Knocking on New Year's Door - 12/31/17

For New Year's Eve we travel to Germany, where we're:

Knocking on New Year´s door

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

CSI: Who-ville - 12/30/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California for a special episode of:

CSI: Who-ville

Tomorrow we'll celebrate New Year's Eve in Germany.

Kripke? No, Kropki. - 12/29/17

Today we travel to Austria for yet another sudoku variant I was unfamiliar with.  Instructions in English can be found here (note that the geocache puzzle uses red instead of white, and blue instead of black dots).  Sharpen your pencil and try out this:

 Kropki

Tomorrow we'll ...

Double Jigsaw - 12/28/17

One of our holiday traditions that we haven't managed to get to yet this year is working on a jigsaw puzzle.  Fortunately I came across today's Washington puzzle by a CO whose work I've enjoyed before:

Double Jigsaw

Tomorrow we'll ...

Hippo what? - 12/27/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California, where we encounter a case of:

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia

Tomorrow we'll ...

Robin Laid an Egg - 12/26/17

I couldn't resist sharing this one from Virgina with you today.  Peraps you'll sing along with:

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

Tomorrow we'll ...

Merry Christmas! - 12/25/17

A pair of puzzles for you today, from Finland I wish you a Hyvää Joulua with this:

Julmysteriet 2011 - Långa och korta..

and with this puzzle in France, I wish you:

Joyeux Noël FFHK

Tomorrow we'll ...

Christmas Calendar - 12/24/17

If you've been keeping up all month long you should have most of what you need to complete today's Swedish puzzle:

Wexio Christmas Calendar 2012

Tomorrow we'll ...

Something different - 12/23/17

Regarding today's cache, I won't say it's rotten ... but there's definitely something different in the state of Denmark:

Digging a very deep hole

Tomorrow we'll wrap up our Swedish calendar cache.

Blyant Puslespill - 12/22/17

Today's Swedish calendar cache takes us to Norway for a blyant puslespill (pencil puzzle):

Färgelanda Myst I

Tomorrow we'll be in Denmark.

Petals of the Rose - 12/21/17

Today our Swedish calendar cache takes us to Norway for:

The petals of the rose Sk #05

Tomorrow, back to Sweden.

If you're like me, today you're celebrating that the shortest day of the year will be behind us.  I was out caching up to the northwest of here yesterday and we had to wrap things up before 4:00 in order to get home before it was pitch dark.

Lussekatten - 12/20/17

Today's Swedish calendar puzzle features a cute little cat celebrating one part of their Christmas season, St. Lucia's Day:

Nötknäckarkalendern 2011-12 Lussekatten

Tomorrow we'll be in Norway.

A Geocaching Christmas Story - 12/19/17

Today we pay a visit to a brand new New Jersey cache.  I had planned for us to be in Norway today, but I'm going to save that puzzle for another day in favor of:

A Geocaching Christmas Story

Tomorrow we'll have a puzzle based on a different Christmas story. 

Matrisen - 12/18/17

Our Swedish calendar cache, day 18, has us visiting its home country and a puzzle called:

Matrisen

Did anybody else see the new Star Wars movie over the weekend?  My husband and I went, but the theater was so packed we couldn't even sit together (well, maybe we could have if I'd been willing to sit in the very front).  So I missed out on the popcorn we were supposed to share, but I enjoyed the movie.  My only problem is that if Luke is 40 years older than when I first met him, then I must be too.

Tomorrow we'll be in Norway.

Play Well - 12/17/17

With today's puzzle we rejoin our Swedish calendar cache, which takes us to the Isle of Man where we'll:

Play Well

Tomorrow:  Back to Sweden.

Bumbling Around - 12/16/17

One more day and we'll be back to our Swedish calendar puzzles.   Today we head to Utah where I've just been doing a little:

Bumbling Around

Tomorrow we'll be in the Isle of Man.

Let it Snow - 12/15/17

I'm taking another day off from our Swedish calendar of caches to share with you this puzzle in honor of the winter weather we've been having here lately.  It's from Finland, where I guess they know a thing or two about:

Polar Bears in Snow

Plus it gives me the opportunity to share this video ... which I may have shared before, but it's so geeky good I hope you'll forgive me if I'm repeating myself:

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - 12/14/17

A brief break from the calendar of caches we've been doing, as I share something new that's a bit closer to home for me here in central New York.  This puzzle has one of the new geocaching.com geocheckers on it, in case you haven't seen them: 

Everyone Loves a Good Christmas Carol

I can certainly confirm that, as the song says, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" around here. I think it was about 12 degrees today, with a fierce wind-chill, and yesterday as I was driving to work during our first real snow of the year I did not particularly appreciate Andy Williams on the radio belting out "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" as I was trying to avoid sliding into the ditch. Fortunately, I kept it between the lines and the end of the semester is in sight!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Le Pont de Geneve - 12/13/17

Day 13 of our calendar cache puzzle takes us to Switzerland and:

Le pont de Geneve 2

Tomorrow we'll ...

Ukelele - 12/12/17

Today's selection from the Swedish Calendar cache takes us to Thailand for a:

Ukelele

Tomorrow we'll be in Switzerland.

Alfametik - 12/11/17

Our Swedish calendar cache returns to its home turf today with a puzzle that's:

Alfametik

Tomorrow we'll journey to Thailand.

Animal Math - 12/10/17

Day 10 of our calendar cache finds us back in Sweden for a little Animal Math, or as they say there:

Djurmatte i Silverskogen

Tomorrow, day 11.

Das Labyrinth - 12/9/17

Day 9 of our calendar cache takes us to Austria.  See if you can make your way through:

Das Labyrinth

Tomorrow we'll

The Incredible Journey - 12/8/17

Our Swedish calendar cache puzzle sends us to a new country for the blog today, Vietnam.  Getting there is quite:

The Incredible Journey (Hanoi)

Tomorrow, day 9.

Siffror - 12/7/17

A numbers puzzle from the Swedish calendar cache today:

Siffror I

Is anybody else keeping up with the current year's version of the calendar?  I've found them to be a fun challenge so far. I'd love to do one like this around here if I thought I could get any takers.

Tomorrow our journeys will take us to Vietnam.

Cachemas Gnomes - 12/6/17

Today's Swedish puzzle involves some Cachemas gnomes:


Notknackarkalendern 2011-10 Cachemas Gnomes

This cache is archived, and you'll notice the new banner with the log from when it was archived up at the top ... yet another change to the website.  It sounds like they've changed up the cache page creation experience as well, including taking away the "related web page" link.  That's too bad.  But the new "archived" banner did remind me of a useful tool that someone passed along a while back and I don't think I've shared it here.  You can use this link to:


Search for Archived Caches

Tomorrow we'll visit puzzle #7 on our December caching calendar.

Connecting People - 12/5/17

Today our Swedish calendar puzzle takes us to Luxembourg where we're:

Connecting People

Tomorrow ... day 6.

Kissemissar - 12/4/17

Today's puzzle from the Swedish puzzle calendar cache may look familiar.  It's based on a California puzzle I featured here a while back, and was lucky enough to actually make the find for last summer.  I hadn't saved all of my work for the original, however, so I had fun doing it all over again:

Kissemissar

Upon checking the other day, I found an all-new version of the calendar cache for 2017.  While it sounds like they had to put in a back-door to make it somehow solvable upon publication, the puzzles are appearing daily, and I've had fun looking at them so far (be warned that google translate could use some work on its Swedish).  Why not play along with:

Wexio Christmas Calendar 2017

Tomorrow ... day 5.

Shonky? - 12/3/17

Today's puzzle is similar to some I've featured here before, but with its own regional twist.  This 4th entry for our December calendar of caches takes us to Australia and:

A Shonky Numbers Game

Tomorrow ... day 4.

When in Rome - 12/2/17

Day 2 of our December series has us visiting a puzzle that is part of a series from Canada's province of Nova Scotia that I first featured way back in 2011.  If you haven't taken a trip down "Puzzle Street" in the past, you may as well start here:

PS24: When in Rome... ?

Tomorrow:  Day 3 takes us to Australia.

