debbidoesgeo

I personally don't want to be on Facebook, myself, but I felt really out of place. Outside of Geocaching, my husband is the only other person I know who isn't on Facebook, and all our friends are pushing us to be there (and we are seniors - not high school seniors, senior citizens! And still subject to peer pressure!). Oddly, I've found a higher percentage of geocachers who don't use Facebook than in the general population around us - which made me happy only because I had started to worry that I was turning into a stereotypical technophobe senior (What's that, sonny? Facebook?? What kind of new-fangled gizmo is Facebook?).

Guess I'm too new at this to remember the lists. It's funny, because part of my planning for a geo day is printing the maps, numbering the caches, and making a list of the names at the bottom. I think I miss the lists too, and I never even saw them!

There is a cache like this at Ohio State University. We did it on our first visit to Ohio State. We've been there twice now and have yet to find the cache, but still had so much fun doing the steps that we don't care! It gave us a good tour of the university. And we've talked to some cachers from that area and found we were close - next time we'll get the smilie! I think that kind of cache is great. We saw things I know we wouldn't have seen if we hadn't pursued this, and I still remember that day as one of our best geocaching adventures!

Pick wisely, grasshopper. I just logged my 100th cache. We found 20 caches in one day, and I miscalculated. Thought my 100th was going to be this awesome bridge cache with a totally unique container. When I got home and was logging, I realized it was a Walmart LPC. I could have just logged them in a different order, but I would have known.

What's in my geobag? Everything. And which one? I have 2 geobags. I started with a backpack, but found that was a bit much for light, urban geocaching, and really got the attention of muggles, so I got another. Tuesday Afternoon stores had a great bag - lots of inside and outside pockets, and you wear it over one shoulder and across your body so it's not much of a strain on your back and shoulders. And not expensive, either. And when wearing it, some muggles have asked if we are students doing a science project, so it's a bit of a disguise. Right now, my urban has: Swag to leave swag I picked up - should clean this out while I'm here mesh bag with my lip balm, allergy eye drops, powder, and tweezers (i.e. log and tick extraction tool that doubles as a cosmetic tool)- I switch this back and forth between my geobags and purse small wrist purse with spots for cell phone, paper money, coins, keys, and credit cards - again, to switch between my geobags and purse; about 10 pens and pencils, including gel pens for wet logs - I think they reproduce in my bag cache repair kit - small scissors, camo paper for replacing logs, baggies in nano, micro and regular size, small magnets and adhesive dots for temporary fixes of magnetics first aid - bandaids, anti-itch cream, matchbook (OK- this was from when I thought you should use a match to get rid of ticks - bad idea!) small notebook and geocachers journal gloves flashlight 16 batteries and 2 rechargable batteries printed maps showing the geocaches in the area - old school - still like to see them all on paper alcohol wipes - for when your enthusiasm makes you forget the gloves, and you put your hand into something nasty, like cobwebs so thick they feel like cotton balls (ick!) Deep Woods Off - we are near the Ohio River travel size sunscreen - for those long geocaching days In my backpack, I also have: rope (yep, someday I'm going to use it!) a hat with mosquito netting (I am arachnophobic, and after walking directly into two webs with spiders in them, I started wearing this. YES I AM A GEEK! but I find I'm a geek who wants the cache more than she wants to avoid the spiders!) a personal locator beacon - this we keep for geocaching and bicycling in areas where cell phones don't work. If activated, it sends search and rescue a signal so they can find you fast. Hope we never have to activate - this is more for my husband, who goes off alone on a bicycle into remote areas, but may as well carry it when we are deep in the woods, too! I was a Girl Scout. Be prepared!

If you haven't read it, "Mapheads", by Ken Jennings (yes, the guy from jeopardy) is quite good with a full chapter about geocaching. He's posted a few times in the forums and it's pretty obvious from reading the book that he's a geocacher, not just someone that did a little research and is writing about geocaching. I haven't read it, but I have Ken's book Brainiac - I'm a Jeopardy fan. I'm glad you mentioned this - I wasn't aware of it and it sounds just like my cup of tea!

I was recently at a geo event where we were competing working puzzles. Suddenly, just about every phone in the room went off - new cache alert. Everyone looked at their phones, and kind of joked about whether anyone was going to go for it, then went back to the puzzles. Minutes later, another alert, then another. All together, six new caches were posted in the half hour we were there, and you could see people in the room getting more and more antsy. Finally, one went off, and a cacher said 'that's too close' and she jumped up and was gone! We all laughed, but she did get the FTF!

