I’m expecting Fred and Wilma to walk out at any moment. Photo by geocacher trinamixx

Out of the numerous things geocaching has taught me, one of the special skills that has carried over into my day-to-day life has been to look more closely at everything. For example, at first glance, the photo above may just be a pretty picture of another amazing rock formation. However, if you look a little closer, you’ll notice a door…and windows…and a roof. Then you’ll see that it’s a stone house that looks like it came straight out of the Flintstones.  Once you see that, you can take an even closer look to find Lameirinha (GC16670), this week’s Geocache of the Week.

We’re super excited about this geocache, too! Photo by geocacher acaferreira

The Casa do Penedo was built in 1974, between four enormous boulders in the northern hills of Portugal. The entire home, except for the doors, windows and roof, is constructed of rock. Inside, a more rustic style prevails with logs for stairs, furniture and railings. While it may sound pretty lush, there’s one caveat: the stone house doesn’t have electricity. Its owners had to use candles (and maybe GPS) to find their way through the halls.

The geocache! Photo by geocacher Hippocaching

The stone home is amazing, but that’s not all you get see from ground zero. The surrounding hills are dotted with windmills that help create a gorgeous vista. Most of the Found It logs on the geocache’s page mention something about the view.  “Magnificent place with spectacular scenery. Also enjoyed seeing the house, fits well in the environment. A cache this in a spectacular location. TFTC Team Ogalo,” said geocacher Ogalo (Translated from Portugese). A log from geocacher Hippocaching reads (also translated from Portugese),”The cache was in a spectacular site! The house, the landscape, windmills, horses are all elements that make it very desirable to cache! While we were out walking by the place we realized that two more teams found the cache! Thank you!”

Looking out on the windmills from GZ. Photo by geocacher trinamixx (who took some amazing photos of this geocache)

This geocache is all about looking beyond the first thing you see. What special skill has geocaching taught you and what have you found because of it? 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.

French

Norsk – Bokmal

English

German

Portuguese

]]> http://blog.geocaching.com/2012/11/geocaching-in-one-word/feed/ 2 http://blog.geocaching.com/2012/08/gps-awards-highlighting-quality-caches-in-portugal/ http://blog.geocaching.com/2012/08/gps-awards-highlighting-quality-caches-in-portugal/#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:55:37 +0000 Adela B http://blog.geocaching.com/?p=11085

Awards Medals

Peter!, the Website Administrator and Video Producer at GeoPT.org, said of the Portuguese GPS Awards, “Just like the Oscars, this is to recognize the quality of geocachers’ work.”

What better way to highlight quality caches than to encourage the community to discover and vote for their favorites? In this case, that community includes geocachers across all 20 regions of Portugal.

“We decided to organize the event to improve the quality of geocaching in Portugal and to reward the owners of the best caches,” explains prodrive, another GeoPT.org Website Administrator and Event Organizer.

Portugal experienced a geocaching boom in 2011. On average, over 500 geocaches were published each month, accumulating to more than 6,000 caches that year.

Peter! says, “We have around 18,000 active geocaches in Portugal, but not all take you to a place with an incredible view or put a smile on your face because they took you on a real adventure.”

GeoPT.org, a geocaching discussion portal in Portugal, initiated and organized the GPS awards to highlight quality caches across the country.

Geocachers at the Awards Ceremony

The organizers selected 365 of the Portuguese caches published in 2011 based on the following criteria:

• Favorite Points
• GCVotes
• Average length of logs
• Number of photos in the gallery
• Terrain rating

They then encouraged geocachers to go out and discover as many of these caches as they could between February 17 and June 4, 2012. Geocachers who found at least 40 of the caches could vote for up to 20 of their favorites. An incredible 600 votes were submitted.

Voting closed on June 4 at midnight. Five caches in each district were selected as finalists. The awards ceremony took place on June 16, where the winner of each region and a national winner were announced. Over 150 geocachers attended the awards ceremony and crammed into a theater-style hall to recognize the finalists.

