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Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 12:56 pm
by Fairly Magic
Thankyou for so much fun doesn't seem enough. A shiny for each of us is an unexpected bonus. We had our own family competition. That I am claiming to win since my gnome clocked the most kms. Two of our gnomes tied for same number of moves and we can't have a draw :lol:

The best thing was that the kids got in on it. Now being teenagers they had drifted away from caching, in fact renaming it gayshing :-k we have had many happy family hours over the last couple of months - thankyou =D> thanyou \:D/

I think the theme was the biggest draw card. Love them or hate them gnomes made for a great moveable. Hides were fun and could be in plain view a lot of the time. Front steps, gardens and shops were all exploited by us.

I would love to see a repeat of the theme for next year. We saw some great cammo jobs and log possibilities that the mind boggles as to what people could come up with next time.

Cheers Quilter

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 1:08 pm
by Black Bunny
caughtatwork wrote:Increased interest? I'd guess a couple of things.
In December / January 1 in 6 finds in the ACT was a GCA cache. I will fully accept that the interest will die off over the coming months, but I doubt it will die off completely.

The ACT cachers seem to be extremely competitive so the opportunity to play in the GCA space seems to be triggering the competition and fun that geocachers enjoy.
Not ALL ACT cachers are crazy c@w, just a few of us :oops: , and yes some are fairly competitive :oops: , especially for FTFs and other "novelties".

For me these last 2 months have been fun and I have had to make a special effort to find GC caches rather than just GAs. Normally it is the other way around.

BB

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 1:45 pm
by juc_cacher
We didn't "hide" a gnome, or even move a big number around, or take any a long distance, but we really enjoyed participating and the funny photos we took. Hopefully we kept some moving in an area where cachers aren't really thick on the ground.

From my perspective, one of the best things about it, apart from the immediate fun of the hunt and find, was that the race introduced me to the fact that GCA allows moveable and virtual cache types, which I didn't know (and trig points !). I had occasionally wondered what the benefits of GCA were, apart from the concentration of the Australian community in the forums and the community aspects of that. I haven't hidden a GCA cahe yet, but 'm sure one's not far off !

The fact that it was gnomes racing was a huge part of it too. I doubt that racing eclipse tins or racing film cannisters would have attracted the same level of interest. As others have mentioned, the humble garden gnome seems to trigger something in people and the fact they can be repainted, dressed up and otherwise modified (eg mummified !) just adds to that. While I doubt that the folks behind the reception desk at work will become hard-core, or even casual geocachers, they certainly got into the whole thing and thought it was cool to be part of it, even though all they did was hand over a couple of boxes across the counter.

Anyway, thanks again for all the fun and I hope that this, or something very like it, happens again this time next year.

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 1:55 pm
by hookline
Zalgariath wrote:
caughtatwork wrote:Yes, yes you did.
Well, any that had a decent chance of being moved.
The two in The Netherlands really didn't stand a chance.
Not during the race... but they are on my radar to come at least to the UK later in the year. And home to Oz eventually if they are small enough :D
Those two gnomes in Amsterdam are mine. :D I didn't really expect them to move. My intention was not to win the race with them, they were just placed there for fun, to see what would happen and because I had some spare gnomes. (And because I wanted to be the first to put a GCA cache in Holland. \:D/ )

I have no idea if they are still there as my partner placed them rather hastily at the airport before departing for Oz, and it was at the height of the 'snow chaos', so it's anyone's guess if they stayed there. My partner goes back home around the end of March, so that's the soonest we will know if they survived in their hiding spots.

Zalgariath, we would love it if you could find and move them, and will be happy to provide any information or hints or photo hints you need in order to find them.

The gnomes will easily fit in your pocket. They are the same as my 'End of the World' gnomes that I released in Tassie-- tiny, one inch high (2.5cm) gnomes with double magnets on the bottom and a mini log rolled up into a 3mm wide hole.

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 2:32 pm
by hookline
I would also like to thank caughtatwork very muchly for the eight pathtags that I will be receiving in the mail. :mrgreen: One would have been fabulous, but to get one for every gnome I released (even the ones that didn't move) is amazingly generous and awesome. Yay!!

I have had so much fun hiding and finding gnomes that I actually enjoy it more than normal caching. Which is a bit frustrating as people are already retiring their gnomes, and I want to keep on hunting them. :( I for one will be leaving all my gnomes active, for anyone to find and move as long as they wish to.

