Topic Ideas...

[Flatouts]

What About a Heads up on new caches?

How about a favorite cache in Orlando? - doesn't have to be the worlds best just one you liked and think others would also enjoy.

Just asking now to see if there's interest - the replies will determine any further action.

[Cache & Keri]

I wouldn't recommend driving within 20 miles of Orlando to anyone.....too much traffic.

However, East of Orlando there is a place called Tosohatchee Reserve that has many excellent geocaches and terracaches. Well worth the trip and not anywhere near Orlando or it's suburbs....yet.

Tosohatchee Reserve

[Flatouts]

I wouldn't recommend driving within 20 miles of Orlando to anyone.....too much traffic.

However, East of Orlando there is a place called Tosohatchee Reserve that has many excellent geocaches and terracaches. Well worth the trip and not anywhere near Orlando or it's suburbs....yet.

Tosohatchee Reserve

Darn, that puts a real damper on all our caches don't it... Yes by all means stay away...

Course if you already live here... Which I thought was the purpose of this area... Dumb me...

You could take advantage of the Urban style caches... (I hear some of these woodzie types can't handle) you might find some really good caches and have some fun finding really cool places you might not know about.

We have less fires too...

I was just at the Tosohatchee Reserve and it's a really cool place. Unfortunately we had just left the St. Johns Water Management River Clean Up after taking out a huge She Can's worth of human garbage and were just exploring. The folks just before us signed in their purpose as Geocaching... Well we were just exploring on our way home and were not at all prepared. Besides we were pulling a boat. Still had a blast, saw tons of wildlife even helped a huge softshell get across the Powerline road (if you can call that a road). I agree that my true love is woods and swamps but verity is the spice of life!

As for traffic in Orlando - like anything else if you know what your doing and you know where your going it isn't bad at all. Apply a little logic for timing to avoid rush hour - just stay off I4 downtown as the construction is the real problem right now. The construction on the 408 (another road I don't use) isn't as bad of a disruption.

I drive it every day - I go from the Airport area to Windermere to Downtown to Collage Park to Winter Park to Baldwin Park (that's a great cut through from Oviedo too), by the Mall, Goldenrod and all areas in between. That's during the week Weekends are nothing to navigate.

Seriously folks don't be scared to Cache in Orlando.

I've dragged some woodzie types into Orlando kicking and screaming of course - now it's not so hard to get them to come back. In fact I do believe they actually like some of the caches.


URBAN CACHING in Orlando


So rather than Bash me could anyone actually answer the Question(s)?

Seriously I'd like to see this area of FGA take off - perhaps if us Urban cachers weren't bashed on our posts we'd be more active and make this a great place to communicate and participate... You never know it could happen...

[Doc-Dean]

I like the Orlando caches!

One of my favorite logs came from an Orlando cache.

O.C.C.C. TB Hotel

[Flatouts]

Cool I hope you visit often... I've got a few you might like

There's one that is a must "Bridges over Fern Creek" what a cool park.

[FSUDad]

I was in Orlando area on Sunday and found Tetraodontidae. Not exactly an urban cache.

[Cache & Keri]

I wouldn't recommend driving within 20 miles of Orlando to anyone.....too much traffic.

However, East of Orlando there is a place called Tosohatchee Reserve that has many excellent geocaches and terracaches. Well worth the trip and not anywhere near Orlando or it's suburbs....yet.

Tosohatchee Reserve

Darn, that puts a real damper on all our caches don't it... Yes by all means stay away...

Course if you already live here... Which I thought was the purpose of this area... Dumb me...

You could take advantage of the Urban style caches... (I hear some of these woodzie types can't handle) you might find some really good caches and have some fun finding really cool places you might not know about.

We have less fires too...

I was just at the Tosohatchee Reserve and it's a really cool place. Unfortunately we had just left the St. Johns Water Management River Clean Up after taking out a huge She Can's worth of human garbage and were just exploring. The folks just before us signed in their purpose as Geocaching... Well we were just exploring on our way home and were not at all prepared. Besides we were pulling a boat. Still had a blast, saw tons of wildlife even helped a huge softshell get across the Powerline road (if you can call that a road). I agree that my true love is woods and swamps but verity is the spice of life!

As for traffic in Orlando - like anything else if you know what your doing and you know where your going it isn't bad at all. Apply a little logic for timing to avoid rush hour - just stay off I4 downtown as the construction is the real problem right now. The construction on the 408 (another road I don't use) isn't as bad of a disruption.

I drive it every day - I go from the Airport area to Windermere to Downtown to Collage Park to Winter Park to Baldwin Park (that's a great cut through from Oviedo too), by the Mall, Goldenrod and all areas in between. That's during the week Weekends are nothing to navigate.

Seriously folks don't be scared to Cache in Orlando.