The 365 nominees received a bronze icon for their cache page. The 100 finalists received an additional silver icon, and the 20 regional winners received a gold icon for their cache page along with a medal.

You can view videos of the 20 regional and national awards winners here. The big winner of the night was “A casa mistério” (GC34FCJ), created by helderjust.

One geocacher who attended the awards ceremony says, “Our first participation! We like! Not only because we stood on stage but for everything we experienced that night. We liked to see all those fantastic [cache] owners take the stage. Some more than once and without a doubt very well deserved. We kept adding more and more caches to our “to do ASAP” list. A great and fantastically organized event. Many congratulations to the organization that made it all possible.”

With the success of the GPS awards, another awards show, honoring 2012′s best regional and a national cache, is expected to take place in fall of 2013.

2011 GPS Awards Winner, helderjust

João Costa username: Neverfail1

Portuguese Olympian João Costa embodies his Geocaching.com username. It’s “Neverfail1” That tenacity leads João to find an average of 2.5 geocaches day. He joined Geocaching.com in April of 2011 and has accumulated more than 1200 finds. The spirit of “never fail” also led João to the 2012 Summer Games in London. These are his fourth Olympic games. The Portuguese Air Force Sergeant competes in Shooting.

João and Arne

He ranked 7th in his first event: Men’s 10m Air Pistol. And he’s not the only geocacher at the Olympic Games. João says, “My coach is and I know two more shooters, I’m sure there are more, but we all aim to have good results in the Olympic Games, and geocaching goes to a second level.”

Geocaching took awhile to hook João. He says, “A friend was in my car and said, ‘Stop, stop I want to go there.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘I’m looking for something.’ He explained what geocaching was, but then I made fun of him. A few months later it was the same thing, but then I found the cache and it was a very nice one. The switch turned on and I was infected.”

João at the Olympic shooting range at the Royal Artillery Barracks

João quickly became part of the tight-knit Portuguese  geocaching community. His wife encouraged his geocaching outings. João says, “My wife loves geocaching as I get off the sofa and go walking or go hiking.”

He attended the Mega-Event 12 years Geocaching – Portugal in May. That’s where he met  Geocaching.com Lackey Arne Moen, username RandolphAgarn – and shared his story about competing in the Olympic Games.

You still have time to root on your fellow geocacher. Leave a message below in comments for João. João’s competing in his final Olympic event, the Men’s 50m Pistol, on Sunday August 5th.

By: Lackey – Annie Love (Love)

Lackey Annie Love

What do the inventor of the Geocoin, one of the oldest cities in the world and a night time cycling tour have in common? They are all aspects of a unique Mega-Event known as Geocoinfest. Geocoinfest Lisboa 2012 (GC3N1YQ) takes place in just about three weeks in the capital of Portugal. It promises to be an exciting event and I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to attend.

This will be my fifth Geocoinfest Mega-Event I’ve attended and yet another opportunity to connect with the amazing community. I enjoy working with geocachers and Geocoins every day as part of my work at Groundspeak. I’m privileged to attend this event with my coworker Jon Stanley (Moun10bike), who plans to bring the very first Geocoin for all to discover.

Geocoins add a fascinating element to the game of geocaching for me and many others.  Beautiful designs, unique icons, and the stories and pictures they collect as they move from cache to cache, or as they’re discovered in private collections, provide a fun experience for enthusiasts everywhere.  I love walking around Geocoinfest events and seeing geocachers showing off the pride and joy of their personal collections to new friends and old.  It always reminds me that the task of generating tracking codes (the unique set of numbers and letters that identify each Geocoin) at Groundspeak HQ  has such a greater meaning than I realize on a day-to-day basis.

