Anyone going Geocaching this weekend? **NEW CACHERS...POP IN!**

[Pin Wizard]

Congratulations on the FTF, Mike! You made me laugh saying that you took a vacation day for it. You're DEFINITELY addicted!! And you made me think of a thread on our area's Yahoo board. Someone started asking...How do you know someone is addicted to Geocaching? One answer was...you miss work because of it! That's you in this case. And a Disney cache!

Congrats on almost 200...that's great. And enjoy the picnic/caching! We have a picnic this month also. Not sure if we'll make it or not. It's still up in the air. May have something else to do that day.

Think it's time to get the GPS manual out and see what it can actually do.

We found a locationless the other night. There's one to find a cell phone tower...a tree that doesn't look quite right. Found one near a park the other night. It does look pretty strange. LOL! Will have to go back with the camera and GPS to get the picture.

Happy caching!

 

[hdecker]

Had a good caching day yesterday a FTF and then a really cool multi based on Star Wars; when you find the first stage you are invited to follow the light side or the dark side - we did both. Dark was inside a cave - light was on top of it - really cool.
Even though we are from Missouri, we like to spend time in Biloxi and have done alot of caching down there. I was checking on the caches yesterday and most of them were gone - destroyed by the hurricane. Reality really hit when I saw that Hurricane Katrina had destroyed the Hurricane Camille Memorial - how sad.

 

[Pin Wizard]

That's terrible about so much destruction from Katrina. And that it destroyed the memorial of another is just ironic. I still read things about missing caches from hurricane Isabel a couple years ago here, and people posting that they've relocated them now.

There's a cache I've tried a few times and haven't been able to find. But last weekend we seem to have zeroed in on it. Question is...who's going down the ladder that goes into the bay? LOL! I'd rather bring something long to reach it with. It's out on a dock in the Chesapeake Bay. Seems I've actually found it this time. LOLOL!! E-mailed the owner and told them I see the end of a string laying on a piece of wood. They said pull it for the other end! Finally! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...tongs for grilling? That would do it I hope. Might not be able to grab the string though. Otherwise, how do you inconspicuously go down a ladder without a boat right there with numerous aqua-muggles around? And let's not forget the posted sign on the way in of toxic things being in the water because of military practices on a nearby island...years ago...that were disrupted by hurricane Isabel? ACK! Don't want to touch THAT water!

Here I'd have to say I like Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Just started caching in Chesapeake in the past month. Seems I'll be returning! Wouldn't mind making a move there if I get SUPER tired of the 65 mile drive a day for work. Chesapeake would be a 10-15 minute drive from work.

Off for an oil change and then some caching! Have a GREAT weekend!

 

[hdecker]

I think going down the ladder thing would probably be one we skipped. The bubba's here in the midwest really love putting caches at the top of the old national forest service fire towers. These things are 10 to twelve stories high at times and all metal. If the wind is blowing, it's swaying. Needless to say we either avoid those or send the kids up (Bad Mommy ) I have not seen any locationless or reverse caches here. We do have cadastral caches which have to do with cemetaries and they are usually at least 10 stage multi's - haven't done any of those either.
We are trying to go today and get a couple in about 30 miles away cause dd has a marching band competition there and we'll have some time to kill.
Happy Caching

 

[Pin Wizard]

Have fun!

I haven't done any multi-caches yet. I want to find something NOW and have it count! LOL! I haven't been out there in a couple weekends. Not searching any way. I've been placing some out there. I think it's up to four. There was a 5th which was approved by the review and lasted about three days. They then said it's too close to another cache, so I had to get rid of it. BEAUTIFUL view where I placed it.

Send your kids up the towers? LOLOL!! I'd be skipping those also. A couple weeks ago we did go to one that's in a tree. Sent DS up for that. He enjoyed that one.

Guess I'll get searching online for some around here. I just haven't been in the mood for those in the parks at all. I had enough of ticks and poison ivy this year.

Happy caching!!

 

[Pin Wizard]

Yahooooooooooooooooo!! Got the one at the bay today. Just held onto the top of the ladder, got on a knee, and reached for the string. Got it!

