Some Creative Supplies

Tonight, we are going to deviate a bit from our usual design post and talk a bit about some basic supplies you can equip yourself with that may become part of your regular cache design kit.  Some of these supplies may be used more than others depending on how you design your caches, but all are useful.  We'll start with supplies for the inside of your cache.

Interior Supplies

1. Baggies - these are wonderful tools for protecting a logsheet from moisture.  Larger kitchen use baggies can be useful when placing a regular size cache, while smaller arts & crafts baggies are great for micro and small caches.  The smaller ones can be found at any arts & crafts store, and usually in arts & crafts departments of stores like Wal-mart and Target.  Just find the section where beads are found and you can find a variety of sizes in 50 and 100 quantity packages, often for $2 or less per set.  A few bucks can supply you with enough baggies for plenty of potential caches.  Carry them around with your regular caching supplies and you can help other cachers protect their logsheets as well, or replace damaged baggies.
2. Writing utensil - not everyone likes to add a writing utensil to their caches, often because of the varying cache designs they might use.  Consider picking up a package of golf pencils.  Since they are smaller, the open up the range of cache sizes you can use them in.  Plus, a writing utensil inside can be useful if a cacher forgets their own pen or pencil.
3. Swag - this may not work for micro caches, but if their is room for swag, consider adding an item or two.  What you use is entirely up to you.  Dollar stores are invaluable resources as you can often by packages of items like toy soldiers, plastic coins, etc.  Crafts stores are also useful, especially if you might be interested in making some personalized FTF swag.  Party stores often care packages of cheap party favors for parents looking to make gift bags for their child's party.  Toys often make great swag for kids.  What should be avoided?  Inappropriate or hazardous items, alcohol, food, liquids (what if something accidently breaks), and sharp objects or weapons, among other potentially bad swag ideas.
4. Stash Notes - you can get these from various geocaching sites.  They break down geocaching into an easy to understand explanation for muggles who might find the cache.

Exterior Supplies

1. Camo Tape - there are several varieties of camo tape that you can find, ranging from camo duct-tape to camo felt tape.  They are all usually pretty good.  Take any basic cache design and add camo tape to help reduce the visibility of a cache.  Most stores that sell a variety of duck tape will sell camo tape right there.  Otherwise, check sporting goods stores/departments to find some.
2. Sharpie - this can be used to write something on the outside, like "Official Geocache, Do Not Remove" or a GC code.  
3. Geocache Label - unless you make them yourself, you can buy "Official Geocache" labels to apply to the outside of a geocache.  These can be useful in case a muggle happens to find the cache.  Great when combined with a Stash Note inside.
4. Spray paint - this mostly applies to ammo cans.  Try to have a can of spray paint, preferably a shade of Forest Green, to paint a recently purchase ammo can.  This is done to cover up the military markings which might worry muggles if found.

Each of these items is not necessary, but can be useful ways to add a little extra umph to your next cache.  Are their any other ideas out there?  Post a comment and share your ideas for readers to consider.

TripCyclone

Jolly Green Giant

Today's post is going to feature an interesting cache design already out in the field.  The cache is called Jolly Green Giant.  It was placed by Lacomo on February 5th, 2009.  It's location is Lebanon, MO.  Why is it unique?  The size.

I remember being on the local Kansas/Missouri forums when Lacomo first started inquiring about large caches in Missouri.  He was trying to find out what the largest size was in the state.  Then, as time rolled on, we started to find out what his idea was, even seeing a few photos.  Finally, his cache was released to the public and within only a few hours the FTF was made...in the middle of the night!  It seems people really wanted to see what all the hype was about.  So what was so cool about this cache?  This shot was taken when I visited it just over a month later.

You can see a travel bug hanging off the top, and just above it is the Garmin eTrex Legend I was using at the time.  This homemade ammo can is large enough that a kid could likely crouch inside and not be seen.  Now it looks like it is in the woods.  Really it's in a small grove of trees on the back end of some property.  The property is owned by the cache owner's nephew.

Okay, time for some details.  When I asked Lacomo how he built this, he gave me some interesting details.  First of all, the body of the cache is actually a metal filing cabinet turned onto it's back.  Inside is some wooden platform about 1/3rd of the way up from the bottom.  This is where the containers for swag, trackables, and the logbook are resting.  It was done this way so that people didn't have to reach all the way to the bottom, and in case any water got inside.  Some framework was added to help hold it up.  The lid was the most expensive and time consuming piece.  Lacomo paid a local machine shop $50 for the material and the labor to bend the lid.  He did his own welding.  Due to how the sides of the lid slip over the sides of the container, it's actually surprisingly waterproof.  A local sign shop made the Geocaching label for the side. 