Lycka till! - 12/1/17

Well, we've made it to the last month of the year.  December 1st is a big day around here since it's my son's birthday, but it was also always an exciting day for me growing up.  My mother would haul the huge old record player upstairs and play a stack of Christmas LP's for us that night when we went to sleep.  The stack would get flipped over the following night, and then every night until Christmas. Opening the first little window on our advent calendar was another real treat that day.  My sister got the odd days, and I got the even ones ... so she always got to go first. 

Last December I came across a holiday puzzle-a-day series in Sweden. It was one mega-puzzle (in the style of a "master of mystery" cache) but it took 24 days for the whole thing to be revealed - a new puzzle appeared each day, and you had to solve all 24 of them to get the information required to find the cache.  The puzzles are not all holiday related and are not all found in Sweden. I may end up switching around or replacing a few of them, but I thought it would be a fun series to share with you here this month ... naturally, just one day at a time.  I wish you "Lycka till!" with this first entry:

Anders slaskar, julen braskar

Tomorrow, day 2.

Thermometer Conundrum - 11/30/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Ohio.  I had started working on this one when it published, but set it aside when I got stuck.  While cleaning off my workspace (which doubles as the dining room table) for Thanksgiving, I happened to come across my printouts again and gave it another shot.  I must have been in a more logical frame of mind since I was able to get through it this time.  With the thermometer bouncing up and down on these end-of-November days, it seems like a perfect time to share this:

Conundrum Fever

Tomorrow we'll start something special for December.

Sherlock's on the Case - 11/29/17

Today's California puzzle tells the story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's puzzling case:

re: Curse of the Speckled Square

Tomorrow we'll ...

Don't Go -- 11/28/17

Ah, nuts.  I had this all set to go and didn't hit the "publish" button.  Sorry for the delay.

Today's puzzle takes us to Texas, but it's sound advice for anyone who lives in my part of the world:

Don't Go Cursing Waterfalls

Tomorrow we'll ...

Cyber Monday - 11/27/17

Today's puzzle from Belgium seems like a good choice for me to share with you on this Cyber Monday:

Bitcoin Geocache: 0.00086425 BTC

Tomorrow we'll:

A Dime a Dozen - 11/26/17

I chose today's Australian puzzle because I liked the coins in it..  I thought looked pretty cool, but I guess if you're in the right part of the world they're:

A Dime a Dozen

Tomorrow we'll ...

Gluttony - 11/25/17

Today's puzzle takes us to New Jersey.  With Thanksgiving leftovers aplenty around here, I'm afraid we're still committing one of the:

Seven Deadly Sins - Gluttony 🍷🦃

Tomorrow we'll ...

This Bud's For You - 11/24/17

Today finds us visiting another New York puzzle.  Are you worn out from yesterday's festivities of cooking, eating, and watching football? Or have you been fighting the crowds doing some Black Friday shopping?  Either way:

This Bud's For You

Tomorrow we'll ...

Happy Thanksgiving! - 11/23/17

Today's California puzzle is the perfect one to say:

Gobble Gobble! Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Switchback - 11/22/17

Last night I was poking around looking at puzzles up the road from me not too far here in central NY.  I'm hoping to make a puzzle run up that way before too long, if the weather will cooperate.  Here's one you can have some fun with:

Switchback

Tomorrow we'll celebrate Thanksgiving with a puzzle in California.

Wait ... 11/21/17

Today finds us in Arizona again, where I expect you'll be saying:

Wait, That's Not Sudoku...

P.S.  If you missed yesterday's puzzle due to the broken link, it's by the same CO as today's, and you can find it here.

Tomorrow we'll ...

Chopsticks - 11/20/17

I spotted this Arizona puzzle while poking around last night.  See if you can play:

Chopsticks

*Sorry about the broken link! All fixed now.

Tomorrow we'll ...

Dot to Dot - 11/19/17

Many of us enjoyed dot-to-dot activities as kids ... and you can have that same experience with today's puzzle from the UK.  Have fun watching the picture appear in this bit of:

Animal Magic

Tomorrow we'll ...

Counting the days? - 11/18/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Virginia.  Is anyone else counting the days until the new Star Wars movie?  I'm looking forward to it.  

In the mean time, you can enjoy this:

Movie Poster Mayhem

Tomorrow we'll ... 

Geocache of the Week - 11/17/17

I think I've only featured one official "Geocache of the Week" puzzle, but I happened to stumble across another one of them the other day.  I'll have to start looking more deliberately.  This one is from California, and will have you playing:

LostSailRs: Uncharted Waters - a video game

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Shenobi Maths - 11/16/17

Yesterday I had you counting in German in the U.K., and today I'm taking you to Texas for some:

Shinobi Maths

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Ein Kleiner Puzzle-Cache ... - 11/15/17

There's some pretty spiffy math going on in today's cache which, despite the title, comes from the U.K.:

Ein kleiner Puzzle-Cache

Tomorrow we'll ...

The New World - 11/14/17

Today we travel to California, where it's:

The New World

Tomorrow we'll ...

Vroom! - 11/13/17

Today's cute Vermont puzzle landed in my inbox over the weekend.  Even if any children in your life have moved on to bigger toys, I hope it reminds you of someone who liked to make things go:

Vroom!

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Blasting DNF's - 11/12/17

Today's California puzzle has us playing a little game of:

DNF Assault - a video game

Tomorrow we'll ...

Lest We Forget - 11/11/17

Today many countries around the world are honoring their veterans and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice. In honor of the occasion, let's pay a visit to this Canadian puzzle, hidden 6 years ago today:

Lest We Forget: War & Remembrance

Tomorrow we'll ...

A Big Day - 11/10/17

Today's puzzle takes us to the U.K.  I can't believe how fast time seems to be passing by ... it seems like just yesterday our daughter was five years old and starting kindergarten. Now she's applying to graduate school, and today she turns the:

Elusive Twenty One

Happy Birthday K!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Movember - 11/9/17

Today we head to the Canadian province of Quebec for a puzzle that's the first in a series in honor of:

Movember (Art 1)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Chemical Spell - 11/8/17

Today we travel to Canada's Ontario province for a puzzle involving a:

Chemical Spell

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Relatively Easy - 11/7/17

Today we're in California, where I have a puzzle for you that's:

Relatively Easy

Tomorrow we'll ...

Another one? 11/6/17

Don't take this the wrong way, but today we find ourselves in England for:

Another DAMN Puzzle

Tomorrow we'll ...

Guy Quotes - 11/5/17

While out caching with a friend this weekend she happened to mention that Guy Fawkes day was coming up on Sunday.  I thought that would be a great opportunity to find a themed puzzle for you, but I'm afraid I didn't do very well.  The best I could do was a series of 34 puzzles in Illinois that starts here:

Guy Quotes #1

Tomorrow we'll ...

That about covers it - 11/4/17

What can I say about today's California puzzle?  I had been holding it to share with you until earlier this week, but then I went and forgot about it.:

That About Covers It

Tomorrow we'll ...

GIFF Weekend - 11/3/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Spain.  I'm looking forward to a little puzzle caching this weekend and attending a GIFF event hosted by a fellow puzzler, who also happens to be the creator of one of this year's film finalists.  How cool is that?!  I don't think he even had a track-record as a film-maker, but decided to give it a shot after watching the films from last year.  You can enjoy them yourselves in this puzzle from Spain:

Alboraya IX: GIFF 2016

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

I'm Getting Older Too - 11/2/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  I'm celebrating another trip around the sun ... here's hoping that along with getting older:

Time makes you bolder

Tomorrow we'll ...

Dodger's Mystery - 11/1/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Ohio.  As I'm preparing this post game 6 of the World Series is in progress, and with the way this series has gone so far, the outcome is anybody's guess.  Although I grew up in Tennessee I was born just outside of L.A. and adopted the Dodgers as my team to watch in the mid-1970's (which meant suffering through consecutive World Series losses to the Yankees).  The last time they were in the series was when I was in college, so it's been fun seeing them have the chance to take it all again.  In honor of the occasion I give you:

Dodger’s Hidden Mystery Cache

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Happy Halloween! - 10/31/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Nebraska.  It's Halloween again and I have no idea how many trick-or-treaters we'll get this year, but I don't expect there will be a lot.  A co-worker of mine has planned for 500 at her house!  I know we usually get under 20 and I end up having some treats left over, but I can't really remember the details of our:

Halloween Candy 2016

Curse of the Zombie Babe - 10/30/17

Today's puzzle finds us in California.  It's almost Halloween, so that seems like the perfect time for this:

re: Curse of the Zombie Babe

Tomorrow we'll ...

