+Malemotives Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 (edited) I haven't really gotten into a specific routine, but, as a newbie, there are things I consider which I'm sure seasoned geocachers have brushed on. Being on vacation down here in Los Angeles county, I have quickly learned to do some drive-bys on certain caches. It's not (I think) a particularly good ideas to be bumbling about in a alley tagged with gang graffiti, or too close to businesses.... especially at night. I have also decided that driving around narrowing down the distance is not always cool, in urban areas, because parking is often a problem... as is traffic. So, yesterday I combined my love for biking with the hunt and had an absolutely fantastic experiences. Hit some caches on urban streets and in parks.... and along a bike trail. Had a few DNFs, but no worries. Some gave me an opportunity to alert the CO that something might be amiss. Also found some great hidy holes, which allowed me to add to my list the different types of hides out there. Important as a newbie, because it's not always easy to think outside the box. I put 18 miles on my bike ride, and often was able to ride right up to the cache.... although creative hiding didn't always reveal it to me right away. Sometime I plan before I head off on the hunt. Sometimes I don;t. Reading logs ahead of time provides a lot of useful info on deciding to go or not go after a cache. It also often gives away too much, taking the joy out of the hunt. My thanks to you COs out there who make your hides thoughtful and challenging.... like this one stuck on the end of a bolt, with a magnet and pushed into a fence post, as if it belonged there. The container was no bigger than a .22 bullet, but I was able to sign the log and replace it. I also learned to take some basic tools (TOTT) with me to retrieve some really micro caches, like another one similar to the one pictured, but hidden in a telephone pole with a tag over it. Edited January 24, 2015 by Malemotives Quote Link to comment
+hukilaulau Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Good ideas! It takes some folks years to figure out that they don't have to hunt down every cache they start out looking for. Some never do get that I've rented a bike when traveling to distant cities and had some great caching days. I've even taken a bike on a NYC subway to get to a particular park. When I'm going somewhere for a conference I look at the maps for a park with a bunch of caches within a 30 minute drive. I'll only look for urban caches if they happen to be near where I'm going anyway. Quote Link to comment
+Malemotives Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) I'm finding that some urban caches can be fun and interesting; others pretty much repetitive stuff in parking lots. I tend to enjoy the hunt more when the CO has something of interest in mind besides filling a void. Like GC4Z5NN, which I found today. Before actually reaching down and grabbing the cash from its hide, I sat there, in the shade of a dangling oak, enjoying a warm Southern Cali day, marvelling at the architecture of the nearby library, while listening to the children at play in the park across the street and the laughter of adults playing dominos on a nearby bench. This spot would have been enjoyable even had i posted a DNF. Edited January 25, 2015 by Malemotives Quote Link to comment
+luvvinbird Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I'm finding that some urban caches can be fun and interesting; others pretty much repetitive stuff in parking lots. I tend to enjoy the hunt more when the CO has something of interest in mind besides filling a void. Like GC4Z5NN, which I found today. Before actually reaching down and grabbing the cash from its hide, I sat there, in the shade of a dangling oak, enjoying a warm Southern Cali day, marvelling at the architecture of the nearby library, while listening to the children at play in the park across the street and the laughter of adults playing dominos on a nearby bench. This spot would have been enjoyable even had i posted a DNF. It's too bad you didn't express this kind and friendly sentiment to the CO of GC4Z5NN on his cache page. I'm sure the owner would have enjoyed reading your true thoughts rather than TFTC Quote Link to comment
+Malemotives Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 It's too bad you didn't express this kind and friendly sentiment to the CO of GC4Z5NN on his cache page. I'm sure the owner would have enjoyed reading your true thoughts rather than TFTC Actually, I preferred to email the CO directly and express my appreciation. Quote Link to comment
+luvvinbird Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I'm glad you did that. Myself and other CO's just love receiving comments like yours. But tell everyone! Others will read about your adventure and how that cache made you feel. That will no doubt inspire others to want to log their finds, too. Quote Link to comment
+Malemotives Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 I agree... and edited the log to reflect it. Quote Link to comment
+FourFunKiwis Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 It took me awhile but I learned to seek out bigger caches when with the littlekiwis. Much happier times! Quote Link to comment
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