GeoSnippits Mystery - Puzzle Cache Footnotes

(Mutant Mantis TB Sighting)

I had such a good time yesterday shooting and editing my latest GeoSnippits episode about Mystery and Puzzle caches. One of the first realizations while putting it together was the amount of information available to create it. When you start out thinking "wow, how am I going to fill out five minutes on this?"and end up with "wow, how can I do this in only ten minutes?"

I started out by doing some research and asking information from the people who know, geocachers. One of the first things I wanted to know was how much geocachers liked or disliked mystery caches. The results were rather interesting:

• 28% Felt that they would go out of their way to find a mystery/puzzle cache
• 10% Like mystery/puzzle caches as much as traditional caches
• 55% Thought that they would do a few mystery/puzzle caches a year
• 07% Completely ignore mystery/puzzle caches as too much effort

This meant that over half of the geocachers polled would go for a mystery/puzzle cache but only a few times a year. This would explain why the amount of traffic for that type of cache is reduced when you check out the logs. In fact on both forums a rather heated debate ensued.

On one side are the geocachers that love mystery/puzzle caches. They live to unpuzzle the puzzles and will put in whatever time and effort to do so. Quite a few posts told of how they use these type caches on rainy days to fill the time and as the number of resolutions pile up enough they will then go out and well, resolve them.

The other side of the coin was actually the most vocal but according to the above statistics is the smaller percentile, go figure. One post after another describes how mystery/puzzle caches are not even part of the equation. They are ignored as if plagued and to be avoided at all cost. Many have stated the amount of time and effort is too much for a smiley. Who wants to spend the wasted time figuring out math problems, solving letter sequences or heaven forbid decode a double super secret handshake message. Nay they say.... Nay!

If the coin somehow landed on it side it would represent the geocacher who sits on the fence when it comes to mystery caches. To peak their interest into actually going out and resolving a cache requires a special balance. The puzzle cannot be too difficult to resolve and yet have enough of a challenge to make it interesting. Too complicated - forget it, takes too long - nope, down right evil - there's plenty of traditionals out there to find. Though if you can manage a good combination of interest, placement and a feeling of "a game in the game" geocachers will beat down the door to figure it out.

It really is a shame that I ran out of time so quick but the show must go on. I am glad to be able to put out this footnote. I personally want to thank all the people who contributed to either the forum discussions and the poll (NCGO and Geocaching.com). It is greatly appreciated.

You can see my GeoSnippits episodes by going to YouTube and putting GeoSnippits or Headhardhat in the search field.

GeoSnippits - Geocaching For Mystery - Puzzle Caches

The latest in the GeoSnippits Series is on YouTube. This episode of GeoSnippits hosted by HeadHardHat gives you four caches in one. We take a road trip to find out about Mystery and Puzzle geocaches. Our first adventure takes you to two traditional caches which give you the complete coordinates to the secret mystery cache. Then on to an unusual puzzle cache indeed. Follow HeadHardHat as he gives useful information to all about the game, hobby, obsession of geocaching.

If you would like to see more about Geocaching and all the GeoSnippits episodes, please go here: YouTube GeoSnippits Channel

HooHaa TB Race Cartoon - Week Four

It looks like all this time stuck at the Starting Line is beginning to take it's toll on the HooHaa TB Racers. Heck poor Gunny's TB was discovered yesterday. That means someone picked it up, marked down the number and put it back in it's hidey hole. I would be a bit frustrated too... Sorry Gunny.

Buying A Camera For A Twelve Year Old Girl

My daughter Geoness by far is the better half of our Geocaching team. When we are out on the trail we have a serious competition for who finds the cache first. You see, that gives the winner instant bragging rights and the honor of signing the logbook first. She's currently twelve and has no problem telling people that she is a “pre-teen”. I still am not sure if that is to show the importance of her age or is a subliminal warning of her possible moods and just to deal with it. Ahhh, teenagers.