Calling All Airlines - 10/29/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  It's almost the beginning of November, so if you're planning any holiday travel I'd recommend that you start:

Calling All Airlines

Tomorrow we'll ...

The Heat is On! - 10/28/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  I always know it's coming, and yet it often takes me by surprise:  that first day when it gets cold enough for the furnace to come on.  It might have been a little later than usual this year, but yesterday morning was quite cool and crisp and I heard it start right up, which is certainly a relief.  I worry that one of these years it's just going to stay off for good.  But for now, we're still:

Just Ducky: The Heat Is On

Tomorrow we'll be in ...  

Safety Dance - 10/27/17

Today we travel to the U.K. for a cache based on a song I remember well.  Although there is a significant field component after the at-home portion, I just couldn't resist giving you the chance to have a listen to this particular:

Safety Dance

Tomorrow we'll ...

Pink Floyd - 10/26/17

Today we travel to Nevada.  I can't say I know a lot about the band, but I had fun with the puzzle for:

Pink Floyd #12 - Remember Me

Tomorrow we'll be in the U.K.

Serbia - 10/25/17

I love it when I'm able to add a new country to the list of places we've traveled to here on the Geocaching Puzzle of the Day.  While I may never get the chance to visit, at least I now have:

A Postcard from Serbia

Tomorrow we'll ...

Wilbur's Secret - 10/24/17

Today we travel to the UK where you'll have a chance to unravel:

Wilbur's Secret

Tomorrow we'll ...

The Organ - 10/23/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Canada for a puzzle featuring an instrument I have always enjoyed.  I just love listening, watching, and feeling the vibrations during the performance of a complex piece that gives the pipes (and the organist) a real workout.  While I took piano lessons for a number of years when I was growing up, I never got the chance to try playing:

The Organ

Tomorrow we'll be in the U.K.

Riddle Me This - 10/22/17

Today we travel to the U.K. for:

A Riddle

Tomorrow we'll ...

Get your goat - 10/21/17

Today we travel to Nebraska for a puzzle.  I hope it doesn't:

Get your Goat

Tomorrow we'll ...

Insanity - 10/20/17

I cut it pretty close to the wire this time, but did manage to find this Calilfornia puzzle to share with you today.  I was thinking that this is:

Insanity

 But then I happened to look back at yesterday's featured puzzle and spotteed this log which made my day.

Tomorrow we'll ...

ScatterBummed - 10/19/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Tennessee.  I've been busier than I'd like these days, so I'm definitely feeling:

ScatterBummed

Tomorrow we'll ...

Conversation Starters - 10/18/17

Today's California puzzle is:

Conversation Starters

Tomorrow we'll ...

Monkey - 10/17/17

Today we're back to Australia with a:

Monkey

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Cryptic Type Puzzle - 10/16/17

Today we travel to California.  I know The Rat is still writing crosswords, so I've been pestering him for a while now about when we'd see a new geocaching puzzle.  I was very happy to test out this one when it dropped in my inbox last week.  Get ready for a:

Cryptic.Type.Puzzle

(This one published prematurely, briefly, on Friday ... sorry about that.  I haven't made that mistake in a while.)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Rabbit - 10/15/17

Today's Australian puzzle is part of a series that was recommended to me recently, and I expect to be sharing more of them with you soon.  Have some fun with:

Rabbit

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Quadrant Bearings - 10/14/17

I was poking around looking at puzzles in the Albany area before an upcoming trip over that way when I spotted today's puzzle.  It taught me something new, so I thought I'd share it with you here:

Crossings Park Traverse

Tomorrow we'll ...

Make an Arrest - 10/13/17

Today we'll wrap up our series in Scotland.  If you've been playing along, you've been checking the clues, and identified a subject.  Now all that remains is the last step:

Checking For Clues: Make An Arrest

Tomorrow we'll ...

Whodunit? - 10/12/17

We're getting to the end of this week's interlocking puzzle series in Scotland.  If you're playing along, you've been checking for clues, and taking stock of the evidence.  Are you ready to answer the question:

Checking For Clues: Whodunit?

Tomorrow we'll wrap up the series.

Bus Station - 10/11/17

We're mid-way through our week of interlocking puzzles in Scotland.  Today you'll need to consider:

Checking For Clues: Bus Station

Tomorrow, will you have a suspect?

Best Westing - 10/10/17

If you missed yesterday's post, you'll want to go back and check it out, as the featured cache explains the interlocking series of puzzles in Scotland that we'll be visiting all this week.  Now I've heard of both the "Best Western" and the "Westin" as lodging establishments, but this was a new one for me:

Checking for Clues: Best Westing Hotel

Tomorrow, another in the series.

Checking for Clues - 10/9/17

It's been a while since I featured a series with a creative use of geocheckers, so when this series from Scotland landed in my inbox recently, I knew it would be a fun one to share with you.  It's an interlocking series of 29 puzzles, so I think there's enough there to keep us busy all of this week.  Can you solve the murder mystery?  It all starts here:

Checking for Clues: Crime Scene

Tomorrow, the series continues.

And the Winner is ... 10/8/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  This weekend I've been busy with my quilt guild's biennial quilt show.  It's a lot of work but I always enjoy seeing how creative my fellow quilters can be.  Many years ago (pre-geocaching) I was tickled to win a couple of viewer's choice ribbons, and I use one of those quilts as my geocaching avatar photo. (Is "avatar photo" a tautology?  I don't even know.)  Although I do have some quilts in this year's show, I know I'm not going to be bringing home any ribbons.  But that's OK:

May the best woman win!

(Editor's note:  While we have had some excellent male quilters in our guild in the past, all of the 200+ entries in this year's show were made by women.)

Tomorrow we'll be in Scotland.

The Nobel Diplomas - 10/7/17

There was a bit of excitement around our house earlier this week when the Nobel Prize in Physics was announced.  We had been crossing our fingers that the detection of gravitational waves would be recognized, since my husband and his colleagues have been working closely with one of the honorees for the last 20 years.  In honor of the occasion, I enjoyed hunting down today's Texas puzzle and learning a little bit about:

The Nobel Diplomas

Tomorrow we'll ...

Landscaping Ungulates? - 10/6/17

In the entry in the Utah corn-art-from above series our hero finally turns to some:

Professional Landscaping Ungulates

Tomorrow we'll ...

Acme - 10/5/17

Today's entry in the corn-art-from above series from Utah is named for that old Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote favorite company:

Acme

Tomorrow, the final entry in the series.

Reclusive Ox Crop Art - 10/4/17

Today's Utah puzzle will have you consider corn crop art courtesy of:


Reclusive Ox

Tomorrow we'll have another in the series.

Amaizing - 10/3/17

Today we're back in Utah for another corn-art-from-above puzzle.  See below for a pretty cool corn-art example I found from last year in Illinois.  It's amazing what you can do with:

Maize

Tomorrow, another in the series.

Cornway - 10/2/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Utah, for the first in a series which was recommended to me last week ... and what a timely one it is.  Over the weekend I mentioned that New York in the Fall means apples and pumpkins, and all this week we'll be visiting this series of puzzles that feature a CO's attempts to carve coordinates into a corn field.  Corn art-from-above is a big thing around here (see a nearby one from 2012, below), so I got a big kick out of these puzzles.  Let's start things off with:

Conway

Tomorrow we'll visit another in the series.

Pumpkin Papers - 10/1/17

It's Fall in the Finger Lakes, which definitely means the pumpkins are popping up all over.  Today's puzzle takes us up the road a couple hours for an intriguing bit of history with a connection to Rochester's Eastman Kodak Company:

Spycraft: The Pumpkin Papers

Tomorrow we'll head to Scotland.

Don't Diet - 9/30/17

 Apparently May 6 is the official day with the designation in today's California puzzle, but with it being Apple Festival weekend and some hot apple pie and vanilla ice cream with my name on it I'm calling today:

Don't Diet Day

Tomorrow we'll ...

