MSPCGT: The Bugs are Taking Over

Before heading up North a coworker - a native Yooper - warned me about the clouds. "Look for them off the Mackinaw Bridge. Look to the East. It looks like smoke from a fire. It's bugs."

Ok, admittedly I thought she was pulling my leg, but our first stop at Tawas Point proved her right. Who knew? 

This one's at the Village of Fayette. It doesn't look like much, but that cloud is like a mile away. ShelleyJean has better pictures of the swarms.

And the bugs were bad, but luckily we came prepared. I felt stupid for about 3 seconds and then relief! Soon we were wearing them in town without a second thought because the gnats, midges, mayflies, fish flies, and mosquitoes were bad! We heard we missed the black fly hatching by just a few days! It's been a wet Spring, so it will only get worse.

This is my head net - Sea to Summit. It cost a little more, but I liked it better than the cheaper one TaGeez found in the State Park gift shop. This one has a drawstring around the neck instead of elastic and came with a protective pouch (to avoid unnecessary holes).

With 56 more State Parks to go, this will be our most invaluable tool of the trade. 

Find Bad Logs

Here is a useful tool found on Project-GC.com. It's particularly useful if your # of finds is more than the # of unique caches (You have 6000 finds on 5998 Unique Caches).  It's a good way to clean up "bad logs" that can skew your stats and milestones.

Enter your Geocaching name in the Profile Name field and click Filter. It spits back three sets of results: duplicate logs on your caches, your duplicate logs, and your logs on your own caches. If you click the GC code, a new window will open displaying the "bad log" for deleting.

I think one feature Geocaching.com should add is a Reason field. When I deleted the duplicate logs on my caches today (left column), the original loggers were notified their logs were deleted but not why. That would've saved some time when I started receiving messages this afternoon.

Straight Outta Geocaching

Isn't this cool? My friend, Brad (Yellowjeeperman), posted an awesome picture of himself geocaching in a tunnel with the label "Straight Outta Geocaching."

http://www.straightouttasomewhere.com

He sent me this link. You fill in the "Straight Outta...." field and upload a picture. Here's my first attempt. Try it.

Project-GC: Jasmer Caches

Ooh!  I feel a roadtrip coming on!

I was playing around with Project-GC.com, and I found a nifty tool under Tools > Map Hidden Month.  I plugged in my username, the country, and Hidden Date range.  It popped with this list of caches needed to fill my Jasmer!

Year 2000 caches

Beneath it was a list of missing months (4 to complete my Jasmers) plus caches for me to qualify! Date, GC, Name, Type, Location D/T, size and Favorite Points!  So very exciting!

How I want to get in the car and head off on another adventure!

Flat Packs - Also a Michigan Thing!

It’s a Michigan thing! Like PBN’s – we’re in inventive crowd.  If it’s said on a podcast, it must be true!

I was trying to explain “flat packs” to somebody outside of Michigan. Made using small resealable plastic bags (like the pill bags), duct tape and (optional) strong magnets, they are great for concealing behind signs, under power boxes or inside guard rails.

Inexpensive and quick to mass produce.  Easy to feel when reaching blindly but not thick enough to draw anybody’s attention.  I’ve seen them as small as 1”x1” and concealed in the cracks of a utility pole (often with a little hanger attached to grab it with).  I’ve seen them as large as 6”x8” and magnetized behind a green power box.

And with the plethora of duct tape colors and textures, they camo pretty well with their surroundings.

Pick an appropriate sized magnet to suit your bag size

Here is your winter tip (thank you, Mr. RayQix): After signing the log and sealing the bag tightly, replace the pack with the opening hanging upside down.  This is added protection from melting snow or drizzling rain from seeping in.

TOTT: Winter in Michigan

On some of the recent podcasts, they've talked about "essential tools of the trade (TOTT)" or "must haves" in your geocaching bag.  I was thinking about updating a blog post on that, but how different would my answers be? GPSr, iPhone, spare batteries, tweezers.....