Once, it did actually get wet.  There had been heavy rain in the area and a small flood happened at the cache site.  It actually picked it up and floated it down a small drainage ditch before getting caught up in some trees.  Surprising that it would float consider the size of the container.

Total cost was about $75.00.  But Lacomo said it was entirely worth it considering the enjoyment people have had finding it.  And just how many people have found it?  Since it's publication, 183 people have found it as of the date I am writing this.

This isn't the only version of this I've seen.  I have seen pictures from a few other giant ammo cans around the world.  I've also seen other LARGE cache designs.  What about you?

TripCyclone

The Black Beast of AAAaaarrrgh

I've been busy since my last post dealing with business for The Great TB Race.  It's time to get to some more cache designs.  A cacher in West Virginia named WVangler sent me some ideas that he has used.  They are going into my list of ideas to talk about, but I thought I would feature one of his designs today.  If you recognize the name of this post, then you're obviously a fan of Monty Python.

Supplies:

• Ammo Can
• Weatherproof glue (Gorilla Glue is good)
• Spray Paint (color is your choice)
  
• Fake eyes
• Regular cache items (logbook, swag)

This is a rather simple design to make and will get a good laugh from many, Monty Python fans or not.  For the glue, Gorilla Glue works well, but any glue that will survive outdoors is good.  For the fake eyes, you can use whatever you want.  You could go for those toy eyes that have the black dot that moves around when shaken.  You could use a collection of doll eyes.  Just make sure you have a lot of them.  For the color, WVangler used black, but it's your choice what to use.  Oh, and depending on the glue you use, plan on taking some time to put it together as described.

First things first, take the ammo can outside with the spray paint.  Coat it in a layer of paint, let it dry, then check for any spots needing a second coat.  Once you are happy with the paint job, and it is fully dry, let's go back inside.

Set the ammo can down, preferably with newspaper underneath to avoid glue stains.  Start gluing the eyes to the ammo can, covering as much free space as you can cover.  The more eyes, the better.  When you are done, the ammo can should be completely covered with eyes, mimicing the appearance of the Black Beast of AAAaaarrrgh.  For those of you who aren't versed in the Monty Python Universe, watch the following video:



Once the ammo can is finished, find a good spot to place it. Somewhere near a rockface with a mini-cave would awesome to help replicate the movie scence. Otherwise, a good wooded area will work well.

Check out WVangler's version of The Black Beast of AAAaaarrrgh to see his cache page or read the logs.  It's a great example of incorporating movies into interesting cache designs.  This design would work well no matter what the desired cache type is.  This would be an interesting design to follow a puzzle about Monty Python movies.

TripCyclone

A Picture Perfect Puzzle

On today's edition of Creative Caches & Containers, we come back to the category of puzzle caches.  This time, we will look at a puzzle cache that not only can be made to fit ANY cache container you so desire, but can be solved by anyone. 

For this puzzle, you will need a few things:

• A cache container
• A logbook
• A computer
• A camera

Before we explain the details of this puzzle, let's look at how the puzzle works.  You go out and hide a cache.  Stand next to the cache location, facing away from the cache (preferably).  Using your camera, take some photos of the surrounding area, but no photos of the cache location itself.  Pick a nearby spot away from the cache to mark Bogus Coordinates.  Go home.  Then, at home, pick a few of the photos to post in the cache description.  Submit.

To solve the puzzle, geocachers have to use the photos to figure out where you were standing.  Then, upon determining where you were at when you took the photos, they commence the cache finding operation.  Voila, you have a puzzle cache.

Relatively simple in design, and simple in execution, there are a few things we want to look at.  First of all is location.  When finding a location for just this kind of cache, you need to make sure that there are visual landmarks nearby that can be matched up in photos.  Topography, artwork, buildings, signs, poles, and even landscaping (in doses) can make good visual landmarks.  On the other hand, placing this kind of cache out in the woods is torture.  It doesn't mean it can't be done.  You might be able to find some unique looking trees that really stand out from the surrounding trees, providing an easy landmark.  But in general, it isn't going to have geocachers walking away in a happy mood.

The next thing to consider is the photos.  You want the photos to be useful in identifying where you stood.  There are two ways to do the photos.  You can take a group of individual photos in different directions from where you stood.  A cacher would print off the photos and upon arriving on site, would use compare the relative positions of objects in the photos to triangulate the cache location.  But, you could also get more elaborate and produce a panoramic.  I know that not all of you are familiar with making a panoramic, so let's look at how that is done.  This is where the Creative Cache article turns into a Photography How-To article.

