I'm Just Sittin Here, Doing Nothing, For No Reason

[kcacher8]

Ok don't laugh but I'm not so creative when it comes to waiting out Muggles. Any suggestions for those caches when you just kinda stuck out in the open?

[+simpler1773]

Ok don't laugh but I'm not so creative when it comes to waiting out Muggles. Any suggestions for those caches when you just kinda stuck out in the open?

 

Do you have a camera? That's a great excuse to be anywhere. Take close up pictures of grass, sand, signs...it doesn't matter.

 

Pretend to talk on your cell phone while aimlessly wandering about.

[kcacher8]

Ok don't laugh but I'm not so creative when it comes to waiting out Muggles. Any suggestions for those caches when you just kinda stuck out in the open?

 

Do you have a camera? That's a great excuse to be anywhere. Take close up pictures of grass, sand, signs...it doesn't matter.

 

Pretend to talk on your cell phone while aimlessly wandering about.

 

Those are some excellent ideas, see thats why I asked, cause I knew there was some creative people out there. Thanks alot for the ideas!

[+michigansnorkelers]

Take your dog along. People with dogs can go just about anywhere.

 

I have a clipboard I sometimes pull out on urban caches. Looks like you're doing something official.

[+Chrysalides]

Pretend to talk on your cell phone while aimlessly wandering about.

With bluetooth headsets so common, you can just talk to yourself

 

I've also done the glancing at watch, looking left and right, as if waiting for someone, routine.

 

These days, for very public locations, I'd not spend more than 30 seconds there if there are others present. I'll walk off, then think about what I've seen and the possible hiding spots. A short while later, if the same people are no longer there, and if it won't attract attention, I'll search the spots I shortlisted.

Edited July 28, 2009 by Chrysalides

[+bittsen]

I did the "bridge inspector" routine. Some muggle brats walked op on me when I was looking under a pedestrian bridge in a park. Told them I was making sure the bridge was safe. They went back and told their parents who gave us a funny look as we were walking away.

 

I think a clipboard and hardhat might be involved in future caching.

[kcacher8]

These are funny and very intelligent. I understand completely about the funny looks lol. Thank you everyone for all the help and genius ideas Looking forward to trying some.

[+RS67Man]

I know of one geocacher that has a orange safety vest he uses for urban caches. That way he looks "official".

 

If a muggle comes out of nowhere on you, just stick your "geophone" (GPSr) to your ear and talk to someone, really works with the smaller GPSrs. The last thing you want to do is look guilty. If you are confident with your presence, others are less likely to question why you are there.

[+Curioddity]

I did the "bridge inspector" routine. Some muggle brats walked op on me when I was looking under a pedestrian bridge in a park. Told them I was making sure the bridge was safe. They went back and told their parents who gave us a funny look as we were walking away.

Heh .. I was searching a hand rail along a foot path in a local park trying to find the next waypoint in a multi. I had my mirror out and wasn't really making any effort to be stealthy. A couple of women walking a dog came by and asked me what I was doing and my reply was "I'm trying to learn what kind of spider bit my wife" (I'm not even married).

 

They left (right away), I found the waypoint, and all was good.

 

Pete

[+StarBrand]

Get a hardhat and clipboard - maybe even a reflective safety vest. You can walk around and look at abosolutely anything and draw little or no attention.

 

or....

 

Don't be stealthy - be bold. Be confident - just walk right up to the cache area, Find the cache, sign the log and replace it. Act 100% as though you know what you are doing and why. Behave as if nothing is out of the ordinary at all. Act like you are doing nothing wrong (mostly because you aren't).

 

or....

 

Just walk away from such caches.

[+briansnat]

Don't shower for a few days, pour water on your crotch and some vegetable soup on your shirt and hang out by the cache. People will not only ignore you, they will give you a wide berth.

[+Curioddity]

I know of one geocacher that has a orange safety vest he uses for urban caches. That way he looks "official".

I keep a big yellow 35' Stanley "Fat Max" tape measure in the geocaching gear in my car. It's actually one of my old ones which broke so it doesn't really have a tape in it (doesn't weigh anything). If I need to search a wall, fence, or similar urban structure I simply hang it from my belt before I start. Just having the tape seems to answer questions before they're asked and curious or suspicious people rarely give me a second look.

 

Of course the ploy isn't quite as effective if I'm in swimming trunks, a tee shirt, and flip-flops, or when I ride up on my bicycle.

 

Pete

[+Sol seaker]

"i'm looking for my sunglasses" Or "I'm looking for a snake I just saw"

work OK at times.

One woman said she was looking for a lost ring and the whole place was crawling with people with metal detectors the next day, so if you use this one, make sure you've "lost" something that's not worth anything.

 

In certain circumstances I'm honest about it.

There was a woman at a picnic bench by herself at ground zero in an area I would not be able to get back to easily. It was on the way to an appointment on top of it, so I had limited time. I decided she was low risk and walked up and asked her if she'd ever heard of geocaching. She said her mom's crazy about it. She helped me search the table. Figures, it had been muggled already.

[+Woodstramp]

Don't shower for a few days, pour water on your crotch and some vegetable soup on your shirt and hang out by the cache. People will not only ignore you, they will give you a wide berth.

