Month: July 2024

On the Road, Again

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Bruce

It’s time to head off on another Whimventure®! This time It’s MINI Takes The States (MTTS) which is always a lot of fun. As I prepare for the final push to leave I head to the starting point Albuquerque, New Mexico. It will take me a couple of days to get there since I am no longer allowed to drive straight through after the MTTS Lubbock to Indy drive which the court of public opinion (not as political as the Supreme Court) certified me as “insane”, but since it didn’t get dark until I was almost in Illinois, I figured it wasn’t that bad… You never realize just how big and barren Texas is until you have to drive through it.

I will be joining hundreds (if not thousands) of other MINI owners as we motor together (and apart) across the country, What MINI is call calling #CampMINI. Like many campers there are those excited, and those anxious. I’m a little in-between. The anxious ones make me anxious, but having been doing this since 2006, I’m not too worried. I know that things happen, and you just go with the flow. There are people who are packing for an expedition into the unknown. Basically like “Moto-Preppers”, (Did I just make up another new word? 🤪) people ready for the end of the world while they are on the road. I think maybe they’ve watched the various Mad Max movies too many times. Read “Along The Scenic Route” by Harlan Ellison, or ‘Why Johnny Can’t Speed” by Alan Dean Foster- I think they believe driving through the wild, wild west is like that. Then there are those who have everything planned out to the minute, and are concerned that they have not been given the second by second details.

They just announced the apps they will be using, A navigation one and an event – social connectivity one. As with any technology, some of them are a little glitchy right now. The event doesn’t officially start until Saturday so they will be working on bugs the rest of the week. I was able to make sure Cecil had his account set up- I’m superfluous. Sue is still having difficulties, so we’re trying to figure out if it is because she is set up as a co-pilot, or because she uses the same app for work. Unlike the folks with their multiple lists I’ve been putting together a notebook so I don’t forget things (like stopping mail). I started writing down Geocaches and Adventure Labs for the route, but stopped. There are just so many… except in Durango😉.

We have some plans, but mostly, it’s going to be a time to see old friends who we only see at MINI events like this. We will most likely be driving by ourselves. Although driving in a group is safer, especially when confronted by the bands of post-apocalyptic gangs roaming the nuclear wasteland known as the American west. Hmmm… bI might just need to draw a Mad Max MINIon sometime…

When it comes to groups, we have found that it is really hard to have a Whimventure® when you have to worry about a line of cars getting lost, while you are trying yourself to get lost. I’d rather deal with the stress of being on the road alone being passed by hundreds of MINIs than trying to figure out what happened to the green MINI that was behind me, and listening to radio chatter about cars missing the stop light. If you can find the right group it works, but keeping the band together over the years can be difficult. Plus that’s a lot of stress on the person leading and the one in the back.

This in NOT a Geocaching Trip

OK we will be caching, because that is a really great way to see cool things that other people miss. What we won’t be doing is trying for a cache in every county, or getting as many caches as we can along the road. We know people who would call that a vacation, I am not one of them. Sue has a list, I have a list. I’ve gone over a number of virtual caches in the cities we stop at and wrote down the logging requirements. Some are easy- “Take a picture of yourself here.” Others are being ignored- “Email me the answers to these questions as you visit these 14 different locations. Use complete sentences, proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Do not log the cache until you have heard back from me.” Ummm… I don’t think so. If you’ve read this blog for long enough, you know proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling are not my strengths.

A Typical Day

I’ve gone over this before but it might be nice to hear it all over again. If things go the way they have in the past a typical day will start with a line of cars trying to get into the “Rise & Shine” location. One year people started lining up at 3:00 AM, hopefully that won’t be the case. It may be an open field, it may be a parking lot. There will be tents and port-o-lets. During the morning people will eat breakfast and talk about stuff. We’ll check in and get our button for the day and desperately try to get whatever the coveted SWAG is this year (in 2022 it was magnets for each stop). There will be button and SWAG trading, or just handing out. Announcements, will be made, games will be played, charities will be mentioned, breakfast burritos or pancakes will be eaten. We will head off for the day, sometimes escorted by the police. People will turn left when they should turn right. People will get lost. Mid-way through the day there should be a “Surprise and Delight” some people will stop, some won’t. It could be the line of cars to get in is too long, it could be that the delight isn’t delightful enough for them. We will then drive into our next stop and search for our hotel. Next morning we’ll do it all over again.

