Staring contest, you and me. Go. Photo by geocacher Indigo Parrish.

Millions of years ago, a sea covered a large portion of the land that is now the United States. During this time, dinosaurs called Sauropods and Theropods roamed North Texas. Some experts* say they were geocaching, potentially looking for terrain five geocaches. These giant reptiles left footprints in the soft mud that have been preserved for millions of years. And until this documentary becomes a (terrifying) reality, finding the Dinosaur Valley Earthcache (GCQMHY) might be as close as we can get to living dinosaurs.

Mrs. Scattermycaches excited to be at the park’s entrance.

The dino footprints that you’ll see while you’re in the park were made about 113 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. The tracks were discovered in the early 1900s, however they did not become famous until 1937 when palentologist R.T. Bird saw them while collecting fossils. Bird continued exploring the Paluxy River looking for more prints and eventually uncovered a large Sauropod and Theropod trackway.

As you follow in the footsteps of these dinosaurs, you might be wondering what these beasts looked like. The three-toed footprints are most likely from Acrocanthosaurus, a smaller relative of T-Rex. These meat-eating, giant lizards were about 20–30 feet long.

Discovering Theropod tracks. Photo by geocacher Silver Fox 62

The round and smaller hoof-like footprints come from Sauropods. This group of dinosaurs are large plant-eaters that walked on all fours. Bones found in 1996 led to the discovery that the tracks belonged to a new species of dinosaur: Paluxysaurus jonesi. At 60–70 feet long and 12 feet tall, these giants became the official dinosaur of Texas in 2009.

To earn your smiley for this Earthcache, you’ll have to answer a few dino-related questions. Although the questions aren’t easy to answer, that hasn’t deterred geocachers from experiencing this amazing place. “We love Earth caches for the education that they provide, and this one was no exception. It was amazing to walk in the same footsteps as the dinosaurs!” said geocacher BANDA in their log.

These amazing tracks were discovered by someone searching in the woods. What’s the most amazing (and appropriate) thing you’ve discovered while searching for a geocache? Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.

*experts at Geocaching HQ

WINNING CAPTION: "But that's not all, if you order your Lackey's Press-on Nails in the next five minutes, we’ll send you this authentic Signal geocoin!"-nemocamaro

Enter your best caption for this picture to win a ‘barely coveted prize’ in the 33rd installment of our Geocaching.com Caption Contest. This picture was originally posted on the official Geocaching.com Facebook page. Special thanks to geocacher Alison Duhamel for use of the picture.

What caption would you write for the picture at the top of this post? “The geocache probably should have seen this one coming.”

Barely Coveted Prize

Submit your caption by clicking on “Comments” below. Please include your Geocaching.com username in all entries. Then, explore the captions other geocachers have posted.

The winner receives this month’s vintage ‘barely coveted prize.” It’s a medium sized t-shirt from a 2010 geocaching event organized by Lackeys. It celebrates the 25th anniversary of the movie Goonies.

Click on the image to see the winning caption of this contest

More than two dozen Lackeys voted to award the winner of the 32nd Geocaching.com Caption Contest a barely coveted prize. It was winter-themed – and coincidentally the voting took place on May 4th. [The joke goes, "May the 4th be with you."] Perhaps not so coincidentally, a Star Wars-themed caption won. Click on the image at right to discover the winning caption from the last Geocaching.com Caption Contest.

Explore all the past winning captions by checking out all the Geocaching.com Caption Contests. If you have suggestions for Geocaching.com Caption Contest photos, send a message and the image to pr@groundspeak.com.

This April 1st begins a new day in your geocaching life. Unlock new geocaching moves that will dramatically increase your find count, give you a leg up on FTFs, and have you signing more TFTCs. From the makers of the (not very) popular Geocaching.com Hamster videos, watch Cachers of Steel: Cachin’s the Fashion.

Discover the all-new fitness craze that’s inspired by the world’s favorite outdoor hobby. You’ll learn new tricks of the trade with Cachers of Steel that include Ammo Can Deadlifts and Muggle Ducking, even watch an exclusive interview with Signal! This workout is guaranteed to have you FTFing, TFTCing, using your TOTTs like a pro—you’ll never forget to BYOP again!

