First Hidden Cache

[RobsKids]

My girls and I are about to hide our first Cache...

 

This is going to be a Medium sized EASY find cache on a gravel road in the proximity of 2 other caches (1/4 mile radius)

 

It will be located right off the road. Its our first cache and the girls think it'll be cool to have a lot of people find it.

 

This is what is going into our First Cache: (2) elongated coins from Oregon State, A sea Shell, Kiss me I'm Irish light up Button, (2) WheresGeorge information cards, Freedom isn't Free Sticker, A pencil, Pen and a Homemade Log book of a couple index cards stapled together.

 

 

My girls want to put more into the container, but I think this is good enough for a starter.. what do you THINK ??

 

The FTF gets a Wheresgeorge stamped dollar if he/she chooses, and a lame WTG hand written card..

 

Cache is scheduled to be placed this weekend...

[TRBof4]

I actually havent been doing this long myself but I do love the crushed pennies! That would be an excellent find. We have a "treasure hest" of smaller trinkets we exchange for if there are any, they go into a tiny "treasure chest" the whole family enjoys. Though it would have been enough for us just to have the cache, everything else seems to be icing on the cake!

[+L0ne.R]

My girls and I are about to hide our first Cache...

 

This is going to be a Medium sized EASY find cache on a gravel road in the proximity of 2 other caches (1/4 mile radius)

 

It will be located right off the road. Its our first cache and the girls think it'll be cool to have a lot of people find it.

 

This is what is going into our First Cache: (2) elongated coins from Oregon State, A sea Shell, Kiss me I'm Irish light up Button, (2) WheresGeorge information cards, Freedom isn't Free Sticker, A pencil, Pen and a Homemade Log book of a couple index cards stapled together.

 

 

My girls want to put more into the container, but I think this is good enough for a starter.. what do you THINK ??

 

The FTF gets a Wheresgeorge stamped dollar if he/she chooses, and a lame WTG hand written card..

 

Cache is scheduled to be placed this weekend...

 

Looks fine (I too like squished pennies). I would add more index cards though. Two index cards will fill up quickly. You might even want to consider a small spiral notebook - you can get 4 for $1 at the dollar store.

[+9Key]

I agree with the guy above me, go for a notebook. Put it in a good quality plastic baggy too.

 

You should always include a stash note with your caches too - there are many of them on this page for you print out >> http://www.geocaching.com/seek/

 

Good luck!

 

Post the url to the cache here once it's published, I'd like to watch it and see how it does.

[RobsKids]

Looks fine (I too like squished pennies). I would add more index cards though. Two index cards will fill up quickly. You might even want to consider a small spiral notebook - you can get 4 for $1 at the dollar store.

 

This cache is about 4 miles from Home and my Girls 8 and 9 will want to check on it Often I am sure.

 

I have a nice elongated penny collection ( old obsession ) with many repeats and extras. MisRolls etc etc so we might be adding elongated in the caches we find..

 

My container is 5"Wx 4"Hx 2"D made of metal ( its an old electro-sol container ) and should be rain proof, and i am hoping moisture proof.. as long as people close the lid all the way...

 

I replaced the index card Notebook with a Full spiral ring notebook... there is about 250 pages there so I hope a lot of people enjoy this Cache.. Everything was put into a Ziplock baggie excpet the pencils (3) and the sea shell.

Edited July 30, 2009 by RobsKids

[+9Key]

This cache is about 4 miles from Home and my Girls 8 and 9 will want to check on it Often I am sure.

 

I have a nice elongated penny collection ( old obsession ) with many repeats and extras. MisRolls etc etc so we might be adding elongated in the caches we find..

 

My container is 5"Wx 4"Hx 2"D made of metal and should be rain proof, and i am hoping moisture proof.. as long as people close the lid all the way...

 

I was thinking of putting log book, and small items in ziplock baggy.... I will get a small notebook to add also..

Is it a metal tin like the kind cookies come in? If so, they don't make very good cache containers. They rust and are not waterproof. Try a "lock-n-lock" type plastic container instead. They are cheap ($4 or so at Wal-Mart in the housewares section) and will be much better in the long run.

[+racingmissy]

They have those Lock-n-Lock containers at the dollar store also.

[+L0ne.R]

Looks fine (I too like squished pennies). I would add more index cards though. Two index cards will fill up quickly. You might even want to consider a small spiral notebook - you can get 4 for $1 at the dollar store.

 

My container is 5"Wx 4"Hx 2"D made of metal ( its an old electro-sol container ) and should be rain proof, and i am hoping moisture proof.. as long as people close the lid all the way...

