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Fantasy Caches! or Impossible places.


Guest Dwarf

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Guest Dwarf

I just want to hear ideas on the most outlandish places imaginable. For instance: The peak of Mount Everest. Why not? So many people have made it up there now it's amazing. The last expedition I heard about included a blind man (it's true! and more power to him.) National Geographic has already done an article on the subject. So come on let's hear it! Middle of the desert? Bottom of the ocean? North pole? Don't hold back, fantasize.

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Guest ErnieB

In a previous post, someone mentioned the center courtyard at the Pentagon. Last night on the Discovery Channel, they were showing a program on huge machines and buildings. They showed the courtyard and pointed out that in the very center was a 5-sided snackbar. The Soviets even had two ICBMs dedicated to this building, because they were convinced that this was where the highest level top-secret meetings took place!

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Guest quade

I'm currently working on a virtual cache idea that allows a person to absolutely prove he was at the location, but leaves no trace of the cache or or person that was there.

 

Anyone interested?

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Guest vinced

quote:
Originally posted by ErnieB:

In a previous post, someone mentioned the center courtyard at the Pentagon. Last night on the Discovery Channel, they were showing a program on huge machines and buildings. They showed the courtyard and pointed out that in the very center was a 5-sided snackbar. The Soviets even had two ICBMs dedicated to this building, because they were convinced that this was where the highest level top-secret meetings took place!


 

Having spent 8 yrs there I can almost say without a doubt that there's only refreshments on peoples minds when they go out to the Ground Zero cafe. (at least during

the summer months (-: )

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Yes Quade, I'd like to hear more. As far as the pentagon is concerned, once I learned about ".mil" adresses, I went to pentagon.mil just as a goof. When it actually came up I chickened out and didn't go any further. I was afraid I might be triggering some red flags or something! interesting fantasy choice though. LET'S HEAR MORE! Here's one.. How about placing a cache in the WHITE HOUSE! it's public property after all, but of course they'd find and destroy it within the hour and probably arrest you too. hehe.

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suggestions. How about one around the pyramids? Perhaps up near the top of the Eiffel tower, Under a rock near Stonehenge (although I don't think you'll be able to lift it), In the middle of a crop circle, Here's a really good one: Drop a cache sealed within a titanium container near the rim of an active volcanoe! Or how about one suspended by a balloon in the atmosphere. It could maintain it's position by having a built in GPS computer with thrusters built in. (This is ridiculous to say the least, but who cares, I'm just dreaming) Billionaires wanted!

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Guest makaio

There is one near the Pyramids already...

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=468

 

I suppose one could place a cache just inside the fence somewhere along the perimeter of the White House grounds. There are many spots where there are nothing but bushes behind the fence. Of course, every inch of the property is being watched on camera so I suspect the cache (and it's placer) would quickly be whisked away.

Anyone got the nerve to try it? icon_smile.gif

 

And there are some on various peaks here inthe PNW. While not currently spewing lava, these mountains are considered *active* volcanos, just in a dormant state.

 

 

[This message has been edited by makaio (edited 11 August 2001).]

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Guest makaio

There is one near the Pyramids already...

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=468

 

I suppose one could place a cache just inside the fence somewhere along the perimeter of the White House grounds. There are many spots where there are nothing but bushes behind the fence. Of course, every inch of the property is being watched on camera so I suspect the cache (and it's placer) would quickly be whisked away.

Anyone got the nerve to try it? icon_smile.gif

 

And there are some on various peaks here inthe PNW. While not currently spewing lava, these mountains are considered *active* volcanos, just in a dormant state.

 

 

[This message has been edited by makaio (edited 11 August 2001).]

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I'm not touching the white house grounds, and I would hate to be responsible for someone being made into a Pompei statue...But I wouldn't mind sticking a cache up Teddy Roosevelt's nose on Mt. Rushmore.

You know this is very close to the gigantic Sturgis biker ralley. I'll bet quite a few bikers have GPS's.

May I suggest a biker paraphenalia cache hidden near Sturgis. It could include patches, dew rags, leather goods, thongs, bike parts, etc.

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Guest Geoffrey

HOW ABOUT:

 

1) Geocache on top of a telephone pole?

 

2) A virtual Geocache at 40,000 feet on a particular flight number on Southwest Airlines, where you have to submit your GPS tracklog and waypoints?

 

3) A Lobster pot Geocache on the coast of Maine in the USA, thats tied to an anchored Buoy?

 

4) A Geocache container that is in the shape of a GPS but bigger?

 

5) Old Faithful Geocache??(you just might see the Geocache container shooting up in the air every 20 minutes)

 

6) A snake pit Geocache?

 

[This message has been edited by Geoffrey (edited 13 August 2001).]

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The way my system of virtual caches would work is the GPS coordinates would lead you to a sign.