One of her joys while caching is to photograph our outdoor adventures. Sometimes it is to document an event we attended and others to take good photos for my blogs. Over time I have noticed that photography has really become a hobby for her and she has asked for a camera of her own when Christmas comes around. Personally, I couldn’t think of a better way of encouraging her new love for the lens.

With that being said, I sat down and considered what would the best camera be for her. There were several key factors I would like to share so let’s start with the basics.

Budget - My budget is the first consideration. I would love to say that I could drop $500 into a child’s hands and say “here go for it”, ummm, not happening. I would say something closer to $100 for a good camera would be more my speed and if I can get it on sale, all the better. Let’s face it with the economy the way it is I can use all the help I can get.

Next, Usability – No gizmo of any kind is worth the amount of wasted time it takes for the user to figure out how use it. In other words if you are getting frustrated just trying to turn the dang thing on you may have purchased something that will most likely be going back to the store or collecting dust in a corner somewhere. It’s for a twelve year old girl that wouldn’t know an F-Stop if it came up and said “hi”. So Point and Shoot is the way to go which means everything is as automatic as possible. Now the worse she is going to have to worry about is getting the camera strap caught in the shot.

Finally, Durability – When you Geocache you are outside. As in outdoors where there are ponds, lakes, streams, mud and rain. My daughter tries her best to not bang around the equipment but I have caught her many times unknowingly swinging the camera by the strap. Electronics and sudden jolts do not go well together and come to think of it, neither does moisture. So whatever I decide on has to be resistant to wetness and some attempt at surviving a drop or six.

As for the rest of the considerations like extra features of the camera itself; they are pretty much secondary. With a lower end camera the best you are going to get is a modest megapixel strength which is the overall clarity of the picture itself, a fair flash and a standard battery. Drop in a 2 gig memory card and the battery is going to run out before you run out of memory. The average would be about 160 photos which should be more than enough for a day’s worth of geocaching.

I can also see a big benefit for getting a digital camera is there is no film. So Geoness can make all the not-so-good shots she wants. It doesn’t cost anything like the old 35mm days when you bought 24 exposures per roll and you get what you get. Now all you do is hook up the USB cable to the computer, download them and you’re done. It’s that easy.

So even though I have not figured out exactly which camera I am going to get, I think this will be the best game plan to my final conclusion. After considering my budget, camera usability, durability and I am sure the color will have something to do with it. It should be a pretty quick decision and she will be out in the woods taking photos for our next computer background or blog article in no time.

WITW Is Pete The Parrot: ¿Cómo es el tiempo Pete?

Well Pete is a much happier and warmer Parrot. He is a bit tired after travelling from Sweden but the warm sunshine from Islas Baleares, Spain is putting him in much more of a party animal spirit. This very cool travel bug has now gone over the 9000 mile mark and still going strong. Let's see how much party action he can get into before moving on to his next destination.

It's A Mystery I Tell Ya - A Real Puzzler

My next GeoSnippits episode came in as a suggestion from one of our regular subscribers. It describes Mystery/Puzzle caches and how the Geocaching community feels about them. Let me tell you if anything it opened up a broad spectrum of conversation on two of my favorite forums. I also posted a poll and you may be surprised as to the results.

The episode will actually take you on a three stage mystery series and will also show a couple other puzzle caches along the way. It should be packed with helpful information for all.

If the weather holds out I should have it shot by the end of the weekend then edited and on YouTube shortly after. Keep an eye on my blog and or my Geocaching Channel on YouTube. Just put in headhardhat and subscribe to get all the upcoming episodes.

Darkness Is Interfering With My Cache Time

When I started caching in the early month's of this year the days were getting longer. Even though I did not have a whole lot of time in the morning there was always time in the evening to hit a few quick caches before the sun dipped below the horizon. Now after Daylight Savings Time has kicked in I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. How does one find our weekday smileys? Sure the first thing that comes to mind is caching during our lunch hours. That's all fine and good when you have caches available but I cleared out all the caches near work months ago. Now What?

