So I'm placing my first hide and...

[+Tresco]

I lock up my geotruck in an open field. I check the time because I want to hike for 5-10 minutes before I place the cache. I want to put it a bit off the beaten path. I'm hiding an ammo can so I want a good location that won't be too easy to spot. I'm away from my vehicle for 13 min and change when some joker roars up to my truck on an ATV and starts going up to the back and looking through the windows like it's the most interesting thing he's ever seen. If you had ever seen my truck you would understand my puzzlement. It's a beat up old minitruck with nothing that anyone would want on it or in it. He does not see me even though I'm not that far away. He did not even look. I'm sure his ATV is worth more than my little blue beater but Hhe thinks he's found buried treasure! I yell "HEY! THAT'S MY TRUCK!!!" and start back. No response. He starts trying to pry open the locked driver side door. WTF. He's so intent on getting in he does not react to me until I'm less than 50 yards from him. I'm thinking, I'm gonna have to clock this clown with the ammo box. What a mook. Does he want the Sparkamatic stereo? He finally notices when I bellow "LEAVE MY TRUCK ALONE!" Than he's all apolagetic. and mumbles something lame to the tune of "Some kids out here steal cars and stuff. I thought it was stolen" I tell him "Then it would be evidence. Get away from my truck. It's not abandoned it's just old." He ambles off on his ATV. What a dirtbag. I'd understand if my truck were alot newer or alot older but its ugly, beat up, primered, dirty and sports several dent's to boot. My truck is so ugly that any decent person would not want to touch it. Who knows where it's been? I thought that it would be safe. Go figure.

[+gmcpower98]

It takes all kinds to make up this world, doesn't it??!!

[+Tresco]

Yeah, I even have a "Don't hassle me I'm local." sign on it. If people are going to screw with such a manky old truck, I might as well get a new one. It would be nice to have AC!

[+Kit Fox]

One of my relatives has a truck similar to yours (based on your description) that has a very fitting bumper sticker. The sticker says, "This is not an abandoned vehicle."

[Luckless]

I don't believe his excuse for a minute. Hope you went to the police. Could be there have been a lot of "abandoned" truck breakins reported.

Edited August 23, 2008 by Luckless

[+9Key]

Dang dude, you've had a tough time of it in your short geocaching career, at least from what you shared with us in the forums. It makes me think SoCal ain't such a great place.

[+TropicalParadise]

What a dirt bag! He wasn't innocent like he claimed or else why would he have hit the road so fast. You should have snuck around and jumped on his ATV and waited to see what he would do next!

[+Isonzo Karst]

I went for a short evening walk on a local trail, parked at the rails to trails trailhead (a heavily used paved parking lot near an interstate exchange). When I returned, the drivers side lock on my ancient battered pickup was hanging loose and there were assorted dents to the door.

I'm guessing that they were run off by the arrival of some other trail users.

Sad....had they gotten into it, I'd guess that they'd just have run it down the road and wrecked it in an old mine pit - that was my thought, and the LEO who took my report had the same idea. Repairs ran around $250. Nothing cosmetic, just getting a working latch and lock.

 

The local police already use that parking as a spot to sit in some shade and catch up on paper work or wait for calls. Really the last place I'd have thought to have a problem.

 

Ah well, finding it damaged beats finding it gone......

[+Tresco]

I've got to get one of those "This is not an abandoned vehicle" stickers. I'm also going to make sure I take my stereo faceplate with me when I park. The thing is if I had not been placing a cache I would have left the truck at the nearby park and hoofed it in. I think the trick is to park your beater vehicle next to a nicer one so you get left alone. All the same, I was in sight of my truck (that is so ugly dogs won't pee on the tires) so let that be a lesson for all of us. Be careful out there. Keep your eyes open and carry some kind of personel protection because you may need it.

[+TeamThom]

Yeah, I even have a "Don't hassle me I'm local." sign on it. ...

 

Maybe get an NRA Member sticker.

 

... I think the trick is to park your beater vehicle next to a nicer one so you get left alone. ...

 

Near my home there is a park & ride at a light rail mass transit station. They have no end of trouble with people breaking into the vehicles there. It doesn't matter if it is nice or a beater, parked up close or far back, the thieves will break into anything and hope for a prize under the seat or something. A few have taken to leaving their cars unlocked so that a window won't get broken. At the job, we have security cameras watching the parking lot and a roving patrol keeping an eye out for theft and cars still get broken into. Sometimes the whole car is taken.

