Can you believe that it is June already? The weather has been great and the caching has been plentiful. This is evidenced by the number of milestones reached over the past 2 weeks. Congrats go out to IowaBeaver for his passing the 2000 find milestone. Another cacher with way too much time on his hands.

In this issue, we have a story by Wilderness Mama (BGT will be back next issue), Cacher profile, a Cache series highlight and information about the BOD Elections. Accounting Goddess (the owner of the cache series being highlighted) held a kickoff event for her series the night after it was released. She made a great cake that looked like the final cache and saluted the FTF of the cache (which was me..yeah!).

My apologies to Spothers for losing the cacher profile submitted earlier in the year. But on a brighter note, it is finally being published. I sometimes get so busy trying to get the newsletter out that I forget to read it, but the favorite caches section of your profile was great. Congradulations to you and your son on his accomplishment. There are a couple profiles in reserve, but we can always use yours. So send your profile, highlight, story or comments to “newsletter at iowageocachers.org” and I will try not to misplace them.

The nomination period has ended and in two weeks, the election will begin. Seventeen cachers were nominated and so far 8 have accepted this nomination. Those who were nominated and seconded that have not yet accepted or declined the nomination have until June 13th to do so. At that time, the online election will begin and run for two weeks. You (the IGO members) will be electing five of the nominees to a two year term on the IGO Board of Directors. So remember to visit the site and vote during this time.

Come all ye lords and ladies for a cache series beseeched from yonder years. Okay, that may have been a little cheesy, but the new cache series by Accounting Goddess and JZ6563 is not so cheesy. Nestled in and around the Des Moines area is the Camelot’s Quest puzzle cache.

To find Camolet’s Treasure (located 25 miles southwest of Des Moines) you will have to find six caches with clues to the final coordinates of the treasure. Sir Lancelot’s Steed, Excalibur’s Home, Dragon’s Lair, Sunrise Over Camelot, A Knight’s Armor and Lords & Ladies Road are all micro or small caches which hold the clues with a slight twist. Once you have found all the clues (and untwisted them), it is off to Winterset City Park. There, you can visit the Treetop Getaway Virtual Cache located at the parking location for the treasure. There is an observation tower that is right out of medieval times and a great playgound for the kids.

So if ye be seeking a fine adventure from hither to yon, the Camelot’s Quest is most certainly what ye seek.

GC.Com Username: Spothors

Number of Finds/Hides: 366 / 10

Occupation? Veterinary Medicine Research and now a second career as a Director of an Interpretive Center

How you got your username? We raise appaloosa horses and I’ve used it forever as an email address. So, it seemed simple to just use it for this, too.

How long have you been caching and how did you get started? Started back in 2003. After much whining I got the GPS for Mother’s Day and I’ve been going ever since. My son thinks there must be a support group for rabid geocachers like me. But I’ve told him I’m nothing compared to all those folks with thousands of finds. Work cuts into my caching time.

Favorite cache/why? Actually, I have two. First is “Not in the corner” outside Abilene, TX. It was one of the most fun hides I’ve found. A little scary to get to. The cache itself was a pill bottle hidden in the belly of a large rubber rat in a creepy old building. We did it just as night was falling…..(insert ghostly sound here). The second is Bellevue Loop. This wasn’t a real special cache but the outcome of it was. I took a set of captain’s bars that a retired USAF geocacher had left in the cache. I emailed him to say I was keeping them for our son who’d just received his commission. That was in 2003. Yesterday our son proudly put those bars on his uniform as he was promoted to Captain. I emailed the original cacher and he was thrilled to hear it. Interestingly enough he’d relocated from NE to TX not far from where our son is stationed. That’s the kind of thing that makes caching special to me.

Least Favorite/why? Micros that take up space where traditional caches could go and “Illingworth Photo Point”. I tried for this one 5 times and finally realized I had to hang off the side of a cliff. People in South Dakota have a weird concept of a 2.5 for terrain.

Current caching goals? 1. Doing my first caching event this fall with the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau. 2. I’m trying desperately to reach 400 caches found. Work really messes with my caching goals. 3. Placing more caches in western Iowa.

Why I Like Geocaching: I love the outdoors, seeing new and exciting places, trading emails with other cachers, the “rush” when you find a cache, and it’s an awesome activity to do with the grandkids. They’ve been caching since before they could walk. They love “treasure hunting”. The oldest who’s 6 is now referring to it as “geocaching” and is always ready to go! She’s gotten really good at finding them. It’s always a big contest between her and her brother who’s 3. They just got a new baby sister so I’m sure she’ll be going with us before too long. Cache on!

I’m not sure I’d classify it the most amusing geocaching incident I’ve had, but it’s one I look back on now and laugh about it - especially now on a hot, muggy day!

Since ice and snow had confined us to town for more than a week, Wilderness Papa and I were eager to get out in the woods, hike a few trails and do a little geocaching along the way. The February afternoon was sunny and 25 degrees and I knew of some caches hidden along a Cedar Falls bike trail. They were in an urban woodland with a scenic little stream meandering through it. Most of the caches were cleverly hidden on the opposite side of the stream so we knew we would have to either wade across or find a “natural” bridge where we could cross. We were wearing heavy snow boots and hoped that the little brook would still be frozen.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I don’t usually take my cell phone on these little excursions, but I thought this time it might be a good idea in case of an emergency along the way. I stuffed it in my pocket, turned on the GPS and off we went.

Getting across the stream was no problem, the first time. The snowy banks drooped over the fast moving water and the clear current carried minimal forest debris. The depth was only 6-8” in most places and not very threatening. After careful searching we found a nice little natural dam where several large trees had fallen across the waterway. Holding onto the limbs we securely made our way across to the safety of the other side.

More than a dozen deer bounded through the woods as we approached the grove of pines from the prairie land. We found two of the caches without much trouble and assumed that a third was either iced in, buried in snow or missing. A fourth cache lured us back toward the stream.

It didn’t take long to get back to the crossing, and I had no qualms about making my way back across. But one mis-step was all it took, and my foot slipped off the packed snow and onto the ice (which crunched) and broke, and suddenly I found myself waist deep in a 3’ hole of water. Now I really don’t mind cold winter weather, but swimming on a 25 degree day was not part of the plan. My hubby’s face turned white as he reached down to help me up and, wouldn’t you know it, all I could think of was “my cell phone’s wet.”

It wasn’t long before I realized my GPS had slipped from my pocket. Careful search turned up nothing even though we knew it was waterproof and designed to float. After chipping away at the icy shelf, I saw its camo form come from beneath the overhang. It was floating upright and with a little coaxing from “mama” it slowly bobbed toward us. I reached back down to pick it up and put it into the safety of my gear bag.

The walk back to the car was about 1/4 mile long, and my feet were numb as I slogged along in my heavy water-filled boots. My mind went to all the reports I had read about hypothermia and I resembled a human icicle by the time we got back to the car. Fortunately, I always keep a towel and an extra set of clothing in the car. The warmth of the heater felt good as I quickly changed into dry clothing and shoes.

The ride home was uneventful and the only repercussion was a drowned cell phone. Some accidents are more costly than others, but I guess I won’t complain. It could have been much worse.