The Hipster

I live near the ND border with MN, up near Grand Forks, ND/East Grand Forks, MN. I have 2 pocket queries I run on Fridays. One grabs MN caches not found, with a range set to keep under 1000 caches. The other grabs ND caches not found (no problem keeping under 1000 caches in ND ... Grin) I tag on the once a week My Finds query onto those two query requests. I ran them this AM: * I received emails indicating they were ready for download. * My pocket query page says they were generated. * ONLY THE MN QUERY IS THERE TO DOWNLOAD! What the &%## happened? Does anyone have a clue? I've changed nothing about the queries since run a week ago.

Gold Pirates Chest 3'x2'x2.5' (full of swag for the little people & Halloween costumes w/camera) (This was placed in a ground level cache box made of planks with a lock on the lid)) Large Tool Locker 4'x2'x3' (Called the Ultimate Man Cache - tools, hunting & fishing supplies) Pickup Box Tool locker 6'x3'x3' (final of a multi that had a cordless drill & a circular saw as stage 1 & 2) Full Sized Wishing Well 4'x4'x4' + side posts & roof (full of swag for the little people & foam letter blocks to spell out your caching name - the swag was contained in two full sized Rubbermaid containers) Theoretically somewhere in Alaska there is an overseas type cargo container; painted to look like an ammo can; surrounded by tree trunks. (Just heard of it, never seen it!) If this is true, the proverbial ammo can in the woods hidden by sticks takes on a whole new meaning.

Inka Pen

(Warning - spoiler for northeast ND & northwest MN cachers - close your eyes right now - Grin) LOL - Yup, I thought them quite appropriate & I didn't even have to do the stacking! From GeoLex: "UPS – “Unnatural Pile of Sticks”. A common telltale sign of a hidden cache". Actually that old tree house is very solid. They must have used a lot of long spikes to build it. My 2nd stage is contained within the lighter colored log section - the bottom 1' of our 2008 Christmas tree - above & to the left of my head. Here is picture taken 20 minutes later - my beta tester arriving at GZ:

I put out 4 caches for the 2008 Holidays - all are winter friendly & have the winter snowflake attribute. I specifically mentioned they are obtainable in the winter on the cache pages. One utilizes a decon container & I gave advice on opening/closing the bugger when its well below freezing. (-38° F Tues Morn) We've had a lot of snow this year & it does raise the terrain rating a notch. Dec. 22, 2008 Placing a stage in "Whopper John" GC1K1TG:

I love hats - My current favorites: Late Fall/Winter/Early Spring - Filson Wool Packer Hat Late Spring/Cool Summer/Early Fall - Filson Tin Cloth Packer Hat Hot Summer - Tilley TM10 Mesh Hat Semi-Dress - Tilley Fedora

In my limited experience (207 finds), Prime Suspect has it right. Most not-on-the-ground caches will be too small for a travel bug with a Matchbox Helicopter. On the other hand, my 4th hide is a ammo can in a large bird house. All the bird house caches I've seen are large enough for the TB you mention. Many above the ground caches use decon containers. While just large enough, it would depend on how much other stuff is already in the cache. Too small for TBs - Nanos, Bison tubes, preforms, magnetic key holders, waterproof match containers, spice containers, pill boxes & the like make up the majority of off the ground containers in our neck of the woods. (ND/MN)

MN State Parks had a challenge in 2008 that ran till Dec. 31. They are now putting together a similar challenge for 2009. Alan & Cindy of "Fargnot Legendarium" fame won the 2008 contest. The PTB for the MN parks have a permit policy that is to be followed before placing non-park personnel caches.

Absolutely! I find that often tricky hides are easier to find in the dark. Moonlight caching is wonderful & yeah it is a great time to do high muggle area caches. Specific night caches are a hoot & a great way to socialize with a band of equally crazy cachers. There is just something about a shared night time experience that transcends that done of a day.

Greatest Achievement: Discovering Geocaching in Mid-Aug, 2008 - Hitting 200 finds by Mid-Nov, 2008 - Placing my first 5 stage multicache for the Holiday Season & having a local legend deem the hide worthy! Biggest Blunder: Climbing an old 10 story forest fire observation tower after a cache & trapping myself at the top before finding the cache. I had to call 911 to summon help from the local Sheriff's department to un-stick the trap door. I was too embarrassed to hang around after being extricated. I’ll to go back next summer for another shot, but you can bet I will not be closing any trap doors!!!

The Oregon 400c comes with "Garmin Blue Water Costal Charts" The Oregon 400t comes with "Garmin US Topographic Maps" The Oregon 400i comes with "Garmin US Inland Lakes Maps" The Oregon 300 comes with built-in Worldwide Base Maps You can add "Garmin's US City Maps, Topographic Maps, Costal Charts, US Inland Lakes maps any of them via CD download to the unit or you can purchase them on a chip that goes in the MicroSD slot.

