IGO NEWSLETTER 2008

ISSUE #05


In This Issue...

Many more milestones had been passed, a few more events to look forward to, and there is an IGO Board of Directors election occurring soon. The IGO now has a "Cache of the Month" feature thanks in large part to the efforts of Parabola and the very first 'Cache of the Month' has been selected for the month of May. The NVG entertains us during the Video of the Month segment, Blue Grass Tom honors us with a new feature column, and take a look at IGO's newest and youngest member!

Upcoming Events
Calling All OAC06/08/2008Smokey Row
June Geo Breakfast06/14/2008IHOP
Oskaloosa's Chief Mahaska Area Event06/21/2008Oskaloosa - Smokey Row - Russell Wildlife
IGO Camping III06/21/2008Campground #2 in Jester Park (west side of Saylorville Reservoir)
1st Annual Cedar Valley Invitational Event06/28/2008Cedar River Exchange Park
The Northwood Sesquicentennial Geo Event07/05/2008City of Northwood
Upcoming Mega-Events Near Iowa
Midwest GeoBash 200808/07/2008 - 08/10/2008Kendallville, Indiana
Cacher Milestones
  • Shadow Cachers - 2800 on May 8, 2008
  • GalenaFour - 100 on May 8, 2008
  • campingfarmer - 900 on May 8, 2008
  • ronton - 300 on May 9, 2008
  • cc8c4 - 1900 on May 10, 2008.
  • Temacon - 500 on May 10 2008.
  • xshooter - 500 on May 10, 2008
  • bjcheryl - 700 on May 11, 2008
  • bumanfam - 400 on May 11, 2008
  • joestephkids - 700 on May 11, 2008
  • lasermom - 1100 on May 12, 2008
  • bucknuts - 1500 on May 12, 2008.
  • runewell - 500 on May 12, 2008
  • oddestduck - 400 on May 12, 2008
  • fattuesday - 100 on May 13, 2008.
  • PieceKeeper - 100 on May 14, 2008
  • Tonedog52 - 200 on May 14, 2008.
  • Iowa Copper - 1700 on May 14, 2008
  • bellcurve - 1000 on May 15, 2008.
  • LyleVB - 1900 on May 16, 2008
  • 39chevy - 100 on May 17, 2008
  • ddCustomFittedBras - 500 on May 17, 2008.
  • Blue Grass Tom - 2500 on May 17, 2008
  • Team Gamsci - 1500 on May 18, 2008.
  • roxyruby - 300 on May 18, 2008
  • catsnfish - 400 on May 18, 2008
  • RedheadBasset - 1500 on May 18, 2008
  • Mon'Rose' - 1100 on May 18, 2008
  • Shadow Cachers - 3000 on May 18, 2008
  • TJ07 - 100 on May 19, 2008.
  • Muffkin42 x 2 - 1300 on May 19, 2008
  • boasark - 1800 on May 19, 2008
  • Raggit - 50 on May 22, 2008
  • Team Zinger - 600 on May 22, 2008
  • SS MINI - 1500 on May 22, 2008
  • Blue Grass Tom - 2600 on May 23, 2008
  • mrring - 700 on May 23, 2008
  • BriLaura - 900 on May 24, 2008
  • jdrush - 1000 on May 24, 2008
  • spivababe - 400 on May 25, 2008
  • kittycatcacher - 100 on May 25, 2008
  • TrapperDan - 600 on May 26, 2008
  • c_dog - 2900 on May 26, 2008
  • GEO1SG - 50 on May 26, 2008
  • geo_trekers - 400 on May 26, 2008
  • SuperGoober - 1200 on May 26, 2008
  • Stridget - 900 on May 27, 2008
  • JeePSer - 900 on May 28, 2008
  • LyleVB - 2000 on May 30, 2008
  • The Northwood Goonies - 300 on May 30, 2008
  • dlr1451 - 100 on May 30, 2008
  • Parabola - 1700 on May 31, 2008
  • Sybilnme - 300 on May 31, 2008
  • SS MINI - 1600 on May 31, 2008
  • Blue Grass Tom - 2700 on June 1, 2008
  • D and A - 200 on June 1, 2008
  • busterbabes - 800 on June 1, 2008
  • BLOODLUST - 700 on June 2, 2008
  • dflyiowa - 200 on June 3, 2008
  • SkeeterNSpeedy - 100 on June 3, 2008
  • lagrac - 2600 on June 4, 2008
  • campingfarmer - 400 on June 4, 2008
  • Team Gamsci - 1600 on June 6, 2008
  • SEAM - 100 on June 7, 2008
  • Hill Folk - 600 on June 7, 2008
  • bucknuts - 1600 on June 7, 2008
  • Twiggi & The Bear - 400 on June 7, 2008
  • dordtman - 700 on June 8, 2008
  • GeoCachingNuts - 200 on June 8, 2008
IGO Board of Directors Online Election

