GEE WIZ! 

BRING THE GPS ADVENTURES MAZE

TO FLORIDA!

One of Florida's long-time geocachers, Captain Biggins, has started an effort and a petition to bring "Bring the GPS Adventures Maze to G Wiz Science Museum, located in Sarasota, FL.  This would be an awesome opportunity for the Florida Geocaching community!

 Just a refresher description of the GPS Adventures Maze.  According to Minotaur Maze Exhibits (http://www.minotaurmazes.com/mazedetail.html?maze=19), here's an overview of the maze itself : 

" Get lost in the maze and learn how to find your way using GPS! Visitors simulate a GPS adventure using a unique stamp card that leads each visitor to their own Treasure City. By collecting all 4 stamps, the visitor successfully simulates how a GPS unit locks into 4 satellites to determine a location.
But wait, you’re in a maze! After navigating around impassable obstacles including waterfalls, cliffs, and ravines, you’ll solve cache puzzles in four environments: city, local park, back-country and a historic site to find secret codes and gain access to each of four content-rich satellite rooms:
Satellite Room 1: The History of Navigation – Traditional navigation is complicated. GPS makes it easy.
Satellite Room 2: The Great Outdoors – The outdoors are for everyone. Be prepared, go play and LEAVE NO TRACE.
Satellite Room 3: GPS Today – Geocaching is a hot new GPS-enabled sport of treasure hunting.
Satellite Room 4: The Future of GPS – GPS is changing the way we live.

Once all four stamps are collected, visitors will discover their Treasure City at the World Map Station and can embark on an actual GPS adventure. "

 So why is this a good idea?


1. Well, we all know that Florida geocachers are awesome and we love opportunities for fun adventures like this in our own backyard! (Ok, so I'm biased...but it's true! :D)

2. This is a wonderful opportunity for both geocachers and non-geocachers (known as "muggles" in geocaching-ese) to learn navigation & GPS technology through a live-action, interactive experience, enhance critical thinking skills and memory retention, and to just get up, get moving, get exploring and discover the wonderful world of geocaching.

3. This is a chance to explore another one of Florida's museums, in this case G. Wiz, The Science Museum (http://www.gwiz.org/), located in the lovely Gulf Coast city of Sarasota.

Click on this link for an informative video about G.Wiz -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wh3VItz-08

4. Florida tourism has been suffering due to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, even though much of the Florida coast has not been impacted.  The coast of Sarasota is fortunately one such city.  Geocachers often travel far and wide to find rare categories of caches, so there is a good chance this would attract out-of-state folks to visit.  It may not make a huge impact on tourism, but it certainly can't hurt!

So please help bring the GPS Adventures Maze to Sarasota and sign this petition -   Bring the GPS Adventures Maze to G Wiz Science Museum!

 10 YEARS! FLORIDIAN-STYLE

When it comes to a party, all Floridian geocachers need is an excuse…but give us a real reason to celebrate and watch out…you’re in for some fun times!   So when Geocaching.com invited one and all to celebrate the 10 Years! Anniversary of the proverbial “flipping of Blue Switch” on the weekend of April 30 - May 3, 2010, the Florida geocaching community was more than happy to oblige. So with partying (and of course a shiny new icon) in mind, the entire Sunshine State, at 19 different locations from the Florida Panhandle to as far south as Sanibel Island, gathered to celebrate a decade of all things Geocaching.

                                                      Celebrating at "10 Years! Lakeland, FL" (GC257M9)

We, of course, did our part to partake in the celebrations by attending events from Central through Southwest Florida.  Deciding that we didn’t want to wait any longer than necessary, the first event we attended was 10 Years! Lakeland, FL (GC257M9), hosted by FSUDad on Friday, April 30, 2010.  Approximately 53 geocaching teams joined FSUDad to celebrate and to enjoy the lovely environs of the Circle B Bar Reserve, a piece of property jointly acquired by the Polk County Environmental Lands Program and SWFWMD to protect the floodplain of the lake and to maintain the Banana Creek Marsh system.  A perfect place to remind us that these 10 Years! of Geocaching has increased our awareness of such incredible environmental lands!

Next there was the Saturday, May 2^nd excursion to South Fort Myers to enjoy the hospitality of Blue Diamonds and South Paw as they hosted a good ol’ fashioned barbecue-and-bonfire event – “10 Years! South Fort Myers, FL” (GC25NP7).  Good food, satisfying beverages and laughs all around ... and even a visit from the friendly local fire department, who also appreciates a really good bonfire .  Geocaching camaraderie at its best!   …and although this was the only 10 Year! event we attended in these parts, it is worth mentioning that out of the 19 Floridian celebrations, the gang from Southwest Florida successfully coordinated FIVE of those events, and had a traveling 10 Year! Party from Lehigh Acres all the way to Sanibel Island.  Too bad there isn’t a special icon for such a well-coordinated and awesome effort!

