[GeoStL] Re: MOGA Questions
- From: "Gale R. Nie" <showme69@xxxxxxxx>
- To: <geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 07:16:28 -0600
-
Thanks for the fun read Jeff. Just wanted to mention as a public service to
anyone thinking of coming but hasn't taken the plunge yet, that there are
plenty of campsites available. Hawn only has 19 basic and 26 electric
sites. Meramec has a huge campground, as anyone who has been there knows,
with 45 basic and 143 electric and 18 with elec., water and sewer. I just
checked the availability and there are 22 electric site in section 1, 27
basic sites in section 2, 23 electric sites in section 2, and 22 electric
sites in section 3. There's also 3 with water and sewer still available.
Each section also has a few still available with handicap accessible sites
if anyone needs them. So make those reservations. I just started caching
last month and made camping reservations for MOGA about a week after
starting. Sounded like it would be great fun. My son and I will be doing
the noncompetition caches only. Didn't think he would have the stamina at
age 6 for an entire course. We'll see you all there.
Gale
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff the Blue Bead Man" <bluebeadman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 12:25 AM
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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