[Az-Geocaching] Big Sky
George Harris
listserv@azgeocaching.com
Wed, 2 Jun 2004 07:12:40 -0700
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_097B_01C44870.FDB08E80
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Home - sweet - home. ;-)
I wish you and Angie much happiness and success in your new endeavors. =
I am originally from Billings. Somewhere deep within my heart, this =
mountain girl still considers it home. My fondest memories of growing =
up are of my parents taking my older brother and I camping near Red =
Lodge every weekend they possibly could. Before moving to Phoenix in =
1979, we lived on Big Mountain (near Lakeside and Kalispell)...with =
Glacier National Park as our backyard. To this day, I have not seen =
country so beautiful as this terrain.
My family has all since moved back to God's country. I have family in =
Anaconda, MT. It snowed there about a week and a half ago! The rest of =
my family is in the Big Horn country in Powell, WY. It's definitely a =
different way of life. There's no such thing as "rush" hour, and they =
roll the sidewalks up at night. People wave to you as you pass them on =
the road instead of giving you the finger.
You couldn't have picked a better time of year to move up there! Just =
right for the summer thunderstorms. If your blood's as thin as mine, =
don't pack away your "Arizona winter clothes" (sweatshirts, jeans, etc.) =
because you'll need them up there this summer! heehee
Yes, indeed...follow your heart.
~ Jalene
Team Dodge Podge
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Brian - Team A.I.=20
To: AZ Geocaching=20
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 1:21 AM
Subject: [Az-Geocaching] Big Sky
It seems that these days, this type of message is becoming too =
commonplace, all for different reasons. A decision was made recently, =
that was very long in coming, and very tough in deciding. On June 1st, =
my home went on the market. My family and I are moving to Big Sky =
Country, Billings, Montana.
Last summer was the first vacation my family and I had ever been able =
to take as a family since being married (8 years this August). =
Instantly I fell in love with the place, the weather, just the overall =
environment. But I was very set against considering a move because I =
had finally found my niche in law enforcement, and had my foot in the =
door to test for officer. I simply didn't want to leave a sure thing. =
My Grandpa's death in mid-February changed that. He had always told me =
that if I moved up north, he'd be right behind me. Now, he is unable to =
do so, but will be there in spirit. My plan was for someday to move =
back to the mountains, originally somewhere in Colorado. But the =
thought came to me one day, and I agonized over it for 3 months before =
finally deciding I just needed to follow my heart, thanks to some =
wonderful advice I was given. Oddly enough, I was driving to my first =
cache find when I called him from my cellphone to give him my first =
impressions of the place.
Things are moving quickly now, because the plan was to be out of the =
house and on the road August 1st. No sooner than the sign is put up =
(Saturday morning), a neighbor comes to us (who is moving out) and tells =
us they want to buy the house. Tuesday we were given a formal offer. =
Thanks to a substantial inheritance, a home that was out of reach for =
them is now well inside the ballpark. If there aren't any financing =
problems, closing will be July 16th, at which time my road-trip will =
start and a new life will begin. We already have someone coming to show =
the house in the morning, so a quick sale is imminent.
Some of you might wonder what I've meant in some logs about my =
soon-to-be-replaced cachemobile. On Monday, my Dad and I are trading =
vehicles, as he wants a/c, and wants me to have a 4x4 for the mountains. =
My Jeep envy is now quelled, as I am going to be the owner of a 1994 =
Jeep Wrangler YJ (all the more reason to find one of those Jeep TBs). =
Thanks to an outstanding realtor, our contract will give us quite a bit =
more out of the home sale, and I get to start tweaking. Initially, I'm =
looking at a Dick Cepek 3.5" Suspension Lift, Eagle 15x8s, 33" BFG ATs, =
and a cat back exhaust for just a little more juice. Of course, there =
are more mods planned, but over time and as money permits. :) This =
will get me started for off-roading in the mountains, and the trail =
rides I can't wait to join.
