#3 FOUND!

Whats another name for pirate treasure? Well I (and I am a professor) think its BOOTY!



Ya peninsula bitches....VelcoCache Monterey #3 is dead. Which is fitting, since it was hidden in The San Carlos Cemetery .
Picked it up on the way into work....





































Actually, I'm shocked it was still there, considering it was simply sitting behind a small headstone, there were a bunch of groundskeepers out and I know the cemetery is often a hangout for homeless/angst filled youth.

Rolled into the office to covet my find....oooooh I wonder what's inside?



















No pet meds (bummer!) but not a bad haul for a 5 minute detour! Lunch (PBR and the tootsie pop), headgear, bottle opener (can never have enough), window dressing for the office and not only a front brake but an allen key to install it...how thoughtful!



















I'd like to thank Inspector Javert for getting the fun rolling .... I've got to admit I felt a little weird poking around a Catholic Cemetery, being of an "alternate lifestyle" and all, but I brought along a copy of the Nostra Aetate, just in case.

I think its about time someone else does some hidin'. So the inspector can join the fun.

#2 Found and promptly hard-boiled

Friday. 4 pm. The kind of hour that working stiffs the world over dream about all week long. Not me though. You don't stay in the private dick racket by taking weekends off, and you sure as hell don't look forward to idle time when you got problems like mine. Alimony, taxes, high-arched feet....you name it, I've lived it...twice. Not to mention Inspector Javert has been breathing down my neck all week about my lack of progress. I'd like to see him handle some of these mugs I'm trailing. Can't wait for the day I give ol' Oney his.

4:15 the phone rings. I stub out my cigarette into the overflowing coffee can and pick it up. Frantic voice on the line.....something about an underpass and a bad man with a bad plan....and a dame. Dammit it sounds like a setup, but I'm a sucker for the dames. One of these days they'll be the death of me, but not today. I gotta get even before I get dead.

I hop on my clunker and head up the ravine. Aguajito is a mess, rich people driving around in nice cars. Should have been my first sign to turn around. These kind of people shouldn't be here. Not now.

I get to the first bridge, right before the hospital, and a hunch tells me I'm about to drum up some business. Underneath the bridge something catches my eye. A plastic bag. I've seen this before, and I swore I could smell that scorched motor oil.

A closer look and it wasn't a body. But what it was sent chills down my spine. What kind of a sick fuck leaves moldy garlic bread for me to find? Where's the dame? And why do I kind of want pasta for supper?

On to the second bridge, where I knew it was Showdown City. I parked the Cross-Check out of site and tipped my bicyling helmet squash hat to cover my face. Something in the same bridge corner as the garlic bread grabbed my eye. A closer look.......and there she was! The dame looked a little roughed up, but was double bagged (our man is a confirmed Safeway shopper), and most importantly had beers.

Some days I don't even know what side I'm on anymore, but once in awhile, for that slimmest of moments, I remember how I got into this mess in the first place. Big things. Things like Justice. Dames. Cycling. Screaming down hwy 68 with yahoos driving the shoulders through corners. So if you see me out there, say a little prayer for me. And God help the day that comes when I finally catch the cat that's been shitting in my garden.

#4

And here I go again on my own
Goin' down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter I was born to [bike] alone
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time...

I'm sorry I had to do that to you. Perhaps it will inspire you to get off your computer and go ride your bike, softy.








If you accidentally find other beers cached there, LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!! or else. They are a separate cache and are not in play.

Also, if you have the faintest inkling of where this is and you don't go there, you should never come here again. You cannot have anything other than a kickass ride to this spot no matter how you...GO!

#3

Welcome me, to the authorship connection at VeloCache Monterey! YAAAAAY! But, as I sort of helped get things rolling, I cannot play until someone else hides the treasure. BOOOOO!

First of all, I am not going to show you the loot. You people have had 2 too many chances at seeing the goods before you commit, and that stops now. Monterey, I'll be honest with you- you are a disappointment. You've been on a path to self destruction for a long time now, and- don't interrupt me!- your time has come to step up. Go get on your bike and...ride it for fun!

And, plus you get treasure. How can you not be doing this?

So, J______ and I rode around and dropped this one here.

Views to orient by...






The actual cache location...




And some views from the cache spot.




Ready? GO!

#2

Who knows how long that sign fragment is gonna stay in place with the wind coming through there...

