That's Creepy Weird

One of my geocaches sent an "I miss you" email to DarrylW4. Not kidding.

Apparently it's a Geocaching.com gimmick to lure geocachers back to caches that they've DNF'd recently. And the gimmick is in the form of a Valentine on this Valentine's Day.

Better keep an eye on my caches - seems they can become lonely.

Weird. Creepy.

Happy Valentine's Day, ya'll!

Monkey in the Middle GC6WXQ5

TIME TO SHARE THE MONKEY PUZZLE!

Would you believe I picked this baby up at the Container Store? I did! 

However, it wasn't on a geocaching end cap. It was in the pocket of DarrylW4.

He had spent 18 hours 3D printing it, and he wanted someone to release it into the wild.

What is so special about this container? Well... it doesn't have a simple twist-off cap!

In fact, it has quite a few twist and turns.

Easy to find, but the signing the log could take a few minutes. Deviously wonderful!

Happy Caching!

Intercaching: Walking the Nosey Noisy Noodle Noggin

As part of the 235 caches released on New Year's Day, the Detroit area has it's first Intercache!

An InterCache is an interactive geocache. It is a new way of creating a mystery geocache, where you can string together a combination of virtual and physical waypoints together. The entire geocache can be developed, edited, and played on your mobile phone's browser with no software required to download! Part virtual cache, part multicache, part puzzle cache, and part adventure.

DarrylW4 (of GeoGearHeads fame) & ReneeW25 released HNY-16 Walking the Nosey Noisy Noodle Noggin GC684NG. But before it went live, they asked me and TaGeez to take it for a spin. It was a fun adventure (even if the windchill was subzero - BRRRRRR).

To begin, you have to click a link on the cache page to access the website. With one exception (see below), it worked on all browsers on my iPhone and TaGeez's Android. Make sure your GPS functionality has been activated on your phone.

To me, this is like a cross between a letterbox and a Wherigo. Darryl and Renee ask you to take Fozzy for a walk around the neighborhood. You are guided by the webpage on your phone. Simply follow the clear instructions laid out on the page.

You read the story. Choose your destinations. Answer questions, where applicable. And move on until you reach the final.  The arrow directs you and let's you know if you are in range of your destination

PROS: 

• Unlike a letterbox, you know if you are heading the right direction. No ambiguous "take a left fork at the middling deciduous tree after passing a downed twig once attached to a piney outcropping on the slope."
• Unlike a Wherigo, no need to install a cartridge (normally troublesome on TaGeez's Android). Once started, this program ran without a hitch on both our devices.
• Prior to starting this, I reset my data usage statistics on my phone. This 15-minute cartridge used only 205 kb on my phone.
• Although we haven't created one ourselves, it appears to be easier to make edits and add photos. For Wherigos, if you use a 3rd party software to create them, they are pretty set in stone once uploaded to the official Wherigo.com website.

CONS:

• It's run on a smart device (phone, tablet, laptop) with an internet connection and GPS capabilities. However, if you don't have one, reach out to a friend and do it together.
• The arrow was a little wonky, and we found ourselves not relying on it. We relied more on the Intercache map and the distance counting down on the page.
• As mentioned earlier, TaGeez and I tried this on different phones using different browsers. For TaGeez, the intercache worked without problem using Chrome and Firefox. When he tried to use the Android default browser, the following message appeared: 

It was fun taking this Intercache for a spin and Fozzy for a "walk". I enjoyed the story line and the pictures. Fave point from me! I can't wait to see what our local cachers do next with this technology.

Google Earth and Tracking Trackables

It's been an exciting week for Google Earth!  They're offering the license key for Google Earth Pro (normally $399) for free!

Get Google Earth Pro for Free! Formerly $399!

I will confess here that I have a love/hate relationship with Google Earth.  It was thanks to Google Earth that I bought my first iPad.  We were vacationing in Traverse City and my nephew pulled up satellite images of Grand Traverse lighthouse!  First time I've ever seen anything like that.  We spent the evening scanning other Michigan landmarks. It was thrilling every time I opened the app to see the globe and then watch as we swooped to our current location!

Grand Traverse Bay Lighthouse

And then Google Earth seemed to drop the ball when it came to it's iPhone app.  The app would take up more and more room and offered less and less features.  Someone also said the desktop version would no longer pin the coordinates you were entering but the closest building or address.  Annoying. So it was with great excitement when I downloaded the Pro version on my desktop for free - already playing with it!

Google Earth Pro - Detroit Ren Cen in the lower right

And I LOVE Google street view.  My sister-in-law asked the name of the restaurant in Mexicantown next to "that great mural".  Well, there's murals everywhere down there - a very colorful neighborhood.  I told her to "street view" it and see if it was the right one. It can be a powerful tool for planning trips and routing cache runs. 

One of my all-time favorite caches involves Google Earth (Views from Orbit GC27MAW). You can see an airplane in the Google map of the historic and ever-popular cache, Beverly GC28 (rumor has it people have searched for the plane!) And there's even funny websites dedicated to the wackiest scenes captured on Google Earth.

Beverly GC28

Why all the ruminating about Google Earth?  I was listening to the latest GeoGearheads show. Someone had emailed asking how to map out a trackable's history.  

I had the same answer as debaere - above the logs, click on the View Map link.  It takes you to this map, which diagrams, in order, each visit.  As an added bonus, if you scroll down you will see all the logs (including GC codes, mileage, and state information).

