Museum hide difficulty suggestions

[+John H Watson]

I alluded to this in a different topic....

 

I am planning on placing a hide inside of a local museum. My motivation is to help generate a bit more well desired traffic for this no entry fee, all volunteer historic site. They would like to actract locals and tourists alike, as many locals don't know about it, or know about it but haven't ever visited.

 

I'm going to use a hollow book for the actual cache, and this may/could provide a reasonable challenge in itself.

 

So... How difficult? I suspect that travelers trying to log the most smileys will pass by any multi or puzzle, no? Locals, however, may appreciate a bit more of a challenge.

 

If you were passing thru and stopped to pick up the various 1/1s, would you consider a simple multi? Or a "traditional" with perhaps a bit of a puzzle on the cache listing? Or just simply the coords, period? Or?

 

Aesthetically I'd like to not make it too simple, but that might be counterproductive in this case.

 

TIA.

Edited July 18, 2008 by John H Watson

[+TMDMom]

...So... How difficult? I suspect that travelers trying to log the most smileys will pass by any multi or puzzle, no? Locals, however, may appreciate a bit more of a challenge.

 

If you were passing thru and stopped to pick up the various 1/1s, would you consider a simple multi? Or a "traditional" with perhaps a bit of a puzzle on the cache listing? Or just simply the coords, period? Or?...

 

 

If I were passing through, I would most likely not try for multis or puzzles (unless I had solved the puzzle prior to the trip). I would, however, be thrilled with a single like this one! That sounds like a cool idea, and I would definitely enjoy a stop in a free museum.

 

If I were local any of the above would be cool.

Edited July 18, 2008 by TMDMom

[+OReviewer]

It would be hard to make it a traditional cache since you can't usually get accurate coordinates inside a building.

[+briansnat]

It would be hard to make it a traditional cache since you can't usually get accurate coordinates inside a building.

 

Yes, it will likely have to be a puzzle or a multi. There needs to be GPS use involved and that doesn't mean just bringing you to the parking lot.

 

Perhaps you can have the GPS bring searchers to a container hidden near the parking lot, which contains a clue regarding the final location. That would be a multi, but would satisfy the need for GPS use.

[+Team Taran]

I am currently planning a cache trip. I'm skipping most multis but I would do one if the cache page made clear that it was a easy multi that only required a walk of less than .2 of a mile and some simple math for example. The multis I skip without a pause on the ones that do not indicate how many stages or how far the total journey is. I might do these if they were local but not when I'm away from home. The cache sounds like one on would put on my to do bookmark if there was enough information on the page.

Team Taran

[+Team Taran]

I am currently planning a cache trip. I'm skipping most multis but I would do one if the cache page made clear that it was a easy multi that only required a walk of less than .2 of a mile and some simple math for example. The multis I skip without a pause on the ones that do not indicate how many stages or how far the total journey is. I might do these if they were local but not when I'm away from home. The cache sounds like one I would put on my to do bookmark if there was enough information on the page.

Team Taran

[+Renegade Knight]

...Aesthetically I'd like to not make it too simple, but that might be counterproductive in this case.

 

TIA.

 

Your goal is to bring people to this museum. That means a regular cache. Assuming the building has windows, any spot within 20' of a window is valid for that set of coords since the GPS would lead you to the right "zero" point where you would begin looking. The right locaiton next to a window and you have your GPS usage and your traffic maximization both covered.

[+WebChimp]

I am planning on placing a hide inside of a local museum. My motivation is to help generate a bit more well desired traffic for this no entry fee, all volunteer historic site. They would like to actract locals and tourists alike, as many locals don't know about it, or know about it but haven't ever visited.

 

So the real goal is to generate museum traffic. This mean you don't have to put the container in the museum itself. Matter of fact, that might be counter-productive, as people might be trying to open the wrong things, and that might be a problem in a museum.

 

How about hiding the container outside the building, but make it a simple puzzle cache.

 

Coords could be given as AA BB.CDE, etc. The clues could require hunters to tour the museum, and get the values of A, B, C, etc. by looking at the exhibits. "Find the mummified remains of Theo Stilsbringer. "A" equals the third number of the year his mummy was placed in the museum.", etc.

 

This would make sure all hiders visit the museum exhibits, but the coords would lead outside, to a container somewhere near the exit.

 

If you really wanted to be sneaky, you could list the coords as the museum's front porch (or whatever they have as an entrance), and have the puzzle resolve to the same coordinates. They end up where they started that way.

[+John H Watson]

It would be hard to make it a traditional cache since you can't usually get accurate coordinates inside a building.

 

Yes, it will likely have to be a puzzle or a multi. There needs to be GPS use involved and that doesn't mean just bringing you to the parking lot.

 

Perhaps you can have the GPS bring searchers to a container hidden near the parking lot, which contains a clue regarding the final location. That would be a multi, but would satisfy the need for GPS use.

 

I would like, if you would, a bit of clarification on all this - ie: GPS use.

 

The building is an old wooden house and quite small. I could get reasonably accurate coords of the front door, and the actual hiding spot would likely be no more than 20' or so from that point. I could also estimate with reasonable degree of accuracy the "real" coords based upon distance and direction from the front door. (Approx 6' per .001 lat, 4.5' per .001 long) Standing at the door, the GPS should point distance and direction remaining before actual entry. As for "container hidden near the parking lot", there is no parking lot. Just curb side parking with the front door some 10' from the sidewalk.

 

But, yes, a simple puzzle or multi that could be solved in advance is a possibility if you don't think it would detract severely from participation.

[+Night Stalker]

We did a library cache that was a multi. The first stop was a micro cache outside the museum with the dewey decimal location of the book and the author. 2nd stage was the book and log. Worked pretty well.

