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Want to ensure you are able to get a softcover or e-book copy of the Geocaching Guidebook to Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley before you head to the Pacific Northwest? Get yourself on the pre-order list using this simple form, and you'll be contacted as soon as the book is ready for order!
More information about the book: This guidebook has been written with the geocacher in mind, but more so, with the geocacher who has friends or family who aren’t as keen about the hobby coming along to visit what I feel is one of the most beautiful and amazing places on earth that I am blessed to call home. The 160+ pages of this book includes GC codes and insider tips for hundreds of active geocaches, lists of the top geocaches to find in a variety of categories and ratings, information on how to travel to and around the region you'd only get from a local, and details on day trips to other amazing locations outside of the Lower Mainland of BC. Add to this a variety of insights into activities and locations that would appeal to the non-geocachers (and the geocaches closest to them) and you've got an indispensable resource you'll want to have before you visit! Chapters include:
If you follow our YouTube Channel then you might know that we ran a contest to win one of the first ever LANMonkey geocoins! Watch this video of the livestream announcement to see who won, and find out how you can get a coin if you weren't a winner in the contest. Keep reading below for more details on the coin itself, and how you can obtain one if you'd like.
So congrats to this contest winner(s), and if you'd like to get your hands on one of these coins here's the deal: An online order form has been created if you'd like to either order a coin from me to have mailed to your address, or "put one on hold" to buy from me in person at GeoWoodstock XVIII (GC86VDF) Aug 22, 2020 or sooner at the GIFF 2019 event in Coquitlam BC (GC8EG76) Nov 10, 2019. The order form can be found HERE!
Online mail orders will need to be paid via PayPal. Check the coin order form for more information.
LANMonkey Geocoin - front design
LANMonkey Geocoin - back of coin design, tracking code obscured
If you have questions feel free to ask me! Thanks to Sharkzcoins.ca for the amazing product that turned out better than I had dreamed it would, and to everyone who participated in the contest! Don't forget to follow me on social media to never miss any cool news or updates on exploring and traveling the Pacific Northwest, or geocaching!
This Fall I will be making the first edition of "The Geocachers Handbook to Metro-Vancouver & the Fraser Valley" available to LANMonkey Patrons! This book is the compilation of two years of effort of combining all the best geocaching and non-geocaching visitor experiences from the region.
Painstaking research including colour photos of various highlights will assist the experienced and novice visitor to our beautiful region in understanding the local history, geography, transit & transportation, amenities, and family friendly attractions. Oh, and did I forget to mention the geocaches? The book will highlight some real pro-tips on what the must find geocaches in a variety of categories are, and include tips from my personal experience on how to find them and what to expect on your adventure. The book will be invaluable to any visitor, and is offered first to those who have invested in supporting my efforts to publish quality geocaching and travel adventure information and entertainment for the past several years. Any level of Patreon support will have access to the book for download once it's ready for you later in 2019. However, to give you a taste of what's to come, here's an overview of the chapters of the book at the moment:
The Cities and Suburbs
Getting Here
Must-Find Geocaches
Where Geocaches & Attractions Overlap
Best Secret Spots
Getting Outside the Cities
Free (and Discounted) Stuff
Day (& Multi-Day) Trips from Here
Other Resources & Contacts for Geocaching in South Western BC
The first chapter has already been made available to Patrons for download as an early thank-you for their support, and is available to any new Patrons.
If you are curious about how to access this once it's published, follow our social media channels @LANMonkeyGC on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, or better yet, sign up as a Patron and support the work, plus get other great patron bonuses & perks!
It's possible you haven't heard yet. It's more likely you've heard the news, but have lots of questions. Either way, you've come to a great place to get started on the topic of GeoWoodstock XVIII! The reason for that is I am one of the four lead planners who have been working on this since summer 2018. We have been growing a super team of volunteers (PS: we will be calling for MORE volunteers shortly), and are extremely excited to be welcoming Geocachers from around the world to the first GeoWoodstock hosted in Canada.
Why is it in August?
Traditionally, GeoWoodstock events have occurred primarily in May or July, on US long-weekends. This time, GeoWoodstock XVIII will be hosted on August 22, 2020, exactly one week after the August 15 "20th Anniversary Celebration" event in Seattle. It's pretty cool to consider that the Pacific NorthWest will be hosting a week-long GeoExtravaganza unlike anything that has occurred here before. Geocachers can travel to Seattle for an unprecedented party at Seattle Center (home of the Space Needle!) and then the next day head east to the Going APE mega event and enjoy the cool summer walk through the 2 mile long Tunnel of Light to claim the APE cache there! If that isn't enough, detour south on Monday and stake your claim on the Original Stash (don't forget to ask the GPS spirits for increased battery life!) and then make your way northwards for the events leading up to GeoWoodstock XVIII on Saturday, August 22.
