Thanks 2013 — Go 2014!

Due to the weather conditions that much of our region has been experiencing this weekend, the Thanks! event scheduled for January 5 will be moved to next Sunday, January 12th from 4-6 pm.   We hope everyone can come and join us as we thank all those who helped out NoVAGO in 2013! Also upcoming in the next couple weeks is Go 2014 in NoVA — a meet-and-greet providing a chance to socialize and also a chance for all interested do a little planning for the upcoming year.  It will be held on Tuesday, January 14 from 6-8 pm.   Everyone is welcome to come and contribute to the discussion as we begin to plan out some of the great events planned for 2014! … Continue reading

2014 NoVAGO Officers

I am happy to announce that the new Officers for 2014 are: President – WVKiwi Vice President – ChaseClan2.3 Secretary – Derektiffany Treasurer – KanukGirl Public Relations – Schwandt Thanks to all who voted. Looking forward to a great year ahead. … Continue reading

2014 Officer Elections

The elections for NoVAGO’s 2014 Officers are open. Votes may be cast from December 1st through December 31st.  Please take a few minutes and cast your ballot. Email your vote to 2014vote @ novago.org Please put “NoVAGO Vote” in the subject line so they can be collected and tallied by our vote counters.     Reminders: – Only one name per office – You do NOT have to vote for EVERY office to have your vote counted. – All NoVAGO members regardless of where they live are eligible to vote. – Please include your caching name with your vote. The Nominees are: President – Awesnap, WVKiwi Vice President – ChaseClan2.3 Secretary – Nothereeither, Derektiffany Treasurer – KanukGirl Public Relations – Schwandt … Continue reading

Nominations are Now Open

November sees opening of the nomination process for the 2014 Officers. During the month, anyone interested in running for an office is welcome to post their intent in the NoVAGO forums. Once December 1st rolls around, we will begin the election process based on our nominees. January 1st the winners will be announced. If you have ever thought about running for an office, please consider tossing your name into the ring. If you have any questions about what is required for any of the positions, please drop a line or contact one of the current officers or directors. New leadership is a vital part of growing an organization and that new leadership starts with you .. Hope to see a bunch of new names on the nomination lists and am looking forward to a banner year in 2014. … Continue reading

Fall Fling Festivities

The countdown is underway … 5 Days until NoVAGO’s Fall Fling Event. We will be gathering at Lake Fairfax for friendship, food and festivities. PLEASE let us know how many will be attending as NoVAGO will be supplying burgers and dogs. We will also supply the buns, plates and utensils and charcoal for cooking. In your will attend note, please list the pot luck item you are bringing so we can judge what might be needed and not end up with a table full of one item. We are all looking forward to a good time … Weather should be awesome and the location can’t be beat. The event starts around 10ish with a meet and greet and ice breaker followed by caching in the park and lunch … We are planning a couple games and side events to add to the festivities and as usual will have a few … Continue reading

DNF versus Needs Maintenance

So what do you do when you are out in the field and cannot find a cache ?? Well, if you are out on your own or with others who have not found the cache, you should be logging the attempt as a DNF (Did not Find). The DNF is a tool that is used by the cache owner (CO) to help them to maintain their caches. Several DNFs in a row are a strong indicator that there is something amiss with a cache. Of course, the other possibility is that the cache is very well hidden and is just not being found. In either case, it is the cache owner’s responsibility to check on it and verify it is in place or fix it if it is not. So how does a Needs Maintenance Log fit into the picture ?? The requirement for a Needs Maintenance log comes in … Continue reading

2013 Summer Soiree is almost here

Less than three weeks to the summer event. Looking forward to caches in the park, visiting with old friends and making new ones. Lots of stories to tell, awesome caches to add to the to do lists and maybe even some puzzle solutions along the way. Plans are in the works for 8-10 new caches and maybe a puzzle or two … not to mention some of those Munzee things for those who partake 😉 We have a large pavilion reserved and sounds like some tasty ribs in addition to the burgers and dogs. Always good eats with the pot luck specialties. Make sure your calendar is marked, bring your caching shoes and appetite … look forward to a great summer day in the park. And of course there are loads of other caches in the local vicinity just waiting to be found. See you there … … Continue reading

2013 Summer Soiree Silent Auction and Donations

– Willing to offer up a cache hint or puzzle solution? – Willing to give a guided tour of one of your caches? – Do you specialize in crafting some unique item? – Have cache containers or geocoins laying around? – Have something that might be great swag to a cacher? If you answered, yes, to any of the above, NoVAGO encourages you to consider donating to the Summer Auction… As most of you know, NoVAGO does not charge dues, but instead holds several fund raisers throughout the year.  Our main fundraiser is the summer silent auction. Please see the forum post for a description of what a silent auction is and how it is run, I will not go into that here. If you have an item or items that you’d like to donate, please contact me (dave — rufnredy) or any officer off-line either via e-mail, or PM … Continue reading

Upcoming Geocaching 101 Class Dates …

Here is the list of the upcoming Geocaching Class Dates. NoVAGO is hosting these classes at the various libraries and has developed a powerpoint presentation that is easy to follow and provides the basic information needed to let new comers be a part of our caching community. What we need is you … If you can help out either as a presenter … just talking about geocaching or as a helper following students around with NoVAGO provided GPS units let us know … KanukGirl, Schwandt, HokieCachers and ItMustBeJames have already presented the classes and if you have any questions or concerns about your ability to do it, please contact them They had a blast and highly recommend the experience to everyone … The classes and locations are: Thursday, June 27, 2013       Walter Reed Senior Center 1:00 PM Saturday, June 29, 2013         Sterling Library 2:00 PM Saturday, … Continue reading