[GeoStL] Re: MOGA Questions
- From: "Tim & Pam Ueltzen" <timpam2mocachers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 06:58:49 -0600
-
Wow what a great story. It sure brought back a lot of memories for me.
I would like to see this added to the SLAGA/MOGA web page so we can send out
a link to it in the forums. I think everyone would enjoy reading about
Jeff's adventures.
Thanks for the story Jeff!
Tim
-----Original Message-----
From: geocaching-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:geocaching-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jeff the Blue Bead Man
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 12:26 AM
To: geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [GeoStL] Re: MOGA Questions
-
Nancy, and anyone else willing to read through my long message: Here's my =
"MOGA" story from Hawn and I'm sticking to it. :-) =20
As you know, I started caching back in Feb, 2004 at your "Generally a Cache=
Here-Now" cache at the Gen. Bissell House. What you might or might not kn=
ow is that my 2nd (or maybe 3rd) cache was the older Tanglewood cache by Is=
land-Dave. That older Tanglewood cache directly led me to SLAGA. I rememb=
er I wrote on my gc.com log something like this: "I wonder if there is a St=
. Louis Geocacher's Association. I'll have to check it out." After I fini=
shed typing up that log, I googled for SLAGA. Sure enough, I found the www=
.geostl.com web site. Now this was just a month before last year's Hawn ev=
ent, and the web site really promoted the event well--just like it is doing=
this year. I decided to go despite the fact that names like Brawny Bear, =
Bridge with a T, RGS, Strider, Thunder Monk, and Myotis were simply just ca=
ching names to me. I knew NO ONE associated with the sport. I was a bit i=
ntimidated to think that I might be "competing" against all these experienc=
ed folks. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself. So I registered for=
the event with some hesitation. To my surprise, Hawn State Park still had=
a few camping vacanies. I doubt it will be that way this year at Meramec.=
Ok, I would go and camp out in my truck--I thought it would be too cold t=
o stay in a tent and it would only be a night or two. I was all set and re=
ady to go.
The big night arrived and I had trouble getting to the park. I didn't arri=
ve until the next morning--nuts! I thought I would miss something good. W=
ell, it couldn't be helped so I got up VERY early on Saturday morning and d=
rove to Hawn. I got there in time to check-in for the competition and get =
my packet. Because I registered very late, I did not have a registration p=
acket waiting for me. The SLAGA folks were VERY helpful and pulled togethe=
r all of the essential stuff. I found my "camping" site and set up everyth=
ing I needed for the day. Then I wandered off to go find the competition. =
Well, my last minute packet didn't have EVERYTHING I needed. I figured on=
e area was the starting location and it turned out to just be the main dini=
ng area. I still had to climb this MAJOR hill just to get to the starting =
location. NUTS!!! I remember thinking to myself "Do I go home now or what?=
I'm not even going to get to START on time because I can't find the start=
ing line WITH my GPS!" Well, to make a LONG story shorter, I stuck around =
long enough to climb the hill where I met Tim of Tim, Pam, and Molly, Rich =
who was RGS, and Bridget, the famed Bridge with a T. They gladly fixed me =
up with a start time and even some much needed help. I kept thinking that =
I looked like a fool, yet they kept offering help. "Creating and using way=
points? Easy...Here's how." Maybe this would be good after all. =20
My starting time arrived for the course. I received my first waypoint and =
away I went--off into the wilderness. At the first waypoint, I met GEO*Tra=
ilblazer1 and Phantom491. We exchanged hellos and then we departed somewha=
t seperately. I started to hunt waypoint #2. Now understand, this is one =
point which will be different this year at Meramec. Last year's course was=
linear--that is, you found the first point and then moved to the second wa=
ypoint and so on. Meramec is NOT set up that way. So GEO*Trailblazer1, Ph=
antom491, and myself all converged on the second waypoint at more or less t=
he same time. At that point, we decided to hunt the course as a team. Tha=
t was the end of the INDIVIDUAL competition for me. For the rest of the we=
ekend, I was part of the "A Team." We called ourselves the "A Team" becaus=
e we were working on the A Course and we were operating as a team. Now, so=
me of the best memories I have of Hawn were being a part of that team. I w=
ould HIGHLY recommend anyone thinking of doing the courses to think about g=
etting a team together. Group caching is ALWAYS a blast, and depending on =
how your team is set up, the team approach can make mincemeat out of any co=
urse.
