The Herd

Brad put together a small album of the damage to Indiana Dunes State Park. We are hoping it is dried out by the event we are hosting the last weekend of the month. BUT, it looks like 501 Gangs CITO there September 28th has taken on a WHOLE new meaning! Storm Damage

Just a friendly reminder to those of us in NorthWET Indiana. As soon as it's safe, get out and check on those caches. I have one I know for sure is under at least a few feet of water. It's disabled for now, as I KNOW it's unsafe to attempt. If you do go out caching in NW Indiana anytime soon, BE CAREFUL! I know our area is really bad right now. Here's to hoping it dries out soon enough for our events the last weekend of the month!

Way to go Ruth! Wish I could have been with ya'll!

Well, it is happening! Campsites are going FAST! There are only TWO sites available in the East Loop, (one being right next to the dumpster) where we are all staying! There are a little over 20 left in the West Loop, if you don't reserve in time to get one in the East Loop. Make your reservations today!

Congrats THF! I'm honored I got to share it with you! That was an amazing day! http://

Just a few reminders... There are still sites available in the campground. If you reserve a site, please post it in your log so we can update the map. Also, as soon as you know what dish you are bringing to the potluck dinner, post it so others can plan accordingly. And, don't forget your raffle prize. With camping season winding down, now is a great time to take advantage of those sales in the sporting goods section of your local box store. If you need ideas for what to bring, just shoot me an email. Raffle participation is not mandatory for the event, but, you must donate an item to be entered.

From what I read in the original releases there were state museum tickets, and hundreds of dollars worth of Dick's Sporting Goods certificates in the actual caches for people to find. Many logs mention finding them, thus only one cache needed to win something. It looks like more than 9 prizes were awarded. Many were given in prize bundles (making the prizes categories worth more). I bet in April when the contest began, they had 08 passes and didn't have 09 passes to giveaway.

If you can't cut loose at BASH, where can you cut loose? Besides, it just wouldn't be the same for everyone else if I was sober.

HOLY COW Bret was there?!?! See what you miss when you spend the entire event drunk? I was NOT drunk!

HOLY COW Bret was there?!?!

We did that all the way up till we left today. "Holy cow, there are trains here! Maybe they should put a whistle on them so we know there are trains here!" The ONLY reason I drank so much, was so I couldn't hear the trains. Honest! We can blame anything that happened at 51 on the train people! Seriously though. I camped MUCH closer to the trains this year, and I really didn't even notice them at night. (after sunset, before alcohol was consumed!) I guess some people are just more sensitive than others! It seems to be a bigger complaint from the other end of the campground though. Over there, I'd be complaining about the traffic on 6. Now THAT got loud!

Yeah....I bet it was....... Why don't you try driving home at 1:00 am while people from Bash are still drunk dialing you? Aww, we just wanted to make sure you were not falling asleep while driving! We won't look out for you this year, promise!

Oh, dang. Guess it doesn't count then! But, I was on time for everything I needed to be on time for. That's all that matters. It was the drive home that was darn near impossible!

Hey, now. I was up before 8am both days! That's pretty good, for as little sleep as I got!

If this is the case, then should I ask if I'm going to have to stay up all night to take you out for more beverages again? YUP! But, we HAVE to remember we need to go before midnight Saturday!

Am I going to have to stay up all night again to entertain you?

Indiana's state park trails are complete and a freely available download for GIS users. good luck

The Herd is at site #113.

Quick update: Cache page is submitted, look for it soon. Also, there will be a loggable Friday night social, as well as a CITO that Sunday hosted by none other than Mr. and Mrs. 501 Gang. This is their first hosting of an event, so hopefully they will get a lot of support. This event will be loggable too, so it will be a great opportunity to log 3 events in one weekend! Keep an eye out for all the events. Links to the Friday social and Sunday CITO events will be linked on the main event page when they become available!

I prefer the back of the east loop. The best sites that have more privacy, and back the dunes are: 98, 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 113. Some of the back of the west loop are nice too, including: 8, 12, 14, 16, and 18. The campgrounds were completely remodeled 3 years ago, with modern restroom and 50 amp electric at every site.

Well, honestly, I have never camped the state park. We prefer the very nearby National Park campground, as it is non-electric, and a bit more private. I will ask Brad to step in here though, and suggest some sites. There are two loops there, and I'm thinking it would be better to try to keep everyone as close as possible, but he may be better able to answer your questions. Amber

Due to several issues beyond our control, I must announce that the annual PCC will be moving this year. I will save you all the details, but hosting it at Pokagon is just not something we can do at this time. I cannot, however, go a whole year without hosting a big event, so we will be moving the PCC to Indiana Dunes State Park this year. It will be held the last weekend in September, the 26th, 27th and 28th! Make your camping reservations now! This park books quick! All sites are electric, so we can't rough it this year. I will need volunteers again this year, so if you can do ANYTHING to help, please let me know! Keep an eye out for the event page, hopefully it will be up soon! On the plus side, it's a whole new area of caches for the regular attendees to grab! Amber

Bass Pro and Cabelas both carry decent radios for $20. A quick glance online does not show them, but I've seen them in both their stores around here in the last month. Personally I upgraded to a $50 pair that has the weather radio functions too and actually got to use it when we drove towards a tornado warning recently!

This all sounds great!

Wow, so tempting. I'd be all over it if we weren't working a couple of those days! What an offer Jon!