Night Hunting Continued

Last Saturday we started a night-cache, but we didn't succeed in finishing it. This evening we went back there to combine walking the dogs with finding the cache.
Toby was leading the way.

Follow the reflectors, that is hard when you carry a bag that is reflecting the light.

The boys are sniffing and trying to figure out which way to go.

When we were inspecting the cache-box the boys heard something and started barking.

Here a picture of our team mascot with the cache-location.

And on top of the cache box.

That makes our total caches found: 12

Achels Dozijn

A lot of caches are hidden in Achel a town just across the border in Belgium. A lot of these are traditional caches, which means that you directly receive the coordinates of the spot where the cache is hidden. No puzzles, no calculation, no nothing just finding the spot.
On our way back from the Sahara we did a little detour to ride home via Achel and try to find some of the caches hidden there. There is a series called "Achels Dozijn" ("Achels Dozen" in English). The series consists of eleven traditional caches spread around in Achel, each of those caches contains a question, with the eleven answers the 12th cache (GC19QXW - Achels Dozijn : Final) can be found as a bonus.

We set our GPS to go to "De Bever" which is a bar/restaurant laying in a forest. This place belonged to one of my elder nieces a long time ago, so when I was young I visited it regularly. When we drove there we passed by another place where one of the caches is hidden. (GC19QYE - Achels Dozijn : Kapel O.L.V.I.D. Nood). A little chapel can be found there.

The cache was easy to find although it is size micro, so nothing could go inside besides the logging-papers. We logged our visit at 14:30.
Here's a picture of our mascot with the cache-box


We continued our trip towards "De Bever" and we came across another of the same series (GC19QYG - Achels Dozijn : Grafheuvels Achel), it is an ancient burial place.

The cache was a little bit harder to find, but once I decrypted the hint, I spotted it. Because this box was a little bit bigger, I could drop a coin here and logged our visit at 14:45.


Again we continued our travel towards "De Bever" and again we came across a cache spot (GC19QYM - Achels Dozijn : Het Planetenpad), the cache-box was found rather easy. We logged our visit at 15:00

But for the answer to the question we had to drive a little bit further down the sandy road with all kind of information about our solar system.

We discovered that in this area many of the caches of the series are hidden, we decided to do one more cache and then continue the journey and come back on another day to finish the other caches.
The selected cache was (GC19QYN - Achels Dozijn : De Waag), it was not hard to find.

The cache-box was hidden somewhat further from the historical place but again was easy spotted.
We logged our visit at 15:15

We had still to find the place where the answer could be found of the previous cache and when we found that information we thought it was time to go home. Sorry for "De Bever" that we didn't come by for a refreshment but next time we will definitely do that.
That makes our total: 11

Here's an overview of the activities we performed this weekend.

The Sahara continued

Today we continued with our cache hunt in Belgium, we went back to way-point 8 because I was in doubt about the coordinates that I wrote down for the ninth WP. We know a parking nearby, so we could start quickly with the final of this cache. We figured out that the coordinates that I wrote down yesterday where wrong, I wrote down 86 where it should be 35 ?????. With this newly found coordinates we immediately found the climbing tree and with binoculars I read the coordinates, but just to be sure, Rob climbed the tree to check the numbers. The numbers I spotted with the binoculars where the correct numbers, so the climb was in vain.

Toby was watching Rob and wondered what he was doing high in the tree.

While Brego was biting on a stick without noticing what went on above his head.

With the found coordinates we could walk straight to the cache location. Here another climb brought us to the cache-box.

While we were logging our visit another team entered the scene and asked whether we were geocaching as well. We exchanged coins, and we are therefore now in possession of the next coin, which wants to visit Canada and the USA.

The resulting stats:

Night caching

We are still figuring out the details of geo-caching. A couple of km's of our home a night cache (GC1BKWM - Schat der Tempeliers) is hidden and we decided to finish the day with the experience of this type of cache.
Armed with a flash-light we arrived at the spot, and tried to find the first reflectors. Once we discovered them and we knew where and what to look for we started the walk. Without the flash-light turned on it was rather dark in the forest. We followed the track and at a certain point we found the location of a coin that was hidden there.

The coin itself was not there anymore but a label with the track-number was so that we could log the discovery.