Order at Shop Geocaching NOW!

Zorro makes an appearance at a geocaching event

Sometimes geocaching offers much more than a treasure hunting adventure at the intersection of a certain of latitude and longitude. The Long Beach Public Library Foundation in California, USA is tapping into the power of geocaching to encourage kids and adults to crack open the pages of a library book.

Geocaching is now part of an annual event called, “Long Beach Reads One Book.” The book selected this year is Zorro by Isabel Allende.  Di LaPlume with the foundation says, “For the first time ever, we are adding geocaching to the lineup [of activities for the event]. For March, we’ve hidden a series of six Zorro-related caches in Long Beach. They are what I would describe as “mini” Multi-Caches. Each cache has its own theme that is related to the story of Zorro.” All the geocache descriptions are in English and Spanish. One of the Zorro-themed geocaches even leads geocachers into a library.

Zorro cache container

Zorro library cache

LaPlume says the Library Foundation hopes the Zorro-themed geocaches promote literacy,  encourage people to get outside, learn more about the book, and have fun.

Geocachers are given some incentive to find more than just one of the caches. LaPlume says, “During the month of March, anybody who finds all six caches can enter to win a special Zorro prize.”

So far the caches have been logged dozens of times. Geocachers in the Long Beach, California area still have until the end of March to discover all the caches and earn an additional prize. But the real prize might be that snapping open a geocache leads to more people opening books.

Geocachers otco, gsilberbestlife, kulhal

Geocachers kulhal and otco  recently embarked on a journey to locate the last cache in a vanishing series. The duo traveled half way around the world to claim a “found it” on the final active cache in the Project A.P.E. cache series. To many geocachers, the Project A.P.E. caches ring a nostalgic bell.

The A.P.E. cache series was established in May of 2001. The promotion was for the film Planet of the Apes. Thirteen different A.P.E. caches, each with props from the movie and a story that tied into the movie, were hidden all over the world. Those who found the caches received a unique icon.

All that is left of the highly sought series is a single, active cache hidden deep in the tropical jungles of Brazil. Mission 4: Southern Bowl  is now the last obtainable A.P.E. cache. The remainder of the geocaches in the series have been archived. The final cache has been logged less than 40 times.

Project A.P.E. Cache Icon

kulhal and otco met up with Brazilian cacher, gsilberbestlife, when they arrived. According to kulhal, the excitement of discovering the last of the vanishing series only heightened the caching crew’s sense of adventure.

Early one morning, otco, gsilberbestlife, and kulhal piled into their rental car and drove 300 km outside of Sao Paulo, Brazil. They arrived at Intervales State Park, the supposed location of the lone standing A.P.E. cache. Along the way, the cachers were surprised to find that many locals were unaware of the park’s existence. This further motivated them to discover the rarely visited cache.

According to kulhal, experiencing the beauty of the park was just as much of an adventure as discovering the cache, “I equally appreciated the fact that the cache brought me to a place that I would have never visited otherwise. I experienced a wonderful part of the world and saw nature so different from what I know from home.”

The roads through Intervales

Using a sketchy GPS signal to navigate windy, unmarked dirt roads, the cachers were able to drive within 100 meters of the cache. Now only a few minor obstacles stood between the cachers and the final A.P.E. cache. Wild animals, jungle-like terrain, and a lack of a trail map couldn’t stop these cachers.

Otco, gsilberbestlife, and kulhal discovered the cache successfully, noting that, “The beauty of this cache is something else.”  Kulhal stated, “I had a feeling that I was touching a piece of geocaching history and for that it was a special moment.”

It’s a special moment geocachers may continue to share. There have been more logs in the past 2 years than in the nine years after the cache was placed. And because this is the final A.P.E. cache, it is likely that an increasing number of geocachers will be traveling to Brazil. Located in a new exotic setting, the Mission 4: Southern Bowl is an opportunity for geocachers to discover a significant cache.

Waterfall in Intervales State Park

The story doesn’t end here. For more information on kulhal, otco, and gsilberbestlife’s adventure, check out their Czech language blog.