DarrylW4 had a different answer.  In the Trackable Options box (upper right corner), click on View in Google Earth.  It navigated me to the Google Earth app on my iPhone (and downloaded a .kml file to open in Google Earth in my desktop) to generate this map.  Pretty cool, eh?   

It's a slightly different perspective. Weird that I pride myself in knowing Geocaching.com so well and never noticed that link before.  

Next up is to take a test-run of Geotribes, whose tagline is "interactive maps & statistics for geocaching travelbugs, geocoins and all your trackable items...".  Debaere said it has some pretty nifty features so that's good enough for me.

Team FRL - Almost Famous Again!

Coolest surprise!

I received a text from Team Gates that I was “totally in the latest VLogger video”.  How fabulous is that?

Josh's son, Josh, Caching Fire, and DarrylW4

I went online and found Josh’s (the Geocaching VLogger) video for MWGB Lab Caches and there we were! All the attending members of Team Free Range Lobsters (myself holding Caching Fire, TaGeez, WikidKriket, SnakeyLicks and 3intheTree) milling around in the background.

Sorry for the lousy pictures – these were screenshots from the video. Check it out!  I love Josh’s enthusiasm!

Midwest GeoBash 2014 - 10 Years of Goodness!

GeoBash happened over 3 weeks ago, but life when topsy-turvy upon a return so I'm late in logging this awesome adventure!

This pictorial essay picks up where On the Read to GeoBash ended: the arrival and enjoyment at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, Ohio!  This was the 10th Midwest GeoBash, running from July 24th - July 27th.

Although there was some coming and goings due to Scout camp and work, many of the Team Free Range Lobsters "usual suspects" were able to attend.

3inaTree, scrapcat, TaGeez, WikidKriket, SnakeyLicks
Caching Fire around the team banner

My first time camping in 36 years, and it was a hoot!
Couldn't have enjoyed it without TaGeez

This year's Bash included 10
Winter Wonderland-themed LAB caches

Up very early Thursday morning, TaGeez
trying to get Rudolph out of the chimney

Kriket and Fire playing with Trippy's balls

3inaTree and theGrundalows joined in!

Funny how Peppermint Stick stumped so many!

10 for 10 LAB caches!

Friday morning also brings Poker Run!  You take this card to 7 locations around Wauseon and environs.  At each stop you get a sticker for the back of the card.  Return to the fairgrounds by 3pms to see if you have a 'winning poker hand'.  We never do, but we enjoy the adventure.  Because of work, only 3inaTree, scrapcat and TaGeez were able to enjoy this year's excursion.

1st stop: TaGeez and 3inaTree at the Historic Museum

In-laws bonding 

MamaTree made a friend

Lunchtime at Mom's Diner in Archibald

So much to see and good eats!

scrapcat hamming it up!

TaGeez and scrapcat

After each excursion (Poker Run and Treasure Hunt), TaGeez and I would explore the local countryside completing several challenges including the Old Timers of Fulton County (visiting rural cemeteries) and the local Wauseon challenges (found on the Wabash Cannonball Trail).

We weren't expecting donkeys to stare us down at the cemetery

Love the Wabash Cannonball Trail
We spent many peaceful hours there.

Grabbing some caches in town

Late Friday evening brought great joy...er... or my sister and brother-in-law.   Gang all together, and we grabbed the night cache on Friday and were able to spend most of Saturday up to the closing ceremonies together. 

Traditional banner picture at the front gates

Fire is loving Christmas in July

We ran into many friends on the Midway before the Treasure Hunt.

DarrylW4, Fire, RayQix, GeoBirdie,
WikidKriket and Snakeylicks outside the store

Never met these people before, but they were
new cachers and thrilled to meet Fire

The Geocaching Vlogger met Caching Fire!
His son and DarrylW4 having a good time, too.

TaGeez finding his trackable during the Treasure Hunt at the
Horse Rink. Kriket is digging it out for him.

 Each evening was spent grabbing some of the 30+ geocaches around the Fulton County Fairgrounds.  This run was especially fun as the gang was all together.

There was no cache here, but SnakeyLicks and MamaTree
couldn't resist the traditional climb!

Can't go to GeoBash without a visit to Area 51.  As expected,  we were tripping over friends!

Snakey, TaGeez, RayQix and afishoutawater

A2Queen, Snakey, afishoutawater, and RayQix

TaGeez with A2Queen's Dad

MSU Couple in the house!

We were a little slow-moving, breaking camp Sunday morning.  Even so, WikidKriket and TaGeez were game to grab the last few caches in the wooded area.  The humidity and the skeeters were horrendous!

Kriket and Snakey

TaGeez and I had no set plans for the drive home.  Exhaustion and humidity were a deterrent.  We decided to forgo a list of Virtual caches to save as the basis for next year's adventure.  We did stop at the Swan Creek Candle Company in Swanton, OH. Afterwards, 1 last Virtual and 1 puzzle final.

Virtual - Just Ducky GC9DC1

We rolled into Michigan just as a major thunderstorm hit the Midwest.  As with the whole weekend, timing was everything!

We returned home with major swag, too!  We each had a complete set of event path tags, a lackey's tag, the t-shirt from the Treasure Hunt, the event coin and a MWGB ornament!

 

The final, unofficial count came out to:

• 7 Free Range Lobsters
• 82 caches found including
• 12 cemetery caches
• 10 LAB caches
• 8 challenges completed
• 8 Virtuals
• 1 Jasmer filler
• 1 Night Cache
• 1 Poker Run
• 1 Treasure Hunt

We're already making plans for next year!