Author: Derek H

/ Derek H

Tune in to the live feed. — The Chicken Channel (GC5FN87) — Geocache of the Week

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Tune into the Chicken Channel!
Tune into the Chicken Channel!

Geocache Name:

The Chicken Channel (GC5FN87)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1/1

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

When asking “Why do you like geocaching?” one of the top responses is always along the lines of, “it shows me places I never would’ve known existed.” The Chicken Channel is a perfect example of that. This geocache leads geocachers to a local art installation created by homeowners that raise chickens. Originally, when the dial on the “TV” was turned, feed was released, which attracted the chickens to the screen. This gave local residents an opportunity to meet their neighbors. Now, neighbors and geocachers alike come to this location to meet the local winged TV stars.

 

What geocachers are saying:

“Found during an afternoon of cachin’ for strays with mcwilli and the hounds. This has to be one of the funniest caches I’ve found….GOOD STUFF dragon flyer!” – RumRunner1

“I have a fondness for chickens – so this one immediately got my notice when it came out. Talked GeoBjorn into heading out to it today. Perfectly awesome spot. The actors on chicken tv were disappointed today and may go on strike since they were not paid for their appearance.. surely the owners will remedy that. TFTC dragon flyer.” – geokwan

“Found with hollyburn as I was taking her home after a fun day. This was so awesome, I am bringing Jr Fish back here tomorrow. What a fabulous invention and so entertaining too. Favourite for the location. Thank you so much for bringing me here!” – Cuddlefish

 

What the geocache owner, dragon flyer, has to say:

“I first heard about these chickens when someone mentioned that a walk down the lane to visit them was my little granddaughter’s first outing after her heart surgery. I was pleased there were chickens for a city kid to experience, and then last Fall my grandson commented in passing that ‘now they have The Chicken Channel’. His description piqued my interest enough that I had to go around to check it out. I thought it was hilarious and still find myself grinning every time I think about it, and my immediate impulse was to want other people to enjoy it too!Since the Chicken Channel owners’ whole goal was to have people see the installation, and I had a way of bringing people there, it seemed like a total win-win. I didn’t work directly with the owners much, but I’ve made sure to keep them in the loop. I asked if it would be OK to place a cache there, and they knew what a geocache is. After the cache was published, I left a copy of the details page with my name and email address so they could let me know if there were any problems, but I haven’t heard of any. In January I had a brief conversation with one of the owners and left copies of all the logs, to share with them how much cachers were enjoying the Channel, and I plan to continue doing that.I think of my sense of humour as being a bit odd, so I was initially surprised at how positive the responses to the cache were. When I began hearing reports of cachers who already had smileys returning with others in tow, I knew we had a good thing going here. One or two cachers have even been so intrigued by the performance they forgot to find the cache and had to come back for it!I mostly cache for the places it takes me I probably wouldn’t find otherwise, so I like caches that are there for a reason other than that there isn’t another one within 161 metres. Every time there’s a log from someone who enjoyed this cache, I get to enjoy it vicariously all over again, and the shared positive response to the cache makes me feel a sense of community. I feel lucky that I came upon such a good reason for placing it!”

Photos:

This TV channel is always so fowl.
This TV channel is always so fowl.
A group of cachers meeting some feathered friends. Photo by geocacher iamnotanumber
A group of cachers meeting some feathered friends. Photo by geocacher iamnotanumber
Turn the knob for live feed. Photo by geocacher geokwan
Turn the knob for live feed. Photo by geocacher geokwan

 

What has been the most memorable wildlife experience you’ve had while geocaching? Tell us and post photos 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, just fill out this form. Thanks!

/ Derek H /

Take a 32-Stage Journey Through Central Park — Bridges & Arches of Central Park (GC17MX1) — Geocache of the Week Video Edition

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Geocache Name:

Bridges & Arches of Central Park (GC17MX1)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

3/2

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

If you haven’t yet, watch the video above. This geocache is an epic, 32-stage multi-cache that takes you on a journey through Central Park in New York City, NY, USA. The stages of this multi-cache focus on the park’s bridges and arches, which are beautifully crafted but often overlooked. Waiting at the final stage for the intrepid geocachers who make it there is a custom-designed geocoin to commemorate their journey.

