PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER

Troy's Work Table had an extra day off this week, so the wife, the child, and I headed up to Pacific Science Center to fill our brains with empirical evidence, observed phenomena, and information galore.


(1) The arches.


(2) Allosaurus sez: "I need me some donuts!"


(3) Indeed!


(4) What happens to those donuts? The men's "Grossology" restroom at Pacific Science Center explains.


(5) Caligo memnon, the owl butterfly, with proboscis firmly inserted into ripe banana. The Tropical Butterfly House was TWT's favorite part of the day.


(6) GPS Adventures—the wife, the child, and I enjoyed learning more about geocaching, as well as testing out our "geosense" skills on an indoor "course."


(7) GPS units in abundance within the GPS Adventures maze.


(8) The Space Needle hovers over the scientific activities taking place below.

FOOTHILLS TRAIL

The child and I needed to get out of the house. We needed to escape being cooped up with our colds. So we went and got the bicycle out, attached it to the back of the car via its rack, and set out for Orting. We were soon pedaling away on the Foothills Trail for a day of bicycling, picnicking, sightseeing, geocaching, and general wandering.


A cow on a nearby farm drinks water from a muddy pool. One of the highlights for the child!
47º 05.917 N, 122º 11.651 W


The Carbon River.
47º 05.215 N, 122º 10.809 W


A male mallard duck takes a bath.
47º 05.206 N, 122º 11.115 W


Table for two? TWT assumes it is a picnic table that was washed downriver during the recent flooding.


Getting ready to examine the contents of a geocache.
47º 05.740 N, 122º 09.302 W


A tree bone rests upon the river bank.


The orange "dood" rock.
47º 05.735 N, 122º 09.295 W



Our companion for part of the journey. The child was intrigued by this shepherd that decided to hang with us for some time.
47º 05.917 N, 122º 09.151 W


"If you hear the lahar sirens, move quickly to high ground (at least 50 feet off the valley floor). Assist other trail users as best you can." When you stand near this sign and look to see where the "high ground" is located, you realize that if a lahar does occur you may as well take a few moments to say goodbye to yourself.
47º 05.746 N, 122º 09.281 W


Crossing over the Carbon River via bridge.


Old Glory waves in front of a recently logged hill. It appears that power lines are coming soon to previous wilderness areas.

EBB & FLOW

The plaque in the house read Chateau de la Mer ("Castle of the Sea" in French). The paperwork and brochure read Chateau del Mar ("Castle of the Sea" in a mixture of French and Spanish). This split personality was obvious in the architecture and construction of the house.


Chateau de la Mer front door mat.
46° 59.608N, 124° 10.033W


Warning: strong current.
46° 59.638N, 124° 10.211W


Neon green Insung bag.
46° 59.369N, 124° 10.387W


The flooded sand dunes.
46° 59.367N, 124° 10.248W


Bird of prey perch.
46° 59.251N, 124° 10.394W


Beached jellyfish.
46° 59.296N, 124° 10.391W


Large log.
46° 59.289N, 124° 10.448W


Tangle of kelp.
46° 59.360N, 124° 10.405W


Motor vehicles prohibited.
46° 59.652N, 124° 10.357W

MAP

How to get from here to there, and back again.

MEEKER, MEEKER, EVERYWHERE

(1) Headstone for Ezra Meeker and Eliza Jane (Sumner) Meeker at Woodbine Cemetery



Clockwise from upper left: (2) statue of Ezra Meeker and ivy planted by Eliza Jane Meeker in Pioneer Park, (3) statue of a prairie schooner in Pioneer Park, (4) mural of daffodil harvest painted on 3rd Street Antiques building in lot adjacent to Meeker Mansion, (5) Centennial Reenactment marker at Meeker Mansion



Clockwise from upper left: (6) painting on Meeker Mansion grounds, (7) National Historic Site sign, (8) a view of the house near the flower beds, (9) the Meeker Wagon trailer



(10) Meeker Mansion

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The child and I spent a few hours on a couple of different days visiting various historical sites in Puyallup that were related to Ezra and Eliza Jane Meeker. We were following the "clues" to a virtual multi-cache. There was plenty to keep both of us interested in our journey, and we learned more about our city and its heritage.

WANDERING IN THE RAIN

Tonight, two members of Team Troy's Work Table (TWT1—Troy's Work Table and TWT3—the child) headed out to the public outdoor displays of Tacoma's Museum of Glass for a little geocaching. We put our new tabula rasa minds to work and found what others have said is a fairly difficult cache after about five minutes of searching. (Thanks again to the mentoring of wasian and DuHawks.)

The rest of the time was spent running, hiding, and playing on the ramps and stairways that surround the museum. We walked in the rain with our umbrellas. We also spent some time viewing the Chihuly glass art.

Once our hands turned red from the wet and cold, and the camera began to malfunction due to the same, we headed indoors for hot chocolate at a nearby Starbucks. We would have headed elsewhere, but most of the other businesses were closed. The child was especially enamored with the kid's cocoa. ("I got my own hot chocolate!")

With warm bellies, thawed hands, and a rejuvenated camera, we headed home for books and beds.

THE APPRENTICE

The child and I went out searching for a local geocache (zntargvp series #3). We have looked for this cache previously and have been unable to find it.

Today, after searching high and low for about half an hour, and after running over hands over every piece of metal we could find (because this is a magnetic cache), we were approached by a couple. We had been passed by quite a few people on Puyallup's Riverwalk Trail because the weather was mild—partly cloudy with sunbreaks and not too cold—so we didn't think too much about it until they spoke to us. "Are you searching for the geocache?" We had been doing our best to make it look like we were just goofing around, and not draw attention to ourselves. But then I thought to myself, why would someone who didn't know about the cache ask us if we were looking for it? So, I replied, "Yes."

They introduced themselves as DuHawks, a geocache team whose hidden caches we have been hunting and discovering around Sumner. They informed us that they had spent five hours, off and on, attempting to locate this particular cache. So, we all hunted around for a few minutes and ran through what we thought we were looking for, and where we had looked, and what we had tried. DuHawks informed me that another cacher, wasian, would arrive in a few minutes and show them where it was. When he arrived, he gave me the same hint that he gave to DuHawks. Once I had the clue, I located it within a minute or so. Shortly afterward, so did DuHawks. I don't think I would have ever found this particular cache without help. Once I did, some of my preconceived notions of what I am looking for at each and every future cache were shattered. I need to enter each hunt with a tabula rasa mind.

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When I went home, I looked up the handles for DuHawks and wasian on the geocaching site. DuHawks have found over 850 caches throughout the United States over the period of five years. wasian have found over 1075 caches throughout the United States, Canada, and Spain in a period of less than two years! Troy's Work Table has discovered a measly six in less than three months. I guess I have some wandering to do and some caches to find.

The humble apprentice will now try to clear his mind and head out into the woods and onto the trails...