Category Archives: Geocaching

Boys Night Out –

Sweetie belongs to a book group. A very literate and proper group of ladies who have monthly meetings to discuss a book they have read. They take turns meeting in their homes. This month the coven, I mean ladies, met at our house.

SuperPizzaBoy and I went out on our monthly Boys Night Out. We have lots of fun. We go to all sorts of places. So far we have avoided arrest and detention. We have to be careful because Sweetie has told us she is not leaving book group early to come bail us out.

We didn’t eat this time. SPB had been at a pizza party so he wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t hungry either. I planned on scrounging the leftovers from the book group meeting when we got home.

First, SPB and I hid a geocache. Our 25th hide. We called it “Boys Night Out – Cedar Ridge” in honor of a nearby golf club. We have a whole series of “Boys Night Out” caches all over Tulsa.

Well it took an hour to hide it. We knew the general location where we wanted to hide it but we had to pick a specific spot. We did that. Then you have to get the coordinates. That took a while. Believe it or not, heavy tree cover screws up the satellite reception of GPS receivers so you have to spend some time checking and rechecking. See if you don’t have good coordinates then the finders can’t find the caches. So you have to do it right.

Below is a photo of the cache. I had to use the flash because it was dark. Notice the camo? Camo duck tape, a geocachers best friend, next to his GPSr of course.

Finally done with that we headed off to Laser tag. Usually SPB and I play alone. This time we teamed up. There was a whole bunch of teenagers we played with. They cheated, they cover up their sensors you see, which is a no no. But, so what, we had fun playing as a team. Out of 17 players, SPB finished 16 and I finished 17. It was fun playing with him, he gets a blast out of it. Next time, we’ll be cheating with the rest of them. That’s life, right?

Next, traditional stop at Barnes and Noble. Deal is I’ll buy him a book. I got the new Green Day CD, SPB got his book.

Time to go home, I mark this BNO as a success.

Irish Geocaching Hazard in Oklahoma

People who know me just a little bit realize that I am totally OCD about Geocaching. Its almost like breathing. I can go without for a while but I have to get some air every now and then. What a lot of people don’t know is that I have a lot of Irish in me from my Mother. She took a lot of pride in it, and so do I. But there is a lot more to being Irish than getting roaring drunk on Saint Patrick’s Day. You have to honor the other traditions, even when geocaching.

Saturday I went out to find some caches. I found nine, which is a good day for me. The first one I found was a tiny little tube tied to a tree out in the middle of nowhere.

Do you see it? Took me a while to spot it. I’m kind of proud of it because it was my 800th find!

Geocaching has its hazards. Saturday, I encountered ticks, chiggers, thorns, and poison ivy. I’m not allergic to poison ivy, yet.

Poison ivy is nothing to mess with! I am careful with it, even though I’m not allergic to it. Because you can get an allergy all the sudden.

I didn’t see any snakes although I’m pretty sure some saw me in the waist high grass, swamps, and brush I encountered. I didn’t run into any angry ranchers or farmers, or meth lab operators for that matter.

I did stumble onto something that gave me pause, that made me say, “I’m backing out of here really slow, I am not messing with anything, I’m P&A’ing (plugging and abandoning to us oilfield trash) this cache. I just want to get out of here in one piece.” It was a hazard that geocachers with Irish blood know and respect.

The Irish Know to Leave the Little People Alone.

My World – Doaksville Oklahoma

I found Doaksville, Oklahoma last week during a trip to southeast Oklahoma. I had never heard of Doaksville and found it only because I was looking for a geocache. I love serendipity and this is a good example why.

Doaksville was once the biggest city in is now Oklahoma. It was started as a trading post by Josiah Doaks in the 1820’s. It grew quickly and for a time was the Choctaw Tribal Capital. The Civil War started its decline and it became a ghost town by 1900. In the mid 1990’s the Oklahoma Historical Society did extensive archeological excavations of many of the former structures. The site is now well maintained and has excellent interpretive displays.

To get to Doaksville you walk through the massive Doaksville Cemetery. It is very easy for me to get distracted by old cemeteries.

I get to wondering things like, “Does anybody know anything about Little Lonzo Wilson?” a three year old who died on Christmas Day 1918.

The grave of David Folsom, former chief of the Choctaws. A Christian slave owner who brought missionaries to Indian Territory and supported education efforts. “Christian slave owner” is a concept that is very hard to imagine right now. It also applies to some of the founders of our country.

Old piece of a gravestone – separated from its grave. I love the held hands.

Jimmie Dale I hope that you are fishing somewhere.After you walk through the cemetery you get to Doaksville. Nobody there but me for over two hours one day.

