Chicago Redeye Boxes Being Cleared of Caches?

[+CiceroneRay]

Hi all,

 

I'm still a relatively new cacher, but have been caching daily in 2017 with finds in two states and five countries so far. (I have previous map-game experience via Orienteering and Adventure Racing a decade or so ago.)

 

There's an issue I'm becoming aware of with regard to urban caches in Chicago that I'd like to raise and see if anyone agrees or not. Really hoping someone will have some insight. In our city we have a free newspaper called the Redeye which is distributed once a week through common sidewalk newspaper boxes fitted with a huge red sphere on the top. As the newspaper is free, anyone can open the box at any time. Understandably these boxes have been popular for hiding caches on city streets where there are few public hosts. I've found a number of caches in these boxes, but I'm also noticing that many seem to be missing--some times shortly after they were replaced by the CO. I hit two empty boxes this evening. In both cases they were very clearly the cache host (one was even called "Scarlet Oculus" = "red eye").

 

It has occurred to me that the company that owns them may have figured out how frequently these boxes were serving an unintended secondary purpose and decided to make an effort to clear them of caches on a regular basis. So: just wondering if others have noticed this or have any other information about it?

 

Cheers!

 

R

[+cerberus1]

It has occurred to me that the company that owns them may have figured out how frequently these boxes were serving an unintended secondary purpose and decided to make an effort to clear them of caches on a regular basis.

That'd be my guess.

The paper's free, but those boxes belong to someone.

- Since everyone asked for permission (like we're supposed to) for placement, maybe the CO's could ask that property owner what extra step they need to do to keep them in place.

[+Corp Of Discovery]

Those particular hosts get a lot of use and are usually in very busy places. Surprisingly, they also get moved around a bit. Not the best scenario for cache longevity...

[+fuzziebear3]

The cache might be missing from the box ... or maybe you just didn't find it. It is particularly hard to tell. Log a DNF and contact the cache owner and see exactly what is hidden and where.

 

Remember, whatever is hidden could be very tiny (about the size of a fingernail) or it could be very well camouflaged.

 

Additionally, since one can figure that many people interact with the box weekly, it could be missing, especially if it is at all visible.

[+CiceroneRay]

Always possible that I might miss one, of course. But I've found probably 6 in the last three months. And I can think of 5 that I have checked very carefully (visual and touch) that have no cache. Some of these I have checked multiple times.

 

I have contacted two COs. One responded and had me drop a new cache. One has not responded at all.

[+noncentric]

I have contacted two COs. One responded and had me drop a new cache. One has not responded at all.

One of the CO asked you to replace the cache for them? Hopefully, that cache was really missing. If you just happened to miss it, then there would now be 2 caches in that box.

 

Just so you know, it's not your responsibility to replace someone else's missing cache. If you want to help out a CO after communicating directly with them, then that's fine, but you certainly are not obligated in any way and no reasonable cacher would hold it against you.

 

I've also found some caches in such 'containers' for free weekly newspapers. Some of them are certainly tricky to find and require quite a bit of searching.

[+cerberus1]

I have contacted two COs. One responded and had me drop a new cache. One has not responded at all.

One of the CO asked you to replace the cache for them? Hopefully, that cache was really missing. If you just happened to miss it, then there would now be 2 caches in that box.

 

Just so you know, it's not your responsibility to replace someone else's missing cache. If you want to help out a CO after communicating directly with them, then that's fine, but you certainly are not obligated in any way and no reasonable cacher would hold it against you.

+1 Yep.

 

Maintenance is a CO's responsibility.

Others helping a bit with maintenance (with the CO knowing) until he can fix it himself is one thing, but replacing caches ("had me drop") sounds (to me) to be a CO avoiding a duty agreed to for placement with this site.

[+dprovan]

Just so you know, it's not your responsibility to replace someone else's missing cache. If you want to help out a CO after communicating directly with them, then that's fine, but you certainly are not obligated in any way and no reasonable cacher would hold it against you.

What made you think he didn't understand that? To me, it sounds like he talked it over with the CO, confirmed where it should be and that it wasn't there, and offered to put out a replacement.

[+CiceroneRay]

I've seen a number of log notes mentioning people replacing caches--both with and without the COs prior permission. I certainly agree that to do so without consultation with the CO is both presumptuous and wrong. ("Who does that?!?" a local favorite hider of mine noted in one log recently.)

 

If care enough about the cache to send the CO a note, then I'm probably happy to help out if they can't get to a cache in the near future. (And I think there are reasonable circumstances why that might be the case.) For just a traditional cache that I can't find in a Redeye box, I'm not going to bother writing the CO: I'll just post a DNF. But if it is a mystery cache that I invested some time and effort into solving (true in both cases where I have contacted COs), then I'd like to know what the story is. If the CO had written back saying "Ah, well that cache can be hard to find, look again," then I would have done so. Indeed, that may be the message from the CO who has not written back: his silence may simply be a more polite way of saying "Nope, you are just not looking hard enough."

[+wimseyguy]

I own one hidden in a similar manner in Raleigh NC. It's gone missing a few times, even had the whole dispenser removed on occasion. But the majority of the times I've visited it for a maintenance run after a series of DNF logs the tiny container has been right where I left it (or at the other side of the ledge).

Because it's in a very busy touristy spot a lot of newer cachers look for it.

[+noncentric]

Just so you know, it's not your responsibility to replace someone else's missing cache. If you want to help out a CO after communicating directly with them, then that's fine, but you certainly are not obligated in any way and no reasonable cacher would hold it against you.

What made you think he didn't understand that? To me, it sounds like he talked it over with the CO, confirmed where it should be and that it wasn't there, and offered to put out a replacement.

Their statement in the OP that "I'm still a relatively new cacher".