Geocaching.com is a natural fit to join forces with the video game featuring world explorer Lara Croft™. A new campaign of treasure-hunting adventure will preview the upcoming release of Tomb Raider.

Through a variety of initiatives this year, Crystal Dynamics and Geocaching.com will create a series of unique location-based adventures. The experiences embody the spirit of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft’s drive to discover new adventures and locations.

“Many of us have been playing Tomb Raider since the first game launched in 1996, and we are excited that Geocaching.com is partnering with Crystal Dynamics on this project” said Jeremy Irish, CEO of Groundspeak, the company the runs Geocaching.com. “Tomb Raider is all about exploration and discovery. It inspires the adventurer in all of us, much like geocaching does, and we are excited about the opportunities that this project presents for both geocachers and Tomb Raider fans worldwide.”

To develop these adventures, Crystal Dynamics will be tapping into both the traditional Geocaching.com treasure hunting format and Geocaching.com’s latest photo-based adventure project Geocaching Challenges.  More details about future activities are not being released just yet. Subscribe to this blog for the latest updates in the coming months.

You can explore Geocaching Challenges for free on the iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7.

You can also read more on the Official Tomb Raider Blog.

Copy of "Hush Hush" magazine

Molly Shock, aka mshock, teaches the basics of hosting a successful and fun geocaching event. It’s part party-planning and all logistics. Find out how to make the event something to remember, how much time you’ll need to prepare and other insider tips. Watch the video below for a three-minute tutorial from Molly on tips for making your own themed geocaching event a success.

Molly’s marque event to date has been Trouble in Tinseltown – A Puzzle Rally Event (GC2993W).

An Event Cache is where local geocachers or geocaching organizations decide a time and location to meet and discuss all things geocaching. The attendees often go geocaching before or after the Event Cache.

Crime scene map from "Trouble in Tinseltown"

Molly’s event was no different, but the geocaching that occurred that day took puzzle caching to a whole new level. Molly spent four months orchestrating the elaborate themed geocaching event. “Trouble in Tinseltown” guided more than 80 cachers through a fictitious scandal, betrayal and murder in a  Hollywood whodunit.

Teams of geocachers discovered 15 caches by solving puzzles. They accumulated clues which ultimately provided the answer to the question, “Who killed Noah Boddy, where and with what?”

Each team received a copy of “Hush Hush” magazine [pictured above] which Molly wrote to provide a detailed back-story for the event. Then teams received these instructions at the start of the caching: “Solve the puzzles, find the caches, record the facts, bring the murderer to justice!”

Clipboard with "facts" for the event

Molly also created an elaborate crime scene map, a dossier and a clip board full of facts. Correctly using and deciphering each item brought teams closer to solving the crime.

You can still get a sense of the event. Most of the 15 puzzle caches that Molly placed are still active.

Hostess, Molly Shock

Molly’s tips for a successful geocaching event include:

- Design an event that lasts no more than eight hours

- Make caches challenging, but not frustrating

- Make it self-sufficient, provide clues (for a penalty)

- Let friends help

- Take cachers to a safe, interesting place

- Practice the event

- Have fun!

Geocachers who wish to attend the event but not look for caches should be able to attend as well. They can be spectators or extra “props.” They can also simply hang out, enjoy the crowd, trade Trackables and the usual.

Find out even more tips by watching an interview with Molly below.

Geocachers facing off against the killer rabbit

A killer rabbit, the Holy Grenade of Antioch and Monty Python’s search for the Holy Grail all intersected at one precise location in 1975. This Scotland location is  Tomnadashan Mine, but for fans of the British comedy troop Monty Python, and the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the location is best known as the lair of the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.

The geocache “Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Scene 21″ (GCP439) has brought more than 100 adventurers to the location since it was hidden in 2005.  Some geocachers even add their own makeshift props adapted from the movie, including their own “killer rabbit.”

The killer rabbit about to attack

The logs thank Snaik and a Deceased Parrot for placing the cache and keeping a small part of movie history from vanishing into the Scottish countryside. One entry reads, “I would never have known this were here if it weren’t for geocaching! I packed a holy hand grenade just in case, but the rabbit must be hibernating early. Thanks for bringing me here!”