In all honesty, the abundant caching, and more importantly the Arizona =
Geocaching community were a huge tug on my mind when considering this =
decision. I am having a very tough time leaving everyone, because I've =
met some of the greatest people through a sport I found by accident =
after hearing a news story on Channel 10 back in August 2001. One of =
the things I'll miss most this year is the planning and execution of the =
second Halloween Radioactive event. It was so much work the first time =
(Tamo can attest to this), but the rewards were so great when so many =
people attended, and the event caches for all went so well. For those =
who are curious, the ratio of caches in Montana vs. Arizona is 1:5.05 =
(as of 0038 on 6/2/04). Sure, there are far fewer caches, but in one =
respect it will be a much greater experience finding each and every one =
of them. While driving to a cache yesterday, I came up with an idea for =
a multi that will bring that ratio down to 1:5. =3D) I've already =
joined 2 Geocaching groups in Montana, and hope to foster a strong =
Geocaching community in Billings, but it will never reach the level of =
Arizona or many other states, due to a statewide population of under 1 =
million. Billings rests comfortably at ~130,000, and is the largest =
city in the state.
With my wife's family living there and in Sheridan, WY, we'll be taken =
care of in the emotional support department, and something I've wanted =
for awhile will finally be reality...time to ourselves. :) There is a =
family cabin south of Fishtail, MT that sits a mere 75' from the banks =
of the Stillwater River, literally around the corner from a ranch owned =
by Mel Gibson (Beartooth Ranch). While researching lift kits, I showed =
my wife some pictures of some trail runs, and hard-core offroading. She =
was so excited she couldn't contain herself. I see a Jeep Jamboree in =
our future, and lots of mountain mud running down the driveway. :) A =
cache in this vicinity is a distinct possibility as well as some future =
event caches.
On to the formalities...
As with TeamBlunder, I too am looking at cache adoption. This will =
not occur until the middle of next month, but may not officially change =
ownership until I arrive in Montana and have internet access setup at my =
in-laws.
The most important issue to deal with is transferring of the =
Adopt-A-Highway torch. This was already well in motion before I began =
to consider moving, and support was so strong I went for it. Now, I =
need someone who is willing to be point for ADOT, which consists of =
little more than calling the coordinator and informing them of a =
clean-up date, picking up vests/trash bags and organizing the clean-up. =
It truly wasn't a difficult task, and required more time driving =
back/forth to make sure everyone had bags and water than it did to =
actually plan the event itself. The requirements are that 4 cleanups =
per year are performed, but if they are done each quarter, the cleanup =
time will diminish if the participation stays the same. With this, I =
will also pass on ownership of the CITO Always cache. The signs are =
already up, and our first cleanup was very successful, even though we =
didn't get the southbound side completely clean. It would be a shame =
for ADOT to have to remove those signs in favor of another group, =
because visibility is so outstanding.
Caches I need to turn over:
CITO Always (should really go with the Adopt-A-Highway Program)
Fzzzt! (considering archival+simple maintenance)
Directionally Challenged (most likely archiving, unless someone really =
wants it)
Rest Your Mind (simple maintenance)
Horseshoe View
Lime Creek Cache (not likely I'll be getting back up there before the =
move)
Caches I may turn over (or simply archive and recreate there):
It...Has You
Fundamental Flaw
Both of these caches may be difficult to understand, with only =
It...Has You requiring maintenance on intermediate steps.
I'm keeping the following:
Fallen Heroes (virtual)
A Fallen Hero (virtual)
Journey to the Center of the State (AZcachemeister has graciously =
offered to maintain)
Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have time to complete my final =
Matrix cache in Arizona. It will only exist in SE Montana, or perhaps =
NE Wyoming. At this point, anyone wishing to find either Matrix cache =
has until 7/1, unless someone wants to adopt them. At that time, they =
will otherwise be archived and removed (this applies to any un-adopted =
caches I'm not keeping).
I apologize for the long e-mail, but I'm just that way sometimes.
Brian
Team A.I.