 

That sign could be a memorial plaque, a headstone, a sign on a building. In the case of the White House it might be a "no tresspassing" sign, or at Area 51 it might be a "use of deadly force" sign. The point is, you don't have to leave anything and it's certainly not illegal to look at a sign as long as you're on the correct side of it.

 

The player then takes the first word on the sign and it's used to decrypt a message that might simply say "congratulations" or may give directions to yet another cache.

 

There are currently similar types of ideas floating around, but the ones I've seen require you to lug a computer along with you to unzip a file or something like it.

 

The type of encryption I would use is called a Vigenere Cipher also known as a Polyalphabetic Cipher.

 

If the encrypted message is short enough, say less than 500 characters, it's almost completely impossible to break this type of cipher, so that pretty much means it's almost impossible to successfully cheat.

 

You can read more about this type of cipher at; http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/cpsc/cryptography/vigenere.html

 

Quade

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Quade,

 

I've done a couple of caches similar to what you describe, where the geocacher has to visit certain locations to derive the coordinates for an actual cache. So, it is like many virtual caches that lead to a real one. Can't find the real one without visiting the virtual one.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=4294

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=5402

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Guest CaptHawke

quote:
Originally posted by Geoffrey:

[b

2) A virtual Geocache at 40,000 feet on a particular flight number on Southwest Airlines, where you have to submit your GPS tracklog and waypoints?

[/b]


 

Attach a GPS to a little kid and put him on board a Southwest Airlines flight. Then submit the tracklog after they lose him and shuttle him around the country.

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Guest FrodoBaggins

biton.


 

To bad you're in New Hampshire. There's something coming to the Midwest. Just havn't posted yet.

 

Frodo Baggins

"Not all those who wander are lost."

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Guest Count de Cache

Mt. Everest?! Airplanes?! Pikers!! Why not in orbit. There is some (remotely relevant) precedent. Amateur radio operators have built and had launched dozens of tiny "ham" satellites (called "OSCAR"), and one of the astronauts was a ham and contacted Earth hams from space. All we have to do is get an astronaut hooked on geocaching and let him release a geocache in space. (It might be a problem for geocache maintenance, but then we can probably guarantee no junking of the cache!) Of course, as with an airplane, the coordinates would be continually changing. (But,yes, GPS works in space.) Another way would be to pay the Russians to take one along with the next space tourist--they'll do anything for cash for their space program! icon_biggrin.gif

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Guest Count de Cache

Mt. Everest?! Airplanes?! Pikers!! Why not in orbit. There is some (remotely relevant) precedent. Amateur radio operators have built and had launched dozens of tiny "ham" satellites (called "OSCAR"), and one of the astronauts was a ham and contacted Earth hams from space. All we have to do is get an astronaut hooked on geocaching and let him release a geocache in space. (It might be a problem for geocache maintenance, but then we can probably guarantee no junking of the cache!) Of course, as with an airplane, the coordinates would be continually changing. (But,yes, GPS works in space.) Another way would be to pay the Russians to take one along with the next space tourist--they'll do anything for cash for their space program! icon_biggrin.gif

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Guest vinced

quote:
Originally posted by makaio:

That was me who suggested the Pentagon. I've done commercial contractor work in the outer buildings and from what I saw, there's no way in hell anyone could get to the courtyard without proper credentials (if at all).

 

I posted it as a virtual cache...

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=5505

 

 

[This message has been edited by makaio (edited 09 August 2001).]


 

makaio

 

The only problem i really see woth your idea for the virual cache is that the cafe should be closeing soon. An alternitive would be to have the finder report back something like - " What sits atop the Cafe?"

 

------------------

Vince

 

[This message has been edited by vinced (edited 14 August 2001).]

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Guest makaio

I wasn't aware that the cafe was closing. I have contacted the group which handles Pentagon tours. They've informed me that "while often discussed and viewed, the cafe is rarely visited". I'm awaiting word back on their definition of 'viewed'. I've asked for picture(s) of the strcuture for just the reason you mentioned. I'll update the cache page as soon as I hear back from them.

 

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Jeremy or one of his cohorts to approve it. Being a virtual cache, I don't see any reason it wouldn't be.

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Guest vinced

quote:
Originally posted by makaio:

I wasn't aware that the cafe was closing. I have contacted the group which handles Pentagon tours. They've informed me that "while often discussed and viewed, the cafe is rarely visited". I'm awaiting word back on their definition of 'viewed'. I've asked for picture(s) of the strcuture for just the reason you mentioned. I'll update the cache page as soon as I hear back from them.

 

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Jeremy or one of his cohorts to approve it. Being a virtual cache, I don't see any reason it wouldn't be.


 

It's not visited by the tours but is visited alot by personnel who work or have official business at the Pentagon.

 

Vince

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Guest makaio

I figured as much. When I posted the cache I assumed only military and related personnel with proper clearance could visit it and it would simply be a matter of time until one of them learned of geocaching and logged the cache.

