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Flash Intro-"Geocaching"
6 minute Movie-"Searching for a cache"
Basic Info
- Buy or borrow a Global Positioning System receiver. A basic unit is the Garmin eTrex GPS or Magellan GPS 315. Both cost about $100 and can be found at stores such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy or online at http://www.amazon.com
- Find a cache near you at <http://www.geocaching.com> Enter a ZIP code and the site will list nearby caches. Select a cache, such as "Geocache by Ray" or "Arboretum One" and click on its "details" button. Write down the cache's coordinates and print out the description. Use the online mapping site link at the bottom of the page to get driving directions to the location.
- While still at home, enter into your GPS receiver the coordinates of the cache as they are listed on the Web site. Coordinates -- such as N 39 degrees 24.661; W degrees 094 14.86 -- describe the latitude and longitude of the site.
- Follow the driving directions until you can drive no closer to the cache and park your car. Follow the arrow on your GPS receiver as it leads you to the cache. Be aware that heavy tree cover can block the GPS signal. Once you leave your car, it could take anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes to find the cache.
- The GPS signal will fluctuate once you are within 100 feet of the cache, so from that point on, you're on your own. Check around stumps and under rock and leaf piles. Remember that almost all caches are placed above ground, so no digging!
- Congratulations! You've found the cache. Take an item, leave an item and record your experience in the logbook. Reseal the cache and put it back exactly the way you found it.
When you get home, e-mail the person who hid the cache and let him know you found it. Also, post a description of your experience on the cache's online page at <http://www.geocaching.com>
Have Fun !GPS info ... Minnesota Geocaching Association ... Geocaching videos
Attachment: etrex.jpg
that tonight there will be a new Legend of the Cooler Crew travel bug??
Liquor Lady - ssssshhhh - don't give any clues.
If you want to view it, register at
<http://www.geocaching.com>
or use the previously posted log-in.
ooooh, I wonder what she looks like
Anyone see Letterman last night? The show's head carpenter, Harold Larkin, was wearing a 'Cache-In / Trash-Out' shirt.
It was kinda cool that Geocaching got some late night exposure.
I'm thinking about "freeing" the bugs, and let them roam the world.
I thought maybe some of y'all might get interested in 'caching through them. So if there's no objection, I'll probably change their goals.
Good plan --
You would soon run out of cachers who were interested in TBugs and end up with the newbie idiots out grabbing your bugs and taking them hostage.
Or else they would soon stagnate and sit unfound in Ramsey county for weeks and weeks on end.
Make it a race to see who gets to the most interesting caches and the best caching stories. That might be fun?
Bring Artemis Bug up to the event in Annandale on 5/31......
Yay! I wanna travel!
Watch for a geocaching story in the Pioneer Press on Monday. Any references to a "local legend" are greatly over-hyped. (Except in the case of the Bug Bunny ... hahaha)
Yup he interviewed me last Friday but I didn't take him out geocaching. I told him if he couldn't find anybody else I would take him over to Battle Creek.
I think he also interviewed Bobcat
You didn't seriously tell him I was the Bug Bunny?
No, I didn't.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/5992641.htm
"It's good, clean, wholesome fun — just do it someplace else," said Brian Adams, chief of resource protection for the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, which has banned geocaching.
What a jerk.
Geocaching's first ass-cache.
Hint: It's hidden up Brian Adam's ass. Find him and you'll find the 'prize'
Another quote from Brian:
geocaching is nothing more than scavenger hunting
How a Canadian got a job with the St Croix Scenic Riverway, I'll never know.
I would love to go to Paris ;)
maybe travel through Italy -visit Jeruselem
someone can take me on a cruise
How about the first cache to the moon?
I would love to go to Paris ;)
sorry, i only have enough miles built up for me.
maybe travel through Italy -visit Jeruselem
ditto, adding jerusalem's kinda dangerous.
someone can take me on a cruise
can you swim? cuz that's how we'll have to get to the boat
How about the first cache to the moon?
did you know that you can own an acre of the moon for $29.99? that's what the recent spam i've been getting says anyway.
on tv again thismorning but I didnt see Ian :(
the news said it was the new game up and coming in the twin cities.
