Geocache of the Week Video Edition — De drie hoofddeugden (GC3G6DH)

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Geocache Name:

De drie hoofddeugden (GC3G6DH)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

2.5/1.5

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

Last April, the Geocaching HQ videographer, reidsomething, had the opportunity to visit Bruges and attend a Mega-Event. While she was there, she had the opportunity to meet two geocachers and explore one of their multi-caches. Check out the video above to learn more about what makes this multi-cache amazing.

What the cache owner, sdw2, has to say:

“The thing we mostly like [about placing geocaches] is to think about something new and to work it out in our heads. Also exploring the area and seeing where we can do what is fun. Give our ideas shape. It is pleasing to see that our hard work is appreciated. Positive logs ensure the cache remains well maintained so other cachers  can also enjoy. It also encourages you to get back to work and look for ideas for a new cache.”

To Geocachers: “Be original and surprise us! Do not be scared of things of which you know nothing, as in our case the electrical system. There are always people around you who can help a hand with the technical development of your ideas.”

What geocachers are saying:

“Yesterday we found WP1 and WP2, but it was too late for the rest. This morning we decided to continue before leaving Bruges and it was worth it. The last stages were very interesting and with a little help we could find the final, where we did not dare to search. Very recommendable!” – dbox

“Thanks for a truly excellent cache…A brilliant first multi in Brugge! With a little help from the kind lady – as two clues were temporarily inaccessible. We like the squares picture because of the bright colours and unusual shapes. SL. Did swaps. Left GC. TFTC. Favourited.” – mykey987

“Had a lovely time learning about the history of how this cache came to be from the fabulous cache owners. Bruges is lucky to have such creative and thoughtful hiders in their geocaching community. Thank you Stef & Sara for the great afternoon.” – reidsomething

Photos:

church
The final location. Photo by geocacher vdv_els
Art within the church. Photo by clyden'bonnie
Art within the church. Photo by clyden’bonnie
YES
Can you find this geocache? Photo by geocacher Beastg

 

Multi-caches are great ways to see more than one place via geocache. What sort of “tours” have multi-caches taken you on? 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.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, leave a comment below with the name of the geocache, the GC code, and why you think we should feature it.

Knock knock… — Who’s There? (GC3Z1EY) — Geocache of the Week

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Geocache Name:

Who’s there? (GC3Z1EY)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

2.5/2

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

First, check out the video up top—that should clear up most of it. This geocache shows an incredibly creative use of the Arduino computing platform. We’ve seen geocaches with pretty creative locks, but never one where you actually have to knock before it will let you in. Furthermore, this geocache, which seems like a pretty complicated device, was conceived and built by a CO with no technical background. His dedication to learning the proper way to build and program is a great example for geocachers looking to hide the next Geocache of the Week.

What the cache owner, Mr. 0, has to say:

What inspired this cool locking mechanism?

It was coincidence, really.  I happened to see a copy of Make Magazine (vol 25) on the shelf for the first time.  I picked it up because it looked interesting.  There was an article showing how to build a secret knock gumball machine that would dispense a piece of candy when the correct knock was given.  I immediately realized that this could be adapted to lock a geocache.

Do you have a programming or technical background?

None at all.  Before this project the most I had done was poorly solder some speaker wires together in an old Jeep, and I once got about 200 lines into a Zork knock-off in Basic on my C-64 when I was a kid.  I just picked up an Arduino Uno, a soldering iron, some parts, and started reading.  Thankfully Arduino microcontrollers are designed to be easy to program and use, and there’s a very helpful community behind them.  Going from nothing to the completed cache took about 3 months of occasional dabbling.

What has been your reaction to all of the positive logs and favorite points?

I wasn’t really sure how it would be received. I figured some would appreciate the novelty, but they might ultimately be put off by it not being a park and grab.  It can also be a little fiddly, so I was worried it wouldn’t work right and just frustrate finders when they couldn’t get it to open up.  I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the comments, favorites, and messages I’ve received about it.  I’m happy to give the local community something a little different to find.

What geocachers are saying:

“We decided that we wanted to do a fun one today, and this cache came to mind. Hlemont, Denver, and I had a great time. The containers for both stages were awesome! Definitely looks like a lot of time went into both stages. Thank you for sharing this cool idea, and neat spots in the park. Everything is in great shape. Favorite point added :D” – Limont

“One of a couple very select caches today. This has been on my “to do” list since it was published and it exceeded by expectations.” – captphil

“This was a really unique cache. I liked how it combined deep woods hides with 21st century technology. The two stages were nicely balanced. Be sure to pay attention at stage one or you will have to go back. Our first several tries at stage two didn’t work, but we finally got our timings aligned and OPEN SESAME the cache revealed itself to us. This was a great excuse to hike in a park I had not previously visited. Very enjoyable. It gets a solid favorite vote from me. TFTC” – TimeSeeker

 

Photos:

 

The device in stage 1. Photo courtesy of Mr. 0
The device in stage 1. Photo courtesy of Mr. 0
What you'll find when you open stage 2. Photo courtesy of Mr. 0
What you’ll find when you open stage 2. Photo courtesy of Mr. 0
If you find the rhythm, you'll get the reward. Photo courtesy of Mr. 0
If you find the rhythm, you’ll get the reward. Photo courtesy of Mr. 0

What has been your favorite geocache that involves solving a puzzle? 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.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, leave a comment below with the name of the geocache, the GC code, and why you think we should feature it.