Normally, about a day or two into the trip one of us will get grumpy over something stupid. We’ll drive in silence for a few hours and then get back to normal. When you’ve been married for over 30 years you get into a routine. It would be nice to avoid this part, but… if it happens, it happens. Too much togetherness with two introverts can lead to a little grumpiness.

We will have a lot of time on the road and at each destination city to explore. Which is why I have a list of geocaches and have been looking at Adventure Labs in each location. We’ll also be checking out local micro-breweries and brewpubs. Nothing fancy, just normal stuff with a local flair.

Our Route – A Whimventure® In The Making.

As for driving, my trip to HeroesCon in Charlotte was around the same distance (and time) as each day I’m driving solo to get to Albuquerque. Much less than my trips to New York. Don’t even get me started on my drive from Lubbock in 2014! When by myself I tend to get up early and just drive until I get to the destination. I did Denver to Los Angeles in 2014 also… that was a year filled with stupidity.

  • Solo Day 1: Indianapolis to Tulsa – 635 miles (9 hours)
  • Solo Day 2: Tulsa to Albuquerque – 650 miles (9 hours) Pick Up Sue at the airport
  • MTTS Day 1: Albuquerque to Durango – 220 miles (5 hours)*
  • MTTS Day 2: Durango to Grand Junction – 165 miles (4 hours)*
  • MTTS Day 3: Grand Junction to Salt Lake City – 350 miles (5.5 hours)* Evening Event at the Gallivan Center.
  • MTTS Day 4 & 5: Choose Your Own Adventure Salt Lake City to Bozeman – 410 miles
  • MTTS Day 6: Bozeman to Missoula – 230 miles (4 hours)*
  • MTTS Day 7: Missoula to Spokane – 260 miles (5 hours)*
  • MTTS Day 8: Spokane to Yakima – 260 miles (3 hours)*
  • MTTS Day 9: Yakima to Seattle – 140 miles (2.5 hours)* Evening Event at the Museum of Flight.
  • Day 12: Seattle – Troll Hunting – ???
  • Day 13: Seattle to Bellingham – 90 miles (we have a tour of GCHQ that morning and are spending the rest of the day with family)
  • Days 14 to 17: Bellingham to Indianapolis via Fargo- 2,350 miles – Trolls in Detroit Lakes, MN!
  • Total estimated mileage: 5,750 miles (not counting driving around town, getting lost, or other excursions- did I mention we still hadn’t planned out the “Choose your Own Adventure” portion of the trip?)

*MINI’s estimated time on the road. In most cases we will be entering the city before we can check into our hotels.

It’s funny, we really don’t have the “Choose Your Own Adventure” or the trip home planned out. 😱 We have a few ideas and must do bits. There’s a Thomas Dambo Troll in Jackson, Wyoming, we need to get a geocache in North Dakota, and Thomas Dambo just placed a bunch of trolls in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. We have a National Park Pass, and some ideas, it just matters what we decide to do, where we decide to go. Day 4 we are going to need a hotel room. Our route home will retrace some of MTTS, so if we hear of something awesome that we missed, we might be able to see it on the way back.

For our return, we’ll drive as far as we want, stop when we need to. We should drive about 600 miles each day, but some days will be longer than others and I usually have the rule that I rarely stop if I’m in a state bordering Indiana, I might as well push a bit and sleep in my own bed, with my cats- who I will be missing and worrying about the second the garage door closes as I head out.

I’ve loaded my phone with a couple of audiobooks: Slaying the Dragon – A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons by Ben Riggs that I looked at when at The Book Loft in Columbus, OH. I also checked out NPCs by Drew Hayes, a comic fantasy story about a bunch of non-player characters in a game and what happens when the game isn’t being played. These should last me for the entire drive to Albuquerque. With Gen Con coming up I figured these might be interesting. I’m still figuring out what I want to focus on- Gaming & building with LEGO bricks have taken a back seat to drawing and comics. I also still need to get the classic Mini working- Oh the things to deal with after MTTS and Gen Con.

I’m only missing the coveted MINI Financial Services Magnets from 2022 because I really don’t want them to go missing. Alfie (aka Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All) , Cecil, and I are ready to hit the road tomorrow… once I finish packing. 155,573 miles on the odometer before we head out.

This Week in Comics (My Pull List 7-3-24) & Star Trek vs. Star Wars?

