Geocacher Heidi, aka teamhine, wrote in to Geocaching HQ to share this amazing coincidence about two Travel Bug trackables that happened recently.
Last April, I created a trackable for my daughter and named it Thor. We dropped Thor into GC5RCNK – Left Field Bench in Wilsonville, Oregon. But subsequently my sister, who geocaches under ljh, traveled to Europe and took Thor with her. They traveled together throughout Germany, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
TB6VTCJ – Thor, the Baseball Travel Bug
In August, I created a Jedi Master Yoda trackable for my son. We dropped Yoda into GCXYTC Seaside View on Angel Island, California where he stayed for about a month before getting grabbed and taken to the east coast.
Jedi Master Yoda traveled from California to New York
When I looked closely, I realized that both Travel Bugs were in the same geocache on the same day: Snug as a Bug in Central Park (GC12F8M). Thor was placed September 18th and moved September 19th. Yoda was placed September 19th and moved the next day. I have no way of knowing if both Travel Bugs were in the geocache at the same time, but they were clearly logged in on the same day.
GC12F8M – A view from Snug as a Bug in Central Park
What are the chances of this happening: two Travel Bugs created by the same person, placed thousands of miles apart, and brought to the same geocache by different people on the same day?
This is why we love Geocaching. I wanted to share my store with the Geocaching community but wasn’t sure how. That’s why I’m writing you here. Please feel free to share this story!
As a twist of geocaching fate would have it, the winning photographer was Lieutenant Bob Cizaukas (Username: cizzors). Bob happens to be the geocacher who made Geocaching in Space possible. In 2013, 11 trackables hitched a ride to the International Space Station with Astronaut Rick Mastracchio. Bob convinced Mastracchio to take the trackables into space with him on Expedition 38. He also made this an interactive experience for elementary school students in Connecticut by giving each trackable to a school so that students could follow its adventure into space.
Thanks to NCEES, Bob will now be bringing one of the trackables that made the voyage to space to Geocaching Block Party for other geocachers to enjoy! We asked him to tell us about his experience with #PSNoBoundaries.
How long have you been geocaching?
I started geocaching with my wife, Jennifer, my daughter Karisa and my son Ethan (little cizzors) in November 2010.
Why did you start geocaching?
I geocache with my family and friends to exercise and be adventurous. My wife likes hiking, but I seemed to enjoy hiking more with the challenge of finding a cache. We also really enjoy the great places we have discovered and the friends we have made through geocaching.
I learned about geocaching through a chance conversation with a hot air balloon pilot about navigation. The pilot, while explaining how her GPS helps guide her hot air balloon, mentioned that she also uses the GPS for geocaching which intrigued me and so it began. I don’t recall her name and never saw her again after that 30 minute conversation in November 2010.
Tell us about the NCEES #PSNoBoundaries winning photo!
Blooper photo #1!
My family had never found a benchmark before so we were excited about finding one and taking a picture. We noticed there was one on the Thomaston, CT Police Department, not far from our home. We activated our new trackable, attached a bicycle reflector (since we have seen surveyors use reflectors) and headed out. My daughter Karisa, age 7, my son Ethan, age 10 and our dog Pluto, age 7 months, headed out in our geomobile to search for the benchmark. We found it and intended on getting Pluto in the photo but he wouldn’t stay still and didn’t make it into the final submission. We took the photo and a couple months later we found out we won!
The picture was of NCEES surveyor TB (TB726TN) at Benchmark LX0604.
Blooper photo #2! Pluto did not make the final cut.
What was the first thing you did when you learned you won tickets to Geocaching Block Party?
When I found out I won, I called my wife at work and told her the exciting news. I have always wanted to go to the Geocaching Block Party but have not had the opportunity.
What is the #1 thing you are excited for at Block Party?
I am most excited to be able to show everyone attending my Geocaching in Space bug (TB5JJN1) and the ISS geocache log.
What tip would you share with new players who want to start having fun with trackables?
My advice to new geocachers wanting to have fun with trackables is to do your best to log them and drop them into another cache as soon as possible. I also like to post a picture when possible. Attending geocaching events and asking questions to other cachers is how I found the best information about trackables.
We also asked Bob to take the What’s Your Geocaching Road Trip ‘15 Vehicle? quiz. His result was “Station Wagon.” (Although we’re guessing he’ll be taking an airplane to Block Party!)