Crossword Games - 9/29/17

Today's puzzle takes us to New Jersey for some fun:

Games - Crossword

Tomorrow we'll ...

Can't Touch This? - 9/28/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Ohio where it's:

"Ham"mer Time!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Crakes, Coots, & Gallinules - 9/27/17

Today's California puzzle dropped into my in-box this week.  Not being familiar with the words I enjoyed learned something about:

Crakes, Coots, & Gallinules

Tomorrow we'll be in Ohio.

Monkeying Around - 9/26/17

Last week I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Mr. LANMonkey, when he filled in for one of the GeoGearheads on a podcast I participated in (it was a non-puzzle-related show on the theme of GPSr's vs. smart-phones).  He is from the greater Vancouver area, home to a number of fun puzzles I have shared here before.  Today's puzzle is one from Mrs. LANMonkey's first puzzle series entitled "We're All Connected":

WAC2 - PAF

Tomorrow we'll ...

Cayuga Sound - 9/25/17

Today's puzzle is from right here in central NY, where we had quite a bit of musical excitement over the weekend.  Paul McCartney gave a concert up in Syracuse and right here in Ithaca there was a big festival called "Cayuga Sound."  I didn't attend but could hear a lot of the music and the sound from the fireworks drifting up the hill from the park down beside the lake.  I had forgotten about the festival after the big announcement last spring, but it was all orchestrated by the Ithaca band "X Ambassadors" and featured a great performance by the:

Roots

Tomorrow we'll ...

Plouffe! - 9/24/17

I hope you'll indulge me for sharing one of my own puzzles with you today.  I was looking around for something to post and then:

Plouffe, There It Is!

Tomorrow we'll ...

I What? - 9/23/17

The title of today's puzzle from Canada's Ontario province caught my eye, but I was misreading it at first.  I liked it better when I read it correctly:

What? I Quilt!

Tomorrow we'll ...

It's a hit! - 9/22/17

Today's featured puzzle is from Australia, and:

It's a hit!

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Rack your brain? - 9/21/17

Today's Oregon puzzle has the unusual title of:

Hit or I Will Rack Your Brain

Tomorrow we'll ...

Pirate Booty - 9/20/17

Somehow I always manage to hear about "Talk Like a Pirate Day" on the actual day, rather than the day before, so once again I missed the opportunity to share a thematic puzzle yesterday.  That means I'm a day late, but you can still enjoy today's Massachusetts puzzle and the:

Pirate Booty

Tomorrow we'll be in Oregon.

Ehrengedächtnis - 9/19/17

Today's North Carolina puzzle landed in my in-box recently.   See how you do with:

Ehrengedächtnis

Tomorrow we'll ...

Uncle Rebus? - 9/18/17

Today we head to California and the puzzle of:

Uncle Rebus and the New Math

Toomorow we'll ...

Cloudy - 9/17/17

Today we travel to California for a puzzle with some:

Cloudy Coordinates

Tomorrow we'll ...

The Cryptic Crocus - 9/16/17

Today's puzzle from Italy was another that I found when asking myself if I could find a puzzle with a particular theme: the crocus.  Before moving into this house 12 years ago, I only knew the crocus as one of the first-blooming flowers of spring.  When I saw some blooming outside our front door in mid-September, I had to laugh and shake my head at what I thought were some very confused little blossoms.  Now I have to laugh and shake my head at myself ... every year when these little guys pop up, they surprise me again.  You'd think at some point I would remember and start to watch for them when the days start getting shorter, the nights and mornings take on a chill, and the leaves begin turning to their autumn reds and golds.  But I saw one this morning, and it had caught me off guard again:

Il Crocus criptico

Tomorrow we'll ...

δίσκος - 9/15/17

Today's puzzle from Finland landed in my in-box a while back and I enjoyed sorting it out.  Try your luck with:

δίσκος

Tomorrow we'll ...

Chinese Treasure - 9/14/17

Today we travel to China for:

The Treasure of Pirate Monkey

Tomorrow we'll be in Finland.

Puzzle Me This - 9/13/17

Another day, another puzzle.  Today we travel to Connecticut and:

Puzzle Me This

Tomorrow we'll ...

The Rest of the Story - 9/12/17

I think I was traveling this summer when the story of a Canadian geocacher attacked by a grizzly bear was in the news, but someone sent me a puzzle cache by the cacher in question which tells the story in full:

Grizzly Free Zone

Note:  Click here to see where it all started, and here for an epilogue.  It's great to see how well he's doing and how much support he has received from the geocaching community.

Capdude's 1000th - 9/11/17

I love it when cachers honor each others' milestones with puzzles, such as this one from California:

Capdude's 1000th

Tomorrow we'll ...

Droughtlander no more! - 9/10/17

Today's puzzle takes us to New Zealand, and I chose it in honor of tonight's season premiere of "Outlander."  I only got interested in the books and TV show about a year and a half ago, but I've become a big fan.  I think I was confusing them with the "Highlander" films for a long time, so I'm glad I finally figured out the distinction.  My first exposure was actually about the first 45 minutes of the Season 2 premiere ... that was enough to get me hooked wanting to know more of:

A Sassenach Story

Tomorrow we'll ...

Too Much Cable TV - 9/9/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Georgia, and is yet another example of a cache I found simply by wondering, "I wonder if there's a puzzle cache about ---."  I've found that my under the breath mutterings and out loud exclamations have definitely been affected over the last few years by the amount of cable TV I've been watching. I'm starting to worry about bursting out with the wrong words at the wrong time, so I've been seriously considering breaking out:

The Cursing Jar

Tomorrow we'll ...

He's Back ... - 9/8/17

Over the years the San Francisco Bay area has been treated to periodic collaborative "ACTIVITIES" created by the mysterious Venona.  After several years of silence, he has now risen like a:

PHOENIX

This link will help you understand the collaborative nature of the ACTIVITIES.  I wasn't able to participate in any of these in real time the last time around, so I'm enjoying them so far ... looking forward to the next one.

Tomorrow we'll ...

Go Diego, Go! - 9/7/17

Today we travel to Idaho and a little game of:

Go Caching Diego Go Caching

Tomorrow we'll ...

The Waiting Game - 9/6/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Canada's province of British Columbia.  I suspect anyone who's been following the blog for long has picked up on the fact that I'm a huge fan of Game of Thrones.  Now that season 7 of the TV show is complete (my verdict:  good, but not great - and why so rushed??) and we have no idea when the next book will be released, we're reduced to playing:

The Waiting Game

Tomorrow we'll ...

The Fridge - 9/5/17

Today's puzzle takes us to New Zealand, and I solved it while waiting at home for a plumber and a delivery.  Recently I finally conceded that it was time to get a new refrigerator, but if we were getting one I wanted to go ahead and get the plumbing done so we could have ice and water through the door.  Simple things like that amuse me a great deal, so I expect I'm really going to enjoy:

The Fridge (Wellington)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Labor/Labour - 9/4/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Canada.  Today marks Labor/Labour Day in the U.S. and Canada and the unofficial end of summer.  The days are getting shorter, a few early leaves are already starting to turn, and I'll feel weird wearing white shoes any more.  I was worried I was going to have to recycle a puzzle I had posted previously in honor of the day, but then I remembered to try searching for it under the British spelling.  No matter how you spell it:

Let's Celebrate - Labour Day

Tomorrow we'll be in New Zealand.

"Bye Bye" from fastflyer - 9/3/17

Today we have (for now) the last of the southern California puzzles chosen for us this week by fastflyer.  I really appreciate all his great suggestions, and hope other folks may be inspired to help me highlight their regions by sending me a week's worth of puzzles they have enjoyed.  Here's what he had to say about this one:

"Once again I am featuring a puzzle cache by more of my Southern California geocaching friends - cindy&randy. Be prepared to turn up the heat in order to cook up the solution to this:"

American Pie

Tomorrow we'll ...

What's Cooking? - 9/2/17

We're almost to the end of our week of southern California puzzles chosen by fastflyer.  Here's what he had to say today:
"Today's puzzle comes from puzzle master CLRL, who has created many fine geocaching puzzles, generally is the area of Palos Verdes, CA. It's always nice to learn something new when solving a puzzle and I certainly did when a sat down to a delicious serving of:"

Hash Browns

Editor's note:  I came across this CO's puzzles years ago and I think this is the 4th one of them that's been featured here.

