Mar 16/2010
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Geocache Activity 599 |
DNF |
IDENTIFICATION
Difficulty 1.5; Terrain 1.5; size micro. Creator: 4 the Fun of It Date First Hidden: 3/12/2010 Date Last Found: new Description This cache is a black film canister hidden near the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village in Pincher Creek. You do not need to leave the sidewalk to retrieve this cache, or move any objects; please respect the landscaping. Please bring your own pencil. Located in the heart of Pincher Creek, Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village has a wealth of wonders and conveniences to offer. The boardwalk features 16 heritage buildings spread over 6 acres of creekside property that you can experience up close, including 18,000+ artifacts from the area's pioneer past. Take some extra time and enjoy the museum!
Hint Check behind the angle iron post. Comments
PLANNING
I was eager to begin today's activities. Yesterday I learned how to use geocaching.com's "Create Pocket Query" to obtain all the caches along a route (in this case Highway 3 between Pincher Creek and Sparwood). This gave me a total of 49 caches to search. This was a .loc file. (The geocaching.com website says that I should be able to obtain this as a .gpx file but I have not been able to figure out how to do this yet.) I then had to convert this to a .gpx file using a program called GPSBabel. I then used a program called Garmin Road Trip to see these caches located on a map on my Mac. This is the same map that my Garmin nuvi uses for its display. This gave me a clear picture of the location of each cache along the highway before I set out. I then downloaded these caches as a .gpx file to a file folder on the Mac desktop and I dragged this folder to the Garmin nuvi (in the folder called GPX) which was hooked up to the Mac.
This may seem like a lot of work, and it is, but it is still much better than having to load each of the 49 web sites individually into the nuvi.
I took along my BT-335 data logger, my Garmin nuvi, my camera and my iPhone. I did not make any notes as I assumed I would be able to use my iPhone to obtain the cache descriptions and details. I also did not make any notes about the sequence of searching as I assumed the nuvi would always indicate which cache was the next nearest and that would work satisfactorily as I was basically following a linear route.
OUTCOME
I arrived in the general vicinity of the cache site by 8:30 am and spent almost an hour looking for the container. I did notice one ideal location in the side of a tree, but it was empty. Nothing else looked promising. The nuvi was bouncing around a lot but it tended to eventually come back to the same area (near the tree).
Here is my posting to the geocaching.com website:
This is my FTDNF. Perhaps I should have had a second cup before starting out. Next time.
I forgot to take any photos. This is not the first time I have done this when I fail to find the cache. Since I didn't find the cache I think I have nothing to take a photo of, but this is not true. I should still take a few photos of the immediate area, as well as possible shots on the way the area. For example, I should have a photo of the museum building.I am now 0/1 for today, an inauspicious beginning. I also missed out on a FTF.