A little help for a DUMB MOM

OK.....so, my kids can geocache....they know what they're doing. I have a general idea and even found a cool map of the Mt. Desert Island area with what I presume are caches shown. Here's my question: Don't I need some sort of coordinates for the gps thingy? I know how DUMB :confused: I must sound, but I am sort of counting on my kids (who have done this at school in Enrichment classes) to know what to do if I can supply them with some coordinates. Also, I need to know what the "protocol" is about leaving something in the cache. I know that food stuff isn't good (duh, even I am not that dumb!) but what about things like quarters from the state we live in or pencils or other durable stuff with the kids' school name? Is that OK?
We are going to be camping on Mt. Desert Island for 2 weeks - this is our 3rd trip to Mt. Desert in 4 years and we've just about exhausted the "touristy" stuff, so we wanted to do something different. We're really looking forward to our 2 weeks in Maine.......we LOVE IT THERE!
Thanks for any help anyone can give me...... :D

It's not dumb at all. What you need to do first is sign up with a username at www.geocaching.com , once you've done that you can type in the zip code for Mt Desert (04660) and you will get a page with all the caches in the area,when you click on one of the caches another page will come up complete with coordinants and a description of the type of cache and sometimes what was in them originally. State quarters and such are fine for a cache, also small toys and other items of interest. Keep an eye on this thread as I'm sure there will be other members more than willing to help. Hope this helps and hope you all have a great time

There are NO dumb questions!

You need to register as a user on Geocaching.com to get information like coordinates. You don't necessarily need to pay, but eventually you may want to do that as there are additional benefits for that level membership.

You are correct on the items to leave. Food, candles, lotion, etc. are not good. Durable itmes are perfect. Many people create their own signature item to leave behind, which can be fun for fellow geocachers to collect. Some also create a business size card to leave behind saying that they were there.

As for Maine - there is so much to see. MDI is a beautiful area for sure, but there are lots and lots of other places to visit as well. You can travel all along the coast and find wonderful areas. You can also visit the mountains and northern part of the state for a different perspective. If you have exhausted the touristy things in the MDI area you may want to check out other areas too. Many great places for camping, hiking, fishing, rafting, etc.

Have fun!!

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Originally Posted by Beach Comber

There are NO dumb questions!

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Oh, I don't know about that, Beachy! LOL!

But to answer WannaBe's question: "Don't I need some sort of coordinates for the gps thingy?":

The easiest way for a beginner is to print out cache listing from goecaching.com, enter the coordinates (from the printout) into your GPSr, and go find the cache. The listing will have all the information you need.

As you get more experience, there are programs which will allow you to load multiple waypoints (cache coordinates) directly into your GPSr from your computer.

Take baby steps before you try and run! LOL!

:D :D

Amazingly enough, I did manage to follow a link from this site and find the geocaching.com stuff that you all mentioned. AND..........WOWZER......I did find exactly what I thought I needed! Thanks for your help and advice.
AND.......we do know that there is so much more of Maine to explore, but we are definitely drawn to MDI and the rocky shores, the trails, the carriage roads. I'm looking forward to our upcoming adventures with geocaching.
AGAIN.......thank you so MUCH!! (especially for making me feel NOT DUMB) :)

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Originally Posted by MaineWannaBe

Amazingly enough, I did manage to follow a link from this site and find the geocaching.com stuff that you all mentioned. AND..........WOWZER......I did find exactly what I thought I needed! Thanks for your help and advice.
AND.......we do know that there is so much more of Maine to explore, but we are definitely drawn to MDI and the rocky shores, the trails, the carriage roads. I'm looking forward to our upcoming adventures with geocaching.
AGAIN.......thank you so MUCH!! (especially for making me feel NOT DUMB) :)

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Another area on the coast, which is not as busy as MDI, where geocaching abounds thanks to becket and others is Deer Isle - Stonington. Some beautiful locations and awesome hikes - plus caches.

Enjoy your visit to Maine and caching along the way!

