Another interesting geocaching story

[green gold]

Here’s a story a caching friend in Michigan sent me. And you thought you read pretty interesting stories!!! He was going to go back to visit the Grand Central Station cache (GC4D38) near LAX airport in Los Angeles when he flies out there in a couple of weeks. Looks like he won’t be visiting that cache anymore. Good thing it wasn’t him. Here’s the log from Nov. 1st (in two parts).

1st log
Lemur (1/2 of the “Otter and Lemur” geocaching team from Vermont) found the cache while in town on business and dropped off the “Wriggles” TB and took a few others to take back east. But… (see next log)

2nd log
The Los Angeles International Airport Police, in whose custody I just spent the last four hours — much of it handcuffed and in the back of a patrol car or in a holding cell — would like this cache, which was located in a restricted area on a closed road next to the airport proper, archived NOW.
I could give MUCH more detail, but suffice it to say that after finding the cache and strolling off down the closed-off road next to the airport, I was spotted by two uniformed LAPD motorcycle officers, who detained me, then called in the cavalry; at one point I believe there were about ten cars present, all there for me. The FBI eventually showed up as well. None of them had heard of geocaching, although I did eventually get them to go to geocaching.com and read about the hobby; I think the pages they printed off from the site were what eventually got them to realize I wasn’t a terrorist. It was a close thing, though, from what I was able to glean from eavesdropping. I am, frankly, amazed that I’m not under arrest instead of sitting here in my hotel room frantically writing a “should be archived” message.

An airport perimeter the night before a national election is, evidently, a bad place to be found strolling blithely around with a GPSr in hand.

To make a long story short, none of the law enforcement authorities were amused by a geocache located in an area marked “restricted area, no loitering”, right next to the airport. They were astonished and amazed by the sheer number of finds; they photocopied BOTH logbooks. EVERY SINGLE PAGE of both logbooks. They also examined all the travel bugs. Then they did it all over again. They were very, very, very thorough. I was one scared cacher.

Then, when they finally let me go, they had me take the cache, and ALL the bugs, and told me not to let it be found near the airport again. I’m catching a plane home to Vermont in a few hours, so unfortunately that means that all the bugs, even the ones that wanted to visit California or points south or west, are unfortunately going to get a November trip to Vermont.

So, please, so no one else goes looking for this missing cache and gets busted as well, please ARCHIVE THIS ONE NOW.

Thank you.

According to my friend in Michigan, the cache was on a street which had no obvious signs you could not walk up it. They had closed it to traffic, but there was nothing across the sidewalk. Biggest problem was nearby parking. I guess we all have to remember to ask for permission to place a cache in questionable spots, or be darn well sure it’s okay to have it hidden where you plan on placing it and having it clearly labeled. Just think, this could’ve been any of us!

[This message has been edited by whitnallgps (edited 11-22-2004).]

[Mama Fishcacher]

Eek!!!

I’m gonna use this opportunity to say that when I search for a geocache, I *assume* permission has been sought and granted for the placement of physical caches. Am I wrong in that assumption?

So is this kind of *publicity* going to help or harm our sport? Do you suppose any cops become interested in the sport after being exposed to it in this way?

[Author]

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