Night Caching? I have hunted in the dark before and quite frankly I have a lot to learn. First if it is an urban cache I really feel uncomfortable using a flashlight. That whole burglar thing just doesn't feel right. Sure I have my geocaching speech for the boys in blue but why put myself in that position? There is always hunting in the woods but again, you never know who or what you can run into after dark. What do you think?

Now with winter approaching the weather is becoming a factor. Sure in the Piedmont of North Carolina I do not need my parka and knee high boots but we do get ice storms. It may not be blizzard weather here but it is a factor. All in all it looks like for the next few months I will be doing the majority of my caching on the holidays and weekends.

If you have suggestions for winter and night time caches, send them in. We will post for all to see.

A Day Full of Caching and Natural Beauty

This was a fun day.

I was able to spend several hours with my daughter geocaching and we were able to take some pretty nice photos during our adventures.

We started out with a preplanned CacheRaid of about thirty caches to try and find. With the majority of them in the Cary, NC area I figured they would most likely be micros and skirt hides. Not exactly what I would consider a day full of fun but maybe we could go for a personal best in total finds for the day. Boy was I in for a treat. What Daughter Geoness and I ended up doing is a lot of walks in the woods and on some down right scenic greenways. All in all, we hiked through three different parks, around several lakes and on some of the above stated greenways. The sun was out and temps in the mid 60s. You could not ask for better weather with the smells of Fall and sound of the leaves under your feet was quite invigorating. As we went we must have put at least five or six miles under our belt today. During one of our strolls off trail I found it quite humorous when we came up to a large log and I stopped both of us. Looking over at my daughter I asked, "What do we do now?" There would be this heavy sign, "I know dad, bang your stick on the log. Step on the log. Look around, THEN walk over." We are in snake country and it was important to me for Geoness to know the rules of the woods. We have not seen many snakes yet but I don't want to take chances with safety. A geocaching friend of ours was bitten by a copperhead this year and I do not want us to duplicate his accident. So I do what my dad did with me and teach the ways of the woods.

By the time we were finished only two caches were micros and the majority were of the regular size. Which meant a lot of tupperware, lock 'n lock and our personal favorite ammo boxes. We traded items in many of them where Geoness would get a trinket or bauble and I gave some of my signature first aid kits. I never seem to get any goodies anymore which is no big deal but the look on my daughter's eyes as she plunges into a cache is priceless.

The totals for today were a respectable eleven finds and two DNFs (Did Not Find). One of said DNFs I read later was because the previous cacher dropped said cache down a large hole... Ahhh well, them's the breaks. To sum up we made many a memory and laughed all afternoon. You really can't beat that type of family fun and we can't wait for next weekend to do it again.

Below are some of the more nature like photos we took today. I hope you enjoy them and come back real soon for more of our tales of geocaching.



Visit This Photo Album Here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/headhardhat/November92008#

Sweet Roses in November

While geocaching in Cary, North Carolina on one the many greenways and these were right there for the smelling. Did I mention that it is November?

Walking the Trails in Crabtree Park

Another phone post from my Blackberry.

Having fun walking the nature trails in Crabtree Park, Cary, NC. Found this cache in a gnome hole at the base of an old oak tree. Nice half mile walk. The real funny part was the initial choice of direction when we started. Geoness said left and I said go right and off we went.. Sure enough our half mile hike in the woods would have only been about 15o feet if we went left first. We both laughed when we realized it but then agreed that the hike was so very nice.

Cache raid in Cary, NC

Sending in this post from my blackberry.

Having a great Fall day geocaching with daughter Geoness. Three for three so far. Did a lot more walking in wooded areas than I originally thought. Wonder if that will continue all day.

