Suspicious Package In Maryland?

[+BadAndy]

Watching this unfold on the news right now. Bomb squad has sent in a robot to look at a pipebomb shaped object under a park bench.

[+sept1c_tank]

Watching it also. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

[+Mile Runner]

as an urban cacher i am always realy worried about one of my geocaches being called in as a bomb.

[+sbell111]

I can't find anything about it in the news crawlers

[+Fergus]

Any idea where in Maryland?

[+KBer]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal...local-headlines

[johndmann]

In this day and age, placing urban caches is one thing that I try to avoid. Too many bombs and cops around for me! I'll stick to my wilderness caches - no one to think it's a bomb out there!

[+KBer]

It is near the Rachel Carson Elementary School in Gaithersburg, MD.

[+Mile Runner]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal...local-headlines

thanks

[+sbell111]

There are no caches there.

Edited February 3, 2006 by sbell111

[+BigWhiteTruck]

After taking a closer look with a robotic camera, investigators believe the package is an improvised explosive device, Piringer said.

 

Don't worry, it's a bomb, not a geocache!

[+Mile Runner]

In this day and age, placing urban caches is one thing that I try to avoid. Too many bombs and cops around for me! I'll stick to my wilderness caches - no one to think it's a bomb out there!

i always try to make mine relay obiviously caches, either by butting multiple stickesrs on it one making it florence organge . my thereory is who in there right mind whould make a florecent orange bomb.

[johndmann]

There are no caches there.

hahaha good call

[+5winters]

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...fe-3db4267b6e87

 

This one shows up close by in google earth.

Edited February 3, 2006 by 5winters

[+robert]

There are no caches there.

That's because you're looking at a Virginia map.

[+eastie]

sbell11, that's the wrong Carson Elementary. There is a cache that fits the location fairly well, but it's a SBUX cache so I doubt this is the culprit: SBUX 30

[+robert]

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...fe-3db4267b6e87

 

This one shows up close by in google earth.

That's a lamp post hide (sorry to ruin it for anyone with it on their to do list ) With Google Earth I went to the nearby traffic circle (mentioned in the Baltimore Sun article) and no caches show up.

[+LadeBear68]

In the middle of a traffic circle, now that would be a 5 for terrain.

[+The Leprechauns]

The correct map is shown below. The SBUX cache referenced above is quite a ways away from the school.

 

[+sbell111]

That's what happens when I try to do something fast in the middle of everything else. VA, MD, DC, What's the diff???

 

Luckily, there's still not a cache there.

[johndmann]

I'm not even sure I would get anywhere near the Capitol with a GPS device. Might get harrassed by secret service!

[+robert]

That's what happens when I try to do something fast in the middle of everything else. VA, MD, DC, What's the diff???

A good effort!!

[johndmann]

That's what happens when I try to do something fast in the middle of everything else. VA, MD, DC, What's the diff???

 

Luckily, there's still not a cache there.

What if the cache was placed, but is waiting for approval? or has not been submitted to GC.com yet? haha

[+The Leprechauns]

There are no archived caches that are any closer to the school, nor are there any which are pending publication. (A well-informed friend of mine tells me this. )

 

This does not rule out a cache on another listing site, a multicache or puzzle ending in this spot, or a cache placed but never submitted.

[+sbell111]

That's what happens when I try to do something fast in the middle of everything else.  VA, MD, DC, What's the diff???   

 

Luckily, there's still not a cache there.

What if the cache was placed, but is waiting for approval? or has not been submitted to GC.com yet? haha

It certainly could be a cache that is listed on another site, for that matter. (Edit: What that hampster dude said.)

 

Let's guess what it is and see who's right. I'm going for Scooby Doo lunchbox.

Edited February 3, 2006 by sbell111

[johndmann]

Let's guess what it is and see who's right. I'm going for Scooby Doo lunchbox.

LOL

 

I think it'll just be something that someone was worried about - Probably just some trash someone stuffed under the bench because they were too lazy to take it to the trash can.

 

It could also be a fake bomb - I've heard story after story of kids putting fake bombs at their school just so they could go home for the day, or skip that spelling test they were going to have but didn't study for...

[+sbell111]

... It could also be a fake bomb - I've heard story after story of kids putting fake bombs at their school just so they could ... skip that spelling test they were going to have but didn't study for...

Those are easily identified because they write 'BOM' on them.

[+The Leprechauns]

There are only two Terracaches in Maryland. Both of them are North of Baltimore, whereas Gaithersburg is southwest of Baltimore.

 

The nearest Navicache is more than 10 miles away from Gaithersbug.

 

There are likewise no listings on GPSGames.org for this area.

 

Omigod, it's a moving cache!!!!

[+(Jeep).P.S.]

