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Sunday, July 31, 2011

If you’ve got the time, they’ve got the cache

Mike Van Burik and the large ammo can at Coombs Wooden Shoe. It’s used for geocaching, he says.
Steven Heywood photo
By Steven Heywood - Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Published: July 29, 2011 9:00 AM
You could use your global positioning system to find Aranea and Mike Van Burik’s geocache in Coombs. Or, you could simply use your eyes. However, you might not believe them.

Outside the couple’s store, Coombs Wooden Shoe, sits what is being hailed as possibly the largest geocache in Canada (perhaps the world). It’s a large, metal ammo can.

Modeled after a typical storage bin used in the sport of geocaching (using a GPS to locate waypoints and hidden caches), the couple’s large ammo can is attracting a lot of attention.

“I love the big stuff,” said Aranea, who has been geocaching with her family for three years. “An ammo can is a typical cache and a good quality hide. I thought it would be cool to make it bigger.”

After toying with the idea of making a wooden one, the couple decided authentic and metal was the way to go. She and Mike engaged the services of the Kwalikum Secondary School metalwork class, after taking them a sample — and much smaller — ammo can from the Coombs military surplus store. After three weeks, they received their large can — four feet long, three feet tall and about 18 inches wide.

“They did an awesome job,” Aranea said of the workmanship. “There’s a lot of guys who stop and have a look at it and are impressed with the quality of work.”

It was so good, and the material used so authentic, that the Van Buriks had to modify the lid, so that people could actually lift it.

“It’s completely functional,” she explained. “It’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Aranea attended a recent geocaching event in Alberta, where she said a high-ranking geocacher indicated their can might be the largest cache in the world. Aranea’s only willing to go so far as to say it’s the largest in Canada — for now.

It’s size is attracting people and has quickly become a bit of a tourist draw. Aranea added people already come to Vancouver Island to geocache, this just adds a little something extra.

Since the large ammo can is functional as a cache, there are things inside to find. There’s a log book to record who was there, when, and where they are from, a smaller can for tradable items and other things for children. Geocachers generally take something and leave something behind for the next person to find.

One thing is for certain, they won’t have too much difficulty finding the Van Buriks’ great big can.

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Find this article at:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_central/parksville_qualicumbeachnews/lifestyles/126358248.html

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Geocaching: Take Fringe Fest Adventure to the Outdoors

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Michele


We’re introducing another new way to engage with Fringe Fest this year. First it was the summer double pass giveaway contest, and now this: Fringe Fest geocaching! If you aren’t familiar with geocaching yet, learn more about how it works.

We have currently set up a handful of locations throughout the Calgary area. Each geocache contains two Fringe Festival buttons and a note with details about how to redeem those buttons for free tickets to the Fringe show of your choice. In short, you treasure hunt with your friends or family, you find our geocache(s) with Fringe Fest buttons, and then you enjoy a Fringe Fest show.

I should also mention the best part: our buttons don’t expire. This means that if you discover a Fringe Fest geocache before August 6th this year, you’re welcome to use it to attend the 2011 Calgary Fringe Festival. But if you find a Fringe Fest geocache after that date – say, later this summer or even sometime next year – the buttons it contains will still be valid for two tickets to any Fringe show and good for next year’s Calgary Fringe Festival (and beyond).

Pretty simple, pretty fun, and pretty fantastic.

If you want to give this high-tech scavenger hunt a try, why not make your debut with a search for Fringe Fest adventure? I will be regularly sharing Fringe Fest geocache IDs online, so make sure to “like” Calgary Fringe on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Happy hunting!