HooHaa TB Race Cartoon - Week Three

Well some are out of the starting gate, some are stuck in the gate and some are starting to kick some geocaching you know what. This week's cartoon focuses on the current leader and a new TB racer that just joined our ranks. Enjoy..

You can see all of HHH's TB cartoons in the lower right section of the blog.

HooHaa TB Race Late Entry Joins The Fun

We have a late entry in the world famous HooHaa TB Race. The owner TripCyclone has joined our gaggle of merry travellers in what should be the smackdown of smackdown travel bug races. Even with the handicap of starting two weeks late in the race. Trip's TB "Easy Flyer" still has a chance to converse with my TB "Just a Nut" and GolfGunny's "Electric Bug" because we haven't been able to get out of the starting gate yet... It's bad enough that Go_Man's "GoGo T.Urtle" left yesterday. Sheez! Guess I am going to have to put up a flare or something... Ah well all part of the fun.

Plenty of smackdown to come for the next year. Check out all the HooHaa TB Race stats in the bottom right of my blog.

To get all the juicy blow by blow coverage be sure to RSS subscribe to this "Obsessed" blog or get our posts via email! Either way we have you covered.

Fall Colors Finally Start Popping

It is the first week in November and just now the Fall colors are starting to really pop. This photo was taken in Oxford, NC from the parking lot where I work. The colors seem much more subdued this year. Last year with the severity of the drought and lack of wind caused a spectacular three week color fest. This year is nothing to sneeze at either.

I CAN Therefore I VOTE....

I am not going to get up onto my soapbox except for one thing...

If you are an American citizen get out there and be heard - VOTE. It is a gift, a privilege, given to us by those who served, fought and died for this country and it's people. Don't waste a chance to be part of history. This is a " I remember when " moment, be a part of it!

VOTE!

Mission: Geocache Adoption Cleanup - Durham, NC

I just couldn't stand it anymore, this was something I just had to get done. Earlier in the year I adopted a host of geocaches, over 60 if I remember correctly. A little at a time I have visited each of those caches and cleaned, restocked or down right replaced them. It was a mission of love for the sport, hobby, obsession of geocaching. I am a believer that the cache owner is responsible for the continual condition of a cache. Those words for many are controversial but I do not care. For many believe it is up to the geocaching community to keep trade items stocked and caches in good shape. Though that is a really great concept we all know it is not enough and I will add trade items to empty caches regardless if they are mine or not. So people should not be surprised if I take a sense of pride by keeping my caches stocked. Did I mention I have about 100 of them? No I am not rich nor can I afford loads of goodies but the Dollar Store is my friend and I do fill them with trading items when I can. Sue me for caring... but I digress. So where was I? Oh yes, my mission to update my caches in Durham, NC.



I took Daughter Geoness with me on one of the prettiest fall days I have seen so far. The sun was out and not a cloud in the sky. The temps were in the low to mid 70s and if we were not at peak when it came to the Autumn leaves we were darn close. I was really looking forward to this time with my daughter. Some times it really is not about the numbers. If we found five or fifty caches the time together talking and walking down wooded paths is priceless to me. She isn't going to stay 12 forever and before she runs off with some gooey eyed or is that doughy eyed dude I am getting my quality time in... There I go digressing again.. Mission, focus on mission...


The forty-five minute drive to Durham was very scenic and before we knew it the game was a foot. We started out of the gate in pretty good shape and was able to find our first three caches in great condition. On number four we searched for about ten minutes and by prereading the logs I already knew that the cache was most likely gone. This one was a micro and I found a devious spot to put the replacement. The coords were the same so this one was an easy fix. Moving on to the next cache I was amazed by the size and condition of the container. It was huge and in great shape from what I could see. Geoness was so proud to find it and gleefully signed the log first which is the rule we have between us. The one who find it gets bragging and signing rights and we both love a little competition when it comes to caching.


