As for the actual app and technology involved. The app was easy to use to set up the trail. I spent a couple of hours in the area getting my locations in place. I could then add my questions at leisure back at the office. It was pretty easy to submit it to the website but took a couple of days to be available for download. After that, however, everyone with the right hardware had no problems getting both the app and the map installed. The app I used (GeoHunt) is only available on iDevices at the moment but there were plenty of people who could use it (about 30% of the group) and this suited the activity I had planned fine. The main challenge that I faced was the vagaries of the GPS function. I’m not sure whether it was the slightly overcast conditions, the hardware, the app, my design or some kind of operator error but there were some locations that just didn’t show up. I checked all the sites at least once and in most cases twice so I think they were fine. The weather was very changeable as I was both creating and checking the sites so I don’t think this was the cause. The app was accurate when I used it so I think that the cause was down to the actual GPS function on the handsets.

Overall it was a great tool to use and something totally different for both myself as a trainer and my delegates as learners. I’ll be using it again but I want to do some more experimenting. People who work with me can expect an invite to take part in another session and I’ll be updating again soon.

We drove over to the Landenberg, PA area to find the ‘Ticking Tomb’. Here is the write up about it on the geocaching page:

 Back in 1764 when Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were surveying this area in order to figure out the border of Pennsylvania with that of Delaware and Maryland, the English King held a contest to see who could develop the best device to measure longitude. Charles Mason developed this device, a chronometer, but legend has it that it was swallowed before it could be submitted for review by Fithian Minuet, who was an infant at the time. He grew up to be a successful clock maker and he and his wife Martha lead a happy life and had many friends. It is said that you could hear the chronometer ticking in him his whole life and that it STILL ticks in him to this day. Many people have put their ears to his tombstone and heard the ticking. Edgar Allen Poe heard the ticking and was supposedly inspired to write “The Tell Tale Heart.” George Alfred Townsend told the story in “Tales of the Chesapeake.” And most recently, Ed Okonowicz included the tale in his book “Up the Back Stairway (Spirits Between the Bays).”

Interesting right? But alas, the ticking  sound people thought they were hearing was probably from underground springs and something like rocks and dripping water has shifted as no one is hearing that sound anymore. Anyway, I enjoy visiting the old meeting houses and seeing interesting markers like this:

This was the heart shaped stone that we were suppose to look for-the tomb was to the left of this.

What’s really neat is that we had to figure out the coords for the cache by looking at surrounding markers and to plug  in the numbers we got to get the new numbers for the final location. At first we were walking all around the cemetery, in the tall grass too. I looked at the description again and the ending coords were very close to the ‘suggested’ parking. We had parked down the road a bit. So we walked passed the parking lot and the numbers went down. I saw an old stump and looked closer and saw a tell tale pile of sticks and there was the cache! Not that close to the cemetery!

I never found of cache before! I was pretty proud of myself!

This is a neat old place and is used for a nature center. Lots of taxidermy showing thorough the windows.

We then went a little bit down the road to a nice trail with two nicely made bridges and found the cache in a handmade wooden container under the second bridge.

We did go get some pizza after our excursion which wasn’t as good as it usually is. Someone over salted the ingredients in it. Then we looked for one more cache and approached it from the incorrect direction. It was on the other side of a stream we were near. When I got home and read the logs, we were the only ones who didn’t find it! It shows that you have to read the logs carefully. A new geo pal said she’d show me where it is since she found it ‘first’ several years ago. She’s got many thousands of finds.

On a personal note, had a few days bad last week from overdoing it. Climbing in and out of the SUV is rough. I have noticed the bottom of my legs are red, almost like razor burn! And I can’ hardly button my jeans. I decided to ask pharmacist and when I mentioned my legs, he said to call the doctor. She called within a few hours and said I am retaining water and to stop the medicine I have been taking about 5 weeks. I have to wait a week to see if my legs get better and then I will call her back.

I ask this because last Thursday I had my best cache find so far.

It was Goldilocks weather, not too hot , not too cold, just right! At 2pm the sky was blue with hardly a cloud to be seen anywhere. The views on the way to GZ were amazing, you could see for miles and miles. Spring had definitely and finally sprung with lost of wildflowers dotted around the ground everywhere. But the

very best thing about the mini adventure was the cache itself!