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Bruce

I saw a recent comic dealing with the basic differences between Star Trek and Star Wars that I found amusing and enlightening…

I come from a weird time.  I grew up with Star Trek in reruns, and was 11 when Star Wars came out in the theaters.  As an adult I definitely see differences and understand that Star Trek is Science/Speculative Fiction and Star Wars is Fantasy with Science Fiction aspects (planets, spaceships, & rayguns).  As pop culture has taken over society and it seems like for the most part, the fans are different. 

I’ve joked that real Star Wars Fans really don’t like Star Wars, and that’s what makes you a true Star Wars fan. There is a lot of discussion online about how bad whatever the latest thing is.  Then we get into things like the original releases vs. Special Editions vs. Prequels vs…. Did Han shoot first? Disney is ruining the Brand. George Lucas is ruining my childhood. This director or that director is ruining… Don’t even get started with casting decisions! There’s a lot of bad talk happening in Star Wars fandom, and a lot of people being just mean (embracing the dark side). This is all coming from the people who LIKE Star Wars!

I enjoyed how Star Wars sparked a change in the world.  Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek Movies… it made science fiction popular and main stream.  I recall my brother and I running around whacking each other with broomstick light sabers, while my mother wondered what happened to the broom and mop.  Star Wars got me into reading as a middle schooler.  “Splinter of the Minds Eye” by Alan Dean Foster was one of the first books I recall reading on my own.  

You see, I’ve always loved Science Fiction from Flash Gordon serials to the 1950’s flying saucer movies… but I recall as a kid growing up in the Bay Area my dad taking us to a Star Trek fan club meeting and falling asleep the the episode “Arena.”  I had starship plans, I still have the Technical Manual that I carried around as an elementary school kid.  I could name off the various ships in the Federation. I had similar stuff for Star Wars- sketchbooks, The Art of Books I never really got into the toys for Star Wars since I was just old enough to not be as into toys, my neighbor had them. for the record: I preferred the Y-Wing to the X-Wing for the record. My favorite ship is the Enterprise (“No bloody A, B, C, or D”).

As a fan base one thing Star Trek has is the concept of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) which helps when others talk about “best” and “worst.”  In Star Trek they kinda accept everyone’s right to like even what you personally don’t.  Which leads me to Prodigy.  Canceled by the powers that be after one season.  Paramount was able to sell the rights to Netflix after a massive online campaign to save the show.  Kinda an internet version of what happened to the Original Series back in the 60’s.  They are now trying the same thing to save Star Trek’s other animated series “Lower Decks” which they announced the next season would be it’s last.

The show was pretty much finished when Paramount decided to cancel it and make the show disappear from their streaming service. Netflix, this week, released season 2 of Prodigy in a 20 episode (about 10 hour) bingeable dump.  Prodigy was the Star Trek franchise’s idea for a “kid show” co-produced by Nickelodeon.  There are a lot of things to unpack from this series.  I don’t want to give away any spoilers for either seasons.  So I’ll start with where in the timeline does this happen?  This isn’t much of a spoiler and because the first season has little to do with the Federation so it’s hard to tell.  We know this happens after Kathryn Janeway is made an admiral.  So sometime after Voyager’s return and during the time of the films.  The second season tells us this all happened before the first season of Picard.  So as the Romulans are being relocated (think the point in which the “Kelvin” timeline starts).

Season 2 actually ends with the Utopia Planetia shipyards being destroyed which was a flashback in Picard season 1.  The crew of the Protostar is a bunch of misfits trying to escape slavery on a at that point unknown planetoid.  A mix of young aliens with no idea about Star Fleet or the Federation.  So this is an introduction to the universe of Star Trek with the main characters being like the companion in Doctor Who, the audience’s surrogate. Pretty much every detail is covered for a newbie even that none of the characters speak the same language, so how do you communicate?

A few spoilers, but with a second season you know problems from the first season have been sort of solved.  The first season <spoiler> gets the crew and lost starship Protostar to the Federation and deals with what happens then, bad things, bad bad things. While the second season deals with how our characters figure out how to live in the Federation preparing to join the Academy and attempt to rescue someone mentioned in the first season who was lost in time… then hijinks ensue.

There are lots of twists and turns through both seasons, but my favorite possible episode 13 from season 1 which dealt with the crew landing on a planet that the Enterprise interacted with during their five year mission and a “minor” violation of the Prime Directive that impacted the civilization for some amusing results.