WrongTurnRick and I had a really weird incident while geocaching this week. We were checking out a cache at a County dog shelter that had been hidden with permission in a town that promotes geocaching with contests and festivals. It was at the end of a dead end road, and when we got there and saw that the weeds around the cache were taller than my head, we didn't even get out of the car, but decided to turn around and try it in the winter. There were two roads we could take when we got to the end of the dead end - the one we came in on, and a second one - we chose the second one. As we were driving away, we saw what looked like a law enforcement vehicle coming quickly along the other road. The vehicle left the road, drove across a grassy area, and to our surprise, cut us off and made us stop. Turned out to be an animal warden. I couldn't believe the over-the-top reaction, driving like in a scene from a TV cop show. He asked 'Can I help you with something', but not in a tone that indicated a desire to help. I was getting nervous - he was very hostile. WrongTurn started to explain that we had gone back to look for a geocache, and the guy lost it and started to yell. Wanted to know why 'you people' have to be doing stuff back by the animal shelter. We tried to explain that we hadn't even gone for the cache, and tried to ask if he'd had a problem with anyone, but he wouldn't let us finish a sentence. A bully with an ounce of authority that thought he was large and in charge. All in all, it was a shock, since the community in general is very supportive of geocaching, and the shelter was on property that seemed to be open to the public. In fact, we could have just driven back there by mistake and turned around, for all he knew. And no one had indicated any problem in previous logs, including recent ones. I logged that there may be an issue with a warden, and the cache owner decided to archive the cache. To be honest, the vindictive part of me was hoping he'd contact whoever had given him permisson and report the jerk. I felt bad that the cache had to be archived, but the whole thing really shook me up. I wanted to stop caching for the day and have a good cry, but fortunately WrongTurn talked me into continuing, and we ended up having our best caching day to date. I can handle myself with bullies when the playing field is even, but when it is someone with authority, I know enough to keep my mouth shut. It makes me feel like a scared 10 year old, though. Fortunately, things like this don't seem to happen often, and WrongTurnRick is great at letting these things roll off him. Wish I were more like that. In fact, that was why I was drawn to this post - I wanted to see how others dealt with similar situations, since I feel I let it get to me too much.

My husband WrongTurnRick and I were new at this, and geocaching on a 90 degree plus day. The cache was hidden at a railroad museum, where you could climb all over engines and rail cars. All the metal was making the GPSrs go crazy! We climbed up and down and searched with no luck. Finally, I'd had enough of the heat, and didn't even have the strength to walk back to our hotel without a break. I sat down on the ground, leaned against the base of a lamp post, and when I put my elbow on the skirt - IT MOVED!!! I knew immediately - I was so excited. I lifted the skirt, and there was a film container. And yes, I gave it a favorite and raved about the cleverness of the hide (oh, the shame). We thought that was just the coolest thing ever!!! Then we went out another day and out of 10 caches, 8 were LPCs. Yeah, we kind of got that feeling you get when you give money to someone who claims they need gas money, then they walk over to their Lexus and drive off.

My husband geocaches with his favorite tick magnet - me. I got my first tick about a month ago - I kept feeling the back of my neck all day, since I'd heard they like to go there, and suddenly, I felt a bump I hadn't felt before. I had heard that the best way to get a tick off is to use a match (which is wrong, I learned later, so don't take that as advice!), so we stopped at several restaurants trying to find matches. Apparently, everyone uses lighters now - we couldn't find a match. So we stopped at Walgreen's where they sold boxes of 50 matchbooks. We used one on the tick, and he didn't budge. So we used my log extraction tool that I always carry - my tweezers - and WrongTurn pulled the tick out. Later I checked on the internet and learned that the match trick can actually make the tick spasm and increase the risk of the tick infecting your blood stream. The best method of getting a tick off is with the extraction tool - pinch around the head and pull it off. I have a lifetime supply of matches now, even if I live a long, long life. In the weeks that followed, I kept attracting ticks (there is some justice in the world - mosquitos leave me alone but love my husband WrongTurnRick!), so we have started using Deep Woods Off. I haven't had an issue with ticks since. We do a thorough check when we get home, and leave the geoclothes in the basement so we don't expose our pets if we've carried some home. After my first tick, we found one on our bed the next day (ewww) and had to wash all the bedclothes and comb the pets. If you live in an area where Lyme or Rocky Mountain Fever are likely (fortunately, both are rare in our area), it's recommended that you keep a tick in a baggie once you remove it from your skin, so you have it in case of a problem. Good luck, and stay vigilant!

I can remember the frustration of having to give up on a cache. Sometimes you do have to - it's entirely possible the cache has been muggled. I usually mark those to watch, so I can get email notices if someone else finds or doesn't find it. WrongTurnRick and I have had at least three 'white whales' that we abandoned and went back for at another time - and FOUND THEM! OK - the frustration is a bummer, but the rush to go back after your subconscious has had a chance to work on the problem and find that you have resolved it is HUGE!!! There was one we were sure was gone, but we both felt if it was there, it was near a fire hydrant at ground zero. Next time we were there, WrongTurn spotted it right away, and we had spent over an hour looking at it the first time. Right now, we have 2 on our list that we know are there (one is by a cache owner in our area who is notorious for tough hides, and he's confirmed that we missed it - the other is on a bridge over the Ohio River, and has been a thorn in the side of geocachers from miles away). Give it a little time, trust your subconscious to work on it and the answer will rise to the surface at some point! And you'll be so thrilled when it does! Those have been some of our most satisfying finds!

