Arkansas Caches: How Can We Get MORE of Them?

[Gaddiel]

I'm sure we would all love to see more caches in Arkansas. I know I would. I also know that the more caches there are, the better chance we have of getting someone involved. The more people that are involved, the more caches we get.

I was just looking at the current poll on the home page, and it looks like almost 28% of those that responded to this poll have no hides in Arkansas and almost 60% have less than three hides. Looking at these numbers, it seems that there would be three ways to increase the number of caches in Arkansas: 1) increase the number of cachers in the state 2)increase the number of hides for each cacher or 3) do both. This leads me to two sets of questions:

1) What can we do as a group to encourage cachers to hide more caches? What is keeping you from hiding more caches (or even your first cache)?

2) What kinds of things can we do, both individually and as a group, to promote geocaching in our area and get more people involved?

[BooCrew]

Gaddiel, We haven't been doing this long and don't get to go out frequently. We've probably been out 5 or 6 times since May and I don't feel confident enough on finding them much less hiding them. I don't want to place one just to place one and have it be a piece of crap just to get a 1 in our hidden stats. But, I have been thinking about it. I've even been digging through the trash at work looking for appropiate containers. Of course after that, it'll be finding just the right spot. :wink:

[arkansas_stickerdude]

Just a suggestion maybe we need to have a geocaching 101 and put it in the local paper and tv stations. just a sugestion.I'll look into it in the NWA.

[GEO]

I will see what I can do too.
Working on some right now.
Publicity that is.

[motexoutlaw]

We have lived just southwest of Houston, TX since relocation from St. Louis 1n 1997. Our son & daughter still live in the St. Louis area, so we travel thru Arkansas several times a year to visit them. We often stop to visit my sister in Benton or my wife’s sister in Wynne as we drive thru. It was good to see several caches pop up in the Benton area just this year. I have found many of Deezers nearby Benton caches, several of Arkansas Bugman’s West Memphis (devious) caches, and did the complete “Marion 5” series of chili36 on our way to St. Louis on Aug. 17. 42 of my 352 finds are Arkansas caches. While caching in Benton on our last two trips (June and this one now in Aug), my young nephew (sister’s grandson) showed an interest in caching. I took him along with his granddad on these two trips and he really enjoyed it :D. I thought of helping hem hide a cache that I could cosponsor with him and he & his granddad maintain it. But in the end we posted it on his new account. His geocaching name is Jamie2 and his new cache is “Jamie’s Saline River Overlook” in Benton. I have got a travelbug tag for him and as soon as he decides what he wants to attach to it and name it, he will release it thru his new cache. As we stop thru the Benton area on our trips to St. Louis, I will take him along with me to find nearby caches, and hope to find places that he could hide another cache. I do have one Arkansas cache. My brother-in-law showed me a civil war monument in Little Rock and I posted it as “Little Rocks Last Stand” sponsored by “MoTexOutlaw & Rooster”

Now to get some new caches, in Brinkley, Forest City, Wynne area.

Just keep building caches along I-30 (Texarkana-Little Rock), I-40 (Little Rock-West Memphis), I-55 (West Memphis-MO-AR line) and we will come!!!:lol:

[GEO]

I really like placing caches,but have to be careful not to get too spread out,it is rough to maintain the 50 or so I have.
I have lots of ideas but just can't maintain many more.
I will put out a few more in Arkansas soon.

Improvise,I have one that is in Missouri but registered in Arkansas.
Arkansas or Missouri cache.

So those of you that do not have any, get out there and hide one or 2 it will be well worth your efforts to do so.

I have one in the front yard and have met quite a few geocachers that way.I am not always here but love to see geocachers when they come through and I am here.
TIGGR has one 525 feet from that one.

Start with your favorite local parks.

[GEO]

Another way to establish more caches,check out this one and get credit for hiding a cache.
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=7437f67c-e742-48cc-8386-c57b8083a2dd

I had been looking at it as potential but just got to it to post the link.

[rock_hound]

I think one good way is challenge each other. Gaddiel, since you started this thread I now feel obligated to publiclly challenge you to matching the four caches I recently placed in Conway. If anyone is interested here they are:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=d58b4c14-3f48-4014-b411-ac648a2d3230
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=97e4d497-28d4-4b93-b6de-26c415d6c2a5
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=9a017cb7-03cb-4188-843c-23e9da0f0178
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=a3777ee6-c553-45d2-9c5b-4ac53c0a4808
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=d7befb1f-519e-4183-94ca-bc2c2a3fec11

[Gaddiel]

Yeesh! You had to bring this up in public, didn't ya? :) Well, if it's gonna be that way, I'll ACCEPT your challenge! Look for even MORE new Conway caches coming soon...

