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Thanks Amita 17 for the warm reply.  Jeff

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First to post from Arkansas today!!!!

 

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Good idea, but National Park, so no nanos to drive someone crazy.  While we were hosting at the Buffalo National river for two summers, I was selected to place a virtual cache, so I chose to place it in that Park, which is part of the National Park System.  It really, literally took months to first find a location, and a long list of emails that had to travel up and down a system.  I had everyone on that email chain even though there was to be no physical container, just go to the location and get a name off a sign, and see a beautiful view of the Buffalo National River from above, near a restaurant.

Little Corners of the Earth
by Hotdogs_Off_Trail | GC7B65R | Arkansas

We did leave a cache in Mirror Lake State Park while hosting there last summer, Zuma is the cache owner for maintenance purposes.  And one in the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico while hosting there, maintained by Two Basset Slaves.  So never rule anything out.  Did you know that the two oldest geocaches in South Dakota were placed by cacher  “ERH in Wisconsin”??

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Anyone geocaching or traveling west this summer, and has time to kill, Hotdogs_Off_Trail will be campground hosting at Wind cave National Park in South Dakota for the summer.  Stop by and say hi if you’re in the area.

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We have noticed the trends mentioned, but continue at our own pace with finding and placing.  We have not been busy lately as we have been campground hosting at the Buffalo National River in Arkansas for the past 7 months.  And, being a National Park, there is no regular geocaching there.  We did get the opportunity to place one of the Virtual Cache Rewards, and did so in the BNR, but it was a struggle with National Park management to get permission.

We had a string of thefts years ago, but they were attributable to a local group of high school kids that thought it was great fun.  We ended up cabling one of our caches at Devils Lake to a rock to keep it in place.  I think a lot has to do with the cost of ammo cans going way up.  We have a wandering ammo can placed in 2004 that has disappeared twice this year only to be found 50-75 feet away, where I suppose others “thought” it should be.  We try to keep an eye on our old Wisconsin caches, and see a few of them disappearing.

I do agree better education would help, and like the testing idea.  There are way too many park and grab micros and nanos out there that are left un-maintained.  We do try to help when we can with repairs.  This helps with cachers that have left the system, but left their caches out in the woods.

Happy Trails!  Bonnie and Jeff

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Hi All,

We always enjoy a challenge, and finding a “lonely cache” can always fulfill that need. We have recently returned home from a 3 week camping, caching, and ArkGeo and MOGA events. While camping along the Arkansas River at Aux Ark Park, I was perusing the caches in the area, and saw a really lonely Mack Mountain cache (GCRXDM). It hadn’t been found in over 5 years..that would qualify..yes?? I told Bonnie, If we do any caches for the day, that’s the one I want to find. Great drive to get there with a turn-off that we would only have found with the coords, as it looked like a driveway, 2 hour leisurely hike through the woods, to get to GZ, and a long hard search to find an ammo can in the woods. Searched for over an hour with and without the hint. 5 years can leave a lot of ground clutter on a container, and change GZ with new downfalls, etc. Had a picnic lunch before hunting a bit more..persistence sometimes pays off. Bonnie and the dogs had finally had enough and started walking away, when I poked in a spot near a rock that did not fit the hint and heard that wonderful “thunk” of hiking stick on ammo can. cleaned it off a bit to make sure, called Bonnie back, did a big Happy Dance, and retrieved the can. Couldn’t get it open….had to bang it on a tree to get it to loosen up. Contents, including a lonesome TB, were all fine and dry. Perfect day…and thought about your lonely cache game. Keep searching…you never know.
Jeff Little – Hotdogs_Off_Trail