Panoramics are rather simple to make.  In the simplest sense, it only takes two overlapping photos to make a panoramic.  Ideally, you want to use a tripod to ensure horizontally level photos.  For the purposes of this puzzle cache, you can easily shoot it handheld.  You can shoot the photos two wide, three wide, or more.  You can shoot two tall, three tall, or more.  No matter how many photos make up your final image, there's just one thing you need to make sure you do.  The photos need to overlap each other by about 1/4th to 1/3rd of the photos.  I've provided an example of my own for you below.  In this example, you'll see two images side by side.  The section of the photo that is Black and White shows the section of the final image that overlaps.  These were taken handheld.


Notice the tall tree in the overlapping section. When taking photos for a panoramic, it's important that SOMETHING is visible in that section of the photo. This provides points for software to match up when combining the images.

Combining photos would seem like a hard task.  You have to individually go back and forth matching up specific points on both photos, then hoping the software can recognize those points and properly stitch together the images.  But wait, there's more.  After doing that, you will likely have to open the photo up in an image editor and fix any color differences to blend the images seamlessly.  Yeah, not exactly something to look forward to.  Thankfully, there is software out there that will drastically simplify the process.  It's called AUTOSTITCH.

Once the software is on your computer, open it up.  Before doing anything else, open the "Options" menu.  In the upper left corner is an option for image size that will have 10% as the default value.  Change that to 100%.  You can play with other options if you want, but the only other thing I usually mess with is something in the lower left that says "Sigma gain".  I usually push this to .3 instead of .1 before closing the options.  Then, just load the images and the program will do the work for you.  It isn't perfect, but most problems that I have ever run into are usually the result of a poor images and not the software.  Here is an example of the above two images after running them through Autostitch:

Once the program is done stitching the photos, just open the photo up in a basic image editing program and crop out the black borders if desired.  For posting on Groundspeak's site, you'll probably want to reduce the image size a bit.  Most image editors have an option for that.

There you go.  You have the images you need for producing this puzzle.  But, I have one more trick up my sleeve.  And for this one, I'm going to employ some help from Team Gamsci, a geocacher from De Sota, Iowa.  Team Gamsci likes to take videos, which you can view on their YouTube Channel, which displays some of their Geocaching videos.  In 2007, while thinking about videos, Team Gamsci came up with an idea very similar to the one I've described above, but with one difference.  Instead of using a picture, they made a video while standing next to the cache.  In fact, the tip about having identifiable landmarks came from Team Gamsci when I asked if he had any tips for someone interesting in using their idea.  The cache they did this with is called Frames Per Second, and it is located West of Des Moines, Iowa right off of Interstate 80.  I actually found this cache back in May of 2009 while on my way back to Kansas City from visiting the GPS Adventure Maze with WebScouter., one of my Geo-buddies.

This can be a fun puzzle for anyone of any age.  The use of pictures or videos makes this a very visual puzzle that anyone can solve too.  And everyone likes puzzles that anyone can solve.

TripCyclone

It's Locked!

Many geocachers love finding larger caches. There's room for trackables and swag. They are sometimes easier to find. You often find them near trails so it feels more wild. Oh, and it feels more like a treasure.

To go along with the idea of being more like a treasure...why not lock the ammo can?

That's right, I said lock.

I first thought of the design after a fellow geocacher mentioned the idea to me back in 2008. He worked out some details and placed a cache called Where's my Keys. Later on, I tried the idea myself by placing I Lost My Keys.  The design is rather simple, but requires some work to set up.

Required items:

• Ammo can
• Hasp
• Padlock (must require a physical key)
• Power drill
• Drill bit for drilling metal
• Extra keys for the lock
• Photo keychains (preferably clear)
• Superglue
• Travel Bugs
  

These supplies are very specific so let's explain a bit.  This is especially true with the hasp/padlock part of it.  A hasp, for those who aren't hardware oriented, is a device used for fastening.  Usually consisting of two parts, they are commonly metal and hinged.  Part one contains the hinge with a hole at one end of the device. Part two is the fastener that fits in that hole.  Hasps can be found with a lock integrated into the device, or the fastener is merely a large staple through which you would insert a pin or attach a padlock.  It is possible to find hasps that are all one piece.  DO NOT USE ONE PIECE HASPS!