The last Geocaching Block Party will be Saturday, August 15. Explore new geocaching adventures, celebrate 15 years of geocaching, and hang out with nearly 3000 of your new best friends. There will be plenty of fun events, food trucks, interactive exhibits and vendors. Plus, it’s a great way to earn the Meet Your Road Trip Crew souvenir. Mark your Will Attend here.
Photo caption: the official Scrabble Dictionary including the word Geocache can now be found in stores throughout North America
One simple question spin up into a first in the world of Scrabble. It all started when long time geocacher Roy Alexander, RCA777 was playing a game of Scrabble with a friend. He asked whether they would accept the word “geocache” in the game if it were played. They said, no. But Roy wasn’t about to take no for an answer.
At the time the word geocache was considered unplayable because it was not yet an official word in the Scrabble Dictionary. Roy jumped at the opportunity when he saw Hasbro announce the #ScrabbleWordShowDown contest on the Hasbro Game Night Facebook page. On March 12th, 2014, RCA77 suggested the word geocache to Hasbro.
“I posted a screenshot of my suggestion in geocaching groups on Facebook – and the response was remarkable. Geocachers spread the word and supported the cause; things snowballed very quickly. Hasbro announced that GEOCACHE had made it to list of the final 16 words.” said RCA777.
“Geocache” quickly beat out the competition and moved up the charts to the final round knocking out the word “zen”. It was officially announced as the winner on April 10th, 2014, landing it’s appearance in the Official Scrabble Dictionary later that year.
Due to the interest from the fanatic geocaching community, Geocaching HQ reached out to Scrabble to create a partnership. Hasbro had 800 trackable tags made and distributed at the 2014 Geocaching Block Party in Seattle. Copies of the new dictionary were also given away as prizes to lucky geocachers. The tags were hot items and geocachers couldn’t wait to get their hands on them!
Photo of two lucky geocachers who won the Scrabble board game and Scrabble Dictionary at the 2014 Geocaching Block Party
“I was very happy when GEOCACHE beat the word BITCOIN; I was thrilled when GEOCACHE trounced COSPLAY… I cannot put into words (!) how ecstatic I was when ZEN took second place and GEOCACHE won the prize.
Everywhere I went, there was a Scrabble and GEOCACHE story – CNN, Good Morning America, CBC here in Canada… everywhere!” RCA777
Have you spotted a Scrabble Trackable in the wild?
The Scrabble success story isn’t the only example of a geocacher who combined their favorite hobbies. That’s what happened when Geocaching HQ heard about the popularity of Airstream RV’s with the Geocachers who love to explore and camp along the way.
Geocachers have been known to travel long distances in their RV’s for the perfect story worthy geocaching moment. Airstream and Geocaching were a perfect fit.
When we asked longtime Geocacher and Airstream enthusiast, FluteFace, about her favorite hobbies she said, “When we’re on a trip in the Airstream, geocaching is almost always involved. Most geocachers cache when they travel – what better way to travel than in an Airstream.”
During the Summer of 2014 Airstream and Geocaching HQ worked together to create 2,000 Trackables tags to be passed out at Geocaching events across the United States. Geocachers swarmed the events closest to their home location in the hopes of receiving an Airstream tag.
FluteFace parks her Airstream for the night near one of her favorite caches GC3VN6Y – Buttermilk, placed at what probably is a historical building (of sorts) and may be why the area is called Buttermilk.
Nancy aka “yukionna” hosted the event Silver Bullet Launch Party in New Hampshire where her newly renovated 1964 Airstream Bambi II trailer made an appearance.
“My husband, Brian, and I have owned Airstream trailers since 2002 and we started geocaching in 2008. One of our favorite things to do is to travel in our Airstream while geocaching along the way. Each summer we plan a couple of camping adventures to different destinations which include finding interesting caches during our trip. When I saw the promotion last year between Airstream and Groundspeak, it was a dream come true for me and I wanted to become involved.” – yukionna
With ten geocacher appreciation events and over 750 attendees geocachers were literally happy campers. What hobbies do you think would be a geocaching match made in heaven?
Group photo from the Silver Bullet geocaching event in front of the renovateda 1964 Airstream Bambi II trailer
What’s made of cement, has six legs, and Shrek’s face?
You know you’re a geocacher if you answered, “Probably a trackable.” And you’d be right.
There’s something very special about a person who attaches Shrek ears and children’s shoes to a cinder block and tasks others with carrying that object from place to place. We like to think that special drive is what makes a geocacher a geocacher.