I've dragged some woodzie types into Orlando kicking and screaming of course - now it's not so hard to get them to come back. In fact I do believe they actually like some of the caches.


URBAN CACHING in Orlando


So rather than Bash me could anyone actually answer the Question(s)?

Seriously I'd like to see this area of FGA take off - perhaps if us Urban cachers weren't bashed on our posts we'd be more active and make this a great place to communicate and participate... You never know it could happen...

I'm sorry if you thought I was bashing Orlando caches. I've made several trips over to O Town in the past few years and I've found the caches to be of very good quality. There are great hides by TheNomad, CacheMonkeez, Clan Riffster, JetSkier, Jackie and Bob, etc.

I live in Melbourne and driving into and around Orlando is time consuming. My point was that there are excellent caches to be found outside the city limits for those who prefer not to spend hours in traffic going from cache to cache.

If I lived in Orlando proper, I'd probably attempt to find them all.

BTW, we have heard about your caches and I'm hoping to find time to visit a few of them this summer.

[Flatouts]

Cool

We've spent some time going to different places near the coast and other places. We're new to Caching in general and to SCGA. There are some of our favorite caches along the coast. Our second love is Flats Fishing so we do more than Caches on the coast. In fact some of my ideas were inspired by crazy cachers over on the coast like Overrover. But with the little time I've been on the SCGA Forums I found it to be more coastal based. My thinking is that this particular branch of FGA seems to be more directed at us in Orlando thus the board index of Regional Geocaching Clubs Central (Orlando). Perhaps it's the start of our own Association who knows. Certainly Central indicates all of the central section of Florida including both coast. There's a lot of good Caches here and I know that people from all over including other countries come to enjoy them. So this should be helpful to them as well.

I've also found that us folks in Orlando aren't organized but can still seem to pull it together in a moments notice (examples WWFM III done by PhotoE and Seminole CITO done by Clan Riffster). But I can't help but think that if there as a simple line of communication the turn outs could be even better or at least folks could have a place to chat at the minimum. GS set up for posting events is really effective and probably all that's really needed. But some folks like to talk things out more than others and share ideas and so forth. Forums seem to lend themselves to that purpose better than Cache pages.

Heck we're still reading the many thousands of interesting post in the GS forums... It will take years...lol But again not really local to us in Orlando. As a new cacher it sure offers a huge knowledge base. FGA & SCGA bring that also and is more applicable for us that live in these parts. Can't really apply Snow capped mountain hides here now can we. Wonder what they would think of a 2+ mile hike in a Fla Swamp or palmetto forest... So regional serves it's purpose too. For Orlando a coastal hide on the jetties is a little hard but we can still relate and I guarantee we can figure out something similar. We both have swamps and palmettos so there's common ground. However, here in the heart of downtown we're a bit hard pressed for swamps amongst the tall buildings. Course some of us have found that it is possible to produce a swamp like hide...hehehe

I'm not putting down SCGA at all in any way - but from what I understand Orlando will not have it's own Association other than SCGA unless something changes. Only time will tell.

To us Geocaching is like a journey each cache presents a new exploration, a new experience and meeting folks with like interest makes it even better. We also like some of the mystery of the unknown - people you have not met that you find their caches. So We're not out to meet every Cacher/Hider but if we do meet some that's cool too. It's all part of the journey. But in a forum you still don't really meet these mysterious Geocachers and so if they want to remain cloaked they can. But they can still share experiences or ideas if they so choose.

Life is really like a box of Chocolates (that has to be one of the all time best lines anyone has every wrote).

Recently we've met some of our local legendary Cachers and it was pretty cool. They seem to be taken by surprise when folks come up to them and say Wow I've always wanted to meet you in person" Can I have your autograph - JK...lol They must feel great that their efforts are appreciated. Lets face it, if some folks don't put hides out there wouldn't be caches to find and thus this entire game sport wouldn't be much fun at all. Me I'll never be a legend that's for sure as we have no intention. But it's still fun meeting and sharing with folks. If I can give back by putting out a few hides, sharing our experiences, knowledge or hack just hang out and cache that will work. It's all good...

Cache & Keri we look forward to someday getting your autograph too!

No matter what I hope that we can get others to share their comments, thoughts and ideas here on this forum of FGA.

Cache On!

[Clan Riffster]

from what I understand Orlando will not have it's own Association other than SCGA unless something changes.

I think if someone with a lot of free time, some disposable income and a bit of website experience were to create a Central Florida Geocaching Association, it would eventually reach the same level of recognition as NEFGA and SCGA. We've got some great cachers here, but we lack our own gathering spot, hence, us wandering into the other great sites. Because of the geographic differences, a CFGA site would not compete with the others, but I believe it would compliment them.

No, I'm not volunteering.

