MnGCA

[Pear Head]

And the nominees are.....

Larry's Pencil Box by EskoClimber
Nominated by IBCrashen

When I saw this cache posted I was over at Gonsolo`s house. We both broke out in a grin. I said no way. I had never met EskoClimber so why would he elbow me some by naming a cache after my signature item. Gonsolo said it had to be. So off we went trying to be FF. We pulled up to the first part, which has a great view which includes a few of my cache placement areas, and see a van parked there with no one in it. Oh know, someone is ahead of us. We found the first part and quickly plugged in the next coords. Hey, I know a short cut to the next part I said so off we went. Well we were second finders. But we missed one of the nicest hikes trying to be FF. I`ve gone back and hiked from the first part to the second a few times now. The trail is part of the newest sections of the Lake Superior Hiking Trial. This section is great, twisting, up and down with a couple of great views thrown in. It is a great hike anytime and if you can hit it while the leaves are turning its even better. Its hard to believe that a part of the city is just down below with the wilderness, solitude and chance of seeing wildlife you get on this part of the trail. To me this is why I geocache. We know this area well so we knew the shortcut and most people might also be able to find it but I encourage you not to do it. Enjoy the great hike. I have since met EskoClimber briefly a few times now and have tried to repay him with some elbowing of my own with my Climber Revenge cache.


Boiling Springs by Dan Patch
Nominated by 15Tango

I would like to nominate Boiling Springs by Dan Patch (GCNPHH) for cache of the month. I'm always a sucker for any unique natural phenomena, and the Boiling Springs do not disappoint. This is a great description of the springs from the cache page--"Eagle Creek is home to one of the last remaining self-producing brown trout populations in the metropolitan area. It also features Boiling Springs, an environmental phenomenon in which pools of water bubble up - sometimes with great vigor. This is caused by the escape of groundwater through a thin layer of clay at the creek’s bottom". While the description is quite apt, one has to go experience these springs for themselves, and bag the cache while they're in the area. When I was there, the springs were really bubbling, making me feel more like I was looking at something in Yellowstone National Park rather than something in Savage, Minnesota. Both the springs and the cache are easily accessible from the nearest parking, making this a great cache for before or after work, or during a lunch break.


Chief Good Thunder Ford by DragonSlay
Nominated by King Boreas

This lightly-visited cache remains my favorite multi. It's well-done, fairly easy, takes you to a historical site, ends in a cool unknown area and its fun. All calculations are done with info you must obtain. You don't subtract some abstract figure or multiply everything 2.3 times.

Good Thunder is a short drive from Mankato. Check it out.

Well done, DragonSlay