VA Wine Trail Geocaches - first stop, Winery at La Grange

This past weekend I got to do something I have wanted to do for years! I hid my first geocache. Woot!!

I have been contemplating this for years but never really found a good location to hide one. Recently, I had the idea to start planting them at the various vineyards scattered around the Virginia countryside. Dan and two of our friends were also interested in this plan, and together we decided to start hiding a track of VA Wine Trail geocaches.

The first location to be published was the beautiful Winery at La Grange, a favorite of everyone in the group. The managers of the facility were thrilled to be the first cache. They loved the idea of adding some wine corks for prizes and showed me a few possible hiding places. My dad, his friend, and I even got free wine tastings, which was a wonderful surprise. :) You can see the geocache listing here.

More caches are in the works for Pearmund, Swedenberg, and Hume vineyards, not to mention the vineyards I am planning on visiting this weekend with Dan and his cousins. If you would like to be alerted when these caches go live, you can follow me on Twitter at @AtTheLampost.

For those who have never been to Winery at La Grange, it is located on Antioch Road, near the intersection of 66 and 15. La Grange is an ideal vineyard for a day with your friends. The winery sells over ten different wines, which makes it easy for everyone to find at least one that they like. It is also a good spot for history buffs, because the tastings are done in a historic 1790s brick manor. As you go through the tasting, the servers always tell fun stories about the house’s history.

La Grange has some indoor seating and lots of outdoor seating. The grounds are open and spacious, making them very welcoming to people with children or dogs. (Dogs are allowed on the grounds, but not in the tasting room.) One of my favorite things about this vineyard is the scenery. Their views of Virginia’s rolling hills, grape vines, and a distant white mansion are both spectacular and relaxing.

On this last visit, I enjoyed a glass of their fantastic sangria (which is only available at the winery) and decided to take home a bottle of Cuvee Blanc (a yummy white wine for hot days) and a bottle of Reserve Cabernet Franc (a fantastic new red they recently started selling. It’s seriously delicious!).

Have fun treasure hunting and wine tasting!

(If you do not know what Geocaching is, check out my earlier explanation here.)

If You Hide it, They Will Come

Whenever I post a Facebook status about geocaching, there is at least one person who responds with “What’s a geocache?”. When reading such responses, I marvel at the number of “muggles” still wandering the world, completely clueless about the cache that they just passed. :) Today, I decided that I would write a little history and how-to guide for all my readers. So, be prepared to be immersed into the amazing world of geocaching…

What is geocaching?
The official definition is “a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game”. Basically, players use a GPS device to hide and/or locate hidden containers called geocaches and share their experiences in an online community of other players. Geocaches can be found all over the world and can range in size from a small camera film container to a large paint bucket or ammo can.

How it began:
Geocaching began in May 2000, when GPS technology took a great leap forward and GPS receivers around the world got a massive upgrade. Shortly thereafter, the White House announced that anyone could now "precisely pinpoint their location or the location of items (such as game) left behind for later recovery."

Inspired by this technological advancement, Dave Ulmer, a GPS enthusiast, decided to hide the very first geocache in Beavercreek, Oregon at N 45° 17.460 W 122° 24.800. He posted the coordinates online with instructions to “take some stuff, leave some stuff”, and the world of geocaching began.

Since the first geocache was hidden, the semi-secret geocaching community has grown and spread around the globe. Unique geocaching terms have formed, and a website has arisen and evolved. If you visit an REI store, you can even find a Geocaching section that sells cache containers of all sizes and accessories, such as logbooks, special pens, and water-proof materials.

