Upcoming Events
| SECOND ANNUAL BEER, BRAUTS, & BURGER BASH | 07/19/2008 | N 41° 38.433 W 093° 42.562 |
| Digger9's 999 at the Ranch | 07/19/2008 | Pizza Ranch, 1195 Boyson Road Hiawatha, IA, 52233 |
| CYcling Country.......RAGBRAI Biker Bash | 07/22/2008 | O'Neil Park |
| Breakfast Up North | 07/26/2008 | Cafe Milo in West Ames |
| Parabola's Island of Misfit Ideas | 08/02/2008 | Murphy Park |
Upcoming Mega-Events Near Iowa
| Midwest GeoBash 2008 | 08/07/2008 - 08/10/2008 | Kendallville, Indiana |
Cacher Milestones
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IGO Board of Directors Election Results
The election has ended and the new BOD members are (in no particular order):
IGO BOD Executive Committee
The IGO BOD would like to thank mole275 for facilitating the selection and voting process of the Executive Committee during the last BOD meeting. Here are the current officers:
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CACHE OF THE MONTH
This past month we had four nominations for cache of the month. Some really fun and creative caches were nominated. It was a really tight race again and came down to the last day but we did come up with the winner. Way to go guys!! --Parabola
Punk'd
GC1AQC7
By bucknuts
Punk'd
From the owner (bucknuts)...
This cache idea came to me over the winter months when I was caching in Cedar Falls. I decided to work in the cold garage and design this cache. My intent was to create a family friendly cache where the parents could give the GPS to their kids and then let them find the cache. This is where the fun begins. Finding the cache is fairly simple, however, finding the log is more of a challenge. It is interesting to hear the feedback from those who finally figure it out and do indeed sign the log.
Creating this cache turned out to be a larger investment into tools than I expected, but it was well worth. My only challenge has been where the cache was placed. Twice this year and still currently I had to disable the cache due to flooding. The major FLOODS of '08 moved the cache over 100ft, but it survived. I'm thinking it will be another 3 weeks before it is dry enough to get the cache back up and running so you can enjoy it this summer and fall with the kids.
This was my first custom made cache. Traditionally I hadn't created those. However last November when I hosted an event with BearGrylls and bear trax, the girls (bear trax) flat out embarrassed me with all their craftsmanship and creativity they put into their caches. So I had to spend some time and create one that would be enjoyable for the whole family. The next time you are in Des Moines, please take the time and get Punk'd!!!
To nominate a cache for July please visit the IGO forums or drop me or an IGO BOD member a PM. The nomination periods on the 20th and I'll set up another poll for the remainder of the month.
You can find a bookmark of all the Cache of the Months here.
And you can find a bookmark of all the nominated caches for the year here.
--Parabola
Cacher Profile
What is your Geocaching name?
dazedandconfused
Number of Finds/Hides:
1047 / 20
What is your occupation?
Full-time geocachers J Marge is retired from the Cedar Rapids school system, Frank is retired from Rockwell Collins.
How did you get your username?
When registering online at www.geocaching.com, we had not yet done any geocaching. Trying to imagine what it was like, we pictured ourselves wandering around in the woods, looking for a hidden container. “Dazedandconfused” sprang to mind, partly because that’s how we expected our first hunt to be, and partly because Frank is a Led Zeppelin fan and they have a song titled “Dazed and Confused”.
How long have you been caching and how did you get started??
Our first cache was “Cindy’s Little Secret” on January 30, 2004. The wind chill was minus 25F, but we were eager to get started. We learned about geocaching when we read an article in Scientific American.
What's the farthest cache you've found?
We’ve found two in Bonaire, an island 50 miles north of Venezuela.
What's your favorite cache/why?
Our favorite caches involve scenic areas or with a unique twist. Some of the memorable ones include:
1 Swinging Bridge (cool bridge, big rocks)
2 Roundhouse (interesting artifacts)
3 Ely (challenging multi)
4 Skywatcher Gorge (fun hike)
5 Beagle Box (trout hatchery)
6 Morse Code (beep, beep)
What's your least Favorite/why?
We’re not keen on micros in the woods where larger containers could be used.
Any current caching goals?
To take more time to appreciate nature when we’re walking through the woods.
Signature item/why you like Geocaching: Our signature item is a carabiner-flashlight. We enjoy geocaching for the exercise, seeing new sites, and the challenge of the hunt. We’ve met some nice people too!
Video of the Month
Geocachers Briansnat and Skigirl take us on a fun hiking adventure en route to hiding a geocache in northern New Jersey.
Geocaching in the News
Here's a nice article featuring Twiggi and the Bear sharing geocaching with the community. Thanks to them for sending a link of the story to the IGO Newsletter.
By By WES KAPPELMAN
Please feel free to email story links to the IGO Newsletter at any time.
Mini-podcast
IGO Member Submitted Photos
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.