 

[MiJo]

Well, we're up to 199 now so we're closing in on 200. We made it to the picnic, which was real nice, and we made one other find there. We also knocked off another one of the notorious Fren-z caches this week; we still have a few to go. We borrowed my DB's Garmin Geko to compare to our old Magellan 310. It's nice but lacks the ability to download waypoints so it looks like we may be going with a new GPS 60 for Christmas.
hdecker: Locationless Caches are everywhere. You need to click on the special link for them, though. They will be "expiring" on December 31 so you would have to grab some quickly. After that, the new "Waymarking" caches will take over. I believe they are for Premium Members only at this point. It looks like they will be a combo of Locationless Caches and Virtual Caches. We have logged several so far: some PA Historical Markers and a Palindrome Cache in a cemetery.
Pinwizard: Congrats on getting the cache in the tree and on the dock! We have one in a tree but it's not too high although some shorter cachers may need a little ingenuity to reach it. We needed a "tool" to reach one of Fren-z's last week.
Have fun everyone and Good Caching!
Mike of Team SAR-Dogs aw: aw: aw: aw:

 

[Pin Wizard]

Congratulations, Mike! Have you officially hit 200 yet? Just one away! I know which one I want to do for 100. One of the guys here who is in the Air Force makes up a certificate with a fighter plane for the kids when we hit 100. Definitely would like that for darling son. I'll have to e-mail him when we're getting near the number. Just hit 84 yesterday. Still time.

Went searching for one lunch time today. Ran out of time though before I could look. Amazingly busy part of Virginia Beach. I think the person must have put it there at 3 a.m. to avoid all the muggles! I'll have to find others around and head there on the weekend.

Speaking of locationless caches, I better get busy on them! Happy caching!

 

[MiJo]

Yep! We are now at 202! #200 was one of our fiendish friend Fren-Z's war memorial caches. We found #202 during a downpour Saturday morning. It was a micro hidden in the windchimes hanging beneath a tiny birdhouse. There were a few other windchimes in the same tree, too, so it was pretty neat. We have a new micro ready to go ourselves. It's a small container hidden inside a realistic looking foam apple. It's pretty good. We're going to hang it in a pine tree and call it the Pineapple Cache. We hope to get it out this week in time for the weekend.
We've also done a few more Waymarking Caches of the PA Historical Marker type. We may be posting one of our own this week.
Good caching!
Mike

 

[Pin Wizard]

Congrats, Mike! The caches sound great, too. Cache in a fake apple. LOL! See who gets that one. And I like the one in the windchimes! Wow!

I found one this week in a rock. There was a line entirely around the rock...just not natural! Hit number 100 in the rain on Saturday. Did go to a cache at a geocacher's home. Ended up talking with he and his wife three hours! Had a GREAT time! Cachers are the best!

Today I was thinking that I needed to play hooky from work and go caching. There's a 2-part one I went to on Saturday. Got the first part without a problem. The second part, I ran into a wasp nest where I thought the cache was. The owner had that in his description...that one had been spotted and be careful. However, the cache is quite a bit away from that! I'll have to go get this one this weekend.

Had one a couple weeks ago that was fun for darlling son. He climbed up a huge wall of sand...with a boost! Then I went around it to see if it's possible to get up by walking. Yup. LOL! My desktop died, so I'm not having luck scanning right now. I'm on a laptop.

Can't wait to hear about more adventures! Happy caching! And have fun placing the ones you're planning on!

SAR Dogs...you around?

 

[MiJo]

Hi PW!
Our caching adventures have been slowed down the past week by all the rain we had: Over 11 inches! The sun finally came out yesterday so we placed our fake apple micro in a park near our home. It was listed this morning so we're anxiously waiting to see who gets it first. It's called Pineapple Cache because it's in a pine tree.

Congrats on your #100!!! Way to go!
I have a vacation day planned for tomorrow so we hope to do some caching. I couldn't resist when I saw it's supposed to be sunny! The rain the past week had us, and the dogs, going nuts.
That incident with the wasp nest must have been interesting. We haven't encountered anything like that so far although we did have a run-in with bees once during a SAR training. A team member and a dog were stung that time.
Well, good caching!
Mike aw: aw: aw: aw:
PS: I've added a photo of our apple but it may be a little while before it shows up (approvals, I guess) You should be able to click on the link to see it until then.

 

[Pin Wizard]

LOLOLOLOLOLOL!! That apple in the pine tree is too much! GREAT name for the cache! There was a pine cone in a pine tree here that I found. The person actually drilled the center part of the pine cone out and put a tiny tube with a log in there. What caught my eye was the hook on the end it was hanging from. Just like the round hook on the end of a Christmas ornament...slipped over a branch. A tiny one! He thought the fact that it was a different size and type of pine cone from what's naturally on the tree would be the give away. Nope, didn't even notice that!

