The middle of May brought the Wisconsin Geocaching Association to Interstate State Park for the annual WGA Camp Out.  We were joined by the Minnesota Geocaching Association and geocachers enjoyed getting to know each other across the mighty St. Croix River. 

Some geocaching teams just joined us for the day but most participated in the camping part of the camp out.  Geocachers gathered around the fire on Friday and Saturday nights for roasting marshmallows, hot dogs and some lively geo-chatting.

It turned out to be a soggy weekend, we got a lot of rain.  This made some of the planned activities like the tug-of-war, fishing tournament and the guided nature hike lose some of their participants.  But on the other hand, the temperatures were comfortable in a sweatshirt and geocachers found themselves gathering under the covered picnic shelter for geo-chatting during the rain. 

But when does weather stop Wisconsin geocachers from going out and doing some hiking and geocaching?  A big thank you to Spike007 and scott543 for placing the new caches in the park for the event.  The beautiful park sits along the St. Croix River and it’s beautiful gorges, steep cliffs and unique rock formations made this an ideal setting for geocaching.  By Saturday around noon the rain stopped, just in time for us to fire up the grill for lunch, and we were treated to a beautiful, sunny day. Both the Wisconsin and Minnesota geocachers did their part in keeping our parks clean and beautiful by picking up trash for the Cache In Trash Out event. 

A few hearty souls braved the chilly rain and participated in the fishing derby contest.  Congratulations to Sandlanders and CacheNoTrace, winners of the fishing derby.  We were also treated to the yummy smells during the Dutch Oven cook-off.  Congratulations to the dynamic cooking duo mucluck and the katsmeow for their winning concoction of Beef and Beer Stew.  As the sun set it was time to pull out the flashlights and hit the trails for the night cache contest.  We were treated to all sorts of glowing and creative caches, it was really a hit!  Congratulations to Team Black-Cat, the Night Cache Contest winner for his eerie Snow White’s magic mirror entry.

Sunday morning we were treated to the WGA pancake breakfast.  It was pouring rain outside but we were nice and cozy under the picnic shelter.  It was a great way to finish off the weekend with a little more geo-chatting before everyone began to pack up their tents and head home to their own part of the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota.  Thank you to all who attended and especially to all who helped make this event happen.  Check out the photos of the event on the cache page or in the WGA photo gallery.

GC47Q1P 2013 WGA Spring Adopt-A-Highway Cleanup CITO this Saturday, April 27th, 2013.

Looks to be a great weekend and almost 70 degrees! The first of the year.

Please join us in helping to cleanup this 2 mile section of US HWY 10.

The Wisconsin Geocaching Association has adopted this section of roadway and over the last few years we have held several CITO events here.

WHERE: US HWY 10 between Hickory Hills Rd. and CTH W
DATE: Saturday, April 27th, 2013
TIME: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

We have plenty of Safety Vests, lots of trash and recyclable bags and even a few pairs of work gloves left.

All we need is you!

They say March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb but not in the Lonely Cache Game!

Jomusky racked up a lion's share of points in the last days of March to surge ahead of last month's winner Lacknothing who held the top spot for the month until this last onslaught of submissions.

Congratulations Jomusky!

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Another very worthy bunch of geocaches were nominated again this month. Here are the winners of the March WGA Cache of the Month.

Northern Zone
2CachingLoons Have Found Their King! by UnlivableVenus8 (aka PokerPlayingEMT-&a-BookWormQueen)
Difficulty 2
Terrain 2.5
Located in a mini park in the Loon Capital, Mercer, is Clair D'Loon. It's hard to miss this geo-beacon.
"This one is just fun! What's not to like about a twenty foot tall loon?"
"Who wouldn't love a two story loon for a beacon????"

Northeast Zone
Where the Wild Things Are by suzisumac
Difficulty 2.5
Terrain 2
A two part multi-cache located in Dale. One log describes it as "Devilisly creative".
"A fun multicache. Both stages are quite creative."
"It has a challenging first stage, a clever final... A well put together cache!"

West Central Zone
Sally's Savings Bank and Geocoin Exchange by zuma!
Difficulty 1
Terrain 1
You might get a chance to meet a geocaching legend since the container is hidden in the front yard of some well known Wisconsin geocachers. (Sally and Jessie) Always well stocked, this one is worth a visit any time you are in the area.
"This is an easy to find and well cared for TB motel."
"It's in Zuma's front yard, need I say more!"

South Central Zone
The Truth Tree by Smashing Ground
Difficulty 2.5
Terrain 2
Sometimes the truth jumps right out at you. This puzzle cache will either have you banging your head or enjoying a quick solve depending on how you look at it.
"Couldn't count the number of times I looked at this one before I got the "Ah Ha!" moment. Final is a cool location too!"
"Nice puzzle, nice hide location.  Nice solid cache.  Tree-mendous fun all around!"

Southeast Zone
Goldie, You're My Idol - Season 4 by beccaday
Difficulty 4
Terrain 2.5
This is a tribute to Goldie Diggers who has been described on the cache page as "well known for his creative puzzles, fun cache containers, challenging hides and his total disregard for his own safety".
"A devious and creative hide, my favorite type!"
"A cache that you have to use your noggin for, and when you finally do you want to slap it!"

Series of the Month
American Literature: Final Exam by krymdog
Difficulty 3.5
Terrain 3
A series of eight puzzles located in the "up nort". The series forms a perfect "?" when viewed on a map.
"It was a learning experience to read all the different literary styles and answer questions pertaining to the story.'
"Brought me back to High School Lit. Class and remembering  GREAT Literature calssics.  It had been a long time since a final exam and I enjoyed the challenage."
"This series has everything that makes for a great series in our mind...interesting puzzles, wonderful northwoods setting and finds that are meant to be found."
"This Cache series embodied all the fun elements of geocaching, challenging both mind and body."
"With currently 100% "favorite" status, this series has everyone enjoying lit class.  Eight caches, each representing a different period in American lit, lead up to the final exam. Well thought out, well put together... one whole package of mental and physical caching fun!"
 

Nominate or vote for your favorite geocaches in the April WGA Cache of the Month! 

There will be plenty to keep you busy and entertained for the entire weekend. We’re hosting a campfire social at the group campsite on Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday you will be able to show off your rustic culinary skills in the Dutch Oven Cook-off, join the Interstate Tug-O-War, or if you enjoy fishing, join the fishing derby. The Kids' Adventure Cache will be available all day. Details for all activites will be available at the Interstate Shelter.

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