May 14, 2013 / Eric Schudiske /

Attend the World’s Mega-Event

Join Us for the Geocaching Block Party Mega-Event

It’s a “Will Attend” that will fuel memories for years to come. We’re inviting the entire worldwide geocaching community to join us at the 2013 Geocaching Block Party on August 17 in Seattle. It’s a Mega-Event not to miss. This year’s Block Party weekend lasts longer, promises more geocaching fun and has plenty of events for everyone. You’ll even be able to grab a cozy spot in front of a giant outdoor movie screen for the first annual Geocaching International Film Festival (GIFF). GIFF will showcase the best videos from geocachers around the world. You and the rest of the audience will choose one lucky video to receive the “Audience Award.”

The Thursday and Friday before the Block Party, you can reserve your spot on a behind-the-scenes tour of Geocaching HQ. You’ll get to find the Geocaching HQ geocache, meet some of the folks at Geocaching HQ and see where all the geocaching magic happens.

Saturday from 11AM to 6PM, you can soak up the fun at the Geocaching Block Party. Activities include a new GeoTour near Geocaching HQ and meeting the Geocaching HQ staff and many of the volunteers that assist the worldwide geocaching community. Sound like a lot? Don’t worry. You’ll be able to refuel at the onsite food trucks. Log your “Will Attend” now, then share this new Block Party Invite video with your friends. We’ll see you there.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2oYHTcTsgM&feature=youtu.be]

Still want more? Wrap up your weekend in Seattle on Sunday with the Going APE Mega-Event. The journey through a long mountain tunnel delivers geocachers to a majestic and legendary location.

Get more details on events, times, dates, vendors and more at the Geocaching Block Party website.

May 9, 2013 / Derek H /

Home sweet boulder. — Lameirinha (GC16670) — Geocache of the Week

Nestled in the hills of Portugal lies Casa do Penedo. photo by geocacher trinamixx — I’m expecting Fred and Wilma to walk out at any moment. Photo by geocacher trinamixx

Out of the numerous things geocaching has taught me, one of the special skills that has carried over into my day-to-day life has been to look more closely at everything. For example, at first glance, the photo above may just be a pretty picture of another amazing rock formation. However, if you look a little closer, you’ll notice a door…and windows…and a roof. Then you’ll see that it’s a stone house that looks like it came straight out of the Flintstones. Once you see that, you can take an even closer look to find Lameirinha (GC16670), this week’s Geocache of the Week.

We're super excited about this geocache, too! Photo by geocacher acaferreira — We’re super excited about this geocache, too! Photo by geocacher acaferreira

The Casa do Penedo was built in 1974, between four enormous boulders in the northern hills of Portugal. The entire home, except for the doors, windows and roof, is constructed of rock. Inside, a more rustic style prevails with logs for stairs, furniture and railings. While it may sound pretty lush, there’s one caveat: the stone house doesn’t have electricity. Its owners had to use candles (and maybe GPS) to find their way through the halls.

The geocache! Photo by geocacher Hippocaching

The stone home is amazing, but that’s not all you get see from ground zero. The surrounding hills are dotted with windmills that help create a gorgeous vista. Most of the Found It logs on the geocache’s page mention something about the view. “Magnificent place with spectacular scenery. Also enjoyed seeing the house, fits well in the environment. A cache this in a spectacular location. TFTC Team Ogalo,” said geocacher Ogalo (Translated from Portugese). A log from geocacher Hippocaching reads (also translated from Portugese),”The cache was in a spectacular site! The house, the landscape, windmills, horses are all elements that make it very desirable to cache! While we were out walking by the place we realized that two more teams found the cache! Thank you!”

Looking out on the windmills from GZ. Photo by geocacher trinamixx (who took some amazing photos of this geocache)

This geocache is all about looking beyond the first thing you see. What special skill has geocaching taught you and what have you found because of it? Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.

May 7, 2013 / Eric Schudiske /

Geocaching International Film Festival – Call for Entries

Enter Your Geocaching Video into GIFF

Geocaching is ripe for one more acronym. Move aside BYOP* and TNLN** —get ready for GIFF. It’s the Geocaching International Film Festival. The finest videos from the global geocaching community will be showcased as part of the 2013 Geocaching Block Party in Seattle on August 17.