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.688 / Virus Database: 449 - Release Date: 5/30/2004
------=_NextPart_000_097B_01C44870.FDB08E80
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Home - sweet - home. =
;-)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I wish you and Angie much happiness and =
success in=20
your new endeavors. I am originally from Billings. Somewhere =
deep=20
within my heart, this mountain girl still considers it home. My =
fondest=20
memories of growing up are of my parents taking my older brother and I =
camping=20
near Red Lodge every weekend they possibly could. </FONT><FONT =
face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>Before moving to Phoenix in 1979, we lived on Big Mountain =
(near Lakeside=20
and Kalispell)...with Glacier National Park as our backyard. To =
this day,=20
I have not seen country so beautiful as this terrain.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>My family has all since moved back to =
God's=20
country. I have family in Anaconda, MT. It snowed there =
about a week=20
and a half ago! The rest of my family is in the Big Horn country =
in=20
Powell, WY. It's definitely a different way of life. There's =
no such=20
thing as "rush" hour, and they roll the sidewalks up at night. =
People wave=20
to you as you pass them on the road instead of giving you the=20
finger.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>You couldn't have picked a better time =
of year to=20
move up there! Just right for the summer thunderstorms. If =
your=20
blood's as thin as mine, don't pack away your "Arizona winter clothes"=20
(sweatshirts, jeans, etc.) because you'll need them up there this =
summer! =20
heehee</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Yes, indeed...follow your =
heart.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>~ Jalene</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Team Dodge Podge</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Dteamai@cox.net href=3D"mailto:teamai@cox.net">Brian - Team =
A.I.</A>=20
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
title=3Daz-geocaching@listserv.azgeocaching.com=20
href=3D"mailto:az-geocaching@listserv.azgeocaching.com">AZ =
Geocaching</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, June 02, 2004 =
1:21=20
AM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Az-Geocaching] Big =
Sky</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It seems that these days, this type =
of message is=20
becoming too commonplace, all for different reasons. A decision =
was made=20
recently, that was very long in coming, and very tough in =
deciding. On=20
June 1st, my home went on the market. My family and I are moving =
to Big=20
Sky Country, Billings, Montana.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Last summer was the first vacation my =
family and=20
I had ever been able to take as a family since being married (8 years =
this=20
August). Instantly I fell in love with the place, the weather, =
just the=20
overall environment. But I was very set against considering a =
move=20
because I had finally found my niche in law enforcement, and had my =
foot in=20
the door to test for officer. I simply didn't want to leave a =
sure=20
thing. My Grandpa's death in mid-February changed that. He =
had=20
always told me that if I moved up north, he'd be right behind =
me. Now,=20
he is unable to do so, but will be there in spirit. My plan was =
for=20
someday to move back to the mountains, originally somewhere in =
Colorado. =20
But the thought came to me one day, and I agonized over it for 3 =
months before=20
finally deciding I just needed to follow my heart, thanks to some =
wonderful=20
advice I was given. Oddly enough, I was driving to my =
first cache=20
find when I called him from my cellphone to give him my first =
impressions of=20
the place.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Things are moving quickly now, =
because the plan=20
was to be out of the house and on the road August 1st. No sooner =
than=20
the sign is put up (Saturday morning), a neighbor comes to us (who is =
moving=20
out) and tells us they want to buy the house. Tuesday we =
were given=20
a formal offer. Thanks to a substantial inheritance, a home that =
was out=20
of reach for them is now well inside the ballpark. If there =
aren't any=20
financing problems, closing will be July 16th, at which time my =
road-trip will=20
start and a new life will begin. We already have someone coming =
to show=20
the house in the morning, so a quick sale is =
imminent.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Some of you might wonder what I've =
meant in some=20
logs about my soon-to-be-replaced cachemobile. On Monday, my Dad =
and I are trading vehicles, as he wants a/c, and wants me to have =
a 4x4=20
for the mountains. My Jeep envy is now quelled, as I am going to =
be the=20
owner of a 1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ (all the more reason to find one of =
those=20
Jeep TBs). Thanks to an outstanding realtor, our contract will =
give us=20
quite a bit more out of the home sale, and I get to start =
tweaking. =20
Initially, I'm looking at a Dick Cepek 3.5" Suspension Lift, Eagle =
15x8s, 33"=20
BFG ATs, and a cat back exhaust for just a little more juice. Of =
course,=20
there are more mods planned, but over time and as money permits. =
:) This will get me started for off-roading in the mountains, =
and the=20
trail rides I can't wait to join.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>In all honesty, the abundant caching, =
and more=20
importantly the Arizona Geocaching community were a huge tug on my =
mind when=20
considering this decision. I am having a very tough time leaving =
everyone, because I've met some of the greatest people through a sport =
I found=20
by accident after hearing a news story on Channel 10 back in August=20
2001. One of the things I'll miss most this year is the planning =