Again, to promote interest in this fledgling venture, here is a preview of the prize at hand:

47cm center to center Salsa Bell Lap bars, 2 fine domestic beers, 2 fine domestic postcards, 1 questionable domestic CD, 1 fine domestic cycling cap, and (of course and as per requiem) 1 bottle opener. All of this is up for grabs to the winner. You wanna be a winner, don't you?



Also again, an obvious spot...









Ready? Get some.

Big #1

Good morning!

Hey Monterey, it's time to play. This whole thing is a blatant rip off of Velocache Boise's amazing bike scavenger hunt scene.Why should they have all the fun?

Since this is the #1 cache, we are showing the goods before hand to push the interest a little.So:

Yep. A treasure trove of stickers, patches, bicycle related playing cards, postcards, an unused water bottle, a packet of spacefood, some matches, a fine domestic beer, and (of course) a bottle opener.

You cannot buy that kind of love.








Yeah, this is a highly recognizable spot. Remember it is 1st come and finder's keepers...

Go get some.

FAQ / HOW TO / TIPS AND TRICKS

This is a diversion for everyone of us who rides bikes to keep our asses in the saddle, share some secret spots and discover new perspectives of our beautiful peninsula.

Here's how it works: pick a spot to hide your cache. (A cache is simply something hidden). Add a bottle opener to the outside and a note asking non-players to leave the find alone. Take a picture or two from the exact location of your cache showing the surrounding area. It may be as obscure as you can dream, or in the spirit of Velo, a more well-known spot to keep the race for the prize quick. Take another picture of the spot where the cache is hidden. Your cache should be planted (buried, insinuated, camouflaged, etc) in the same spot the picture was taken, or very close, so when a Velocache participant finds your cache, they will be sharing your unique perspective...state of mind?... etc.

Anyone who spies the post may participate, and the game begins at the time of posting. Any sort of treasure will do, though it sure is nice to find a great new spot and decent loot as well. The photos need to be taken from a spot reachable by bicycle.

Once you have found a cache, add a comment under the appropriate post letting us know the cache has been located. Once your pictures have been posted (by contacting us at Velocache) the post will be updated and credit given. You are now obligated to hide your own cache, adding a note and the bottle opener, or maybe one from your collection.

You do not have to find a cache first in order to drop one.

Go ahead and use this post for any concerns or suggestions you might have. We will take all of them into consideration and categorically ignore everything you have to say. Just kidding. We here at VELOCACHE can't thank you enough for turning this funny little idea into a full-blown deal.

Just a few things to think about:

-The feeds for posts and comments are becoming increasingly important, this tool seems to be the best way to keep up on things quickly.

-Yes, web-enabled devices (iphone, blackberry, etc.) are REALLY useful when playing the game. If you ARE using one, post your finds as fast as you can. If you are NOT using one, get to a place that you can post your find ASAP.

-BE VERY CAREFUL about hiding caches in conspicuous areas. WE CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH!. Either hide it so well that it can't be seen or stay away from "high alert" areas all together.

-If you want to post to VELOCACHE yourself we can probably make that happen. Many have already been given this power and they are ROCKING IT. We would just ask that you have some knowledge of the blogger setup or at least willing to learn it before you start posting.

-There is a fine line between posting too much visual information and not enough. Take LOTS of photos and use the bare minimum at first. If it becomes apparent that it is too hard for people to find, add another shot after a few days.

-DO NOT ZOOM YOUR CAMERA LENS. PERIOD. You may crop your image to cut a perspective enough to make people scratch their heads but zooming messes up the perspective entirely.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,

Those of you out there that have found caches and not sent in the pictures. You need to do that immediately. Those of you finding caches and not posting comments immediately, you need to stop doing that.

If you are not ready to send pictures as soon as you find a cache, don't go look for a cache.

If you are out and about looking for caches and can't find a way to alert us that you have found one, don't go look for caches.

OK, Just a few more things:

-We are seeing some slack in the photos that are coming in on the finds. We really do want to have images that are as much like the the original deployment photos. Found photos should look just like the originals. Yeah we want your bike in the photo. Yeah mug shots are ALWAYS cool. We really need to keep in mind sharing the same perspective in these photos at all times, please?

-As far as deployments are concerned, keep the perspective in mind. When you are taking pics from your cache stash, take them as if you were standing on top of that little bundle of goodness. The perspective is to be from of the cache itself, not a picture of your ride leaning up against the cache.

Keeping that in mind here are a few tips:

-always carry a flashlight

-your phone camera is good, your digital camera is probably better, take shots with both.

-zombies can only be killed by destroying their heads.

-the bottle opener is not crucial, but it is fun.
-STAY AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE, always take the high road