[+John H Watson]

 

So the real goal is to generate museum traffic. This mean you don't have to put the container in the museum itself. Matter of fact, that might be counter-productive, as people might be trying to open the wrong things, and that might be a problem in a museum.

 

How about hiding the container outside the building, but make it a simple puzzle cache.

...snip...

 

 

Hmm.... Yes, a possibility. Good idea.

 

My current idea is simply a book perhaps sitting on top of a bookcase. The book would be readily identifyable to anyone looking. No, not astrophysics, but a novel in keeping with the theme of the cache description that would be just a bit too recent to properly be there. However, I would put explicitly in the descriptions to not touch anything w/o permission. Not much here that can really be damaged, tho. It's an old house with historic photos and memorabilia of it's occupants. The curators don't even seem to mind if you sit on some of the furniture.

 

BTW, I really appreciate the suggestions.

[+Dread_Pirate_Bruce]

When I travel, I set up a PQ for the area. I look only for caches D 2.5, T 3 or less and only traditional caches. I would not even know there was an easy puzzle or multi. As a result, my opinion is that a puzzle or multi would not attract people from out of the area.

 

I've made a library find, a museum find, and a visitor center find.

 

The library find (GC25F0) gave the coords for the front door and the description told me where to go from there.

 

The museum find also gave the coords for the front door and the description said to ask for the cache at the front desk.

 

The visitor center find also gave the coords for the front door and the description explained that the cache was sitting on a table, had a combination lock and said where to find the combination. (This probably should have been listed a puzzle, but fewer people would have found it.) The cache was a decent size box with the geocaching logo on it.

 

For your purposes, you could put the logo on a book, so there is no mistake. Of course, in my opinion, a hide should only be as difficult as necessary to keep it from being muggled. Therefore, to accomplish what you desire, I'd list it as a traditional, give the coords for the front door, describe generally where to find the cache, and put the logo on the book.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Trains Still Go By http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...605b0&log=y is a nice cache in a museum that you might use as an example.

 

2. Locate the Southrail Corporation Time Return and Hours of Service Report located at the "office" display. It will be a letter size pad of forms, manila in color with a black binder at the top. Turn to the back of the report book and find the Geocaching log in form and sign it. Do not use any of the actual forms in the book to sign your log, use the log sheets inserted in the back of the book only.

 

That works fine for a traditional, but if it were me I would make it a multi with the coords in that book and a cache outside somewhere.

 

If folks skip it because it is a multi (which is what I usually do when traveling) it's our loss. Plenty of others will hunt it.

 

There is s cool hollow-book cache in TN, the cache book sits on a fireplace mantle in the common area of a hotel. Sorry, can't remember the name, but it's been there for years.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I am currently planning a cache trip. I'm skipping most multis but I would do one if the cache page made clear that it was a easy multi that only required a walk of less than .2 of a mile and some simple math for example. The multis I skip without a pause on the ones that do not indicate how many stages or how far the total journey is. I might do these if they were local but not when I'm away from home. The cache sounds like one I would put on my to do bookmark if there was enough information on the page.

Team Taran

 

I did three multi caches this morning, two of them with three stages (which I found) and one had two stages (which I didn't find). The closest of the three was almost 15 miles from home (they are, however, in the top 10 closest caches I had not found).

 

The first one took me well over an hour to complete. It was 1/4 mile from the first stage and parking but that "container" (a plastic bag) was a good 50' off from the coordinates specified in the first stage. After about a half hour search I finally found it, only to discover that the finale was another .3 of a mile further down the trail.

 

The next one was a three stage that gave me much less trouble but still involved almost a 1/2 mile hike on not so flat terrain. It was, however, one of the nicer caches I've done in awhile.

 

I wasn't planning on doing the third but the road I was taking home took me within 1/10 of a mile. I made a real mess of this one. The description in the cache list was very confusing (I was reading it on my blackberry) in how to obtain the final coordinates. It was really more a puzzle than a multi as it required taking measurements and counting objects in a cemetary. The published coordinates, rather than at the first stage, were a place to park. The first stage was only indicated in the additional waypoints section, as well as part of the formula for deriving the the final coordinates. I missed a (multiply bu 2/3) instruction on one coordinate, and misinterpreted the instructions on the other. I don't think it was entirely my fault as two other local cachers that are real "puzzle masters" had a lot of difficulty with this one too. If I had read that listing for a cache in an area where I would be traveling, I wouldn't have looked for it.

 

As far as a cache in a book goes, I wouldn't rate it any higher than a 2.5. However, I like the idea of making it a puzzle cache which requires answering questions in the museum, whether or not the finale is inside or out of the museum.

[CoyoteRed]

Well, I'm not sure why you couldn't use the coordinates right at the cache site inside the building. There's plenty of caches in the wild where I didn't have good signal at the cache site. Sometimes you have to step back and sight a line, then go off on a tangent and sight another line to triangulate. Or you could do it by bearing and distance--I've done that a lot.

 

Issue would be the accuracy of the coordinates. If you're talking accuracy down to a single book it's not going to happen with the GPS units in common use in this hobby. Think about it as if the roof didn't exist. How would you approach the problem?

 

While I don't know if your reviewer would allow it, but I see nothing wrong with making it a traditional and being very descriptive.

[Dj Storm]

If I'm visiting a town and I see a cache like this, I will visit the museum (be sure to mention the open hours) and hunt for the cache. I like to visit free entry museums, because there are some unknown/less known things to be learned about the place/town/county/someone famous from that town.

 

The trickiest part is to find and read the cache listing. If the town/city has few caches, this is not a problem, but a puzzle/multi between several dozen caches within walking distance might get unnoticed.