Who should geocache:
EVERYONE!! Seriously, I do not know anyone who does not like geocaching. When I worked at a daycare facility, I would recommend it to parents all the time! How could anyone, of any age, say no to an activity that gets you outside, gets you active, and gets your creativity working? Besides, it’s TREASURE HUNTING! If you do not like treasure hunting, you obviously skipped your childhood. :D

(My boyfriend, Dan, finds his first cache)

(Dan and I taking my sister and godson for their first geocache)

My geocache and me:
In 2008, I learned about the wonderful world of geocaching from my friend James. Of course, I asked the classic question, “What is geocaching?”, and as soon as he responded with the words “treasure hunt”, I was hooked! Sadly, my list of found geocaches is dismally small at the moment. However, since purchasing my iPhone, and subsequently the Geocaching App (it is totally worth the $10!), there are no excuses for my logged geocache list to remain in its lowly state. :)

(My dogs and I on a geocache hunt.)
Getting Started:
At this point, I am sure you are dying to try finding a cache of your own. To get started, go to the Geocaching website (http://www.geocaching.com/default.aspx) and create a free account. Then, do a search for geocaches in your area, note their coordinates, grab your GPS device, and go find them!!

You may have noticed that the site also offers Premium accounts for a small fee. Many hard-core cachers sign up for premium accounts, because they offer extra benefits, including premium-only caches. If you decide to become a die-hard cacher, I would recommend purchasing an account. For anyone who wants to be a casual cacher, you will be fine with the free account. Believe me, there are plenty of free cache listings to keep you busy for a long time!

A few other important things:
When you find a cache listing that you want to hunt, be sure to note its size and difficulty level. This will be extremely helpful as you search. Many caches also list a hint or clue about where to look. If you still have trouble finding the cache, you can look at other players’ notes and/or pictures for further hints.

Feel free to send me any questions you might have! You can reach me at AtTheLamppost, or you can find me on geocache.com (Member name - kaliska47).

Are you still reading this blog? Why? Go find a geocache and quit being a muggle! :)

Spring = Planting Season

The weather is still sporadic here, but everyone is starting to get the spring planting bug. On Friday, my dad, Dan, and I could wait no longer. Since Dan and I’s backyard is still very shady, we decided to team up with my dad.

As usual, spring planting starts with tilling up the garden. After work ended on Friday, I picked up the puppies and drove to my dad’s house, where he and Dan were already halfway done with the rototiller. I would have joined in, but three people around a rototiller = someone losing a foot. Instead, I snapped pictures of the fun. :D

Before calling it a night, we mixed in some compost and covered the garden bed with mulch to prevent weeds from growing.

The next day, my dad and I headed to the greenhouse to get plants. While Lows and Home Depot are good places to go, my dad loves going to a little, family owned business called Williams Greenhouses on Maries Rd. Many people do not know this place exists, but those that do, know how much fun it is to walk around and pick out your plants. The second you walk into the building, you smell the delicious dirt and growing plants scent that makes you want to breath deep and stick your nose into the first flat of tomatoes that you see. Mmm…

In the veggie greenhouse, my dad and I were confronted with dozens of tomato plant varieties. While many were familiar (growing tomatoes is a family tradition), there were some new varieties that we did not recognize. Within minutes, we were chatting about tomatoes and peppers with one of the farmers. The farmer told us that it was still early to plant most of the garden, but recognizing the planting fever in our eyes, he gave us some bean and pea seeds that would hold up well in the remaining few days of cold weather. We purchased our tomato plants and the seeds and said we would be back in a week to get the rest of our garden plants.

Apart from smelling all the tomato plants, the next step in gardening is my favorite – Planting! There is something so invigorating about digging in the dirt; I just love it. While I have gardening gloves, I prefer to do the actual planting with my bare hands. A little dirt under my nails never bothers me! :) I love feeling the soil run through my fingers and placing each seed/plant where it gets to grow.

We finished our planting just in time for the storm clouds to roll in. As we threw the last of the empty plant containers in the trash, rain drops began to fall and water the beginnings of our garden.

When the garden is complete, it will contain zucchini, tomatoes (big and cherry), cucumbers, beans (two varieties), peas, peppers (bell, jalapeno, and chili), sunflowers, and chives. If we have a little extra room, I want to throw in some basil and rosemary, but we can always grow them separately if needed.


Tomato Planting Trick:
Oh, for those who like to grow tomatoes, we picked up a cool, easy trick from an elderly farmer who was watering the plants as we were leaving. He said to place a small, level teaspoon of Epsom salt in the bottom of each hole you dig for your tomato plants. According to him, it will double the yield of your tomatoes! I will let you know how ours grow this year to confirm it. :)