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The campaign speech….

First of all I’d like to point out to Ken Braband that I try really hard not to use the word “cache” as a verb, even though I’d like to. 🙂

I think the WGA’s purpose should be to promote the positive aspects of the sport of geocaching. We can help accomplish this through our events, CITO, and community service. Also, I would really like to see us reach a statewide agreement with the DNR regarding geocaching on state-controlled properties.

What have I done toward these goals? Well, nothing toward the DNR agreement goal, but I would like to work on that as a board member. As to the others, I try to CITO wherever practical, I try to educate others about the sport (I can claim a few geo-children in my geo-family tree), I was interviewed for a local newspaper article on geocaching and I do my best to promote geocaching to my own local officials. I am also leading a geocaching project in 4-H for my son.

Admittedly, I do not devote all my waking hours to geocaching. I have a full-time job, two children and I’m a 4-H club leader. I’d love an excuse to spend more time on geocaching.

Thanks for the nomination!

[bnb]

Cachew – and to think I used to be envious of just the Team Badger excursions. Now I’m *really* jealous. Did you seem my TB while you were there? It was on its way to the Great Barrier Reef and almost made it but was placed in a cache that appears to have been muggled.

By the way, to keep this on topic, I have 5 states – WI, IL, IA, OH, MN

Ruth

[This message has been edited by bnb (edited 01-05-2005).]

[bnb]

Thanks!

Ruth

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Thanks to this thread we came up with an idea for my son’s safety poster for his Geocaching Project in 4-H. “Carry pepper spray to keep the bears away”.

(Another idea was, “If you’re allergic to bees, stay away from rotted trees.” He’s allergic to yellow-jackets.)

Thanks. – Ruth

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I have had no bear encounters while geocaching. I did see two a couple of years ago while I was standing next to my garden and looking out into the field next to it. It was dusk and I noticed two dark spots at the edge of the field. I thought it was a shadow until they moved and ran back into the woods. Last summer we encountered one rambling down our road as we returned home one night. I saw something moving but soon realized it wasn’t a deer when it ran in front of our car for awhile before heading into the woods. Both of those encounters are close enough for me.

When I go geocaching with my kids I’m sure we are way too loud to sneak up on anything.

Ruth

[bnb]

I have attended the 2003 picnic at Devil’s Lake (for which I made the preliminary temp hide trip) and the 2004 campout. I would have attended the 2004 picnic but had a conflict.

While Lake Wissota is amazingly convenient for me, personally I wouldn’t mind if the campout were further away because I don’t mind driving further for an overnight. For me, the picnic is more of a hassle because it is at a busy time of year and often a long drive away.

However, I wanted add my two cents regarding some comments made in this thread. I realize that most of the WGA membership is in the S/SE region of this state. I would suggest that there are two reasons for this. The majority of the general population of Wisconsin is in that region (see jthorson map). But the second reason could be that the geocachers elsewhere find it too difficult to be involved in something that seems to mostly support the S/SE portion of the state. T&TB commented that new people won’t want to drive 5-6 hours to camp with people they’ve never met. If that’s true, that could be why most of the WGA membership is where it is and will continue to stay that way.

I understand that it is the volunteers that make these events happen. Since I don’t have the spare time in my life to completely run something like this I can’t complain too much about the location. It just seems that limiting the location based on current WGA membership does nothing to extend that membership.

Last summer I went to Lake Wissota to talk to the ranger about placing a cache there. The person I needed to talk to wasn’t there and I have not had a chance to get back since. At that time I was told to contact the Park Superintendent Allen Middendorp (715-382-4574). PWB, if you know of a better or different contact, please let me know. If the WGA desires contact to be made with Lake Wissota, I will do it. Additionally, I will do any pre-prep that I can, but I cannot test repeaters and I do not have the imagination to place temp hides of the quality level I experienced at the WGA events I attended. I would certainly place some, but additional temp hiders would be necessary. I suspect that I could get some help from some local geocachers, but I cannot commit for them without asking.