So sorry to hear about the bee stings people encountered. Some unpleasant stuff out there. Last weekend we were looking for a cache. Darling son saw a hole in the ground covered with leaves and thought it might be there. I moved some leaves and found a small yellow jacket crawling. I wasn't hanging around for it to call its friends out! We high-tailed it out of there after I put the leaves back to hopefully slow any of them/it down. There was someone doing a cache at a local aboretum who had flip-flops (we've been told don't ask why he wears flip-flops while caching) on and stepped on a bees nest in the ground. Major stings. Needless to say, that cache has been closed down until it's relocated.

Got back to the multi yesterday and found it with a hint from the owner. Also found another wasp nest. Nice to get that one done. Of course, this wasn't anywhere near where I got the coordinates on my GPS.

I have been searching for a park for two weekends now. Can't find it! Apparently, MS MapPoint I think it is sends me to the wrong place again. I seem to get so many inaccurate directions from them. They get me close, but not where I need to be. But this time I can't find the streets they show! Have e-mailed a fellow cacher. I bet he knows where the park is. While trying to find this park, I found another by chance...with a cache...but I didn't know a cache is there until I got home! Will have to get that one.

Well, guess I better hit the web site and find a few for today. Nice hobby to be addicted to. Have fun tomorrow on your caching day!!!!!

Sandy

 

[MiJo]

Bees and wasps can be a problem, that's for sure. Once, while on a search on top of a mountain in the middle of the night, we saw one of our dogs following closely behind a large silhouette of an animal. We got our flashlights on it just as it started to climb a tree. A porcupine! Good thing Koati didn't get too close. On that same search, a dog from another agency was skunked. Somehow, the owner cleaned him up and that same dog found the missing person the next morning. The weirdest thing about that kind of stuff was that in 8 years I never saw a snake out in the field and we spent countless hours in the woods. My DW did see one during an evaluation, and she's terrified of them, but she handled it well. A couple other things we encountered were barbed wire and mine shafts (the type that go straight down into the ground). These things are next to impossible to see at night.
Well, fortunately, we aren't out in the woods at night geocaching so we don't worry about those things too much anymore.
Glad you like the apple. We had fun thinking it up. It was found twice yesterday and both cachers commented that it's "cute". You can find things like the pinecone cache on the Geocaching forums. There's a whole thread dedicated to interesting "disguises" including some with instructions on how to make them.
Good job with the multi! We've used hints from cache owners and other cachers to find some of these things. We've also "phoned a friend" on a few occasions.
We're hoping to get out and do a few today. Don't know yet where we will be headed.
Good caching!
Mike

 

[Pin Wizard]

The porcupine and skunk are too much! The poor pups! That must be something being out there with mine shafts.

Glad the "Pineapple" is doing well. I'll have to keep that one in mind if I'm ever up that way. Tonight I was checking caches in the area of FL where I used to live. I can picture exactly where most of them are. There doesn't seem to be too many in the area. I think I'm lucky being in an area where a lot of people do this! I don't travel often, but I will have to pack the GPS and laptop first thing. LOL!

I came up with a couple more finds on multis. They're actually a lot of fun. One though had us going from one end of the park to the other. Seemed like we should have been able to count that for the 3 parts to it as opposed to being just one log. A nice walk though since we had great weather that day.

Any great finds recently?

 

[MiJo]

We haven't done much caching lately. We've had all kinds of rain and our old Magellan is on the blink. We're beginning to lose segments for some of our digits so it's hard to tell one number from the next. We've pre-ordered a Magellan eXplorist 210, the brand new model, from Tiger GPS. They're expecting to receive their first shipment from Magellan this week or next. I hope so because I know I'm anxious to get my hands on it!
Some of the multis do require quite a bit of walking, especially the 4 and 5 parters. And, if they don't form a loop, you end up walking to the furthest part of the park and then coming all the way back with nothing to find. That's when it pays to carry a CITO bag!
We managed to post our first two Waymarkers a week or so ago. They are under the Pennsylvania Historic Markers area. They are both markers for our local canal and they're about 15 feet apart. So far, no one has claimed a find on them but I don't think Waymarking has really caught on yet. We have claimed finds on several so far, mostly PA Historic Markers. We also have one Coordinate Palindrome claimed.
Good caching and enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Mike of Team SAR-Dogs aw: aw: aw: aw: aw:

 

[Pin Wizard]

Congrats and good luck with the new GPS! I'm sure you'll find lots of great caches with it.

Waymarkers? I'm not familiar with those. Are they different from Benchmarks? I know with benchmarks, credit isn't given for finding them. Could be a good reason why people don't seem to look for them. I only have one of them myself. Just couldn't miss the huge green beacon at the airport!