The day continued and we ended up replacing three more caches but had an absolute riot finding and logging the rest. Once the main objective was complete it was time to do some cache raids. As usual we started out with the goal of cleaning out Durham but once we started walking the trails we just gabbed and took our time. There was one park which was full of color and falling leaves. That and a rather large dinosaur. Yup a bronto from what I figured. Standing right there watching people as they walked by. I thought it quite curious as Geoness and I walked and there coming out of the trees was Big B. Without missing a beat I tell my daughter oh look a dinosaur and she goes, "yeah Dad, saw it about half a mile back." I have to get my glasses checked cuz it startled the beejeepers out of me.



Well as with many Autumn days this one went way too quickly and the sun was making a hasty retreat which made it time to head home. During the ride back we recollected the places and things we had seen during the day and it brought a smile to my face. Daughter Geoness must have seen me grinning and asked why I was smiling. "Just enjoying the company", I said, but I digress.


Here are some of our fall color photos of the day. Most Daughter Geoness took.

HooHaa TB Race - Geocats Racer Shoots To 300+ Miles!

Yes the dog tag must have hooked in with a dog sled because it is now in North Dakota with over 300 miles under it's belt.

It will no doubt be the star of this weeks latest cartoon for the series. Keep looking at the bottom right of HHH's blog when it becomes available.

I just wonder how soon this TB is going to get snowbound till the thaw. Say, June next year....

Editor Notes - Due to the space / time continuum and an incorrect date in the logs the total amount of distance is only 388.8mi. Sorry GeoCats....

Latest GeoSnippit Out On YouTube - Intro Regular Size Caches

The latest in the GeoSnippits Series is now on YouTube. This quick tutorial goes over one of the most popular of Geocaching classes - the Regular Size. Here you learn about Lock 'N Lock boxes and an inside peek of an ammo box. Host HeadHardHat gives the quick instruction on this interesting subject.

HeadHardHat Graphic For HooHaa TB Race

Ya know, when you have a taste for doing graphics and about a billion pieces of clip art sometimes the results can be fun. Here is my first of what will be no doubt dozens of cartoons featuring our eight HooHaa TB Racers.

Shown is Just A Nut about to give the other racers a little bolt from the blue.

Please be sure to check out the race score board in the bottom right of my blog. Also there is an area to type in your favorite smackdowns.

WITW is Pete the Parrot - Haj Pete !

Just a quick note that my TB buddy Pete the Parrot has landed in Eda Glasbruk, Sweden. The cache is called Gamla Bron (GC1EAZF). Well they did say he was moving south and I guess from Norway.... that would be south.. Tropics, think tropics.... You can keep up with Pete by visiting his web page by using TB21K5T at geocaching.com or go here http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=1484152

All Weather Cachers Take on the Fall Fling 2008

Sure the weather was a whole lot nicer early in the week. The mid eighties and sun gave way to upper fifties and rain but did that dampen the spirit of our finest North Carolina geocachers? Oh I say, "nay".

The Third Annual Fall Fling was held at Falls Lake State Park which is about 15 miles due north of Raleigh, NC. It is a very scenic park filled with trails, trees, wild critters and Falls Lake. The lake is completely different in appearance than from 12 months ago. Last year at this time Falls Lake was more like Falls two streams. You could walk in many spots from one island to the next. Now with a larger amount of rainfall and a tropical storm or two the lake is at capacity and in all it's splendor. Speaking of rainfall I personally wondered if the Fling was even going to happen this year. As I said before the week was picture perfect North Carlina weather with sun and the temps in the 80s. On Friday everything changed, the temps dropped and the rain came down in sheets. I drive past Falls Lake on my way home and I had a hard time seeing the road. I thought of stopping by but thought better of it based on what I was seeing. Once in my nice dry homestead I checked out our NCGO forums to see what was going on. I did not find much about the event except for an entry that someone else stopped by as well and the bonfire was in full swing. The tent camping cachers were having a blast even though the rain was turning out to be a bit "challenging". With that I headed to bed feeling fully geeked for Saturdays activities.

