A Sprinkle of Finds

Yesterday, I was reminded of a cache container that is a classic example of creativeness.  Both the design and placement can confuse many geocachers who haven't seen the design before.  And better yet, it's easy to build.

Here's what you need:

• 1 pop up sprinkler head
• A 35mm film canister
• Logsheet
• A small spade

Optional items:

• Bison tube
• Toothpick, thin Dowel Rod, or popsicle stick
• PVC
  

The best sprinkler head to get is one of those common round black ones you can find in most Gardening or Hardware stores.  For the spade...well that will depend on the location you choose to place it at. We'll discuss that after looking at the build.

The first thing you will need to do is unscrew the top of the sprinkler head, marked in the image to the left.  Once open, look carefully at the guts.  Sometimes there is a hollow piece running the length of the sprinkler that could easily hold a rolled up logsheet.  If not, just pull out everything, leaving the sprinkler casing and lid.

Next, get your logsheet ready.  The simple way is just to get a standard micro logsheet.  You can staple a few sheets together if you want to allow more finds between log refills.  Now if there is a hollow piece inside, you can slide the logsheet into there.  If this is an option, I recommend attaching something at the center of the roll that people can grip to pull the rolled up logsheet out.  A popsicle stick or thin dowel rod works great.

If there is not a hollow piece inside, then grab a micro container like a 35mm film canister, bison tube, etc.  Make sure it will fit inside, then add the logsheet and then toss the container inside the sprinkler head.

Once you have everything inside, just seal it up.  Now you need to find a location for it.  This is where this one can be tricky.  If you pick a spot with mulch, there's a chance the mulch is deep enough that you can just clear out a hole, place the sprinkler inside, and position the mulch around it to fill gaps.  You could also find a small bush, insert the sprinkler head through some branches, and cover the top with a leaf or two.  But sometimes, you might need to dig a small hole.  If you have exhausted other options and decided on digging, make sure you have permission from the landowner if it isn't on your property.  This is especially true at parks.  If a muggle sees you pulling up a spinkler head, they might get suspicious enough to report it.  You'll want the parks department to be aware of it.

To the right is an example of how to hide it to blend in.  Notice that unless you were looking for the cache, and even if you are looking for it, this sprinkler head looks like it blends in rather well.  You might not even realize it's not real unless comparing it to surrounding sprinkler heads (if there are any).

As you can see, this cache is a great example of concealing a cache out in the open.  It has become more common in the last two - three years, and some Geocaching stores will even sell ready to go versions of this.  The downside is blending it in.  Many parks and homes now have these pop-up sprinklers installed.  If you know what location you are aiming to place it, you can try to match the design as closely as possible to better blend it in so it doesn't stand out. Imagine an all black sprinkler head as the real sprinklers, then having the cache in one that has a bright white stripe around the lid.  An observant person might notice that.


Also, if you look at the picture of the cache surrounded by mulch, you'll notice the white base, a piece not seen in the first image.  An additional way to set this into the ground is to use a piece of PVC pipe that snuggly fits the sprinkler head.  Then, when you set up the hole for the cache container, you can place the PVC pipe in the hole.  Now, when the cache is retrieved and then put back, it will quickly slide into place.  No need to make sure dirt or mulch doesn't fall into the hole and force finders to redig them back out.

Now we have one more photo to show you.  In this case, it's an example of a homemade logsheet.  A longer piece of paper, likely from a calculator printer roll, has been rolled up with a small toothpick in the center.  The toothpick is taped to the printer roll.  Just twist to tighten the paper up on the toothpick and then pull down.  The housing is a small plastic sleeve glued inside a small piece of PVC pipe with a Geocaching logo taped to the side.  A rubber plug is at the top end to help seal that side.  And this all fits nicely into the sprinkler head.  Even though the logsheet isn't in a baggie, it has remained quite dry.

Like I said, a rather simple hide to build, not to bad to place, and great for concealment in plain view.  And this design works with any type of cache: traditional, multi, or puzzle.

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

The Best Selling...Puzzle Cache?

It's Christmas Eve.  Dinner's cooking, people are wrapping gifts.  It's SNOWING down here in Dallas.  I've been busy the last few weeks as first semester ended at work, but I haven't stopped looking for interesting cache ideas.  Tonight, I bring you another easy puzzle like last time.  What's different is that this is a hands-on, multi-stage, puzzle cache. 