BnB

[bnb]

Thanks! – BnB

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Thanks for the congrats from Chiot! (Chiot is my spousal unit and not a forum reader.)

He did his part this summer to add to the 50K+ caches. He invites you all to visit the rural cemetaries of Chippewa County (and a few in Dunn County) in his Thanatopsis series. Easy finds, interesting gravestones. If you’re in the area for the series, let us know and we’d be happy to meet up with you (actually, even if you don’t do the series.) – BnB

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Thanks – from swlumkin. He is my son and he doesn’t read the forums (actually, I haven’t for the last month or so, either) but I showed him this thread to read.

This was his 100th find since he took his own geocaching ID. The only find he has logged from his previous life under my ID is Lil Otter’s “Walking in Circles” which he felt he put so much effort into that he wanted immediate recognition for it. I have given him a list of our previous finds that he was part of, but he hasn’t logged them yet. In fact, he’s not very timely at logging cache finds at all as there are some from this summer he hasn’t logged. The thrill is definitely in the hunt for him. He was obsessed at the campout in May to find *every* cache that was there!

This past weekend we signed up a friend of swlumkin’s that has gone out with us a few times. I guess I’ve added to my geocaching family tree.

Thanks again! – BnB (and swlumkin)

[bnb]

Thanks for the notes of congrats! Since Found on Earth 4 Now and Bobcat have hidden the majority of my finds I have made their caches my 200th and 300th cache finds. For 200, I had to go in search of some to get the last few I needed before finding the Constitution Cache. For 300, I had to stop caching with one less than a mile away from me so I could log I LOST MY DOG for 300. Then, I had to go home and figure out the puzzle I’d been putting off for months in order to find it.

With all the nice weather this past week, I’ve been on a pace that would put me at the next hundred in another month. Too bad that won’t happen, though. Real life does usually interfere with the fun of geocaching. As a side note, if I could do more like wzbt03’s Rustic Ridge, I wouldn’t mind that I didn’t do a lot in one day. It was a very easy cache, but an extremely enjoyable journey to/from it. Bobcat’s Dunn Deal series is another enjoyable journey in the same area. I did these on my two feet, but another great way would be by bicycle – which I would have done if I had one.

Thanks again, and I hope to run into more of you (and those I’ve already met) in the future. – BnB

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Thanks, Trudy and the Beast. Geocaching isn’t the main focus of our trip, but like any trip I’ve taken since March of 2002, geocaching is a possible activity. We’re coming to Milwaukee to be tourists so we’re interested in anything the city has to offer. If any geocachers find themselves downtown and are interested in seeking out other persons that like to talk about wandering around looking for small containers feel free to leave a message at the Wyndham Milwaukee Center under the name of Ruth Holliday or leave a message on my cellphone 715-828-5519. My family and I will be there from Friday afternoon until Monday afternoon.

Ruth and family (bnb, chiot, swlumkin)

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Thanks for all the info and advice. I have lots of general tourist info for Milwaukee but it is nice to get direct recommendations to narrow the list of possible activities.

Thanks again!

Ruth – in Milwaukee by this time tomorrow, unless Amtrak decides otherwise

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I don’t want to be a pill, but I sure hope that two months of inactivity won’t be seen as leaving the sport. For me, sometimes real life interferes with geocaching, as much as I’d like it not to. Seems that if you want to repair the cache, as GrouseTales suggested, that that would be a very nice thing to do. If you’re afraid that it is too vulnerable to geomuggles, you could retrieve the pieces so it wouldn’t be litter and let the owner know you have it.

Just my 2 cents. – BnB

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If I never actually get to the cache site to look for the cache, I post a note. If I look for the cache at what I think is ground zero and don’t find it, I post a DNF.

When I’m searching for a cache that has DNF’s, I won’t look as long if I can’t find it. If I posted a DNF on something that I never even looked for, it would be giving a false impression to someone that uses that information the same way I do.

This log is an example of both.

[bnb]

I’ve been out-of-town and just saw the return of this thread.

I’d be happy to pay for shipping some to the Eau Claire area. Please let me know if any are left.

Ruth

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