You’re invited to submit up to two entries. All entries should be one to five minutes in length. The GIFF final entries will be judged by geocaching organizations around the world. They’ll vote on winners in five categories, including Most Instructional, Best Cinematography, Most Inspirational, Most Adventurous and Most Creative/Experimental. Those watching the final videos live in Seattle on August 17 will choose the winner of the Audience Award.

Will your video show on the big outdoor screen in front of a projected crowd of more than a thousand geocachers? The answer to that question begins by checking out the Geocaching Block Party website. You’ll find rules and information about GIFF. And get ready to use one more acronym… LCA (lights, camera, action!)

* Bring Your Own Pen

** Took Nothing, Left Nothing

Check out the Call for GIFF Submissions video to learn more.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FUAmIIYCSQI]

May 6, 2013 / Paige Edmiston /

The Very First – First to Find

Let’s set the scene. You’ve heard a few friends talk about this thing called “geocaching” and you fancy you might be pretty good at it. After all, you are fairly certain that your uncanny ability to locate lost car keys must mean that you have pirate’s blood coursing through your veins.

With your handy-dandy smart phone in hand, you set off to find the nearest geocache. According to your GPS you are right on top of it – but wait! Where’s the X marks the spot? You search high and low. You are on the verge of giving up when you spot a rock that doesn’t quite look like a rock….and yes, you’ve found it!

Finding a geocache feels kind of like this!

Now rewind the clock to a time long, long ago – a time without smartphones, Facebook, or (gasp!) geocaching. Thirteen years ago today Mike Teague became the first person to find the first geocache (at the time called a “stash”). It’s an adventure shrouded in lore. The word “geocaching” hadn’t even been invented yet. You can read much more about Mike Teague and the history of geocaching here. But the sense of wonder the first geocacher felt, is the same sense of wonder that now ripples through six million more geocachers. Are you one of them?

Share the story of your first geocaching find below in comments!

May 1, 2013 / Derek H /

May the Fourth Be With You – Star Wars Cache (GC2FDRQ) – Geocache of the Week

Jedi mind tricks aside, this is the geocache you’re looking for. Luckily, you won’t have to travel to a galaxy far far away to find it. This week’s Geocache of the Week, Star Wars Cache (GC2FDRQ), takes us to the filming location for the Mos Eisley scenes in Star Wars IV: A New Hope.

“Mos Eisley spaceport: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi Hmm….looks fine to us. Photo by geocacher lagosi

If you aren’t sure why this week’s Geocache of the Week is Star Wars themed, I’ll explain. This Saturday, May 4, is a special holiday for Star Wars fans. “May the Fourth” sounds similar to “May the Force” which is part of the famous line, “May the Force be with you.” Basically, it’s just a day for Star Wars fans to boast about why Star Wars is better than Star Trek, remember the epic saga of the original trilogy, try to forget the prequel trilogy and emphatically declare who shot first (FYI: it was Han).

Another view of Mos Eisley. Photo by geocacher Kitou&Laulo44

Since time when Mos Eisley was a bustling spaceport filled with smugglers, villains droids, Jedi and everyone’s favorite alien band, Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes, things have calmed down quite a bit. In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to even find a smuggler that can do the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs. However, you will be able to explore the remains of this once lively town on Tatooine. Actually, the set used for many of the scenes set on the planet Tatooine were located in Tunisia, near the town of Tataouine. Coincidence? My intuition tells me no.

A young Padawan near the geocache. Photo by geocacher Blaue-Elise

Even without the presence of Tusken Raiders, the journey to this difficulty 1, terrain 5 geocache can be quite treacherous. Geocachers will have to travel through miles of sand dunes to reach the town. However, once you arrive in the town, finding the geocache won’t be too difficult—just make sure to use your cloaking device to prevent muggles from catching on. Geocachers from around the world have traveled to this iconic location to see a piece of galactic history. Geocacher s1las wrote, “My son and me found the force and the Cache…Our first overseas cache its the best yet TFTC.”

Movie-themed geocaches are everywhere. What’s your favorite movie theme or what movie theme would you most like to see in a geocache? Tell us in the comments.

Also, this year’s Geocaching Worldwide Flash Mobs will take place on Saturday with the theme, “May the Fourth be with you.” It would be a great time to meet other Star Wars loving geocachers. Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

The force was with this team of geocachers. Photo by geocacher Lukas.Veverka