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 3:47 pm
by Just a cacher
I'd like people to think VERY carefully before asking for another gnome race. These gnomes are insidious. They sneak into your affections. I know of at least two cachers who are desperately trying to get their gnomes back now, because they have become attached to them. :?

Do we really need all the anxiety and worry that goes with gnomes?

Are the gnomes infiltrating us for their own nefarious purposes?

Have we bitten off more than we can chew?

Those few of us who have managed to destroy gnomes may in the near future be in demand to save the rest of us.

I think we could all be in trouble here.

Wendy

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 4:00 pm
by rogerw3
Just a cacher wrote:I'd like people to think VERY carefully before asking for another gnome race. These gnomes are insidious. They sneak into your affections. I know of at least two cachers who are desperately trying to get their gnomes back now, because they have become attached to them. :?

Do we really need all the anxiety and worry that goes with gnomes?

Are the gnomes infiltrating us for their own nefarious purposes?

Have we bitten off more than we can chew?

Those few of us who have managed to destroy gnomes may in the near future be in demand to save the rest of us.

I think we could all be in trouble here.

Wendy
8-[ :gnome
I could not agree more, nonetheless I really hope we can do it again next year, hold on it will be this year!
It was such fun and such great promotion for GCA that it would be a shame not to repeat the agony and the ecstasy of another Gnome race!
:twisted: :gnome

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 4:04 pm
by Just a cacher
We might all have mysteriously vanished by the time of the next race.

Wendy

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 4:11 pm
by rogerw3
:?:
Come to think of it were we racing :gnome , or were the :gnome racing us?
:-k

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 4:26 pm
by caughtatwork
Considering WE drove enough to take THEM to the moon (and far, far beyond), I wonder who was really in control.

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 5:23 pm
by Yurt
I think there's room for a locationless to continue the fun a little longer. Off hand I can't think of anything interesting enough but I'm sure someone here will. Either that or the gnome that whispers in your ear will advise ... :gnome

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 7:10 pm
by gmj3191
caughtatwork wrote:Considering WE drove enough to take THEM to the moon (and far, far beyond), I wonder who was really in control.
Interesting point.
If the average distance to the moon is 384,403 kilometers, and I get about 9 l/100km around town in my Outback,
that's about 34,596 litres of petrol, at about $1.319 per litre with my wife's Cole's vouchers.
That works out to about $45,632, neglecting the vertical thrust component.

Of course 4x4 (petrol) drivers can probably triple that :D

These :gnome and :gnomette have cost us quite a bit haven't they.

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 7:47 pm
by petan
caughtatwork wrote: I simply didn't expect the volume of great photos and stories so I need to go through them and see what tickles my fancy.
This was part of my favourite part of the 'race' - coming up with interesting logs for gnome finds and movements. (no I am not trying to push for a story writing shiny - I have an owner's shiny coming anyway).

Obviously my enthusiasm for the race has appealed to a work colleague who has suggested we develop something similar (sans GPSr) for staff to help combat the end of year stress/chaos that engulfs us at that time of year.

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 7:59 pm
by Briggbottoms
gmj3191 wrote: If the average distance to the moon is 384,403 kilometers, and I get about 9 l/100km around town in my Outback,
that's about 34,596 litres of petrol, at about $1.319 per litre with my wife's Cole's vouchers.
That works out to about $45,632, neglecting the vertical thrust component.

These :gnome and :gnomette have cost us quite a bit haven't they.
Entertainment costs are about $50 per week. Multiply that by 9 weeks and 120-150 active cachers (see the December spike in http://geocaching.com.au/stats/cachers/ ... ers_active) and you get a significantly larger number (~$50000-$70000).

Maybe not enough larger to completely justify the fossil fuel consumption, but do consider many of those kilometres were on mass transport (planes, trains or buses) or bicycle/foot.

Most of our kilometres were dual purpose with shopping, commuting or pre-existing errands although certainly some of the most fun ones were solely caching related!

Cheers,
Briggbottoms

Re: The Moving Cache Race for 2010/2011

Posted: 02 February 11 8:02 pm
by blossom*
As I'm already a GCA hider and finder, and also enjoyed the MCR last year, my favourite aspect of this year's race was the people. We had a few gnome events and I met new cacher friends, I emailed and plotted with a number of local and inter-state cachers and I also met a number of new friends at various gnomey locations. The warmth and friendliness of the race, all trying to collaborate to get as many gnomes as far as possible was a real highlight for me \:D/