Category Archives: Spotlight

Adoption of caches in National Park Service Geotours

Posted on by
Reply

Help keep these iconic Geotours going! Mark Neuberger (Deepdish23) has requested NoVAGO reach out to area cachers to find volunteers to adopt caches in the Geotours. The following is a letter from him providing some background. The National Park Service in the Mid-Atlantic Region played an important part in the creating of the Geotour.  The first two Geotours that existed were the Star-Spangled Banner Geotour in 2011 and the Captain John Smith Geotour in 2012.  In 2018, the NPS along with the Chesapeake Conservancy helped in establishing the Find Your Chesapeake Geotour.  These Geotours brought geocaching to places that never allowed geocaching previously and brought geocachers from around the world to the Mid-Atlantic region. With the retirement of Cindy Chance at the National Park Service a few years ago, there has not been a replacement at the NPS that is watching over the three Geotours.  Myself and Chris (Awesnap) along … Continue reading →

NoVAGO Volunteer Profiles: Officers

Reply

#volunteerspotlight Did you know that NoVAGO is 100% run by volunteers? They are ordinary geocachers who want to give a voice for the the wider geocaching community while supporting efforts in their own Northern Virginia area. To spotlight opportunities in the org, we are running a series of job profiles between now and our “Thanks Event,” the annual volunteer appreciation lunch in January. NoVAGO Volunteer Profiles: Officers Our annual officer elections take place during the month of December. A nominations and election committee is formed to make the process run smoothly. This team will be accepting nomination for officer positions during the entire month of November. Anyone wanting to self nominate may reach out to the committee. If you know someone who you think would be perfect for one of the jobs, you may also reach out. The committee will contact each person nominated to confirm their interest before they … Continue reading →

NoVAGO Volunteer Profiles: Nominations and Elections Committee

1

#volunteerspotlight Did you know that NoVAGO is 100% run by volunteers? They are ordinary geocachers who want to give a voice for the the wider geocaching community while supporting efforts in their own Northern Virginia area. To spotlight opportunities in the org, we are running a series of job profiles between now and our “Thanks Event,” the annual volunteer appreciation lunch in January. NoVAGO Volunteer Profiles: Nominations & Elections Committee Our annual officer elections take place during the month of December. A Nominations and Election Committee is formed to make the process run smoothly. This team will be accepting nomination for officer positions during the entire month of November. They will contact each person nominated to confirm their interest. In December they will create a ballot for any contested positions and will supervise an election. This committee is the first to know who will make up the officer slate in … Continue reading →

NoVAGO Volunteer Profiles: Geocache Placement & Maintenance

Posted on by
Reply

#volunteerspotlight Did you know that NoVAGO is 100% run by volunteers? They are ordinary geocachers who want to give a voice for the the wider geocaching community while supporting efforts in their own Northern Virginia area. To spotlight opportunities in the org, we are running a series of job profiles between now and our “Thanks Event,” the annual volunteer appreciation lunch in January. NoVAGO Volunteer Profiles: Geocaching 101 Classes NoVAGO is always on the look out for volunteers willing and able to hide new geocaches in our area. If you’re interested, let us know what area of the map is your favorite and we’ll let you know if we might be able to use your services. Thank you! To offer your services, e-mail officers@novago.org … Continue reading →

NoVAGO Volunteer Profiles: Geocaching 101 Classes

Posted on by
Reply

#volunteerspotlight Did you know that NoVAGO is 100% run by volunteers? They are ordinary geocachers who want to give a voice for the the wider geocaching community while supporting efforts in their own Northern Virginia area. To spotlight opportunities in the org, we are running a series of job profiles between now and our “Thanks Event,” the annual volunteer appreciation lunch in January. NoVAGO Volunteer Profiles: Geocaching 101 Classes Northern Virginia Geocaching Organization is the official face of geocaching in our area. We frequently get requests from members of our community to give presentations about the hobby. We work with schools, scouts, libraries, parks and other groups. This educational outreach is part of our commitment to safe, responsible, and environmentally responsible geocaching. Each request is unique and so every presentation must also be slightly tailored to its audience. We need volunteers who love talking about their favorite hobby, geocaching. We … Continue reading →

