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Jen, You don’t have to work on that puzzle. I solved it. marc shares solves! I generally don’t give out solves, but knowing the owner, it isn’t pulling at my caching ethics so much, LOL.
We aren’t chasing any Lonelies, ironically enough, considering the reason for heading up that way in the first place!
Wow, I’m surprised at how many of these we’ve done, and have really enjoyed, too. We really need to get over to the state parks outside Kenosha/Racine and explore what’s down there. We just seem to miss that corner in our travels.
marc, not completely true. I have three of them solved. One is the 5/5, but I think I’ll save that one for another day.
Jim, We had started out for this one, hiked along the shore quite a way, and realized we had to find another way to it, with time running out on our day. It’s on our list to do sometime, as it really is a pretty area. It’ll be one of those days where we get just a few and take in the view. We have enjoyed all the caches we’ve done on the North Country Trail, and there are many more yet to find!
We did do Brunsweiler Canyon nearby, which was also a beautiful, peaceful spot.
I just checked intellicast and it doesn’t look so awful, either. Temps around 15, wsw winds though, around 10-11 mph. Bundle up! Maybe we’ll luck out and that wind part won’t be so bad, either.
Um, marc, should we be worried if you haven’t found your own cache? LOL
We’ve found a few of marc’s now, including the famous Treasure Box. We’re really hoping we’ll be able to access Papr Dolls without risking life or hypothermia.
I have been awaiting the designation we might get, hoping we don’t end up with that “hillbilly” thing zuma mentioned (although there is that matter of Trekkin’ and his banjo).
01/11/2009 at 10:16 pm in reply to: Door County – Cross-Country Ski out to Chamber’s Island #1899954Please let us know details as they develop. We can’t say for sure we’d make it, but we’d like to if we can. No snowmobiles to offer, but we’ve got skis and snowshoes.
Hard to choose, but probably “Flash! Malanaphy Falls for Geology!” an EarthCache outside Decorah, Iowa. It’s a geological wonder of cave, spring and waterfalls at the end of a spectacular mile long hike above the Upper Iowa River. Locals often comment they never knew it was there.
GC1C7AZ
For physical caches, maybe “Lyin’ Among Friends” in Hixon Forest. Though not a unique type of hide, for our area it is, and it’s in a part of the trail system I particularly enjoy year round, although it’s not a winter friendly hide.
GC1BWP4
So Ralph, what’s yours?
Great questions Barry, a great way for all of us to learn a little more about each other, whether we are elected or not.
1. What got you into caching and how long have you been doing it?
Blame it on Timberline Echoes. We found our first geocache June 24, 2006.
2. What area of the state are you from?
Coulee Country, aka southwestern Wisconsin, 12 miles from the Mississippi River
3. How much of the state have you geocached in that is away from your home area? ?? of 72 counties
We’ve completed the Wisconsin DeLorme and the Badger State Counties Challenge. We have favorite areas we’ve cached often well beyond our own, but we’ve covered the state with smileys pretty well. We keep cleaning out our nearest 50 miles, so we usually have to travel 90 minutes or more for any serious caching these days! The southeastern corner is the one where we’ve cached the least.
4. how far from home are you willing to travel for events and how far in the past have you traveled to go to an event?
We went to Midwest Geobash in Indiana last summer, and also attended a great event in Marquette Michigan. We’ve traveled 3-4 hours within the state to attend a few events. Events are fun!
5. Are you members of any other geocaching association: Michigan’s MiGO, Minnesota Geocachers, GONIL, Big bob’s bulletin board, etc.
I’m signed on to the Minnesota Geocachers Association (my home state) and peek at the Iowa site from time to time. Living where we do, it’s very easy to spend an afternoon caching all three states.
We actually got our butterflies in late December, and look forward to another year of enjoying our great parks. Thanks for the great reminder!
I think the board would do well (I’m sure they already have been) to keep their ears to the ground to find new opportunities to reach out to those folks who know nothing about us as an organization.
For example: for the past two years, the LaCrosse Sports Commission has hosted a geocaching event. I know Brian has been on here to let folks know of it, but we attended, and I didn’t see anything there to let people know about this resource right here. We did as participants, but it would be great if somehow, even the print presence were available.
A second thought: many of us keep coming across geocaching in spots we wouldn’t have expected. A good case in point is a brochure I picked up in the teacher’s lounge just today for this business:
If you go to the website, geocaching is one of the listed activities, with the comment that “an experienced geocacher” is one of their members. I don’t know who she might be, but I’d like to know if she’s part of the WGA and lets interested folks know about us.
Basically, I think it’s up to the organization to reach out where we see possibilities and continue to welcome newbies into the fold. I like the idea of an “ask the cacher” forum Seth suggests. We have a newbies corner, but that seems to be more to find each other.
I would suggest that any thoughts of the WGA acting as host to a mega-event be considered very carefully. Here’s why I feel this way.
This is a volunteer organization, which already puts a lot of work into putting on two great events each year, events open to anyone from any state. The WGA has also tip-toed into helping with events in other parts of the state, like the New Auburn one last summer. Adding a Mega Event might stretch the abilities of the board and the membership to a point where our established events suffer.
I don’t make this statement lightly. The board on which I sit right now has gone through a somewhat similar decision process. We put on a conference every spring, one which, I’m proud to say, sets the standard for others in the field. Our national organization has started to model its conferences after ours. We have lots of member help to pull it together. This past year, the national organization decided NOT to do a conference in 2009. Re-organization and burnout suggested a year off. We were approached to host an additional conference to fill the “void.”
Lots of prestige, lots of exposure, lots of good reasons to do it. We aren’t doing it. We knew our own conference would suffer, and in the end, our members set as high priority “a great annual conference.”
I’d rather see the WGA lend support to another group in the state who wants to establish mega event status. The West Bend folks have a lot of energy, and the event went well last year. My suggestion would be to study what kind of resources and help we could offer them.
If I’ve learned anything from sitting on my other board, it is to look carefully at things that sound good, evaluate, and maybe we have to say “no” sometimes to things that initially sound like a great thing.
You know, if this is our biggest problem as an organization, we’re in pretty good shape. I am not saying this blithely to belittle the many strong and valid opinions here; it’s simply an observation that an issue of “branding” seems to be the one that generates the most passion at the moment.
I’m currently sitting as president of another board, and we’re in the midst of grappling with this very thing. It’s an interesting process and one which will never make everyone happy. Although the whole situation here, as the current board admits, could have been better handled, they did act based on the process set forth. Lessons have been learned, which in the end is the most important thing.
Now, would you believe?….the logo currently being tweaked for my other organization involves a cow. This is a multi state organization, but at least it meshes with the organization’s tag line. Fortunately, that board has been charged with this job and we don’t have to put it to a vote. We simply have to field all the B & M that comes later! I appreciate that the WGA Board has openly accepted responsibility for this process, the good stuff and the not so good. Thank you for that!
May I respectfully suggest that the discussion part of cheeto’s original question be moved to another topic area, perhaps in the general forums? It’s clearly a topic of interest, and of course candidates are willing to discuss it, but it’s starting to become unclear whose opinions in this thread belong to those of us up for board positions, those who are already board members, and those who are members at large.
Just a thought.
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