This geocache is my old GC20MHJ "H. Wadsworth" geocache which was nabbed by the Bloomington Police and then recycled to Jordan by the Bloomington Police dispatcher. See e-mail excerpts below:
"This is Officer Phillippe #136 from Bloomington Police Department. One of your geocaching container was located by one of our Fire Chiefs after seeing what he thought was suspicious activity when a gamer was observed finding it. I have it if you want it back. you can call me at 95 563-4900. Tks. L. Phillippe."
"I am a 911-Police-Fire dispatcher.
Yesterday we got a call of a suspicious person hanging around the Cedar Av Freeway near 87th & Longfellow putting an "object" in a tree. We were told that it looked like the guy was strapping an "explosive" to a tree near the freeway.
While PD was "en-route" I sent them a message to their squad car computers that it sounded like he was hiding a "GeoCache" - I (of course) teasingly was called a geek, etc... But when the arrived and located said "device" and confirmed it was a "GeoCache". (The Street Sgt even admitted to never having heard of "Geocaching" before.)
I had assumed this person was hiding a NEW cache (as opposed to finding an existing cache). Seeing an opportunity for (my first) FTF, I signed off for "Break" and jumped into my car - thinking I had a chance at finding a new (and likely unpublished) cache!
As I stepped out of the office, I thought to myself that maybe I should check geocaching.com to see if it was a preexisting cache or a new unpublished - but I took my chances and headed out (without checking - and without my GPS)
By the time I arrived, PD/FD had cleared. With the snow on the ground, I started off searching for fresh tracks in the snow. I located the tracks (and what looked like a decent hide) but could not find anything...
I sulked back to my car (thinking for sure that I just ran out of luck) when one of the Fire Chiefs pulled up and yelled out his window to me that it wasn't there anymore... The officers and Fire Chief had removed the cache while I was enroute.
DANG! I missed that opportunity!
That was until I got back to work and checked Geocaching.com (which I should have done in the first place)... It has been around since 11-09 and found 26 times prior... it was a cacher LOCATING the cache (not hiding it like I suspected).
Anyway - officer Phillipe (a good friend of mine) came up to the 911 center with the cache to show me. I have "recovered" your cache from him. I have the complete cache, (container, log, and pencil) if you are interested in getting any of it back - we can probably meet up somewhere, or I can "hide" it (leave it somewhere out of sight), and send you the coordinates so you can get it back... at your convenience. Just let me know!
Us cachers have to stick together, eh?
Have a great day!
David (GeoCaching aka "Father-of-five")"
"Hmmm.... I think I see a new geocache (dedicated to you of course) in the not too distant future!
Hey... I'm all about Recycling!
Have a great day!"
This entry was edited by TECGeoJim on Thursday, 28 October 2010 at 11:14:26.