+Team Tecmage Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Hi All, Tracy and I have gotten active hunting Iowa caches again, but this time, it's the last. I have two job offers at universities outside the state, and accepting either offer means we leaving soon (before Labor Day). We have really, really enjoyed Geocaching and the people we have met along the way. To celebrate our time in Iowa, we have started the Iowa Farewell Geocaching Tour- trying to find as many Iowa caches as possible before we leave. If you read any of our logs, you might see something about "The Tour". Richard and Tracy Team Tecmage Quote Link to comment
+welch Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Team Tecmage (R&T):To celebrate our time in Iowa, we have started the Iowa Farewell Geocaching Tour- trying to find as many Iowa caches as possible before we leave. If you read any of our logs, you might see something about "The Tour". Richard and Tracy Team Tecmage So If everyone hides some new caches, you'll have to stay longer? Quote Link to comment
+spinwebby Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Will you allow us to picnic with you before you go? It'd be great to see you once more, and I'm sure there are others who'd like to meet you. I'd like to catch up on your news, too. Do you have a "mini me" geocacher now or that still to come? We wish you all the best regardless! SpinWebby www.gpgeocaching.com Quote Link to comment
+Team Tecmage Posted May 29, 2003 Author Share Posted May 29, 2003 One more picnic? Sure! Tracy's due date is early September. The timing is going to be very tight, because of our move, starting a new job, etc. Quote Link to comment
+WindChill Posted June 1, 2003 Share Posted June 1, 2003 Congrats on all accounts. Ive never met you but have enjoyed reading your logs, both in the field and on line. Can you tell us what area is going to gain a good cachin' team? ------------------------------------------------ The world is a playground. Go outside and play! ------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment
+welch Posted June 1, 2003 Share Posted June 1, 2003 WindChill, I think they may heading out to whoop on all those NYC/NJ cachers. Look out all you east coasters! Quote Link to comment
+Team Tecmage Posted June 2, 2003 Author Share Posted June 2, 2003 Good Markwelling Welch (and thanks)! We're still not sure. I have two offers- one in Northwest Indiana, and the other in NYC. Once we make the final decision, I will give details. NW Indiana would still allow us some weekend runs to Iowa, and very quick trips to Chicago. NYC means we'll be working on caches in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Quote Link to comment
+Team Red Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Hi, We are quite new to this but have already become addicts. Would you please share your top 10 favorite caches in Iowa. Thanks, Quote Link to comment
+Team Tecmage Posted June 25, 2003 Author Share Posted June 25, 2003 This is my personal list- Tracy might have some others. River Valley Run Caches 1 & 2, Criss-cross Cache, Crosstown Crossword Cache, It's Greek to Me, Gotta Find a Date, Bluebird Cache, ODDities at the TGC, Lime Creek Loot, and Hitch Cache Quote Link to comment
+Team Red Posted June 29, 2003 Share Posted June 29, 2003 Thanks, I plan to do the new oddities one this week. Best Wishes as you embark on a new adventure. Kathy Quote Link to comment
skipperandthecastaways Posted June 29, 2003 Share Posted June 29, 2003 Well if you come to North western Indiana, we would welcome a new geocaching team!!!!!! Let us know ! Quote Link to comment
+kbraband Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Best wishes from another former Iowan. It's been nice to email with you on a few occasions over the past couple of years and read many of your logs. It was also good to meet you at the 2002 Cache Bash in Des Moines. Good luck wherever you end up. Stay in touch! ~ken Quote Link to comment
+Team Tecmage Posted July 9, 2003 Author Share Posted July 9, 2003 Hi Ken, Thanks for the kind words. We're moving to Valparaiso, IN- a little closer to WI for us. Quote Link to comment
Aladin Sane Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 I spent two years in Valpo before moving home to Iowa. We found Valpo to be a pleasent little town. I hope you enjoy it. I had been out of the state for 17 years, and never thought I would return to live in Iowa. Then, as my daughter approached school age, the draw of family made me look back home. I wanted my daughter to see her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins more than once or twice a year. Good luck with the relocation Aladin Sane Quote Link to comment