 

If the tour allows guests to 'view' the building (either from a distance or via closed circuit cameras), then I could at least use a visual clue as a way of 'proving' they'd visited the location (even if they could only get within a few hundred yards).

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Guest makaio

After explaining my interest, the tour group was kind enough to supply me with some information which will prove whether or not someone has viewed the structure, whether from inside the courtyard or via camera. they thought the idea of geocaching was very interesting.

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Guest bob_renner

Now wait a minute here. You are requiring that someone must visit the cache in order to log a find, but you haven't visited the cache yourself and you claim ownership of the cache. I think you need to visit it yourself before it gets approved.

 

What does everyone else think? Should someone be required to actually visit the location of a virtual cache before they can "create" it?

 

Bob

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Guest Markwell

quote:
Originally posted by bob_renner:

Should someone be required to actually visit the location of a virtual cache before they can "create" it?


 

Absolutely.

 

Otherwise I could just start posting virtual caches everwhere I think is cool...

 

Mount Rushmore N43° 52.878, W103° 27.192

Mount Rainier N46° 51.540 W121° 41.754

 

...all done in less than 5 minutes with just Mapblast and a calculator.

 

I think that Ground Zero would be a GREAT cache, provided you went there and established it as a cache. If not a real cache, a virtual cache - but something that YOU have gone in and taken the readings for.

 

[This message has been edited by Markwell (edited 15 August 2001).]

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Guest makaio

Seems fair, although I don't claim ownership. Note the placed by says "U.S. Government" (vs Makaio as all my other caches do).

 

As for taking readings, They may not allow me to use the GPS while onsite (but I'll ask) and they don't bring tourists into the courtyard (so I can't get a reading at the center) but they do let them view it.

 

I'll be visiting family in VA at Thanksgiving at which time I'll take the tour and then have it approved.

 

 

[This message has been edited by makaio (edited 15 August 2001).]

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Guest ggaspari

Just a little bit off topic but not really...

 

I've come to realize that there are no caches in the Amazon Forest as of now. Actually, I will work on that. I am currently serving my country as a doctor/lieutenant in the Brazilian Army and can provide several interesting places to put a cache wether easy (eg urban perimeter of Manaos/Manaus) or rather difficult (how about inside an Army Base used mainly for instruction like Green Beret AB or Felipe Camarao AB?), and even some "touristic" ones like near Ariau Amazon Towers or in the bottom of Negro River somewhere...

 

That should be interesting... caches with mandatory yellow fever vaccine icon_smile.gif

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Guest ggaspari

Just a little bit off topic but not really...

 

I've come to realize that there are no caches in the Amazon Forest as of now. Actually, I will work on that. I am currently serving my country as a doctor/lieutenant in the Brazilian Army and can provide several interesting places to put a cache wether easy (eg urban perimeter of Manaos/Manaus) or rather difficult (how about inside an Army Base used mainly for instruction like Green Beret AB or Felipe Camarao AB?), and even some "touristic" ones like near Ariau Amazon Towers or in the bottom of Negro River somewhere...

 

That should be interesting... caches with mandatory yellow fever vaccine icon_smile.gif

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Guest Gliderguy

I am surprised no one has mentioned placing a cache in the grand ballroom of the Titanic...

 

Or how about on an iceburg with daily position and speed updates...

 

Or maybe on the Kursk? At least divers could actually reach that one.

 

Dead center of the Bermuda Triangle?

 

One I actually need to do as a virtual cache is one of the foundation survey markers for the Louisiana Purchase that sits in the state of Arkansas. It is in the middle of a swamp!

 

I have thought about turning a garden variety level 2 cache into a 5 just by placing it 70 ft up in an oak tree where you would need a rope to get to it...

 

 

[This message has been edited by Gliderguy (edited 25 August 2001).]

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Why can't you place a virtual cache someplace and have the finders e-mail you what they saw to be a certified cache find? Something in the area of "whats east of this spot?" ect.

 

------------------

The Nelsons from Colorado

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Guest T-storm

quote:
Originally posted by the nelson's:

Why can't you place a virtual cache someplace and have the finders e-mail you what they saw to be a certified cache find? Something in the area of "whats east of this spot?" ect.


 

You can! That's what I did for a cache I wanted to place in a small park with interesting activity to watch, but ill-advised for actually placing an item. As a matter of fact, finders are to stand at the coordinates, face east (according to markers at the site), and report the tallest feature seen in the distance, along with another piece of info seen at the site. Visit:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=5556

 

T-storm

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Guest dutchman12

Let's see... How about on Tom Sawyer's Island at Disneyland, the top of the Grizzly Mountain at Disney's California Adventure (which is near their 'man-made' forest hike), somewhere on the Queen Mary, the lip of a volcano in Hawaii, somewhere in a parking lot on the island of Atlantis, and someplace on that space station currently orbiting the earth (but it'll cost you 20 million to hitch a ride to find the cache).