Also there is a good Earthcache program that was put together by the NPS as well that will probably bring you to places that you haven't found before in ANP. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache...spx?wp=gc11m7t

Thanks Haffy! When I followed the link from this site to the geocaching.com site, I did find the nps Earthcache and thought it looked like a lot of fun and educational too! Being a teacher-mom, if I can make something educational, well, I feel obligated to do it! :D We have done ANP many times and I was thinking the same thing ........ that maybe we would see things we hadn't seen before.
And Hollora - we've looked into Stonington and Deer Isle as possible "new coastal places to visit". I'm also guessing that since it isn't so busy and "touristy" it may actually be a cheaper place to stay too! We did, one trip about 9 years ago, leave MDI and drive up the coast to New Brunswick and then back down through the northern part of Maine. I am just 'addicted' the rocky shores of Maine ...... it's my hope to someday retire to a lovely little place on the ocean - at least for the summers!! :)
Again, thank you so much to everyone who keeps giving me advice and tips and so on. We leave on July 21 and will be gone for 2 weeks....I'm going to be sure to post when we get back to let you all know how we did. Right now, we're borrowing a gps from a friend, so if this goes well, I'm sure I'll be looking for advice about which one might best fit our needs as a family to actually purchase!
I am so glad I found you all!!!! :)

Isn't the geocaching community just great? And especially this site here in Maine, we all try to help in some way or another if we can. Don't let my SC profile scare yah I just moved down here a month ago and I'll always feel a part of this organization.

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Originally Posted by Haffy

Don't let my SC profile scare yah I just moved down here a month ago and I'll always feel a part of this organization.

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Sheesh! Another "Mainer Wannabe"! LOL! :p :p

GEEEESH, WhereRWe.........are you afraid that the rest of the 49 states will discover your secrets of being a Mainer? :D
I will never be a true Mainer, but only a displaced Western NYer who has discovered the joys and beauties of your lovely state!
AND, I do love this site and the message boards, and am so happy I found you all ......... you are so helpful and actually answer my questions in little words that I can understand! After all, I teach first grade, so all the little words are right up my alley!! ;)

Here's another "dumb" question.....when we actually find a cache (which I'm hoping we do), I would go to the geocaching. com site and log that we've found it, right?
And, eventually, if we get brave enough to place some caches around home I could go there and enter them too?
By the way, if you ever get the chance to visit Buffalo and the surrounding areas, I would highly recommend giving US a try. We have lots of open country down here to the south of the city which I have loved, too, for my whole life! You may want to start out in the summer or fall, NOT during the Lake Effect Snow season though!! :D

Yep you are correct on both accounts. Go to the site to log the cache and also when you have a few finds under your belt you go there to hide one as well. Don't rush the hiding aspect though. Have fun finding them first and get a feel of what is out there and enjoy the moment. There is plenty of time to hide one and make sure it is something special that you think others would enjoy as well. Happy Caching

I traveled to that part of NY a couple of years ago and was suprised to see how much like Northern Maine (above Millinocket) it looked (although the cities are alot bigger, the countryside is very similar). And I still hope we'll get a Wegman's eventually.

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Originally Posted by MaineWannaBe

GEEEESH, WhereRWe.........are you afraid that the rest of the 49 states will discover your secrets of being a Mainer? :D

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LOL! Being a newcomer, you would not know the history between Haffy and me.

I bug him whenever I can. He recently moved from Maine to South Carolina, so now he can only be classified as a "Wanabe Mainer"! LOL! ;) ;)

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Originally Posted by we3beans

I traveled to that part of NY a couple of years ago and was suprised to see how much like Northern Maine (above Millinocket) it looked (although the cities are alot bigger, the countryside is very similar). And I still hope we'll get a Wegman's eventually.

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Being a dyed-in-the-wool and lifelong Western NYer....... I understand your fascination with Wegmans!! However, there are several other markets that offer much the same variety at lower prices!! TOPS Markets are very similar, but not as "pricey" or "ritzy" as Wegmans!!!

Also, in order for us to get a "trial run" at using the borrowed Garmin gpsr, I did a search for caches in our area (zip code 14171) and was AMAZED at how many treasures there are hiding around here too!! I guess I am just a little late in jumping on this bandwagon huh? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by MaineWannaBe

Being a dyed-in-the-wool and lifelong Western NYer....... I understand your fascination with Wegmans!! However, there are several other markets that offer much the same variety at lower prices!! TOPS Markets are very similar, but not as "pricey" or "ritzy" as Wegmans!!!

