Merry Christmas!!!

When I first started writing this post, I was sitting in my living room, early on a Sunday morning, as the wind blew and the snow fell. It turned out to be a snow day and there was no church in the morning. I struggled to wrestle my thoughts away from the horrible and senseless tragedy that unfolded in Newtown, CT just over a week ago. So many random thoughts were racing about my mind. I wondered how these families would cope with such a profound loss and prayed that they would find the strength to get through this ordeal. I wondered if any of those families were geocaching families and if they would ever geocache again. Like I said, a bunch of random thoughts. Well, suffice to say, the hustle and bustle of the season got a grip on me and I never got back to writing the post. A week has past and I still sit and wonder what Christmas will be like for them this year and in the years to come. I also think of Christmas and my own family, who are safe and sound with me, and I get a small reprieve from the heartache and a smile appears on my face.

As Christmas Day approaches and season pushes on, please know that all my geocaching family (any cacher that I have ever met) will be in my thoughts and prayers. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or are one that simply celebrates a happy holiday, my thoughts and prayers will be with you all. I pray that you will have a very safe and enjoyable holiday season. But mostly, I pray that you will get to celebrate the season in the way that it was meant to be celebrated – with FAMILY! And as you celebrate the season, take time to remember those who are struggling this holiday season. If you know of anyone who could use some help or a visit, take the time to lend a hand or a smile. As Kevin said in that holiday classic, Home Alone, “nobody should be alone on Christmas.”

Caching Heaven wishes to thank all of you for taking the time to read our blog. We look forward to a new year of writing and caching. Merry Christmas, everyone!!! Happy Holidays!

Frank (Jewel)

International EarthCache Day!

This Sunday is International EarthCache Day!

What are you going to be doing this Sunday, October 14^th? Some people will be going to church. Some will be doing household projects. Others will be enjoying the great outdoors. Geocachers will, of course, be geocaching. Some geocachers might do a combination of geocaching along with one of the activities I just mentioned. If you go geocaching, however, you might want to go find one EarthCache. Why? Because it is International EarthCache Day!

Topsail Beach Cusps, a newer EarthCache (click to enlarge)

According to Geocaching.com, "each EarthCache teaches visitors about the playground all geocachers enjoy – the earth. An EarthCache takes adventurers to a unique site showcasing geological features. EarthCaches can reveal why a giant boulder came to rest in the middle of a prairie or how a river flows in two opposite directions in one day. Instead of finding a container at an EarthCache, geocachers learn and report their geology discovery to log a smiley."

There are a total of 14 earthcaches on the island and 5 earthcaches located in the Big Land, Labrador. Here is a list of all 19 of them.

• St. John’s Harbour
• Topsail Beach Cusps
• Mistaken Point
• Dungeon Provincial Park
• Whose Fault Is It?
• Water Filled Fjord
• Erratic behaviour in Gander
• Rocks of Ages
• Tickles and a Flat Earth
• Lord and Lady Gulch Erratic
• Lucky Strike Mine
• Iceberg Alley
• The Arches
• Western Brook Pond
• Wonderstrand
• Central Labrador Esker
• Lake Melville Rift Valley – TLAB
• Grand River Falls
• Schist and quartzite, Smokey Mountain Ski Hill

So make sure that you find an EarthCache this Sunday. I am sure there will be a souvenir in it for your efforts. Personally, I am in Sydney, NS without a vehicle. Therefore, I will not make it to an EarthCache this weekend. What a bummer! Oh well! I will still be caching, however, weather permitting.

Let us know what EarthCache you found and how the experience was. Simply leave a comment below. Oh, one more thing. Help out our earth by making Sunday a CITO (Cache In, Trash Out) day!

Happy Caching!

Frank (Jewel)

Canadian Coast Guard: An Honoured Past, A Committed Future

Our Anniversary banner. We are even featured on the $50 bill. (click to enlarge)

You might be asking what the Canadian Coast Guard and geocaching have in common. Well, nothing really, except for the fact that I work for the Coast Guard. With further thought, one can find a degree of separation between the two. There are many caches located along the East Coast trail and at Signal Hill and Cape Spear. If a geocacher was to ever have the misfortune of falling into the water while searching for these caches, the Coast Guard would be called into action to help save you. The Coast Guard officially celebrates its 50^th Anniversary in 2012 and now, there are two more degrees of separation – two geocaches that are devoted to the Coast Guard. Rather than write my own history of the Coast Guard, I will simply quote from the Coast Guard’s website.