Check out a handy summer kit here: Geocaching 101: Caching Kit Essentials

But one thing nobody seemed to mention was the need for different tools for different weather.  I have different gloves, coats, wellies/boots depending on the season.  Bug spray in summer and hand/feet warmers in winter.  In summer you carry extra water and bug bite remedies, and in winter you carry extra water and a different road emergency kit.

Winter finally struck in Michigan during the Super Bowl - we received 16.7" of wet, heavy snow.  I'm grateful it's not as bad as last year but am a little worried as I'm just 4 weeks away from completing my 3-year cache-a-day streak.

What is driving me to do this crazy streak?  I have no idea.  But I'm having a blast!

As you've seen in a recent post, the snow mounds are getting bad.  TaGeez and I are finding ourselves climbing banks and skidding down the other side.  If the bank is too high or too steep, TaGeez helps to propel me over it, both ways.  It's fun but tiresome on workdays.

On Thursday I needed a quick find as I was meeting Dad for dinner and didn't want to cache afterwards (the temps were supposed to drop drastically as night falls).  I stopped by one of RayQix "Happy Birthday caches" that I've been saving for such an occasion.  See the problem?

Happy Birthday Hawaii Vi - Chik'n House GC5APTF

This one disturbed me.  It was one of my "emergency CaDs" and it was buried.  There was no way to get it out without drawing MAJOR attention as it's in the parking lot of a Chicken Shack and located RIGHT up on a very busy road.  I had to use up another one of my emergency caches nearby.

You might be thinking about whining about nothing, but, after caching for almost 1100 days straight, the pickings in my area is getting slim.  And I had less than 28 more days to go with the threat of Michigan's unpredictable weather looming....

This one ate at me so early Saturday morning, after dropping TaGeez off at work, I circled back here.  I figured at 7 a.m. there would be little traffic (and a sparse chicken-buying public).  As I hadn't expected to go for this cache when I sleepily left the house, I arrived unprepared (don't ask where my emergency car shovel is - it's a sore subject).  Digging out my ice scraper, I set to work.  I can't imagine what the patrons of the family restaurant across the street were thinking, watching me wail on an ice block with the handle of my scraper, but I got it!

As I said later in my log, I've never worked so hard for a cupcake!

Afterwards, feeling all accomplished, I headed off for chores.  Stopping in the local hardware store, I spotted these babies and have added them to my winter caching supplies!  Kid-sized so they fit easily in my trunk and less than $5 apiece.

No snowbank is safe! And, yes, I did get my car shovel back.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Winter Streaking Tip:

I normally leave the house with a plan, but we know about the best laid plans, right?  This major snowstorm really did some damage. I find if I'm DNF'ing caches and still need the daily fix, I will check the recent activity of other streakers to see what caches they found accessible.  Nothing like pulling up to a GZ and finding footprints leading the way and the cache unburied! 

Sight N' Go Cemetery Caching

Monday night, a group of fabulous geo-friends (myself, TaGeez, SRStuart, AFishOutOfWater, Team Gates, MAW, and Frito Bandito plus new friends 8_is_Enough) enjoyed a fabulous new cache called Dem Bones GC59WJ3 by TheGrundalows. 

NOTE: THERE ARE NO SPOILERS IN THIS POST!

Fish, SRStuart, Gates, TaGeez, Frito and scrapcat

It was an 11-stage cemetery multi that took you from one location to another by bearing only.  Unlike a projection, you have the bearing but no distance. 

Using a compass or a GPS, you had to walk in a direct line from one sight until you spotted the next stage.   (This was SO much fun and we saw so many interesting things you’d normally miss on a park-and-grab!)

In the parking lot waiting for my group to arrive, June17 (who completed the cache ahead of us) pointed out a really cool feature on my Garmin 450T. The Garmin Sight-n-Go is a compass feature on most Garmin units that allows you to navigate from one spot to another based on bearing only. 

Consult your owner’s manual, but, basically, these were the steps he showed me to setup my GPS for bearing.  I thought it would be handy to document this in case you or I ever need to use this function again.

1. Click the Sign ‘N Go button (as I have rearranged my Garmin screen, yours may appear on a different screen than mine).