A dedicated event committee of over 50 Portuguese geocachers came together to organize this amazing event for Geocoin fans and collectors in a short amount of time. The committee is divided into eleven groups that cover the individual pieces that make up the Mega-Event.  One of these organizers, António Casimiro (Acasim), explained that “A Geocoinfest event is a special Mega-Event, a themed event related to Geocoins. But in reality it is much more than that. It’s a gathering of people from many different countries, an opportunity to meet some Groundspeak Lackeys, famous Geocoin designers and producers, and many many Geocoin collectors and geocachers in general, who often carry their Geocoin collections to show around or to trade at the event.”

Along with viewing the latest and greatest Geocoin designs, I’m hoping to enjoy some of those other aspects involved with the event. Music, games, a flashmob, tasting local wines, attending an evening bicycle tour of Lisbon to discover the city, and of course finding geocaches! The organizers have done an amazing job putting the event together and I personally can’t wait to see their efforts in person.

Silva provides some great tips for those interested in attending the 2012 European Geocoinfest:

- Book travel and hotel as soon as possible, to get better prices (accommodation pointers are provided on the event website)

- Add your “will attend” log and register for the event, providing the requested information

- Look at the provided program and prepare your own schedule, to make the best possible use of time

- Periodically look at the event web site for news and updates

- Contact the organization in case you have any questions — everyone will do their best to help you!

Find more details for planning on the official event website.  If you can’t make it to the European Geocoinfest,  the annual US event (GC2XW58)  is in the U.S. state of Colorado this October. Geocoinfest U.S. 2012 offers a similar experience in North America. Check out the official Geocoinfest U.S. 2012 website and register here.

Discover the geocaching community volunteers who help power your adventure.  Volunteers give their time and talent, representing nearly 40 countries around the globe.  Watch the latest Geocaching Presents video to find more about the volunteer experience.

Where are some of the volunteers?

The game would not be the same without their dedication, guidance, and commitment to geocaching.  Leave a message for your local Geocaching.com volunteers below!

Entdecke die ehrenamtlichen Helfer, die Dir Dein Erlebnis auf Geocaching.com ermöglichen.  Es gibt über 400 ehrenamtliche Reviewer, Foren-Moderatoren und Übersetzer auf Geocaching.com. Sie stellen in fast 40 Ländern ihre Zeit und ihr Talent zur Verfügung.  Schau Dir das aktuelle Video “Geocaching.com präsentiert” an um mehr über die freiwilligen Helfer zu erfahren.

Das Spiel wäre nicht das selbe ohne ihren Einsatz, ihre Beratung und ihr Engagement für Geocaching.  Hinterlasse unten eine Nachricht für Deinen lokalen, ehrenamtlichen Helfer bei Geocaching.com.

Découvrez les bénévoles qui oeuvrent pour vous permettre de vivre l‘expérience Geocaching.com.  Le nombre de reviewers bénévoles, de modérateurs de forum et de traducteurs sur Geocaching.com s‘élève à plus de 400. Ils donnent leur temps et leur talent, et représentent presque 40 pays dans le monde.  Visualisez la dernière vidéo Geocaching.com Presents pour en savoir plus sur ces bénévoles.

Le jeu ne serait pas le même sans leur dévouement, leur conseil, et leur engagement pour le géocaching.  Postez un message à l‘ntention de vos bénévoles locaux Geocaching.com ci-dessous !

Descubra os voluntários que ajudam a agilizar a sua experiência no Geocaching.com. Os revisores voluntários do geocaching.com, moderadores do fórum e tradutores são mais de 400. Eles dão o seu tempo e talento,  representando cerca de 40 países em todo o mundo. Assista ao mais recente vídeo do Geocaching.com para saber mais sobre a experiência dos voluntários.

O jogo não seria o mesmo sem a sua dedicação, orientação e compromisso para com o geocaching. Deixe aqui uma mensagem para os seus voluntários locais do Geocaching.com!

Geocaching.com Volunteers, with family members in 2011

Decent into a Portuguese cavern

The Geocache of the Week  inspires a rappelling adventure into caverns in Portugal and reveals a glimpse into the distant past. A FENDA [Bombarral] (GCW5EA) is rated a difficulty 3, terrain 5 cache. It lures geocachers with the promise to discover caves that were once home to Neanderthals.

