Minnesota Geocacher of the Week- Caching Grandpa

We will be starting a weekly feature where we will ask a few questions from local cachers. The goal of this is to let cachers get to know each other better and to have more seasoned cachers provide advice to newbies.

Tell us about your caching name and why you chose it?

I chose CachingGrandpa because my first experience caching was with my grand children in MI. Then when I started caching in MN It became a family event with my 3 grand children here 2, 3, 11 years old. We went caching almost ever Sunday after church. 5 years later we still cache a lot together.

How long have you been caching and what got you interested in geocaching?

I have been caching almost 6 years. My daughter took me caching in MI one summer when I visited her there. I was hooked immediately. I was living in Baltimore by myself at the time so had a lot of time and my kids bought be a GPS for fathers day and I have been caching ever since.

What is your favorite Twin Cities area cache and why?

TopGear's Evil Island GC1JV10. There was a lot of publicity around this one when it was first placed and I made several trips before I found it. There was another cache that I liked a lot but could not find the GC code It was hidden in a big round rock placed among a bunch of sharp jagged rocks The hint was "something different". Found it caching with both son-in-laws and ones father, and my grand kids.

Tell us your best caching memory or adventure?

There have been so many it's hard to pick the best. Just spending so much time both with the grand kids and alone walking in the woods has been a great time.

How many finds and hides? What is your favorite cache you have hid and why?

1,118 finds and 14 hides. Mushroom cache GC1H7PV. One of my more unique hides

What is the best caching advise you can give to a newbie and what was your biggest mistake when you first started caching?

ALWAYS mark your car before caching. More than once I have been lost trying to find my car.

Any caching trips planned in the near future?

No trips planned right now. Just back from a visit to Breckenridge, CO where I cached while my grandson went snowboarding. Waiting for Spring/Summer so I don't have to walk through knee high snow and get so cold.

Ammo can or nano?

Ammo can at least a mile hike in a state park.

Anything else you would like to tell us?

Go Caching! Try them all! Enjoy the peace and quite and beauty that the Lord has made.

Dinosaur Train introduces preschoolers to geocaching

As a mother is preparing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for her preschooler, busy watching PBS, she hears in the background a song all too familiar: “Dinosaur Train…Dinosaur Train..” A few minutes later she hears the pitter-patter of her son coming up the stairs. The young son tugs on his mom’s pants and declares. “I want to find the Dinosaur Train Geocache!” The mother looks puzzled not knowing what in the world he’s talking about. The son signals his mom downstairs to rewind the DVR to understand what he means. She quickly realizes their family may be heading on an adventure to find “treasure” only a few miles from their home.

Just last summer the Jim Henson Company wanted to find a way to get kids outside more, exploring their world. Producers of the PBS Henson show “Dinosaur Train” felt that by partnering the show with geocaching would be a match made in heaven. The Jim Henson Company contacted geocaching.com and decided that they would help PBS stations, museums, and Zoos to place “Dinosaur Train” caches all over the country.

One of those stations was our very own PBS station here in St. Paul. After TPT St. Paul got the info from the Jim Henson production about what they were trying to accomplish, the vice president of communication contacted one of their employees, Scott Holisky wondering if he was interested in hiding a “Dinosaur Train” themed geocache. Scott reports he then formed a committee of 7 other employees at TPT to figure out the best place to hide the cache. Scott mentioned that the Henson Company was very helpful in providing all the cache materials needed to hide the cache. The hiding team at TPT also got great advice from Surfer Joe as well as Ramsey Country parks about good placement.

The biggest win in this project has been that it has brought good exposure to the hobby of geocaching as an educational, fun, family activity. Holisky mentioned that he has received several emails from parents that have seen the promotion for the Dinosaur Train geocache wanting more information.

Currently there are 43 Dinosaur Train caches all over the US. Each cache is named after a particular dinosaur. TheSt. Paul cache is the “Igunadon” dinosaur cache. The hope that with each cache found, it will spark interest in learning about various kinds of dinosaurs. When Holisky was asked about the SWAG in the cache he mentioned he orignial put unique PBS items that he has recieved over the years. In the spring he plans in putting a dozen new toy dinosaurs that will be real treasure for kids.

Do you know a preschooler ? Most likely, they watch “Dinosaur Train” and would enjoy finding the cache, but don’t know where to start. Mentioning the show “Dinosaur Train” may be an opportunity to introduce caching to families with young kids.

Video: Dinosaur Train host invites family to discover geocaching.

Passion for Pathtags- part three

This is the final installment of the feature on pathtags.

It has been said that “every picture tells a story” or that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. In the world of geocaching every geocoin or pathtag tells a story. As a matter of fact, pathtags are little quarter-sized works of art. Pathtags do a great job helping people express those important interests, people, and events that cachers want to communicate.

For Burnsville’s Daphne Connolly (Catzilla), her favorite kind of tags are any that are patriotic because it reminds her of those important in her life.

“Anything to do with the military, the USA, and the US Flag on it. They are my favorite because I owe a lot to the men and women (including my father, my husband, my brother, my sister-in-law, and two of my brothers-in-law) who have served, are serving, or will be serving, this wonderful country that I live in and love so much.”

For others, tags that represent a special event are most meaningful. Mark and Kris Kuhn (Team Dogs and Tri-Chick) of Robbinsdale created a tag that represented their dating relationship as well as a tag that commemorates theirwedding ceremony that took place during a LasVegas marathon. The tag features both Mark and Kris’ running shoes, the LasVegas sign, two wedding rings, and music notes to signify the “Rock and Roll Marathon.” Kris felt that it was a special way to commemorate their wedding by “marrying” their love for geocaching and running.