The Oregon 400c comes with "Garmin Blue Water Costal Charts" The Oregon 400t comes with "Garmin US Topographic Maps" The Oregon 400i comes with "Garmin US Inland Lakes Maps" The Oregon 300 comes with built-in Worldwide Base Maps You can add "Garmin's US City Maps, Topographic Maps, Costal Charts, US Inland Lakes maps any of them via CD download to the unit or you can purchase them on a chip that goes in the MicroSD slot.

There are a brother (Fargnot) & sister (Netinator) who live on/near the Mississippi. Fargnot lives near Bemidji, MN & Netinator lives in Memphis, TN. The siblings are both avid cachers. In fact Fargnot (Alan & wife Cindy) won the 2008 MN State Park Challenge (72 MN State Parks/Recreation Areas). Fargnot also received the MNGCA 2008 cache of the month for the sixth in a series called Fargnot Legendarium: ( see http://mngca.org/node/252 ) Netinator (helped by Fargnot) has an epic 5x5 multistage cache in the greater Bemidji Area called Tricachelon GC15R76 It consists of three stages - biking, hiking & canoe/kayak/boat. Each stage has clues for the grand finale - a sight to behold & possibly the most unique GZ hide in the upper Midwest. The Fargnot Legendarium is a six part series, each being a stand alone cache with the initial 5 having clues for the 6th. The 6th is also able to be done as a night cache. (That is how I did it.) 1. Fargnot Legendarium: The Parable GC19B53 2. Fargnot Legendarium: Tree of Knowledge GC19953 3. Fargnot Legendarium: One Temple GC19ZR 4. Fargnot Legendarium: Turtle of Life GC18KD7 5. Fargnot Legendarium: Five Elements GC19B5V 6. Fargnot Legendarium: Puzzle Cache GC1AAR9 Most of Fargnot & Netinator's hides have creative, well written stories on the cache page. They also have their own very well done geocoin which is always placed in the caches as a FTF prize.

Thanks all & Happy Hollidays! May all your caching days be merry!

Yup, they log in on their own account, on their computers & bring up their "My Friends" page. My little square shows my 207 finds but not the 2 cache hides. gnies Member Since: 8/29/2003 Last Online: 12/23/2008 Title: Premium Member Location: Grand Forks, ND Found: 551 Hidden: 3 roylake Member Since: 11/22/2006 Last Online: 12/23/2008 Title: Premium Member Location: Grand Forks ND Found: 409 Hidden: 17 Shvllady Member Since: 8/14/2008 Last Online: 12/23/2008 Title: Premium Member Location: NW MN & Oklahoma Found: 63 Hidden: 0 The Hipster Member Since: 9/1/2008 Last Online: 12/23/2008 Title: Premium Member Location: NE Dakota Territory Found: 207 Hidden: 0 as opposed to this on my profile: You own 2 cache listing(s) Name Date Little Joe Found: 12/21/2008 Well I'll Be Spruced! Found: 12/21/2008 or this: Hello The Hipster! Premium Member Since: 9/1/2008 Renewal Date: 9/2/2009 Caches Found: 207 Caches Hidden: 2

207 to 3 = 69 to 1 I wanted to experience enough different types of cache hides, while noting their owner’s styles, so I would know how to place worthy caches of my own. I shall continue to place said caches till I've used up good areas or reach the limit of what I may properly maintain. I have also embarked on a campaign to rehab marginal caches as I find them.

I have myself listed as a friend on my own profile. I am listed as a friend on the profiles of my brother & SO. My cache found info shows 207, which is correct as of today. However it does not show that I have two hides so far. The 2 hides show up everywhere else other than on My Friends boxes. In other words, if I look at My Friends or my brother & lady login as themselves & bring up their friends, my listing does not show my two cache hides. Does anyone know why that would be the case?

This past weekend I placed the final stage of my new 5 part multi/puzzle cache in a blizard, with temps right at 0° F. (5 inches of new snow blowing about) I even convinced a hearty geocache friend to beta test it with me shortly after. I did bribe him with pizza & some new geocoins. (Grin) ET homes in on WJ's GZ Last week I placed a couple of new caches after work in the dark. The temps were -7° but not much for wind. All three of these caches are winter friendly! Hipster at WJ's Stage 2

Hello all from the Northern Red River Valley!

Best: An afternoon biking with caching friends along a lake trail populated with caches - meeting up with family members for a pizza party - the entire gang doing a local night cache - after which the children & less interested better halves went left for warm cabin fires & we intrepid cachers did a wild-n-wooly new night cache, laid out by mutual geocaching friends. Worst: In the wild woods of northern MN, there is a micro cache placed just below the observation platform of a very old fire tower. The view from on high was reported to be extraordinary. As it was the peak weekend of fall colors, I thought I would give it a shot, even though it had been raining for a couple of days. I hiked into the site & had to screw up my courage to climb the rickety old 10 story tower. Before seeking the cache I decided to go the last few feet into the small observation cabin at the top & take in the sights. I closed the trap door - BAD MISTAKE - The recent rains had caused said trap door to swell. I had no way to open it. I tried an SOS with my powerful flashlight at passing hunters SUV to no avail. (I was 10 stories up & 1/8 mile from a back road.) As it was getting dark my only recourse was to call 911 on the cell phone & explain my situation. Before the Sheriff's Department Deputies could arrive (I was a few miles from the closest town) the previous SUV arrived. Apparently they had seen my signal after all. First the sons climbed up (the father was afraid of heights) but their pushing & my pulling did no good. The father found a 5lb mallet in his tool kit & braved the climb. His pounding & my pulling finally opened the door. At that moment two patrol cars arrived full of four young deputies. They were actually relieved not to have to climb the tower themselves! I was too embarrassed to mention geocaching & way too unnerved to climb back up & make the find - maybe next season.