I have enjoyed this series and frankly all the various series for their own merit.  IDIC.  Have I liked every episode? Nope.  I joke about the first season of most Star Trek series aren’t great.  The actors need time to figure out their characters.  The writers need to figure out the world.   Around season three they get it.  Prodigy like Lower Decks, being animation allows some freedom that would be difficult or expensive in live action.  Season 2 is worth a watch and actually does a nice job of taking care of some complaints people had about season 3 of Picard.  Not all the plot holes are addressed, but at least one is tidied up. I just wish they had episodes of Will Wheaton’s The Ready Room for these, or even each season… that would be amazing.

As for the final decision when it comes to the battle between Star Wars and Star Trek… I like both, but if I have a choice – I’ll watch Star Trek. I have kept up with Star Wars, and enjoyed my visit to Galaxy’s Edge in Florida (I made a droid & a lightsaber). Yes, Star Wars has books and various TV shows, but the core is really the movies, where the core for Star Trek is the television shows. I’ve invested untold hours in the Star Trek Universe and have the scars to prove it. Now if they would only build a Star Trek Theme Park. 🖖

Now to this Week’s Comics:

Public Domain #6 – I thought I’d lost contact with this one… The first arc was dealing with a family and the rights to a character the father had created… Now we get to actually doing something with this character. OK actually this is al the “Real World” stuff and the comic with the superhero will be coming out soon.

Black Radiant #29 & 29.5 – In the last two issues we had come close to the end, each version of Black Radiant was tasked with a challenge that could save the world… SO what happened? Who Lives? Who Dies? Which person is actually the better Black Radiant? Read it and find out.

Justice Society of America #10 – One of first Legion of Super Heroes Comics had the Legion go up against Mordru an evil wizard. With Huntress (Lost in the multiverse Helena Wayne) building a Justice Society from reformed villains we have a young Mordru coming in trying to change his future, and learning that while the end may justify the means… it isn’t always that neat and clean.

Batman #150 – I know a secret! So what happens if you know who Batman is? What would you do? This is the story of a small time crook (former henchman) who know Batman’s secret identity and what he does with the information… It is a bit surprising but fits with the newish direction of Batman.

Then, of course, theirs a short tie-in story for the summer blockbuster Absolute Power…

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 – Another crossover taking control of a comic? Wha? Huh? This time it’s the “Infinity Watch” Which I guess, for an Annual issue isn’t too bad. Someone needs to study Temporal Mechanics 101.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man # 22 – Blood Hunt yipee! Yes, Vampires, yes, fights, yes, vampires. Sadly I see that there’s a DC vs. Vampires comic coming up, so more vampires! I really need to find other comics to read.

Rogue Sun #20 – Rogue Sun the immortal hero fighting to save the world again occult menaces, decides to start taking his role a bit more seriously as he plans to take out his big bad guy. At least he understands he has some work to do before hand. How does skipping school and heading off with a biker girl aid in his training?

Sons of Star Trek #4 – The end of the series, so no spoilers! Let’s just say I thought it was satisfying and still would like to know all the craziness that brought the universe together- Tuvix, Mariner, Morn… So many right turns in Albuquerque!

Rocketeer Jet Pack Adventures – I found this on the shelf of my LCS and picked it up… It is a book of short stories (so I won’t destroy my imagination by having to look at pictures… I can make the pictures in my mind). The book is actually 10 years old and I need to sit back and read it.

It seems that after the last Earth shattering finale for the merry Marvel mutants we are back with new team line ups and new titles. This teaser is to get me interested in all the titles and… it’s not doing anything for me.

I’m having enough trouble dealing with two Batman titles, two Superman titles, multiple Spider-Man titles (that at least have different Spider-Men in them), do I really need to be reading all these X-Men books? I watched X-Men ’97, but a dozen mutant books?!? Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, Exceptional X-Men, NYX, X-Force, X-Factor, Sentinels, Phoenix, Wolverine (also in Uncanny), Dazzler, Storm, Mystique, and let’s not forget the ad for Storm joining the Avengers!

Let’s not even get into the decades on continuity I need to wade through… If you love the X-Men (I do like the X-Men, but I really stopped reading them back when they had one title) this looks like it is a great time for you. New #1 issues, some new characters, and some cool stories. Enjoy! IDIC!

Planning & Packing for MINI Takes the States

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Bruce

As we close in on the start of MINIUSA’s “TransAmerican Motortastic Road Trip to End All Road Trips Rally” How does one prepare for this? In the immortal words of Douglas Adams “Don’t Panic.” I’ve watched Social Media since the dates and route were announced and there are a lot of people who either are anxious, or have never actually driven their car outside of their town, county, or state before. I suffer from travel anxiety, but I guess I’ve pushed beyond my fear enough times that some things I’ve gotten a “This too shall pass” kind of attitude. Do I like it when my car has issues on the road? duh. no. I panic just as much as any normal person would. I just understand things happen. While this is my process, your mileage may vary.