I had decided to go and the oldest cache in my pocket query, and this one had been published on March 22 2003.

This is the kind of cache you bring your muggle friends to introduce them to Geocaching

If you want to show them a geocache why not show them the best! I would love to share the GC code for the cache but as it’s an ammo can and it could get stolenWhen I found the cache it was the original container (ammo can) with the original logbook!  Gobsmacked and exited are just two words that can describe my feelings at the time, I’ve never found an ammo can in the woods before and I wasn’t expecting to find the original container with the original logbook!

On the way back home I stopped off at the village of Pirton which is quite cool place. If you want to see an English Village this is the place you come. There was a mix of old buildings from old timber framed houses, picture postcard cottages, and a real life Maypole on the village green. I saw lots of other cool things dotted around the village like an old plough in somebodies front garden and I’m sure there must be a village pond close by although I didn’t look too hard as the locals were around doing their thing and I didn’t want to look too much like a tourist.

This Caching experience goes right to the top of my favourite list as my best find so far.  Everything about it was awesome, the weather, the views, the cache, the wildlife, and the village on the way back and I think it’ll be hard to beat.

What’s your all time favourite find so far?

Saturday was a long, geocaching filled day. Have you guys ever heard of geocaching? It is so fun! Don’t ask me what it is, read about it here. The group in my area put together a series of events called “Spring Fever Reliever”. It’s been a long winter and everyone was itching to get out and cache! We were really lucky. The weather was absolutely beautiful! I hope it’s like that for my 5k next weekend!

They placed 20 new caches to find. Every one you found, you took a card with a ticket. Then they drew at the end for prizes!

8:00: Pan-a-cake breakfast! It was some awesome fuel for the day. Pancakes, sausage, eggs, and I brought a green smoothie. This breakfast never fails.

1:00: Flash Mob! “Star Wars” was the theme (May the 4th be with you) so I went as Princess Leia! I somehow squeezed in a 4 mile run right before this. No idea how.

thrown together in 5 minutes

me and father (Darth Vader)

so creative.

the whole group!

5:30: Potluck dinner and drawings! I wasn’t really hungry since we had just gone for ice cream(!) so I sampled a few things from my mom’s plate. We brought a potato salad. Nothing special.

“taco salad” – without the meat! We got the recipe, don’t worry so yummy!!

Jim’s is open for the year! bluemoon + vanilla with cherry dip top. <3

Our ticket got drawn second so we just missed the grand prize. Figures. But we did win a backpack and a t-shirt!

It was a marvelous experience and I’m really excited to go hardcore geocaching this summer. If you’ve never tried it, you need to!

Now, in honor of International No Diet Day, go have that cookie/brownie/donut/ice cream!

The sun is out.  The flowers are blooming.  We don’t wear mittens anymore.

Yippee!

Dandelion art by L.

We decided to use the warmer weather to head out and listen to a little jazz this weekend.  Gypsy Jazz, to be precise.  There is a festival in the town of Liberchies every year to pay tribute to Django Reinhardt, the great Gypsy jazz guitarist.  The face painter was talented, the snail races were funny and the music was great.  And there was a pizza bus.  What more could you ask for from a tiny village festival?

Sunday we headed out to Pairi Daiza, a fantastic zoo not far from us.

Sorry Norfolk Zoo, San Diego Zoo, National Zoo….. you’ve got nothing on this place.

I mean, are any of you built around the ruins of a 17th century monastery?  No.  Do any of you allow visitors to feed giraffes with no zookeepers around to squirt you with hand sanitizer afterwards?  Let your lemurs free to jump on shoulders if the mood strikes them?  Indeed, allow five year olds to be hit in the head by a fruit bat?  No, no and no.  And yet every one of these things happened.  To us.  Yesterday.

I love the signs here.  This one is warns you that meerkats bite.  And you will bleed.

Or how about this one?

Be careful!  Don’t walk on the walls as you may risk falling into an exhibit and be eaten by animals.  And this could make the animals sick.  Thank you.

And about those bats… This was probably one of the strangest things we encountered.  The bats are kept in a crypt.  Yep, crypt.  Under the abbey tower…

… through a heavily curtained door, you walk into a very dark room.  When your eyes get used to the light you realize that these bats are not kept behind glass.  You have walked right into their house.  Pardon me, crypt.  And when you stroll in during feeding time, as we did, they are not casually hanging from the vaulted ceiling above you.  They are swooping everywhere.  And they often make contact.  L, who is not fond of any animals since the goose incident, took of like a bat out of hell.  Ah, ha HA!  I’m so funny.  E stayed behind and got personal with a bat.  And loved it.  Later, L decided to give it a second chance so we went back in.

Things were much calmer the second time around.  When the food trays are empty, the bats settle back in and hang from the rafters just like in Scooby Doo.  The whole experience?  So. Weird.

Oh, yeah.  We also found a geocache.

See you next week!

]]> http://adventuresofamandaanderic.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/may-geocaching-goals/ Mon, 06 May 2013 02:39:52 +0000 Eric http://adventuresofamandaanderic.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/may-geocaching-goals/ I was taking a look at my past finds statistics and found that most of my finds occur in May.  I guess the trend starts mid-April but May is really when the numbers start flowing in.  I guess this is because the weather is turning warmer and I’m ready to get outside.  This May wasn’t any different.  I’ve spent the past few months staring out the window waiting for temperatures to increase enough to not have to wear four layers of clothing just to be comfortable.  I’m also coming off of a fairly long hiatus from Geocaching meaning that my caching-sense isn’t what it used to be.

To combat the winter cabin fever and to help get my caching numbers up where they should be I’ve established a few goals for May:

1. Break my record of nine consecutive days finding a cache.
2. Find 100 caches in the month.
3. Start doing some of these mystery caches that seem to plague Anne Arundel County.

I’d also like to increase my annual cache count.  I’ve never found, on average, one cache per day per year.  Back in 2007 I got close by finding 280 caches that year (0.7671 caches per day).  Really this shouldn’t be difficult and maybe I’ll get lucky and double that!

So I’m four days into the month and it’s the first weekend, how am I doing?  Well, I’ve found a cache every day of this month (actually since 30 April) and I’ve added thirteen new caches to my list of finds.  I’ve even found a cache series that I’m really interested in: the Cold War Caches.  I attempted three of these today but only came up with two of the finds.

So we’ll see how things go through the month and hopefully I’ll meet my goals.  It should be fun trying anyway!

Our first weekend in our new Autumn Ridge trailer, we went to the Owen Sound KOA with Paul and Linda Ibbett. After spending the last week or more figuring out what to take and reviewing the notes we took when we did the trailer orientation back on April 1st. Finally we had all the bits and pieces together and loaded into various parts of the trailer. Had some problems getting the chains attached but were soon doing the circle check and pulling out of the storage yard.

The 180 km drive was uneventful with beautiful sunny skies and light traffic. One day Pamela will get up the courage to do some towing but today was not the day. Checked in at the campground and we were soon trying to back the trailer into the camp spot. Only took 10 minutes and a bit of cursing. Then unhook, level front to back, level side to side, chock the wheels, plug in the power and water, hook up the sewer line, roll out the awning, unload the bikes and other sundries then we are ready to see what the trip did to all the carefully-packed stuff inside.

Surprisingly, there was very little movement inside, one item in the fridge and another in one of the cupboards, no spills or breakages.  We are parked in a site with cedars lining both sides, and a trout pond is about 25 metres in front of our site.  It’s lovely to hear the water.  There’s no swimming or fishing, as it is a brook and rainbow trout pond with a deep-fill system.  Cold water is piped in from the bottom to create a cooler environment for the fish and the tributaries of the pond.  Perhaps the swimming pool will be open when we next return!

The camp is well-kept, and the facilities are very clean. The black flies were out, but didn’t bite much until the weather progressively warmed.

By now it was about 6 pm so we heated up one of the prepared meals we had put together and sat outside in the cool of the evening with some wine and beer.

The first of our trips was a success so far.

Friday May 3rd

Spent the day getting our bearings around town and doing a little shopping. We do need to get some better chairs for outside but didn’t see anything today. Spent the afternoon with a beer or two and chatting.

Trout in the pond

Saturday May 4th

After breakfast we went to the Farmer’s Market and got a few treats including some wonderful mini donuts, strawberry/rhubarb jam, and a neat card for Inez. Of course, there were tie-dyed t-shirts!

Just after lunch Peter headed off to a Geocaching event and cookie exchange while Pam and Linda spent the afternoon chatting and solving the world’s problems. The Geocaching event was part of the World Wide Flash Mob day and we had about 30 cachers getting together for 15 minutes to introduce themselves and exchange cookies. I was fortunate to find some nut-free cookies to take back to Pam and the donuts were devoured pretty quickly. I then spent the next few hours hiking around Inglis Falls and finding a few more caches, including an interesting Earthcache on how potholes are formed.

Linda and Paul were gracious hosts for dinner and I fell into bed at about 10pm and was soon asleep.

Sunday, May 5th

Linda and Paul were away by about 10am as Paul is back at work tomorrow. Pam and I checked out the rest of the campground so we will know which are the good sites for future trips. We made a trip mid-afternoon to Harrison Park for a hike.   There is an interesting bird sanctuary there, with pheasants, grouse, swans and peacocks, one beautifully coloured, and one white.

Peacock at Harrison Park

We will be back here in a few weeks for the May long weekend. At that time we will plan a day trip up to Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula (another part of Ontario we have never been to).

Monday, May 6th

The flashmob is a series of geocaching events that took part all over the world on 4^th May under the name WWFM X (World Wide FlashMob 10). The idea for the WWFM series of events came first from Podcacher Podcast that I have mentioned earlier. Since this was number X in the series, the flashmob in Stockholm was a pirate themed flashmob and once the time was 19:00 all these geocacher came from everywhere and pulled out bandanas, scarfs, eye-patches, toy-swords, toy-blunderbusses, and other pirate-related things. People walking by started to keep more and more distance and even the police had to come and check that everything was in order. 15 minutes later everyone was gone again and Sergels Torg went back to business as usually.

All the pirates

Police checking out the pirates

I’m not sure if my son knows what we were doing but I’m sure he loved it. I can tell he was soaking up everything while we stood there in the middle of the flashmob. The train, walking in Stockholm with all the people and traffic all around and the ferries was other inputs the he really enjoyed. I think we will have to go to Stockholm more often on our caching trips as it gives another kind of experience than the forests and trails we usually hike.

Waiting for the train home

Yarrrr! there be ony two ranks of leader amongst us pirates! Captain and if your really notorious then it’s Cap’n!

I was reintroduced to the fun of geocaching in 2012 by participating in the 6th annual Caching Riding Mountain GPS Adventure Quest with my friend Treasurediggar. The two day adventure took us through small communities and on muddy back roads around Riding Mountain National Park. Our team, the Geocaching Junkies, came in 3rd place (not bad for first timers to the event) and we met some great people during the event including our new geocaching friends – the Jabbywockyz.

We’re already planning for this year’s event which will take place June 8-9, 2013. The Quest is a great way to explore the Riding Mountain UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. I’m very lucky and proud to be able to say that I live within this diverse natural paradise.

Care to join us on the Quest? www.cachingridingmountain.com 

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My family and I recently discovered how much fun it can be. Looking for something to do on a fairly uneventful Saturday we decided to finally give geocaching a shot. We found a couple near our house, loaded them into the (old) handheld GPS, grabbed a pen/few trinkets, and we were off. Instantly we were hooked! I am not sure what it is exactly that makes it so exciting….maybe the thrill of the hunt, the family fun it brings, hanging out outside, getting some exercise, the educational value it holds (especially for our 12 year old who is learning to follow coordinates and read clues)….it just feels like a good old fashioned game of hide and seek.

I don’t know about you, but we are an all or nothing kinda family. When we decide we like something we jump right in, both feet! Since our first experience we have ventured further away from home, for longer periods, in search of more difficult caches. Rob decided for his birthday he wanted the newly released Garmin Oregon 600. What a fun toy that is turning out to be! (plus it will do double and triple duty at least, being useful in many applications such as navigating snowmobile trails and finding cool points of interest) We have purchased our first caching kit and when we move intend to place one of our very own.

My family is still very new to geocaching and we are still learning the ropes …not to mention etiquette and lingo. It’s amazing how many people enjoy this pass time…I bet if you aren’t searching yourself, you know someone who is. We are already planning that along our move back to the scenic north we will make stops all along the way to hunt for caches. This is such a great family or even couples activity, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

And …if you ever see Maplebird on a cache log….you know we’ve been there!