The cache page for the difficulty 1.5, terrain 4 cache also details the non-cinematic history of the site as an abandoned mining operation. But it’s the reference to the Monty Python movie that has geocachers traveling deep into rural Scotland with their GPS device, a pen to the sign the log and a “killer” stuffed rabbit to pose in pictures.

Continue your exploration of some of the most engaging geocaches from around the world. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on our blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

Travel Bugs^® are Trackables that move from geocache to geocache.  They are attached to “hitchhikers” that take many forms ^— everything from action figures to toy cars to cinder blocks.  Travel Bugs are explorers and ambassadors that crisscross the world, gaining stories on each step of their trek.

Travel Bug

This  Lost & Found video showcases the journey of a Travel Bug around the world.  Geocacher Devbrain launched Coaster Coast in 2006. The Travel Bug ended up back in his hands after traveling more than 23,000 miles around the globe. Watch as he launches another Travel Bug, Coaster Coaster Coast, in an attempt to repeat the journey.  You’ll also discover how easy it is start your own Travel Bug.

Have you ever launched a Travel Bug?

Explore even more geocaching adventures in the Geocaching.com Lost & Found video gallery.  You can go along on a heart racing five difficulty/five terrain geocache, see the geocache on the International Space Station and find out why a U.S. Army bomb disposal technician says geocaching kept him safer in Iraq.

ADDITIONAL TRACKABLE STORIES:

Zusätzliche Trackable Geschichten:

Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win this rare and coveted Moun10bike Trackable.

Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win a rare and coveted Moun10bike Trackable.

Teile jetzt Deine Trackable-Geschichten mit anderen und habe die Chance auf diesem seltenen und begehrten Moun10Bike Trackable.

Learn and share Trackable Etiquette

Prüfe und schaue Dir die Trackable Etikette an

Shop Now to Find Trackable Week Discounts of 10% or More

Finde jetzt Rabatte von 10% oder mehr während der Trackable-Woche
(Für Trackables von teilnehmenden Anbietern)

FBZ A.P.E. 51; Stone of the Lost Valley

Near a FBZ cache

The geocaching spectrum runs from the ease of drive-up light pole caches all the way into the dark world of mind-bending themed Multi-Caches.  The geocaches like the “Forbidden Zone Geocaches” (FBZ) around San Diego, California push geocachers to their mental and physical extremes.

It took two years for Jim Epler (SGTF) to create the complex and conspiracy-laden series of seven geocaches.

Jim says FBZ draws inspiration from the Project A.P.E. caches.

Seven caches are hidden in and around San Diego.  The story line for the FBZ geocaches has players assume the role of an agent investigating a link between extraterrestrials and primates, and possibly uncovering plans for an alien invasion.

FBZ Clue/Prop (No animals were harmed in the making of this cache)

Clues and passwords at each cache advance players through the game.  The players must register through the Forbidden Zone Geocache website. The registration is only to keep score.  All the geocaches are available through Geocaching.com.  The first six geocaches do not have to be found in any particular order to uncover coordinates for the final cache.

When asked why he created such an involved geocache, Jim jokingly says, “because I didn’t know any better!”

But he says creating the Multi-Cache was two years well spent: “For me, the fun was in the creative process, not necessarily the end result. I looked at it as an enjoyable hobby which comprises a number of things I like to do including web site development, photography and graphics design, research, prop building, science fiction, storytelling, urban exploration, and hiking.”

The caches were hidden in 2008. More than a dozen geocachers have attempted the series and many completed all seven caches.

FBZ Clue

Jim hopes that people finish the cache without absorbing too much of the conspiracy.  He says, “I hope visitors are able to appreciate the ‘tongue and cheek’ humor which was my foundation for the entire project. I wrote the ‘top secret’ documents from the perspective of a paranoid conspiracy theorist, and all the stuff used to support this ridiculous storyline is just one long outrageous spoof.”

What do you think, would you ever attempt a themed Multi-Cache? Have you encountered other caches like this?