Rachelle
CFF Social Media Manager

 1 Vote

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Join The “Center of the Universe” Hosts Geocaching Block Party

By Sean Keeley · July 26th, 2011 · REPOST

Geocaching.com is hosting a Geocaching Block Party in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood August 20, 2011. Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting activity using GPS devices. The Block Party is a celebration of the activity for beginners and experts alike. Head to the “Center of the Universe” to:
There’s tons to do at the event. Test your treasure hunting skills with geocaching - a game that will have you searching high and low for containers hidden around Fremont. Accept the five Fremont Challenges - location-based missions that require a sense of adventure, a sense of direction and a sense of humor. Send Geocaching.com employees plunging into the dunk tank (yes, it’s cold!). Create your own zucchini vehicle and race it down the Zucchini 500 Track. Pin the antenna on Signal, the Geocaching.com mascot. Play a game of interactive bingo for the chance to win some great prizes.
If you already have a handheld GPS device, create a free membership onGeocaching.com and visit http://coord.info/GC2FYVM for instructions on downloading the coordinates for the geocaching and challenge courses. If you do not have a handheld GPS, don’t worry - devices will be available to borrow on site!
The Geocaching Block Party takes place August 20, 2011 from 11am – 3pm in Fremont in the Solstice Plaza (701 N 34th St, Latitude 47.64864 Longitude 122.348927). For more information, visit GeocachingBlockParty.com.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Best of The Bad - Legacy Trail

We went out Caching on the Legacy Trail in southern Alberta last Sunday, during the Best of the Bad Mega Event.   We had lots of fun and found some interesting caches, during our travels through the Badlands.    We also met up with other GeoCachers from all over North America and Europe, everyone was so friendly even those passing waved and honked or offering hints when we looked perplexed.

Rollling Hills and Canola Fields
*The Legacy Trail starts in Three Hills Alberta and winds its way over almost 100 miles of back country roads going through some of the most scenic and spectacular landscape in this part of the Canadian Badlands. A large number of caches in a variety of types, sizes and difficulty will be placed on the Trail. Every town, village and hamlet in the Canadian Badlands will have its own cache. Some caches will be named after local historic events and people, as well as celebrities who grew up in this area. Yes - there will be a Nickelback cache!

As part of building this legacy, we're offering some attendees at the Best of the Bad Mega Event  had the opportunity to stake their claim in history by naming a cache they sponsor. It's a permanent testimony that they took part in this first Mega in the new WestCan series of Mega Events. A limited number of cachers can sponsor a cache on the Legacy Trail by selecting the "Best of a Bad Deal" event registration level.*

Old Homestead in the Badlands of Alberta

I took the time to take a few photos while we cached the Legacy Trail and saw some of the amazing views that each individual cache site offered.  While the trail had lots of adventures to pursue we only found that there was a few reasons to be cautious.   I lost my balance at the top of a drop off but fortunately didn't fall into the Horseshoe Canyon.  Horseflies were plentiful but I only got one bite and the temperature was 29 C (84.2 F), but with plenty of water and a stop for Ice Tea we had no problem handling the heat of the day.  So if you decide to take on the Legacy Trail , be sure to take bug spray, plenty of water, some good shoes and a good sense of balance :)





Keep on Caching

              NG

Follow National Geocacher on 

Sources:
*   http://www.bestofthebad.ca/index.php/bad-news/164-legacy-trae

SOS Animal Rescue hosts "Geocaching with Canines" event at Midland City Forest Saturday

SOS Animal Rescue hosts "Geocaching with Canines" event at Midland City Forest
By the Midland Daily News
SOS Animal Rescue is hosting "Geocaching with Canines" Saturday at Midland City Forest, 2840 E. Monroe Road. This interactive event will allow participants to enjoy the wilderness with their dog while using clue maps and/or coordinates to find geocaches around the forest.
"Geocaching has become very popular," said Joann Taylor, SOS Animal Rescue president. "We thought this fundraiser was a perfect way for attendees to spend time with their pooch or family members while exploring one of Midland County's premier parks."
All proceeds from the event will benefit SOS Animal Rescue's Spay/Neuter Assistance Fund. The Fund is used to help offset the cost of spaying/neutering a loved pet for low- or fixed-income residents of Midland County.
"Anyone can participate, whether they have a dog or not," Taylor said. "Those who own a GPS or smartphone should bring them. However, we will provide clue maps to help everyone navigate to the geocaches."
Each geocache will have small items for those who find it. All participants will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a GPS. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the geocaching begins at 9 a.m. The entry fee is $25 per person. For details, visit www.sosanimalrescue.org.
About SOS Animal Rescue
SOS Animal Rescue (www.sosanimalrescue.org) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, which places animals in need of homes, provides assistance to spay and neuter pets, advises pet owners about local resources for education and training, and participates in fundraising events to further our mission of reducing the number of unwanted pets in the Midland area.

