Chase Day Diversions - Geocaching

[JR Hehnly]

I was wondering how many of you have gotten into geocaching.
For those that have never heard of it, it's a 'sport' where people hide something somewhere in the world and then post it's GPS coordinates at

http://www.geocaching.com

You enter it into your GPS and go track it down. Usually the caches are hidden so you have to do some hunting once you get to the right spot.
Inside a cache there's usually a log book to sign and often there are trinkets that you can trade with something you have brought. Some geocaches are just points of interest that you may have missed otherwise.

I have not ever done any searching while out waiting for storms to initialize, but have found a few during the off season. This year I'd like to try and find some while out in other parts of the plains.

If you have found any, post your recommendations or ones to avoid.

I made a Garmin Mapsource file of the 350 or so caches within 100 miles of my house if anyone wants an easy way to get started in Oklahoma (provided you have the Mapsource software). It's at:

http://www.okstorms.com/bin/geocaches.mps

 

[Tim Stoecklein]

When I first got my GPS, I learned about geocache and it was a great way to familiarize myself with the GPS. It was pretty slow going at first, but it can be alot of fun. I haven't done much of it, but I would suggest it to someone who likes to get outdoors and wonder around.

I don't have any suggestions, but I don't imagine you'll be chasing up here in Michigan anyway :wink:

Tim

 

[Tim Vasquez]

I planted a number of geocaches across the southwest in early 2001. Their fate has been somewhat interesting. The one near Matador TX was uprooted by road construction; the one at the SE corner of New Mexico was lost in drifting sand; and the one in Big Bend had to be delisted since it was in a national park (none of that kind of hanky panky allowed); the one at the Del Rio radar site disappeared; and the one at Cedar City Utah disappeared when the road was fenced off from rangeland.

The only one still remaining is at the Pecos River Bridge east of Sanderson TX. That may be because it's the only cache that's not near a major road. But it's been there three years -- not bad!
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ls.aspx?ID=1335

My main disappointment with geocaching is that participants like to post details about things they leave behind, even though I request them not to do this. Who wants to read an inventory list for a hidden cache? I've never understood this habit -- it pretty much neutralizes the element of surprise.

Tim

 

[Tim Vasquez]

BTW, here's a map showing geocache distribution in NW Texas and W Oklahoma. Pretty good coverage.

 

[Ryan Trullinger]

Benchmark hunting is also quite a challenge, the geocaching.com site has/had a page dedicated to that form of geocaching. I get geocache updates weekly from them. Why not sign up?

 

[Jenifer Henslee]

How about the answer no, and I don't intend on starting.

I heard about geocashing through wheresgeorge.com b/c a number of people like to leave money, and let it be tracked. Apparently it is so popular that wheresgeorge has a seperate listing for geocashed bills.

Wheres George is a lot of fun too, and I would say you're a lot more likely to get a "hit" than with geocashing, since money moves everywhere and is exchanged all the time.

My $0.02

 

[Dan Cook]

I think I'm gonna try this this week.

 

[Dan Cook]

Tried one that was within a mile of me. Coordinate was in woods behind some houses so I gave up as I didn't feel like trampling through backyards.

 

[Ryan Trullinger]

Nice try Dan, I would contact the owner of the cache, and reccommend that it gets moved to public property, as per the guidelines of the "sport".

 

[Dan Cook]

There is a forest back there that's public domain. I was just too lazy to find the entrance. 8)

 

[JR Hehnly]

How about the answer no, and I don't intend on starting.

Sorry, Jenifer. Bad poll design on my part. Just no should have been an option.

 

[Jeff Wear]

Where's George....wow I forgot all about that site. Just went there to check on 14 bills I entered back in March/April 2002.....none of them have any hits yet!

 

[JR Hehnly]

Check out this clickable map page for geocashes:
http://www.brillig.com/geocaching/maps.shtml

Very easy to find ones in an area you may be travelling to.

 

[Ben Prusia]

Geocaching is fun! It's a fun way to use a GPS for another reason beside storm chasing and driving, I have hid 2 caches before along creek beds (both got washed away by the heavy rains Kansas City has had before, but I am planning to hide another soon. The ones I hid in Kansas City were along Blue River Parkway.

 

[Tony Laubach]

Once I get GPS, I'd probably do it.. I haven't surfed the site, but a couple of my friends have done it before here in Colorado and say its pretty cool. I've got a few things I'd hide and see how long they'd survive!