2. When the screen opens, click the white box in the lower right corner to open the menu.  From the menu, you want to select Small Data Fields.

3. The large compass appears.  Holding your unit horizontally, move your unit (or yourself) around until you are facing the correct bearing.  Once the correct bearing appears, click Lock Direction.

4. Warning: Sometimes when you click Lock Direction, it locks on a degree or two off!  Double check your bearing.  If incorrect, revert back to compass.  If correct, click Set Course.

5. Start walking, aligning your arrows.

Now, the really nifty part is the Off Course feature (set to “feet”).  In the image above, I’m off 3 feet.  This means I may be walking in the correct bearing (direction), but I’m walking within 3 feet of my bearing line (essentially, parallel to my desired path).  I could miss my target completely if I’m not careful!


Our group (joined at stage 3 by four member of 8_is_Enough plus one of the cache owners) walked a line from stage to stage using smartphones, actual compasses, and my GPSr.  We figured that spreadout in that fashion we would not miss our target.  This theory worked some of the time… we had some of the tweens and teens and seniors wondering off in random directions when other bright & shiny things crossed our paths.  We missed one stage completely and had to backtrack (I made the fascinating find at this stage). All in all, this Garmin feature was handy keeping us all on track as we did our own thing.

It took us an hour of walking, laughing, snapping pictures, wandering after other caches, talking about bees nest in a tree and a bowling ball planted in the ground... but victory was ours!  It was a fabulous journey!

Favorite point!  With this one under my belt, I can't wait to go to Adrian and try Necropolis Ruins!

Love My Lithiums!

We're ready for another season caching the Huron Metroparks! My lithiums are in!

 

I almost gave up GPSr Geocaching as my units (Garmin Oregon 450T and Magellan Explorist GC) just ate batteries. Then I invested in lithiums: Energizer AA Ultimate Lithiums. Instead of replacing Alkalines every 1.5 outings, I would go many, many excursions before needing to replace them.

Good to know:

• They hold power up to 20 years (in storage) and perform in extreme temperatures [-40° to 140°F]
• They do cost more, but I really feel that overall I saved money as I wasn't changing them as often.
• If you are concerned about expense, go ahead and use your Alkalines or rechargeables. Just make sure you keep an extra set of lithiums in case of emergency. The power doesn't drain over time (so they are fully charged if/when you need them) and are life saving when dealing with a -26° Michigan Winter.
• How to store them? Mentioned in an earlier post about performs. Lightweight, sturdy and waterproof. I store mine in pairs.
• When you do use them, remember to go into your GPSr unit's setting and change the battery type for optimal performance.
• What's the difference between Energizer Ultimate and Advanced Lithiums? Ultimate lasts longer and are more powerful. Ultimates are recommended for GPSr units per the Energizer site and packaging.

Now, I'm not the expert and end-all-be-all, but I know these work for me. Give it a try and see if you notice a difference.

 

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

A friend reached out to the community looking for a Chirp-enabled GPSr.  He will be in Traverse City this weekend, and he wants to try his first Chirp cache.

Garmin Chirps are little black units (smaller than a pager) that emit a short-range signal.  In this area, you will most likely find them as part of a multi-cache.  If you walk within range of the Chirp with a Chirp-enabled GPSr, a window appears on your screen stating there is a Chirp nearby and asking if you’d like to read the message.  The message will include further instructions or coordinates to the next stage/final. 

So far I’ve only completed 3 Chirp caches – my favorite being My Little Birdie Told Me…. Chirp, Chirp GC2THHW located in Bicentennial Park in Farmington, MI.

You might see one or more of these
Geocaching Attributes on the cache page

The Chirp costs about $24 and has a replaceable battery that lasts, on average, a year or so.  I don’t think they’re popular due to the expense of the unit (sucks if it gets muggled) and that most Cachers use smartphones now (there’s no app for that!).  However, they are a hoot to do! 