Anyone know what the end result of this story was?

[+zoltig]

Anyone know what the end result of this story was?

[+(Jeep).P.S.]

LOL!

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

There are no caches there.

Your map search apparently did not pull up the correct area. The area where the crisis is currently unfolding is in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in the Kentlands section, and not far from the Quince Orchard High School, which is at 15800 Quince Orchard Rd, Potomac (Potomac is a hoity-toity neighborhood in Gaithersburg that has its own name) at the intersection of Quince Orchard Rd. and Darnestown Road. The good news is that Sue and I did a search of Google for small, regular and larger-sized cache containers in that Kentlands section which are listed at geocaching.com, and none of the few seem to fit the bill. Of course, it could always be a cache container which is a final stage in a multi or puzzle cache, and thus it would not show up in a search around that waypoint, or it could even be a Navicache or Terracache geocache...

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

Anyone know what the end result of this story was?

That photo is a bit familiar: One of our backcountry cache containers has a nukular (sorry, I could not resist, the correct spelling is "nuclear") device enclosed, and if the microprocessor chip in the cache container decides -- based upon data from sensors -- that the cache has been found by a geomuggle or vandal, it detonates the enclosed 400 megaton nukular explosive device, producing a very similar mushroom cloud profile in the sky when viewed from the side. Did you take that foto of our cache as it blew up? Wow!

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

An update from a small local source from 53 minutes ago:

 

Authorities are still assuming that the thing is an improvised explosive device (IED), and no further news. However, the article noted that this is the SECOND incident in this immediate area within a few days, and (quote):

 

"....Authorities determined that a package that prompted the evacuation of a Home Depot store on Shady Grove Road in Gaithersburg on Wednesday contained a VCR and had posed no threat to an area sealed off earlier by hazardous materials and bomb squad teams. There were no injuries." (from Gazette Article

[+KKTH3]

I had planned on going over to Bitch Creek once the weather warmed up, but now I am thinking I should just stick with caching on this side of the divide for awhile.

[+ventura_kids]

it was a hoax

[+ScoutingWV]

Don't worry, it's a bomb, not a geocache!

HUH?!?

[+Beffums]

Don't worry, it's a bomb, not a geocache!

HUH?!?

is it a problem that we're happier when it's a bomb?

[+sbell111]

Your map search apparently did not pull up the correct area. ... Of course, it could always be a cache container which is a final stage in a multi or puzzle cache, and thus it would not show up in a search around that waypoint, or it could even be a Navicache or Terracache geocache...

Read further down the thread...

[+sbell111]

It had 'all the markings of an explosive device'.

 

Did somebody put this stick on thier lunchbox?

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

I had planned on going over to Bitch Creek once the weather warmed up, but now I am thinking I should just stick with caching on this side of the divide for awhile.

You're okay on that one. That cache does not have any nukular (sic) explosive device in it, largely because I cannot fit the device in any container smaller than a 34 ounce Rubbermaid container. So, you are safe!

[+jiminpotomac]

It was a hoax. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6020302046.html

 

I'm babysitting the two boys of a great friend. Their older son goes to that school and he's still a little shaken. I was able to break the news to him a few minutes ago that it was a hoax, that someone placed a package to look just like an IED but without the explosives.

 

I hope they catch the person/people involved and put them away for a long time. Many of us are still a little tense following the activities on 9/11 and this one hit a little too close to home.

[+sbell111]

Have they explained what an IED looks like yet?

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

There are no caches there.

Your map search apparently did not pull up the correct area. The area where the crisis is currently unfolding is in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in the Kentlands section, and not far from the Quince Orchard High School, which is at 15800 Quince Orchard Rd, Potomac (Potomac is a hoity-toity neighborhood in Gaithersburg that has its own name) at the intersection of Quince Orchard Rd. and Darnestown Road.

Um, that would be North Potomac. Potomac is way down on the other side of Rockville, closer to Bethesda, not exactly a neighborhood in Gaithersburg.

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

Around here in the National Capital area, we're used to this kind of thing. This actually happens with some regularity. Not too long ago, they shut down the red line of the Metro and the MARC line going through Rockville because someone got off the Capital Limited in Rockville and accidentally left their sleeping bag behind. They routinely stop the metro when people leave things behind. Usually it's something stupid like a bag lunch or something.

[+cachew nut]

I had planned on going over to Bitch Creek once the weather warmed up, but now I am thinking I should just stick with caching on this side of the divide for awhile.

You shouldn't let a hoax on the other side of the country keep you from going to Bitch Creek. S***, if I was near Bitch Creek, I'd f****ng be be going after Vinnie and Sue's Bitch Creek cache too. Looks like a challenge at 4.5/5 stars.