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Guest haiwatta

quote:
Originally posted by makaio:

(about the virtual cache at the pentagon)

As for taking readings, They may not allow me to use the GPS while onsite (but I'll ask) and they don't bring tourists into the courtyard (so I can't get a reading at the center) but they do let them view it.


 

Maybe you could ask the people of the tours to take care of the log-book. And only give it to people who ask for it! It's done here in the Netherlands on a cache.

 

Arjen

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nd them.

 

Other potential spots for the adventurous would be outside a gay bar or adult bookstore. A straight guy rummaging around the grounds of a gay bar would just be hilarious especially if the cache was hidden under something so the person had to get down on all fours doggy style to find it.

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quote:
Originally posted by DaveA:

I think a cool cache idea would be a microcache hidden in front of a police station.

 

Other potential spots for the adventurous would be outside a gay bar or adult bookstore.


 

I'm hoping you keep these both "fantasy caches," if you will. Did you just get done watching the Police Academy series?

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LOL, no Jeremy I haven't seen those in years, but they were hilarious.

 

I guess you could say I am not all that interested in walking a park trail for every cache. I think there is room for other types of caches. The caches that require a person to be halfway crazy to seek them are just one of those types. Keep in mind that there is nothing illegal about seeking a cache outside a police station, it just looks very odd which is the point. I guess I am trying to think of a way to combine geocaching with a "Truth or Dare" concept.

 

In any event, I think it will be another year or two before this game attracts people who are just as disinterested in "yet another park" as I am. I am hoping for several splinters in the geocaching world where several sub types will exist.

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Guest ggaspari

quote:
Originally posted by DaveA:

I guess you could say I am not all that interested in walking a park trail for every cache. I think there is room for other types of caches. The caches that require a person to be halfway crazy to seek them are just one of those types.


 

Totally agree with you on this point. I once hid a microcache inside a wooden telephone pole. 'caching around parks and wilderness areas is cool but gets old FAST.

The beauty of microcaches is the ability to think/CREATE new spots that no one else would think of (or would?), and make it a challenge of minds instead of orientation/hiking equipment/etc.

 

BTW this is the 666th post. icon_smile.gif Weird!

 

------------------

Lieutenant Gaspari - MD

 

[This message has been edited by ggaspari (edited 05 September 2001).]

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Guest ggaspari

quote:
Originally posted by DaveA:

I guess you could say I am not all that interested in walking a park trail for every cache. I think there is room for other types of caches. The caches that require a person to be halfway crazy to seek them are just one of those types.


 

Totally agree with you on this point. I once hid a microcache inside a wooden telephone pole. 'caching around parks and wilderness areas is cool but gets old FAST.

The beauty of microcaches is the ability to think/CREATE new spots that no one else would think of (or would?), and make it a challenge of minds instead of orientation/hiking equipment/etc.

 

BTW this is the 666th post. icon_smile.gif Weird!

 

------------------

Lieutenant Gaspari - MD

 

[This message has been edited by ggaspari (edited 05 September 2001).]

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Guest geckoguy

You guys are posting fantasy caches and no one has mentioned the Playboy Mansion? What is wrong with you people?!? That is the first "Fantacy Cache" that comes to my mind! Next would probably be the locations where they shoot the "Survivor" series. And finally, on a more serious note, the ULTIMATE CACHE SITE: Usama bin Laden's hideout! Note: When looking for this site, don't forget to bring water, MREs and oh yeah - some type of thermal explosive device.

 

God Bless America

 

Geckoguy

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quote:
You guys are posting fantasy caches and no one has mentioned the Playboy Mansion?

 

What do you think would make a good cache for this? Vintage Playboys? Stuffed bunny rabbits? Bunny ears? A trip to the grotto? heh heh heh

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Guest geckoguy

quote:
Originally posted by nkdcain:

What do you think would make a good cache for this? Vintage Playboys? Stuffed bunny rabbits? Bunny ears? A trip to the grotto? heh heh heh


 

I have no idea...I am just so used to guys mentioning the mansion whenever something like this comes up and was surprised no one came up with the idea before me. BTW if you get bin Laden there is a $5 Million reward, Dead or Alive. But remember - you have to be alive to collect!

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quote:
Originally posted by Dwarf:

...Or how about one suspended by a balloon in the atmosphere. It could maintain it's position by having a built in GPS computer with thrusters built in. (This is ridiculous to say the least, but who cares, I'm just dreaming) Billionaires wanted!


 

This concept has actually been considered for use as mobile phone (GSM) base stations, so it's not so ridiculous. Solar panels on top of balloons fitted with electric motors. Apparently it will be practical when solar panel technology makes them a bit lighter.

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