=20
The individual competition was held in the morning. Couples and "real" tea=
ms competed in the afternoon. Well, since I really didn't know anyone befo=
re the competition, I didn't set up or join any "official" team. Instead, =
I went caching for the event caches on Saturday afternoon. I got deep in t=
he park looking for some of the event caches and I run into a group of geoc=
achers! It turned out to be just most (not all!) of the "MOGA" event staff=
. They were, uh, hmmm, uh, course monitoring--yea, yea, that's the ticket.=
Of course, if their course monitoring duties just happened to take them b=
y an event cache, well then, they might as well log it. I think their cour=
se monitoring duties took them by oh, say, maybe half of the event caches. =
We didn't even see one single competitor during that whole time. Well, ok=
, I WAS a competitor, but I was not competing at the time. I guess I COULD=
name names but I wouldn't. I think I would get shot if I did! LOL! Besi=
des, this is one of the things that got changed for this year's event: staf=
f are NOT allowed to hunt event caches DURING the event. But the greatest =
point of this story was the connections I made with LOTS of SLAGA folks. T=
hese were the movers and shakers of the association. The people you read a=
bout and hear about. They are the names on the newsgroup, on the top of th=
e cache pages as cache owners, on the bottom of the cache pages as cache fi=
nders. They set up the events. They return your phone calls and email mes=
sages AND give you hints about finding any particular cache. These were, a=
nd are, good people to know. I gained SO MUCH information from these peopl=
e that I immediately knew that I would be a part of this year's staff. I k=
new I would get back to St. Louis and go nuts with this sport. I knew I wa=
s hooked.=20
I got back from the event on a geocaching high. Some people may say I neve=
r came down from that high. My students think I'm nuts. Well, whatever. =
It was fun weekend. I look back at that moment on that Saturday morning wh=
en I thought about leaving and I cringe. I would have missed out on quite =
a bit. I would have missed an entire year of fun. I would have missed mak=
ing new friends and connections. I would have missed out on seeing some p=
laces I never knew existed. I would have missed out on the opportunity to =
become involved in this sport. Certainly, I could have attended a differen=
t event and experienced the same rush and could have become just as involve=
d as I am now, but for me, the event WAS the MOGA-type event last year at H=
awn. So the event was special to me. =20
I dunno know--maybe I'm just way too sappy and sentimental, but as I help p=
lan and work on this year's event, I keep hoping that this event will spark=
just SOME of the emotion, some of the excitement, some of the passion, for=
some of the cachers who attend the event just like it did for me last year=
. I guess time will tell if it will or not, but I HOPE it will! Until the=
n, I keep on working to try to make it a success.
Now, for anyone thinking about attending MOGA, here are some things I would=
encourage you to do:
1) DO IT!!! Plan to attend--even if you can only attend for part of one day=
! I was nervous and scared and knew NOBODY when I decided to attend last y=
ear. I left with LOTS of new friends and GREAT memories.=20
2) Register early--to insure you get ALL the stuff coming to you. T-shirts=
, lanyards, starting locations... :-) It is WELL WORTH the admission price=
... =20
3) Reserve your camping site, cabin, or hotel room--the park will be packed=
with people. If not with geocachers, then with campers and other guests. =
Think spring: red buds and pink dogwoods in bloom again. Everyone, not j=
ust geocachers, will want to see the earth's grand yearly reawakening. =20
4) Bring your friends, relatives, and spouses--Work as a team if possible. =
You will learn something about them you never knew--trust me--you will! =
=20
5) Get involved--say hi to everyone you meet! You'll leave with so many fr=
iends and connections--wow! There will be GPS and geocaching educational w=
orkshops on Sunday morning. There WILL be Crackerbarrels both Friday and S=
aturday nights. Everyone is invited to attend those...AND join one of the =
groups to do the event caches--it will be a blast if you do!
6) And the most important: HAVE FUN!!! This WILL be a great experience fo=
r you and those around you. Leave your troubles back at home for the weeke=
nd, and let yourself go for the fun of it, and you will have the time of yo=
ur life!=20
Ok, I've rambled on long enough. I have just one more thing to say to ALL =
of you (besides "Thank you for reading such a LONG message"):
SEE YOU AT MOGA 2005 AT MERAMEC STATE PARK!!!
-Jeff, the Blue Bead Man
=20
-Jeff, the Blue Bead Man
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