Random caching game

[+terratin]

Just had this thought last night (yes, it was late): Random caching

Basically go to train station, throw a 16 side dice and go to platform corresponding to the dice number. Loop platform count if necessary. Jump on first non-international train arriving on that platform.The biggest station here as 16 platforms, hence the 16 sided dice.

Quick version: get off at next station, rinse and repeat. Go caching around 5th station, wherever it might be.

More complicated version: Throw a dice to determine the number of stations to travel / In each train throw a dice to determine the number of stops to travel.

 

This works for me because I have a card that allows me to travel on all public transport and to rent a bike at stations for free. Plus my local station is serviced both by trains that stop everywhere, but also by intercity trains. I could end up 200km away in 5 stops, or never really leave my home area.

 

I'll try this tomorrow as I need a cache for a second date loop and could not decide on where to go to for it.

Edited February 15, 2020 by terratin

[+HunterandSamuel]

1 hour ago, terratin said:

Just had this thought last night (yes, it was late): Random caching

Basically go to train station, throw a 16 side dice and go to platform corresponding to the dice number. Loop platform count if necessary. Jump on first non-international train arriving on that platform.The biggest station here as 16 platforms, hence the 16 sided dice.

Quick version: get off at next station, rinse and repeat. Go caching around 5th station, wherever it might be.

More complicated version: Throw a dice to determine the number of stations to travel / In each train throw a dice to determine the number of stops to travel.

 

This works for me because I have a card that allows me to travel on all public transport and to rent a bike at stations for free. Plus my local station is serviced both by trains that stop everywhere, but also by intercity trains. I could end up 200km away in 5 stops, or never really leave my home area.

 

I'll try this tomorrow as I need a cache for a second date loop and could not decide on where to go to for it.

 

 

This is so cool! This would have been easy for me to do too when we lived in NY and used the subways. 

 

[+terratin]

14 minutes ago, HunterandSamuel said:

 

 

This is so cool! This would have been easy for me to do too when we lived in NY and used the subways. 

 

 

Oh yes, I see this working in a megacity as well!

[+cerberus1]

Sounds like fun.       Public transit (and delis) probably the only things I miss about living in urban areas.

We don't have train travel here  (they're being turned into trails :-), and bus stops are many miles away from state parks/game lands.

When the other 2/3rds cached, a coin-flip or roll of the dice would have worked.  I look for green areas on the map now.

[+K13]

Hmmm. In my area, I would only need a coin to flip to decide which direction to travel down my road.

[+terratin]

Wanted to try this today, but decided to stay home as the weather is really, really rubbish today and I have a cold or pollen allergy flareup. Or both. Next weekend then

[+NYPaddleCacher]

On 2/15/2020 at 7:53 AM, HunterandSamuel said:

This works for me because I have a card that allows me to travel on all public transport and to rent a bike at stations for free.

 

Several years ago my niece did an internship for a rail passenger advocacy organization.  Over the summer she took her bike on the train then traveled for a month, stopping in about 35 cities.  She connected with local transportation, and met with city transportation planners and other local transportation and bicycle groups.  This was not in Europe.  She started in Washington, DC and went to California and back to DC.  Not exactly the random geocaching game Terratin describes but it kind of demonstrates the viability of geocaching using the train and a bicycle, even in the U.S. 

[+thebruce0]

We have someone who hosts a yearly "subway cache and dash" in Toronto. While it's not random, there's a list of target caches and the group hops on and off the subway at various locations to pick up what we can before moving to the next. It's pretty fun (and a long day on feet :))

[+terratin]

3 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

We have someone who hosts a yearly "subway cache and dash" in Toronto. While it's not random, there's a list of target caches and the group hops on and off the subway at various locations to pick up what we can before moving to the next. It's pretty fun (and a long day on feet :))

 

Wow, sounds cool!

 

Weather seems to be rubbish again this coming weekend, but at least I feel better. Thus lets see if I manage to end up somewhere random

[+ecanderson]

Shame Douglas Adams isn't around to provide additional clues about the fabrication of his Improbability Drive.  That would come in handy for this style of caching.

I've always incorrectely re-summarized its operating principle as follows: 

 

Given the infinite number of options, the odds at any given moment of you being at any particular place in the universe are so slim that you're much more likely to be somewhere else, and so you are.  Navigation, on the other hand, is a bit sketchy.

 

[+thebruce0]

Funnily enough, that's supported by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle

 

ETA: Also, <3 Douglas

Edited February 20, 2020 by thebruce0

[+ras_oscar]

Interesting Idea, I hope you have a good time. For me, half the fun is in siting down with the map and planning my upcoming caching trip. I have preloaded the 1000 caches nearest my home coordinates and that my search zone. I presently have about a dozen trips sitting on 3x5 index cards in my caching bag, ready to go.

[+terratin]

15 minutes ago, ras_oscar said:

Interesting Idea, I hope you have a good time. For me, half the fun is in siting down with the map and planning my upcoming caching trip. I have preloaded the 1000 caches nearest my home coordinates and that my search zone. I presently have about a dozen trips sitting on 3x5 index cards in my caching bag, ready to go.

 

For me it's to keep things somewhat interesting during the winter, which this year means pretty much endless rain. There's not really much interesting nature to go to (well, actually... if the weather was at least dry there are some half interesting things nearby), thus a random town/village visit doesn't sound too bad. 

[+HunterandSamuel]

On 2/19/2020 at 10:18 AM, thebruce0 said:

We have someone who hosts a yearly "subway cache and dash" in Toronto. While it's not random, there's a list of target caches and the group hops on and off the subway at various locations to pick up what we can before moving to the next. It's pretty fun (and a long day on feet :))

I love that! So cool! 

[+terratin]

Forgot to post, but I did this last weekend. Not a long one as I wasn't feeling too well. I ended up in a small walled city not far from here and went to two museums, walked around a bit and also found three caches. Ok, I was not prepared with regards to multies and mysteries, of which there are many here, but it was a lot of fun. Just needs a bit of fine-tuning as there's a risk of ending up flopping between two small stations with just one train line

[+DreamMachine74]

On 2/19/2020 at 10:18 AM, thebruce0 said:

We have someone who hosts a yearly "subway cache and dash" in Toronto. While it's not random, there's a list of target caches and the group hops on and off the subway at various locations to pick up what we can before moving to the next. It's pretty fun (and a long day on feet :))

Too bad it seems it wont be happening this year.