And now for a group challenge:

I challenge every member of ArkGeo to place just ONE new cache by Thursday, September 9th, 2004. That gives you a full week. Who's up for it?

[Geezer_Veazey]

I plan to try to find a place to hide a cache on Sat. Sept. 11th following the JAKES event. So I accept your challenge except for the time constraint placed on it. Generally I think challenges are good, but time constraints are bad. I would not want someone to do a 2nd rate job in order to meet a time constraint.

I think we need more geocaching missionaries - people willing to go to the unconverted and plant churches, if you'll forgive the religion metaphor. We have a lot of caches in highly localized areas. The presence of caches and the presence of cachers seems to go hand in hand. We need to go into areas where caches are scarce or non-existent and place caches. As the cache population grows the cacher population will grow and place more caches. There is a sort of synergism there. But we've got to get the ball rolling by going into new areas and placing caches.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Geezer.

[RuffRidr]

And now for a group challenge:

I challenge every member of ArkGeo to place just ONE new cache by Thursday, September 9th, 2004. That gives you a full week. Who's up for it?

I like the challenge! I'm not sure if I can make it in the allotted time, tho. I'll be out next week which leaves me with only this weekend. I think the wife already has a large portion of that planned out for me already. I'll try to get one out tho!

--RuffRidr

[Phantom_491]

Yeesh! You had to bring this up in public, didn't ya? :) Well, if it's gonna be that way, I'll ACCEPT your challenge! Look for even MORE new Conway caches coming soon...

And now for a group challenge:

I challenge every member of ArkGeo to place just ONE new cache by Thursday, September 9th, 2004. That gives you a full week. Who's up for it?

Are there any stipulations (ie: Regular, Micro, etc)? Or is Any type of cache good?

[Gaddiel]

Are there any stipulations (ie: Regular, Micro, etc)? Or is Any type of cache good?

Any type will do.

While we're on the subject, I still subscribe to the notion that "any cache is a good cache". Of course, just like Geezer said earlier in this thread, I'd much rather find a quality cache than a lame one. I hope this challenge doesn't make anyone put a piece of paper in a ziploc bag, stuff it into an old tennis shoe, and chunk it out the window of their car, just to meet the challenge... :D Just like mom used to say, "Anything worth doing is worth doing well". I'm continuing to learn that lesson the hard way on a daily basis.

[LadyEngineer]

I'm up to the challenge.

BTW: If you curious which areas really need help. I've been doing some research and as of today the following is the number of caches in each county of Arkansas. Yeap all 75 of them. Yes I know. I'm a cache-aholic and I have a problem. :lol:

County Number of Geocaches Region
Arkansas 1 SE
Ashley 0 SE
Baxter 26 NE
Benton 28 NW
Boone 3 NW
Bradley 0 SE
Calhoun 0 SW
Carroll 8 NW
Chicot 1 SE
Clark 3 SW
Clay 7 NE
Cleburne 8 C
Cleveland 2 SE
Columbia 0 SW
Conway 8 C
Craighead 4 NE
Crawford 10 NW
Crittenden 18 NE
Cross 0 NE
Dallas 1 SW
Desha 1 SE
Drew 0 SE
Faulkner 22 C
Franklin 39 NW
Fulton 2 NE
Garland 17 SW
Grant 1 SE
Greene 5 NE
Hempstead 3 SW
Hot Spring 2 SW
Howard 0 SW
Independence 1 NE
Izard 1 NE
Jackson 2 NE
Jefferson 0 SE
Johnson 68 NW
Lafayette 0 SW
Lawrence 4 NE
Lee 4 NE
Lincoln 1 SE
Little River 1 SW
Logan 27 NW
Lonoke 11 C
Madison 3 NW
Marion 12 NW
Miller 5 SW
Mississippi 2 NE
Monroe 0 NE
Montgomery 12 SW
Nevada 1 SW
Newton 11 NW
Ouachita 1 SW
Perry 8 C
Phillips 0 NE
Pike 11 SW
Poinsett 0 NE
Polk 2 SW
Pope 59 C
Prairie 1 C
Pulaski 50 C
Randolph 14 NE
Saline 16 C
Scott 7 NW
Searcy 8 NW
Sebastian 23 NW
Sevier 1 SW
Sharp 6 NE
St. Francis 2 NE
Stone 4 NE
Union 3 SW
Van Buren 7 C
Washington 22 NW
White 21 C
Woodruff 0 C
Yell 16 C
Total 668

As of 9/2/04

There are 678 hidden caches in AR and this is which county each one is in except for 10 but I've counted and recounted and can not find where those 10.