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A helicopter servicing a remote lighthouse. (click to enlarge)

The origins of a Canadian Coast Guard can be traced to as far back as the 1700s when the first lifeboats and lighthouses were established in Eastern Canada. The various governments that preceded a unified Canada had their own patrol vessels which began to appear along the eastern seaboard and in the Great Lakes in the 1800s. In 1868, one year after Confederation, the federal government established the Department of Marine and Fisheries. This department assumed responsibility for marine affairs, including the operation of government vessels and for various elements of marine infrastructure (aids to navigation, lifesaving stations, canals and waterways, marine regulatory bodies and supporting shore infrastructure). In 1936, responsibility for marine transportation shifted to the Department of Transport. By the 1940s, many organizations and communities pressed the government to form a national coast guard. Ocean commerce expanded tremendously, culminating, with the opening of the St-Lawrence Seaway in 1958. The Canadian Coast Guard was officially created by the Honourable Leon Balcer, the then Minister of Transport on January 26, 1962.

Our flagship and largest icebreaker, The Louis S. St. Laurent. (click to enlarge)

For the past 50 years, The Canadian Coast Guard has been a symbol of service and safety. The women and men we call our own have not only provided years of excellence in service delivery, but have embodied the ideals the Coast Guard has come to represent. On January 26, 2012 the Canadian Coast Guard will proudly celebrate its 50^th Anniversary. As we celebrate our past, we must also consider our future. Greater demands for our services, a changing climate in the Arctic, advances in technology and expectations for a greater presence in the North have set the tone for what we must strive to become. The Canadian Coast Guard owns and operates the federal government’s civilian fleet, and provides key maritime services to Canadians. As a Special Operating Agency of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Canadian Coast Guard helps DFO meet its responsibility to ensure safe and accessible waterways for Canadians. The Canadian Coast Guard also plays a key role in ensuring the sustainable use and development of Canada’s oceans and waterways. The organization may have witnessed many changes to its structure, fleet, and people over the years, but the passion and heart to serve the citizens of Canada have been the same for the last five decades. The Canadian Coast Guard looks forward to celebrating this milestone with its employees, partners, and all Canadians. Fifty years marks a golden opportunity to commemorate a rich history, but it also marks a perfect opportunity to set the stage for the Canadian Coast Guard’s bright future.
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Protecting our oceans and waterways. (click to enlarge)

In honour of the Coast Guard’s 50^th Anniversary, I have created a brand new puzzle cache called Canadian Coast Guard: 50th Anniversary Cache (GC3WGV2). Clicking on the link right now will not show you the cache listing. The reason for this is that it isn’t published yet but should be in the next day or so. For all you pin collectors, there is a treat inside. Besides some other Coast Guard related swag, there are 5 Coast Guard 50^th Anniversary pins. Be sure to only take one thing from the cache and please replace it with a sea-related item. The cache also contains 5 anniversary writing pens. The coordinates of the cache take you inside our base on the Southside Road in downtown St. John’s. Obviously, you can’t go there. So, simply answer the ten questions about the Coast Guard and you will find the real coordinates. I have even provided links to bring you to the webpages containing the answers. So be on the lookout for this cache.

The Canadian Coast Guard College in Sydney, NS. I am headed there this October. (click to enlarge)

There is also one more cache that was placed in honour of the Coast Guard’s heritage and legacy. It is located near the entrance of the Coast Guard College in Sydney, Nova Scotia. It is called An honoured past, a committed future (GC3HEKM) This cache is currently published and I can’t wait to hunt for it when I attend the college in October.

So, join me and the Canadian Coast Guard in celebrating 50 years of protecting our oceans and waterways. I, like many others who work there, are very proud to be a part of this great organization. For more information on the history of the Canadian Coast Guard, click here for a downloadable pdf.