[Flatouts]

Hmmm then what are you doing

I do have to Agree - what a genius idea... Lets get Blue Man, he'll do it

[Flatouts]

On second thought... What About Bob?

[Flatouts]

Hey there's going to be a Meet & Greet in Orlando - date is still up in the air but look'n like
June 29th around 2pm at the Eastside Baptist Church 1900 Conway Gardens Rd
Orlando, FL 32812 near Curry Ford. Be on the look out for a Event announcement coming soon.

I might suggest all interested parties that can attend do so. Who knows maybe the footer for a CFGA can be started and we could build from there. Things are a lot easier when done in groups and if the talent exist and minds are pulled together you never know what can be built. But if you build it they will come.

So far a good number of area cachers have said they will attend if at all possible.

Contact FL Team Dragonfly if interested and want more info.

[Clan Riffster]

Hey there's going to be a Meet & Greet in Orlando

Whoo Hoo!! Won't the folks at the church be doing their thing that day?

[Jackie and Bob]

On second thought... What About Bob?

Bob would be more likely than Blue Man, but don't hold your breath.
Bob doesn't like to have his computers up and running 24/7. Besides, he retired from the computer business.

Actually this site was originally built by and hosted by TheNomad. So it started in Central Florida.

[Flatouts]

The Pastor of the Church is a Cacher and these arrangements will be held after all Church festivities are done for the day.
This should provide plenty of space in a really nice environment for a gathering don't you think.
Final details are being worked on and announcement is soon to follow once everything is written in stone!
I've lit the candle so it should catch on soon.

Orlando's First Geo Gathering M&G Event!

Special Thanks to FL Team Dragonfly for putting there idea into action!
I do know that plans will include activities for new comers so they encourage folks to bring friends that they want to introduce to Geocaching or are new to the sport. Examples of cache containers and how to get started on the right foot. They will have some containers available to encourage folks that would like to put out some hides for us to find will be up for grabs. There will be some caches for everyone to seek after the meeting. Course if this brings you to a new area of town you haven't cached out yet, you'll have plenty to find and there are some really good ones around.

A search on the Area Code 32806:
Shave & A Haircut 2 Bits
Just Wading Around for you
Owed to Jet Skiers!
Lancaster Park
Where Shopping Is A Pleasure
Eastside Treasure Stash
Very Distinguished Roots
Feel the need to cache?
Orlando Is Born
Perry 1920
Surveyor's Lake
Under the boardwalk
High Voltage
Reincarnation of Lake Cherokee
Of Coith You Can Find This!
Fear Factor Urban Wetlands
Two Famous Trees
Dr. Butt's Famous Remedy
Cache on the Green
Need A Ride?
Rotten
Troll
Bridges over Fern Creek
.........Many More that's just within 2 miles. Plus whatever they add for the event. And if you just add a mile holly cow...LOL
Plenty do entertain you afterwards that's for sure.

Note some of the caches above will require some gray matter usage prior to the hunt (puzzles)
Hey maybe the owners will be there to give you a nudge

Bring your coin collection to share for discoveries (if it's large you might want to provide a list to make it easy for others to log their discoveries).

No matter what it's bound to be fun just hanging with other like minded folks who you can freely talk Geotalk to without getting strange looks or being told you need to seek help.

So Escape the heat and come and greet other local Central Florida cachers (That would include any and all from coast to coast that would like to attend). Lets all pitch in and make this a huge success!

[Cache & Keri]

Are Terracachers welcome to attend?

[Flatouts]

Are Terracachers welcome to attend?

Sure why not - even you Space Coast types are invited

Here's The Event Page:
CENTRAL FL MEET 'N' GREET - Everyone is Welcome - GC1CZM0

[Dale n Barb]

Speaking of us Space Coast Types, you will be happy to learn you now have your own spot on the Space Coast Geocachers Association's Forums. I have created a special spot for you to talk about your Orlando hides, gatherings or whatever else you want to talk about . Check it out HERE. I am not trying to pull anyone from the FGA's site just giving you a local feel to see if you really want to take on the daunting task of creating your own group and site. As much time as I spend on our own forums I spend quite a bit of time reading all the posts on here as well as SOFLO, TAG and NEFGA. I know, I need a life right? Well I like to see what others around the state are talking about and what they find interesting. It helps keep our forums interesting.

[Thelanes]

2 years have past since the posting of this topic. In that time I have hidden a few caches, some I like some I am not so proud of. My favorite hide is now in the Econ Sandhill Conservation area. There are several in this conserve, so you can make a morning of it and grab about 6 or 7 caches.
if you have a hayak, there are several along the econ river. However, you need to check the elevation of the river. If it is lower than 26 feet, you may be portaging more than paddling.
Come on back and cache here again. It is a completely different setting from two years ago.