The nomination period has ended and an online election will begin on Monday June 9th, 2008 and run for a period of two weeks. Here are the IGO members who have accepted the nominee (in no particular order):
You can stay up-to-date with the nominee's in the following thread found on the IGO Forums: IGO BOARD PROFILES. Hear what they have to say about themselves and listen to the campaign!

NEW FEATURE ADDED: IGO's Cache of the Month

 by Parabola

Ever ran across that cache that just made you stop and say "Wow, that cache was really neat". Or really enjoyed a spot that a cache was placed. Or that container was the neatest thing you've ever seen. You know, the one that always comes to your mind when you talk about caching. Well, now using the IGO forums we started a "Cache of the Month". And IGO members get to decide which cache gets the title.

Every month you can visit the forum and for the first 20 days you can nominate your favorite caches. Then the last 10 days you can visit again and vote on a cache that was nominated. The number of days will vary a bit depending on how many days are in the month, but the idea is to have 2/3's of the month open for nomination and the last 1/3 open for voting. That cache that receives the most votes will be named that month's official Cache of the Month.

Please visit the forums and nominate your favorite caches and towards the end of the month please vote on which cache really caught your eye the most. You can nominate a cache for any reason. Like if you really enjoyed the area the cache took you too, or the creative container, or creative hide, or maybe you thought the cache was just planned out very well, or might have be a devious hide, or cleverly camo'ed, then nominate it, or might be a cache that you think really had a lot of work and thought behind it.

When nominating a cache please tell us why your selecting that cache. Really, some of the stories that people have are half of the fun for others to read and may help one in choosing a cache to vote for. Please don't say any spoilers though. Also please post, besides the cache name, the GC number or TC number or NC number or provide a link to the cache page. If you don't want to post on the forum page a PM or e-mail can be sent to me or any of the IGO BOD and someone will put it on the list for you.

Then, before voting in the poll that gets setup, review all the caches nominated for the month and vote on the one that sound's most appealing to you. There are only two guidelines setup so far. First is that after a cache has won 'Cache of the Month' it can't be nominated again that year. Got to give others a chance as well. The other guideline is that the cache be located in IOWA.

I've set up a bookmark for the nominated caches. Nominated caches

Also I've set up a book mark for the winning caches. Winning caches

Well, the first month had a very close race and was even won by just one single vote. A big thank you to everyone that participated.

So I give you IGO's 2008 May Cache of the Month! (see below)

Cache of the Month

Lock of Cedar Falls
GC1AK15
By Teamnightshift
Lock of Cedar Falls

After contacting Teamnightshift and getting an exclusive interview well, I'll just let you read it for yourself. [editor note: Parabola contacted Teamnightshift]

Let me just start by saying that it is a huge honor to even have one of my caches and the words “Cache of the Month” uttered in the same sentence. “Lock of Cedar Falls” was a product of all the great and interesting caches I have found myself. I love caches that make you think a little bit. We have all found a cache that made us say to our self “WOW! That is cool, how did they do that?” That is all I was going for is the “WOW” factor. This cache took me a long time to make because I have limited skills in the machine shop and made a lot of mistakes. I think it was worth it in the end. When placing “Lock of Cedar Falls” I wanted a place easy to get to, but far enough out of the way to keep it safe. After checking with the Cedar Falls Parks department I knew that this was going to be a great spot.

Thanks again,
CF_syngyn proud member of
Teamnightshift
So please next time you're in Cedar Falls make sure you set aside a bit of time to hunt the Lock of Cedar Falls and check it out. I haven't gotten a chance yet to look for it yet, but hopefully will before this is published.

Please use the forum thread to help us pick out our next Cache of the Month. Forum thread

Parabola

Cacher Profile

What is your Geocaching name?
JOFOSO

How did you get your geocaching name? We were formerly Unclemort, Photomort and Buggerboo, but changed our name with the arrival of our youngest child. We then became the JOFOSO (short for JOnes FOurSOme).

