Cache Maintenance

Normally when Nana & I plan a out-of-town geocaching trip we take great care in preparing a list of potential finds.  We search an area for unfound caches and depending on the time of year, delete those caches off the list that are rated as 4 terrain or above to keep from taking long bush-wacking trips through thick forests.  Another quick tip when weeding gout potential caches for the list is to look at the last four finds for the caches on our list and make sure the cache is still in place based on those logs (this is really easy to do in GSAK).  We usually search an area for caches with favorite points, or in some cases, search specifically for caches owned by a certain cache owner.  Using our method, we have had many a productive day geocaching in areas considered outside our home area.

Last minute trips though are a little different.  Last weekend we decided on Saturday night to go to a city about 2 hours away from our home town.  There wasn't enough time to both 1) lay out a good list and 2) get enough sleep so the list we put together was lacking its usual above-average quality of caches.  We did have time though to restrict our list to less than 2 Terrain, less than 3 difficulty all within 10 miles of the city center.  This, hopefully , would have given a list of about 50 caches that should be mostly park n grabs (PnGs). 

Well you know what they say about the best laid plans!!!  We left the house just after 8AM and arrived near GZ of the first cache just after 10.  Now all we have to do is find the first 3 caches in the nearby park and then go from closest cache to next closet cache, etc, etc, etc.   Finds - all 3!!!  So far so good.  Unfortunately that's where our luck left us for the rest of the day.  Because we had had put this list together in a hurry, we had failed to purge the list of caches that had gone missing or had not been found in months.  Drat!!! 

We did end up with 13 finds (far less than what we wanted) at the end of the day but alas poor cache maintenance did us in.  Four out of the last five caches we attempted had not been found in over 6 months and most had logs reflecting the need for some TLC from the COs.

Cache maintenance is a necessary evil you assume once you put out your first cache.  One of the major things I count on when doing cache maintenance is the finder's logs.  It really helps to have logs that contain more than TFTH or TFTC or even the newest entry lately "Found".  When you log your finds, remember to help the CO out.  It doesn't take much in these modern times when some cachers are logging their finds almost instantly via phone to add one or two lines that state either "All is fine with this cache" or "Container is no longer watertight" .  I know it helps us tremendously!

All Cos that I know really appreciate those logs that state more than the obvious - FOUND IT.  While you are at it, do the CO one more favor - if you find a cache that you really like - give it a favorite point!!!  As a premium member of Geocaching.com, you earn one favorite point for every 10 caches you find.  Nana & I try to award as many favorite points as we can just to let those really great Cache Owners know just how much we appreciate their ingenuity and craftsmanship.

Don't forget the upcoming MEGA-event at the end of August - The 11th Annual GCHR Picnic in Newport News Virginia (see GC42NJJ).  Papa SNAP will be there and I look forward to meeting all of you.

As always - Stay Safe & Keep Caching!!!

SNAP!!! - Suffolk Nana & Papa

3 of the perils of geocaching... all in one weekend!

Peril #1 - TICKS!!!
This continues to be a terrible  year for ticks.  It seems that all you have to do is think about going in the woods and the ticks are attracted to you!  Last week I went to check on a cache.  Now admittedly, it is deep in a park.  I sprayed down and then hiked the mile or so to the cache, stayed on the trail the entire time.  I got to the cache and did maintenance, got immediately back on the trail, and headed straight back to the parking area.  Tick check time.... 4 ticks!!!  Later at home we found several more!  Be careful out there and be sure to use your favorite spray!

Peril #2 - DOGS (or should I say apathetic dog owners)
This was a first for us in over 4 years of caching.  Saturday we were at a very large park in Virginia Beach.  After finding the cache we made our way back out of the woods.  Upon exiting the woods we noticed a man and his two dogs about 60 yards away.  The pit bull mixed dog immediately took off straight for us!  Barking, snarling, and generally acting like a Tasmanian Devil from the cartoons, the dog made sure we understood in no uncertain terms that we were to stand still.  So we did!  The four of us stood still while the dog's owner slowly made his way closer and closer.  I for one wanted him to move at a much faster pace but he was not concerned in the least that his dog was frothing all over himself in anticipation of a fine meal.  After far to many minutes the dog's owner finally got control of his dog while maintaining his "there is no leash law in Virginia" attitude. Needless to say we did not part ways on the best of terms but all four of us did leave with all of parts intact!