Miguelrk + João + Inês placed the regular sized cache in the location in 2006. The cache page, written in Portuguese, warns geocachers that the trek to find this geocache can be dangerous. Safety precautions and the right equipment are mandatory.

Signing the logbook

The experience is unforgettable. The geocache has won local awards. A FENDA has received dozens of Favorite Points.

The location of this traditional cache offers a visual wonderland. Just over 100 geocachers have logged smileys, but there are more than 500 images in the photo gallery. The logs are rich with detail and emoticons. Some geocachers spend years planning their trip to A FENDA and organize large groups to find and log the cache.

A recent expedition to the A FENDA titled their adventure, “Operação ‘Viagem do fundo da terra’” or “Operation ‘Voyage to the Center of the Earth.’”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you’d 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@groundspeak.com.

Geocachers at A FENDA

Lackey Nate the Great

Estou a mais de 12000 Km de casa e entre 500 dos meus amigos mais próximos (e que acabei de conhecer hoje) num parque nos arredores de Lisboa, Portugal. No preciso momento em que estão a fazer uma caricatura minha, o DJ de serviço passa “Take On Me” dos A-Ha. Uma situação absurda como esta seria o suficiente para me colocar um sorriso lunático nos lábios durante os 10 minutos que demoraria a terminar o meu retrato. Mas passa um geocacher anónimo, sorri e tira uma fotografia, enquadrando a placa trackable com o meu nome. Dá-cá-mais-cinco e tal… E desaparece entre a multidão. Só tenho tempo para ouvir o caricaturista a dizer “Senta-te quietinho, se faz favor…”

A equipa iURKings

É dificil ficar sentado quieto num Mega-Evento.

Choque de cultura? Geocaching é cultura. Quando estamos em viagem e nos sentimos desenquadrados de tudo, vamos a um evento de geocaching e sentimo-nos em casa, identificando desde logo as personagens habituais: o frenético doido dos FTF agarrado ao telefone; o escondedor de caches compulsivo, com mais tupperwares escondidas no meio do mato que caches encontradas… e mais geocachers de botas cheias de lama que crianças a brincar no parque infantil. Se não fosse a agradável sonoridade do português falado à minha volta, podia ser em qualquer parte do mundo.

O Nate não está nesta fotografia

O espírito de aventura é algo naturalmente partilhado por todos, mas os portugueses em particular têm o instinto explorador gravado na sua identidade nacional. Na era dos Descobrimentos, entre os séculos XV e XVII, exploradores como Vasco da Gama trouxeram fama e riqueza a Portugal viajando pelo mundo. É impossível viajar por Portugal sem tropeçar num monumento comemorativo desta ou daquela viagem. A probabilidade de haver uma cache mistério baseada num desses factos é alta. Hoje em dia, é fácil comprar mapas topográficos detalhados do território, o que pode explicar o crescimento exponencial do geocaching em Portugal durante os últimos anos. É no geocaching que este povo está a redescobrir o seu desejo de explorar e de conhecer coisas novas, mesmo que seja à porta de casa. Por tudo isto e pela história e tradição que me rodeiam, Portugal é o centro de tudo.

Ou então o geocaching é divertido. Para quê complicar?

O Geocacher TZR

Estou de volta aos Estados Unidos, a folhear um bloco de notas cheio de ideias rabiscadas à pressa sobre como melhorar o site Geocaching.com. Sim, eu admito. Havia um motivo subjacente para ir a este Mega-Evento. Não, o meu motivo não era só encher o bandulho de porco no espeto (divinal), desfrutar da hospitalidade dos geocachers locais (interminável)… certamente que não era ouvir tesouros deprimentes dos anos 80 enquanto me desenhavam a caricatura (que coisa bizarra). Quis, acima de tudo, estar em contacto com geocachers, perceber melhor o que é que a Groundspeak faz bem e o que é que podemos fazer para ser melhores. Como Lackey, aprendi que a melhor coisa que posso fazer aos geocachers é aparecer, ouvi-los e tomar notas para depois fazer com que o website esteja ao nível das suas exigentes expectativas. Porque os geocachers portugueses estão muito à frente no que toca à inovação no geocaching. E isso facilita-me muito o trabalho.

