This is the four article in a weekly series titled, “TWiG – This Week in Geocaching”. Each week I hope to highlight my personal geocaching treks and comment on anything that I find of interest that’s going on in the world of geocaching (i.e. geocaching related websites, forum posts, blogs, podcasts, etc.).
Cache Log
I can’t think of a better way to start off the new year than with a First to Find (FTF). On New Year’s Day I took the boys out for a quick hunt and found my 4th FTF. However, the day didn’t start as a quest for an FTF.
I wanted to start a new tradition with my boys by finding at least one geocache on New Year’s Day. It was a wet and cold day and I didn’t want to keep them out long and get them sick, so one find was all we needed. Our first stop was a previous DNF. The description of the cache had thrown me off, and I had been looking in a completely wrong place. Here’s an excerpt from the cache description for The Cracker Barrel Cache:
At the February ’05 meet & greet, I found a cache, and in that cache was a bag of circular mirrors. A Beautiful Disasterpiece asked what they were for, and someone said to stick them on our shoes for “the Cracker Barrel cache.” A few months later, we made a cache run to HSV [Huntsville, Alabama]. On the way to a cache, we spotted a Cracker Barrel. “Could this be the one?” we thought. We never got out of the car to look (too many muggles), and to this day, it frustrates me that I never got to use my little round mirror.
From this description I was expecting the cache to be under something in which a mirror would help me to see it. Even after I bought a couple different mirrors, I still couldn’t find it. My last attempt for this cache was in August, and visiting the cache during this time of year made it much easier to see. The cache was not under anything, it was a bison tube hanging from the branch of a nearby tree. Why the cache owner alluded for the need of a mirror escapes me. But, I guess that’s all part of the game.
After we got home and logged our New Year’s Day find, I did a quick search for more caches in the area. The first one on the list was a new multi-cache titled “Cache Depot“. I told the boys about it and they were eager to go for an FTF. It was their first FTF attempt and also their first multi-cache. We quickly found the first stage, and a few minutes later we found the cache and a brand new log book. They were really excited about getting an FTF and really enjoyed the hunt with the multi-cache.
Just Back on Track
I finally dropped off the Just Foolin’ Travel Bug that I mentioned in my first TWiG article, Getting Back to Caching. I wanted to get it into a cache before the new year, and on December 30th I got to drop it off. Once again, my apologizes to geobirders (the travel bug owner) for holding on to it for so long and not getting it moved along sooner.
As Heard of on the Podcacher Podcast
Thursday I was surprised to find that my blog was mentioned on the Podcacher Podcast. It was a mid-week nano show about logging DNFs and referenced my last TWiG article, Logging DNFs. Check out the show notes, the forum posts about the show, listen to the show, and subscribe to the Podcacher Podcast. Thanks to Sonny and Sandy for mentioning my blog and to everyone who took the time to check it out.
Geocaching in the News
Here are few links to geocaching articles that have appeared in the news during the past week:
Treasure Hunt in Park Causes Bomb Scare (WBAY-TV)
A treasure hunting game in a North Fond du Lac park caused some tense moments Sunday morning.
Police called in the Brown/Outagamie County Bomb Squad when someone reported seeing a man put a suspicious object on the ground at Yellowstone Trail Park. Police found it was a PVC pipe and a small plastic container.
They eventually learned from others in the area that it was part of geocaching, a hide-and-seek game using different navigational techniques.
NFdL ‘bomb’ turns out to be part of game – Concerned citizen reports suspicious object at park (Fond du Lac Reporter)
North Fond du Lac Police called a Green Bay bomb squad Sunday morning when they thought they had a bomb on their hands, but it turned out to be a device used in a popular treasure-hunting game called “Geocaching.”
Police were notifying residents near Yellowstone Trail Park of the suspicious device when they were told the object was part of the game, according to a press release from North Fond du Lac Police Detective Sgt. Brian Liethen.
TFTC
One of my goals with this series of articles is to help keep me in the caching spirit and to remind me how much fun is involved with geocaching. I always appreciate comments and suggestions, so feel free to leave them here or send me an email. Have a great week and happy caching!