Here's the supply list:

• Two cache containers
• Logsheet
• Permanent Marker
• Rubik's Cube

That's right.  I said Rubik's Cube.  Some of you might be able to see where this is going already.  When getting supplies, make sure one of the cache containers is large enough to fit the Rubik's Cube.  Also, when you get the Rubik's Cube, it has to be solved first (brand new ones usually come solved in the package).  Everything else can be done in the field.

The first thing you are going to need to do is figure out where you want the FINAL cache to be at.  Do this however you want and get the coordinates for the location.  Place the final and let's go find a spot for the first stage.

Once you find a spot to place the first stage, let's get out the coordinates for the final, the marker, and the solved Rubik's Cube.  Pick two sides of the cube, any two sides.  Break up the coordinates into the Latitude and Longitude (N/S & E/W).  Now write one digit from the Latitude into each square of one of the sides, going from left to right, top to bottom.  Imagine the 3x3 grid as Lines 1, 2, & 3.  Here's an example of how to write it:

Line 1: N 1 2
Line 2: 3 4 .
Line 3: 5 6 7

There are just enough spots for the full coordinates.  Put the Longitude on another side, and drop the W or E if your degrees are three digits.  Most people will realize that is longitude anyway.

Now scramble up the Rubik's Cube THOROUGHLY.  Take a few minutes to really get it random.  Then, drop it into the cache container.  You might want to add a small note explaining that the finder has to solve the cube to figure out the coordinates for the final (unless they are good at solving a Rubik's Cube, most people will solve the coordinates by solving it one side at a time).  Now hide the container.

Easy to set up, relatively easy to solve.  And it's a fun one for kids too, if you kids like these kinds of toys.

And everyone have Merry Christmas.

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

Placing a Night Cache

Okay, I'm going to be stealing a bit from an article I wrote on my personal blog at the beginning of 2009.  This is only because I've laid out how to build a night cache already.  However, I will add a few things here before I send you over to look at that article.

So why am I doing this?  This past weekend, while at the 6th Annual Kearney Picnic in Kearney, NE, a group of us went after a night cache.  Since it has been a week since my last post, I felt that this is a good time to update a bit of information about night caches.  Especially since I am working on building some night caches for one of my own upcoming events. Let's take a look at what supplies you need to build a night cache:

• Cache container (try to use at least a small since you'll be in the woods)
  
• Logbook
• Flashlight
• Reflective tacks

The most critical part of building a night cache are the reflective tacks, often called "Fire Tacks".  You can find basic sets of these at most outdoor stores, like Bass Pro or Cabela's.  I've started to see them in outdoor departments at more common stores like Target and Wal-mart.  Usually, you'll find them amongst the hunting equipment.  Why is this?  Well, this product is a common product for hunters to use to find their way to their favorite hunting spots at night.

You can also look online.  Wildtech Corporation deals in fire tacks of various designs.  It is one of there products that I finally got to see in action this last weekend.  They sell tacks in 3D (pyramid shaped), 4D (cube shaped), and they even sell "Fire tape".  Their products also come in different colors, including a Stealth color designed specifically for geocachers.  I've seen the stealth color before and boy does it blend in during the daytime.  This weekend, I saw the 4D design.  Wildtech's tacks are smaller than the round tacks you'll find in stores, but they are bright and quite visible even at a distance.

As I talked with some fellow cachers, I will update one thing about the post I'm going to send you to.  Placing the tacks at night is an effective way to verify that standing at each tack allows you to see the next one.  On the other hand, you can also effectively place the tacks during the day.  While it is harder to see the tacks at a distance, you can definitely see what you placed it on.  The only thing to remember is that if you do place the tacks during the day, MAKE SURE you go back out at night at least once before you submit the cache to Geocaching.com so that you can make sure that others will be able to follow the path.

One last warning.  This article was written both to explain what a night cache is, but also how to both find one and build one.  The article is lengthier as a result of all of that information included.  With the number of times I've heard geocachers say they enjoy night caches, it's hopefully enough information for you to build your own.  I have three in the works myself.

Go to "What Are Night Caches?" to read the article.

Next, we'll talk about building Log Caches.

TripCyclone