Dragonfly Scroll - 9/1/17

It's the Friday edition for Geocaching Puzzle of the Day, which often means something nice and juicy for you to dig your teeth into. Guest puzzle-picker fastflyer has definitely come through for us.  Here is what he writes about today's puzzle:

"Can You Crack the Secret?
"Today's selection was created by snapplez. He was among the earliest pioneers in this game and only created a few geocachers, designating each as "a snappelz geocaching adventure". But his geocaches are a very clear case of quality over quantity, and are among the finest creations that the game has to offer. This puzzle is easily the most difficult one in this week's series but, if you dare to, prepare yourself to try and penetrate through the layers of:"

the dragonfly scroll

Editor's note ... I have to put a disclaimer on this one as I haven't had time to go through it yet.  I've enjoyed all of fastflyer's other suggestions, though, so I'm confident this one will not disappoint.

Tomorrow, another of his suggestions.

Picture Perfect - 8/31/17

Here's what fastflyer has to say about the puzzle he's chosen for us today:

"A puzzle cache by Southern California geocacher Cairngorm is today's feature. His puzzles tend to be unusual and, over the years, I've found many to be maddeningly difficult to crack. But it's always quite a pleasure to finally wrestle them into submission. We're very blessed with a mild Mediterranean climate in this region so, in your mind's eye, please conjure up some palm trees swaying in a gentle breeze under a blue sky, as you look out over the ocean and:"

The Finest View of PCH

Tomorrow, another of his picks.

A Puzzling Shoot 'Em Up - 8/30/17

Today we have another fine southern California puzzle chosen for us by fastflyer. Here's what he had to say about it: "When I first stumbled upon today's selection, it was yet another moment when I marveled at the unlimited creativity of the human mind in crafting unexpected novelty. I would guess that most of you haven't seen a puzzle cache like this before, so I encourage you to tackle this gem by Lounging at Walden. Who should take up this challenge? Well, the great thing is that:"

Any Gun Can Play
Editor's note: The cache above has been archived, but the original puzzle is used (and there's a working geochecker) in this version: Any Gun Can Play (Redux)

Tomorrow we'll have another from our guest.

It's Only a Game - 8/29/17

This is what our guest-puzzle picker fastflyer had to say about today's featured puzzle: "Today's selection is by another good friend of mine in Southern California. She burst onto the local geocaching scene very recently, but has taken up the game with gusto, both in hunting and placing geocaches. To date, she has only created a single puzzle cache, but it had the quality of one by a seasoned pro. So please enjoy today's puzzle, while keeping in mind:" "It's only a game"

Tomorrow, we'll see what he has for us next.

Let's Kick off the Week with a Bang - 8/28/17

It's been a while since I featured a whole week of puzzles chosen by a guest puzzle-picker (it was back in January of 2013, with SilentP42). Today I'm very excited to kick off a week of puzzles chosen for you by fastflyer, from Southern California.

Here's what he has to say about today's California puzzle:

"Please don't think I'm (overly) biased by today's selection by qbee37, who is a good friend of mine. Well, okay, maybe a little. But the number of favorite points will attest to the quality of today's selection. And just for fun, you may want to check the posted coordinates on a map before sitting down to today's episode of:"
The Big Bang Theory

Tomorrow, another from fastflyer.

Silent Ben - 8/27/17

Today's puzzle is located in France (which turns out to be a little ironic).  I came across an article the other day which said that after August 21, 2017, the iconic "bongs" of London's Big Ben will be silent for the next four years, except on special occasions.  I hope the necessary repairs to its tower will allow it to keep going for a long time.  Three cheers for:

[GN16] 18 - Big Ben

Tomorrow we'll kick off a week of puzzles chosen by a guest puzzle-picker from California.

Yo! - 8/26/17

The title of today's recent Rhode Island puzzle caught my eye last night.  I can't say it was calling my name, exactly, but it was calling:

Yo Adrian

Tomorrow we'll ...

Virtual Rewards - 8/25/17

Today's puzzle takes us to England.  In case you missed it, the geocaching world was abuzz yesterday with the news of the upcoming limited release of some new virtual caches.  You can read all about this big news here.   I'm excited to report that I've learned that several of the puzzlers featured regularly here have received this huge honor, and I can't wait to see if there are others.  I sometimes can't fathom the decisions made by the Groundspeak powers that be, but this is one I am strongly in favor of.  What a great way to honor some hard-working CO's, and give the rest of us a little treat to indulge in some extra chances for:

Virtual Caching

Link Fixed ... sorry about that!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Runaway Runways - 8/24/17

I was intrigued by an article I came across the other day about airport runway numbers being changed in Las Vegas and Seattle due to shifts in the earth's magnetic field. Although I knew that the earth's magnetic north pole isn't found right at the top of its rotational axis, and that it shifts over time, I hadn't really thought about how those changes could affect navigation. If you're interested in how all this relates to runways, today's California puzzle will provide some education:

Runways Of The World Unite!!!

And just because I think it's cool, check out this satellite view of a "cemetery" in Tuscon, AZ.  Zoom out and look up to the northwest for even more of it.

Tomorrow we'll ...

My Life - 8/23/17

When I came across today's New Jersey puzzle, I knew I'd have to feature it, because the title made me laugh.  I'm starting back to work for the fall today, and have been feeling a bit rushed ... but at least I'm not yet looking at:

My Life as a Natural Disaster

Tomorrow we'll ...

Getting Cozy - 8/22/17

I had heard not long before my recent trip to California that The Rat had a new book in the works, and I'm pleased to be able to share with you that it's now available.  It just came out over the weekend and I'm looking forward to reading the final version.  I had a sneak peek at an earlier draft and I enjoyed it a lot; I'm hoping it turns out to be the first in a new series. There aren't any characters who are geocachers, but puzzlers and puzzling do figure prominently in The Cyptic Crossword Caper: A cozy mystery:

If you're unfamiliar with the term "cozy mystery," I'd define it as one in which the main character is not a professional investigator/member of law enforcement, and that doesn't feature a lot of gore or graphic violence. The link above will take you to the e-book version (which launched at $2.99) and there is also a paperback version (note that the e-book has for printable versions of the puzzles). There is a teaser for the book on the Amazon page, but you might prefer to just jump in without that preview (if you read it you won't know "who done it" but you will know who the victim turns out to be).

I had hoped to find one of the author's excellent crossword puzzle caches to feature today, but I didn't spot an active one that I hadn't used (he often posts key parts of the solutions on his archived puzzles).  I know he's still writing crosswords, so perhaps we'll see one of those in a geocache puzzle soon??  For now I'll make do with sharing this puzzle, which I found appropriate:

Word Police Quiz

Tomorrow we'll ...

Eclipse of 2017- 8/21/17

 Excitement has been building across the U.S. for today's total solar eclipse.  Although here in central New York we're over 500 miles from anywhere where it reaches totalilty, I was surprised to see on this cool website that we will reach over 70% of it, which is a lot more than I had expected.  I'll probably try making a pinhole camera to see if I can make it work.  I'm looking forward to the next eclipse (in 2024) when we'll be much closer to totality.

Back in 1989 I spent the summer working at the High Altitude Observatory, which is part of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO.  I don't remember all of the details of the project, but it involved studying images of previous eclipses stored on glass plates.  The images had been taken with special filters to allow better viewing of the solar corona, which varies quite a lot from eclipse to eclipse.  Since I'm a huge packrat I saved some prints, which I dug out the other night.  Here's one of my favorites, which was taken in India in 1980 (photo credit HAO and Rhodes College):

There will be prime viewing at the site of today's featured puzzle from Illinois, and no matter where you are located, you can take experience:

The Great American Eclipse of 2017

Tomorrow we'll be in California

Annual Art Puzzle - 8/20/17

I've had fun this week looking back through the last several year's worth of kablooey puzzle caches. There is a lot to remember, from the puzzles themselves to my own process of solving (or not solving) them.  Sometimes there are also some cleverly incorporated current events which are also fun to look back on.  Try your luck with:

Annual Art Puzzle (KPC2013)

Tomorrow we'll have an eclipse-related puzzle.

