Tropical Storm Fay - August 21-22, 2008

Tropical Storm Fay hit Florida this week and resulted in the Biologist's office being closed for a couple of days. This gave her the opportunity (in between power outages) to get caught up (mostly) on several weeks of posting backlogs. Sorry to all of you who ended up with numerous National Register of Historic Places, This Old Church, Wikipedia, etc. waymarks to review!

Quick Trip to Gainesville then Back Home Via Ocala - August 17, 2008

Today the Biologist was on her own. The Marine, who's the commissioner of two Jacksonville Fantasy Football leagues, had some serious studying to do. No, not for his Biology class, silly. For his upcoming Fantasy Football drafts.

So the Biologist got up bright and early and headed over to
Gainesville to the University of Florida Herbarium and then the Flying Gators Model Aircraft Field just outside Gainesville in Archer. After completing those two missions, she turned around and started heading back home to Jacksonville. A few miles into the return drive, she spotted a sign indicating it was only 36 miles to Ocala. Hmm, there's another ALDI Market in Ocala; maybe this one's been finished -- it sure would be nice to find one that was already open! So off to Ocala she went. Well, that didn't work out too well as that ALDI Market was under construction too! She took the necessary photos and coords anyway. Maybe they'll approve ones that are under construction (THEY WILL!!! YEA!!!).

Well, since she'd come all the way to Ocala to get an ALDI Market that wasn't even open yet, she had to wander around a little to make it worth her while (and the cost of the gasoline!). Fortunately she spotted a few cool Fiberglass Horses, some Florida Historical Markers, and even a Googie sign. Then it was time to head back home to get ready for the work week. Working sure does interfere with waymarking...

We're Going to Disney! - Saturday, August 16, 2008

Today we had plans to drive down to Lady Lake, Florida, to take the Marine's mom out to dinner. She was down here from Ohio for a week of golfing with friends. So... since we were going to be heading down to the Orlando area (come on, Orlando is only about an hour and a half away from Lady Lake), we decided to go to Disney's Epcot first. The Marine had never been there and always wanted to go. The Biologist had been there once several years ago and was not overly impressed, BUT there was an unclaimed Walt Disney World Benchmark in the park calling (okay screaming) out to her. We got up at 5:00am so we could get down there when the park opened. We wandered all over the park, found a couple of virtual caches while we were there, and visited a Geodesic Dome (Spaceship Earth), Thatch Cottage, and a few other waymarks. The Biologist's eyes really lit up when she spotted another Geodesic Dome in the park (the old Wonders of Life building). The Biologist enjoyed Epcot much better this time!

By 4:00pm, we'd had enough of Epcot and off we went to Lady Lake to meet up with the Marine's mom. Wasn't it lucky that there's an ALDI Market under construction in Lady Lake! It was close to being completed and will be opening in October. A few photos and a set of coords later, we made it to our destination and had a very nice dinner at the local Bonefish Grill with the Marine's mom before heading home to Jacksonville. Whew! That sure was a long day.

BruceS Comes to Jacksonville - Wednesday, August 13, 2008

No kidding! The famous... or is it infamous... BruceS was in Jacksonville on business and asked if we could meet one evening. "You bet," the Biologist said. So the Northeast Florida Geocachers Association gave him a warm welcome and we had a great time exchanging waymarking stories over dinner. When the Biologist realized BruceS is just as wacky for waymarking as she is (or maybe even wackier!), she turned to the Marine and said, "See, I'm normal!" He replied, "No honey, it's just that there are others of your kind." Harumph!

Almost Heaven, West Virginia - Saturday, August 9, 2008

Today we decided to head to historic Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The Biologist had been there a couple of times when she used to live in the D.C. area, but this was a first for the Marine, who happens to be a history lover. We took a beautiful drive through the countryside and made a few stops along the way for West Virginia Historical Markers and an Appalachian Trail Marker before arriving in Harper's Ferry (where we found another Appalachian Trail Marker just over the pedestrian bridge across the Potomac River to Maryland). We had a great time wandering around this lovely historic town located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. We found several waymarks, but for the most part just enjoyed wandering around.

Of course, while we were wandering around we decided to check out the exhibits in the National Park Service's Information Center located in the old Master Armorer's House and what do you think we found?! A map showing the location of the historic Iron Ore Furnaces in the area. The Biologist quickly made her way to the information desk and asked a ranger about the map. He said that only one of those furnaces still exist... the Antietam Iron Furnace. Well, it just so happens we were planning to visit Antietam since we were so close. Really! No joke! Off to the furnace we went and then took a drive through the battlefield before calling it a day and making our way back to our hotel as we had a morning flight to catch.

Back to D.C. - Friday, August 8, 2008

Today we headed back to the Washington, D.C. area. Thank goodness for frequent flyer miles! We were here in May for a business trip of the Biologist's, but just didn't have quite enough time to do everything we wanted. This trip was just for fun... although the Marine may not have had quite as much fun as the Biologist.

Upon arriving at Dulles airport, we picked up our rental car and off we went. Our first stop was the Huntington Metro Station. No, we didn't go there to catch the subway, you silly people. We had an elevator to catch! You got it... a Public Funicular! Woo hoo. We were sure someone would grab this one before we could get back to the area, but we lucked out. It was ours... all ours, bwaa ha ha.