Muito obrigado pelo Mega, Portugal!

11 Years! Oeiras – Portugal Mega-Event foi patrocinado pela GeocacherZONE.

Os seguintes Mega-Eventos terão também a presença de Lackeys da Groundspeak:

Nova Iorque, EUA – ASP GeoBash 6
Ontario, Canadá – COG Spring Fling
Salzburgo, Áustria – Pinzgau 2011
Pensilvânia, EUA – GeoWoodstock IX
Ohio, EUA – Midwest Geobash
Gales, Reino Unido – Mega Wales 2011
Wisconsin, EUA – West Bend $1000 Cache Ba$h
HQ no Estado de Washington, EUA – Groundspeak Block Party
Nordrhein-Westfalen, Alemanha – Geocoinfest Europa
Catalunha, Espanha – Mega Event Catalunya
Carolina do Sul, EUA – Geocoinfest

Sara e Nicole

Nesse momento, a Groundspeak transforma-se e o burburinho dos Lackeys que mantém o website dá lugar a uma sala cheia de geocachers em delírio a trocar Trackables, contar histórias e conviver com outros geocachers de todo o mundo.
Ao lado da Nicole (Louie Bliss), uma colega da equipa que lida com a comunidade, sou Sara (gonzogrrl) um dos Lackeys cheios de sorte que tem o privilégio de lá estar todos os dias, congratulando os geocachers que encontram a épica cache da sede da Groundspeak: GCK25B. E o que é que fazemos cá?, perguntam os geocachers com frequência.
Durante o dia, respondemos aos emails e chamadas telefónicas, ajudando as pessoas a resolver os seus problemas de forma a terem a melhor experiência de geocaching possível. Mas quando os geocachers nos visitam, paramos de fazer o que estamos a fazer e passamos algum tempo com eles enquanto descobrem a nossa cache, tiram fotos na cabina fotográfica, compram lembranças e observam o ecrã com o mapa gigante onde aparecem os registos efectuados em geocaches em tempo real.

Sole Seeker

Se alguma vez quiseres cá aparecer, é fácil marcar uma visita. Basta enviar um email para  contact@geocaching.com. Conta-nos um pouco sobre ti, de onde vens, quando é que planeias visitar-nos. Daremos com muito prazer as coordenadas da nossa sede (uma pista: não é no meio do Lago Union. Chocante). Como normalmente estamos muito ocupados, gostamos de agendar as visitas às sextas feiras às 2 da tarde. É frequente termos a companhia de um dos fundadores, mas os restantes Lackeys são visita frequente. Todos temos em comum gostar de conhecer as pessoas que fazem este jogo muito mais que procurar uma Tupperware no mato.
Já conheci muitos geocachers, mas há histórias que perduram. Uma das minhas favoritas é a do Sole Seeker, que nos visitou pela ocasião da sua cache número 10.000. Ficou muito surpreendido por lhe prepararmos uma faixa e enchermos uns balões para lhe dar os parabéns. Depois há também a história dos J&J Brown, que contaram-nos acerca da enorme cache camuflada que esconderam à porta de casa e que engana toda a gente que a procura porque (cuidado com o spoiler) se parece com uma árvore verdadeira. E não posso deixar de falar do foomanjoo, um fotógrafo que viaja pelo mundo, que veio cá depois de ter andado a fazer geocaching na Coreia e que se preparava para se aventurar na Route 66 em direcção à Califórnia.
Quem quer que sejas, não importa se a tua visita à sede da Groundspeak é a tua 5ª cache ou a tua 5000ª, damos-te as boas vindas. Esperamos pela tua visita!