Saturday 18 January 2014

Realfireflies and the Geokid's unsuccessful day...

I did not plan to cache today. Pip_Squeek is in Lincoln with one of the Anti-Cachers, El-Woodio is at work and I wasn't really in any mood to go caching. But halfway through the day, my plans changed and I ended up collected my nephew, the younger Geokid to come and stay with me overnight. So we decided to go Geocaching to entertain ourselves.

I had a few in reserve to try and hit, so I decided it was easy enough to have him tag along too.

We started with James' first cache in Market Deeping (GC1VDGR). I had this one sat on my hit list for what felt like forever and the logs suggested that it would be easy. We arrived at GZ but the trees threw us out - not planning to cache, I had left my GPSr at home and was relying on my phone - and after crawling around on our hands and knees for about 15 minutes, we decided to give up! Geokid did find a birds nest though, which pleased him greatly (although did alarm him that there may be a homeless bird somewhere!)
Having given up there, we decided to have a go at The Old A15... Renewed (GC40PYV). This is a Beach_Hut cache, which always fill me with dread as I find his puzzles very difficult normally, but this one suggested that we needed to be at GZ so I thought we would give it a shot. At GZ we spotted the information we needed and collected it up, sorting it out and banging it in. The first attempt took us out to Werrington, and getting there I didn't feel it was right. A rehash of the co-ordinates leads us to Peakirk Road, just outside of Deeping Gate - Result, I think, that's on our way home! We'll bank it and collect it on the way home....

We needed to nip back into Market Deeping, so I decide we'll have a go at Off Yer Trolley Market Deeping (North) (GC2DNVE). Youngest Geokid and I had been muggled out here twice before by youths hanging around, and I had made a previous attempt only to not yield a find, but I thought we would have another go. Geokid wasn't particularly willing to search here, being more distracted with where the footpath went and frustrated that I didn't know, but I had a good look resulting in another DNF. I usually only log DNF's if I'm sure I've had a really good look on more than one occasion, so this one did get a DNF added to it. :(

Never mind, I rally the Geokid and we head back to The Old A15 on our way home. We hit the new GZ only to find it to be a straight, empty stretch of the road. It doesn't feel right, again. I get back on the phone and recheck the co-ordinates, only to find I've typo'd an 8 for a 7, throwing us way out. Punching in the right co-ordinates, we arrive fairly close to the original cache location but by this point the geokid is tired of not finding anything and with no immediate promise here, we abandon.
Beach_Hut has kindly verified my co-ordinates and confirmed that the last set were indeed correct, and I intend on returning later, without a child in tow, for a better look.

We abandoned all attempts at this point, with GK being bored and cold and head back to my home town. In a flash of genius however, I decide to take him to Pip_Squeek's 20th Birthday Cache (GC4W65H). I helped place this cache but this doesn't award me any ownership rights, and Pip_Squeek, the kind friend she is, has banned me from logging it on my own - after all, I know where it is! I had decided to wait for El-Woodio to find it and add my name to the log, which Pip_Squeek had consented it, but at the last minute I decided to take the Geokid out there. I know where it is so I can heavily help him, and it'll boost him to have a find for the day. We quickly located it and I can finally get my missing smile for my hometown!

It rounded up the day nicely and I'm pleased I can 'legitimately' claim Pip_Squeek's cache. :)

-Realfireflies

Total Finds Today: 1 :(
Total Finds to Date: (RFF) 293.

Geocache containers

As I'm sure many have, we have seen some fantastic containers around the place. From well hidden to well built, there are certain caches that I have been amazed and inspired by over my time as a geocacher.

I was approached by a charity that my Geocaching mother is involved in over the summer and asked to place a series of caches to extend the audience of a new walk they were setting up, linked to a local history project. With funding from them, I was happy to oblige. I set up the caches but they are simply basic boxes, albeit some of which are hidden in thoughtful, clever ways. (Modest, I know!) These days, I'm a little embarrassed by them.

I have spent some time recently on Pinterest, eBay and Etsy looking at new containers and different, original ideas and I'm starting to get a good feel for what I want to do with new caches, and to gradually replace the existing caches that I own. I have an old birdhouse, horribly out of place in the corner of my lounge, that I want to look at adapted to fit a cache, but today I excelled myself (Such a very modest post!). Browsing a local pound shop, I stumbled across a garden ornament shaped like a frog. Someone could make that into a really great cache I think to myself. Then it occurs to me; that person could be me!

Turns out it's a lot easier than I thought. The ornament has an electric circuit in it to create noise; having removed that, I've been left with the perfect space to fit a cache. It just needs the waterproofing bringing up to scratch and it's ready to go. Needless to say, I'm more than a little bit chuffed.

Ribbit!

Also on the purchase was a solar light fitting; I've seen a couple on Etsy that looked impressive, but I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do with this one yet. An idea will come, I'm sure...

-RealFireFlies

Saturday 11 January 2014

Why blog?

So, why blog?

Well, several of us have reached or are reaching milestones for ourselves. Recently El-Woodio passed 100 caches, Pip_Squeek recently scored 200 and placed her own cache, and conditions permitting I will reach 300 tomorrow. I felt it was the right time, now that we are all sure that we are committed, to begin to properly log our adventures. Equally, I'm not much of a blogger despite being a writer, and it's an area that I've always wanted to move into but I have never really had a purpose.

I also wanted to share our adventures, big and small, in a more purposeful way than just on Geocaching logs, which is (realistically) a very small audience.

Don't know what geocaching is? Come find out here - www.geocaching.com - and join us!

-RFF.