For some, their pathtag represents unique interests or hobbies beyond the world of geocaching. For Rocky S. Robello (KA7EII) of Sandy, Utah his first tag represents his love for Ham Radios. In the future he hopes to make more tags that celebrate his interest in astronomy and 78rpm records.

What about you? Do you have plans to ever make a pathtag? What sort of pathtag design would be worth a thousand words for you?

Passion for Pathtags- part 1

Passion for Pathtags- part 2

Passion for Pathtags- part 2

...continued from part one of "Passion for Pathtags".

In September 2010, the Twin Cities hosted the Geocoinfest MEGA event. As a part of the event, there was a time of pathtag speed trading. This involved a bunch of cachers with pathtags in a full trading frenzy. Since most pathtags are personal signature items, and most have a story attached to the design, it ends up being a great way for cachers to get better acquainted with one another.

Daphne Connolly (Catzilla), of Burnsville, shared how pathtags can be a window into getting to know other cachers better:

“I think the thing I like the most is that the tags really say a lot about the person who owns them. They are a little window into who that person is.” Daphne’s tags represents her love for her cat, Buster, nicknamed “Catzilla”, which then also inspired her caching name.

Sue Odell (theodellfamily) of Monticello, Minnesota says, “I like that they are personal and that the designs reflect the owners personality or give you an insight into who they really are. As if they are sharing a bit of themselves with you.”

The Pathtags.com slogan is “Who have you crossed paths with?” Since each tag collected represents a person behind it by trading or giving them, it helps people remember when they crossed paths with that person. Each tag is not just a coin, but it represents a friend or an encounter with another cacher in person or online.

When pathtags are found in caches this also connects people. When a tag is discovered it often causes the finder to connect with the person that placed the pathtag to thank them for it. It can really add to the fun of the find and, more importantly, possibly initiate a new friendship.

Jean Monson (Shadow’s Friend) of St Paul shares how bonds can be formed because of pathtags. “When you find a pathtag it gives you a little insight to geocacher(s) that were at the cache before you. It removes a layer of anonymity. Using the Pathtag website you have another tool to communicate with geocachers that have a similar like and interest.”

Jean has also join several pathtag clubs online with members of similar interest. For example Jean joined a Bird Club where each member committed to make a bird tag and trade them with other people.

Daphne (Catzilla) states she often hides her pathtags in special caches and “hopes that the next person to find that cache gets a smile on their face when they spot my pathtag inside.”

This sure puts a smile on Sue Odell’s face when she is pleasantly surprised to find a pathtag when she says, “It is better than Christmas when I am lucky enough to find a pathtag in a cache or receive an unsolicited one in the mail.”

So next time you open up that geocache don’t be so quick to sign a TNLN log entry. Search a little closer through all that swag, because not only might you find a pathtag, but also you might find a friend.

Passion for Pathtags- part one

Passion for Pathtags- part three

Passion for Pathtags- part 1

The cache has been found. Your open it up and rummage through to find the logbook, but also take a second to look through the various swag/junk in the cache. Something shiny catches your eye. You think, “Ahh…a geocoin to move.” As you look at the colorful shiny piece of metal in your hands you realize this isn’t a normal trackable. Actually it is not a trackable at all. When you turn the tag over your realize you are holding a pathtag based in the inscription on the back.

Pathtags are a slightly smaller than a quarter personal trading item mostly used in geocaching. They are designed by geocachers all over the world and produced by pathtags.com. Each pathtag design is unique and represents the creator's caching name, caching event, or other interests. They are not trackable, but cachers can log them at the pathtag website to make comments and let others know where they found the tag.

Not only are they tradable but also collectable for many cachers. Several Twin Cities cachers have made their own tags as well as have a significant personal collection. Daphne Connolly (Catzilla) of Burnsville is one of those cachers. She became interested in pathtags after finding a few in caches. Pathtags differ from geocoins in that when you find them you can keep them rather than just move or discover them like a normal trackable. Daphne has found a few in caches, yet she has traded online for a lot more. Currently, she has 167 tags in her collection and reports that she receives two or three in the mail every week.

Daphne has created two tags and has plans for at least four more designs. She reports that pathtags.com was very helpful with the design process, but it can be difficult to be patient enough to wait the four to six weeks it takes to have them minted and sent.

In coming days we will follow up with how pathtags strengthen the geocaching community, and how pathtags can have special meaning to both owners and collectors alike. Stay tuned for part two and three next week!

Minnesota geocachers celebrate National Puzzle

You know the feeling. You go to check your email and notice a new cache is published 10 miles from your home. Excitement builds, as you nearly are almost out the door for the possibility to grab a FTF. You go to the cache page and realize that this FTF isn’t going to be that easy because it is a puzzle cache. For some, the heart sinks knowing that you are not the “puzzling” type, for others an opportunity to sit by your fireplace on a cold night and puzzle your way through the solution to the final location.

Puzzles. Some of us love them, and others don’t bother. It would be safe to say that most of those that don’t bother struggle figuring out some of these ingenuous brainteasers. Help is on the way!

January 29th, 2011 is National Puzzle Day and there will be an event celebrating puzzles in the world of geocaching. This event is for “puzzlers” and “non-puzzling” cachers alike. The event will show cachers how to solve several different types of puzzles, as well as provide solutions to over 350 Minnesota and some Iowa puzzle caches!

Ruth Johnson (Quilting is fun too) one of the event's hosts, shares how the event will appeal to all sorts of cachers.

“Even if someone has solved ALL of the puzzles listed on the cache page on their own (that would be a feat!), it will still be a fun way to celebrate National Puzzle Day. We are just thrilled that so many puzzles have been donated…”

Like any great event there will be food and door prize drawings.

More details on this event are listed on the cache page.

The event is at River City Extreme in Monticello, MN.

To the joy of many cachers, this event IS posted at the listed coordinates.