 

Safety note to self: "Don't munch a sammich and read Briansnat posts thinking that he is serious this time."

 

Kcacher,

 

I'm about as stealthy as chrome plated 747. The best, simplest, handiest muggle cover I use is a little pocket spiral notebook. Just lay it open on top of the GPS, peek at the arrow once in while. Also comes in handy as a back board for signing little cache logs and writing coords for multi stage hides.

Edited July 28, 2009 by Woodstramp

[+Count Fartula]

I have a little notebook that I hold and just scribble on while walking around snooping.

My excuse if ever asked is that i'm a student and i'm doing a study on urban wear-n-tear of public areas or i'm surveying for Garmin checking the accuracy of their devices. If stopped by a cop or security I would just explain Geocaching.

Yesterday, there were three cops right at ground zero when I arrived. I just left that one alone for the time being.

[knowschad]

Do you have a camera? That's a great excuse to be anywhere. Take close up pictures of grass, sand, signs...it doesn't matter.

 

Pretend to talk on your cell phone while aimlessly wandering about.

 

Of course she has a "camera", silly! Turn your GPSr sideways and "look" through the "viewfinder". Or, hold it up to your ear and speak into it for a "cell phone".

 

Just be sure you don't get confused and try to find the cache using your camera as a GPSr!

[knowschad]

"i'm looking for my sunglasses" Or "I'm looking for a snake I just saw"

work OK at times.

 

I prefer "contact lens" myself. Especially when searching a rock pile with a couple of friends. Sure gets some odd looks!

[+CaptCosmic]

Dragging the 3 kids along with me can be a great distraction. If the kids are climbing on the park bench, or up a tree, who's going to notice dad rummaging around in the underbrush.

 

Just don't get out of sight of the stroller. People get real uptight about kids being left alone in strollers.

Edited July 28, 2009 by Jchaager

[+todd300]

I use a PDA along with a bluetooth GPSr (I don't have a traditional GPSr).

 

The PDA is great cover as I walk holding the PDA/GPSr in one hand and a pen in the other. I use the pen as a stylus for the PDA so that I can use it to sign the log for the cache. Saves me time having to put away the original stylus and grab my pen.

 

I was at a beach one time looking for a cache. One old lady asked me if I was an inspector working for the city. I played along and said "Yeah, I'm doing a survey on the beach. "

 

She said "Don't you need those yellow survey tools for that?"

 

(she's referring to something like this.)

 

I said "No," then hold up my PDA/GPSr) and then said "I use my GPS to take measurements."

 

She nodded and then walked away.

 

It helped to do a little improv as I didn't have the "survey" excuse lined up to begin with, but when that lady asked me that question, it just fell in my lap and I went along.

[+Chrysalides]

I recall another thread. Someone replied "looking for snakes" once, and the muggle decided to join in the hunt. They didn't find any snakes (or cache)

[+Chrysalides]

It helped to do a little improv as I didn't have the "survey" excuse lined up to begin with, but when that lady asked me that question, it just fell in my lap and I went along.

Now the lady is going to tell her friends about some city surveyor on the beach, word gets around, someone against development of the area is going to the city to complain, who'll be puzzled, but some council member hears of it, decided it's a great idea, and the next thing you know, the public beach is now a condo development.

 

See what you just did?

 

 

[+bittsen]

Heh .. I was searching a hand rail along a foot path in a local park trying to find the next waypoint in a multi. I had my mirror out and wasn't really making any effort to be stealthy. A couple of women walking a dog came by and asked me what I was doing and my reply was "I'm trying to learn what kind of spider bit my wife" (I'm not even married).

 

They left (right away), I found the waypoint, and all was good.

 

Pete

 

I almost forgot that I did the "I'm checking for invasive species" once when i was searching a bush. I figured if they asked what kind of species I would have said either "bug" or "fungus".

 

Someday these excuses will backfire though. In that case, I will just have to come clean.

[kcacher8]

I am so glad I asked that question, I have been rolling reading these cause I can just picture these situations and have been in a couple that I wish I had have already asked.

 

I have been in the pedestrian bridge one and I sure could've used some of the "official" ideas when got muggled at a stop sign cache!

[+msrubble]

Hey! Your shoe's untied! Maybe both of them.

[+Curioddity]

I almost forgot that I did the "I'm checking for invasive species" once when i was searching a bush. I figured if they asked what kind of species I would have said either "bug" or "fungus".

Guffaw! .... I keep hoping someone will ask me what I'm doing while I'm searching a bush so I can tell 'em I want to know what gender it is.

 

Pete's the name, class clown is my game.

[+bittsen]

I almost forgot that I did the "I'm checking for invasive species" once when i was searching a bush. I figured if they asked what kind of species I would have said either "bug" or "fungus".

Guffaw! .... I keep hoping someone will ask me what I'm doing while I'm searching a bush so I can tell 'em I want to know what gender it is.

 

Pete's the name, class clown is my game.

 

And when someone asks "how can you tell what gender?" you will say......"The males have penises??"

[+Chrysalides]

"i'm looking for my sunglasses" Or "I'm looking for a snake I just saw"

work OK at times.

 

I prefer "contact lens" myself. Especially when searching a rock pile with a couple of friends. Sure gets some odd looks!

Of course you get odd looks. You're wearing glasses. (referring to your avatar)