 

Oooo, electrosol tin. It's going to rust up fast - expect to replace it every couple of months. Some people place tin containers in a plastic shopping bag or ziploc bag thinking that the bag will protect the tin. don't do that. The outer bag will be full of holes in about a week. Plus it will retain moisture and speed up the rusting process.

 

Take the water test. Fill your sink or a bucket with water. Dunk the container under water and hold it under for a few minutes. When you take it out see if water seeped into the interior of the container.

Edited July 30, 2009 by Lone R

[+L0ne.R]

I replaced the index card Notebook with a Full spiral ring notebook... there is about 250 pages there so I hope a lot of people enjoy this Cache.. Everything was put into a Ziplock baggie excpet the pencils (3) and the sea shell.

[+Harry Dolphin]

They have those Lock-n-Lock containers at the dollar store also.

 

EEK! No. The imitations in the Dollar Store are NOT Lock and Locks. They are cheap imitations that will not survive! Go for a real Lock and Lock. Available in my supermarket.

[+L0ne.R]

They have those Lock-n-Lock containers at the dollar store also.

 

EEK! No. The imitations in the Dollar Store are NOT Lock and Locks. They are cheap imitations that will not survive! Go for a real Lock and Lock. Available in my supermarket.

 

I agree. Almost all of the dollar store "lock & locks" I've found while geocaching have one or more tab(s) broken off. Resulting in a damp or wet interior. Get the real thing if you can, it'll last for years. The best "free" container I've seen are plastic peanut butter or mayonnaise jars - wash them very well so there's no odor left. Note that your using a peanut butter jar in the description so people with severe peanut allergies can take precautions. Food thermoses (with a wide mouth) are good too - you might be able to find a used one at a thrift store for a buck.

[RobsKids]

We placed our First cache today. Its a Plastic seal able container. With a Hefty zipper bag inside holding the notebook and small swag.

 

I'll post page when its published...

Edited August 2, 2009 by RobsKids

[+paleolith]

OK, I see you've place it, but ...

 

Think harder about the placement than about the contents. This is the biggest issue with placing caches with kids. I'm all in favor of involving kids, but the adult needs to make sure the hide is secure. Kids will be very disappointed if their cache gets destroyed or goes missing in the first few days.

 

Since you mentioned placing a wheresgeorge-stamped bill, please read the geocaching info on the wheresgeorge web site. Note in particular that once a bill is tagged as having been found in a geocache, it is removed from all reports. They've actually toned this down a lot from what they had posted a year or two ago. Since their aim is the track the "natural and geographic circulation of currency", putting bills in geocaching messes up what they are trying to do. I wouldn't say it's as bad as stealing geocaches, but it's along the same line in that it makes the bill unusable for their purposes.

 

Edward

[RobsKids]

~edited for bad spelling and grammer mistakes~

 

Our GeoCahe was published this afetrnoon here is the link: A fishing we could Go The cache should be secure where its located. and it should stay relatively dry.

 

WheresGeoreg ""Rule #3 Usage of Bills in Geocaches

Only real, actual U.S. dollar bills can be used as Travel Bugs in Geocaches if they are to be logged on this site. Photocopies or other duplicates of bills will not be allowed and any instances of this will be deleted and blocked from entry. Once any bill has been found in a Geocache, it is marked as such on this site and is removed from the summarizations and other Top 10 reports found on this site. Once a bill is tagged as a "Geocache Bill", it will not be untagged as such, even if it is returned to normal circulation. """

 

I can live with this.

 

Natural Circulation is discussed and debated every day on the WheresGeorge forums..

 

If this Cache disappears we will look for a better hiding spot but I think we will be ok where we are at..

 

The next Cache will be harder to find.. We are already making a Film Container Cache that will be placed off the ground. Just don't have a location Yet..... I am prefering the back roads of Indiana to start with as WE are still learning how to use our GPS and don't want to be drawing attention of Inner city Mugglers....

 

OK, I see you've place it, but ...

 

Think harder about the placement than about the contents. This is the biggest issue with placing caches with kids. I'm all in favor of involving kids, but the adult needs to make sure the hide is secure. Kids will be very disappointed if their cache gets destroyed or goes missing in the first few days.

 

Since you mentioned placing a wheresgeorge-stamped bill, please read the geocaching info on the wheresgeorge web site. Note in particular that once a bill is tagged as having been found in a geocache, it is removed from all reports. They've actually toned this down a lot from what they had posted a year or two ago. Since their aim is the track the "natural and geographic circulation of currency", putting bills in geocaching messes up what they are trying to do. I wouldn't say it's as bad as stealing geocaches, but it's along the same line in that it makes the bill unusable for their purposes.