D. B. Cooper Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 I think the following is of interest to all who are involved in geocaching in Iowa. After 2 caches we hid in the Iowa Great Lakes region disappeared, and being told that DNR employees were watching the last people to find my Pikes Point cache, I started looking into the possibility that the DNR employees were taking them. I just received a faxed copy of the Iowa DNR's "Geocaching in Iowa State Parks Interim Guidelines" document. The DNR intends to require permits for caches and limit the number in each park. I quote from the document - "Until we have a chance to determine the proper number, you should not allow more than 2 in parks under 1,000 acres." "If a non-permitted cache is located, the manager or ranger is to remove the cache, retain in at the park office for 30 days and, if possible, notify the owner of the removal." "Multi-caches will not be permitted in the interim period, but may be allowed in the final policy." I am waiting for a return call to find out if my cache at Pikes Point and my son's "Cross Country Memories" cache on the nature trail across from Gull Point State Park were confiscated by the DNR. Please pass this information on. It appears that the DNR is forgetting who owns State land and attempting to control and curtail a harmless hobby that is beneficial for mind and body. D. B. Cooper Spirit Lake, IA Quote Link to comment
+kbraband Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Thanks for the heads up on this. Yesterday I archived my Grandpa Kettleson's Farm cache in the Okoboji area because the past few posts were no-finds. Maybe this explains why. I'm going to try to contact the park manager to se if they have my cache. Quote Link to comment
D. B. Cooper Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 So far the DNR has not determined if any of their employees took our 2 caches. I did e-mail my state senator and representative as well as the governor my feelings on this matter. I am sure the DNR will never have time to deal with the permit process so all of the land owned by the citizens of Iowa will be off limits for geocaching. Quote Link to comment
+Team Tecmage Posted July 17, 2003 Author Share Posted July 17, 2003 DBC, The DNR has the authority to set rules for land use in the parks they steward. Story County has established the SAME policy. One of their employees is a Geocacher, and it sounds like the DNR is adopting a similar policy. Having read the draft, it sounds like a very good policy that will allow Geocaching with a permit. Yes, the people of Iowa own the land, but someone has to manage it. If the policy allows for local DNR folks to approve, then it should not be a big deal. At least they did not adopt the Minnesota Policy- No Geocaches on State Lands! Quote Link to comment
D. B. Cooper Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 I agree with you in theory. Reality is different. The permit policy is already in effect. When I asked if that information is going out the the public, no one knew. In fact, one local DNR employee who is a geocacher was not aware of the policy. The interim policy says the placer of the geocache should get general guidelines from the ranger or manager, decide where to place the geocache and confirm with the ranger or manager the exact location. I believe this, along with the limit of 2 in parks under 1,000 acres will effectively mean no geocaching on State lands. I have lived in the Iowa Great Lakes for 25 years and I am not sure how to find a ranger for all of the DNR land and if I did find one it would be unlikely he would have the permits with him or know if 2 caches were already in the park. One DNR office up here does not even know who is in charge of particular areas. The guidelines instruct the DNR to notify the owner, if possible, when they take a non-permitted cache. It is always possible through the website, but our local people haven't even been there. They are trying to determine if a DNR employee took the 2 we have missing, but apparently there is not a central place to store them for the required 30 days. The interim guidelines state, "Most geocachers are families (kids like treasure hunts) or young people (age 20-30, both male and female) who are technology oriented. These types of users appear to pose little threat in terms of potential for vandalism or other destructive actions." If I was in charge of this policy, the statement following the above would read - Due to these facts, at this time we have decided no control or restrictions need to be placed on geocaching. All areas of the government are way to big and I don't believe our founding fathers ever anticipated there would be need for laws governing the placing of small plastic boxes containing trinkets on public property. Quote Link to comment