 

What geocachers are saying:

“This cache was incredible. It took my son and I three trips starting from September to hit all the points. Finding the rock and coin gave us a great memory of a fun adventure. Thank you very much for this.” – teamtrimble13

“Yay! WooHoo! What a cache, what an adventure! This probably is my biggest personal geocaching achievement. Loved it! I really enjoyed discovering Central Park and the many many ‘hidden’ trails. There is so much to see, I had no idea. Favorite point for sure!!!!” – wanderlusta

“Fantastic, must-do, classic cache! Having placed nothing but the final on this prime real estate, the CO has created a wonderfully researched experience that will delight any explorer, young and old. This cache, unlike any other cache visited, convinced my muggle friend, Tinstaafl2, to create an account and finally join the game.” – Baxter929

 

What the geocache owner, addisonbr, has to say:

“…At some point while roaming around the park I stumbled across the fact that no two bridges in the original design are alike.  We had just started hiding our first caches a few months earlier, and I thought that maybe the bridges and arches could form the backbone of a pretty interesting tour.  I started paying more attention to them while in the park, reading up on them, etc.  I found some out-of-print books that had a lot of background information and details about Olmsted and Vaux’s original designs and started making some trips out to scout them, sketching out some descriptions, looking for information that cachers could retrieve from each site (and that could combine to form coordinates).  After coming up with a route, I play-tested it a few times to see how long it would take (and make sure that I hadn’t made any errors).  It seemed like it was going to take most people 4-6 hours or so, which is on the long side, but I hoped that if I gave people something interesting to read between waypoints it might not seem so bad.
…My biggest concern was that the cache would take too long for people to really enjoy it.  Whenever I play-tested it, I was pretty wiped out by the time I got to the end, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out for other people.  When you publish a cache you’re kind of asking people to trust you with their time, and if your cache takes several hours – it just felt like a lot of responsibility.  I was mostly hoping that when people got to the end they wouldn’t feel irritated about all the time they invested writing down numbers and making calculations and otherwise jumping through all of the hoops they’d been jumping through all day.  Then after it was published and the logs finally started coming in… a tremendous sense of relief.  I always read every word of every log that hits my inbox and it’s heartening that people will take so much time to write as much as they do about their experiences.

Especially for people who attempt this cache while visiting New York – thank you for trusting me with so much of your vacation!”

 Photos:

Bridges, arches and geocaching, #2. Photo by geocachers mcjeeper and stukboy
Bridges, arches and geocaching, #2. Photo by geocachers mcjeeper and stukboy
Bridges, arches and geocaching, #1. Photo by geocachers mcjeeper and stukboy
Bridges, arches and geocaching, #1. Photo by geocachers mcjeeper and stukboy
One of the parks many cool bridges. Photo by geocacher guinea gal
One of the parks many cool bridges. Photo by geocacher guinea gal
Two happy geocachers on their way. Photo by geocacher ChrisAtLarge
Two happy geocachers on their way. Photo by geocacher ChrisAtLarge

 

What’s the best Multi-Cache you’ve ever found? Tell us and post photos 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, just fill out this form. Thanks!

/ Derek H

Nano gets a new twist — Nano Invasion: A Tangled Mess (GC3YJ5Z) — Geocache of the Week

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Technically, it's still a nano.
Technically, it’s still a nano.

 

Geocache Name:

Nano Invasion: A Tangled Mess (GC3YJ5Z)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

3.5/1.5

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

It’s no secret that micro and nano geocaches sometimes get a bad rap. But with the right creativity and work ethic, even the smallest geocaches can be a big adventure. To sign the micro logbook in this geocache, you’ll have to work the container through a series of tubes until it reaches the exit. Be patient and you’ll earn your smiley in no time!

 

What geocachers are saying:

“Talk about frustrating! When we found the cache I was quite confused based on the size of the container and the nano title. Man was I in for a surprise when I opened the container! While avoiding the ants and other crawley things, this one took me a few minutes to get worked around. Just glad to have figured it out. #7 with HerroSone. Submitted this one to Geocaching.com as one of the best field puzzles around!!” – Wild Dog Clan

“Got this with the kids after a long day at the beach! Awesome Cache!” – Superhero Team

“Its Caches like this that keep this game interesting. Not what we were expecting… Everyone took turns at retrieving the nano. WOW! Mahalo For The Cache!” – KALA696

What the geocache owner, ValerieAndMason, has to say:

“A few years back there was a flurry of urban nano hides (with spotty coordinates) that kind of took the fun out of the game for a large portion of the active geocachers on Oahu. My wife and I actually like nanos so I began thinking of unconventional ways to hide them, this is the one that started it all. It’s a pvc pipe maze that was built to fit the container, I had no idea what it was going to look like when I started. There was no blueprint just “what ever looked good”. I’ve already told myself that if this one goes missing, the replacement will be twice as big and ten times harder so for everyone’s sanity I hope it never gets muggled.

The goal is to make something different that will excite or even frustrate (sorry) others but still gives them a sense of satisfaction once it’s done. Favorite points are always appreciated but never expected, when we do get them we know we did something right.We really enjoy reading the logs and find ourselves going back to read them all again, from the FTF to the most recent. They also help to keep us motivated to find and build even more creative caches.