It showed a woman from the news live somewhere in a Shoreview park - probly where I was stolen from.
It was Snail Lake. John Moriarty, Ramsey County Parks guy was along I guess. Where did you see it? What time?
I don't recall what time it was - It was on pretty early- maybe about 8:30ish -- She was live in the park and then it was on again at noonish
Geocaching Info (w/ audio too!)
http://www.fleetfarm.com/pages/Products.cfm?productpageid=1987
2 new Garmin GPSr's at Fleet Farm
Eh, got my eye on a Garmin Rino 110 GMRS/GPS. Noticed they've been getting a bit cheaper now too.
http://www2.amd.com/us-en/1,,3715_9937,00.html?redir=PR6405
OOoo.. if only I were near las vegas.. and if only I had a GPS...
BTW saw the gekos at target on sale this week, 78 bucks.
This week's trip:
I worked from 11:00 pm Tuesday until 5:30 am Wednesday, then headed to southern Minnesota/Northern Iowa.
My first stop was at my *White Flags in the Woods* cache, to swap travel bugs:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=56614
Want a challenge? Look for this one after a snowfall, and before dawn.
Cabella's isn't open at 6:30 am so I got the info for the nearby *virtual* then continued on to the Dump:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=43647
I have wanted to explore that area, 'cause I'm old and I like old crap, I guess. But since it was covered with snow, I took the *alternative* route to the cache: follow the deer trail. Dropped a couple bugs, then headed to Iowa:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=63782
This cache had a new bug in it, and a couple newbies reported it MIA. I couldn't find it either, and I tend to agree with the last post: Someone who was dumping their drug paraphenalia probably found it. At least they could have left the logbook:
Yo, Ratso and Joe Big took da coffee can wit' da trinkets, and left y'all some hardly used gloves, buckets, muriatic acid. You know, daily household items.
{Sorry, I didn't *trash out* that stuff.}
I placed a new cache before I left for Clear Lake (my turnaround exit). Gassed up, got some lunch, then decided it was time to check out Slytherin's virtual:
Alex
Those who know Alex may see some irony in the fact that he listed this particular cache. Time to go find the cache that no-one has been able to find:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=63780
It was right where I put it last April, but one coordinate was off a bit.
Before I left Iowa, I had to visit the Buddy Holly shrine
I headed back to Minnesota, then went east on I-90. I've seen these two Rest Areas the past two years when we went to Austin for youth bowling tournaments. Never stopped before. Yesterday I picked up two more Rest Area caches, and loaded them with Travel Bugs.
Back on I-35, I stopped at the *Legend of Wooley Swamp*:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=63785
I still haven't looked in the container yet. I hate mildew/mold. Of course I left a new cache, and a bug.
One more stop to drop off my last bug:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=56617
The worst part of these trips is arriving back in the metro at 5:00 pm. I hate traffic.
Scorecard:
3 caches found
5 caches placed
12 travel bugs dropped
2 historical areas visited.
Sportmart has a Magellan GPS 310 on sale for $50. This is the one I started with, and use as a backup. The coordinates will not be as accurate.
If you're looking for: N 44° 46.705 W 093° 21.111
This GPSr will be: N 44° 46.70 W 093° 21.11
The third digit is dropped off. Not a big deal on most caches.
My "clues"
Hunt for this cache at your leisure,
The search really is a lark.
But while enjoying winter's pleasure,
Remember to look in a park.
Look around on public ground
To find the cherished bounty.
You'll be more lost than found
If you depart from Ramsey County.
It can be a strain on the brain
To search for the hidden treasure.
But if you seek elevated terrain,
Good things will come in due measure.
A house for the old rises out of the cold
To serve as a monument on high;
As does an arch that's really quite bold,
So you'd better start looking nearby.
While going about your chosen route,
Consider water both old and new.
This will help you ferret out
The cache that's hidden from view.
A place of games and a ring of flames
Will guide you on your mission.
And if you think of proper names,
Something French is a good addition.