Excavated Tavern- this was the hearth.

A plaque commerating the surrender of General Stand Watie. A Cherokee born in Calhoun, Georgia. A wealthy plantation owning slaveholder. Supported Cherokee removal to Indian Territory. For a time he was Principal Chief of the Cherokees. Led the First Indian Brigade of the Confederate Army. Fought Union troops in Arkansas, Indian Territory, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas. He also fought fellow Indians who did not support the Confederacy. Surrendered to Union troops after the battle of Doaksville.

The jail. Three cells, not very big. Three foot thick limestone.

Here is the cache I was looking for.

For other views of our world check out That’s My World Tuesday.

Article from Smithsonian Online about the Final Confederate Surrender at Doaksville

Dental Geocaching

I know that you are tired of Idaho. Too bad, because I’m not done with it.

It was pretty wet and rainy much of the time so I didn’t get any caches out in the woods. The last full day there I found some urban caches.

My favorite was a cache that a premium emergency dentist from Westinghouse Dental placed right outside his window. I was there on a Sunday so there was nobody there. I know three dentists in Oklahoma. Randy, Bert, Michael you guys step up! Geocaching dentistry is the latest thing!

I found my first LDS (“Mormon”) Church cache. I’ve done about every denomination cache that there is except Orthodox, Islam, and, Buddhism. Anybody know any such caches I could go find?

It’s amazing how the various church caches are consistent to their religions. For example this LDS Church cache was in vary good condition and was spot on with the coordinates. The rules are changed but used to be men could have many caches but women have just one. However it is still the rule that a wife can find a cache only after her husband finds it first. Baptist caches have strict rules but at least once you find it you can just log it and forget about it. Methodist caches have to make sure that you understand just what the cache is about and you can lose credit for the cache in the future if you forget. Episcopal caches are very complicated because Whiskeypalians are much smarter than anyone else. Unitarian caches are a mess, they are way off on their coordinates and they keep yammering on about peace cranes. Enough already with the peace cranes!

I hope nobody took the previous paragraph seriously.

This cache is called “The Drink is on Me.” Only two guesses why. It is out in the middle of a wheat field.

Speaking of drinking, take look at a small portion of a grocery store beer case. More variety there than in an Oklahoma liquor store. Notice the “1554” and “Fat Tire” beer. You can buy them almost any where in the country except Oklahoma. I’m not sure why but I’m positive that keeping it out is keeping me safe. I guess. Same as the law not allowing strong beer to be refrigerated at liquor stores. Keeps Okie children from being born naked.

Not into beer? How about some Yogi Tea?

Geocaching Bomb Scare in Enid, Oklahoma

News story from the “Enid News and Eagle” in Enid, Oklahoma dated June 12, 2009. Original link. (Note that the Braum’s pictured above is not the one in Enid and was not in the article.)

UPDATE: Suspicious object turns out to be ‘geocache’

By Cass Rains
Staff Writer

A suspicious object reported to police Thursday night that caused the evacuation of a local restaurant was determined to be a “geocache,” or treasure to be located with GPS devices.

Enid Police Department Lt. Scott Miller said members of Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s bomb squad discovered what the object was after a detonation was placed beneath it.

“It came open and the papers came out,” Miller said. “It was a couple pieces of paper explaining what a geocache was and whoever had ever found it. It was a false alarm.

”Police were called 7:41 p.m. to Braum’s, 4202 W. Garriott, in reference to a man who had entered the restaurant and stayed for a few minutes, then was seen placing something in a tree on the southwest corner of the property before leaving in a vehicle.

Miller said the man likely entered the restaurant looking for the geocache before searching the tree.“He found it, signed off and left,” he said. “A few people had already been there and signed off on it. It’s been there for at least a couple weeks.”

Officers responding to the call evacuated the restaurant and cordoned off a 50-yard area near the device as they awaited arrival of the bomb squad.

According to the Web site www.geocaching.com searchers can register with the site and be given GPS coordinates to geocaches, which are signed and dated by whoever finds and returned to be found by the next searcher.“Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices,” the group’s Web site reads. “The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online.”

Not very funny. Big scare, bomb squad called out, area cordoned off.

Two things went wrong here. First whoever placed the cache didn’t get permission from the store manager to hide the cache.

Second the finder apparently was acting furtively.I have found lots of caches out in public areas. I think the best thing to do is act like you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. Most people don’t care but if you act sneaky then they get suspicious.

So, if you are hiding geocaches, get permission! If you are looking for caches, don’t be sneaky! Got it?

