/ Eric Schudiske /

MidWest GeoBash 2012

Sometimes a simple match won’t do for a Mega-Event fire

Groundspeak Lackeys are traveling thousands of miles from H.Q. throughout the year to share smiles, shake hands, and make geocaching memories at nearly 20 Mega-Events worldwide. Justin Dover aka dova dov, attended the Mega-Event Midwest GeoBash 2012 (GC34GFG) The Mega-Event took place in Wauseon, Ohio. Justin has served as a Lackey since 2009 and is an engineer in IT – basically he’s one of the hamsters. Here’s Justin’s account of his adventure.

Justin Dover aka dova dov

By Justin Dover:

Working at Groundspeak for nearly three years, I’ve had a few opportunities to travel.  My most recent adventure was to the great state of Ohio for the 8th annual MidWest GeoBash.  For the fourth year in a row, the event has been held over four days at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, OH.  This venue supports several hundred campsites with access to RV hookups and shower facilities.

I selected this destination over other options because of the hype for MWGB around the office.  Over the years, dozens of Lackeys have attended, and they each have stories that seemed almost too good to be true.  Lackey Raine accompanied me on this trip to make it his fifth time attending.  His previous experience and knowledge of regular attendees made for a comfortable and unforgettable experience.  When we arrived we were immediately whisked away via golf cart to meet up with main organizers, dubbed “the big three”:  Mike (Trippy1976), Sonja (-Eleanor-) and Pete (The Moop Along).  They explained the history of the event, why themes play an important role and the several venues that had come before the now permanent home at FCF.  It’s amazing how successful this non-profit event has become, and it’s all made possible through the hard work of numerous of volunteers and generous donations.

Mega-Event sized Jenga

During the day, this event is like most others that I’ve attended.  Cachers walk around socializing, filling out geo-bingo cards and getting to know interesting and sometimes random facts about each other.  For the past several years, there has been a geocoin Texas Hold-em poker tournament where the buy-in is three unique, unactivated geoicoins and the lot is split among the top three finishers.  Other activities include a campfire cook-off, poker run and tons of opportunities to log new finds.

Lackeys Raine and Justin at MidWest GeoBash

What happens when the sun goes down is what separates the event from many others.  Each night, at 10pm, Matt (Lord Elwood) comes out wielding a propane ditch burner and captures the attention of the masses located near the front of the encampment.  This location holds the moniker of “Area 51”, and is typically better known for pyrotechnics, adults unwinding and rekindling friendships over a drink. With torch still in hand, the rounds are made to each of the fire pits and the wood is engulfed in flame faster than thought possible.

There were other activities going on like life-sized Jenga.  Either way, you will not leave Area 51 thirsty and you will most certainly not be bored.  I felt right at home among Midwesterners. Everyone I encountered was friendly, fun, and knows how to have a great time.  As the saying goes at MidWest GeoBash “First of the day!” And I hope I get to say it again next year, especially since the theme of MidWest GeoBash 2013 is Mardi Gras.

Closing Ceremonies

 

/ Adela B /

Announcing the August Featured Geocacher of the Month

We started honoring geocachers for their great hides, amazing spirit, and contribution to the geocaching community exactly one year ago. Nominations continue to come in from all corners of the world to recognize the young and the old, the cool and the geeky, and everyone in between who has made a mark on their community.

This month’s featured Geocacher of the Month is described by her community as caring, dedicated, and helpful.

August Featured Geocacher of the Month, whbaisden

Congratulations to Wendy, a.k.a. whbaisden for being named August’s Featured Geocacher of the Month!

Wendy is recognized for helping to organize the Hatfield and McCoy GeoTrail Kickoff Event scheduled to launch for September 1st. The GeoTrail cuts through Kentucky and West Virginia in the United States. Wendy has also been a strong advocate for her community since she launched on her first geocaching adventure in 2010, and she has no intention of slowing down.

A geocacher casting a vote says, “In the very short time she [Wendy] has been involved with geocaching, she has managed to instill in any number of people the joy of geocaching. She has managed to get multiple city governments and chambers of commerce aligned behind what has turned out to be a major event, possibly even a Mega-Event. Nothing in her previous geocaching experience has prepared her for this massive undertaking, but she has not wavered in her determination to succeed, nor has she been stopped by any obstacle. I think she had done a truly remarkable job and is worthy of recognition. It is for these reasons that I am throwing my support to Wendy.”

whbaisden will receive a collector’s edition Featured Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and certificate acknowledging his contributions signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.

Featured Geocacher of the Month Icon

Thank you to the fellow August nominees and all those who supported them. The nominees not chosen as featured Geocacher of the Month will receive a gift of appreciation from Groundspeak. See a list of all the featured Geocachers of the Month here.

The geocaching community is encouraged to re-nominate those who have yet to be honored as featured Geocacher of the Month. If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be considered for the honor, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com. Every nomination must meet the following requirements: Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and description (in 500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award.