Dive in and earn a smiley! – The Blue Hole – Half Moon Caye (GC2KFB8) — Geocache of the Week

A bird's eye view of the Great Blue Hole.
A bird’s eye view of the Great Blue Hole.

Geocache Name:

The Blue Hole – Half Moon Caye (GC2KFB8)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1.5/4.5

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

After receiving a little more rain in Seattle, I couldn’t help but daydream of somewhere sunny, warm and tropical. I remembered a place I’ve always wanted to go scuba diving and decided to see if there was a geocache nearby—and of course, there was! The Great Blue Hole in Belize was once named one of the top 10 scuba diving sites in the world by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The Blue Hole was formed through thousands of years of geologic processes, including earthquakes and rises in sea level. The deep blue color comes from its depth: 480 feet (145 m). And now, in addition to enjoying the tropical paradise of Belize, you can also learn about the formation of this amazing geologic attraction while earning a smiley for this Earthcache.

What geocachers are saying:

“Awesome! This is my first EarthCache and my 5th cache of any kind. I was so thrilled to get one in such an out of the way spot!” – 1fish-2fish

“My husband had been waiting forever to dive the Blue Hole on our trip to Belize. How awesome to have a geocache too! We’ve done at least one cache in every country we’ve traveled to. This was the only one we could do since we were staying on the Turneffe atoll as opposed to the mainland. Thanks so much for placing it. One more EarthCache/new country to add to the list. ” – dadsgps

“Worked on this island for a tour company, so I know the area well. Got excited to see that there’s a smiley I can log because of my work! ;)” – tigerkity

 

Photos:

 

Geocacher Luninia smiling after earning her 500th smiley at this Earthcache.
Geocacher Luninia smiling after earning her 500th smiley at this Earthcache.
If you aren't a diver, I guess you'll just have to hang out here. Bummer!  Photo by geocacher Free-bird
If you aren’t a diver, I guess you’ll just have to hang out here. Bummer! Photo by geocacher Free-bird
Exploring the Great Blue Hole from within. Photo by geocacher kinderarzt
Exploring the Great Blue Hole from within. Photo by geocacher kinderarzt

What has been your favorite geocache you’ve found while on vacation? 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.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, leave a comment below with the name of the geocache, the GC code, and why you think we should feature it.

Share the Joy of Geocaching & See the Results

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It’s a fact: geocaching is better with friends. And another fact: geocachers love stats. Now you can bring your friends along, share the high-fives and earn a few more stats with the brand new Geocaching Refer-a-Friend page.

Many geocachers found out about their favorite hobby from a friend or family member. You can invite your friends, family, acquaintances, favorite pizza delivery person, hairstylist… You get the idea.

Share your personal invitation link on Facebook and Twitter, or with an email. And remember: as your friends find and hide geocaches, you can see a brand new set of stats start to climb. Invite your friends now and go geocaching!

Tick tock… — Times Up (GC161PW) — Geocache of the Week

Uh oh...did you bring any quarters? Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Uh oh…did you bring any quarters? Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie

Geocache Name:

Times Up (GC161PW)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1.5/2.5

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

Geocaches come in all shapes and sizes. One of my favorite parts of geocaching is discovering the creativity that cache hiders use to take seemingly ordinary objects and morph them into geocaches. From birdhouses to phone booths, the possibilities are nearly endless. In this instance, one geocacher took the downtown bane of my existence and turned it into something I’d be delighted to see. Hopefully they disabled the actual metering functionality, otherwise I hope your geocaching pack contains quite a bit of change.

# of Finds:

213

# of Favorite Points:

33

What geocachers are saying:

“One of my favorites! This was such a cool cache. It was also our final find to get the Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Geocoin! What a way to complete our quest! It’s not over, though, because there will always be more caches to find. Thanks for the fun! ” — Nelson BoneDogz

“WOW!!!!! What a cache! Signed log, replaced as found and called it a day!” — dogcop1us

“This was an awesome adventure! Without fully reading the description, others’ logs, or the hint, we jogged here and climbed down into the creek. Taking in the surroundings we immediately noticed an object that was out of place and had to climb up to explore more! TFTH!” — R3DH3ADS

What one of the the Geocaching Liaisons for the City of Tallahassee Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Affairs, Tallahassee-Lassie, has to say:

“While geocaching was not new to the area, two PRNA employees were instrumental in getting the City to add geocaching to the Parks program back in March 2007.  Bob (Creekhunter) & Vernon (HBunch-Tallahassee) were extremely clever in their containers and hides…In 2009 I was meeting with the then Superintendent of Parks (he’s now retired) about hosting a CITO for one of the parks.  In our discussion I told him the local geocachers group, Tallahassee Area Geocachers aka TAG, would be happy to help out maintaining the caches.  He immediately said yes and our collaboration took off…
When I report to the City about the positive logs and how far people have traveled to find the caches, they are very proud and extremely positive.  I enjoy working with them.  I will be retiring in a year & look forward to having more time to volunteer.”

Photos:

Oh good, no ticket for us! Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Oh good, no ticket for us! Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Walking up to this in the middle of the woods may be a bit confusing. Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Walking up to this in the middle of the woods may be a bit confusing. Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Can you see it? Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Can you see it? Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie

This geocache features a repurposed parking meter for a container. What’s your favorite repurposed container you’ve ever found or hidden? 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.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, leave a comment below with the name of the geocache, the GC code, and why you think we should feature it.