Peril #3 - Irate Land Owners
Sunday we were down in North Carolina doing some country caching.  There was a fairly new series we wanted to try and find.  We pulled up to one of the caches, two of us crossed a ditch and were standing beside a telephone pole retrieving the cache when I here a pick up truck pull up and someone yell something.  I look up and there is a very upset farmer questioning our motives.  As the wife, who had stayed at the SNAP-mobile tried to explain geocaching to him, he kept yelling about this being his property, being tired of all these people being on his property and to get moving!!!!  As we started to leave the now extremely upset farmer told us to take the container and get moving.  Get those feet-a-moving.  You're not moving fast enough!!!

Ain't Caching fun!!!

As always - Stay Safe & Keep Caching!!!

SNAP!!! - Suffolk Nana & Papa

:)      

Last minute geocaching trips are sometimes “THE BEST”

As I pulled into the driveway from work Friday evening, Nana met me at the door (oh-oh!!!).   She pulls me aside and says she had an idea - "Let's take off and go geocaching!  I’ve had a week full of kids and it’s time to go off by ourselves!  The car is full of gas and I have everything ready to pack, let’s go caching!"  (Whew!)

 

After talking about it for a few minutes, we decided to leave early in the morning and head to the Eastern Shore.  I think she had her heart set on Greensville, NC but by the end of the weekend I think she was more than happy with our quick weekend trip up to Assateague and then into Maryland and back home again.  We ended up finding 34 caches on Saturday including and 25 on Sunday!!!

It had been almost 3 years since we had cached on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and I was anxious to go back and see some more of the history of the area.

Some of the highlights of our trip were:

Cape Charles, VA - 2 nice caches right on the waterfront.  One of them is an earthcache:  Chesapeake Bay Bolide

Indiantown Recreation Park - a beautiful little park located just east of Eastville, VA - we found 5 of the even caches in the park!

Onacock, VA has a series of six caches which tour the quaint old town and visit some of the historic sights

Makemie Monument Park, located on the Chesapeake side of the Eastern shore is a little park way out in the middle of no-where-ville.  Unfortunately we were unable to make the find here but the park sure had some great scenery.

Chincoteague has plenty of caches spread around the fishing community and nearby Assateague Island has an Earthcache and a Virtual.

Favorite points were awarded to the following caches over the two days of Caching:

GC3FTT1 – The Bunker – hidden by Banshee74 - located in the Virginia Eastern Shore Wildlife Refuge the cache is located at the site of old Fort John Custis.  The bunker used to house 16 inch guns used to protect the naval bases and shipyards located in the Hampton Roads area. There were about 800 soldiers stationed to defend the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay.

GC3CGX9 – CJS – Cape Charles Historic Dictrict – part of the Captain John Smith series.

GC38V65 – What a wreck! – hidden by Kivotos – located down a small trail there was apparently a meteorological tower here long ago.

GC33T6B – Another bank in the red – hidden by Kivotos – lovely scenery near a public boat ramp

GC3PQK5 – Nursery Keeper (Micro) – hidden by TeamMedlock – located in a small park which was commemorated to a local Nursery owner.

GC2YRB8 – The Healing Garden – hidden by Banshee74 – a tricky little cache in a lovely memorial garden

GC3CGZ8 – CJS – Onancock #2 Ker Place – another of the Captain John Smith series – a beautiful old house and garden.

GCHN4C – guard the beach – hidden by volks-man – a very nice stroll down the beach and then inland a little – guarantee you will remember this location for quite some time!

GC39Z63 – Farewell to Sassy – hidden by Run&Hike – antoher scenic location and a great story to go with the cache.

GC1BPNK – Chincoteague Bay Earthcache – hidden by Run&Hike – located near the above cache, the scenery here is to be remembered.

GC17D0C – Crossing the Wagram – this cache had been on our DNF list since the last time we were up this way.  Almost three years later we redeem ourselves by making the find!  Hope the cache owner doesn’t mind if I steal this idea for our own version.

GC16XED – You get a line, I’ll get a pole! – hidden by Run&Hike – another great cache idea we might steal for our own version!

Winners of the “COVETED” SNAP!!! Cache of the Day were:

Saturday – GCBBF7 – Assateague Lighthouse – hidden by lidar0101 – A virtual cache full of history!

Sunday – GC2WVGV – Ahoy Mate, Curtis Merritt Harbor – the location was great but the cache container was even better.  Nana & I have almost 5000 finds and had never seen this before!!!

The view from our room!

When we made it back home late Sunday we totaled up the finds.  1 Virtual, 1 Puzzle, 1 Letterbox, 4 Earthcaches and 52 Traditional caches – plus I got to do them all with my great caching partner – NANA - not bad for a last minute trip!!!!

As Always – Stay Safe & Keep Caching!!!

SNAP!!! – Suffolk Nana & Papa