Friday, June 27th, 2008
TCC2G
39.60195 -74.34265
Tucker’s Island Lighthouse is sitting somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. On 12 October 1927 it fell.
Tucker’s Island was an island (d’oh!) off the southern end of Long Beach Island. It wasn’t always an island. Reuben Tucker purchased the tip of Long Beach Island an established a resort there. It was named Tucker’s Beach. After he died, the Atlantic Ocean cut through to create the island; hence, the name change. Since then, Tucker’s Island has been claimed by the ocean.
In the 1980s a group formed the Tuckerton Seaport and built a replica of Tucker’s Island Light. It sits smack dab in the middle of Tuckerton, a lovely little town six miles west of where the original once shone.
There’s much to see and do at the Seaport.
The Particulars
To claim this upload a photograph of you standing in front of the lighthouse with your GPS. Across the driveway of the lighthouse is a sidewalk leading to the parking lot. The railing has metal stanchions. On them is imprinted Tuckerton and a year. Type the year for the confirmation code.
(more…)
Posted in GPS Games, New Jersey, TerraCaching | No Comments »
Friday, April 18th, 2008
Ah, the punch line from Cheech and Chong’s Cheborneck.
Over the years I have had many ideas for geocaches. Today I pulled a cache from the field that didn’t work out as planned. This was part of a series of caches I worked on and have now abandoned. The series, Ode to Tom, was to highlight some of the locations and caches that Tom Neigel had placed long ago. It is no secret that I was a fan of Tom’s early caches. Over the years, many of these locations have been left. I thought it would be interesting to bring current cachers to these places. In doing so, I had constructed some ideas that I thought would be interesting.
I recall reading the cache description of Really Small Things and being convinced he hid the cache beneath dog (or horse) poo.
with the normal coverings. (hee hee hee)
Then I remember JRJdive’s log:
. . . STARTING TO SMELL A RED HERRING HERE. IF I BOTHERED TO READ TOM’S NOTE BEFOREHAND I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SO SURPRISED. ACTUALLY I’M GLAD I DIDN’T BECAUSE IT GAVE ME A GOOD CHUCKLE WHILE DODGING ALL THE HORSE DROPPINGS ON THE WAY BACK TO THE CAR. THAT TRAIL IS LIKE A MINEFIELD. . .
Of course, there was no fake dog or horse poo. But that always struck me as an interesting idea.
A couple years ago I purchased a package of fake dog poo that was advertised as the most realistic stuff made. Indeed, it looks much better than any other fake poo I have seen.
My idea was to affix the poo atop an ammo box. The ammo box would be placed in a natural hole, covered so just the poo was exposed. The ammo box would be placed in the area that Tom’s Really Small Things had.
In addition to the interesting cache description, my first adventure out there was harrowing. I encountered sugar sand for the first time while caching. It was so high and I fishtailed so much in my little Mercury that I decided to head out a different way, just to avoid going through it again. I was driving blind at the time and little did I know how this little decision connected a few “big” roads for me in Wharton.
It took a little work to affix the poo to the can. I needed the poo off the can, so used a metal cap I had. I used a special epoxy that is designed to be out in the elements. The first time the glue did not set properly. The second time it did.
I put this out in the field to see how it would hold up. As one can see, it didn’t hold up well. Apparently the fake poo is degradable. This is why I am abandoning this cache idea.
It has been in the field for more than a year. That has allowed me to see how the poo would hold up, but it also permitted me time to think through the idea some more. Frankly, a cache made with poo has lost whatever interest it once did for me. Add to it that the area of Really Small Things is nothing special, there is nothing that is motivating me to work this through any further.
Posted in GPS Games, Geocaching | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
My geocaching continues to evolve. Over the last few years, I have placed many caches in the field. Few of these have been listed. I test them for several criteria.
For nearly four years I have been working on a cache titled Judgment Day. Today that cache has been officially laid to rest.
This idea grew out my observation that some will do seemingly anything for a smiley, regardless of the experience. I wanted to test just what folks valued.
