Game piece gone due to road construction

[IDOT1]

Hey guys. I work for IL DOT and we're working on some bridges on US 20 between Galena and East Dubuque. We found this "Game Piece #18" behind a guardrail that's getting ripped out. I wasn't sure where to post this. As of 5/01/13, it isn't there anymore. We wanted to let people know as a courtesy so people won't be wandering around there looking for it.

 

Also want to add that this is a poor location to place these due to safety. The shoulder is not somewhere you want to be hanging out unless you have to. This location is a four lane freeway and is on a curve. People are going 70 mph out there. There has to be better places to put these.

The pill bottle the paper was in has a hole in it and moisture got on the paper but it's still ok. There are many dates and signatures on it. If somebody wants this, it's available for pickup for a while in Galena,IL. Let me know here if you want it.

[+Chief301]

I've checked out the route of I-20 from East Dubuque and Galena and I don't see any cache by that name. Is there any other info on the log sheet? A code number starting with "GC", or the owners name perhaps? Rough GPS coordinates or even the name of someone who logged it recently might help.

 

And for the record, there's a fairly large percentage of the caching community who would agree with you...a freeway guard rail is a lousy place for a cache (for aesthetic as well as safety reasons). Some folks still put them out there, though....

[+kunarion]

I've checked out the route of I-20 from East Dubuque and Galena and I don't see any cache by that name. Is there any other info on the log sheet? A code number starting with "GC", or the owners name perhaps? Rough GPS coordinates or even the name of someone who logged it recently might help.

Even knowing who the previous finders were, may help. I was guessing with a name like "Game Piece #18", it was something like a Multi. Otherwise, a cache called "Game Piece" that is a wet-log pill bottle in a guard rail? I mean, Duuude, that pretty much achieves Geocaching Nirvana!

[+markcase]

Moving this topic to the Midwest Forum.

 

Mark Case

Education Forum Moderator

[IDOT1]

All that was in the pill bottle was a long strip of paper full of names and dates. It was full on both sides. Somebody apparently tore off a new strip of paper and left it in there to start a new one.

 

It's been fairly active recently. People have been showing up to sign it 5 to 7 times a month. There was another one left down the road at one of the bridges we did last year too. Our consultants have spotted people out wandering around looking for them on several occasions. Does anybody think the original owner can be contacted? Does anybody think somebody will want the thing?

 

Today's Saturday and I'm at home. I'm not sure if I'll be going to that office Monday or not. If I do I can post a few usernames off of it when I'm there.

[+fbingha]

It is highly doubtful that the owner will want the container. Cache owners generally don't hide pill bottles if they are of the mindset that the container is important.

 

If you post the latest names and dates, then the cache can be found online, and if still active, can be archived.

[+kunarion]

Does anybody think the original owner can be contacted?

It's possible. Most likely, people will be seen wandering farther for a while, then when enough "Did Not Find" or "Needs Maintenance" logs occur, you'll stop seeing people drop by. If it's clear on the cache page (or satellite photo) that it's on a guard rail, and new construction causes no guard rail, that cache might even be archived. If this info were on the specific cache page, things would happen faster.

[+CYBret]

I'm guessing it was probably this cache: http://coord.info/GC3D9R2

[IDOT1]

Here are the latest names. Some are not legible:

 

6/27/12 JDLC1936

8/11/12 Team Heilay?

9/3/12 Kampling

10/4/12 JMDAY

10/28/12 THC

11/18/12 CAVICLAN

 

Hope that helps. If somebody sees this and wants it, you can call my cell at 815-677-2756 to arrange for pickup. We are in the Galena to E.Dubuque.

Edited May 8, 2013 by IDOT1

[+dprovan]

I'm guessing it was probably this cache: http://coord.info/GC3D9R2

Here are the latest names. Some are not legible:

 

6/27/12 JDLC1936

8/11/12 Team Heilay?

9/3/12 Kampling

10/4/12 JMDAY

10/28/12 THC

11/18/12 CAVICLAN

 

Hope that helps. If somebody sees this and wants it, you can call my cell at 815-677-2756 to arrange for pickup. We are in the Galena to E.Dubuque.

These names confirm CYBret's guess of (18 of) 29 for 29. That cache was archived by the owner -- i.e., abandoned -- last November, so you've just found the trash the cache owner shouldn't have left behind. You can throw it out.

 

Unfortunately, this suggests that there are 28 other pieces of trash he left out there along that highway hidden in exactly the same way. The good news is that they've all been archived, so at least no one will be stopping in dangerous places to look for them.

 

But thank you so much for thinking about us and trying to locate the owner. I think it's so cool when DOTs support the game. I hope your comment -- and any future comments? -- about poor cache placements are heard and followed, although in this case it sounds like most of us reading this forum would have already thought that was a stupid place to hide a cache.

[IDOT1]

Great. Thanks for the update dprovan. That's good to know. It really just comes down to the individual people at the site for anything to be reported. A few people here had some concern. I didn't want people to have to show up on a wild goose chase either. What I'm saying is this is a rare instance of notification. Most jobs it would've been left, destroyed and nobody would have known or said anything about it. Another reason why the highways aren't the greatest place to stash them.

 

Thanks guys.

[+dprovan]

Understood. It's the individual effort that I appreciate.