Oh, loving this thread! My two favorite pastimes - geocaching and reading! I can't wait to read some of these. My sister gave me a box of geocaching related gifts for Christmas. One was a non-fiction book with photographs of beautiful places where geocaches are hidden. Another was a book, Abomination, by Colleen Coble. I haven't read it yet (the weather has been too good to read about caching instead of doing it!), but it is a mystery thriller. 'Somewhere in the wilderness, in a secret geocache near where the wild swans gather, lies the unspeakable clue that links them all together....'

My husband (WrongTurnRick) and I were looking for a cache that, based on the coords and the title, seemed to be located at an ATM on the outer wall of a bank. It made me a little nervous to be loitering around outside a bank. I pretended for a few minutes to be having trouble with my ATM card as I examined all the nooks and crannies. Rick was down looking under the ATM when a stern looking woman walked out of the bank, arms crossed. I turned and asked her if she knew what we were doing. She nodded and said "Mm-hm' - never cracked a smile. Then she walked over to the ATM, arms still crossed, and very slowly and deliberately looked overhead. "That's what I would do," she said, then walked back into the bank! We found it quickly, and got out of there! We've had a few encounters with hostile muggles, and I was so relieved that this wasn't one of them! She gets my nomination for muggle of the month!

I'm fairly new to caching - in my first year. I'm glad to see that a lot of people like the longer logs. Some of mine got pretty wordy because we've had some unusual experiences while caching, and I decided to share. Glad to know that some folks find that enjoyable - I was afraid people might be rolling their eyes, since so many of the logs are so succinct. I must say that sometimes there is a reason for a short log. My husband and I generally do our finds together, and he's not into the administrative part, so I'm pretty much his geosecretary. After logging 20 finds with all my stories, when I go back to log his finds, a lot of his end up being 'TFTC's. Of course, every once in awhile, one of his logs does get a little wordy, like when he praises his wife for her brilliant geo senses and resourcefulness.

Where are you located Lorie? My grandson and I are wanting to start geocaching - he is 12 - and would be nice to have a personal instructor/helper to get us going. I hope you can find a friend to go with you - please don't give up. God Bless, Lana This is a lovely reply. I hope you do find someone to get out with - it is such a nice thing to share - would be a shame to not pass it on. I am blessed to still have my husband, but when I first started geocaching, he wasn't interested. I got up the nerve to go to my first geo event alone. I walked into the restaurant alone, wearing my GPSr around my neck to let others know why I was there, and the other cachers spotted me. I was really afraid of going by myself, but found that geocachers are really friendly. Everyone has stories to tell - I only had 11 finds when I went to my first event, so everyone wanted to tell me the best caches in the area. Since then, I've started attending other events further from my house, and my husband has started going to some with me. I'm not comparing my situation with yours - I can't even begin to imagine how hard it would be to get out there on my own - but I did walk into that first event alone, and I've never been to a geocaching event where I didn't feel welcome, and I've made some great friends through the events. You might meet others who are looking for company when caching. My thoughts and prayers are with you. And wear your GPS like a necklace - it'll get you noticed! Deb

I just started reading the forums, and I have to admit I'm mostly posting to the amusing ones. I try to avoid the really heated discussions - I get enough negative energy at my job. I know there are people who feel very strongly about some geocaching subjects, and that's cool for them, and I'm not judging anyone. I just don't want to participate in those. I've had a couple of hobbies that were ruined for me when things got too heavy and political; I just want to do 'geocaching lite' and leave the heavy discussions to those who enjoy them. One thing I like about this - there is something for everyone's taste.

Hmm... if I took the 20 million dollars to stop geocaching as mentioned in another post, I could pay for a ride to the moon. But then, I couldn't go after the caches.

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't. I discovered caching almost a year ago, and wish I had found it sooner. For me, it's the perfect hobby. I have been doing puzzles for years, and it has been getting harder and harder to find a challenge. Many of the geocaching puzzles are so creative and different, and I love the rush of finding a difficult cache. As for the finances - I've been lucky in that I've saved well, and am happy living a comfortable lifestyle without a lot of extras, and geocaching with my husband has definitely added much pleasure to our lives. I don't miss what I don't have, and want more than anything to have fun experiences. My biggest wish the last few years is that I could join my husband in retirement, but because I want more time to spend pursuing our hobbies, geocaching being at the top of the list! So even though the 20 million dollars would bring on retirement faster, it would be a curse for the rest of my life. And I'd miss seeing all my geocaching friends at the events. No, I'm pretty sure I would turn it down. (Anyone want to offer it to me to see if I'm wrong? )