Why is it in Canada?
The honour and responsibility of hosting a GeoWoodstock event is sought out by those interested in taking that on through a bid process, which is well defined on the GeoWoodstock.org website. Our team decided we would take the chance of putting our "hat in the ring" and put together a bid, following the processes. Being Canadians, our intention was to host it at home, and we built a working relationship with TRADEX, a fantastic event venue in Abbotsford, BC. At the end of the bid review process, our team was awarded the opportunity to host, on the date and in the location we had proposed. As mentioned earlier, the location also makes this a fantastic opportunity for geocachers to experience the GeoExtravaganza week of events and possibly make their first visit to British Columbia, Canada (that's 2 souvenirs if you haven't been here before!). This is made really easy by our venue proximity to Seattle, Vancouver, and several international airports.
OK, So How Do I Find Out More?
This blog was intended to give you a taste of what's coming and some key info, but what I really want to do is point you to the key resources that will give you timely information on-going for GeoWoodstock XVIII. Here's the four "pro tips" I can offer you!
Looking for a comprehensive source of all event, travel, regional, and geocaching information? Visit the GeoWoodstock website (active starting June 20, 2019)
Want to get exclusive inside scoops on geocaching in the Fraser Valley and the Pacific NorthWest? All kinds of amazing perks are available to LANMonkey patrons - check it out on our Patreon site.
First off, let me be clear I'm not complaining! That out of the way, I'm in fact sincerely thankful to have had the rare opportunity this week to appear on four different geocaching podcasts in one week. For those interested, here's the quick recap and links to each show.
If you'd like a little more insight into the process and contents before you click through to the links, here's the brief synopsis for each podcast appearance.
Podcacher:
I was contacted by my friends at Podcacher and asked, as a Canadian Geocacher, if I had any thoughts on the new upvoting innovation on geocaching logs. Of course I do! I offered to record some content for them and they graciously accepted and played it in show 651 (can you believe they have recorded over 650 episodes!!!). This episode contains some interesting and diverse opinions and feedback on upvoting from geocachers in Canada and Norway, the two countries where upvoting is currently enabled. Take a listen to Podcacher episode 651, and check out log upvoting. Share YOUR thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and please tag @LANMonkeyGC so I can hear what you think!
Geocaching Podcast:
In case you hadn't heard, the Gecoaching Podcast is back from the summer hiatus with a new format and (almost) the same hosts. Andy has retired from the show after contributing to it's success for several years, and Scott Berks and Taz427 are now joined by ShortyKnits. The new format is a call in show - each week the hosts pick a different topic and encourage listeners to call in and share their thoughts, live on the air! This week the topic was "Useful Apps for Geocaching" and there were some great ones shared. Check it out; if you didn't hear your favourite, or want to weigh in on that conversation, share your thoughts on Facebookor Twitter, and again, please tag me so I can hear what you have to say.
GeoGearheads:
Chris of the Northwest and DarrylW4 contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I could fill in for Darryl (can anyone really ever fill in for Darryl?!) and talk about Earthcaches. Of course I can! And since GeoGearheads tends to be technology and innovation focused, I thought it would be fun to throw in a news story about China creating artificial moons to orbit the earth, and then dig into the numbers and stats about the 2018 International Earthcache Weekend. This led to Chris and I each sharing some interesting stories about our adventures finding our Earthcaches for the souvenir that weekend. I also answered a listener's question and gave some top tips about my own process/workflow for creating new Earthcaches. We then provided an update on the status of the GSA's Earthcache Academy. Did you get your souvenir? Do you have questions about creating Earthcaches? I'd love to hear about your adventures, or your thoughts about Earthcaches. Again, please share those thoughts on Facebookor Twitter and don't forget to tag me in your post so I can make sure I read it!
Caching in the Northwest:
Last, but surely not least (?), is the podcast closest to my heart, the one I spend every Thursday night with my close and awesome friends WitzEnd and Chris of the Northwest. This week on CachingNW we had show Patrons CampClan join us to talk about their recent adventure of going Geocaching in the amazing state of Utah. Having completed the Visit Utah Geotour myself, I had lots to share and discuss with them. The timing couldn't be better as I had just received my official Utah GeoAmbassador jacket that very night and was able to wear it proudly during the podcast! They shared their adventure of finding Potter's Pond on the cusp of winter, and some of the places they explored on their adventures. We then "shifted gears" to chat a bit about bike share services available in several cities, and how those can be used for Geocaching. Have you visited Utah and have thoughts or pictures to share? Have you tried Geocaching using a bike or scooter share service? We're really curious to hear more about your experiences and opinions; share them on Twitterand Facebook, and remember to tag me @LANMonkeyGC so I can read all about it!