Unlimited fuel & time - but if that is not in realm of possibilities, then many more local (winter friendly please) caches. I promise to do my part, I have 5 going out for Christmas caching enjoyment!

I can empathize quite readily with your consternation. I looked at your cache page & logs. You’ve obviously done right by your cache with the current difficulty listing & hints. I agree a short note to the DNFs would not be out of place. Thank them for trying & let them know you’ve made corrections. (If they are anything like me, they will be back. If they do not, it is their loss). I would love to be in your area & have the chance to give it a try. Clever hides, though they can be momentarily frustrating, are so much fun & to be savored. I've only 4 months & 200+ finds under my belt, with DNFs galore on a few of the hides. (They were mostly bison tubes & camoed waterproof match containers in Spruce trees, as well as a few evil nano’s) When I finally find them, it just makes the whole experience that much sweeter! My first cache hides are going out for Christmas caching. One is a 5 stage multi with puzzle attributes. Four of the stages are well disguised, using the most inventive examples observed in my geocache experience thus far. The weather up here has been hovering well below zero° F & it will be interesting to see what reception the cache receives. Keep dreaming up devious hides, there are those of us out there who really enjoy them!

Rockin Roddy: "I'd love to get one of those trikes, would likely be better for my back and rear end! How much do those usually go for??" Be prepared for the "Trikers Grin!" Trikes are a blast - I've three adult size & two kid size in the stable! They are totally comfortable, high performance & no balance issues - guaranteed to bring out the kid in anyone! (Besides the two Catrikes - the rest of my fleet: a Wizwheelz Terra Trike Cruiser trike, two Rans CFs - a Street & a Cruz, a LWB Rans Stratus XP & CLWB Tailwind, an 80's Giant Sedona MTB, a vintage Sekine 10spd - for the nieces & nephew, two KMX K Karts and a Schwinn Stingray ) They usually run between $800 & $4000. Here are some useful links: Foremost Recumbent Forum (trike section): http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboar...isplay.php?f=13 (I am "The Hipster" over there as well.) The main players: Big Cat HPV - Catrike (USA) http://www.catrike.com/ Wizwheelz - Terra Trike (USA) http://www.terratrike.com/ Greenspeed (AUS) http://www.greenspeed.com.au/ Inspired Cycle Engineering - Ice (UK) http://www.ice.hpv.co.uk/ KMX Karts (UK) - http://www.kmxus.com/ HP Velotechnik (FRG/GE) http://www.hpvelotechnik.com/produkte/scorpion/index_e.html HASE (FRG/GE) http://www.hasebikes.com/70-1-kettwiesel-ride-flash.html SUN (USA/Taiwan) http://www.sunbicycles.com/sun/index.html Challenge Ligfietsen (NL) http://www.challenge-ligfietsen.nl/html/in...;selectie=trike RANS (USA) http://www.ransbikes.com/Trizard.htm Great Dealers: RBR (PA) http://www.rbr.info/index.php Bicycle Man (NY) http://www.bicycleman.com/recumbents/trike...bent-trikes.htm Power On Cycling (FL) http://www.poweroncycling.com Hampton's Edge (FL) http://www.hamptonsedge.com/home/main.html Hostel Shoppe (WI) http://www.hostelshoppe.com/ Calhoun Cycles (MN) http://www.calhouncycle.com/ Angle Tech Cycles (CO) http://www.angletechcycles.com/bikes/trikes/index.htm Utah Trikes (UT) http://www.utahtrikes.com/ (Especially great site to learn all about "Recumbent Trikes") Bent Up Cycles (CA) http://bentupcycles.com/ Trikes only Tour - Kellogg Idaho Jun 29-Jul 2, 2008 Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes - two of my trikes & yours truely! Hostel Shoppe Midwest Recumbent Rally August 9-10, 2008 - Same trikes

Geocaching near Pelican Lakes, MN with my Rans Cruz crank forward (my lady was on her MTB).: My first cache find in Erskine, MN with Rans Cruz (my lady was on her MTB).: Caching on the MiGiZi trail off the Paul Bunyan trail between Brainerd, MN & Bemidji, MN with Catrike Expedition.: Caching in & around Bemidji, MN on my Catrike Road trike.: Caching the Grand Forks, ND & East Grand Forks, MN Red River Greenway on Catrike Expedition trike.: