Geocaching

[Ruby]

Hello! I am starting a new thread as the old one was old.

Who is geocaching at the moment?

After a couple of early attempts, it has definitely kept us active this summer. I am going to try to engage the chaps in making tokens of some sort to leave in caches.

I am also sending out two travel bugs. I have a very scant understanding of this but hopefully they won't get lost or disappear in any other way.

[la Fée Verte]

Hello. I am. I don't have any children though.

[Ruby]

That is not a prerequisite.

Have you ever done your own cache? I am trying to think of somewhere nice where I can put one.

[Mayday]

What are the travelbugs for Ruby?

I'm thinking of giving this a go with my kids, since I have another four weeks of holidays to go and I'm running out of stuff to do. I just had a quick google and it looks like there are at least 4 on the common nearby so that would be a couple of mornings at least.

[la Fée Verte]

I haven't, but I keep meaning to. I want it to be clever.

[Cerise]

I plan to get started again. There are several near here and the boys are bigger now so hopefully it will hold more appeal. I think we'll venture out one morning this week.

I think Tex has set one up. Bats also sent out some travel bugs.

[Texaco Shirley]

We have a travel bug out at the moment, I'm also planning to make my car trackable after seeing one on holiday.

I've gone a bit geocaching geek since I found the project Gc website. I'm collecting this year's summer souvenirs and making a point of writing proper logs and uploading pics.

[Texaco Shirley]

Oh, I misread that. I have 7 caches so not many. If you're looking for somewhere to put one it has to be far enough away from existing caches and officially you need landowner permission.

Do your travel bugs have a goal?

[Ruby]

The Green Man travel-bug's goal is just to visit as many wooded areas or forests as possible. The dragon fly's goal is to visit watery places. I am trying to work out where to start them off at the moment - I need to sit and have a proper read of what you're meant to do - do I have to start them off in my own cache?

There are loads more caches around here than there were a couple of years ago.

[Texaco Shirley]

You an start them off wherever you like, just make sure you log them in properly with the tracking code and if you take any photos to upload make sure the tracking code isn't visible.

Mine is a Paddington Bear which is trying to get to Peru.

[Ruby]

Oh that's brilliant! Do you think he will get there? Where is he now?

[Cerise]

Right, I've got eight caches saved for tomorrow. They're really close to home so we can head back any time the whining gets too much! I have a travel bug in a drawer that I've had for five years apparently so we can set her free again tomorrow.

Do Mr Tex and not-Mr Ruby enjoy it?

[Texaco Shirley]

Oh that's brilliant! Do you think he will get there? Where is he now?

He was picked up from somewhere in the Cotswolds today. I hope he does make it, or at least stays active for a long time. It's a bit sad when they get lost.

[Texaco Shirley]

Is that your own travel bug cerise? If not it will make the owner's day when it resurfaces after all that time.

MrTex thinks I'm slightly insane but he's reasonably tolerant of it. He enjoys the ones which are a bit more interesting, like when we took L's friends out in Frome at night to follow reflectors through the woods by torchlight, but is indifferent to general rummaging in hedges. I might persuade him to do the set where you need to kayak down the Kennet and Avon.

[Ruby]

I am worried about the emotional impact of losing the travel bug! I deliberately made them not-too-loveable* because the chaps are horribly sentimental.

Partner is tolerating it. He is mildly interested and does help look, but I think he is slightly mystified.



*they have no eyes!

[Texaco Shirley]

It's best not to get too attached saying that I picked one up in Portugal and when I looked at its page it was released in 2011, disappeared almost immediately to the point that the owner recorded it as lost in 2012 and then it magically resurfaced in 2015. Its owners must have been delighted. (It wants to go to India so they'll be less delighted when they realise it's in Wiltshire but never mind).

[Cerise]

No, it's not mine. I'll be doing a good deed tomorrow if I can release it. Two on my list are boxes so hopefully we'll find at least one.

[Texaco Shirley]

Good luck!

[Ruby]

I've been trying to offload those fucking McDonald's Minions into the caches we visit but they're not big enough.

I'm not sure I can be arsed to hide a cache - I have been reading stuff about waypoint averages and it's pissed me off.

[Texaco Shirley]

Stuff that. I have a multi cache which has 6 waypoints and the final. I set it all out with a phone, just snapping a screenshot of the compass at each point and was recently complimented on how accurate all the coordinates were.