Moving Right Along

I decided to go after a cache from my favorite park. It's a clever idea. The idea was to put a quarter in the cache. If the cache already has 5 quarters in it, you take 4 of the quarters and the process starts all over again. It was pretty easy to find, but I really enjoyed finding it. I like these interactive caches. Something that asks you to do something in order to log it. Any of the caches that I plan on placing will have something unique to make it special. I have a few in mind, and they'll be interactive. I just want to log a few more finds before attempting a hide.

I also decided I'd go after this cache because it had a geocoin in it. I recently got a lot of interest in geocoins and would like to start collecting. This one is a Geocaching-U geocoin and already registered. It has a goal of visiting different Universities. I think I'm going to grab my camera and take some pictures of the coin with the local Universities. Namely, MSU-Billings, MSU College of Technology, and Rocky Mountain College. Then I'll move it along to another cache. I'm going to Bozeman, and I thought I'd get a picture of MSU-Bozeman as well, before dropping it off in a Bozeman cache for the next cacher to move along. I think I'm going to keep an eye on it for awhile. I'd like to see what happens with it. Besides, it's my first geocoin I'm moving along!

Since I was in the park, there is a multi-cache there as well. I got the first leg done, but it lead me near a place where young children were playing. I decided I'd come back when it was a bit more quiet. A grown man hanging out near playground equipment is not a good idea. Perhaps I'll bring my wife and kid along for the next leg.

Even though I only found 1 cache. It was still a good geocaching day!

Will Design For Coins!

I've been fascinated by geocoins and most recently, pathtags. I've been lurking in the forums, trying to find out how to get into the collecting aspect of this hobby. I thought it would be really cool to have some geocoins minted up. But that can cost anywhere from $500 to $1200 for a a bunch of coins! Wow! When people mint these coins, they more often than not, sell the coins for $7-9 each. Mostly to defray the cost of minting these coins. So starting out collecting, let alone minting, is quite an expensive endeavor.

I was reading that some designers offer their services in exchange for coins! I'm pretty good at photoshop and design. I thought this would be a great way to build up my collection. If I got a handful of coins, I'd have some for my collection, and some extra for trading with others. Very cool! I just posted on the forums asking about how many coins would be reasonable as payment for design services. I'm hoping to hear back. I've got plenty of time (usually) during my work day to do some design work. I hope someone will take me up on this offer. I'd like to start collecting. I think it would be great fun to design these coins. Plus, I'd have the designs finished in front of me.

New Format For This Blog

One of the problems with this blog is the fact there could be spoilers or I discuss a cache that I didn't like or agree with. I use this blog like an additional journal of my geocaching adventures. Talking about stuff I wouldn't put on my caching logs because it could offend, or spoil the fun for others.

Well, I was torn on how I should handle these issues on this blog. I asked around on the Groundspeak forums and people thought I handle it pretty well. The way I had it organized, each entry, I had a section where I list the caches I go after and then a small entry describing my adventure on that particular cache. I would be vague as possible as to not spoil the fun for others. When I do have 'too much information,' I would write a spoiler warning in bold red.

I decided, after reading a few other blogs, not to do this anymore. I'm no longer going to be putting the cache name and reference at the beginning of my blog. This way, I can be as descriptive as I want to be, without giving anything away because people don't know which cache I'm talking about. Besides, the cache reference is listed on my Groundspeak profile, and putting it here too is just redundant. I suppose if people really wanted to know which cache I'm referring to, they can cross reference this blog to my Groundspeak logs.

I'd like to point out, however, that I may still refer to a specific cache. I'll try my best to warn you of any spoilers, but there are no guarantees. Read at your own risk. ;)

And now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Got An Ammo Can!

Today was suppose to storm all day. But it turned out pretty nice, despite the mean looking clouds overhead. So I thought I'd go geocaching! I haven't been out for the last 2 days because of my hectic work schedule. But today, I decided at the last minute to head on out.

Well, I still want to find an ammo can! There is another cache in Riverfront park that uses an ammo can and I decided I'd go after that one! The clouds were overhead, nice cool breeze. It was perfect. I followed my GPS. The cache description said it's not far from the path. Unfortunately, there's a ton of paths in the park. A few official paths that are pathed, and a few trails that venture off. Not knowing which path, nor familiar with the paths available, I jumped off the main trail relatively quick. Not a whole lot of bushwhacking, but some. I got a little bit of a startle from 2 deer trying to escape my notice. That was pretty neat. 2 whitetail does, I think. I also saw this tree that was missing the bottom half! Man, I wish I had my camera. It looks as if a huge branch might have broken off and got caught up in the branches and hung there. So it gave the illusion that it was floating. Probably dangerous at some point. But it looked cool. At any rate, it wasn't long before I found my convented ammo can!

