From there we set out to Fremont to do the HQGT caches. They claim it to be the Centre of our Universe. I think they are absolutely right. You even get a Geocaching Headquarters Geotour Passport to track your progress through the six really cool caches. From a Giant Troll under a bridge to a Post office Box on the sidewalk, even a Dinosaur, and an arty bicycle rack along the way, they keep you entertained all the way. Almost forgot to say, they even throw a free souvenir onto your profile page too, just because they’re such nice guys.    

  
One would think the day just can’t get any better. Well, it can. A hike up Mount Margaret along beautiful forest trails led us to find Geocache (GCD), the oldest cache in Washington. After we signed the log, we were greeted by the most spectacular views of a bright blue lake down in a sea of green pine forests that stretches up and down and over many more mountain crests as far as the eye could see.  
 
We waved Seattle a Farewell on the 21^st as we headed South on the Interstate 5. Should you just maybe one day find yourself on this road, and a signboard pops up saying that Centralia is down the next off ramp, remember what old Henzz told you today. Take that slipway and head straight to Johnny Islands Throne Room (GC57ZJR). You can thank me later.

On May 3^rd, 2000, Dave Ulmer set off to the woods near Beavercreek, Oregon with a bucket filled with some odds and ends. He didn’t know it, but that day he started off something that would snowball right around the world. He hid that bucket near a bend in the road. With GPS in hand, he dotted the coordinates down. That day, right there in Beavercreek, Geocaching was born. That 5-gallon bucket got damaged during roadworks not long thereafter, but not before being found though by Mike Teague. The Original Stash Tribute Plaque (GCGV0P) now marks the spot. Yes, you guessed it. We had to go and check it out and place our GPS devices on the plaque in order to receive extended battery life and super-accurate satellite reception. 

 
We came into San Francisco over the multi layered, multi lane monstrous Bay Bridge. Supertankers were looking like small toys bobbing on the water down below. Skyscrapers reached high into the fog over to the right of the bridge. It looks just like in the movies, only difference, this is not a movie. We really are here.
 
The next day was jam packed with us juggling the touristy things, caching, and eateries. We took a ferry from Pier 33 to Alcatraz, and successfully managed to escape (GCF7A2). No visit to SF is complete unless you travel over the Golden Gate Bridge and take a thousand photos to remind you from time to time just how amazing it is. (GC7B77D) We also squeezed the Crookedest Street in the World (GC7B66Z) into our visit. A day and a half were just not enough time in this City. We should have made more time to explore it. All the more reason to come back again, say I.
 









Next Stop: Los Angeles. The trick with a holiday like this is to get the balance between caching and being a tourist just right. Methinks we actually pulled it off rather well. We handpicked some caches before, knowing that we would have to leave many undone. And we had a wish list of places we really wanted to see. The first two days in LA we stayed in a condo near the Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscar Ceremonies. We strolled Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame looking for the stars. Also jumped on a small bus that took us all over. If you’ve been to LA, you have to have your picture taken near the Hollywood sign. Boy oh Boy, did we have fun and laughs there. The tour guide behind the wheel took us into the hills to show us where the rich and famous stays. We saw Beverley Hills and Rodeo Drive, tall palm trees lining the streets for miles on end, exotic sport cars, and mansions so big you would need a GPS to just find the kitchen. Later on, we went to Santa Monica Pier for sunset pictures, some caching and supper at Bubba Gump. (GC42P0W).
Next two nights we stayed right next to Disneyland in Anaheim. Got to do some caching in Long Beach and around the Venice Canals (GC8KHDB). A silly little box I wanted to tick was to swim in the Pacific Ocean. Got my chance at Muscle Beach just before sunset. The Huskies made friends with every friendly dog on the beach.

We saved the best for the last few days in America: New York City. We landed at JFK in the middle of the night and set out for the hotel and a few hours’ worth of sleep. Next morning, we were like excited puppies with wagging tails who could not wait for the door to open. We bolted straight out of there, heading for Central Park. We’ve spent the whole of the first day there. Central Park is massive. There are just so much to see there. As an added bonus, it is filled with some really cool caches too. It would be difficult to spotlight three of them, but we decided that Bridges & Arches of Central Park (GC17MX1), Cleopatra’s Needle – New York (GC59BR5) and Central Park Guardian (GC3CFC) would be declared the prize winners.