[+whistler & co.]

At least he didn't hacksaw the catalytic converter off. That's what they do to vehicles around here, including 30+ new cars at the Hyundai dealer.

[+garylost]

Tresco, Glad to here things did not escalate. So how did your first hide go? I will be doing my first hide in a few weeks waiting for the travel bug order to come in.

 

Gary

[+briansnat]

Lucky you were there and able to watch the guy. I recall once at a ski area watching a guy pick up my ski poles, try them on for size, put them under his arm and walk away.

 

I followed him and pointed out he had the wrong poles and he was all apologetic and said he thought they were his. Right. What I really felt like doing was putting my ski boot sideways where the sun doesn't shine, but I just took my poles back.

 

If his ATV had a license number you should have taken it down and reported the guy to the police.

[+va griz]

We had a similar case of "you can't be serious", except it wasn't an attempted theft. We we're coming home in my Father's truck, which was old, had a camper shell, no tailgate, and a plywood door on the back. It looks VERY home made, one of a kind, or as I call it, just plain ugly. Sitting a stop light in a little town, a guy gently taps the back bumper with his truck (also ugly). We get out to see what the problem was, no damage because everything was already beat up. As soon as we get out the guy starts saying "I'm sorry, I thought you were somebody else". OK, I guess he needs glasses. Laughed about it all the way home.

[+BigFurryMonster]

Good thing he didn't steal your ammo can.

That would have been a muggled unplaced cache.

 

(he would have to log FTM - first to muggle)

[+Castle Mischief]

At least he didn't hacksaw the catalytic converter off. That's what they do to vehicles around here, including 30+ new cars at the Hyundai dealer.

 

That was the first thing that went through my head. Seems people have turned from stealing your home AC unit for the copper to hacking off your catalytic converter.

[AZcachemeister]

I'm thinking, I'm gonna have to clock this clown with the ammo box. What a mook.

 

This is what he deserved.

You let him off easy.

Here in Arizona, we have an unwritten law of the range...NEVER mess with a man's ride.

 

You should have snuck around and jumped on his ATV and drove off!

 

Now that would have been funny!

[+Jennifer&Dean]

So... when you post that cache, are you gonna give "Don't Park HERE!" Coordinates?

J

[+Tresco]

After ATV boy left I took off through the empty lot (which is about a square mile in area) and found a place to hide it in a really large bush. I had three more caches to hide but my mellow was really harshed. I went back a couple of days later and hid the other three. I parked in a park parking lot and hid a cache on foot which was good exercise. After that I was running low on time so I picked park and grab locations for the other two. I had no problems with anybody. I'm just chocking the whole thing up to experience. I guess we are taking a risk whenever we park a vehicle alone out in sticks and walk away from it even for a few minutes. Proceed with caution everybody!

[+lordzogat]

Truck in the middle of the field = Big Geocache that doubles as drive-away swag!

Edited August 29, 2008 by lordzogat

[+Tresco]

Truck in the middle of the field = Big Geocache that doubles as drive-away swag!

 

If my truk is swag, its an old used golfball. I wonder what I can do to make it even more unattractive to theives. I could fill the back with horse crap but it would blow in the slider when I had it open and the windows down...I already have an NRA sticker. I'll have to ponder this...Ideas?

[+weathernowcast]

Truck in the middle of the field = Big Geocache that doubles as drive-away swag!

 

If my truk is swag, its an old used golfball. I wonder what I can do to make it even more unattractive to theives. I could fill the back with horse crap but it would blow in the slider when I had it open and the windows down...I already have an NRA sticker. I'll have to ponder this...Ideas?

 

You could always wrap it in crime scene tape.

 

sorry you had a bad experience.

[+Silfron Mandotheneset]

Truck in the middle of the field = Big Geocache that doubles as drive-away swag!

 

If my truk is swag, its an old used golfball. I wonder what I can do to make it even more unattractive to theives. I could fill the back with horse crap but it would blow in the slider when I had it open and the windows down...I already have an NRA sticker. I'll have to ponder this...Ideas?

 

Put a gun rack in the back window and don't leave a gun in it. That plus the NRA sticker = don't mess with you.

[+Tresco]

One time I was transporting a rattlesnake in a 10 gallon metal trash can with the lid bungied on. Every time I hit a bump or rounded a curve the snake would rattle vigorously. It would be a hoot If I could get a recording of a rattlesnake to go when the door is opened. Alas, I'm doing good to keep the thing running. At the moment it's laid up with a bad starter.