How Do I Prepare?

First things first, I do my best to keep Alfie (aka Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All) in good operating condition. I rotate the tires regularly, change the oil, bring it in for scheduled maintenance to the dealership. I tried another local garage once and found that they were just as expensive and didn’t have the experience or resources that the dealership had. Interesting experiment. So now about two weeks out, my car is at the dealership getting a once over and oil change. Having an olderish MINI I want to give them time if parts needed to be ordered. I also have the dealership do a full detail inside and out. It’s pricey but I only do it once every two years, and it makes Alfie look nice in the sea of other nice looking MINIs.

So Alfie has a clean bill of health before heading out. What else do I do? I pack some extra oil and a bottle or two of fuel additive since we will be dealing with gasoline from a wide variety of locales and high altitude. I may not need either, but I’m an old Boy Scout so I’ll be prepared. Outside of that I have my usual quick cleaning kit some microfiber towels, window cleaner, and spray cleaner (Griot’s Speed Shine). So I feel good Alfie is ready to go.

What About The Humans?

Sue is responsible for her stuff, and I deal with mine. They have stores if we forgot anything. I have a small cooler that we will put water and soft drinks (pop, soda, coke, or whatever your region calls it) and a bag that will contain snacks. We usually go with a Chex Mix, and trail mix, maybe beef jerky or gummy bears. I’ll be driving through Texas so I know I’ll pass a Buc-ee’s at some point if I need to restock. The LEGO bag is the stuff I have for the car that usually is in the glovebox and a few other items. Since My MINI is currently in for service, this stuff is at home.

Since I am old I have various medications I need to take on a daily basis. This is a long trip so I contacted my insurance company to make sure I was allowed by the rules of the policy to actually get enough to last the entire trip. Anytime I put in a refill early it gets dinged, so I wanted to make sure. I figured out that by the time I return I will have been out of everything for a couple a weeks. I also waxed nostalgically about when you could just go to a pharmacist and say “I need extras” and the reply would be “Sure, hope you have a nice trip!”

I don’t know how people who drive a MINI convertible do it, the roadster has a ginormous boot (trunk for non-MINI folks) so we can live out of it without a problem. We had issues when we rented a MINI convertible in May. I’ll need to pack at least one MINI shirt for each day of the event. I already know I’ll wear the 2006 MTTS shirt, the MINI United Shirt, and the “Most expensive MINI shirt ever” besides that I need to pick 4 more- hopefully not all black although all old school MINI shirts are black.

So I might have a few MINI shirts I’ve gathered over the years… I also know I’ll be picking up a few along the road.

About halfway through we have a couple of days on our own so we could do laundry. In the past if you were part of the ‘Going All the Way” group MINI provided a small laundry service midway through… not anymore. I’ll pack jeans and shorts, with the full knowledge that I will most likely wear them more than once. I’ll also pack a couple pairs of shoes. One pair that is more comfortable for driving, and another pair for hiking and walking around. I might also throw in a pair for the evening events, although black tie is optional at these events. 🤪 I know heat will be an issue, but I will pack a light jacket or some rain protection (be prepared). I’ll also pack a couple of hats- my Tilley and a baseball cap. Some people will pack for each day in a different bag… whatever works for you. I’m planning on bringing a separate bag for dirty laundry that way my clean clothes don’t mix with my… other stuff. Don’t forget electronics and chargers. While I will be using my phone as a GPS I will also pack all the various chargers and a FRS Radio (set to channel 7 sub 21). Most electronics will be plugged into the car charger throughout the trip, but better safe than sorry.

Then There’s SWAG

I often roll my eyes and joke over the people who bring all these things to give away… I’m just as bad as all of them. I have been keeping a notebook for this trip and figured out all the different things I’m bringing to make other people happy. I have buttons, stickers, and a top secret very unique and limited edition duck. My hope is that everything I have I will not be bringing back with me. With the passing of a friend (MINIon 0666) I also have some items for those who knew him to honor and remember him. I will be passing most of those off to another friend (MINIon 0001) for distribution.