How long have you been geocaching? 3 years - since March of 2005.

How many finds/hides do you have? 236/17 (with adoptions)

Is it about the numbers? Ummmm . . . No?

What is your occupation(s)? - Principal/Office Manager

How did you first learn about geocaching and why have you continued to geocache? We learned about geocaching from a technology coordinator in our local school district. We have continued geocaching because it is a fun activity for our family, it is educational, takes us to places we've never been (and probably would have never been to), and Dad is addicted.

What is (are) your favorite geocache(s)? A few of our favorites include Squirrel's Delight (GC11MHM), Hollow Sycamore (GCRY4M), Creek Cache (GCRY52), and the Norman Trail (GCWQ31)

What are your favorite types of geocaches? Ammo Cans (Unclemort), Urban of any kind (Photomort), Ammo Cans (Buggerboo) and undecided (Mojo)

What is your least favorite geocache? A cache we looked for in Missouri that we ended up getting us into a nest of ticks.

What is your least favorite type of geocache? Love them all (Unclemort), any in the woods (Photomort), Blinkies (Buggerboo) undecided (Mojo) and we all seem to struggle with caches by Bluegrass Tom.

Why do you like or dislike geocoins and how many do you have in your personal collection? We haven't really pursued geocoins much . . . not that we don't like them, just have decided not to make the investment. We enjoy moving them, but only have a few in our personal connection.

Which do you prefer more: finding geocaches or hiding geocaches? WHY? As a group, we enjoy finding them best. Unclemort became obsessed with hiding a series of geocaches in southeast Iowa (Old Plank Road Series - GC166JK) and the research consumed an inordinate amount of time.

If money and time were no object, what & where are the cache(s) you would love to find? I would love to travel the world finding virtual/earth caches.

How do you prepare for a full day of geocaching? Pretty simple: GSAK, GPS, Laptop, Bugspray, Cell Phone, it's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a bag of chips, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it.

What is the furthest distance you've traveled for a specific single geocache? One evening there were four caches published about 41 miles from home. Took off early in the morning and hunted for at least 45 minutes for the the first one. Not finding it, I decided it was time to move on to the next. Got the FTF on the next 3 in the same park. When I returned to the first there was another group making the find. Came to find out that they had followed me through the park on two of the others.

Where & how far away is the farthest geocache you've ever found from your home coordinates? (maybe for FTF, maybe for the oldest active cache in Iowa, maybe for the Iowa DeLorme Challenge, etc) 1,322 miles from home - VEGAS baby! The farthest I've been from home while recording a FTF - 243.4 miles

What else? Love listening to the podcacher podcast.

Video of the Month


The NVG entertains us with a song (Weaky6 Idol).

Featured Column

“Join the Iowa Cache Maintenance Crew!!”
by Blue Grass Tom

Isn’t it great?! I know that Spring is here and secure, and Summer is just a hop, skip and a jump away! New caches, and cachers, are popping up like the crocuses and daffodils in my back yard were in late April. And, at this writing just before Mother’s Day, we’re already thinking of looking for morels while hunting the woodland caches. And, I just went to the doctor yesterday for a cortisone shot for my first great case of poison ivy! Gotta be prime-time caching time!

Let’s talk today about cache maintenance, that is, keeping what’s already out there in good working order. It was quite a winter this past year! If you’re from Wisconsin, like myself, or similar environs, you might just call it a “regular” winter. Nevertheless, we had more snowfalls than we usually receive and, at least in eastern Iowa, we saw a lot of rivers go over their banks and stay there. Only recently have they begun to retreat.

Thanks, you say, for the weather report, now what about the sports? Or, as I say, what about “the sport?” The effect of all of this on “our” sport will be seen in the following few weeks as many caches see their first finders in a while. This is when you learn about two important factors in cache-making and placing – durability and camouflage.

What makes a cache durable? Generally, one big quality, and that is being waterproof. So many cache problems can be linked to this: soggy log books that are like wet papier mache when you try to sign them, mildewed logs from too much humidity when a cache seal was not airtight, or even water entering the cache container messing up everything inside!

