This topic contains 112 replies, has 16 voices, and was last updated by 
-
Posts
-
quote:
Originally posted by litleflrt:
Even know I’m new to all this it seems like everyone has loads of fun at the events. I just have a few questions though. Is this event open to new members? My hubby and I think this sounds like a fun weekend. Has the date been set yet? I saw in pre posts that there were still dates floating around. And my last question for now is are any of the sites at rock island grass covered? Thanks, TracyGeocaching events are open to anyone who wishes to participate.
Rock Island is a special event in that camping on an island out on Lake Michigan is very unique to most. The historical aspects of the location add nicely to the adventure of hiking and geocaching. The campsites are comparable to the sites at other state parks- perhaps even nicer, seeing that there is no motor vehicle use by the public.
A nice article on the island with some good links can be found hereDates are June 23-25.
For anyone interested in coming, use care in timing your arrival to that of the ferry schedule. The Washington Island ferry will sometimes fill up quickly, meaning you will have to wait for the next one. Last year I recall one person got stranded on Washington Island on Friday evening. I would have been stranded myself if I had not had my sea kayak to make the crossing to the island. (Weather permitting it’s a great place to kayak too.)
My pics from last year can be seen here
Great pictures, Mr. Cathunter, as usual.
Everyone should check out his link above.
TS
Alright, we will have a group site. I will email those people directly who want to “seed” the event.
The group sites are nice, and shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. However, if you wish to reserve your own site anyway, that is fine, too.
SOME people may describe the campsites as rocky, so an air mattress may be a useful item to bring. Campsites in the pines can be pretty soft with the needles. There’s a wide variety of sites, including shore sites, bluff sites, wooded sites, and even backpack sites on the far side of the island. However, there’s not really any BAD sites, per se, unless weather makes them so. No gravel pads, if that’s what you’re used to.
I was on a shore site last year, and it was a little breezy Friday evening, but then it calmed down for the rest of the weekend. Of course, the inland sites are not as prone to wind as the shore sites. I would say the shore sites are more riskier in terms of weather exposure, but when Mother Nature is behaving herself, those are the best.
Last year, there were numerous open campsites, so you don’t have to decide right away. I would guess that you could show up without a prior reservation and get a site, something you wouldn’t want to try from July 4th-Labor day. This date was picked (in part) to avoid crowds.
The date is set, but we cannot create an “official” event until roughly three months prior to the event, which would be in late March.
Is the group site available for these dates?
quote:
Originally posted by Geoffnsara:
Is the group site available for these dates?Both group sites are currently available, but we probably need to secure a reservation prior to the March cache publication window.
TS
Thanks for the info hubby and I are definitly checking into going to this. Sounds like fun.
Now that the date has been shifted and LOOKs to be on June 23-25, I actually have a good chance at coming. Just need someone to pick up that Friday for me. otherwise, my weekend off!! Placing it in “THE WISH BOOK” at work!!
Have tent…will camp!!
The vacation request is submitted, and I will talk to little mans mother. This would be a great adventure for him. I think this year I will bring geo hound with, its been awhile since she was to the island.
I vote for a group site, although I was able to meet everyone, there was not much of an opertunity to socialize outside of the saturday dinner.Not to be forgotten when talking of the tastings, last years event included a cheese tasting concurrent with the beer tasting… Remember that very young white cheddar?
quote:
Originally posted by TS:
Now that it seems like the event is going ahead, I have some thoughts on the event caches.The cache race was an entertaining group activity and I hope that DCexplorer sets up another. It might be nice to have a few more caches placed for hunting while hiking the island over the course of the weekend. Perhaps some cachers that have visited the island before could bring a cache or two for temporary placement and set them out soon after arrival. We could then compile a master list at the group site for entry into GPSrs. In this way, everyone would have a few new caches to seek and it would take some of the workload off of DCexplorer.
I would be happy to set up another “race,” although with some changes. Some people got stuck on one or more of the legs, and you only had the starting cache. This was frustrating to the participants and myself, who had to go “help” some stuck groups. I would probably give everybody ALL coordinates at once, and then if somebody got stuck, they could skip a cache (with a substantial penalty, of course) and move onto the next one.
I would also agree with the idea that experienced cachers place 1-2 temporary caches apiece, and then we can consolidate them all onto one sheet of paper. Although this event isn’t intended to be an opportunity to make giant leaps in your cache count, if five to ten groups place 2 caches apiece (which shouldn’t be that difficult or time consuming) that could add up to quite a few caches.
I think most people want to have fun relaxing and exploring, so I am not going to worry about having too many caches.
Wow, we’re a “hot” folder!
quote:
Originally posted by DCexplorer:
I would be happy to set up another “race,” although with some changes. Some people got stuck on one or more of the legs, and you only had the starting cache. This was frustrating to the participants and myself, who had to go “help” some stuck groups. I would probably give everybody ALL coordinates at once, and then if somebody got stuck, they could skip a cache (with a substantial penalty, of course) and move onto the next one.I would also agree with the idea that experienced cachers place 1-2 temporary caches apiece, and then we can consolidate them all onto one sheet of paper. Although this event isn’t intended to be an opportunity to make giant leaps in your cache count, if five to ten groups place 2 caches apiece (which shouldn’t be that difficult or time consuming) that could add up to quite a few caches.
I think most people want to have fun relaxing and exploring, so I am not going to worry about having too many caches.
I’m more interested in the Getaway part of this event and would not be interested in temporary caches. I still have to find the other permanent cache on the island, so this will be the only one I will be going after.
Bec
Boy — I sure sounded crabby in my last post. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant that I would prefer to spend my time enjoying the island and socializing. I get far too wrapped up in the competitiveness of stuff (including temporaries) and just need time to relax. Therefore, I don’t log temporaries anymore. Takes all the pressure off. But I have no problems with temporaries being placed.
Bec
DCexplorer- I emailed you a couple of days ago and never heard back…. did you not receive?
Im not much of a cheese man, but I do have a few good creameries close at had, with some good cheese. Mayhaps I can make a pit stop on the way to pick some up.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.