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Oh, wow! We love Wegman's, too! Our older son went to RIT in Rochester, NY, we we got there quite often - many Wegman's in the area. And he had a co-op job in Johnson City - near Binghampton - and their Wegman's actually had a wood-fired stone bread oven! It's so cool watching them make so many food items right in front of you!

:D YEP......Wegmans is based in Rochester, NY, and did you know it's usually on the list of the "Best Places to Work in America?"
If anyone comes caching here in Western NY, stop by a Wegmans - it is an experience!
:) That said, I love visiting the old grocery store in Southwest Harbor (I know it's got a family name, I just can't remember it now) with the wooden floors and fresh local produce. It reminds me of the small town grocery we had here when I was growing up......before the "supermarket" chains took over!

Sawyers, the family also ownes the wine store accross the street.

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Originally Posted by MaineWannaBe

OK.....so, my kids can geocache....they know what they're doing. I have a general idea and even found a cool map of the Mt. Desert Island area with what I presume are caches shown. Here's my question: Don't I need some sort of coordinates for the gps thingy? I know how DUMB :confused: I must sound, but I am sort of counting on my kids (who have done this at school in Enrichment classes) to know what to do if I can supply them with some coordinates. Also, I need to know what the "protocol" is about leaving something in the cache. I know that food stuff isn't good (duh, even I am not that dumb!) but what about things like quarters from the state we live in or pencils or other durable stuff with the kids' school name? Is that OK?
We are going to be camping on Mt. Desert Island for 2 weeks - this is our 3rd trip to Mt. Desert in 4 years and we've just about exhausted the "touristy" stuff, so we wanted to do something different. We're really looking forward to our 2 weeks in Maine.......we LOVE IT THERE!
Thanks for any help anyone can give me...... :D

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I can't really add much more to this than what has already been said. Have fun on the island . . . if you get a chance go off the island and explore some of the other areas. A lot of folks never do Schoodic Point which is part of the Park . . . and by doing so you can do a virtual cache located there. A short jaunt down to Deer Isle and Stonington and the stunning trails there is also worth the time.

Coordinates (aka coords) are from geocaching.com -- you don't have to buy a membership. Sign up for the free membership now and down the road if you get into geocaching you can step up to the premium membership -- this is particularly useful if you do what some folks do and start using a PDA.

You are correct -- food (and any other smelly objects such as candles, perfume, etc.) is a bad idea for a trade item. Pencils, school items, state quarters would be a great trade item.

Whenever I visit the island I always try to make two stops in town -- one at Bill and Ted's Chocolate Emporium (I know that's not the real name, but I grew up in the 80s with Bill and Ted and their Excellent Adventures) and Alexander's Clockshop -- it's like traveling back in time (asthmatics and those adverse to pipe smoke should probably stay clear of this place though.)

I would highly recommend visitng Stonington and Deer Isle. There are lots of great places to see and hikes/walks to be had.

We just returned from a week of Camping on MDI. We managed to complete our finds of every cache on the island (as of 7/15/07). The ANP (Acadia National Park) earthcache program was exceptional and a great way to learn about the geology of the park. The "Maine Rose" series of caches in that area will take you to some breathtakingly beautiful spots with some very easy finds that just need a signature on the log (no trades needed). You're going to have a great time!! Welcome to GCMaine and have a great vacation! :) :)

:) OH MAAAAAAAN....just hearing all about my favorite island is getting me so psyched for our trip! We've done the "excellent" chocolate shoppe, and YES.....sawyers!! We also love the place near the village green in Bar Harbor with the HUGE ice cream cone scoops! Last year, we also discovered Poor Boy's Gourmet, which was a very economical dinner out for a family of 5 since we went at the Early Bird times!! This is our first time that we'll be spending 2 weeks, so I'm really going to start lobbying for a trip to Stonington!! I'm so glad to hear that the Earthcache is so worthwhile! It's going to be a TERRIFIC vacation......as always, but with the help of all the wonderful people here, I am certain that we are going to discover a new "family" hobby!!!!
By the way........ we always go during the last week of July/first week of August because we get to celebrate 3 family birthdays and our anniversary - which always means at least ONE fabulous dinner out and 3 trips for ice cream!!!
THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE ....... :D :D :D