 

Edward

Edited August 4, 2009 by RobsKids

[Clan Riffster]

We are already making a Film Container Cache that will be placed off the ground.

If you must use a film can, (the poster child of lame containers), please consider using the semi clear ones whose lid pops down inside the body. These are actually pretty darn good containers for most environments. The black & grey film cans, on the other hand, are crappy just about anywhere on the planet. Good luck & have fun!

[+DragonsWest]

I imagine it's like being a parent all over again.

 

You send your little cache out into the world and hope for the best everything turns out well, you've done all you can and you can check in on it from time to time, but you wish it would be logged more often so you know how it's doing.

 

In my zeal to place my first cache I plunked it in the wilderness and it has been visited 24 times in 6 years. Nice to hear from it, now and then, but it's such a rare event. I've planted a few more and have intentions to place perhaps another 3-4 before I resist the urge to place more.

 

A couple of recent placements (last two months) have nearly equaled the visits of that first one. I still love it, though, because it's my first cache. I'm an immensely proud papa.

[+Knight2000]

If you don't think it will get muggled fill that dude full. We put out ammo cans and we pack those babies up. Everyone loves a cache that filled with [dry, clean] stuff.

[+L0ne.R]

We are already making a Film Container Cache that will be placed off the ground.

If you must use a film can, (the poster child of lame containers), please consider using the semi clear ones whose lid pops down inside the body. These are actually pretty darn good containers for most environments. The black & grey film cans, on the other hand, are crappy just about anywhere on the planet. Good luck & have fun!

 

Cliff Riffster is right, a film canister really is an unsatisfactory container. It's also an unsatisfactory find.

Micros, ideally, should be used where a regular container would not be practical but you still want people to see a unique or scenic location.

[+hudsonfam]

Cliff Riffster is right, a film canister really is an unsatisfactory container. It's also an unsatisfactory find.

Micros, ideally, should be used where a regular container would not be practical but you still want people to see a unique or scenic location.

 

I agree and disagree at the same time. As a new geocacher, I like the micros (no matter where they are, even the payphone ones) and consider them "practice" for the harder finds once we're more experienced.

 

And, while I'm not one of those that is focused on the numbers, there are many who are. Since there are so many geocachers now with different levels of physical ability and a wide range of personal objectives as to why they are geocaching in the first place, all caches serve a purpose to someone. Since most of them are clearly marked that they are micros and/or that they are in an urban area, then those not wishing to find that kind of cache can simply ignore them.

 

I have noticed a few teams in my area have set personal challenges for themselves such as finding 100 caches in 24 hours. I would imagine that would be very exciting just to reach the number goal and still quite a feat even if a number of those caches were relatively simple micros.

 

JMHO, of course. I realize I'm just a tadpole in a big lake

[Clan Riffster]

all caches serve a purpose to someone

Lots of wisdom there!

To clarify my earlier rant:

Assume a cacher decides to place a micro in the shrubbery of a Burger King.

The hider has a choice on what kind of container they use.

If they choose a black & grey film can, they are intentionally selecting a crappy container.

They could hide a quality micro container in the same spot, with the same write up, and not subject the finders to soggy logs.

Black & grey film cans are not the crappiest micro containers in the world, but they are close.

Why anyone would deliberately place a container like that is beyond me.

It can't be because it's all about the numbers. A quality micro container earns the same number of smileys per find as a crappy one.

It can't be cost. A quality container runs anywhere from free to $0.88.

In my eyes, it comes down to either ignorance or apathy.

[+hudsonfam]

all caches serve a purpose to someone

Lots of wisdom there!

To clarify my earlier rant:

Assume a cacher decides to place a micro in the shrubbery of a Burger King.

The hider has a choice on what kind of container they use.

If they choose a black & grey film can, they are intentionally selecting a crappy container.

They could hide a quality micro container in the same spot, with the same write up, and not subject the finders to soggy logs.

Black & grey film cans are not the crappiest micro containers in the world, but they are close.

Why anyone would deliberately place a container like that is beyond me.

It can't be because it's all about the numbers. A quality micro container earns the same number of smileys per find as a crappy one.

It can't be cost. A quality container runs anywhere from free to $0.88.

In my eyes, it comes down to either ignorance or apathy.

 

And that's the part I was agreeing with because I hate finding soggy logs and you're absolutely right that there's little to no difference in cost or time spent between a reliable container and an unreliable one. I, however, wouldn't have known about the b&g vs. clear container difference, so I appreciate the heads up on that. I consider myself educated.