Scouting Reports - 8/19/17

I'm pretty sure today's California kablooey puzzle is the first one I was able to get the coveted FTS.  It's hard to believe that was over 6 years ago now.  Good luck with the:

Scouting Reports

Tomorrow, one final kablooey puzzle (for now).

First To Find Race - 8/18/17

Today's featured kablooey puzzle is one of the trickiest stand-alone puzzles he has written, and is one that stumped me mightily when it came out.  It's quite amazing how it all comes together in the:

First To Find Race

We'll feature a couple of his simpler puzzles over the weekend, and have an eclipse-related puzzle for Monday.

Redshirts - 8/17/17

I've had fun looking back through the kablooey puzzles for ones to share with you this week.  This one is a classic example.  It makes you wonder how he ever came up with the idea to do this, and marvel at the amount of work it probably took to pull it off.  Enjoy:

Redshirts

Tomorrow we'll visit another by kablooey.

Bucket List - 8/16/17

Today's California kablooey puzzle is a particularly memorable one for me.  While the appearance of the puzzles in this series is almost always on the first of the month, occasionally the cache page publishes early, with a note that the puzzle itself will appear at a certain time - often midnight on the first.  That translates to 3:00 a.m. in my time zone, so those are tough for me (of course, when they publish at 6:00 a.m. Pacific I get an advantage, so it probably works out in the long run).  If I don't have to work the next day I have been known to stay up until 3:00 a.m., or set an alarm so I can get up and take a look at the puzzle.  I know I looked at this one during the wee hours, but went to sleep without solving it.  Now, if you're like me, you sometimes find yourself dreaming about working on puzzles, and your subconscious occasionally keeps working on something long after the rest of you has tired of it.  More than once I have woken up with a new idea that I want to try, but I don't usually know where it came from.  In this case, I clearly remember figuring out a critical component of this puzzle in a dream:

Bucket List (KPC2012)

Tomorrow we'll visit another from the KPC series.

Double Word Score - 8/15/17

Some of my favorite kablooey puzzles are the ones involving wordplay, such as this one from his 2010 Challenge.  These yearly challenges started in 2008, and are comprised of puzzles that appear on or about the first of every month (which is now known as "kablooey day" at my house).  Those who choose to give their geonames in the certitude checker play for points (and bragging rights) based on how quickly they are able to solve the puzzle. Hints for each puzzle are posted on the 15th of the month in which they appeared, so for the full experience you'll want to make a good effort at cracking it before taking a peek at any hints.  See if you can achieve a:

Double Word Score

Tomorrow, more from kablooey.

Breaking Away - 8/14/17

I realized recently that a well-known San Francisco Bay area puzzler's caches are a bit under-represented here on my blog.  Mostly that's because he's so well-known that I expect a lot of you already have already done most of his puzzles.  But it occurred to me that there may be some folks who are not as familiar with his work, and for those of you who are, it's possible that you might enjoy revisiting some of them.   It's possible you'll even come across one or two you haven't solved.  That was the case for me, when I went and checked out his earliest puzzle cache, published all the way back in 2002:

Breaking Away

We'll spend this whole next week in California visiting kablooey's caches.

Periodic Fable - 8/13/17

Today's amusing Colorado puzzle involves a:

Periodic Fable

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Photograph of London - 8/12/17

Today's puzzle from Georgia was suggested to me recently, and I enjoyed taking a bit closer look at the photograph of London it contains.  I passed through there myself this summer, but the only recognizable photograph I took was this one, out the window of a train:

You'll note I had nowhere near the resolution of the photo in the puzzle:

Easier to find Waldo

Let's Play Two! - 8/11/17

Today we travel to California.  If you'll forgive me for paraphrasing the great Chicago Cub Ernie Banks, it's a great day for a puzzle;  let's play two!:

Crossword Cipher and  Crossword Cipher #2

Tomorrow we'll ...

A Quadrilateral Quandary - 8/10/17

Today's California puzzle is a:

Quadrilateral Quandary

Tomorrow we'll be in California for another day.

TRI hard - 8/9/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Tennessee, right near my old hometown.  We're well into August now and that means the fall semester is right around the corner.  I've had a great summer but it's gone by so fast! If anybody would like to take a turn as guest puzzle-picker for a week (or even for a day or two) please let me know.  I've not been able to work ahead finding puzzles for these blog posts like I wish I could have, so keeping things going may get a little tricky as the fall progresses.  But you can rest assured I'll:

TRI hard

Tomorrow we'll ...

Year of the Dragon - 8/8/17

Today we travel to California for the:

Year of the Dragon

Tomorrow we'll ...

Blocked Out - 8/7/17

Today's California puzzle, which was passed along to me recently, appeals to the quilter in me.  See if you can solve the mystery without being:

Blocked Out

Tomorrow we'll ...

Franklin - 8/6/17

Today's Texas puzzle just made me say, "Awwww ..." :)  The featured fellow was very well-known at our house and it brought back some fond memories when I came across:

Ian's Franklin the Turtle cache

Tomorrow we'll ...

Squares - 8/5/17

Today we head to Canada's Ontario province for a puzzle involving:

Squares

Tomorrow we'll ...

Words Search - 8/4/17

Today's California puzzle provides us a glimpse into the world of big-league puzzling, as it first appeared as part of the 2016 MIT Puzzle Hunt.  I encourage anyone who is interested in seeing what is possible at this level to take a look at:

Words Search

Tomorrow we'll ...

Never Ending Possibilities - 8/3/17

Today's puzzle is for a cache which I found during my recent trip to California.  The title speaks to me because it sums up what I like most about puzzle caching ... it doesn't gets old because there are:

never.ending.possibilities

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Duh? - 8/2/17

I've appreciated the puzzle suggestions folks have been sending me this summer.  Today's from California is one of them.  I can always use more though, so if you've been thinking about sending one (or more) my way, don't be shy.  In the mean time, don't you hate it when a puzzle makes you slap your forehead and say:

Duh?

Tomorrow we'll ...

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Sudoku - 8/1/17

Today's Arizona puzzle was passed along to me last week while I was in California.  I've featured a lot of twists on the original sudoku puzzle over the last few years, but I'm not sure I've ever seen one that contained so many variations all in the same puzzle.  Try your luck with:

The Developer

Tomorrow we'll ...

Go West! - 7/31/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California, quite a bit north and west of the area I was able to pay a visit to last week.  I still have a lot of logs to write, but it was fantastic being able to pay visits to so many great puzzle caches I have enjoyed over the years.  The opportunity to meet up with many of their CO's was icing on the cake.  What a great community of puzzlers in the San Francisco Bay area!  I felt right at home and really appreciate how welcoming they were.  :)  In honor of all my Bay area friends I bring you:

Go West, young man - a puzzle cache

Tomorrow we'll ...

 

Cache Cow Week, Sunday - 7/30/17

I hope you've enjoyed spending this last week in England with the entertaining series of cow puzzles.  I figured the best one to wrap up would be with the last in the series (so far):

#37 Icelandic

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Cache Cow Week, Saturday - 7/29/17

We're nearing the end of our week of featured puzzles in the United Kingdom cow series, but I couldn't finish up without sharing:

#18 South Devon

Tomorrow, our last from the series.

Cache Cow Week, Friday - 7/28/17

I generally feature the toughest puzzles on Fridays, but I chose today's entry from the United Kingdom's cow series mostly because the cow it talks about is just so darn clever.  Watch for yourself as she solves the puzzle of how to open that gate:

#2 Limousin

Tomorrow, the series continues.

Cache Cow Week, Thursday - 7/27/17

Today's entry in the United Kingdom's cow series gave me a big grin:

#31 Irish Moiled

Tomorrow, the series continues.

Cache Cow Week, Wednesday - 7/26/17

Today we have another in the U.K. cow series.  I wonder if the "How now, brown" cow was one of these:

#20 Brown Swiss 

Tomorrow ...

Cache Cow Week, Tuesday - 7/25/17

Today we return to the United Kingdom.  Here's a cow fact for you:  The state of Texas has declared their Longhorn to be the official "Texas State Large Mammal."  I don't think you'll have any trouble differentiating their version from this one:

#32 English Longhorn

Tomorrow, more from the U.K.