Original post. http://bit.ly/MidlandDailyNews

Keep on Caching
NG

Thursday, July 14, 2011

CITO - Cache in Trash Out

I am always amazed by the amount of trash that litters our highways and byways, no matter where I go Geocaching it seems there is an amazing amount of trash, from recyclables like soda cans, milk cartons etc. to foil, paper, coffee cups, take out containers and the list goes on and on.  

How much litter is out there, well according to Adopt-a-Highway, their volunteers picked up over 26,000 tons of litter in Minnesota alone, I am sure that the Province or State you live in isn't any cleaner.  What can be done about this mess, Adopt-a-Highway has the right idea and the rest of us can do the same by pitching in and picking up trash where ever we see it.

Geocacher's have a unique tie with the environment, we are in nature more than the average citizen so we have the opportunity to make a difference.  CITO (Cache In Trash Out) is one way we have to make that difference, many CITO, events are held every year all over the globe by Geocachers but we can take it further.  

CITO can be an event, but even better CITO can be a Geocaching lifestyle.  Here are some ideas to reduce trash while Geocaching;  always carry some small kitchen catcher garbage bags and once at ground zero and have found your quarry, pickup the trash around the area, actually even if you have a DNF pickup trash anyway, that can equate to several Pounds of trash per year removed from those cache areas.  Do you like hiding caches, then here is something I do, when I place a cache I clean up the area, then when I drop back to perform maintenance on my cache I clean up the area again.  I made one exception to this I have an urban cache in a trashy area that is actually using the trash as camouflage, this is the only area I haven't cleaned up  http://coord.info/GC2WAAM .

If we were all to spend just a few minutes a day picking up litter where we see it the impact could be huge.  So make CITO a Geocaching life style.

Keep-on Caching
    

Monday, July 11, 2011

To DNF or not DNF that is the Question

My philosophy is that if I really put an effort into finding your cache, and can't find it then I will post  a DNF, if I'm pressed for time and put a half donkey effort (did I mention that this is a family friendly blog) then I probably won't mark it as a DNF but I will go back and try again when I have time.  

I heard from a Cacher the other day that they never mark DNF's as they think it makes them look inept.  I tried to explain that it was important to the CO (Cache Owner), if they are getting to many DNF,s then they will check on the cache to make sure it hasn't been Muggled.  

Part keeping Geocaching fun is to keep the caches well maintained, if we don't mark our DNF's after an honest try at the find, then how is the CO (Cache Owner) to know when things have gone awry.

What is your opinion on DNF's ?    
--
NATIONAL GEOCACHER

Friday, July 8, 2011

SO YOU WANT TO HIDE A CACHE

I think a good rule of thumb which should allow you to get experience before hiding your own GeoCache is to use the 1% rule.  That means only hide 1% of the Caches you have found, so it would take 100 caches found before you would attempt to hide your one cache.  Now I'm a bit of of a hypocrite, since I started hiding caches at about 50 Caches.  

In retrospect I should have waited, as there was no creative thought in my initial caches since I only imitated those I had found, which at that point were mostly hidden in coniferous trees.  I now dislike caches in coniferous trees,  they don't offer any adventure, the reward at the end doesn't make you go Ahhh! They don't leave you with any lasting memory other than the scratches you received from digging around in the tree.  