I awoke to thankfully no rain and found my long pointy stick to wake up Daughter Geoness from her slumbers. You have to be careful with pre-teens as they awaken, they bite. It only took a couple good prods to finally get her moving and also the promise of some breakfast helped. We packed the cachemobile and headed north to the event coordinates. It took me about 45 minutes to weave the winding roads to FF Central. I was a few minutes early for registration and already I could see Horsegeeks and Billwolf1 getting the grills ready. They were in charge of the food for the day and because of that I knew we were in for some serious eats. Personally I have a huge weak spot for Horsegeek's Shrimp 'n Grits but that is another story. As Daughter Geoness and I walked up to the park community center I was greeted by some of the cachers who survived last nights deluge. To my surprise only one tent camper had to sleep in the car but everyone else stayed dry and toasty as best they could. If the spirits were dampended you sure could not tell by the friendly smiles on all the early risers.

Anytime you come early to an event you are there to help setup. No one likes setup but when you get enough people together it is a lot less stressful. So chores like sign hanging, table placement, kitchen detail including the unloading of a ton of food and libations the morning started moving along. The weather was not terrible outside. There was some wind which was blowing inland off of the lake, a bit chilly. The sun was trying to peak from behind the clouds and actually did make some headway by the afternoon. I asked Daughter Geoness to do camera duty whilst I found out what mini events that would be going on today. There of course was the Carolina Cache 'N Dash where teams found well hidden caches that contained different interesting and sometimes scary tasks to complete to gain points. I don't want to get into details but lets just say there were more moons out than the one in the sky -=shudder=-. Then came the Geo-Olympics at the Beach, Daughter Geoness had fun as did a gaggle of other young cachers. I was helping setup the tshirt pickup spot and I could hear them laughing from here. I think one of the biggest kicks for the kids was the Ammo Box Painting. I wish I can find out who donated the boxes but there were a ton of them. The look on the little tykes faces was priceless and I have to be honest I wouldn't have minded picking up a half dozen myself, but I digress. Finishing the kids activities was of course the pinata; kids, candy, paper mache and a big stick, good times.

So what did Daughter Geoness and I do while all of this fun, friendship and well, fun going on? Glad you asked, we worked. I thought the other officers of the NCGO are always busting their butts doing things for our enjoyment, why not give them a break? I didn't even have to ask Miss Geoness, she was helping in the kitchen before I even knew it. She loves to help anyways and when you throw in Horsegeeks and Billwolf1 who she considers as extended grandpas you couldn't drag her away. For me, I had a blast handing out the t-shirts, geocoins and other NCGO stuff. "Isn't that kinda boring?", you might think. Not at all, I was able to meet just about everyone who attended the event one at a time. I had more fun swapping stories, saying hi to familiar faces and greeting others for the first time. To me something like that is worth the full price of admission. It is so easy for everyone to separate and go their own ways. My table was one of the focal points in the event and everyone eventually came over to say hi. I loved it.

For some the best part of a North Carolina Geocaching Event is the potential hunt, others is the fellowship, for this HeadHardHat it's the food. Horsegeeks, Billwolf1, Mrs. Billwolf, Geoness and a host of other people too numerous to mention. Worked all day for something known as Kenny and Celeste's Excellent Meal. Basically take a huge pile of NUM and multiply it by 100. I'm not kidding, good ole southern cooking is alive and well and I could not be more happy or was that hungry? I had to laugh because as the day wore on the smells from the kitchen were overwhelming. Every once and a while Horsegeeks would sneak out a plate of tasty tid bits to wet my appetite. Can we say BBQ? Truly nummy. Then at the designated time the feast began and everyone came a running. There was food everywhere including southern BBQ pork, Horsegeeks famous baked beans, homemade macaroni and cheese, sliced fruit, hamburgers, hot dogs and desserts by the truckload. There was more but I am getting hungry just typing this... be right back...