The Week of the Monkey
So in summary, a very busy but fun week in podcasting for me, and I am so thankful to each of the hosts/producers for making time to include me and my thoughts on their podcasts. I hope you enjoy listening to each, and make sure that you let the podcast hosts know what you think about their episodes. And until we chat next, cache safely and cache often! LANMonkey's Geocaching Adventures are written by Jay Kennedy, outdoor adventurer and photo-journalist. All content is affiliated with the Wander Network. Experience his adventures on Twitter and Instagram by following @LANMonkeyGC, and subscribing to LANMonkey on YouTube. He is also a regular co-host of the Caching in the Northwest geocaching podcast.
In case you've missed those episodes, you can watch them here!
Episode 3 - Norway to Go!
Episode 4 - Art Attack!
Where Did We Go?
We explored the city of Norway; in episode 3 we explored entirely on foot from our hotel near Munchs Gate and Keysers Gate, right by the virtual cache "Grass Roots Square" featured in episode 3.
Most of what you'll see in episode 3 is from walking through City Hall area and down to the waterfront near the new virtual rewards geocache "Oslo City Hall - V&V #27."
We followed the shoreline to the South-East and that's where you'll most of the sights we shared in that episode. Some of the key places we visited are:
Here's a list per episode of key geocaches we found. Good news - there's been several more virtual reward caches placed in Oslo since we visited. OK, good news for YOU planning a trip there, or perhaps for us, since I'd love an excuse to go back!
If you have questions, please post them in the comments section below, or use Twitter @LANMonkeyGC and I'm happy to do my best to answer them.
If
there is something else that would be helpful or interesting to you,
please make sure to leave a comment. If you enjoyed it, please make sure
to share it on social media and use @LANMonkeyGC so I can thank you.
If you haven't caught this episode yet, here it is so you can get caught up.
Where Did We Go?
In this episode we spent the day on the Golden Circle Tour. This is likely the most popular tour you take take in Iceland as it hits all the major well known attractions in one day.
The route involves "circling" the southern part of the island nation on the major highway system, taking you from Reykjavik to Gullfoss, Geysir, and Thingvellir National Park. There are plenty other stops of interest along the way, and the highway route "circles" you back to Reykjavik.
This does take a full day in order to maximize the enjoyment of the stops, so plan for that.
An interesting point is that we did the tour "backwards" to what many tour organizers do, but it worked out best that way; Gullfoss and Geysir can get very crowded in the later afternoons.
A pano shot of Thingvellir National Park from the upper parkade and observation deck.
There were some other caches, including a WhereIGo that requires you to visit multiple parks in the Golden Circle to complete it and find the cache.
What Else Did We See?
We made a couple other interesting stops, including one to visit with some Icelandic horses. These creatures are pretty fascinating not only because extremely strict breeding and import/export laws allow them to be the only breed of horse bred here, but also because they have a unique "pace" they travel at that other horses cannot. There was a stop in the morning at a small market with a fantastic deli along Highway 1 before we made the long stretch out to Gullfoss.
Want to Know More?
If you have questions, please post them in the comments section below, or use Twitter @LANMonkeyGC and I'm happy to do my best to answer them.
Are you interested in planning this trip yourself? Well you can rent a car and drive it - all roads are quite passable. Or, Google "Golden Circle Iceland" and you'll get tons of options.
If
there is something else that would be helpful or interesting to you,
please make sure to leave a comment. If you enjoyed it, please make sure
to share it on social media and use @LANMonkeyGC so I can thank you.
Here's some great news; I heard that you wanted to know more about the Blue Lagoon Spa so I'm providing some personal insights on that visit.
Where Is It?
First off, where is it? The Blue Lagoon Spa is located a short drive from Keflavik, or just under an hour from Reykjavik, on the Southern Peninsula.
How Do I Get In?
There are two types of "standard" entry, and then the more luxurious "Retreat Spa" option. You should really book ahead via their website; they have a schedule/ticket system that's quite easy to use.
The two types of standard entry are called comfort or premium. Staff in the pool know which entry you've paid for by the coloured RFID wristband you'll be wearing.