For our design, you can use either type of hasp.  I prefer the kind that has the lock integrated into the design.  This eliminates the need for a padlock.  If you do use the kind that would require a padlock, it is ESSENTIAL that you use a padlock that requires a seperate key and not a combination.  You'll see why later. Here is an example of both types, first with one that would require a padlock and second with one that integrates a lock:

You can find hasps at most hardware stores, and even in hardware departments of stores like Target and Wal-mart, though what they may carry will vary from store to store.  Once you've decided on what kind of hasp to use, you'll need to make sure you have a power drill and a drill bit that can drill through metal.  If you have a power drill but don't have the right drill bit, here's a suggestion for those who don't want to buy a whole set of metal drill bits.  Compare the drill bits for your drill with the size of the hole on the hasp to determine what size you need.  A single drill bit can be purchased for a few bucks or less.  Knowing the right size will save you time and money in the end.

For the photo keychains, I like a brand found at Wal-mart, but you can find these at various stores.  In the photo frame section of the store, look for photo keychains.  They carry two types.  One is black and one is clear.  Purchase the clear one.  The black ones are not clear on the back of the keychain, which will be a factor as you'll see later.  You'll need one keychain for each key you make...it will make more sense later (I promise, I'll get to all these "you'll see later" parts).

Once you have all the parts, it's time to put everything together.  You'll need the drill, drill bit, hasp, ammo can, and preferably something to mark the ammo can with (like a sharpie).  Here's how you will attach the hasp.  The hinged part will be attached to the lid of the ammo can.  The fastener will be attached to the side of the ammo can.  Make sure you drill and attach the hinge first.  Let's repeat that:

MAKE SURE YOU DRILL AND ATTACH THE HINGE FIRST!

Okay, don't say I didn't warn you when you attach the fastener, THEN drill and attach the hinge only to have alignment off and you can't properly connect the two. I learned the hard way. :)

Now for the delicate part about attaching the hinge. When you line up the portion of the hinge you will actually attach to the lid, you DO NOT want to drill the two holes closest to the edge of the lid.  If you do, they will drill through the rubber O-Ring on the inside of the lid.  Go ahead, open the lid.  See that rubber ring around the edge?  It helps to provide a watertight seal.  If you drill through that, not only do you risk a leak if you don't seal it up properly, you also will be unable to close the ammo can once the bolts are in place.  I know because I made that mistake too.  See all the learning you can gain from my mistakes.  There are also two ways to position the hinge.  Make sure the hinge is positioned outwards.  Heck, go head and line the hinge up.  are the two pieces flush against the sides of the lid?  If not, flip it over...now it should be.

Drill the holes, line up the hinge, bolt it down.  Good.  Now for the fastener.  For this part, line up the fastener in the right spot and close the hasp.  Now, carefully open the hasp without moving the fastener.  Push the sharpie (or pencil/pen/whatever you are using) through the bolt holes to mark where to drill. Now remove the fastener and carefully, very carefully, drill the holes in the marked spots.

Once the holes are drilled, bolt the fastener down and test to make sure the hasp can be closed.  If you are using the kind with the integrated lock, make sure you can lock it shut.  If you've done everything right, it should lock into place without a problem.  With the hasp I used, the fastener has a part that twists to lock into place.  With this kind, you might have to gently push down on the hinge to twist the lock.  Here is what it should look like in the end:

There, you've now built a locked ammo can.  Now to take care of the keys.  The plans for this geocache are to release travel bugs with the keys that will unlock the ammo can.  To get the key, geocachers have to find one of the travel bugs.  Geocachers can find the ammo can all they want, but without the key, they won't be able to sign the logbook and claim a find.  For an added touch, you can list bogus coordinates on the cache page and hide the ammo can at a seperate location.  Then attach the true coordinates to the keychain.  Not only is the travel bug key needed to unlock the cache, but it's also needed to learn the final location of the hide.  Also remember that when you classify this cache, it's best to consider it under the "Mystery/Unknown" category.  This is due to the added step of having to find the travel bugs to both get the final coordinates and to open the cache.

Before you do this step, you need to know how many keys you want to release.  Considering I placed mine in Kansas City, and due to the size of Kansas City, I released five travel bugs.  I'd recommend a minimum of three, and not more than six unless you live in a large, high population area. You will also need to make sure you have a travel bug for each keychain.  This will require that you've planned ahead if you want to release this soon after placing it.  Last of all, if you going for that added touch I mentioned and hiding it in a location other than the listed coordinates, you will need to have done that and taken coordinates before building the keychain.

Here's where the part about getting the clear keychains comes into play.  You'll likely want to place a restriction on the area of movement for the travel bugs.  This is so somebody doesn't pick it up and take it halfway across the country.  You will also want to put some instructions explaining what the travel bug and key is for.  Then, if you do the "added touch", you'll need to list the true coordinates.  With all of this, having a clear keychain allows you to have text on both sides of the keychain as opposed to just the one side you'll have if you use the black keychains.