                                                               Bonfire A-blazing in South Ft Myers (GC25NP7)

After a night of partying in South Fort Myers, back north so we could join Isonzo Karst and friends at “10 Years! River Park, FL” (GC1YFPM).   With approximately 45 caching teams coming together, we all once again got to appreciate the wonderful natural places we visit while Geocaching as we celebrated and cached in Withlacoochee River Park, a regional park located in Dade City near the Withlacoochee River with both access to a untamed and picturesque portion of the river and a myriad of habitat communities, from high sandhills to low riverine swamp. 

                                                                 10 Years! River Park (GC1YFPM) Crew        

 …But of course this is only a small sampling of all the partying the fine cachers in this amazing State had to offer.  Check out this bookmark list to take a look at all the festivities throughout Florida - http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=9018765a-4727-4f8f-9714-f0d720c48665. 

Yup….Florida is definitely ready for another 10 Years! And a caching-we-will-go!

McGregor-Smith Scout Reservation, Inverness, FL

Saturday, April 17, 2010

“Hey?  Whatever happened to the good ol’ FGA anyway?  Haven’t seen much activity from the Sunshine State’s geocaching organization lately…Did it “die” or something?”  Sound familiar?  Well, I am happy to announce that recent Events have proved that the Florida Geocaching Association, after a little jump start,  is alive and well and on the move.

It all started several months ago when the FGA Board members put their heads together to answer the question “How can we bring the FGA back to life, once again becoming a resource & just a downright fun place for Sunshine State geocachers ‘to be’?”  Well, realizing that talk is cheap, we decided to take action in the best way possible – by planning a series of FGA Revival Events throughout the State to once again promote quality caches and Florida-style geo-camaraderie.

The first of these events, organized by our North-Central Rep, Tallahassee-Lassie , with assistance from Paintfiction (Northeast Rep) and LionsLair (Northwest Rep) on March 16, 2010, was GC23E8J – Geocaching North Florida Style – a FGA Event.  Located at the Forest Capital Museum State Park and Cracker Homestead, geocachers had the opportunity to socialize, find a bunch of caches and even celebrate the heritage of Florida’s forest industry if they so desired. 

Then onward to Southwest Florida, for some Team Crime Scene-stylin’ FGA fun …GC242G7 Geek Speak: intricacies & nuances,  courtesy of our  Southwest Rep, Team Crime Scene.    Located in  Lakes Regional Park in Fort Meyers, a 279-acre facility featuring 158-acres of a freshwater quarry lake, several pavilions, some cool playgrounds and even a miniature railroad, Team Crime Scene called in the “experts” for several education geo-workshops, including informative “sessions” about Whereigos, Projections, GSAK, Alternate Caching Devices and Event Planning.  ….followed, of course, by a delicious pulled pork buffet, and of course, mucho socializing and geocaching, enjoyed not only by Floridian geocachers, but also by a caching contingency from abroad…Germany to be precise.  FGA South goes international!!!  Hey, even the circus stopped by, just so an evil clown could join the fun…

…and last, but certainly not least, the FGA Revival Weekend extravaganza at the McGregor Smith Scout Reservation, successfully pulled off by the following Board Members - FSUDad , Dale&Barb and M&M Melted….not to forget Isonzo Karst and Lbase.  The planning that went into the event was intense, but loads of fun.  After FGA’s Fearless Leader, FSUDad, scouted out the property, which was purchased by Southwest Florida Water Management District from the Boy Scouts of America in 2004, and negotiated successfully with the most supportive Ranger Bill, a day of well-planned cache placement (with 20 ammo cans donated by Dale&Barb for the cause), the total cooperation of the local Florida approvers, palmetto and BoJab, and a shopping excursion or two, the greatly anticipated weekend arrived.

To kick off a weekend of fun, geocachers gathered ‘round the campfire on Friday evening , 4/16/2010, for some good, ol’ fashion s’mores at  GC23C0E - Let's Cache S'More.  As we indulged in marshmallows, chocolate & graham crackers, we enjoyed the company and even a beautiful display of “fireworks”, complements of an unusually large population of some variety of fireflies hanging out in the palmettos.

Next up, the  GC23ABE - FGA Revival, on 4/17/2010… The entire day was fun-filled – lots to eat, lots of caches to find, and even a rip-roaring game of Geo-Yahtzee, first prize awarded to Ice Cream Man.  A great day!

…and for those who just happened to be wandering around the Florida wilderness at 10pm, desperately seeking geocoins, Dale&Barb did their part to assist at GC231ZE – Coin You Make It?, an FGA –sponsored geocoin swap meet-n-greet.

FGA mirrors the Geocaching community as a whole in its concern for the environment and the role that geocachers should play in maintaining healthy natural areas.  So, with this in mind, GC23DB6 –McGregor Smith Scout Reservation CITO seemed like the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend.   Many thanks to all those who helped clean up the surrounding campgrounds.

This is just the beginning…stay tuned for more FGA fun in the future.

Good times,... good friends & good caching...'dats what it's all about!