Nominations for the September featured Geocacher of the Month must be received by the end of the day on Monday, September 10th.

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top three candidates and post them on the Latitude 47 blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.

/ Eric Schudiske

Shop Geocaching September Newsletter

Arrh!  Always searching for Treasure!

For geocachers and pirates alike, searching for treasure never ends!  Like many geocachers in the community, we appreciate the fun connection the two share.  We’ve recently added some fun new items to our “Pirate Collection” including a Cool Cloth Bandana, a Signal Pirate Geocoin and tattoos!  See the rest of the collection here!

What’s New!

The original Limited Edition Cache Dragons coin was so popular that we’ve decided to release a Black Nickel version of the coin (also Limited Edition).  The first batch sold out in 11 days, so get yours today!  We’ve also recently added two new Energizer Flashlight options to our night caching collection.  Also for those Geocoin collectors out there, we’ve released the 2012 version of the Groundspeak Lackey Geocoin as well as the 2012 Mega Event Tour Geocoin.  If you attended a Mega Event, you’ll definitely want to get one of these great coins!  Check these out and more in our What’s New section!

 

Trackable Week

How far has the furthest active Trackable traveled? Who’s moved the most Trackables? And who’s taking part in the Great 2013 Geocaching Block Party Travel Bug Race? Watch the official Geocaching.com blog, Latitude 47, for the answers to these questions and more during Trackable Week. See new incredible stories of Trackables Monday through Sunday from September 17 through the 23. Explore the creative ways to experience Trackables and share your stories about Trackables Geocoins, Travel Bugs® or Promotional Trackables.  You’ll also be able to take advantage of deals on never before seen Trackables, and a limited time special discount off Trackables this week only (available on Shop Geocaching and with participating vendors).

Last Chance Items

Looking for some great deals?  You might want to keep an eye on our “Last Chance” section of the website.  This is a great place for finding great deals on discontinued items.

Are you located outside the United States?

For orders outside the United States, please visit our International Distributors list. They feature many of the same listings in our shop as well as unique geocaching items of their own.

If you have any questions or suggestions on products for the website, please send us an email to shop@geocaching.com.

/ Adela B /

What the CLUCK? – GC3K9TV – GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – September 3, 2012

The cache hunt starts with the chicken statue

So, why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the Geocache of the Week, of course!

What the CLUCK? (GC3K9TV) is a difficulty 1.5, terrain 1.5 traditional cache located just outside of Newburg, Wisconsin.

Inspired by a 10-year-old geocacher who raises chickens for 4-H – a youth development organization, the cache quickly became a favorite among local cachers since it was created in May.

Cache owner Stewzoo1 explains, “When you first drive up, the statue of the chicken is on opposite side of the road. You go to it thinking that it is the cache but soon learn it isn’t. When you turn around, you get a clear shot of the cache box across the street.  This still is not the cache, but a container holding cups of chicken treats (there is a note inside the box saying that this is to keep the natives happy and they still must find the log container). The container is located around the corner at the front of the coop. They must walk around, feeding the chickens in order to get to the cache.”

The chickens now love it when geocachers visit, because they know that they’re going to get fed every time a car pulls up.

Chickens on a mission to get their treats

With 42 logged visits and 25 Favorite Points over a course of three months, this cache gives local geocachers something to talk about. In fact, What the CLUCK? made for quite the conversation at the West Bend $1000 Cache Ba$h 2012 Mega-Event.

One geocacher who logged this creative find says, “Instant favorite point! This cache made me smile. I was like, ‘OMG, they’re real!’ And then we had fun laughing at the crazy sounds some of them made, and feeding them, and then looking at all the different varieties. Thanks for introducing cachers to your chickens and chickens to the geocachers… I imagine they probably have similar conversations as us, like ‘Look at that silly cacher with the hat and sunglasses!’ haha TFTC!”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 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@groundspeak.com

Keeping the natives happy
/ Eric Schudiske

Geocaching.com Presents: 2012 Geocaching Block Party

(Click the ‘CC’ button to watch the video with subtitles in: English, German, French, Swedish, and Bulgarian)

[vsw id=”cb8nNM9HWPI” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]

Watch this video to experience the caching excitement of the Geocaching Block Party.  The Mega-Event is held outside the Geocaching.com Headquarters each year on International Geocaching Day.  Folks that love geocaching joined the “Lackeys” that run the  Geocaching.com website. A crowd of more than 2,000 made the journey the log the Block Party on August 18, 2012.

Group shot of geocachers at the 2012 Geocaching Block Party (Click on image to watch video)

The event challenged adventurers with geocaching courses, delighted children with a pirate play area, and allowed geocachers from more than a dozen countries to meet and swap caching stories. Check out the cache page for even more details: http://coord.info/GC38J9N

We invite you to join us next year for the Geocaching Block Party in Seattle on August 17, 2013.

Subscribe to the Official Geocaching.com YouTube channel for the latest tips and tricks in geocaching. Watch the more than 100 videos produced by Geocaching.com on our video page.