just about everyone has the GPS's loaded and nearly no one is looking at the forums.

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I have disabled my cache http://coord.info/GC3233Y as I do not want it to be part of the cache machine, thanks.

That's very reasonable; thanks for the heads up. Unfortunately, I didn't see this before the pre-event dinner, so wasn't able to spread the word. I'll tell folks at the start point tomorrow morning, but they're a subset of the group of cache machinery tomorrow. I'm sure there will be a handful of lower-tech cachers who have already loaded up their pocket query, and might not be aware that it's disabled until they try and find it. I'll do what I can to spread the word.

 

So here's the route updates:

  • The start point listed in the first post of this thread is incorrect. The correct start point is GCVG5Q, Dike - Hike or Bike #1.
  • GC3233Y, Deas Way and Dat, stop #35, is off the route. Do not hunt it.
  • GC42NNN, Pipe Dream, stop #38, is jammed in tight, and is likely to be broken after the next cacher tries to extract it.

 

See you all at 6:45 tomorrow morning (or throughout the day)!

Edited by travisl
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I have disabled my cache http://coord.info/GC3233Y as I do not want it to be part of the cache machine, thanks. I've had a bad experience with cache machines and my caches in the past.

 

Since you waited so long before you made the announcement don't be surprised if you get a number of finds. 9:30pm the night before just about everyone has the GPS's loaded and nearly no one is looking at the forums.

 

NOT one person involved in this cache machine contacted me about this. I'm lucky I found out about it at all. Thanks.

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Thanks again to everyone who participated in the machine. Particular thanks to those who gave me help with the day and the route, particularly MrGigabyte, JHolly, and especially Brilang.

 

Also, thanks for being patient at dinner last night. I'd warned them that we'd have about 40 people there, but they're a small operation and handled our slightly-larger-than-expected crowd as best as they could.

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