Tochi's Hut

A weekend sojourn to the land of Kabitzin during Canadian Turkey Break.  There happens to be a Geocaching Mega Event happening as well, which convinced BlueOrca, Kungfucius and me to invade the town.

Headed down on Saturday morning.  Stopped at Grove City Outlet for some shopping before arriving into Pittsburgh around 5:30pm.  A lot of construction going on along I-79.  Two of the three lanes were blocked off in the last two miles before I-279 interchange.  The two lanes were perfectly drivable, I’m not sure why they blocked it off.  Of course, being a Saturday, no one is working.  Ended up taking 50 minutes to travel those two miles.

Met up at Kabitzin’s (had trouble finding the entrance, until I re-read the directions more carefully, duh!).  Got to meet Bunky and was given the royal tour of the really fancy Kabitzin residence, along with that movable wall cabinet.  Saw some very awesome Maui wedding photos, and was introduced to Sydney and Toby. :D  Much to my surprise, Kabitzin and Kung were researching the Fuji Speedway on the computer. lol.  Dinner at Elbow Room.  I think Kabizin made the best choice.  Kabitzin didn’t make any puns that I caught, much to my disappointment! XD

After dinner, Kung and I parted ways with our gracious hosts.  Kung and I got some water and Oreos before heading to Station Square and the Incline.  Kungmobile’s GPS reigned supreme as it navigated us around road closures and bridges.  I only had to cut off like 3 cars trying to follow Kung. :P

Took the incline (known elsewhere as funicular or peak tram) up to Mount Washington, and was greeted with this awesome view of the Trois Rivers and downtown Pittsburgh.  There were these spacecraft landing pads like that of Bespin Cloud City sticking out on the hillside for uninterrupted panoramas.

Walked around downtown for a bit before checking into our hotel.  BlueOrca arrived shortly thereafter, and we got the ITV feed for the Japan Grand Prix set up.  I do not know whether the internet was just crappy at the hotel, or the stream was bad (I suspect the former), the ITV feed would choke at the most inopportune times.  Race started at 12:30am with Hammy at pole.  He was last after lap one due to a super questionable collision.  That pretty much ruined my night right there.  Stewards ruled the race again.  A race to forget.  :( 

Got up the next morning and headed to Meadowland Racetrack (HORSES) for Pittsburgh Geocoinfest 2008.  So many TB in the parking lot.  Got into Room 266 and the main conference room.  Registered (no event geocoin left).  Walked around the various vendors and people showcasing their wares.  Didn’t see any geocoin that was cooler than Tochi’s Traveller’s Coin.  Took a picture with Signal.  BlueOrca was having a lot of fun discovering coins, while Kung and I took a walk around the hotel lobby several times. XD

Eventually, we were able to convince BlueOrca to go geocaching in WV and O_o.   WV caches were relatively easy to find. Had lunch for the first time (for me) at Cracker Barrel.  The first O_o cache was a killer.  We scoured the recycling hut, and even the great BlueOrca could not find it (so I don’t feel too bad for not finding it myself).  Ended up getting the cheesiest micro in a guardrail to colour the state.  BlueOrca found a cache in her dreams.

Headed back into to Geocoinfest and hotel afterwards before fooding at Station Square.  Took BlueOrca up the incline.  Attempted a difficulty 3.5 or 4 later in Pittsburgh, but DNF at the end of the night.

Kung left the next morning while BlueOrca and I headed out for a Pittsburgh exploring / geocaching day.  Schenly Park, UPitts, CMU and PITT STOP (Who’s the NUT again?).  BlueOrca spotted some Quaker snacks at a 7-Eleven.  After raving how good these Quaker treats were, I could not believe she didn’t open one to share!   I still don’t know what it tastes like.  Oh well.  Drove by Shadyside and I recognized the area from a previous visit. :P  Frick Park.  Shrine of the Blessed Mother for this shot.

Drove across a railway bridge and found Southside Works. Ate at the Cheesecake Factory (WOOT!), brought a cheesecake, before some caches to finish off the night.   Caching in the dark means quadruple checking the same place and then checking it again.  Took me about as long to find my headlamp as I needed to find certain caches.  Haven’t had this much fun caching in a while. :)

Parted ways with BlueOrca the next morning. Drove back home. There was no lineup at the border.  Had a fun chat with the Canadian Border officer, who questioned why I didn’t go gambling in the states, lol.  I told him the Canadian Dollar sucks too much nowadays ==> no capital.  We ended up chatting for a minute about the exchange rate and politics (it was election day) before he “let me go”.  It’s experiences like these that makes me feel welcomed coming back home.

Pittsburgh is a very pretty city.  A bit hilly for my tastes, but she does have her spectacular aspects.  Definitely a place I would revisit to explore further.  Next time, kayaking on the three rivers for sure. XD