Spotlight Cache: In Memory of Dr Tooth A Magical-Mystery Bird House

Posted on by
Reply

#NationalBrushYourTeethDay (November 1) November 1st is National Brush Your Teeth Day! This was not created to remind people to brush their teeth once a year (We at NoVAGO are hoping that everyone brushes their teeth more than this one day annually!) Ha hah! No, this holiday was actually created to encourage parents to make sure their kids brush their teeth twice a day for two minutes. To celebrate this holiday, we here at NoVAGO would like to spotlight a cache in Stafford called “In Memory of Dr Tooth A Magical-Mystery Bird House (GC89BKD).” This gadget cache was placed by robbitandpaul as tribute to their favorite gentile dentist. Since it was placed it has been found 92 times, earned 43 favorite points, and was awarded a coveted NoVAGO Cache Award for most creative geocache of 2019! So make sure your kids are brushing for a full two minutes, and if nearby, … Continue reading →

Spotlight Cache: NoVAGO U: Chemistry 100 & 101

Posted on by
Reply

#NationalChemistryWeek (October 20–26, 2024) Today we’re celebrating #NationalChemistryWeek by spotlighting this fun puzzle in Leesburg. NoVAGO U: Chemistry 100 & 101 (GC9ZZH5) was placed by hrothroc in 2022 as part of NoVAGO’s annual cache series. In 2024, the cache now has a 74% favorite point rating. First you’ll need to check your periodic table to solve the coordinates for this cache. It should be pretty straightforward for anyone who has completed high school chemistry class. With that done, geocachers will find themselves standing in the lab (well actually the forest) trying to figure out what to do with the supplied equipment. The kit includes a 3D printed cryptex which contains the log paper. Can you figure out the key word to get inside? Be sure to check the old logs. As part of the series, contestants were encouraged to post silly photos related NoVAGO U: Chemistry 100 & 101. Here’s … Continue reading →

Spotlight Cache: The Loaner

Posted on by
Reply

#National Name Your Car Day (October 2, 2024) Going down the list of fun/bizarre holidays you will find that October 2, 2024 is National Name Your Car Day!  There are plenty of famous cars out there like Herbie, Christine, Eleanor, and the General Lee.  Studies have shown that when people name inanimate objects like cars, they assign almost human-like attributes to it, and feel more in control. There are a few car related geocaches in NoVAGO territory (Just ask Joey-Jo), but one stands out as having a name assigned to it in the cache title. That car is The Loaner (GC493RZ). Placed in 2013 by mobywv, it is a letterbox where you follow a map through the woods to a 1976 Mercury Bobcat Villager. I am sure that there is good story behind a very old wrecked car that is rusting away in the forest, and that every geocacher who … Continue reading →

Spotlight Cache: NoVAGO U: Geology 101

Posted on by
Reply

#NationalRockDay (July 13) Today we’re celebrating #NationalRockDay by spotlighting a wherigo cache from the 2022 NoVAGO annual series. Placed by kiisikwa, NoVAGO U: Geology 101 will take you on an adventure through different rock samples. You will be challenged on your knowledge before you can get the coordinates to where the cache is hidden. “I learned something at each of the stages. Thanks Dr for the lesson and placing this cache!” ~923Graham “This class rocks!” ~02Hooson “This was a unique wherigo experience. The lesson was enjoyable, and the geology examples where top notch.” ~Awesnap “This was a very enjoyable Wherigo! I not only learned something, but I admired how it was set up. I had never done a Wherigo where I had to find cache at each stage.” ~Team_Palazzo If you were making a geocache cocktail and threw in a little bit of multi-stage cache, a little earthcache, and a … Continue reading →