# Co. # Caches
NW 14 269 40%
NE 20 102 15%
SW 18 63 9%
SE 10 7 1%
C 13 227 33%
75 668 99%

678
10


So as Geezer said there are many places we could hide new ones in. If your considering Gaddiel's challenge.

[arkansas_stickerdude]

I'm up for the challenge and I'll try to do one in each state.OK and AR woo yaaa.

[Woodwalker9]

Gaddiel, I have been doing some preliminary work on a new series of caches in the Searcy area, but I know that I will not be able to have them out by Thursday. However, I have also been looking at a location for a micro about 10 miles north of Searcy. I believe that I will be able to get that one by the first of the week, so I will accept your challenge and hope that other ArkGeo members will do the same.

[nonnipoppy]

Nice challenge here guys. I must decline to participate for several reasons but IF there was to be a cache event in Clarksville next January nonnipoppy and Golfnutz would both add another 10-20 caches to the Johnson County total.

[Phantom_491]

I don't know if I can get 2 out (1 for me & 1 for my son Squirrel 21309) but we'll try!

Cache this!!!

[Gaddiel]

Just approved in Conway area:

Don't Get Stumped (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=7b24c3bf-f810-4e3a-ae5e-327f8267cf05)
Final Exam (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=7429cb08-0822-440a-9b6a-5368dbfd781d)

More to come soon...

[Gaddiel]

Thanks, LadyEngineer and Geezer_Veazey for spotting an error in the coordinates for "Don't Get Stumped"!!! Hope to have it back up soon... Guess I need to take my own advice about "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well", huh?

Edit: Boy, Tenn Geocacher is on the ball! This problem was solved in less than 30 minutes! "Don't Get Stumped" is ready to roll...

[topkitty98]

Wow guys!!!
Conway looks awesome! Those new ones sound so exciting!
I am accepting the challenge, but I don't know about the time limits. I am recovering from emergency surgery on my eye (gross) and was given a bunch of limitations for a while which definitely will cramp my caching style - no lifting, no bending (yeah, right!)
I will be up to the challenge soon, though! And I can't wait to hit Conway again soon!!!!
COOOOOOLLLLL!!!!

topkitty98

[topkitty98]

Oh, yes, Lonoke is definitely coming along with the challenge, thanks to Lady E! The two new ones are neat. I like the stats you've dug up, too! When you consider how many people travel through our great state, and how many geocachers already travel with spare pens, logs, etc. then surely if we go out and place in areas that are new territory we will increase numbers of caches and cachers. I'm with G & OD, not to just throw out junk but some caches don't have to be extremely elaborate. I have 3 ideas that I began with that are still not out because of the thinking and gathering involved. I started with the micros and only one of those took much prep on the container, yet with neat areas, I think they are worth the effort of the hunt.
Thanks, guys, looking forward to a fruitful week for all!!!!

topkitty98
>^..^<

[rock_hound]

Topkitty I wish you a speedy recovery.

MAN......that final exam cache looks really complicated. That must have really took some work to put together. I am looking forward to that one.

As part of my job I frequently travel all over the State. I commonly see areas that look like a good spot for a cache. I have not placed any in these areas because I would not be able to maintain it if something went wrong. What is everyone opinion? Should I start putting caches in cache poor areas even though I can't maintain them?

[Gaddiel]

MAN......that final exam cache looks really complicated.

Yeah, it's pretty complicated, but not that difficult. The homework is the hardest part, I'd say...


Should I start putting caches in cache poor areas even though I can't maintain them?

Probably not a good thing. GC.com's opinion is pretty well established on this subject, too (see the vacation caches rule). However, there may be some areas that you frequent that may or may not be close to "home". As long as you can maintain it properly (regularly), I don't see a problem.

[Phantom_491]

MAN......that final exam cache looks really complicated.

Yeah, it's pretty complicated, but not that difficult. The homework is the hardest part, I'd say...

Homework Done!!! :)

[southdeltan]

Should I start putting caches in cache poor areas even though I can't maintain them?

Probably not a good thing. GC.com's opinion is pretty well established on this subject, too (see the vacation caches rule). However, there may be some areas that you frequent that may or may not be close to "home". As long as you can maintain it properly (regularly), I don't see a problem.

I agree that's not a good idea. But, if you go through an area a couple of times a month and you know a good spot - by all means place a cache. I don't go to Lake Chicot every week, but I go to Greenville once or twice a month and if needed I can get to Lake Chicot within a few days if something is wrong with my cache.