and=20
execution of the second Halloween Radioactive event. It was so =
much work=20
the first time (Tamo can attest to this), but the rewards were so =
great when=20
so many people attended, and the event caches for all went so =
well. For=20
those who are curious, the ratio of caches in Montana vs. Arizona is =
1:5.05=20
(as of 0038 on 6/2/04). Sure, there are far fewer caches, but in =
one=20
respect it will be a much greater experience finding each and every =
one of=20
them. While driving to a cache yesterday, I came up with an idea =
for a=20
multi that will bring that ratio down to 1:5. =3D) I've =
already=20
joined 2 Geocaching groups in Montana, and hope to foster a strong =
Geocaching=20
community in Billings, but it will never reach the level of Arizona or =
many=20
other states, due to a statewide population of under 1 million. =
Billings=20
rests comfortably at ~130,000, and is the largest city in the=20
state.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>With my wife's family living there =
and in=20
Sheridan, WY, we'll be taken care of in the emotional support =
department, and=20
something I've wanted for awhile will finally be reality...time to=20
ourselves. :) There is a family cabin south of Fishtail, =
MT that=20
sits a mere 75' from the banks of the Stillwater River, literally =
around the=20
corner from a ranch owned by Mel Gibson (Beartooth Ranch). While =
researching lift kits, I showed my wife some pictures of some trail =
runs, and=20
hard-core offroading. She was so excited she couldn't contain=20
herself. I see a Jeep Jamboree in our future, and lots of =
mountain mud=20
running down the driveway. :) A cache in this vicinity is =
a=20
distinct possibility as well as some future event caches.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>On to the formalities...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>As with TeamBlunder, I too am looking =
at cache=20
adoption. This will not occur until the middle of next month, =
but may=20
not officially change ownership until I arrive in Montana and have =
internet=20
access setup at my in-laws.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The most important issue to deal with =
is=20
transferring of the Adopt-A-Highway torch. This was already well =
in=20
motion before I began to consider moving, and support was so strong I =
went for=20
it. Now, I need someone who is willing to be point for ADOT, =
which=20
consists of little more than calling the coordinator and informing =
them of a=20
clean-up date, picking up vests/trash bags and organizing the =
clean-up. =20
It truly wasn't a difficult task, and required more time driving =
back/forth to=20
make sure everyone had bags and water than it did to actually plan the =
event=20
itself. The requirements are that 4 cleanups per year are =
performed, but=20
if they are done each quarter, the cleanup time will diminish if the=20
participation stays the same. With this, I will also pass on =
ownership=20
of the CITO Always cache. The signs are already up, and our =
first=20
cleanup was very successful, even though we didn't get the southbound =
side=20
completely clean. It would be a shame for ADOT to have to remove =
those=20
signs in favor of another group, because visibility is so=20
outstanding.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Caches I need to turn =
over:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>CITO Always (should really go with =
the=20
Adopt-A-Highway Program)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Fzzzt! (considering archival+simple=20
maintenance)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Directionally Challenged (most likely =
archiving,=20
unless someone really wants it)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Rest Your Mind (simple =
maintenance)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Horseshoe View</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Lime Creek Cache (not likely I'll be =
getting back=20
up there before the move)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Caches I may turn over (or simply =
archive and=20
recreate there):</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It...Has You</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Fundamental Flaw</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Both of these caches may be difficult =
to=20
understand, with only It...Has You requiring maintenance on =
intermediate=20
steps.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I'm keeping the =
following:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Fallen Heroes (virtual)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>A Fallen Hero (virtual)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Journey to the Center of the State=20
(AZcachemeister has graciously offered to maintain)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Unfortunately, I don't think I'll =
have time to=20
complete my final Matrix cache in Arizona. It will only exist in =
SE=20
Montana, or perhaps NE Wyoming. At this point, anyone wishing to =
find=20
either Matrix cache has until 7/1, unless someone wants to adopt =
them. =20
At that time, they will otherwise be archived and removed (this =
applies to any=20
un-adopted caches I'm not keeping).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I apologize for the long e-mail, but =
I'm just=20
that way sometimes.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Brian</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Team A.I.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><BR>---<BR>Outgoing mail is certified =
Virus=20
Free.<BR>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (<A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.grisoft.com">http://www.grisoft.com</A>).<BR>Version: =
6.0.688=20
/ Virus Database: 449 - Release Date:=20
5/30/2004</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_097B_01C44870.FDB08E80--