Once through the front doors, there will be two lineups - one for tour groups, and the other for non-tour guests. The staff is highly efficient at getting you signed in, giving you your wristband and towel, and directing you to the change rooms.
What Should I Expect When I Get There?
Both
entries get you access to the lagoon, a silica mud mask, use of a
towel, locker for your stuff, and one free drink. The premium upgrade
gets you use of a bathrobe and slippers, a second mud mask, and
reservations to their on-site restaurant.
Honestly,
you get the full experience with the comfort entry which costs about
79EU, and the upgrade to premium is around 102EU. We didn't even consider the 280EU "retreat spa" option. We really enjoyed the comfort entry for the 3 or so hours we were there. Off you get to the change rooms. You must shower before lagoon entry, and the free lockers work off of the RFID wristbands. A very cool system and all instructions are in English and several other languages. It's really hard to mess up!
Once you're showered and ready for the lagoon you make your way out and into the WARM water. It looks murky/cloudy, and the temperature ranges from spot to spot - as you get closer or nearer to the water inflows. Generally the bottom is flat and a bit gritty, and the water is super-buoyant. Most of the pool is at an average depth of just over a metre, but it does range slightly.
What Do I Do There?
Now that you are enjoying the warm waters, explore around and head to the mud-mask bar! They will ladel out (literally) a big handful of warm silica mud to apply to your face, and give you instructions such as "not in your eyes, nose or mouth" which is maybe obvious but important.
The mud really feels like wet drywall mudding, and once applied to your face beings to dry quickly. You are expected to wear it for no more than 10 minutes, then you dip underwater to wash it off. Now you see one of the reasons the water is so cloudy! After rejuvenating your face, head over to the opposite side of the lagoon and queue up for the in-water bar. They have a wide selection of pop and juice, you can also get red or white "house" wine, or a local beer. They even have a couple flavours of the Icelandic equivalent of a slurpee/slushie style iced drink.
Amusingly, it's called Krap.
You can enjoy your drink anywhere in the pool, but they prefer you don't roam too far with it, and that you use the provided receptacles for your empty plastic cup. You are expected to keep your visit in the Lagoon to about 2 hours, after which you head back to the change room for another shower. The change rooms are very well appointed with hair-dryers, mirrors, and all the basic amenities so you can dry off and clean up nicely for the rest of your day. I hope this info has been interesting, and maybe even helpful! If
there is something else that would be helpful or interesting to you,
please make sure to leave a comment. If you enjoyed it, please make sure
to share it on social media and use @LANMonkeyGC so I can thank you.
Accompanying each episode of Geocaching Adventures we'll provide a "behind the scenes" blog article to give you details on the cool adventures you saw in the video. What should you expect here? Things like:
GC codes for the caches we found
Maps of where we traveled
Photos and video that didn't make the cut but were still cool
Some of the fun stories we just couldn't squeeze into the videos
First things first, right? So our trip planning was largely (almost entirely!) done via the fact that we signed up for a Landsharkz Geocaching Adventure. We've previously joined them for their Alaskan Adventure and had so much fun we signed up for this Baltic one also.
Pro Tips - unless you can get by for six hours on a bag of pretzels, bring food on the plane with you. Standard fares do not include meals. Also, check your carry-on baggage size, as IcelandAir may have slightly smaller carry-on restrictions than you may be accustomed to.
There is another airport right at Reykjavik, but the primary airport for travel in and out of Iceland is KEF.
Once we landed, we did not need taxis or rental cars as we were part of an organized tour group picked up directly by bus from the airport.
Before we went into Reykjavik, our group did a tour of the Southern peninsula where the KEF airport is, an area called Reykjanes. This is a drive that I would highly recommend as it takes you to some extraordinary sights that really aren't that far from the airport.
Key stops of note in this area include:
Midlina - the bridge across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Reykjanesta - spectacular cliffs and basalt formations dropping into the Atlantic
After our drive-about tour we headed to Reykjavik and some folks did an organized city tour, but as the city was quite walkable for us Monkeys, we chose to opt out and walked around a fairly sizable loop (a few km's).
I hope this info has been interesting, and maybe even helpful! If there is something else that would be helpful or interesting to you, please make sure to leave a comment. If you enjoyed it, please make sure to share it on social media and use @LANMonkeyGC so I can thank you.
AG#20 - Akershus Castle and Fortress 
Akershus festning's berggrunn
Grass Roots Square 
Ibsensgate (formerly Ibsenringen)
Phantom of the Opera