I don't think throwing caches out just to have them out there is a good idea - however I think it is a GREAT idea to hide QUALITY caches in every county in Arkansas. I challenge you guys to start a list of counties without caches and keep track of when they get a cache. The MS Delta was almost completely barren when I started and now there are quite a few caches here. I will probably place a few more caches in Chicot County. I will also contact the cache owners in the SE to find out if they're still active and if they are I'll tell them about this website.

Promotion is an idea that's coming up again and again. It's a great idea to promote geocaching to your friends and family - but make sure you stress high quality caches. I know some people think "any cache is a good cache" but after experiencing multiple drive up to a garbage dumpster with a magnetic keyholder on it - you may change your mind. Some places are flooded with pointless micros (micros CAN be great, but they're also easy to do poorly).

I'll see if I can dig up my friend Drat19's list of suggestions for cache hiders. It's a pretty good read.

southdeltan

[Geoark1]

Do I get extra points for putting my name on my paper? Did fold it correctly? Do I get 1/2 credit for the homework part. I have all the answers.

Now just finding time to get back on the UCA campus. By the time I get back there it will have another name. The first time I took a course at UCA it was still ASTC, then the second course it was another name and by the last time I took a course in 89 iwas already UCA.

President Hardin has eaten supper at my house when we were in high school, reckon he would slip me the answers?

You know only the boss gets to leave early beginning a week end holiday, so I played geocaching after he left and I got my home work done. Goes to show ya when the boss is away the mice will play.

[rock_hound]

Gaddiel Wrote:

Yeah, it's pretty complicated, but not that difficult. The homework is the hardest part, I'd say...

Homework done! Took me about 30 minutes. This has proved to me once again the power of the internet. And also that I could use the internet for more than geocaching. :lol: I wish this had been around when I was in school.

Now if I can just beat Phantom :?

[LadyEngineer]

Our homework is done, too. So the race is on between Team Rock Hound, GeoArk1, Phantom_491 and LE/Strider869. Humm. Who will win this FTF.


Gaddiel bet your laughing at us.

[Phantom_491]

Our homework is done, too. So the race is on between Team Rock Hound, GeoArk1, Phantom_491 and LE/Strider869. Humm. Who will win this FTF.

The test was today?!? Dang it I overslept!

Actually today ws yard-work day and if you've done my Phantom's Haunt cache, you know how big my yard is. I'll try to get out later this afternoon/evening and take the makeup test.

[RuffRidr]

Well I took up the challenge and got another cache placed this weekend. It is in the approval process now, but hopefully it will be ready to go later today. Thanks for the challenge!

--RuffRidr

[LadyEngineer]

Gaddiel, I guess the challenge worked because by my count there have been 12 new caches posted and approved just since Friday. And two of those were placed in a county that had no caches. Thanks for the challenge.

BTW: I got mine out, but very sorry to hear about the one you lost to the local police.

Count of counties with 0 caches is 12:

Ashley 0 SE
Bradley 0 SE
Calhoun 0 SW
Columbia 0 SW
Cross 0 NE
Howard 0 SW
Jefferson 0 SE
Lafayette 0 SW
Monroe 0 NE
Phillips 0 NE
Poinsett 0 NE
Woodruff 0 C

[southdeltan]

I did a bit of research (it was hard with the gc.com website so slow) and found that most of the cache owners in the SE region are inactive and haven't logged onto the website in months. I emailed them. I think 1 person (who I figured was active) emailed me back.

One of the caches also appears to be missing although it's not disabled.

I'll doublecheck everything and post what I found. I'm inviting anybody that replies to check out this website.

southdeltan

[topkitty98]

Okay, my eye is functional again and we have now met the challenge! I know it's a bit past the deadline, but I had an excuse!

I just submitted a cache to begin a new series around that up and coming cache mecca, Jacksonville... called "JJR #1 - I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!" soon to be followed by more Jville excitement!

STAY TUNED . . .

topkitty98, markrocks, with a little help from geo-j
>^..^<

[Gaddiel]

You guys ROCK! Keep 'em coming!

We've got ideas for at least 10 new ones, but it will probably be a while before we implement them.

[Phantom_491]

I have started working on a 2 stage multi in NLR off the River Trail. Hopefully I can get it finished and up within the next couple weeks.

It will be a 2/4 cache involving some minor rock climbing to an interesting water feature, that I discovered when returning from another cache in that area.

Also I am planning on getting the BP Mystery cache back up this weekend. I still haven't reconfigured it from the event.