Cache Cow Week, Monday - 7/24/17

A couple of months ago I featured a fun cow-related puzzle from the United Kingdom that had dropped into my inbox.  It was the first in a series, but I didn't take the time to check out any of the others until recently.  I loved what I found:  37 entertaining puzzles that form a geo-art cow:

I haven't solved all of them yet, but I found enough to keep us occupied throughout the upcoming week.  Along with the puzzles you'll find a wealth of information about many, many different breeds of cows, and "cow facts" that could themselves make quite an entertaining puzzle.  Let's kick things off with:

#9 Lincoln Red

Tomorrow, another in the series.

It's Not Samantha's Mother - 7/23/17

If you're not geographically inclined, you might mistake the name of the country that is the home of today's puzzle for Samantha's mother on Bewitched, or even the setting of "The Empire Strikes Back."  But the red-haired, caftaned witch was "Endora," the Ewoks' moon was "Endor," and the country we're visiting today is Andorra.  When I checked the other day, the entire country had 22 puzzle caches, and 15 of them were in the series that starts with:

1# Tristaina

Tomorrow we'll kick off a week of puzzles in England.

Start Somewhere ... or Somewhere Else - 7/22/17

Today we travel to Arizona for a pair of puzzles.  You can:

Start Somewhere, or if you prefer, you can:

Start Somewhere Else

Tomorrow we'll visit Andorra.

Gilles Garnier - 7/21/17

You might assume from the title of today's puzzle that we're still visiting puzzles in France, but you'd be mistaken.  Minnesota is the home for:

Gilles Garnier

Tomorrow we'll be in Arizona.

Extrasensory Deception - 7/20/17

Today's Maryland puzzle, which was passed along to me recently, is an exercise in:

Extrasensory Deception

Tomorrow we'll be in Minnesota.

Tour(s) de France - 7/19/17

Since the Tour de France is wrapping up this weekend, I thought it might be a good time for this puzzle out of Tours, France:

Un Tour de Gares en Gare de Tours

Tomorrow we'll ...

Bored at work? - 7/18/17

One of the things that surprised me the most when I started this blog was how many more pageviews it gets during the week than on the weekends.  I guess a lot of folks do a little puzzle solving during their down-time at work and are more likely to spend their weekends out caching.  The alternate title for today's Michigan puzzle suggests that perhaps some people think about writing puzzles during working hours as well.  I guess wherever and whenever it happens, I would be grateful for:

Several Strokes of Genius

Tomorrow we'll ...

Fidget This - 7/17/17

I haven't seen one in action, so I can't attest to why the new "fidget" spinners are so popular, but I agree with one of the folks who logged today's North Carolina puzzle ... they can't be that much more fun than a:

Kaleidocycle

Tomorrow we'll ...

Valar Morgulis - 7/16/17

I've been holding on to this puzzle from Spain for a while:

Valar Morgulis

Tomorrow we'll ...

Another Flippin' Puzzle - 7/15/17

I love the alliteration of the of the "Puzzle Popping Potluck Party" event for which today's New Zealand puzzle was created.  If they had held it this weekend I guess it could have been a "Pirate Puzzle Popping Potluck Party."  I'm not sure what all of this "Mary Hyde" stuff will amount to, but I guess I'll give it a shot since I've enjoyed most of the previous summer souvenir projects.  Good luck to all of those who participate!  And here's today's:

PPPP: Flippin' Puzzle! (Canterbury)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Bastille Day -7/14/17

Today we celebrate the French holiday of Bastille Day with:

L'Etoile Mystérieuse

Tomorrow we'll ...

Serendipity - 7/13/17

Sometimes it feels like a puzzle comes along at just the right time.  Today's California puzzle is one that I had bookmarked a while back, but I had never gotten around to solving it and I managed to forget about it entirely.  It was only while investigating potential targets for an upcoming trip to the Bay area that I stumbled across it again.  Now that was certainly a case of good timing, but the really remarkable thing is that it was just two weeks ago that I was caching with the CO in:

La Ville-Lumière

Tomorrow we'll ...

Beep Beep! - 7/12/17

I'm always impressed with geo-art that is actually artistic.  (My own efforts have simply involved intersections of straight lines.)  Today's Ohio puzzle, which landed in my in-box recently, is the start of a geo-art series in the shape of Wile E. Coyote's nemesis.

Have some fun:

Chasing the Road Runner 001

Tomorrow we'll ...

Far North - 7/11/17

I thought I'd follow up on yesterday's "farthest east" find with my new "farthest north," from the U.K.  Hope it comes in:

Loud and Clear

Tomorrow we'll ...

Far East - 7/10/17

Today's puzzle from France is part of a series spun-off from the well known "Puzzle Solving 101" series in south Florida.  Since I had made the finds on that original series back in January of 2013, it was fun to find a couple of these caches that pay tribute to it.  Try your luck with the cache that now represents my easternmost find:

Puzzle Solving 101 - Leçon 1: Stratégie

Tomorrow we'll ...

Appalacachin - 7/9/17

Having grown up in the area nestled between the Smoky and Blue Ridge portions of the Appalachain mountains, the title of today's Colorado puzzle caught my eye as a fun play on words.  (You may note that we pronounce the "la" like in "lad," although plenty of people I've met here say it with a long "a" like in "lake."  Here's what a blog I came across had to say on the subject:  "If you are from the Southern Appalachians then you, without a doubt, say Appa-LATCH-uh. If you say Appa-LAY-shuh you are not only identifying the mountain range but you are also announcing to all that you are not from there.")  However you say it, enjoy some:

Appalacachin

Tomorrow we'll ...

Roadside Rest - 7/8/17

Today's New York puzzle sounds like a nice place to take a:

Roadside Rest

Tomorrow we'll ...

Segmented - 7/7/17

Today's puzzle from the UK will have you sorting out:

536M3N7S

Tomorrow we'll be in New York.

Aphid Snout - 7/6/17

Today we travel to California for an:

Aphid Snout

Tomorrow we'll ...

Tonghui Canal - 7/5/17

Today's puzzle takes us to China and a little history lesson about the:

Tonghui Canal

Tomorrow we'll ...

4th of July Cache - 7/4/17

Today we travel to Colorado for a:

4th of July Cache

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Beware of Bridge - 7/3/17

Today's New York puzzle, which was suggested to me a while back, refers specifically to dangers in winter, but I know that bicyclists can have trouble even in rain due to the steel decks of:

Dangerous Bridges

Tomorrow we'll be in China.

φ - 7/2/17

Today's Pennsylvania puzzle is:

φ

Tomorrow we'll ...

They Call Him - 7/1/17

Most of the Minnesota puzzles I feature are from the Twin Cities area, but not today's.  This one is about a Rochester, MN, puzzler,:

They Call Him "Salsman"

Tomorrow we'll ...

Quagmire - 6/30/17

I'm planning another trip to the San Francisco Bay area later this summer, and have been spending a little time working on adding to my pile of solved puzzles.  Today's example is one that I know I started working on several times in the past without gaining any traction.  I finally figured out the best way to approach things to work myself through this particular quagmire:

Quag IV

Tomorrow we'll ...

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Ooohhh!!!!!!!!! - 6/29/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Minnesota, where I'm betting you'll be saying:

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Ooohhh!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

I asked - you answered: 6/28/17

I asked, and I've really appreciated those of you who have answered by sending me some fun and unique puzzles you have enjoyed.  Please keep them coming!  Today's Ohio puzzle is one of the ones I received recently:

Skinfusionz Cache #2.8 - The Plot Thickens

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Yakaenda aliyeingia wanalima? - 6/27/17

Today's puzzle from China, which landed in my inbox recently, poses the question:

Yakaenda aliyeingia wanalima?

Tomorrow we'll be in Ohio.

Hot of the Presses - 6/26/17

Today's puzzle is one that I tested pre-publication recently and really enjoyed.  It will take you to California, where you can find:

The Home of Onyx Eye Fur

Tomorrow we'll ...

Is Everything Adding Up? - 6/25/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Kansas. Is:

Everything Adding Up?

Tomorrow we'll ...

Droning on ... - 6/24/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Nevada.  I've been seeing all kinds of articles about Amazon.com testing out a drone delivery system, and just the other day I read where inmates have been arranging for folks to use drones to drop contraband into the prisons.  It seems that these days:

Packages Do Fly

Tomorrow we'll ...

