| This Month's Featured Cacher: |
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Coach Steve is a person that really loves this game and the people in it. Always willing to help a fellow cacher on the trail or when finding a hide. He's very knowledgeable of the area and has several great caches out there as well. He is a native Californian, but has lived in Utah for 29 years and we are very fortunate to have him in this sport. Teachers seem to have a certain greatness to them and you can truly feel that greatness when you meet Coach Steve. He recently retired from Hurricane High School where he taught Spanish. In 2005, his passion to instruct continues as he now works at Dixie State College.
We would like to thank Coach Steve for talking with us and sharing some of his cachin' and non-cachin' experiences. |
ST: How were you introduced to geocaching?
CS: I needed to exercise and happened on the web site one day (geocaching.com). I just learned by doing. |
ST: What makes geocaching fun for you?
CS: The people you meet and the places you see. I really enjoy going out with friends, and usually they have better eyes than I do, this helps
to make the find a little easier
. Seeing places that I would never see if it were not for this sport/hobby. |
ST: What is your greatest geocaching adventure?
CS: Getting caches in foreign countries. But actually, my next cache is my greatest adventure. Maybe it was my first cache, where I wandered around with the sheet and the coords until I came to the right spot, because I didn't know how to download them into my GPS. I was hooked immediately! |
"Phipps Arch" |
ST: Do you have a favorite cache?
CS: My favorite real cache is "Phipps Arch"--long hike and fantastic views.
My favorite virtual is "Trails of Margaritaville" in Key West because I am a Jimmy Buffett Parrothead.
My favorite containers are "Treasure Chest Hunt" and "It was a Dynamite Place"--a real treasure chest!
Unfortunately, "It was a Dynamite Place" has been muggled too many times so the 2oldfarts had to archive it. |
st: You've hidden several caches, which one is your favorite?
CS: Actually, my favorites are my series caches--Mesa's Edge 1-6, and the Knob Hill caches. |
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ST: What is it about the Mesa's and Knob hill series that makes them special for you?
CS: They involve a little hiking and great views at the cache site. |
ST: What is the best treasure you have taken from a cache?
CS: I got a new Orvis fly fishing rod, worth $150.00 from "It was a Dynamite Place" by the 2oldfarts. I went out at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday and drove 50 miles to get that FTF prize. |
ST: Where was the first place you used that new Orvis fly fishing rod and how was it?
CS: I used it at Kolob and caught and released 30 fish in about two hours with it. It is a quality rod. I later found out that John (of two old farts) had found it at the dump and had fixed the broken tip on it. Someone had thrown away a $150 fly rod because of broken tip! |
ST: What areas around here do you like to go fishing?
CS: The favorite place of fly fishermen around here is Kolob Res. It is an artificial only, mostly catch-and-release water that has some larger fish in it. Great place for float tubes or kick boats. |
ST: Besides geocaching what is your favorite thing/hobby to do and why?
CS: Travel. I own a part interest in a small tour company, and have traveled over half the world--all of Mexico and So. America, Europe, Asia, Australia and most recently Thailand and Cambodia. |
ST: Is this touring company like a time share?
CS: No, it's nothing like a time share. We started out taking our student to Mexico about 25 years ago, and some parents would go with us. They soon started asking when we were going to do trips for adults, and the rest, is history. We just figure out where we want to go in the world and invite people to come with us. We do all our arrangements (no middlemen or agents), so our prices are more than competitive. For example, the trip to Thailand and Cambodia was for 18 days with all expenses paid, like 5-star hotels, flight, food, all tours, etc. and the price was $2200 apiece. We looked at other tours offering the same thing for $6200. We took a trip to Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand last summer for 12 days for $2000. Same thing on other companies was $5000. Of course, the only thing we get is to travel free. We have never made a dime on any of the trips. |
Lake Atitlan |
Chichicastenango |
Tikal, all in Guatemala |
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ST: In your travels (not geocaching per say) any one place that sticks out the most or a place that you would recommend visiting?