I realized after about 100 cache finds I had experienced some genuinely innovative caches such as; Chronicles of Narnia  http://coord.info/GC2FF1Z and now was able to start thinking out of the box or tree as it were.  

I am still not practicing what I preach and with almost 200 notches in my GPS (Caches Found) I have 9 caches hidden, but then my Dad always said, "Do as I say, not as I do!" well it worked for him.  I would just suggest finding lots of variety before hiding your own Geocaches.  You will be rewarded many times over by the truly interesting logs fellow Geocachers leave for you.

KEEP ON CACHIN'
   BILL
B&CJones on Geocaching.com

Thursday, July 7, 2011

GEOPET SMARTS

I was reading an article in WESTWORLD the other day and it got me thinking that maybe we don't always consider what is best for our Geopets.  

For instance we all know what happens to us when we go to Mexico and drink some of the local water, sometimes it's a small amount like on a salad. That's right, Montezuma's Revenge.  Well our GeoPets can go through the same thing traveling from Province to Province or State to State.  A change in drinking water can give small and medium sized dogs diarrhea or cause stomach discomfort and vomiting.

This should help; you should always take at least 2 Litres or 2 Quarts of water from home for your pet. The first couple of days give your pet water from home and then over the next few days dilute it with local  
water.  After that your GEOPET should become accustom to the local water.

Follow these simple steps and you and your GEOPET should enjoy your Geocaching trip.


Keep-on Caching!
     Bill
B&CJones -  On Geocaching.com

                                                                         

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Geocaching is it a Game, Sport, or an Addiction?

Geocaching is it a Game, Sport, or an Addiction?

Everyone has their own personal take on Geocaching.

Let's take a look at each; first Geocaching as a game.  Games are fun and include playing pieces, the whole family can be involved, as well as, friends.  Normally games have a way of keeping score and can be played anytime day or night.  Hmmm, sounds familiar, Geocaching  is fun and includes playing pieces, such as, Tupperware containers filled with SWAG and a log book, it is also a great way to get together with family and friends, specially if those people have never geocacher before and to see their  faces when they find their first cache, OMG!

Is Geocaching a Sport?  A Sport usually includes a physical activity, a competitive element and a certain amount of skill.  How does Geocaching compare?  Starting with physical activity, simply try a terrain level 5, plenty of physical activity there!   Many people take up Geocaching for it's physical activity component and many have lost weight and gained endurance because of the sport.  Competition, well Geocaching allows you to compete with yourself, friends for numbers, puzzle solving or challenges such as http://coord.info/GC2BV7F, a challenge to find a geocache every day for 99 days (see our previous post on Challenge Caches).  Now it comes down to Skill; in Geocaching circles we call it GeoSense, at first finding even easy caches can seem monumental, but the more you GeoCache you build up an awareness of where caches might be hidden or what in the area is different than it should be so you might say you are building your Geocaching Skill just as a Basketball player gets better through repetition.  Hmmm, sounds like Geocaching is both a Game and a Sport doesn't it?

How about an Addiction; Wow! That's sounds a bit far fetched, but let's look at it anyway.  An addiction can be classified in a number of ways but let's use this one for now.  An addiction is the seeking out of a pleasurable feeling or experience resulting from a substance or ACTIVITY.   i'm sure no one will disagree that Geocaching is an Activity, but does it cause enough pleasure to have one seek the experience over and over again. sure looks like it to me when folks are eager enough to repeatedly go out and find thousands of Caches individually.  I must also confess I am a Geocaching Addict, the other day I had to go over to the hospital to get a portable Heart monitor, I'd had a few heart hiccups, on the way home I scored 4 more Caches.  Does the pleasure of searching for and finding Geocaches warrant being  labelled an Addiction, you bet it does.

In summation I think you will all agree Geocaching is and Game, Sport and Addiction!

Keep on Caching!
   Bill
B&CJones on Geocaching.com