Next morning, we caught a train down in the subway to Battery Park, from where we hitched a ride on a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Around midday we were back in Manhattan, heading for Wall Street to go check out the most famous bull in all of New York (GC5HGR3). Does anyone remember the Movie Ghostbusters, from back in 1984, with Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd? Would you believe me if I tell you that redbrick firehouse is still there on N Moore Street, looking exactly like it did back then? One could be forgiven if you were to think they just locked up for lunch and would be back later to shoot another scene. (GC9P70C)
 
Sept 1^st was set aside for a tour of Ground Zero. Daniel, our tour guide was a mile and a half away from the Twin Towers the day it came tumbling down. We learned so much about what really happened on that fateful day in 2001. Going down into the museum beneath the Reflecting Pools is something that will stay with all three of us for the rest of our days. The reality of 9/11 hits hard down there, and many a time we had to swallow hard, and sometimes a glance of a hand past your eyes to wipe away a tear or two, was part of the day. (GC7BA4H) 










A walk on Brooklyn Bridge and lunch in Chinatown comes to mind when I think back of our last day in NY, but the cherry on the cake was going up the Empire State Building (GC4D7F) just before sunset. The views of the city from up there are absolutely magical. As we were every other night while here in NY, we were once again drawn to the spectacular lights and neon and dazzle of Times Square.
 
Early next morning, Sept 3^rd Flight BA 178 took to the skies. Three of us staring through the small windows as the States disappeared behind us, all with our own thoughts to keep us company for a while.
 
A short layover at Heathrow awaited me before the last leg back home, but as for the Huskies, they will stay behind in London for two weeks…. Or so they thought…. Turns out they had to stay a bit longer, for something would happen soon that would make news all over the world. Thank you for listening (or reading through actually) to my ramblings about our time in the USA. I hope it would inspire some of you to dream big, so that you too can go on the caching trip of a lifetime.
 
Back to the Huskies now, so they can tell all about their UK adventures.
 
We got our rental with an upgrade just after 21h00 Saturday 3^rd of August. We spent the night at a hotel close to the airport and drove to the family the on Sunday 4^th, after a normal English breakfast. We spent the Monday relaxing and drove down to Sturminste Newton to visit fellow cachers we met a few years ago, Catawell and Hardnut. We met them in South Africa a few years ago while they were on their SA holiday trip.  We found 2 FTF’s on the way there: Lord Ryan’s treasure (GC9ZDA4).  On Wednesday, the 7^th of September our friends took us around the area and stopped at a stunning little town with a steep narrow street: Gold Hill, Shaftesbury (Virtual Reward 2.0) (GC8917V). 
 
We attended a local event on Thursday the 8^th and also got the bad news of the Queen that passed away. Suddenly all travel plans were thrown into mayhem, as Heathrow was closed for incoming and outgoing flights until further notice. After a spell of slight panic, we decided to make the best of the situation.
 
We took a drive down to Weymouth and The Grove the next day, 9^th September and had lunch in a prison café. On Saturday, the 10^th we attended a local cheese festival and drove up to Watford that afternoon. We did a few caches on the way and went past Stonehenge (GCA68D). We found it previously, but it was still worth a revisit.
We spent the following week driving out every day to a different area doing caching. We spent Wednesday the 14^{th of} September doing caching in London. We now had the extra time to drive down to Nottingham on Friday 16^th Sept to do a cache that has been on our radar for the longest of time – Cold War Cache (GC32REK).
 
Being in the UK during the time of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the following days of bereavement and the ultimate funeral procession is an experience we will never forget. We visited Windsor Castle on Sunday 18^th to see all the flowers and messages to the queen.
 
We spent the following week doing caching around Watford area and drove down to Bath for the day on Saturday 24^th. We returned to SA on Sunday 25^th Sept at 21h00 and were back at home Monday 14h30.

New Souvenir: Signals Labyrinth #5 Stone Castle

• A total of twelve souvenirs over 6 labyrinths are up for grabs from 4 April 2022 – 3 April 2023.
• Earn leader board points over a two-month period to qualify for two new souvenirs per two-month period.
• Escape all 6 labyrinths, earn all twelve souvenirs and you will also earn a meta souvenir.
• Earn 50 points for the first souvenir and 500 points for the second souvenir in each labyrinth.
• There will be a mystery item in each labyrinth that if found will earn you bonus points.

• Perserverance Rover on Mars TB – no end date announced
• GC9FAVE, Locationless Cache – 17 August 2022 to 31 December 2023 (special cache type)
• Signal’s Labyrinth #5 Stone Castle – 5 December 2022 to 5 February 2023
• Full Sail – 1 to 8 January 2023
• Hider 2023 – 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023