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Hi T&B and all WGA’ers.  Not quite what you were referring to in your question….but we just returned from a month and a half touring & geocaching in New Mexico.  Absolutely beautiful state.  Before we left I saw pictures of an area that looked “unworldly” and looked up geocaches in the area to find out more.  Found two Earth caches and logged them on Halloween Day…GC1PNHE  Trees, What Trees? and GC1NBCX   Bisti Badlands  Check out the pictures of Bonnie in our logs.  What an incredible place….no trails, just hike around and don’t get lost in the maze of valleys, hoodoos, and hills.  Thanks to geocaching for getting us out to these amazing locations…Wander where there is no Path!!  Hotdogs Off Trail – Bonnie and Jeff

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We’re not going to Geo-Woodstock, but were just notified that our “Big Little Yellow Jeep” TB (A rather large Event-Only TB) that we set free at the WGA picnic at Devil’s Lake on August 21, 2004 will be in attendance at Geo-Woodstock.  It now has over 25,132 miles traveled carrying our team name and that of the WGA all around mostly eastern US.  It was recently re-habbed (Cleaned and repainted) in Florida by some caring geocachers, and is ready for the big event.  Happy Trails!!

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Although we did not get out of caching, it seemed like that when we had to move.  Pack up everything we wanted to keep, old souvenirs, goodies for new caches or to give away, find new owners for all our caches and gave them a box of goodies and containers – left all our good ammo cans in the woods in the hands of fellow cachers, and that was nice to have them all adopted.  I still have boxes of caching items I have not opened for lack of display space (how can a two bedroom house have less displace than an apartment?).  I did put my Wi-Geocaching BOD on the wall of my new den, and enjoy looking at it and all the memories we have with 13 years of caching with wonderful WGA members.  I “lurk-in” now and then, so keep it something simple we old folks can follow.  Had a nice 40 day vacation in the southeast for Thanksgiving.  It’s cold here, but highs in the 30’s are ok when I look at your temps.  Wish a very nice New Caching Year to all in the WGA.

Jeff and Bonnie – Hotdogs_Off_Trail

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Hotdogs Off Trail will be at MOGA.  Planning on going a few days early, and camping at Trail of Tears State Park – Site 18.  See you there.

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This is good information, and i think there should be a section on the WGA website for WGA History.  In Brian Williams words, the past gets kind of “foggy” to even us who have lived through it.  During my years on the BOD, I did try to get a WGA Historian position in place.  I think I even had Ken Braband agree to being the historian for a time.  Anyway as our older geocachers slowly fade away, it would be nice to have it written down somewhere.  Bonnie and I are getting ready for a move from Wisconsin to Arkansas to our retirement home in June this year, and I’ve been going through many old campout brochures and maps that I’ve saved.  Don’t know if they are saved elsewhere, but I’ve tossed many, as Bonnie says I can’t keep “all that stuff”.  We began caching in 2002, and have attended every campout since.  This year’s at High Cliff may be the last in our unbroken series for a while.  We plan on doing campground hosting in differnt areas of the US in the coming summers.

Something for the new BOD to think about.

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Not that I’m going, or planning to, but if in Europe, do you have to change the datum on your gps??

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Returned after a wonderful “spring” break that included a Moga stop. Representing WGA was 2nd place in the 2 person 50+ team of Hotdogs Off Trail

http://mogaeventsinc.zenfolio.com/p872846817/h1556c93f#h307bef6c

and 3rd place in individual team 50+ of Scott543

http://mogaeventsinc.zenfolio.com/p872846817/h1556c93f#h2c1ea220

In spite of some rain, mud, and man-n-ny hills, it was a beautiful area and a great event, and enjoyed by all. Next year’s event will be back in Missouri.

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Hi Guys. Back from a three week relative visit and MOGA attendance in Ohio and West Virginia. We will be able to help with some cache placements in the park. Which areas need some help??

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Somewhere along the line the WGA needs funds, and this was begun as a fund raiser. Not much, but we always tried to make a profit to put a little into the treasury.

I’m going to MOGA the end of this month, and the costs of attending are from free (me) to $100/person (with perks). WGA has done a wonderful job of keeping the campout and picnic free to anyone that wishes to attend. I think that is a great record. 2014 will be the 13th campout I’ve attended.

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