I typed up my information, but you can do whatever you would like.  Just make sure what you prepare will fit into the keychain.  Once you have the information ready, just pop out the little cover on the keychain and cut the information sheet to fit inside.  Here is the one thing I noticed.  Since it is rather easy to pop this piece out, it also means it isn't too hard for water to get in it.  If the travel bug is placed in a cache that isn't so dry, you have a problem.  To counteract this, use superglue to seal this piece in.  This does mean that if you have to get the travel bug and fix it that you will need to completely remake the keychain, but if done right you won't need to do that.  Once everything is ready, attach the travel bugs and keys.  You are now ready to go.  Here is what it will look like:

Let's look at the cache and TB page itself.  For the TB page, just repeat the instructions listed on the keychain, minus any "final coordinates" that might be listed.  I'd also provide a link to the cache page so people can check things out if they happen to go to the TB page first.  For the cache page, make sure you link to each travel bug so that anyone visiting the cache page can quickly check on where the travel bugs are at.  If you visit the version of this design I placed (GC1JZ18), you'll likely notice the graphical links to each travel bug page.  Those are a nice addition to the page because they will display the current location of the travel bug.  They aren't too complicated and only require a bit of coding to incorporate them into the page.  Even though it isn't a cache, I'll add that to the list of things to write an article about as it does help spice up a cache listing.

There, you're all done.  All you need to do is get the cache published and release the travel bugs.  When submitting the cache, make sure to add a note for the reviewer so they understand how this works.  Then, enjoy the logs.  So far, most everyone who has found mine has enjoyed the design.  It catches people's attention and forces them to pay attention to where the travel bugs are.  It's kind of fun watching for those logs that read something like "Finally was able to get this travel bug.  On to the cache."

There are different ways to design this that don't involve an ammo can.  If you have built something like this, or seen something like this, post a comment with the GC # for others to see.

Check back later this week and I'll post a short article on how to set up the graphical links.

TripCyclone

Log Caches

How about a design that works with ANY size and shape of cache container?  Well, almost any size.  It might not work so well with large ammo cans or larger.  It's a simple design, can go in a variety of places, and it will still make people think a bit at times.  Oh yeah, I should also point out that this design employs the latest in 3D technology to camo the container.  Intrigued?

The latest in 3D Technology?  What exactly do you need for THAT?

• A cache
• Logsheet
• Swag (depending on size)
• An actual wood log
• Power saw (type will depend on style)
  

Optional items:

• Something to use as a strap (hey...a strap might work :P )
• Screws
• Power drill

Before we look at the design process, let's look at an example of the final design.  This photo was taken by Gordon McKinlay (used with permission).

The basic design is to cut the log to fit the cache.  Hide the cache in the hole, place on the ground upside down, and you have a hidden cache.  Let's look a little more closely at the process.

First, you need to figure out what kind of cache you are going to use.  At a minimum, a micro can be used.  I'd recommend at least a pill bottle, though a 35mm film canister might work.  You can get up to ammo can size, though you will have to make sure the log you use is big enough.  A stump might work well for an ammo can.

Second, you need to figure out where to make the cut.  If it's a stump, the bottom is the obvious spot.  If you're using a log, depending on the size you might want to see how it will rest on the ground first.  You don't want to cut the hole, place the cache into the hole, then find out that it naturally rolls to the side and exposes the hidden cache.

Once you've figured out where to make the cut, you'll need to start the cutting process.  Now, if you're hiding a cache like a pill bottle, a power sander might be an option, albeit a slower one.  A jig saw might be a good all around saw to use whether the hole is round or rectangular.  Just make sure you are securing the log somehow before you do any cutting.  You don't want that thing to slip out from under the saw, and possibly risk the saw slipping and hitting you.  Remember, no cache is worth slicing off parts of your body. Also, consider how much room you want the cache to have while resting in the hole.  If you make the hole too large, the cache won't stay in place.  If it is too small, people will have a hard time getting it out and putting it back in, until it's been done enough to wear down the sides of the hole.  In the end, a measurement might be needed.  Using a sharpie, mark the outline of the cache on the log, and cut along the outside edge of that line.  That should be good.

Now that the hole is cut, put the cache together with logsheet and possible swag (if big enough) and place it in the hole.  Now, go find a spot to hide the cache and enjoy.