That’s My World – Little Dixie Geocaching

I went on a little geocaching expedition in southeast Oklahoma last Friday. Southeast Oklahoma is nicknamed “Little Dixie” because historically and culturally it shares a lot of traits with Arkansas, Lousiana, and east Texas.

At Hugo lake I had to hiking across a couple bridges. The first one, although shaky, was doable.

The second bridge was under water. As we say in natural gas business. I plugged and abandoned this cache.
I ran into a major distraction at two caches in an abandoned town named Doaksville. I had never heard of Doaksville but at one time it was one of the largest towns in Indian Territory. It has been a major archeological site and there are tons of interpretive signs and information. I spent a couple hours their poking around. I’m researching another “My World” post for Doaksville. It is of major historical importance. For instance the last confederate general to surrender after the Civil War did it at Doaksville. The town was abandoned for various reasons in the 1880’s and was just left to rot.
Next, Idabel, home of the Girls of Today in Idabel Oklahoma. I had been there several times but had never found a cache there.

The cache I found in Idabel was in a bamboo patch. What’s up with that? Bamboo?

Then I drove up to Beaver’s Bend State Park. One of the jewels of the Oklahoma State Park System. I found a couple caches there and two whitetail deer and a deer fawn who popped up from its hiding place about 15 feet away from me.

Beaver’s Bend is a beautiful place to visit. Fortunately for geocachers. I think only about 1 in a hundred people go more than 50 yards off the trails.

At about 7 pm I called it quits. I called Sweetie and told her that I was driving home.

I got home a few minutes after midnight. What a day!

Check out That’s My World for other views of our world.

Dallas Geocaching

In Dallas for the Oklahoma Independent Producer’s Association meeting at Las Colinas. (Don’t ask me the Okie’s have their convention in Dallas, they just do.) Monday afternoon is the golf tournament. I went geocaching instead.

Score: 7 geocaches, 3 ticks. I win.

This is out in the middle of nowhere. I bushwhacked about a half mile to get to it.

Fake bird feeders. I liked it. I’m not sure the birds did.

Very clever, hanging geocache. Sometimes you have to look up!

After seven it was too hot. Went back to hang out with Sweetie and SuperPizzaBoy.

Nano’s

SuperPizzaBoy and I snuck in another geocache while coming back from Nana’ s house the other day. I won’t tell you what cache it was because of the picture above. What SPB is holding in his hand is the cache container, the little metal container on the left and the log, the rolled up paper on the right. You see, knowing what the container looks like on this particular cache would make it much easier to find it, thus spoiling the experience. Geocachers generally like to find the caches on their own. This one was our 772nd find.

Caches with very small containers are called “nano caches”. Finding one is like the needle in the haystack. SPB and I have one in downtown Tulsa called “Tulsa Club.” It is a pentel pencil lead container. A surprising number of people find it.

Sunday Skirtlifting

Sunday – Memorial Day Weekend – I grilled burgers and hot dogs at Nana’s house.

SuperPizzaBoy and a friend swam in the pool.

We ate, a lot, I took a nap, and then,
it was time to go geocaching!

First up, Legend of the Woodwalker by Team Gingerbread.
Fun, fun, fun, ooh ah, ooh ah,
Chiggers, no ticks, yet!
Just duck your head, and go down this trail.

Next, the first of two skirt lifters. I love lifting skirts. You never know what you will find. Sometimes you find trouble! The geocache under this lamp skirt is called Air Supply by spamby. You get one guess why it is called Air Supply.

I found a few others. Then I went to replace one of mine that has gone missing, Little Haikey Creek. Below is the replacement cache and its contents. Note the SpongeBob SquarePants golf ball. I promised them to fellow blogger Baloney if she would take up golf, or geocaching for that matter. She better make up her mind; the balls are going fast. (Don’t tell her, but I know where to get more!)

I had a lot of fun. I had to stop at Walgreens and spend $1.99 plus tax on some itch ointment because of the chiggers. Small price to pay in my book!

Dark Haunted Woods – Revisited

Once a month Sweetie goes to her book group. The group has been together for years and years. Since long before SuperPizzaBoy was born. SPB and I have boys night out on book group night. We have done all sorts of good stuff. Especially when school is out. For example we have hidden several “Boys Night Out” caches.

One of these is “Boys Night Out – Dark Haunted Woods” located in south Tulsa in the middle of the largest …. well, get your gps and find it if you are interested.

Back in February the cache was reported missing by several people. So I disabled it. On Friday I replaced the cache. I know that it has been a long time, but we have been through a lot as a family also.

SPB and I are very proud of this cache. It is located in a small section of very dense woods located near the largest …. (again, I’m not saying) in Tulsa.

Trail to the cache.