Grays Harbor Cache Machine Event Cache

Shipbuilders at the Grays Harbor Yards of the Grant-Smith-Porter Co., Aberdeen, 1919

"On Washington's beautiful Pacific Coast, Grays Harbor is the gateway to Washington's scenic coastal wonderlands, a key producer and exporter of wood and ocean products, and a vibrant and dynamic community. Come visit this gem nestled at the foot of the emerald forests of Washington State." So sayeth the Grays Harbor County web site.

I say it more simply: Trees. Ships. Fish. Caches. It's the Grays Harbor Cache Machine.

Fill up the tank, toss down some breakfast at way-too-early o'clock, and meet at N 46° 57.087 W 123° 48.750 (the parking coordinates for On a Clear Day) at sunrise on Saturday, September 22, at 6:30 a.m.

Then, there will be about 70 caches to get, although I don't expect anyone will get all of them. If you're still out on the road at dinner time (7:30 p.m.), skip the rest of the route and come on in. Socializing at dinner is one of the best parts of machine events (and that's coming from me -- someone who usually hates socializing).

As with all cache machines, if you find the cache, you'll be the one who has to re-hide it. Hide it as well as you found it.

If it's a micro cache, one "GHCM" log entry should suffice for the group. We tend to fill up log books too quickly, and our stickers tend to make micro log books hard to re-stash. For normal-sized caches, or even large micros, everyone should sign in.

Bring FRS radios if you’ve got them. We’ll use Channel 2 to communicate among caching vehicles and to say 'Howdy' to listening locals. Suggestions and ''Count me ins'' are welcome below. If you’ve already found a couple of these caches, that’s fine - give us a chance to find the cache, and then we may turn to you for a hint.

When is it?
6:30 a.m., September 22, 2007. Latecomers can track us down en route.

Will it be one large group, will we be split into teams, or what?
We start the day as one giant group, which means we'll hopefully find each cache quickly. Then it's on to the next one. The group tends to fragment after the first few caches, though. The longer we can keep the big group together, the more fun it is!

Is anything going on before, during, or after?
- There will be a pre-CM cluster of dinners at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 21. Last minute changes will be posted in my car at N 46° 58.619, W 123° 48.226 (blue Saturn with geocaching sticker), and unofficial informal dinners will simultaneously be held at the nearby McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Burger King, and Mazatlan. I'll try to poke my head into all four, but no promises.
- Dinner on Saturday will be 7:30 p.m. at Ocean Palace (a Chinese restaurant), 112 E Wishkah St, Aberdeen, (N 46° 58.470, W 123° 49.068). We've told the restaurant to expect 105 people, but show up early in case we go over. Cost is $15, which includes family style dinner, tea, tax, and tip.
- Sunday, you're on your own.

A cache on your map shows the wrong place to park.
Let me know, and I'll incorporate it into the route.

It sounds fun, but I've already found some of them.
Then come laugh at us, or guess when we'll be at the caches you haven't hit yet. Monitor FRS channel 2.

You don't have X cache on the route. Why aren't we getting that one?
I'll be avoiding longer multicaches, complex puzzle caches, caches that appear to be overly time consuming, and caches that the owner has asked us to avoid.

You have X cache on the route, but it's disabled/archived.
Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route (if archived) or will check with the owner (if disabled).

X cache is in an environmentally sensitive area.
By all means, let me know. I'll work with the cache owner to minimize our impact, or skip the cache altogether.

I disagree with the whole idea of cache machines. I don't want you finding my cache.
Sorry to hear that. It's too bad you've got a neat place to show us that we won't be able to see. Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route.

What's this gonna cost me?
Nothing for the caching. Or, at least, nothing more than it would cost than if you did the trip solo (e.g., paying for your own gas, hotel, and dinner). I'm not collecting any money for this.

Lunch? Breaks? Bathrooms?
Lunch: You should probably bring a sack lunch to eat on the road.
Breaks and Bathrooms: There's no breaks in cache machines! Just hold it. :-P Or find something on the way.

More questions?
Check the forums (link here soon).