]]> http://wizzardprang.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/may-the-force-be-with-you/ Sat, 04 May 2013 21:29:56 +0000 Wizzard Prang http://wizzardprang.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/may-the-force-be-with-you/ So it’s May the 4th. Went to a geocaching flash mob in St. Albans – by the clock tower. We also did 3 of the Hertfordshire Way caches.

While we were there I saw this chap:

The flash mob was at the medieval clock tower. Set in the side wall is this door…

as if!

Cross lots of your list by joining in the fun on Bank Holiday Monday at Nostell Priory.

There’s lots of activities on offer for kids including den building, bug hunts, bike rides, vegetable planting and geocaching plus much more.

The day runs from 11am – 4pm.

For further details call 01924 866833 or visit their website http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nostell-priory/things-to-see-and-do/events/

As I was in Kingston again today, I thought I’d try and get some better images of that sculpture made out of old red BT Phone boxes.

Kingston street art

And this is the view from the other side. Harder to take because of the position of the sun. Make a great place to hide a geocache though.

Kingston street art

I’ve been walking real good lately, my knee hasn’t caused problems. My human said when the weather gets better we will walk some more and see how my knee handles it. Currently I run about the yard and love that but I really love walks! I get so excited each time she grabs my leash or even opens the door for my leash. I can’t wait to get out of the house today!

The 45th largest state in the nation, Vermont is divided into 251 towns and cities all arranged between its rolling mountains and rocky valleys. Some towns are easily connected by the interstate, more are spread out over state highways, and some can only be found with determination as you travel down sparsely traveled back roads.

Over the years, I’ve taken an interest (pretty much an obsession) with traveling to as many places as I can within the state, and finding unique stories to tell and fascinating places to explore – and every community has something that boldly or discretely holds the fabric and culture of our state together that are intoxicating once discovered – if you’re willing to do a little archaeology. But did you know that Vermont is actually home to a club that does this exact sort of thing?

The 251 club is a group of people who come together seeking the Vermont experience, by traveling to every one of its towns and cities at their own pace. And there is no wrong way to do it. Drive, carpool, bike, hike – whatever means of traveling you prefer. What do you want to get from your travels? Picturesque scenery? finding the states best microbrews?, or if you’re like me, seeking the obscure and offbeat? (I’d also do the microbrews though)

The 251 club can be that outlet. And perhaps my favorite benefit of the club is there are no records, no rules and no requirements.

Should this interest you, Membership includes a personal page on the club website to track your progress and organize travel notes and photographs. One membership covers everyone in the subscriber’s household. Other benefits include three newsletters each year and an opportunity to meet other members at an annual fall luncheon.

Where can you find the nations only round schoolhouse that was also home to a notorious criminal? How about a road that is said to have an anti gravitational effect and pull your vehicle uphill?  A giant 19-ft. tall concrete gorilla holding up a golden VW Bug on the side of the road? The 251 club could be a great way to get introduced to everything that makes Vermont wonderful and weird. You might just find out that Vermont is a much bigger state then you thought.

For more information, or to fill out a membership application, check out their website.

** keep in mind that being a member of the 251 club doesn’t give you permission to trespass on private property. should you decide to urbex, it’s at your own risk. 

Vermont’s general stores are always interesting places to stop – pictured: Currier’s store in Glover | photo: 251 Club Member Brenda Greika, from Montpelier

Hiking is a great form of exercise and a fun way to mix up your workouts.

Whether you’re headed uphill or staying on a flat course, long-distance hiking requires good preparation. The key is planning ahead and packing smart.

Here are five tips to prepare for a long, strenuous hike.

Read the whole article: http://www.active.com/outdoors/articles/how-to-prepare-for-a-strenuous-hike.htm?cmp=17-1-4535

So lets get this ball rolling.

Munzee Name: Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, Pooler (near Savannah), Georgia. It’s not every day you get to look up the tailpipes of a Phantom F-4C fighter jet…

Maybe the front end looks a little more familiar.

BTW, too my Savannah area friends…yeah, I know, I didn’t call or email to try to get together.  Was a round-trip day trip for work…10 hours driving for 2 hours of work…fun, fun…