+Squeamish Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by D. B. Cooper: All areas of the government are way to big and I don't believe our founding fathers ever anticipated there would be need for laws governing the placing of small plastic boxes containing trinkets on public property. I rarely stop by the forums, and this is the first I've heard of cache placement policies in Iowa, but I'd have to say that I agree completely with this statement. I, for one, and probably many other cachers as well, would get discouraged and not want to take the time and effort to follow a policy such as that described above to place a cache on state land. Therefore, many fewer caches will be placed on state land. It seems like if the government wants to stop an activity, and doesn't want to alienate people by outlawing it, they just regulate it into oblivion. I fear that this could be happening both to IA caches and to geocaching in general. Since Great Plains Geocaching is working with them, that's a good sign. I just placed a seed cache "Squeamish 1000," where other geocachers will hide seeds in challenging locations which I will find for my 1000th find. Fortunately, the parent cache is not on state land. On a brighter note, thanks and congratulations to Team Tecmage on all their finds and hides in Iowa! I've enjoyed finding their caches, and hope that they've enjoyed finding my multis in the Ames area. Good luck in future geocaching! Quote Link to comment
+Squeamish Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by D. B. Cooper: All areas of the government are way to big and I don't believe our founding fathers ever anticipated there would be need for laws governing the placing of small plastic boxes containing trinkets on public property. I rarely stop by the forums, and this is the first I've heard of cache placement policies in Iowa, but I'd have to say that I agree completely with this statement. I, for one, and probably many other cachers as well, would get discouraged and not want to take the time and effort to follow a policy such as that described above to place a cache on state land. Therefore, many fewer caches will be placed on state land. It seems like if the government wants to stop an activity, and doesn't want to alienate people by outlawing it, they just regulate it into oblivion. I fear that this could be happening both to IA caches and to geocaching in general. Since Great Plains Geocaching is working with them, that's a good sign. I just placed a seed cache "Squeamish 1000," where other geocachers will hide seeds in challenging locations which I will find for my 1000th find. Fortunately, the parent cache is not on state land. On a brighter note, thanks and congratulations to Team Tecmage on all their finds and hides in Iowa! I've enjoyed finding their caches, and hope that they've enjoyed finding my multis in the Ames area. Good luck in future geocaching! Quote Link to comment
+Squeamish Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 Sorry about the repeat post. The browsers were acting funny. I tried to delete it but got the message "This forum does not allow posts to be deleted." Quote Link to comment
+welch Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Squeamish:I rarely stop by the forums, and this is the first I've heard of cache placement policies in Iowa, but I'd have to say that I agree completely with this statement. I, for one, and probably many other cachers as well, would get discouraged and not want to take the time and effort to follow a policy such as that described above to place a cache on state land. Therefore, many fewer caches will be placed on state land. First, I agree that following a policy is a hassle, especially multi step ones. However, dealing with a policy is not the end of the world . The alternative in most places would be caching becoming disallowed . It would be nice if all the policy that was ever needed was "place whereever, have fun, but don't destroy anything". Reality is, thats not going to be the policy. Second, a more permanent policy hasn't been finalized or distributed, so try not to get worked up about the... *unknown*. And fianlly, I hope all of Team Tecmage are doing well in Valparaiso --------------------------------------------------- "You see, if a group is going to represent people, it needs to be in touch with those people." -Frolickin Quote Link to comment
+Team Tecmage Posted November 23, 2003 Author Share Posted November 23, 2003 And fianlly, I hope all of Team Tecmage are doing well in Valparaiso Hi, We are doing very well. Solana has added a difficulty of about 9 stars to everyday activities, but we would not trade her for anything. She has been on a few short Geocaching adventures, and a few trips to Chicago! We will be back in Iowa sometime in December or January, and again in late Febraury (hopefully) for my dissertation defense. Quote Link to comment
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