But what about those optional items?  Well, over time, the cache container might slowly wear down the hole, making it easier to fall out.  Or, you might have given it just a bit of extra room.  We can fix this too.  You will need something to use as a strap.  You can find straps in the Sporting Goods stores or departments with camping gear.  Rope may also work, but something flat like a strap is best.  If you can search a bit, find a strap that will be wide enough to lay across the hole with the plastic fastener in the center of the rig.

Now, fasten the two pieces of the strap together and lay the strap ACROSS the cache, with either end extending out onto the wood and the plastic fastener in the center.  On one side of the cache, about a half-inch to one inch from the cache, screw in a simple screw.  Don't use a short screw, as you don't want it working it's way out too quickly while people retrieve the cache.  Now do the same on the other side, screwing the strap securely into place.

In the end, the strap should lay out such that it holds the cache in place when latched shut.  Then, when unlatched, each side stays screwed securely into the log.  This whole extra step serves the extra purpose of holding the cache in place in case it loosens enough that it would fall out without the strap.  Plus, as opposed to a similar design where you lift the log and the cache stays on the ground, when you lift the log up, geocachers will first look at the ground and see no cache.  Unless they look at the log, they are likely to miss it, especially if the design is smaller.  Tricky huh.

Here's one more picture of a similar design but with a larger container that I took a picture of:

As mentioned, this design can work with a variety of sizes and shapes for the actual cache container.  The container in the above picture is a paintball container.  With the added "log" for hiding the cache, this also means you have a WIDE variety of locations you can hide this in the woods.  This really helps allow you to pick just the right spot for the log.  Then just work on how the surrounding brush can help blend the log in so that it doesn't stand out.

And that's how to build a "Log Cache".  Enjoy.

TripCyclone

What is this?

Sometimes, having a creative geocache isn't about how well you can hide it or what the geocacher has to go through to find the geocache, but about the site itself.  You can hide an ammo can out in plain view and people will still talk about how cool it was.  It takes the right frame of mind when designing it. Slick 50 had that frame of mind when she placed her second geocache.  The geocache is called  Charlie Brown

Let's take a quick look at the supplies needed for Charlie Brown before we examine how it was built.

• Ammo can
• Swag
• Logbook
• Christmas Ornaments

Wait.

That has to be wrong.

Christmas Ornaments?

Well, surprisingly enough, THAT is where the creative part came in.  But before we move on, let's hop into a Delorean and go back to 1965.

In 1965, a small Christmas special was aired and became a quick hit.  It was called "A Charlie Brown Christmas", and it quickly became a classic.  One of the main plot points of the film was a tiny, decrepit, baby tree that Charlie Brown picks to use as the tree for the school play.  The tree looks bad, and when decorated, it looks like a dinky little tree with those colorful ball ornaments.  I still remember watching this movie as a kid.  I'm sure many of you remember watching this when it aired each year.  Time to leave 1965.  Punching in time coordinates for late November, 2007.

Slick 50, a geocacher in the Dallas, TX area, was looking to place her second geocache.  With the desire to place a Christmas cache, and hearing about an idea from another Dallas geocacher by the name of Caveman2040, she began thinking of a name.  Charlie Brown.  Once the name came about, the rest of the design suddenly became clear.  She looked for the scraggiest tree she could find that was hidden from view of muggles, and went to work.  Placed in a park along Lewisville Lake in North Dallas, the cache is just a little ways off of the main trail.  When you get close, you have to bushwhack just a bit to get around some large trees, but once you do, you'll be greated by this:

Now, looking at the photo just doesn't really give the same impression.  This is partially a result of when the photo was taken.  This was taken in January, when many trees are missing their leaves.  As a result of this, much of the background blends in and makes it hard to see the tree in question.  Let's just say that as soon as I came around the nearby trees and saw this one, I just about died in laughter.  It was a great display and totally fits with the above film.  This is a perfect example of how the name of a geocache can be just as valuable as the cache itself.  I'm not sure it would have had the same impression if it had been named anything other than Charlie Brown.

Decorating this tree was nothing more than putting up the ornaments.  But Slick 50 went the extra step and attached some fake holly to the top of the ammo can, which is in plain site at the base of this tiny, three foot tall tree.  Punching in time coordinates for present day 2009.

I'm not really sure anything else needs to be said about how this was set up.  It's a pretty simple hide.  But above many of the geocaches I've found, this definitely demonstrates how the site itself can make a geocache not only creative, but memorable.  Since I found this, I've frequently referenced it when talking about memorable geocaches.  The only downside of this cache is that it doesn't get visited enough.  I'm amazed that in the almost two years since it was placed (November 2007), it has only been found 19 times.  That number should be higher.