As the day started to push towards evening and everyone had more than enough to eat. It was time for the day's silent auction and awards ceremony to begin. This year we had about fifty items to bid on and the exchange was heated as usual. One person would put a bit on item 39 and then mosey over to something else of interest. Which gave the next auctioneer a chance to out bit on your item. When the time was up the auction ends and you pays your monies. It's all in good fun and everyone loves the challenge of getting the items they really want.

The final awards went to all the contestants from each of the main events. The most creative that I had seen was the gold painted ammo box medallions awarded to the Geo-Olympics winners. They were real ammo boxes painted gold with red, white and blue ribbons. All the rage in geocaching circles everywhere.

To sum up, I really look forward to every event I am privileged to attend. The people are outstanding and we all have such a good time sharing our experiences, stories and friendships. I bumped into several people who introduced themselves as being first time comers. They sometimes ask "what do we do?". I usually reply for them to relax and to know that they are welcome and they are among friends. You can see the realization in their faces of just that, they are with people who know how to have fun and before you know it the new comers are talking, laughing and having a great time right along side the rest of us. How special it is to be a part of the geocaching community.

Enjoy Our Fall Fling 2008 Slideshow

To View The Entire Album Go Here
http://picasaweb.google.com/headhardhat/NCGOFallFling2008

The HooHaa TB Geo-Challenge Race Has Begun

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Travellers!

My Travel Bug "Just A Nut"(TB21K6E) is now active in the HooHaa Geo-Challenge Race. It waits to be picked up in my Oxford TB Hotel (GC1C8A2) and taken on it's TB Race for the most miles tracked within the next year. So from October 16, 2008 - October 16, 2009 eight racers are going to be talking smack and feeling the exhilaration of the adventure to come. We all have blogs, a passion for geocaching and of course smackdown events like this race. Each of us come from different lifestyles and parts of the world. One of us is a Marine, another a professional singer, some are into computers, others into sports writing and some we just can't tell right now. You will have to check out our blogs to figure out who's who. No matter which of us you want to find out more about you are guaranteed a good read.

Just A Nut is made for speed and actually comes from a race car. So it knows how to race and wants to see that checkered flag big time. It doesn't mind drafting behind it's next victim then without warning whips around and flies ahead for the lead. Nothing personal, just part of the game.

I think Just A Nut will continue to show that it is a front runner; a leader. No sitting back in the pack like the rest of the competition. It's pedal to the metal for this hunk of steel. For your convenience I have made a quick viewing section in the bottom right of this blog. You will be able to see all the key information of all the racers. Be sure to send in comments and root for your favorite travel bug. We love hearing from you.

The Geo-Challenge Gauntlet Has Been Thrown

Last week I was informed of a geo-challenge made from the owner of a blog known as A ‘lil HooHaa. I of course could not pass up such a challenge and jumped right on board.


This geo-challenge is in fact a year long travel bug race. We have a few more days until it officially begins but already we have blog owners / racers from across the USA, Canada and Japan. The objective is simple, after one year the bug with the most miles wins. Of course the year full of trash talk and ultimate bragging rights is the real draw... There is so much fun with meeting new geocaching friends and even more enjoyment trashing their tb racers as they eat my dust. All the racers and race information will be posted on my and I am sure all the other bloggers sites as well. Go to A 'lil HooHaa's site for all the current details...

Race starts October 16th and I will introduce my racer then....

UNC Jaycee Burn Center Hosts A Geocaching Event For Young Adults

I have said on many an occasion that North Carolina Geocachers are some of the friendliest and giving people I know. This last Saturday I had the privilege to contribute some of my time along side these caring people for a special gathering. The UNC Jaycee Burn Center hosted a World Burn Congress Event. Where a little over a dozen geocachers of the NGCO took about 20 young adults who came from all over the United States geocaching for their first time in Pullen Park (Raleigh, NC).