If the winds blow and the going's slow,
And the search has left you glum,
Seek a road that winds to and fro
And you'll feel new knowledge come.
If all along you've been in the wrong,
Now's not the time to shed a tear.
Nor should you sing a doleful song;
Instead, you ought to hum here.
When the day turns dark and gray
And your luck seems truly awful,
You'll be headed on your way
By thinking of something lawful.
Hark ! Hark ! Head for Highland Park
To the cache not far from the police station.
And if you're exactly on the mark
You'll have cause for celebration.
A visitor from Chicago logged this:
The description for this Cherished Bounty
draws hunters nigh from out of county.
Yay, further still, from out of state
we came to hunt - as I here relate.
Four cachers are we, from far Illinois -
though some call us heros, we're jus' regular boys.
Greenback, Spyderuser (our names may sound hokey)
Geogeek65 and Genius Loci.
Geocaching's our game and cache-hunting our passion,
and we're in the Twin Cites, to find the caches you're stashin'!
We arrived in this park and left cars by the road,
grabbed our GPSr's; in the woods boldly strode.
This hide could be tricky - it might have just screwed us.
But we've seldom been stumped and no cache could elude us!
In the end we were victors, and we had a great time -
found this cache in a flash - and then logged it in rhyme!
And now we've gone home, and you've read of our pranks,
To our Twin Cities friends, we must express our great "thanks"
For the caches you've hidden have given us pleasure;
Now Ya'll come to Chicago - and hunt for OUR treasures!
- Genius Loci ('the Guardian Spirit of a Place')
My "clues"
Hunt for this cache at your leisure,
The search really is a lark.
But while enjoying winter's pleasure,
Remember to look in a park.
Look around on public ground
To find the cherished bounty.
You'll be more lost than found
If you depart from Ramsey County.
It can be a strain on the brain
To search for the hidden treasure.
But if you seek elevated terrain,
Good things will come in due measure.
A house for the old rises out of the cold
To serve as a monument on high;
As does an arch that's really quite bold,
So you'd better start looking nearby.
While going about your chosen route,
Consider water both old and new.
This will help you ferret out
The cache that's hidden from view.
A place of games and a ring of flames
Will guide you on your mission.
And if you think of proper names,
Something French is a good addition.
If the winds blow and the going's slow,
And the search has left you glum,
Seek a road that winds to and fro
And you'll feel new knowledge come.
If all along you've been in the wrong,
Now's not the time to shed a tear.
Nor should you sing a doleful song;
Instead, you ought to hum here.
When the day turns dark and gray
And your luck seems truly awful,
You'll be headed on your way
By thinking of something lawful.
Hark ! Hark ! Head for Highland Park
To the cache not far from the police station.
And if you're exactly on the mark
You'll have cause for celebration.
A visitor from Chicago logged this:
The description for this Cherished Bounty
draws hunters nigh from out of county.
Yay, further still, from out of state
we came to hunt - as I here relate.
Four cachers are we, from far Illinois -
though some call us heros, we're jus' regular boys.
Greenback, Spyderuser (our names may sound hokey)
Geogeek65 and Genius Loci.
Geocaching's our game and cache-hunting our passion,
and we're in the Twin Cites, to find the caches you're stashin'!
We arrived in this park and left cars by the road,
grabbed our GPSr's; in the woods boldly strode.
This hide could be tricky - it might have just screwed us.
But we've seldom been stumped and no cache could elude us!
In the end we were victors, and we had a great time -
found this cache in a flash - and then logged it in rhyme!
And now we've gone home, and you've read of our pranks,
To our Twin Cities friends, we must express our great "thanks"
For the caches you've hidden have given us pleasure;
Now Ya'll come to Chicago - and hunt for OUR treasures!
- Genius Loci ('the Guardian Spirit of a Place')
My "clues"
Hunt for this cache at your leisure,
The search really is a lark.
But while enjoying winter's pleasure,
Remember to look in a park.
Look around on public ground
To find the cherished bounty.
You'll be more lost than found
If you depart from Ramsey County.
It can be a strain on the brain
To search for the hidden treasure.
But if you seek elevated terrain,
Good things will come in due measure.