By the way, Slick 50 has a few other holiday themed caches in the North Dallas area: Halloween, Easter, and Valentine's Day.  I guess I have a few others to go after next time I'm in Dallas.

Here's one more view of the cache:

TripCyclone

PS: A thanks to Slick 50 for letting me write about her geocache Charlie Brown.

A Puzzle Cache for Kids

Creative Caches & Containers isn't just about the containers.  It's about how the caches are done too.  This next design is more about how the cache is done instead of how the container is built.  And the best part...it's a great design for kids.

Puzzle caches can often be the bane of many geocachers.  Some are easy, many are hard.  The difficulty is usually dependant on the geocacher.  If you like puzzles and do them regularly enough, you'll learn some tricks and can often see things others may not.  Despite how puzzle caches are defined in one category, there are different types of puzzle caches of varying degrees.  The automatic lumping of all puzzle caches into an ignore list often results in overlooking puzzles that can be both easy and fun to do.  If you really want to hear my thoughts on this one, check out my post about puzzle caches called Ahhh...the Dreaded Mystery Cache, where you can find my own list of the different types of puzzles out there.  Today's idea is a great example of what can be overlooked by ignoring puzzles.

Before explaining the idea, let's look at the materials list:

• 1- small or regular sized cache container
• 1- cache container of any desired size (since this is a kid friendly cache, aim for this one to hold some swag)
• 1- ziploc baggie, or a small tupperware container (must fit into the first cache container listed above)
• 1- 50 piece puzzle, small (preferably one small enough that the finished puzzle is smaller than the side of an ammo can).
• 1- log sheet or log book
• Random swag (if desired)
• 1 sharpie
  

Now, it's important to point out what I wrote in parenthesis and why.  Today's design is meant to involve two stages.  Because of this, it's important that the first container in the list is at least a small container.  It's actually better if you can use an ammo can, and you'll see why soon.  The second container is whatever you want.  But if you want to aim for this to be a kid friendly cache (read on), don't use micro's or nano's.  The ziploc baggie or small tupperware mentioned is for holding the pieces of the puzzle.  For the puzzle, go to a toy story or a toy department and look for small puzzles.  For the one I have, the box is about the size of a thick deck of cards and when put together, can easily fit on the large side of an ammo can.

Now for the design.  Before you can truly make this puzzle, you need to have found where you want to place the final cache and have collected the coordinates for that location.  If designing with kids in mind, try to pick a place that parents will feel comfortable taking kids.  The side of a cliff overhanging a creek or stream is probably not a good spot.

Once you have the coordinates, now you can begin making the cache.  First, open up and put the puzzle together.  If using an ammo can for the first stage, put it together on the side of the ammo can.  This will help you visualize how geocachers will do the cache out in the field.  Once you have it put together, carefully pick it up and flip it over.  I used a small cutting board to slide it off the surface I was working on and flip it over all in one piece.  Here is an example of where you should be at this point:

Now for the part where you turn this into a puzzle.  In large letters, use the sharpie to write a message on the back of the puzzle.  You can include what the geocacher is looking for, but make sure to include the final coordinates.  Make sure to spread out your writing.  You want as many pieces as possible to including writing.  You can do this by using a single letter for each puzzle piece, or by writing across multiple pieces so that the letters are only visible when they are joined together.  The more pieces with some form of writing on them the better.  I've prepared a picture of what this might look like (disclaimer: the coordinates listed are false coordinates and do not belong to an actual geocache):

 

Once the writing dries (which shouldn't be more than a minute or two if using a sharpie), then go ahead and take apart the puzzle.  Now, using a ziploc baggie or a small tupperware container (if your first stage is an ammo can), package up the collection of puzzle pieces.  At this point, I would recommend typing up a small sheet to put into the container with the puzzle, containing instructions for the cache.  For example:

Puzzle Instructions:

 Welcome to _________ cache.  To solve this puzzle, you will need to put together the following puzzle.  The puzzle is small enough that you can use the ammo can as your surface.  On the back of the puzzle are the coordinates to the final cache.  Please make sure to be careful with the pieces and that all pieces get back into the puzzle so that the next geocacher can have the same experience.  There are fifty pieces.  If any pieces are missing, please notify the cache owner.  Enjoy.

As you can see, this not only helps let the cacher know how to get the final coordinates, but it is also a reminder to carefully put all puzzle pieces back.  I'd recommend putting this in an easily visible spot, such as with the puzzle pieces.

