ftf – Dan Q

Dan Q found GCBX0JC Church Micro 12106…Standlake

This checkin to GCBX0JC Church Micro 12106...Standlake reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

After a walk out with the dog to claim the FTF on nearby GCBX0R7, I figured that I still had a little a few minutes on my hands before the code I’d been writing for my day job finished deploying and testing itself, so I thought I’d try to go two-for-two with this, a second FTF!

Coordinate components A through D were easy to collect, but E posed us a problem: from the way it’s put forward in the cache description, the answer I came up with didn’t make any sense! I double-checked A through D and, confident in them, mathematically inferred a range of possible values for E, but couldn’t find any way to conceivably get any of them!¹

A fawn-coloured French Bulldog on a lead sniffs at a metal boot scraper attached to the stonework at the side of a church door. — She’s no good at the *counting*, but she’s a big fan of getting her nose in to *investigate* clue objects.

In any case: of the handful of possible values for E, only one made sense/pointed anywhere believable, and it fit the checksum so we set out. The cache was easy to find, and what an excellent container! Amazing work! The container alone would have been worth a favourite point, if only I hadn’t been completely unable to parse that fifth coordinate component.

Signed log and returned the cache to its hiding place. Hoping the next cacher doesn’t get as confused as I did! TFTC!

Footnotes

¹ I’ll message the CO to get to the bottom of my confusion!

Dan Q found GCBX0R7 War Memorial #???? ~ Standlake

This checkin to GCBX0R7 War Memorial #???? ~ Standlake reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

After liaising with the CO to get the formula fixed following my previous effort, the geohound and I came out for a drizzly walk in-between the downpours to have a second attempt at the FTF. We’re living in Standlake temporarily while our house is repaired following a catastrophic flood earlier in the year, and while the dog – who doesn’t much enjoy rain – was initially hesitant about coming out with me, she warmed to the idea just in time for us to set out.

Dan, a white man with a goatee beard, sits on the steps of a rain-wettened village war memorial, hugging a fawn-coloured French Bulldog. — Out in the wet.

The cache was an easy find in the second place I looked (if I’d checked the hint it’d have been the first place I looked). SL and returned, before pressing on to attempt a second FTF, this time at GCBX0JC.

TFTC, and for the quick turnaround on correcting the calculation!

Dan Q found GCB3FAQ The Grand Bazaar fossils

This checkin to GCB3FAQ The Grand Bazaar fossils reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

I’m visiting Istanbul to meet with colleagues, but we took some time off from our meetings and work this afternoon to come and get lost in the Grand Bazaar. While browsing the amazing diversity of stalls I found myself staring at the floors, which are made of the same kind of limestone as my kitchen floor (in which my kids love hunting for fossils!). Wouldn’t that make a great Earthcache, I thought… and it turns out it anyway is one! So I spent a little while hunting for the best fossil I could find (I’d hoped for a gastropod of some kind, but had to settle for a bivalve), and sent the answers to the CO. Fantastic stuff. TFTC! FP awarded. And, possibly, FTF!

Dan Q found GCB2FZ4 Family Fun #2

This checkin to GCB2FZ4 Family Fun #2 reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

FTF! It’s been a while since I’ve typed that!

Woke this morning slightly hungover and figured a nice walk with the geopup might help me feel better. And what an opportunity: a brand new cache only a short way from home!

Jumped in the car and zipped up to Church Hanborough, parking near the cemetery/allotments because the church bells were ringing and all the parking spots nearer to the centre of thy village were occupied by churchgoers. Walked up the paths to the GZ and had sight of the cache’s shiny container before we were even there. Retrieval was quick and easy, but we had to wait a while before we could return it to it’s hiding place because a large group of dog walkers (one of whom was holding court on how he was confident that Donald Trump would soon “dismantle the Deep State” 🙄) were passing.

Soon signed vs returned and on our way. TFTC!

Dan Q found GCAQJN1 Hardwick park 1

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FTF at 17:19! Saw this cache pop up this morning but figured that with a busy work day ahead of me I wouldn’t stand much chance if getting here first. But after finishing work and dropping my kids at their ballet lesson nearby and realising I had 20 minutes to spare time, I zipped out here to try to claim the glory.

Coordinates seemed slightly off to me (my device read N 51° 44.509′ W 001° 26.038′ when I found it) but if it’s only me that says so it’s probably just a coincidence (or geomagnetic interference: there’s certainly been plenty of that lately!). In any case, the hint was good despite some significant pruning having happened lately and I soon had the cache in hand. TNLN, SL, TFTC!

Dan Q found GCAP4K8 Village Hall Series 1573 – Standlake

This checkin to GCAP4K8 Village Hall Series 1573 - Standlake reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

FTF! Can’t remember the last time I got one of those; it’s been a while. I woke up this morning thinking about an errand I need to run today that would take me near Standlake when I saw the notification that new cache had appeared.

Spurred into action, I opted to do my chore first thing… and find this geocache while on the way there. Parked up at the village hall and quickly found the sign and all the requisite numbers. Spent a little while looking at the wrong host before spotting the other likely candidate, after which the cache was in hand.

Didn’t bring tweezers in my haste to leave the house, and I trimmed my nails just the other day, so retrieving the log book was a bit of a challenge. Eventually I was successful; log signed and retrieved. So nice to see an empty logbook for once! I’m usually beaten to these things by (CO) muddy legs or Go Catch!

Dan Q found GLKZW2HZ Silver Screen

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FTF! Happened to be in the city centre eating my sandwiches and looking at my phone when the alert came in: new cache, less than a kilometre away! Hopped on my bike and bombed it down to find this wonderfully subtle cache. Tweezers would definitely have helped here, but a safety pin that I happened to be carrying worked pretty well too. Nice cache, hope it lasts! TFTC.

Dan Q found GL3DMBG4 Beta

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Wow, what a great cache. FTF!!! reat hiding place; I walked around for about 20 mins before I found it (not helped by the GPS-scattering effect of the nearby trees!). TFTC.

Also, there was no pencil in the cache, so I’ve left one (cut down to a tiny size to fit, obviously).

Dan Q found GL3C41ZC Alphabet Series – C

This checkin to GL3C41ZC Alphabet Series - C reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Changed my mind about waiting until the morning and set out just after midnight, as one can get away with when looking for urban caches. FTF! Found it without even pulling out my GPS, but did have to look inconspicuous for the passing muggles (although they looked too drunk to be paying attention anyway). Took the compass (thanks!), left a candle. TFTC!