There was a new cache near work this morning. Had I left earlier in the morning, I could have stopped on the way. But it didn't work out that way. I've yet to be FTF for one! But I was the 2nd to find on my lunch hour. It was a 3 minute drive from the office. Cute cache full of goodies for the kids. This person is pretty new with just 15 finds, but they did a great job putting this together!

Good luck with the GPS. I hope your current one holds out until your new one arrives.

Happy caching!

 

[MiJo]

Waymarks are going to be taking the place of Locationless Caches (and possibly Virtual Caches) beginning January 1st. With a Waymark, and unlike a Locationless Cache, multiple cachers can claim the same place or thing. So, if someone posts a Waymark of the Philadelphia Zoo under the heading of World Zoos, multiple cachers can claim the Philadelphia Zoo. With a Locationless Cache, only one cacher could claim a specific place or item, so the Philly Zoo could only be claimed by one cacher. I hope this makes sense. Anyway, at this time, only Premium Members are allowed to access the Waymarking site. If you are a Premium Member, you can locate the Waymarking page at Waymarking
It looks like Magellan still has not sent out the first shipment of the eXplorist 210 to most of their dealers. The GPS Store did have some but they are now also in backorder. They are supposed to ship to dealers within the next few days. I hope so!
Good caching and congrats on your STF!
Mike of Team SAR-Dogs aw: aw: aw: aw: aw:

 

[Pin Wizard]

Thank you! And thanks for explaining Waymarks. They sound GREAT! I know with locationless caches, I went pretty far back in the history of posts to see if local things were listed. After going back 20 pages or so, you finally think...forget this! I'll take my chances of whether or not the "owner" knows this has been found before. So Waymarks sound wonderful. Yes, I'm a premium member, so I'll be checking that link. Thanks!

We had a gorgeous but chilly day today. I was lucky enough to leave work today at 1:30. Stopped and got darling son this afternoon, then took off to the Williamsburg area for some caching. Found four out of four. Too bad it's getting darker earlier now. We'll have to go back up for some more. This is the first I've been caching there. Very neat! Wish I had off on Monday!

Have a great weekend...hope you find some neat caches.

 

[MiJo]

I understand about Locationless Caches. When I want to see if one has already been claimed, I go to the cache page, open the "View All Logs" page, and then I do a "Search" for part of the cache coords: either N40 or W075. I just keep doing a "find next" and go through the logs that way. I found out the hard way that you can't go through all the logs manually; it seems like some have hundreds of postings.
I'm getting a little impatient waiting for our new eXplorist 210. I emailed Tiger GPS again and just heard back that they are expecting their shipment from Magellan within the next week. I hope so! We've pretty much been out of action since our old 310 starting losing digit segments. Fortunately, my DW and I have been busy with chores, here at our house and over at our son's. He and his wife are expecting their first child, and our first grandchild, in February and we've been helping them get ready with some painting, etc. We need a geocaching vacation day!
Have a good weekend and good caching!

 

[Pin Wizard]

Congratulations to your family on the new soon to be baby! (I'm a February birthday myself. ) Well, I guess your GPS has been on the blink because you really needed to get some things done. Hope your new one shows up soon!

Great idea for searching the locationless caches! I'll have to remember that...thanks!!

Darling son and I stopped by and got one cache late this afternoon. It's called...My daughter made me do it. LOL! The guy that put it out is Air Force. He has a 2 year old daughter who wanted a "girlie" cache. LOL! Poor guy. I hear that at every geocaching event, this cache is talked about. It's talked about in good ways though. Even the military guys get a kick out of it. Imagine an ammo can with deep pink feathers lining it, all girl stuff. LOLOL! It's great! But it's just not right to do that to an ammo can...is everyone's comment.

I put a new cache out this week. The ones who found it so far seem to like it. It's across the water from a naval base, and it's just gorgeous at night with the lights. Had to call it...Bridge to Old Glory...since there is a huge flag there. It's right off the interstate, so I'm guessing people will stop when they're headed over the bridge. However, right now I have it as a "members only" cache, so there's not as much traffic as usual. Funny to see how many times people look at the cache page though. Definitely interesting info when it's for members only. I find it pretty comical that the people that have found it are the ones searching at night. The day time cachers haven't found it yet. LOL! I should find another area close by and place another to make it worth the trip for them.

I'm hoping work flies by tomorrow. Can't wait to get caching! Have a GREAT weekend!