A house for the old rises out of the cold
To serve as a monument on high;
As does an arch that's really quite bold,
So you'd better start looking nearby.
While going about your chosen route,
Consider water both old and new.
This will help you ferret out
The cache that's hidden from view.
A place of games and a ring of flames
Will guide you on your mission.
And if you think of proper names,
Something French is a good addition.
If the winds blow and the going's slow,
And the search has left you glum,
Seek a road that winds to and fro
And you'll feel new knowledge come.
If all along you've been in the wrong,
Now's not the time to shed a tear.
Nor should you sing a doleful song;
Instead, you ought to hum here.
When the day turns dark and gray
And your luck seems truly awful,
You'll be headed on your way
By thinking of something lawful.
Hark ! Hark ! Head for Highland Park
To the cache not far from the police station.
And if you're exactly on the mark
You'll have cause for celebration.
A visitor from Chicago logged this:
The description for this Cherished Bounty
draws hunters nigh from out of county.
Yay, further still, from out of state
we came to hunt - as I here relate.
Four cachers are we, from far Illinois -
though some call us heros, we're jus' regular boys.
Greenback, Spyderuser (our names may sound hokey)
Geogeek65 and Genius Loci.
Geocaching's our game and cache-hunting our passion,
and we're in the Twin Cites, to find the caches you're stashin'!
We arrived in this park and left cars by the road,
grabbed our GPSr's; in the woods boldly strode.
This hide could be tricky - it might have just screwed us.
But we've seldom been stumped and no cache could elude us!
In the end we were victors, and we had a great time -
found this cache in a flash - and then logged it in rhyme!
And now we've gone home, and you've read of our pranks,
To our Twin Cities friends, we must express our great "thanks"
For the caches you've hidden have given us pleasure;
Now Ya'll come to Chicago - and hunt for OUR treasures!
- Genius Loci ('the Guardian Spirit of a Place')
weird
Cool reply Ian. I like that they got into the spirit of the hunt.
Oh, and all of us have been having problems with double posts since you need to go through it once before noticing that it is actually posted even though it doesn't seem like it is.
Ian, I tried to e-gram you back yesterday but I'm not sure if it worked, anyway, I will be there till 2:00 today, 3:00 tomorrow and the whole day on saturday, (8:30-10:00) see ya soon :)
ok
Hey Ian, what's with the pop-up password prompt for MNGCA when strolling in here? Mine doesn't seem to get accepted either.
Yeah? I got that too.
not sure what you mean, but maybe J T took care of it.
nope, still doing it everytime I try to come in, weird!
Ok, the website is down, and I have graphics and links to the site. I'm going to remove them. That should do it.
done. Thanks
yup, works ok now :)
I dunno, Ian. I never got the password prompt.
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=107901
The first of many, with Carnival buttons.
Thanks Ian
Congratulations !
I'm glad you went. I'll be putting some of these in Saint Paul/Ramsey County during the hunt. Pretty good coordinates, eh?
Right on! The ice was perfectly fine too. I'll need to fly to those Ramsey co. caches once you hide them cause I anticipate even more people looking for them. Where are the buttons from anyway? Yours? Doubles?
I bought about 50 of each of those 5 last year on eBay. Thought about re-sale, but they're great for caches. I want to hide about 30 more caches before the Re-Hash Bash. Celebrate #400 at the Bash.
The buttons could also prove to be great traders for ya too.
Celebrate #400 at the Bash.
Cooler!! I'm there!
I need to update my finds. I just noticed that I haven't updated any finds since earlier last year.
Cool, I need to trade up some buttons too... now I just gotta find that cahce.. wait.. I need a gps... shoot
N 45° 01.115 W 093° 02.434
It's out there, with the same selection of buttons. It's in Ramsey County, but not Saint Paul. It's in a city that threatens a lawsuit. It's in a park, with lots of ballfields. The name of the park is something you might do in your garden. A nearby sign indicates that the land is reserved for future light rail!! [ ?? ]
That should be enough for anyone to find it. Please don't tell me you're stumped. He He He
OK, so HERE is a hint.