The willingness to be a little unusual, a little conspicuous, and sometimes downright weird seems to be common to geocachers. It’s an element that surfaces particularly with trackables. If you’re new to the game, a trackable is a game piece with a unique number. It commonly looks like a dog tag. These trackables are attached to hitchhikers (objects of various sorts), like the giant ones you’re about to see.
At some point, everyone—from the trackable obsessed to the fair-weather trackable logger—has gazed at a trackable and thought the following:
How am I going to move this [loose ball of yarn]?
Where can I get one of these [humongous metal Travel Bug tags]?
There is no chance we’re going to be taking this [instrument of extreme noise].
I’m taking a picture with a giant [teddy bear].
Where is the rest of [the vehicle to which this door was once attached]?
Why do trackables tend to be so weird? Because the world of trackables is so wide and hasfew limits to what can be made trackable, they are geocaching’s most widespread form of self-expression. Trackables tell stories about who we are and where we’re from. They travel the world when we can’t. They bring joy to people we’ll never meet.
But where to put the oversized, hilarious trackables you find? Check out these BIG caches and see if there’s one near you.
What’s the biggest, weirdest trackable you’ve ever moved?
Geocoins—it’s hard to imagine Geocaching without them, Travel Bugs, or any other kind of trackable. But for an entire year and a half after geocaching was born (in May of the year 2000), that was how geocaching was done. Caching primarily involved using GPS technology to discover ammo cans hidden deep in the woods, then the seekers would write long entries into pre-placed log books.
The Father of the Geocoin: Mr. Jon Stanley, aka Moun10Bike
But geocaching’s path changed forever (and for the better) when Jon Stanley, aka Moun10Bike, created and placed the very first geocoin in a cache near Deception Pass in Washington State, USA.
Not only is Jon a legend of geocaching, he’s also a Charter Member and now works as a System Analyst/Lackey with Groundspeak. We caught up with Jon between bug fixes, forums posts, meetings to keep everyone in the loop, and geocaching on his lunch break, to find out more about how geocoins came to be.
What gave you the idea to place a geocoin?
Back in 2001, I was coming up on my 100th cache find. I wanted a signature item to launch in time for that milestone and had heard about military challenge coins from a fellow cacher. They sounded like the perfect geocaching item – compact, easy to carry, durable – so I designed and minted a set of personalized coins that I dubbed “geocoins.”
Here it is, folks: Moun10Bike Geocoin 001. Try not to hyperventilate.
When was the first Geocoin placed? The coin was placed September 30th of 2001. I placed it in a cache that still stands out today in my mind as one of the best (even though it has since been archived) – Light House Point. It involved a rickety aluminum ladder that you could only access during low tide. I climbed the ladder. I didn’t know if I’d be able to do it because I have a fear of heights. But knowing I wanted to place that coin in a special cache got me up the ladder.
So the first coin was placed in that cache?
I kept the first one for my personal collection. So it was number two… 002. That was the first one placed.
And then what happened?
I placed it in there and didn’t think that much about it. Well you know, it started off really slowly. It was about 6 months after I placed or minted my coins and placed them that anyone else started making coins that I know of. They became desired items. So rather than people seeing them and moving them on, the goal was to get to it first and keep it for their collection. It was almost like a Beanie Baby craze. There was the Geocoin craze.
How many Geocoins do you think you’ve placed out in the world at this point? I’ve sent out over 1200 of my Moun10Bike geocoins so far, and over 1500 coins if you count my coinaments (a Christmas tree ornament that is trackable and shaped like a coin)!
How many Geocoins do you own? I stopped counting in 2006. At that point, it was around 1000. I have at least five times that many now.
Jon, aka “Moun10Bike”, and his son Jameson, aka “Moun10Tyke”, on an adventure a few years ago.
What is something that most people would be surprised to learn about you? Hmmm, I’m pretty boring. Would it surprise people if I said that my wife and son can barely tolerate caching?
Getting abducted on the E.T. Highway
Any parting thoughts? From computers to the web, to gadgets, and then foremost the outdoors, I just couldn’t ask for a better hobby.
Sure is crazy to think that any experiences you’ve had with geocoins, Travel Bugs, or trackables lead back to Jon Stanley. Do you collect geocoins, or geocache with trackables? How have they changed the way you cache? Tell us your stories below!