Undecimal - 6/23/17

I solved today's California puzzle a while back and have been saving it for a Friday, since I found it to be an interesting challenge, although the CO only has it rated it at 3 stars of difficulty. Rating a puzzle's difficulty is certainly a tricky proposition, as how difficult it is to solve depends on any number of factors relating to the types of things you know about, the types of skills you're adept at, and the types of tools you have available.  Try your luck with:

Undecimal

Tomorrow we'll ...

Navajo Code Talking - 6/22/17

Today's puzzle was passed along to me a while back.  I think it's pretty darn cool that even in Australia folks are learning about:

Navajo Code Talking

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Keeping it Brief - 6/21/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  To those of you who've told me that you appreciate my random musings along with the puzzles, thank you. I know sometimes they can get a bit long, and  undoubtedly there are others who prefer I'd get right to the point.  If you're one of those folks, you're in luck today.  I don't even have:

A Short Story

Tomorrow we'll ...

Cheering Viper - 6/20/17

I thought today's Wisconsin puzzle, which was passed along to me recently, might be a good follow-up to yesterday's, since it also includes a bit of a Star Wars reference ... with a little twist:

Cheering Viper

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Have You Seen Darth Vader? - 6/19/17

Today's puzzle takes us to Indiana.  I was driving down the road the other day, a bit distracted with things on my mind, when all of the sudden I realized that Darth Vader was in the back of the pickup truck stopped at the light in front of me.   It took me a moment or to for my brain to realize what I was actually seeing.  Not a sticker, or a magnet ... a life-sized Darth Vader in full mask, cape, and all the works standing in the back of the truck up against the cab.  I'm pretty sure it wasn't a real person, just a decorative piece added to the truck.   The truck was turning at the light and I momentarily considered following it in hopes of getting a picture, but quickly decided that would be a little too stalkerish.  I sure got a good laugh out of the experience and will certainly keep my eyes open in case I come across him again. Maybe he's on the lookout for Princess Leia's Stolen Death Star Plans, but I'd never heard anything about them being in Ithaca.  Meanwhile, keep on the lookout in your town and ask your friends:

Have You Seen Star Wars?

Tomorrow we'll ...

Happy Father's Day! - 6/18/17

It's pretty ironic that in choosing a puzzle for Father's Day I ended up right back near the Minnesota neighborhoods I was caching in a couple of weeks ago.   Finding holiday themed puzzles that I haven't featured before can be tricky, so I sometimes need to widen my searches a bit.  I started looking for things about "founding fathers" and found this puzzle, which turned out to be a perfect fit for me, personally, due to my own father's interest in presidential history.  He is a voracious consumer of presidential biographies, and even made up a game with a presidential theme many years ago.  So you can see why I'm happy to feature, in honor of my own father and all the other great dads out there, the:

Father of His Country Game

Tomorrow we'll ...

Bond Age - 6/17/17

I was flipping channels the other night and came across one of the James Bond flicks, which reminded me that I had heard of the passing of Roger Moore last month.  While Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan are probably my favorite Bonds, there were some great installments in the 1970's during Roger Moore's:

Bond Age

Tomorrow we'll ...

Self-referential - 6/16/17

Today's cache is one I was pleased to have been able to ink the log on last week.  I hope you don't mind the self-reference ... it seemed appropriate here:

FYI: Self-Referential Cache is Self-Referential

Tomorrow we'll ...

Heat Wave! - 6/15/17

Today's Ohio puzzle, which was passed along to me this week, reminds us that since summer is here, we'd better be prepared for a:

Thermometers Conundrum - Heat Wave!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Flag Day - 6/14/17

Today's New York puzzle popped up a while back and I knew it would be a good one to feature today:

The Star Spangled Banner NYS Style

Tomorrow we'll ...

Got it! - 6/13/17

Today's Minnesota puzzle was passed along to me recently by someone who enjoyed it and thought I would too:

I Got Your Number

If anyone else has any puzzles they've thought about sending along but haven't done so, I'm hoping you'll go ahead and send them to me through geocaching.com; your suggestions really do help me keep things going.

Tomorrow we'll celebrate Flag Day in New York.

Major Bob Rojam - 6/12/17

Today's Minnesota puzzle (whose CO I was pleased to meet while attending an event there recently) taught me something new about a subject I had thought I was pretty familiar with:

Major Bob Rojam

Tomorrow we'll ...

The Elephant Show - 6/11/17

I recently had an excellent visit to Minnesota, and was lucky to be able to attend a geocaching lunch event while I was there.  It was fun meeting all the nice folks there, including the CO of:

The Elephant Show

Tomorrow we'll be in Minnesota for another day.

Blood Types - 6/10/17

Today's Colorado puzzle reminded me of my high school AP Biology experiment in which I did an experiment on all the members of my family.  The results led us to an interesting exploration of recessive traits in:

Blood Types

Tomorrow we'll ...

GeoQuest Chapters 3 & 4 - 6/9/17

Today we pick up where we left off yesteday in Ohio.  If you missed my introduction to this series in yesterday's post, please go back and check it out.  Today we continue with:

Quest for Peseverance - GeoQuest, Chapter 3 &  Fishing Buddy - GeoQuest, Chapter 4

Tomorow we'll ...

GeoQuest Chapters 1 & 2 - 6/8/17

I am just old enough and just geeky enough to have some experience playing text-based adventure games, aka "Interactive Fiction."  The four Ohio puzzle caches I'm featuring today and tomorow are all based on the same game, that I had great fun playing. More than once I hollered out to my husband (who spent a lot more time with this type of game than I did) "How do you think I should try to .....??"  My son asked what in the world I was doing ... "You mean ... it's just words?"  ... and it was fun explaining the roots of the computer games he enjoys so much.   Have fun with:

Zany Squirrel - GeoQuest, Chapter 1  &   Xtreme Arts - GeoQuest, Chapter 2

*Note that the in-game "help" website can be found here.  Within that site is a link that explains the basics of how these games work.

Tomorow we'll continue the series.

Five-O - 6/7/17

Today's New York puzzle was chosen in honor of a special day at our house ... someone is hitting the big:

Five-O

Tomorrow we'll ...

Can you Sujiken? - 6/6/17

Today's Massachusetts puzzle is part of a series I featured back in July of 2011.  If you like this puzzle type, the CO has a variety of different versions in difficulty levels ranging from "1: Easy" to "5:  Gimme a Break!!" placed in locations including New Zealand and Japan as well as Massachusetts.   I chose:

Can You Sujiken? (3: Challenging)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Five to Free - 6/5/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California where we've got:

Five to Free

Tomorrow we'll be ...

X Marks the Spot - 6/4/17

I'll admit that there's one part of today's fun Minneosta word puzzle that eluded me (I'm not sue if it requires local knowledge or if I just don't recognize it), but since I was left with only two possible solutions it was easy to figure out which one was correct.  See if you can figue out where:

X Marks the Spot

Tomorow we'll ...  

Shape Shifter - 6/3/17

I like today's Colorado puzzle since it was designed for the CO's 4th grade class, and he was able to combine schoolwork and caching in a fun way.   What a great way to answer that age old question, "When am I ever going to use this stuff?"  I'm sure I'll be revisiting this CO's caches very soon.  For today we have:

Shape Shifter

Tomorow we'll ...

Gödel, Escher, Bach (Redux) - 6/2/17

Now, I know what you're thinking ... wasn't there a post with this title just last week?  You're right.  There was.  But I came across this one and enjoyed it a lot too, so I figured why not have:

Gödel, Escher, Bach (Redux)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Parking Persecution - 6/1/17

Today's puzzle from Canada's Alberta province is by a puzzler whose zany misadventures have been featured here before.  In this installment we hear all about:

Jbeck2's Parking Persecution *

(*Note:  The geochecker hasn't been replaced since evince went away, but if you get the right answer you should feel quite confident of it.)

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Jigsaw Sudoku - 5/31/17

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  Some of the most popular puzzle types are jigsaw puzzles and sudoku puzzles.  So why not a puzzle that combines both?  For an even bigger challenge (at least for me) the CO could have made us put together the pieces ourselves in this:

Jigsaw Sudoku

Tomorrow we'll be in Canada.