At this point, your puzzle is ready to go.  Just put the puzzle pieces' container inside whatever you are using for stage one.  Get your final stage ready to go with the log book and whatever swag you want to use.  Go out and place your final and find a nice spot somewhere else in the area for stage two.  If designed for kids, try to not make cachers walk large distances, a half mile round trip is probably the maximum you want to make this...a quarter mile round trip is great for kids.  Try to avoid making the kids go through heavy bushwhacking.  If there's a trail nearby, even better.  This might not work great for an urban environment, but parks, especially if it's a larger park that has trails and a playground is great for parents taking their kids geocaching.  Get the coordinates for stage one and you are ready to go home and submit your cache.

Whether you want to explain how the cache works on the cache page or not is your own choice.  You might want to try and at least mention that this is a kid friendly cache.  If you want to put a reminder about being careful that all elements of stage one get back into the container, go ahead.  Don't forget, this is a puzzle cache.  Make sure you submit an additional waypoint for the final location for the reviewer, just make sure you select the option to keep it hidden from the public.  Many puzzle caches will often state that the starting coordinates are bogus.  You don't have to, but putting a note at the beginning of the description that informs cachers that the starting coordinates are NOT bogus might help those cachers who are a little bit more hesitant to go after puzzle caches.  You can even add that it is an on site, kid friendly puzzle cache.  Even experienced puzzle cache ignorers are likely to say "Hmmm...let's check this out".

There you go.  You've just made a puzzle cache for kids.  While many caches can be found by kids, going that extra step to make a cache specifically designed for kids will earn you a notch among those cachers that take their kids out with them. I should also point out that this design could also fit into the category of a multi-cache.  I'd probably consider it a puzzle because you have to put together a puzzle to get the coordinates, instead of just having a piece of paper inside the first stage with the coordintes written on it.

I am currently working on using this design myself, but if any of you decide to put one of these out, let me know how it goes.  Do you have another idea for a kid friendly cache?  Scroll down to the bottom of this blog to see how you can send me your idea.

TripCyclone

A Nano in the Woods

Nanos.  Some enjoy them.  Many hate them.  The mere word makes some want to hunt down the guy who first introduced them to the geocaching world.  Some have never seen one before.  So how can we be creative with a nano?

Nano's are small caches about the size of the tip of your pinkie finger.  Magnetized on one end, they can fit in spots that many caches cannot even fit in and they are inconspicous.  Commonly, they are found in urban environments where someone wants to place a cache but most caches won't fit well.  For those who haven't seen one, here is what a nano looks like (with a penny for scale):

But a nano in the woods?  I must be crazy.  Well, I won't deny that statement but I will ask that you give me a chance to explain.  It is entirely possible to place a nano in the woods without people crying for your capture. It just takes the right cache design.  The design I'm going to share today can be varied as you desire, but it is one I have been working on for a while now.  Let's look at what is needed. 

First and foremost, you need a nano.  You can find them through many various geocaching stores, along with Groundspeak's own store.  They do cost a few dollars, and occasionally you can find deals if you buy a group of them.

Once you have the nano, the next thing you need is an ammo can.  Yep, I said ammo can.  You might be starting to see where this is going.

With these two items, you have the bare minimum needed for this cache.  Place the nano inside the empty ammo can and go find a good spot in the woods to hide the ammo can.  Cacher's will dread your nano and possibly give a huge sigh of relief, and maybe confusion, when they find the ammo can.  But, as always, there is a way to go an extra step.  This is where my design comes in.

For my idea, I've been spending the last several months trading swag for golf balls whenever I see one in a cache.  My idea, which you are welcome to use and modify if desired, is to get as many golf balls as my ammo can will hold.  I'm closing in on that goal.  Many are dirty so I'll take one day and clean them all up so they look as similar as possible short of brand design.  I've purposely passed up on colorful golf balls.

Next, I will begin the process of drilling out a hole in one of the golf balls.  The hole will need to be deep enough that I can fit a nano inside such that only the lid of the nano sticks out.  Then I need just a tad bit deeper.  This is so I can glue a magnet into the base of the hole.  I could stick the nano in further, but if I do, it will make it harder for geocachers to pull the nano out of the hole.  With the magnet in place, I can set the nano into the hole and voila...geocachers now have to search the ammo can for the golf ball that contains the nano.  You can see an example of how this would look to the left.

This is an idea that can be modified however you desire.  I've actually seen a variation with a homemade container for the nano to be housed in.  Don't want to use golf balls?  35mm film canisters can also work.  Just place a small pebble in each one so that a geocacher can't "feel" the containers for the one with the nano.

And that is how to place a nano in the woods that won't resort in your exile.

TripCyclone