Another factor in durability is the material that the cache is made of. For example, ammo boxes (yes, I know what they are – I saw a picture of one once!) are perfect in durability, because they were manufactured to have all the same qualities as a good cache container does. That’s why we use them. Additionally, all commercial hard plastic containers – pill bottles or food product containers - generally, meet the durability requirement. They have a snap-on or screw-on lid or cap to keep things inside dry, and their sides are strong enough to last after being dropped or stepped on.

I stay away from using “soft” plastics like those “serving saver” containers – they are meant to survive the environment inside your refrigerator at home, not the environment in the woods or other outdoor areas. Speaking of food, try to soak or wash out all containers with soapy water, before using them for a cache. This includes pill containers. What you think of as medicine or vitamins, smells like something edible to animals. The raccoon teeth marks on some early hides of mine are evidence of that. I saw a show on one of the outdoor channels that says dogs have a sense of smell that is 100-200 times stronger than ours. I’m guessing that these other scavengers of the night have similar endowments in the olfactory talent category.

Durability is the major determinant of whether your hide or someone else’s survives the seasons, but camouflage is important, too. Except for sticks and branches, I would stay away from using natural materials like grass and leaves to disguise your containers. Those kinds of cover are biodegradable, and sometimes a good wind storm is all it takes to move that camo into another county. So why is this important? It’s important, because once your cache container is exposed, it faces a different threat – being picked up by a muggle and being taken away from its hiding place.

Durability and camo are the responsibilities of the hider, as is maintenance to keep the cache in working order. But, you know what? We all benefit from caches that are in working order, so let’s all contribute to keeping things good! We have two choices: we can be negative in our logs and critical of the owner, or we can do something positive and record what helpful action we took in our logs so it catches on.

I try to carry a couple of new logs in plastic bags with me, as wet or missing logs seem to be the major problems we encounter when on the hunt. As far as writing instruments, if you can get a hold of some of those little pencils like the ones used with golf score cards, it would be useful to carry some to place in caches. I have also taken regular-sized pencils, broken them in half and sharpened them. I think that in the Midwest, ball point pens can be a bit of a lost cause with the kinds of temperature ranges that we have.

Some cachers I know take along fanny packs with all the vital substitute items inside, and view giving this kind of help the same as doing CITO. It’s probably a good idea to stock your pack with some bandages of various sizes and some of that anti-bacterial hand cleaning stuff – it can be a quick sort of anti-septic (it must work, because everyone screams when they use it) and it lets you enter restaurants after rooting around at tree bottoms like one of those truffle pigs in France.

Let’s all commit to being “cache maintenance crew members,” and it will improve the caching experience for everyone. I believe that as parents, you will teach your kids something valuable in the process, and as regular cachers, you will get the good feeling that you’ve given the next finder a good experience with the cache you’ve just put back in its place. Keep on cachin’ in ’08!

Mini-podcast

We had a great idea for the mini-podcast this month and were planning to bring you audio from Geo-Jeopardy, which took place during the 'Second Annual Tipton Invitational' event on 5/10/08, but unfortunately the tape recorder didn't record too well. Geo-Jeopardy was hosted by cc8c4 with drtmn, Blue Grass Tom, and c_dog as the contestants. If anybody wants to submit something for the mini-podcast please do!

IGO Member Submitted Photos

Check out these photos from jimmygps of the "Second Annual Tipton Invitational" event!
Newest and Youngest IGO Member

A note from schnider:

We have a new addition to our family. Kenna May-Lynne was born on May 16, 2008. She was 6 pounds 13 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. She is very healthy and doing a great job in making sure we don’t get a full nights sleep so far.

Kenna
Kenna May-Lynne

Please submit your stories, ideas, photos, and more!

We would love to receive any personal caching stories you would like to share. If you hid or found a geocache that you would like to highlight, please share your experience. If anybody would like to submit an article(s) for the IGO Newsletter please feel free! The next time you go on a trip, vacation, event, etc keep a journal or take notes and then feel free to send your geocaching experience to the IGO Newsletter to share with others.

If you have a great idea you'd like to see added to the IGO Newsletter please do not hesitate to contact us at newsletter@iowageocachers.org or through our profile on geocaching.com. If you have something "off the wall" that you're unsure if it may or may not be suitable for the IGO Newsletter please feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to discuss.

If you have photos to share with IGO members please send them to photos@iowageocachers.org.

All user/member submissions will be subject to approval before being published in the IGO Newsletter.
Thanks for reading. Looking forward to the next IGO Newsletter!