We all met up at our designated place just as the sun was starting to shine. I could tell already that it was going to be a sparkling day just as so many down here are. The mist was slowly burning off and you could smell the aroma of coffee from my fellow geocacher's liquid breakfast of choice. Once everyone was accounted for we started our first task of the day. Hiding eight special caches around Pullen Park for our young adventurers to find. Within each cache held a log book (of course) and a special activity to be done as each cache was found. Once assigned we then broke up into groups and fired up our GPS units to record each cache's coordinates. Within no time the caches were hid, we finished our coffees and the bus full of future cachers pulled up.

This event was orchestrated by our very own Jessica and Dave who started the event off by having everyone introduce themselves followed by some fun ice breaker activities and an explanation of what geocaching actually is. This was a great way to begin because by the time we were ready to start caching everyone was stretched, relaxed and joking with each other. We divided into three groups of around 11 people each all starting with a different cache to find. Our group called ourselves The Tail Chasers which ironically is a great depiction of what a geocacher looks like when they are close to a cache. That wonderful little dance we do as we circle in to ground zero.

Tally Ho! The hunt was on and as the experienced geocachers explained how a GPS worked the younger set watched intently. Within a few short minutes they were following the electronic arrow to our first geocache. It was obvious that a lot of thought went into each of the eight caches. The cache itself was a medium sized Tupperware container that held a logbook that had to have the group name signed in each and a special activity. Each geared for fun, team building and smoothing personal barriers by giving all involved the feeling of unhindered camaraderie. For example one of our puzzles to figure out was the human knot. We gathered in a circle and everyone held hands creating the knot itself. The idea was to untangle the knot without letting go. We giggled and laughed as the twister like game unfolded ending with all in a large circle.

Pullen Park is a very scenic place filled with the sounds of a fully running carousel and a working railroad. It has a huge picnic area surrounded by lush trees and glistening ponds. As we went from cache to cache within the park we were rewarded by having a ride on the railroad and the carousel as well. We learned history about the park itself and found out that it is the oldest park in North Carolina among other interesting facts. We had a blast with the bean bag toss and learned that hiding a cache in a giant holly bush takes special care but the hunt for the find is a powerful draw.

You could see the enthusiasm in each of our young friends eyes as the morning progressed. Everyone waited anxiously as each of the initial seven caches were opened anticipating what awaited for us next. Then after the seventh activity was completed there was a bonus eighth and final cache to find. Who ever of the three groups that found the eight cache first could claim the golden ticket and would receive first prize for the day. You would think with the incentive of claiming first prize everybody would be hustling to find the golden ticket but instead we enjoyed each others company so much nobody was in a hurry to have the event end. So we all just gabbed and soaked up the North Carolina sunshine enroute to our final destination.

Now with the final cache found it was time to bring this fun filled event to a close. What awaited our newest geocaching friends was a well deserved pizza party and for the rest of us to meet up at a local watering hole to partake in liquid libations and more conversation. As we gave our final hugs and handshakes to each other it was obvious to us that some of these young adventurers will continue in their own personal pursuits of geocaching. Yet more importantly we hoped in some small way to show them that whatever difficulties life has bestowed upon them that there are people who will ignore the superficial and embrace the person within. We wish them all the very best.

If you would like to see all the photos that I had taken at this event please enjoy the slideshow below. If you would like to see them up close just click on the slide show itself. Enjoy.

Where in the World is Pete The Parrot? A Real Party Animal

My little blue feathered party animal Pete the Parrot is on the move again. Seems a very good willed soul knew the winters of Oppland, Norway can be pretty brutal and so Pete is now heading for warmer climates.

So far he has travelled 7453.4 miles and originated in Raleigh, North Carolina. His travels have taken him to not only Norway but he also had a nice stay in Turkey as well.

You can follow my geocaching travel bug Pete by going to http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=1484152. I will be updating a special place in this blog site for those who want to follow this party dude's adventures.