I must say, I was surprised on the size. For some reason, I imagined something a bit bigger. Perhaps they come in different sizes. But it was still a lot of fun to find. There was really no camouflage on the container. Just a green box tucked next to a tree with some sticks and leaves on it.

I cracked her open and saw the swag. Most of it was pretty cheap junk, but it was still neat. Someone put in some Magic The Gathering cards The land type (mountains, plains, swamp, etc) They had a sticker on it stating which number this cache they found was and in which state. Cool idea. I also saw a nice key chain, some tops, a few plastic bugs and whatnot. I took a Deep Woods Off towelette. I thought that was a good idea. I might have to pick up a few for swag too. I left a key clip and a personalized button/pin with my name and logo on it. I guess you'd call it a signature item. I should keep some more toys with me. I think this would be something kids would enjoy. Maybe I'll go back and add some toys if I'm in that area again.

I signed the log and left my deer story behind. I had a few minutes to find my next cache before I had to head back to work. This one was a micro. I think it's silly to have a micro in a wilderness area like this, but this was a lot of fun. It was a really easy find. I moved a stick that obviously didn't belong there. Attached to the underside was a rubber spider on a string. So when you lift the stick, this giant spider "scurries" along, giving you a higher pulse rate. On the underside of the spider was a small container. I think I'd call it a nano because the container was very small. Not much space to sign my name as the log has been mostly filled. I really enjoyed this cache. Very creative hide. Probably one of my favorites.

I'm NOT Stupid!

Well, it looks like I'm not as stupid as I thought. The ammo can that has been giving me trouble has been muggled! I looked up the cache info page and sure enough, it has been listed as unavailable. I'm pretty new at this and being that I have never found an ammo can, I just assumed it was me being inept. I feel a bit better, now. I was debating if I should log a DNF on this cache or not. In the end, I chose not to thinking that it was just me. I suppose I should have. Perhaps it would bring this problem to light a few days earlier. Oh well. Get a few more finds under my belt, and I think I'd be comfortable logging DNF. One thing that sucks it that it had a travel bug in it. I feel bad for the little guy. Never gunna see his goal. Maybe the muggle will be kind enough to contact the owner. I guess we can hope.

On the plus side, it looks as if the cacher who placed the cache will move it to a more suitable area. I hope it's an ammo can again. I'd like to give it another go.

Rain Rain, Go Away

Robins Roost
GCV0P8
Quick Find

ditchtunnell cache - www.bgcg.info
GCJMD3
Found

It's been pouring down rain today. But there was a little break in the weather. Just in time for lunch, too! I wanted to go back to Riverfront Park and look for those ammo cans again, but I could just imagine the mess there is now. Being knee deep in mud isn't my idea of a good time! So I decided I'd do a couple Cache 'n Grabs.

Spoiler Warnings!
The first one I found without any trouble at all. In fact, it really could be only one place. The container was spray painted brown, but no other camouflage. It was fairly large container for a micro too, which was surprising. I figured since it was a muggle heavy place, either a smaller container or better camouflage would be appropriate. But what do I know. I guess we'll have to see how long it takes to be muggled.

The second was next to a walking/bike path. Literally next to the path! Not hidden. Just a container by the path. I thought this one was silly. Anybody would probably mistake it for trash. Previous logs had noted that it was in plain sight and they buried it under some leaves which is where I found it. At least they tried to make it a little better. Several others noted how poorly it was hidden. From what I could gather, the original coordinates lead you somewhere else. Perhaps it was a better hiding spot. But for some reason, they had to move it. Anyway, I signed the soggy log. The last few logs stated the log was wet and has been since February! I guess the hider doesn't care. Oh well. Tally one more for my stats.

Looking for the Ammo Can!

Blue Lagoon Cache
GCY7PY
DNF

It's been raining for the last few days, so no geocaching for me. Today was the first day the rain let up and I thought I'd get out and try to find a cache. As I kinda planned my attack, I looked at several geocaches. All of them were micros. I'm kinda tired of micros. I want to see a traditional cache. I jumped on GSAK and searched for regular sized caches and found a bunch at Riverfront park. One of those caches had a travel bug in it too. So I thought I'd go after that one. Plus its a traditional ammo can! This is perfect. I've never seen a travel bug, so that will be cool. I've only found 1 traditional cache, but never a ammo can! I couldn't wait.