CS: There are some great places in the world. Of all the places I have been, a few stick out in my mind. Lake Atitlan, Chichicastenango, and Tikal in Guatemala--Machu Picchu, Cuzco, and the Amazon River in Peru--Petra in Jordan (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade place), and Ankgor Wat in Cambodia. are my favorites. |
ST: Do you have any geocaching hints, tips, or trade secrets that you want to reveal?
CS: Learn to use the "phone-a-friend" hint. It has come in handy more than once when I have been stuck and frustrated. Also, learn to use Cachemate and GSAK so you don't have to print out all that paper. |
ST: So than you're a paperless cacher?
CS: Yes, for about the last 3 months, since discovering how to use Cachemate. I'm still learning, everything I have done with it is kind of a learn-by-doing experience. |
ST: Is there any pre-planning before a day full of cachin'?
CS: If you don't pre-plan, you will drive right by caches along the way or not realize that if you go 5 miles farther you will miss a good cache. Planning routes for a full day of caching is half the fun. |
ST: In your opinion, what makes a good cache?
CS: I like those that you have to get out of your car and walk a bit to find. I do not enjoy micros that do not give good hints. |
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ST: What cache has been your favorite outside of Utah?
CS: Probably the cache on the Sidney Bridge in Australia. |
ST: The Sidney Bridge cache the "Coat Hanger", what was it about that cache that made it special?
CS: Sidney is one of the most beautiful cities that I have visited, and the view from the bridge is spectacular, especially early in the morning. There are literally hundreds of people who jog/walk that bridge to work every morning--it is a mile long! Sidney is also one of the cleanest cities I have visited. In the morning we went up on the bridge, there were several men cleaning in and around the area, and you could tell by the way they did it that they took pride in what they did. |
ST: What is your favorite quote?
CS: "Not all who wander are lost" by JRR Tolkien. |
ST: Do you go for quantity, quality, or both-just the thrill of the find?
CS: All of the above. I just enjoy matching wits with those who hide them. |
ST: What is your favorite game besides geocaching?
CS: Apples to Apples |
ST: Apples to Apples sounds intriguing, how do you play it?
CS: Apples to Apples is a group game in which you try to tell how someone is going to answer what is on a card. For example, the card may say "Scary" and you will have been dealt cards that say "The Republican Party", "NASCAR", "Washington D.C.", "Snakes", and "Public Speaking". Everyone puts in a card from their hand that best describes what you think the person will find "Scary". It can get pretty hilarious. I have never, and will not play any video games besides mind benders. |
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ST: If you could pick any vehicle, what would be your perfect geocaching vehicle?
CS: A short wheel-base 4X4 that gets 50 miles to the gallon. I use a 4-wheeler to save on gas, but you can't take it everywhere, and you can't haul your friends with you. |
ST: Have you ever encountered a snake or Gila Monster while caching or has anything gotten between you and the cache?
CS: The only thing that has gotten between me and a cache is a vertical quarter mile because I took the wrong route. Yes, I have seen every poisonous animal while out caching. Mostly I just let them be. |
ST: Have you ever found any fun treasures while you were out cachin', besides what was in the caches?
CS: I have found some of the most beautiful rocks for my garden. The best treasures are those that are etched forever on the sensitive emulsion sheet of my mind--the views, the smells, the sunsets, etc. |
ST: How many days can you go before you need to go for a find?
CS: About 1/2 hour, but I usually have to wait until after work. It is an itch that you have to scratch! |
ST: I noticed on your profile page you say you're a Gryffindor. How do you go about getting this info?
CS: It comes from the Harry Potter books. It is one of the "houses" of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Magic. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Harry Potter is also where the word "muggle" comes from. "Muggles" is the word used to describe non-magical folks in those books. Thus, when someone says "lots of muggles around", they mean non-caching folks. There is a fun web site called the Sorting Hat.com, answer a few questions to find out what house you belong in. I'm a Gryffindor. |
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| Visit Coach Steve's Profile page to find out what other great caches he has hidden. |
| Check us out next month for more fun interviews as well as equipment reviews, cache creating ideas, get to know Southern Utah and more. To make sure you are notified of the updates click here to sign up. |
| Share ideas and talk with other cachers in the area. SU Forum |
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