2007 NoVAGO Awards

Cache of the Year Presentations Ahem, and the winners are… Best Theme/Series Be the Genealogist-Final by reedkickball (GC14X8B) Best Kids Cache Farm, Field, and Forest by The VanDucks (GC10BXJ) Best Location Cache Infarmary by Ka-Ching! (GC11J8X) Best Hike If You Want To Run With The Big Dogs…Greyhound by _BBQ_ (GC123T7) Best History Related Cache From the Halls of Montezuma by Blakeley Pirates (GC10A6N) Best Multi-Stage Cache A Walk in the Woods by 2Wheelin (GC13ZDZ) Fox Hunt by zygote2k (GC11027) Best Mystery/Puzzle Cache Be the Genealogist-Final by reedkickball (GC14X8B) Best Letterbox Hybrid Long Black Veil by flyingmoose (GCZZ9M) Best Earthcache Wetlands: A Natural Treasure by mgsgagag (GC105P8) Tour de Geology by 2Wheelin (GC10N4P) Cache of the Year Be the Genealogist-Final by reedkickball (GC14X8B) Rookie of the Year Bubba Q Jack Cacher of the Year 2Wheelin (second year running!) … Continue reading

REMINDER-NoVAGO Spring Fling – Redux Event!!!

Just a gentle reminder that this year our (rescheduled) Spring event, the NoVAGO Spring Fling – Redux (GC1BHNG) is this coming Saturday, 10 May 08, at Algonkian Regional Park. Good food, good friends, and a good time!! Lots of caches in the local area, and I hear there are even some new ones. Please see the cache page for details, and if you have not signed up yet…it is not too late. See ya there!! … Continue reading

April 2008 Member Spotlight: Bubba Q. Jack

Just how did Bubba Q. Jack get his nickname, will he keep his cache-a-day streak alive, and more . . . Welcome to April’s Spotlight! Tell us about your caching name. There used to be a great Bar-B-Que place on the way to Shady Side Maryland called “Pig Outs” that had the best ribs. I would drive from Arlington, Virginia just for lunch or dinner but it went out of business. In a quest to replace such wonderful ribs I went from Maine to Florida stopping at as many places to sample the fare. I’ve located several restaurants (joints) that come close but never perfect. One place was named Bubba’s and I liked the idea of adding the Q and Jack which is the nickname for John. Thus Bubba Q. Jack was created. How were you introduced to Geocaching and what was the first cache you found? After gaining 35 … Continue reading

NoVAGO 2008 April CITO Event and Picnic

Come one Come all … to the NoVAGO 2008 CITO Event and Picnic Sunday, April 20th This is a combined event and sign up is through the CITO page at GC19V2A. It will be a great time and a chance to meet old friends and put a face with all those new names you have been seeing in the logs. Event Schedule 9:30am-10:00am arrival, log-in, and instructions 10:am-12:00 pm CITO! PRE-Picnic Caching! 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm pictures, and clean-up 12:30 pm-4:00 pm NoVAGO Spring Fling Picnic 2008 CITO Parking and Picnic Location Falcon Ridge Recreation Center 22025 Evergreen Mills Road Leesburg, VA 20175 For more details see the Cache page at GC19V2A … Continue reading

March 2008 Member Spotlight: LionHeart

It is with great pleaure that I spotlight LionHeart this month – the man behind some of the most amazing puzzles! Tell us about your caching name. My caching name came from an old Scottish saying, “A man is a lion in his own cause”. So I have the heart of a lion when it comes to my own cause. My cause is that I have a chronic liver disease called Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). It is a characterized by inflammation, destruction and fibrosis of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts that leads to cirrhosis of the liver. PSC is often complicated by recurrent episodes of bacterial cholangitis (infection of the bile ducts with bacteria). Patients with PSC also have an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). The cause of PSC is unknown but many investigators suspect that it is an autoimmune disease. Other etiologies, such as infectious agents, … Continue reading

Fairfax County Parks Guidelines

The FCPA and NoVAGO are happy to announce the new guidelines for hiding caches in FCPA parks! On the FCPA geocaching page you will find a list of “blanket approval” parks as well as a web form for requesting permission for other FCPA parkland. We are very excited about this! It’s been a long time coming and everybody has been patient — but the wait is over! A huge THANK YOU to the NoVAGO members who worked on this project. For more information, visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/geocaching … Continue reading

NoVAGO 2007 Cache Awards

From now and until the 25th of February we will be taking the nominations for the categories below. The list of nominated caches and cachers will be posted for everyone to check out, and then vote on, starting on or before March 1st and will continue until 31st of March when voting will be locked. The winners will be announced at the meeting in April, in Loudoun County Please email your suggestions to the following email address: matsusie(at)gmail(dot)com Cache Eligibility: 1. Cache must have been placed between 1, January 2007 to 31 December 2007 2. Only 2 nominations per category 3. We will be submitting the top 3-5 nominees in each category for your votes. So the more nominations we get, the easier it will be to discern the best of the best. The Categories: Best Theme/Series Best Kids Cache Best Location Best Hike Best History Related Cache Best Multi-Stage … Continue reading

February 2008 Member Spotlight: Zgrav

This month’s Member Spotlight is Zgrav and yelraM! Tell us about your caching names. My caching name is Zgrav. It is a one syllable variation on “zero gravity”, which pulls together a way to use my middle initial “Z” with some kind of science-fiction context. yelraM’s caching name is just a reverse of her real name ( Marley) . Tell us how you were introduced to Geocaching. I bought a GPS on sale because I could use it hiking outdoors. I have been a caver since I was a kid, and grew up plotting latitude and longitude on paper topo maps to mark or find cave entrances. When I looked on the internet for tips on using a GPS I discovered geocaching. I was hooked with the idea, and remember the fun of going out on those first searches. yelraM actually made our first find, which she will be quick … Continue reading

NoVAGO Meet & Greet and Cryptophobia Support Group GC18KFF

Please mark 2 February 2008 on your calendar, and plan to attend!! The “Event” has been in the scrolling window on the homepage for awhile, but it is easy to miss… so I thought I would throw out a reminder. The first Event of 2008 promises to be one you will not want to miss. You will get a chance to meet the 2008 NoVAGO Board, and to participate in a general membership meeting. Put faces to names, renew friendships, meet the new members, and before I forget…bring any and all new ideas on how we can help NoVAGO grow and prosper. There will be a puzzle cache solving presentation after the general membership meeting, great for those of you (us) who are puzzle challenged.