Next we headed to the Washington Navy Yard to visit the Navy Art Gallery. Doesn't everyone go to the Navy Art Gallery when they're in D.C.? They don't?! We'll they should. They have some fantastic original drawings from the Antarctic Operation Deep Freeze expeditions stored there. A great way to see a fantastic Antarctic Point of Interest without getting frostbite!

After leaving the Navy Yard, it turns out we were just down the road from the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Stadium. Who could resist making a quick stop to view the location of a FIFA World Cup Venue? Okay, so the Marine probably could have resisted, but not with the Biologist in the car!

Next we made a short stop downtown to check out a few sites we didn't have time to fully appreciate in May, then off to find a Ghost Bike. A very sobering memorial to the loss of a beautiful young woman and a reminder of the need to stay alert to cyclists sharing the road.


Next we made a short side trip to Baltimore. Yes, it really was a side trip! We actually had to go there so the Marine could eat at the Blue Moon Cafe, a cafe featured on his favorite show "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." Really. Was it the Biologist's fault that the cafe was only open for breakfast and lunch and we arrived in time for dinner? I don't think so. The Marine should have checked that out before we took our little side trip. Fortunately he didn't and we were able to find a Railroad Roundhouse that hadn't been claimed and we also took the opportunity to visit one of the very rare Shot Towers in the U.S.

By the time we finally found a place to eat and made it back to D.C. to check into our hotel, it was time to get some sleep in preparation for a busy Saturday.

Heading Home - Sunday, August 3, 2008

Today we did something VERY different. On our way home, we went geocaching! Okay so we only found one cache, but it was a good one. It was located at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina, where the Marine went through basic training in 1978. We wandered around a bit with the Marine showing the Biologist around his old stomping grounds. After leaving the base, we made a beeline for home, but we all know that bees don't actually fly in straight lines. We took the back roads for a ways to avoid some of the busy and boring highway travel and passed through Savannah where we took photos of a few Georgia Historical Markers, This Old Church that was over 100 years old, and an Atlas Statue (cha ching!). Then home we went. Poor Rascal and Scamp (the best cats in the world) were really glad to see us. They aren't all that fond of waymarking...

Historic Charleston, South Carolina - Saturday, August 2, 2008

The Biologist allowed the Marine to sleep in until 8am (isn't she nice?) then off we headed to the Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site (after a short stop at the historic Magnolia Cemetery that is). What a beautiful park, filled with history, a small Zoo, a nice new visitor center, and... wait for it... a Whispering Giant! We spent a couple of hours wandering around this great place then off we headed to historic downtown Charleston, where we made a quick stop at a cute little Children's Garden.

By the time we parked in the downtown area, it was already after 12:30pm, so we waited outside in line for the reknowed Jestine's Kitchen. If you're ever in Charleston, we highly recommend you stand in line to eat here. It's well worth the wait. Good southern style home cooking topped off with yummy Coca Cola cake.
By the time we left the restaurant, we were into the heat of the day. The heat index easily over 100 degrees. Wandered around the historic streets and took lots of photos of National Register of Historic Places properties (some day the Biologist will find the time to post/visit them all). The architecture here is absolutely awesome! As we stopped to look at the historic Hibernian Society Hall, the Marine spotted something that bore investigating. Turns out it was a section of a pillar from the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. We didn't go In Search of the Celts this weekend, but we found them just the same!

After walking around for a few hours, we were extremely hot and thirsty and spotted an Italian ice stand. Fourteen dollars later (unfortunately we didn't realize 2 large Italian ices would cost so much until after we had them in our hands), we headed back to the car and turned the AC on full blast. Whew, were we hot and a little sunburned. Headed out to find a few more unclaimed historical markers, then back to the hotel for a little Rand R and a good night's sleep.

On the Road to Charleston, South Carolina - Friday, August 1, 2008

At last the weekend had arrived and it was time for our next waymarking adventure! The Biologist had done some more research and off we went to Charleston, normally about a 4-hour drive from Jacksonville. But of course, not when you're a waymarker! We had an important mission during our drive... to visit the Hatch Nuclear Power Plant near Baxley, Georgia. Okay, so we didn't take the most direct route to Charleston, but what self-respecting waymarker would? We arrived at the power plant, unsure what we'd find, but thankfully there was a visitor center. Took the tour through the center and went outside to take some photos. Cha ching! Another icon bites the dust. Back on the road to Charleston...

Stopped at a couple of Georgia Historical Markers on the way and crossed the State border and found a South Carolina Historical Marker that hadn't been claimed by anyone yet. Another icon bites the dust! This time we kept our noses to the grindstone and trekked on into Charleston (mainly because our stomachs were growling and we had a restaurant in mind that we wanted to get to before the dinner rush). Crossed over to Mt. Pleasant and screeched to a stop at the Boulevard Diner! It's located in an old Dairy Queen restaurant and the food was great (good prices too)! With full stomachs, we headed off to our hotel for an early night (and some posting of waymarks) as we had a busy schedule planned for Saturday.