After playing around with the idea, I shelved it for a while. I returned to it at some point when the idea of additional logging requirements sparked up again.
The idea is that a cache is hidden in a park. Nothing fancy, nothing difficult. One can seek the cache, come home, log it, and be done with it. All that the cacher has to do is read the included note in the cache. That note would spell out that there was another cache hidden somewhere guaranteed to be better. The only way to receive the coordinates to that cache was to promise publicly that he would never claim a smiley for the cache found.
I still think it is an interesting idea. I have never been able, however, to rectify satisfactorily some of the inherent issues with the idea. Now four years later, the compulsion for this is not so great. I don’t think I would be learning anything at this point. Moreover, it would certainly create some angst somewhere in the geocaching community.
I have tried several times to tweak this to my liking. In the end, it didn’t work. I’ll publish my notes just for a peak into what was behind the idea.
Enjoy!
Cache Description
short: Hidden in Michael Debbi park is an ammo box.
long: In the ammo box is a logbook and some McDonald’s toys. This a straight forward cache; the ammo box is hidden at the base of a pine tree.
This cache is not listed as a traditional cache because it has an additional logging requirement (ALR). That ARL is merely that you agree to read the included laminated paper in the cache before you log this cache as a find.
Enjoy!
****
Note In Geocache
Include the standard you have found this accidentally or not piece . . .
Today is Judgment Day.
We judge folks all the time:
“Look at how she is dressed!”
“Can you believe what that teacher did?”
“and other examples”
Today, you will judge yourself.
You just found geocache GCxxxxx. It was an ammo box at a set of coordinates in Michael Debbi Park. You can go home, log onto GC.com, and log a find. Doing so, you will get a smiley. That smiley will increase your find total as kept publicly by one.
How much is that smiley worth to you?
Today is your Judgment Day.
You can log the find or accept a challenge.
The Challenge
Hidden somewhere else in South Jersey is another ammo box at the base of a pine tree. This ammo box is not listed on GC.com. In fact, it is not listed on any geocaching site.
That cache is better than this one. “What makes it better?” The location. The journey to and the resulting view is far more appealing than what you are experiencing right now. I guarantee that.
That cache does not require solving a puzzle nor does it involve specialized equipment to retrieve/reach/etc.
So, what is the hitch?
The Hitch
In order to get the coordinates to that cache, you have to give up the smiley on this one. That’s right, I will provide you the coordinates to the cache if you promise to never log a find on GCxxxxx or any other cache to compensate for not logging this one.
Interested? I guarantee that the other cache is better than this one.
You may log a note on GCxxxxx, but you will not be permitted to log a find if you accept the challenge.
Or, you can go home right now and log a find and forgo the other cache. That is your decision. What will you do?
What is that smiley worth, dear cacher? There’s another cache out there that is better than this one. Do you want to find a better cache? If so, eschew the smiley and request the coordinates to the other cache. If not, log the find. Either way, judgment will occur.
I imagine some in the community will judge your decision. That, however, is not really what this is about for you. You need to judge what you value in geocaching: the smiley or the experience?
There are four decisions (perhaps more) you can make:
- Log the find and do not seek the other cache.
- Do not log the find and seek the other cache.
- Walk away and pretend this never happened.
- Steal/damage the cache.
It occurs to me judgment happens no matter what decision you choose. The issue is what decision do you select?
Do you want the better experience?
(Not So) Fine Print
Let me just spell out a couple things.
1. One cannot select to seek the other cache and then log a find. Any efforts to do so will meet with a request to delete the find log. Failing compliance, the log will be deleted. Let’s accept this for what it is.
2. No cache is universally heralded. The claims that the other cache is better than this one are made based upon the standards spelt out in my Characteristics of a Good Hide article that can be found at:
http://blog.ladow.net/2005/03/01/characteristics-of-a-good-hide
3. I have never met a geocacher who could not complete locating the other cache. That being said, it is my opinion that a “normal” geocacher will like the experience of the other cache more than this one. If you do not, indeed let me know, but there is no refund. Sorry.
Posted in GPS Games, Geocaching | No Comments »