SPOILER ALERT! Clatmandu wears a Chirp on his lanyard.  The message says to find Clat and do the chicken dance for him!  Dancers earn his path tag!  Yes, during our first Midwest Geobash, my family fell prey to the lure of “the shiny” and earned our tag in front of hundreds of other Cachers outside the scavenger hunt arena!

I also have one.  It’s attached to the Team Free Range Lobsters banner, telling all and asunder to stop by to visit our banner as it’s trackable!

I’m intrigued with the use of new technology as part of the geocaching game.  We have some pretty creative minds in the area.  In addition to the Chirps and Wherigos, we also have:

NFC POC GC4MF1Y – Uses the Droid NFC technology in a multi-cache on campus

Agent K vs League of Villainous Evildoers GC2XCP0 – Uses a webpage accessed via your smartphone for a super spy game of hot-and-cold.

Can You Follow My Lead GC4XTAC – Uses an iPhone app called Klikaklu.  In the mall, you are given images and you have to find where in the mall the pictures were taken from.  Once you snap a picture, matching the original image, the app cycles to the next image.  Eventually, you are led to ground zero of the final container.

On a serious note, I have heard other Caches complain that this use of technology is unfair to those that don’t own Garmins or smart phones or the right smart phone.  Bullshit.  It’s a community game.  Make a friend and go caching with them.  I don’t own a Droid so we gathered a group of friends and followed Ben & Amanda of theGrundalows around the OCC campus to try out the NFC technology – so cool!  One of my favorite geocaching memories!

I have spoken… Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

Snow? Sounds like NIGHT CACHING weather!

What do you do when it snows in April in Michigan?  NIGHT CACHE!

Tarabusi Creek Group Photo

Sitting with TaGeez (Steve) before last night’s night cache (GC4THAD Night Caching Tarabusi Creek), I asked him his favorite ‘night caching’ tips.  Together, we’ve probably found over a dozen of them.  This is a brief list of tips we came up with.

• Best to go in early Spring or late Fall.  There’s less muck & mud, vegetation is dormant (to navigate and to see reflectors), the sun sets earlier, less bugs out and snakes are dormant.
• Buy a headlamp.  They are relatively inexpensive and widely-available.  Using a headlamp keeps your hands free for blocking tree branches, climbing over logs, and searching.  We recommend using it on a lower setting or angling it slightly down so you don’t blind the other Cachers.
• Even with a headlamp, keep a spare flashlight in your pocket.  This is particularly useful when searching the final GZ or if something happens to the headlamp.
• Wear safety glasses because branches aren’t easy to see in the gloom/dark.
• Wear long sleeves, long pants & (optional) gloves to protect from the thorns.
• Read the cache page for special equipment.  We recently did an older night cache that required a strong, older flashlight.  New-fangled LED lights weren’t powerful enough to set off the beacon.  In addition, we’re seeing more demands for UV flashlights in our area.
• Bring glow sticks.  If you get separated from your group, hang glow sticks from nearby branches and stay by that tree as you call someone for help.
• If using a Smartphone for navigating, dim your light so it doesn’t effect your night vision.
• Waypoint your car before setting off because landmarks are harder to see on that return trip.

Consider these (plus basic safety tips) next time you go out and night caching will be less scary!

TuL Medium-Point Gel Pens

Awesome pens specially for Winter caching! Steve bought a bunch of them. Even in -12°F, they write smoothly, even on icy logs, and have a nice heft to them. Now if he would just stop giving them away!

I'm Famous! (OK, not really....)

I was listening to the latest GeoGearHeads Cache-A-Maniacs podcast (GGH 089: Tips from the 2013 Race), and one of the tips mentioned was mine!  Woot!

Do not use silicone adhesives or Krazy Glue to attach magnets in a cache container.  Instead, use Amazing Goop.

Goop remains flexible in any weather (extreme hot or extreme cold) so the magnet doesn't pop out.  We've used it successfully in our Small World figurines (upper left) - they've been out for a year now!  We have also used it with great success in our PBN's (lower left).

My recommendation is to add a dab into the bottom of the cache container, press the magnet or figurine into the glue, and let it set overnight.

Happy caching!

Elisa