We continued the track and at one point Toby lead the way, he exactly followed the correct track amazingly we didn't need the reflectors at all, of course we did check the correct path. But when we left the thick forest we arrived at the last reflector we could find we couldn't find any others. So the end of our hunt, no cache either.

So we have to come back on another night to discover where we took the wrong turn and to finish this cache. We for sure do not mind to walk this again, because it was a very nice experience.

Caching in Belgium

For the Saturday we selected two caches in the "Lommelse Sahara" a beautiful area in Belgium that we have visited before. It's a nice area with lakes where the dogs can run and swim, and of course the Sahara, a part with beautiful white sand and a lake in the middle.

The dogs enjoy running in the sand, but fore sure they enjoy the water more.


For one of the caches, (GCZCP6 - de Lommelse Sahara) an earth-cache, we had to make a picture of us with our GPS at the Sahara and we had to answer a couple of question about the area.

So this proves that we were there.

The other selected cache (GCC675 - De Sahara van Lommel (ja, België heeft er ook een)) was a multi-cache where we had to find a tag which contained the coordinates of the next location. It took a while to figure out the spot, but after some persistence we did find it.
On that location we had to find another tag with coordinates for the third and so on.
The result was a beautiful walk in an astonishing environment.
We also passed through woodland and as it is autumn we spotted some beautiful mushrooms.


On one of the spots we had to find the coordinate underneath, and we needed a mirror to read it. My fear of heights made this a very hard task to do.

When we came at the 9th way-point we should find a climbing tree, we didn't find it, and after searching for a while we decided to head home and come back the next day to finish the cash.
Although a little bit disappointed not to find the cache we did enjoy the walk and environment as did the dogs. Here is how Toby looked when we were walking back to the car.

So we did solve one and didn't find the other and our status after this is as follows:

Numero Five

We decided to go for a walk with the dogs and combine this with a cache that is somewhere hidden in the woods we walk a lot.
The selected cache (GCKP60 - Saartje), our second out of a series of five.
When we left the car behind we came to the conclusion that we forgot our camera. Well we had a phone with us so we could make pictures, but since it was a little clouded the quality of the picture isn't perfect.
It had rained at the end of the afternoon so everything was wet, and after a while the dogs get wet as well.

We passed by a marsh that the doggies couldn't resist.

As usual Toby got in the first. He is always looking at us like he's wondering why we don't get into the water.

And here's the cache-box with our Mascot on top. We found it at 18:00 today.

Inside we discovered this Geocoin, that wants to travel the world, let's make that happen.

And one assignment of the coin was to make a picture of the cachers with it, this is our picture, it is the best we could do.

We now have the second of a series of four, when we have discovered all four of them the coordinates of a fifth bonus cache will be revealed to us.

The Fourth

Yes, it is somewhat addictive this geocaching. But because of the beautiful weather we decided to do a quick cache before dinner.
We selected (QCKJ3W Pukkie) as the goal. This is part of a series of 4 caches with a 5th bonus at the end.
Again in our hometown in an area locally called "de Drie Bruggen", in English "the Three Bridges".

We had to go to a GPS-location where we should find a sign like this one, but of course it wasn't this one.

Hey here is the first bridge..

Than this will be the second..

Searching for the last bridge, they cannot seem to find it, well then into the water it is.

The Bears looking for the cache box or are they just sniffing scent of other dogs, who shall tell?

And of course we found the cache-box, here with our mascot on top. Time: 18:15.

Ah and just before we are back at our car, the third bridge we run into.

Okay this is our interpretation of the three bridges, were sure that other bridges give the area it's name but we thought this was funny, hope you will too.

The Third Cache

After the discovery of the second cache we decided to immediately try to find the next one (GCQPF6 - Zak van Sinterklaas).

It was such a beautiful autumn day and this cache was only 1.8 km from the spot where we parked our car.

This cache is a traditional meaning that you just have GPS-coordinates of exactly the spot where the cache is hidden. No puzzles to figure out. So it is relatively easy to find.

And that's what we did. The time was 13:40. Here the males of our team are looking at the box.

Here's our team-mascot on a picture together with Sinterklaas (Dutch Santa Claus), who gives the name to this cache.

When we walked back to our car we even ran into some horses.

And this makes our new status