Category Archives: General

General Announcements

Fall Fling Festivities

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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

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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

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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

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– 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 …

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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 →

The Summer Event is Here … Mark your Calendars

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NoVAGO’s summer event has been booked. We will be in Purcellville at the Hillsboro Pavillion on Sunday August 11. We have the pavilion all day and will be looking at a pot luck lunch, new caches in the park, and a silent auction. Speaking of Silent Auctions, we will be posting requests for donations for the auction. In the past we have had everything from signature NoVAGO items to GPSs to coins and assistance with puzzle solutions. Please think of what you may have to donate to the cause. This is our main fundraiser and helps cover the cost of venues and meats etc for the quarterly events. Be on the lookout for the event page to publish, should be soon … But be sure anyway to mark your calendars and plan on a day of socializing, caching, grabbing puzzle hints, and generally having a good time … Is it … Continue reading →

Give Back to Caching

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As we are working our way into June, we are in need of volunteers to hold Geocaching 101 classes and walk around assisting while the students test their new skills.  In addition to class help, NoVAGO needs all kinds of volunteers to support our ongoing community efforts and quarterly events.  Are you good at Organizing?  Speaking?  Heavy Labor? Finding Caches?   We can use each and every one of you and your talents. To this end, we have scheduled NoVAGO’s Spring Volunteer Fair on Sunday May 19th. We will be demonstrating how easy it is to give the Geocaching 101 class (you know how to cache so you know all of this stuff already).  We will be looking for some much needed help and will be talking about opportunities to assist making caching more fun for everyone. Come by the Reston Library (11925 Bowman Towne Drive) on Sunday afternoon between … Continue reading →

Some Random Thoughts …

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Spring is here … weather is warming up and the various critters that have been sleeping are now stirring and becoming more active .. Was on the Eastern Shore this weekend and moved a rock to find a little snake … BE CAREFUL … we have had a couple of poisonous snake bites in the last couple years and surely do not need any more … Along those lines, the poison ivy is starting up its activity … if you don’t know what it looks like google it and read up … Spring is a time when tender leaves and stalks are tender and if you break one you may well be affected … And of course … several ticks were spotted this weekend … be aware of them and make sure you do thorough tick checks when you return from a caching trip … those itsy bitsy ones are … Continue reading →

Voting is Underway

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It is that time again … time to voice your preferences for the best NoVAGO caches of the year. After receiving and sorting through uncounted emails, we have accumulated a list of the top nominations. I hold in my hand the envelopes. As a child of four can plainly see, these envelopes have been hermetically sealed. They’ve been kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall’s porch since noon today. No one knows the contents of these envelopes.  It is now time to reveal the contents of the envelopes and begin the voting process. The voting will be tabulated through surveymonkey. The link to the ballot is: PLEASE take the time to vote and let your voices be heard. There were a lot of great caches placed last year and they all deserve recognition, but only the few will be named best in category based on your votes. … Continue reading →