We can only hope that our geocaches keep the game fun and exciting for others and gets the gears turning for those brilliant minds out there. We know that ammo cans in the woods are the most popular and preferred geocache, especially for the veterans, but the handmade, imaginative ones are the most memorable to us.”

 Photos:

You'll have to work the geocache through the tubes from start to finish.
You’ll have to work the geocache through the tubes from start to finish.
The nano and the tubes in their case.
The nano and the tubes in their case.
The geocache in the wild. Photo by geocacher havespots
The geocache in the wild. Photo by geocacher havespots

 

What’s the best micro-sized geocache you’ve ever found? Tell us and post photos 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, just fill out this form. Thanks!

/ Derek H /

‘Tis Only a Flesh Wound — On a Dark Night (GC1JHWA) — Geocache of the Week

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Are you brave enough to earn this smiley?
Are you brave enough to earn this smiley?

Geocache Name:

On a Dark Night (GC1JHWA)

 

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1.5/2

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

As nearly any geocacher knows, scrapes, scratches and other flesh wounds are inevitable when you’re searching for a geocache in the woods. But just like the black knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, mere flesh wounds can’t stop a geocacher. This geocache also reminds everyone to keep their sense of humor around while out searching. If you’re up for the challenge of finding this geocache, grab your coconuts (from an African Swallow, of course) and embark on your journey!

If you need a reference for the joke, here’s a YouTube clip. Warning: Some violence and mild language.

 

What geocachers are saying:

“I couldn’t help but think this was supposed to be a night cache! Anyway as I spotted GZ a huge grin appeared on my face – loved this one! :)” – slieschke

“Having found the tribute cache to the Co a couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity today to find a couple and this was number one… worth the effort… and deserving of the fave points… left my own fave point, some Phillipino coin and Hamster Tag tb that I found in the tribute cache to continue on… tftc…” – Peppa

“Wow, wow, wow… This trail is really upping the game for the caches that I have found thus far. I also think that I am going to be out of Fav’ Points as I keep giving them to every cache of ‘wingaap’ that I visit including this one! The idea and just finding the cache gave me a giggle and the wow factor. Awesome!” – MinkosDes

 Photos:

A brave warrior facing almost nearly certain ankle biting.
A brave warrior facing almost nearly certain ankle biting.
The black knight and his creator, Wingaap.
The black knight and his creator, Wingaap.

What’s the funniest geocache you’ve ever found? Tell us and post photos 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, just fill out this form. Thanks!

/ Derek H /

Sunshine and Pancakes — Punakaiki Pancakes Earthcache (GCN98H) — Geocache of the Week

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A beautiful view of the unedible pancakes and the tropical locale. Photo by geocacher Kulturmensch
A beautiful view of the unedible pancakes and the tropical locale. Photo by geocacher Kulturmensch

 

Geocache Name:

Punakaiki Pancakes Earthcache (GCN98H)

 

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

2/1

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

There’s no denying the fact that the best cure for the wintertime blues are summer and breakfast foods—more specifically, pancakes. Conveniently, the entire Southern Hemisphere is enjoying their summer right now and this EarthCache will bring you to some of Mother Nature’s own pancakes—just don’t try to eat them. When you earn a smiley for this EarthCache, you’ll not only get to take in some breathtaking views, you’ll also learn an Earth-science lesson.

Did you know that EarthCaches are a joint effort between the Geological Society of America, Geocaching.com and other partners? All EarthCaches are reviewed by the EarthCache team. Some geocachers have proposed geocache types similar to EarthCaches for history or some other subject. For that to be a reality, we encourage you to find credible, independent organizations and partners who would be willing to administer the program.

 

What geocachers are saying:

“It’s so incredible what the nature can do! We love it! As much as we love health blueberry pancakes! (And pancake cake with icecream)” – Janssson

“It was good to wander round this interesting area again. Having researched this type of phenomenon for the questions, have realised how rare it is. Thanks for the cache, I have learnt something!” – MadCat9

“For Christmas Day brunch – these are the world’s best Pancakes ever ! Obviously lots of people like ourselves roaming amongst the stacks of panacke rocks on Christmas day. Enjoyed the circuit stroll on a well engineered walkway through a world where imagination conjures up many possibilities. Deserves a Fav for a stunning location.” – La Vista

 Photos:

Pano shot from geocacher Blackpearl_Oberberg
Pano shot from geocacher Blackpearl_Oberberg
Close-up of the pancakes. Photo by geocacher helennbrian
Close-up of the pancakes. Photo by geocacher helennbrian
A happy geocacher makes the find! Photo by CacheUsIfYouCan!
A happy geocacher makes the find! Photo by CacheUsIfYouCan!

Which EarthCache you’ve found has had the most incredible views? Tell us and post photos 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, just fill out this form. Thanks!