I took off on my lunch hour and tried to hunt it down. I'd have to make it pretty quick, since I only have an hour for lunch. It took me about 15 minutes to drive there. I parked and hit the trail at a pretty decent clip. I found the area that I think it should be in. I started looking around. Nothing. I ended up looking for about 30 minutes with no luck. I didn't think an ammo can would be this hard. I looked at the clue and I'm pretty sure I'm in the right area. Again, no luck. I took a stick and poked around in various areas thinking it might be hidden under sticks or leaves. Again, no luck. Are ammo cans really this hard to find? I guess I expected the ammo can to be next to a tree for the opening. But I suppose since this is a fairly popular park, it couldn't be that easy.

I had to give up in the end. This sux because it's been at least a week since I cached last. A little disappointing to come up with a DNF. Now that I look at the cache page, it says to hide it well for the next geocacher. So I guess I'll really have to prod a bit more. I guess I was expecting something a little more straight forward. But this is my first attempt at this kind of cache. I was trying to decide whether to log a DNF on the cache. But I think I'll hold off. I'm such a noob and it's probably much easier than I'm making it out to be. Uggg. I'll try it again. There's several more ammo cans nearby. I'll try those, then come back to this one. Perhaps a little more wise, this time.

Bug Hunting

Double Header
GCYJT1
Saw my first GeoCoin!

The EYES have it???
GCR0BE
Found it at the last minute.

I decided I wanted to try to find a travelbug or geocoin today. I jumped on GSAK and found one pretty close. There was was a nice cluster of caches nearby too, so I thought I'd go for this one.

The first one was called Double Header. It took me to a ballpark complex that had several baseball fields. It was a really neat place that I never knew existed. I think I'll come back this summer to catch a baseball game or two. Anyway, I finally tracked down the cache. Very clever hide. This is the cache that had a mini geocoin (TBYTWM) from Texas. It was so cool. This is the first one I've ever seen and I now know why people collect them. It was beautifully minted. I'm heading to California this summer. If the geocoin is still around, I'll move it along. If not, some other travel bug will hit the road with me! Very cool. I signed the log and left a little bouncy ball that looks like baseball which seemed appropriate. The cache didn't have any swag for kids, so I thought I'd leave one behind.

I also went after a micro that was near by. I got scratched up pretty good traipsing around in the brush. I almost gave up, but I thought I'd give it one last try. And sure enough, I found it. I signed the log, and headed back to my car as fast as I could. I was running late for work. I hope nobody noticed. ;)

One Puzzle Down!

NBA Legends
GCVY0M
Found it after a bit of searching!

NFL Legends
GC107EW
Bailed on this one due to construction!

MLB Legends
GCXQ4Y
Gotta check my coordinates a 3rd Time!

Went back for a second try! I redone the Legends series puzzles and ALL of my numbers were off. When I first solved them, I tried to do it all in my PDA. This time around, I printed the puzzle and hand wrote everything. That seemed to work a lot better. At least for the NBA Legends.

The NBA Legends lead me to another spot. This one made much more sense than the front yard of the neighbor I found yesterday. It took a fair amount of looking before I found it. It was kinda fun. I signed the log and took off for NFL Legends that was only a couple miles away. But that came to a halt because construction was blocking some roads. I didn't want to hassle with finding a detour. My limited lunch break doesn't allow me for such luxuries. So I put that on the back burner.

The MLB Legends puzzle, I'm not too sure of. I got some more coordinates and I looked around for a bit, but I found nothing. I was running short on time and there were players practicing, so I didn't look super hard. I guess I'll have to check those numbers for a third time. Hopefully the numbers are OK and I'm just not seeing the cache. I'll give it another go tomorrow.

Raining on my Parade

MLB Legends
GCXQ4Y
Double check my puzzle coordinates. Be Back Later

NBA Legends
GCVY0M
I gotta redo these coordinates. Will return.

"I C U"
GC112JR
Cache needs maintenance.

Wow, what a lousy outing. Today I decided I'd try a few caches on my lunch hour. It was nice, but overcast with rain here and there. I decided I'd push on.

First, I went to MLB Legends. I solved the puzzle and had the coordinates that lead me to the area I think it should be. I looked all around the area, but with no luck. I couldn't spend too much time there as there was some City Park workers around and I felt I looked too suspicious. So I think I'm going to double check the puzzle and make sure my coordinates are good. Then I'll come back again when it is a little less busy with city employees.

I then took off to find NBA legends. This was also a puzzle cache. Well, the coordinates I came up with lead me into the lawn of a homeowner. I can't imagine this is correct. So I'll have to double check my puzzle coordinates again.