A couple days ago I finally went through my bags from MTTS 2022. I hadn’t opened them since we had returned home. I’m glad there wasn’t anything edible, or alive in there. I won’t say I was shocked by the amount of stuff I had, more like I was shocked by how little I had. I think of MTTS like some of my first Cons that I went to as an adult. I would take pictures of everything, because “WOW!” and now I know what I like, I know what I want and I know I don’t need another button or duck or whatever. My Lanyard from MTTS 2022 had only two personal buttons on it, the rest were ones given out by MINI. I had another lanyard that had the destination buttons on it. I’ll actually be taking off those personal buttons and pins to wear them this time around.

Your Tribe, or not…

My first MTTS (2006) I took it as a Rally and we drove straight to Indianapolis from St. Louis. We were helping the local club with the lap around the Motor Speedway, so I had a commitment. I wish I had taken more time to enjoy the road, and the people. 2008 was weird being four different events. We did Chicago (Road America) and then flew to L.A. We pretty much did it on our own, hanging out with friends from our local club and in L.A. I invited my family to join us. At MINI United in 2009 we met people from around the world and expanded our group. In 2010 we drove with some of them along the route and created the MINIons group. From 2012 – 2016 that group was our motoring crew. In 2018 Sue and I decided we wanted to go “rogue” adjust explore. Driving with a group can become stressful. Where is everyone? Who needs to use the bathroom? Do we stop at this attraction? What about lunch? Dinner? While it was fun, we embraced being by ourselves and catching up with everyone in the evening, or at breakfast. In 2022 Sue and I decided to go even more rogue, with Sue driving her MINI and me driving mine. It was a logical issue in which I had things to do beforehand and had to get home. While Sue had work and then went to visit family. This time around, I’m driving and Sue will meet me in Albuquerque we will then head off on our Whimventure. Will we drive with the MINIons? Maybe, but I know we have other things on the list.

Worried about finding your tribe? Don’t be, it is something that happens naturally. Those extroverts out there will march up and start creating a group (if they haven’t already). The introverts will sit back and meet people at breakfast, at the surprise and delight, or just on the road. Your driving group might change every day. The important thing is to have fun on your terms. If driving around with a bunch of people is your thing- great! I’m sure it will happen. If you just don’t know, it’s OK to drive with a group and then cut out later in the day. Be polite, say “Thanks” and you look forward to seeing them tomorrow at breakfast. You won’t hurt anyone’s feelings. As I said, sometimes (especially for whimventuring® introverts) it can be stressful driving with a large group.

Who are the MINIons? For the most part these are a mysterious group of people I have met along the road or people who were invited by other MINIons. We’ve basically grown up in the MINI community together and we are all over the place. We laugh together at the antics of those “serious” MINI owners. “My LXM number is lower than yours” kind of people.🙄 We try to help out when possible, but basically we take everything in stride. We live by the Book of Motoring and the idea of “Not Normal.” The group has traveled together, but also many go rogue and have their own Whimventures®. Of which Cecil (my stuffed monkey bent on World Domination and usual co-pilot) approves of these actions.

Plans & Schemes

List? What list? Now as we close in on leaving I’ve been going through Geocaching.com, the Adventure Lab App, Atlas Obscura, Roadside America, and other sources to see what might be on the route or nearby to see. We don’t know what the route will actually be, or the Surprise and Delights along the way. For us, our major goal won’t happen until we start heading home, after a short visit to check on my brother and how he’s handling retirement. We need to find caches in two more states to have found a geocache in every state in the lower 48. This leaves only Alaska and we will have completed the entire U.S. Outside of that we have Trolls to find and a visit to Groundspeak’s Headquarters in Seattle. I’ve created a list in Atlas Obscura, of things that look interesting. Along with a list on Geocaching.com, both will be constantly updated, and no, we won’t see everything on the list. Most of the geocaches are virtual ones, We’ll use the app to catch actual hides nearby as we stop for things.

I do recommend using either Geocaching or Adventure Labs as a way to explore new places. Download the apps create an account and go have some fun. Geocaching is using a GPS (or your Phone) to find something hidden by another player. Think of it as a treasure hunt. Sign the log, put it back where you found it, log it online and take a look around. Most Geocaches take you places people don’t usually go to. Think of it as a local showing you around. A Virtual Cache takes you to a place and you either need to send in the answers to some questions, or take a photo of yourself at the place. Adventure Labs use geo tracking and as you get close to a location a question pops up that you need to answer. These tend to be tours of local art, or historically significant places. A nice way to learn about where you are visiting. I like them because, unlike geocaches, I don’t need to dig through plants to search for them, I just need to find the answer on a plaque.