2 Puzzle caches attempted...2 Puzzle Caches Failed! Well, I didn't have much time left on my lunch hour. But there was one on the way back to work. Hopefully I can find it pretty quick. This one was called ICU. It was very near a ditch over a bank. It was a neat area. A place I would probably hide out at as a kid. I found the cache after a couple minutes looking. But unfortunately, the cache was waterlogged. It was nothing more than a baggie in a plastic cup with no lid. So the rain/snow just went into the cup and seeped into the baggie. I drained out the water, but I didn't have a replacement log. Perhaps I'll start carrying a few. It also needed a new container. This container was obviously not working. I emailed the cache owner to give them a heads up. So hopefully they'll fix it so I can go back and log it.

So there you have it. 3 caches. 3 busts. Hopefully I'll have a better day tomorrow.

My First Dime!

Sacajawea Cache
GCTEFA
Found! Creative Container!

Berg In The Morning
GCVJAE
Being Hunted By Another Cacher. I'll Be Back!

Grand Daddy Green Leaf
GCVJAE
Found!

One of my other hobbies is playing board games. Within that community, people tend to own quite a few games. I personally own about 130 games. So when people have a large collection, they like to keep track of how often a game gets played every year. They will put out a "Five and Dime" list at the year's end. Basically meaning which games they have played 5 times that year and which games they played 10 times that year. If a game makes it to the "Five and Dime" list, they're pretty much a favored game. Call it a yearly milestone for that game.

Well, in this game of GeoCaching, I'm pretty new. So my milestone is my 10th find. Yup. This afternoon I hit 10 finds.

First I went to find the Sacajawea Cache. I kinda knew where this one was, because I tracked down the general area a few days before. But unfortunately, a muggle planted his carcase under the spot I needed to look. But since today was cold, there was nobody to bother me!

This was a really cool container. I spotted it pretty quickly, but it is very well disguised and a lot of work obviously went into it. That was really fun to see. This was the first creative container I've seen. Well done digger&friends.

So now it's off to my 10th find! Woo Hoo! I decided to go to Berg In The Morning. I found this one a couple weeks back with my wife, but I didn't have a pen to sign the log. So I decided I'd go back for it today. Well, the car in front of me was going to the same place. The EXACT same place. In fact, they got out of their car with a GPS! This is the first time I saw a geocacher in the wild! I debated whether I'd stop by and chat with them a bit. I'm not really that good at meeting new people and decided against it. Perhaps next time. But I'll put a watch on this cache and see who logs it next. It'll probably be the people I saw. I noticed they had Washington license plates.

Spoiler Warning:
Well, so much for that one. On the way back to work, I decided I'd try to find Grand Daddy Green Leaf. I wasn't real confident I'd find it as I only had a short time to look. But surprisingly enough, I found it with relative ease. This one was in a really crazy looking tree. I always love interesting trees. This one was no exception. The cache was tucked inside a hole in the tree. A wire connected the cache, so you can fish it out. It was pretty neat. But It got me wondering if this hole will be used for nesting birds. It was pretty deep and it looked like grass is inside it. Looking at past logs, it looks as if kids knew where the cache was and messed with it quite a bit. Perhaps they stuffed grass in the hole because that's what kids do. And since kids probably play on the gnarled old tree, birds might not nest there anyway. But I think we all should keep in mind the natural habitat of animals near our caches. Make sure you're not going too disturb their homes or potential homes. Holes in trees are places where birds often nest. So, please keep that in mind when placing your caches.

Gone Paperless

The weather has been most disappointing this last week. On Friday, we got 9 inches of snow! But the next day, it was 60 degrees and it all melted. Everything was muddy and certainly isn't good for any Geocaching. Its going to rain and snow all week, so I pretty much write off Geocaching this week, too. But I'm hopefull there will be a break in the weather soI can jump in and get a couple of caches under my belt.

But the lousy weather didn't stop my from adding to the hobby. I was tired of going out caching only to find a cache nearby, but no info. I have been printing out pages before going out, but this certainly wasn't working for me as I would need a huge binder to keep organized. So I jumped on eBay and bought myself a Palm IIIxe. It ended up costing me about $29 for the Palm, Software, Cradle and Priority Mail Shipping. I got the Palm on Saturday and I quickly installed CacheMate onto the palm. It took me a little figuring out, but I finally got it and I think I'll really like how it'll work with my GeoCaching.

I use GSAK to organize the caches and load the waypoints to my GPS. GSAK also will shoot the information directly to CacheMate on my Palm. Now I have the waypoints on the GPS and all of the information for each waypoint on my Palm Pilot. I also like the fact I can write notes on each find so I can enter them later onto Geocaching.com. Pretty slick way of doing things, in my opinion. For under $40 ($30 for the Palm, $8 for CacheMate), paperless caching is certainly the way to go. I feel much better equipped and I'm not wandering aimlessly, hoping to stumble across a GeoCache.