Adventure Awaits HARVESTED a September Winner
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- Written by Terri Nealon
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During the Harvest month of September, hermie618 (Carol Hagan) gathered and submitted her qualifying geocaches to become the final Adventure Awaits winner of the inaugural 12-month SLAGA Challenge. September's challenge was to find four caches with a St. Louis area theme plus attend an event. Carol's winning geocaches were:
GC5HQVP Welcome to Cliff Cave Park
GC1BDT9 SLAGA Peace of Trash Cache
GC80PAK Day 6 - 2018 Cachemas in STL
GC8E3HF Saint Louis City Artwork (It was near Bevo Mill.)
GCAWWF9 SW STL Happy Hour - Harvest Moon Edition
Carol and Hcube1015 (Harold) usually cache together and try challenges they think they can accomplish in the allotted time frames. They've entered the Adventure Awaits Challenge every month. Carol says, "it gets us out of the house with the bonus of possibly winning a prize as an incentive too. Nice job, SLAGA!" For September's themed challenge, which Carol thought could be an obstacle for some cachers, she and Harold used GSAK and narrowed down their choices.
Carol started geocaching in 2012, but how she got started is a fun story. As she tells it: "We watched a show about geocaching on PBS with my brother and sister-in-law when they visited for Christmas 2011." Upon their return to Maryland, "my sister-in-law started finding caches since her cell phone had a GPS function. We didn't have a "fancy" phone or a Nuvi navigator of any kind, so we just got emails from her telling us how much she enjoyed it, and I wanted to try it. In March the following year," while vacationing in Gulf Shores with old college friends who had a Nuvi in their vehicle, "I told them about geocaching and checked the app to see if there were any caches nearby and there were some in Gulf State Park. Hcube want to go golfing, but the remaining three of us didn't play, so I suggested we try caching with their Nuvi. We didn't know what we were doing and had no success. Luckily, it began raining, so we scurried to the parking lot to hop into the vehicle and high-tailed it to the indoor Nature Center at the park, where we knew there was another hide. Still not knowing what we were doing, the ranger kept giving us clues, but we were clueless. Finally he talked me into putting my hand into a grab bag box, and I pulled out my first find!"
The following day Carol got Harold to try geocaching and they had success at a wooden birdhouse. Harold didn't think Carol would stick with this new hobby long as she had never been much of an outdoors person, but she continued to enjoy it. A few months later, Harold finally joined the game too. Now Carol has over 3600 finds and Harold is close behind.
When interviewed about a memorable caching experience, Carol had another interesting story. She 'relived' a Union MO. caching adventure. "One of the most disturbing encounters we had was while finding a cache at the roller rink. The description stated that the owner of the rink specifically asked that a cache be place there. It was nearing dusk, and we had just found the rather hard and sneaky container. Hcube had just handed me the log to sign when a man yells, 'Put up your hands!' He had his hand in his pocket to make it look like he was holding a gun in it. Another man approached to support him. They'd driven into the lot in trucks with mowers in the attached trailers. They weren't officers or 'officials' of any kind. They said we were trespassing and had to leave immediately. Well, we didn't put our hands up and weren't leaving until I signed the log and hcube put the container back. We tried to explain what we were doing and tried to show them the page description, but they didn't care that the owner was aware of geocaching and that it was okay for us to be there. I wouldn't describe us as really scared; we were more irritated and angry at these know-nothing vigilante individuals who thought they could make us do what they wanted. We knew we were 'allowed' to be there." It's not a wonder Carol stuck with game, since she certainly has some fun geo-stories to tell.
With this final inaugural 12-month Adventure Awaits win, the SLAGA community now anticipates a Grand Prize winner to be announced at the upcoming SLAGA Fall Picnic (GCAXXFZ) on October 19, 2024.
2024 SLAGA Travel Bug Race September Update
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- Written by Robert Klemme
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We've reached the halfway point of the race! We've definitely got a clear milage lead going there! Let's see if anyone makes a leap.
Here's how we are looking at this point:
The Big Reveal...SLAGA's NEW MASCOT !
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- Written by Terri Nealon
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In late April 2024, SLAGA put out a call for members to design entries for a new mascot and/or submit name choices, because a mascot helps engage the caching community and invites an atmosphere of fun on future announcements and merchandise. Fantastically, the SLAGA community answered that call! Over a dozen unique mascot designs were submitted and numerous names.
By July, all entries were submitted and it was time for the larger membership to vote. Those votes have all been tallied now, and the SLAGA board is ready to announce the new mascot/name and the mascot designer! A reminder, as a condition of entry, is that this winning mascot/name now becomes the property of SLAGA.
But before the big reveal, the board wishes to extend a huge THANK YOU to all those that participated by either submitting a design, a name, or by voting for the official mascot. The designer's 'award' is recognition and notoriety for years to come for having designed the now official SLAGA mascot.
So without further ado, the new SLAGA MASCOT AND NAME and the designer is:
Inaugural Adventure Awaits - Ending in a GRAND PRIZE Way!
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- Written by Terri Nealon
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SLAGA's monthly challenge incentive has been taking place over the last 12 months. Adventure Awaits was launched in October 2023 with a simplistic challenge of finding 5 traditional geocaches and attending one event during the month. But the challenges increased in uniqueness and difficulty as the months progressed. They've provided a means to enhance the geocaching experience for members and inspired many geocachers to enjoy this fun outdoor hobby in a new and different way.
There are only a few days left for those wanting to complete this month's challenge (September '24), which is the final month in this inaguaral 'year.' This month's challenge is to find four St Louis 'theme' titled caches and one event. (Cache titles could include STL, Rt 66, Arch, Gateway, Blues, Cardinals, Forest Park, Queeny Park, Mississippi/Missouri Rivers, etc...you get the idea.)
To recap our past months winners, they are once again:
October '23 Rouseabouts
November '23 stevendede
December '23 Geokid12
January '24 3nina
February '24 Java1369
March '24 vorlon40
April '24 deancmeredith
May '24 MrsSpongy
June '24 Uga_Mom
July '24 brantole
August '24 Su&Sco
September '24 ???
Lucky for all us that participated, whether we won a single month or not, one of the original guidelines for the Adventure Awaits challenge stated that a Grand Prize Winner would be drawn from all qualifying monthly entries from October '23 through the September '24 and announced at the Fall Picnic. While some cachers participated all 12 months, and will get their names in the drawing 12 times, a few cachers were only able to submit qualifying entries one or more months, so they'll get their names in the drawing the number of months they participated.
Now that the time is near for that coveted Grand Prize drawing, join us at the SLAGA Fall Picnic to be held on October 19, 2024 at Kirkwood Park (GCAXXFZ), when the WINNER will be announced! Also during the picnic, a survey will be handed out regarding the SLAGA Adventure Awaits challenge. Please take the time to fill this out as it will be helpful in determing the future of this type of SLAGA incentive.
Remember folks...if you participated in any of the monthly challenges, your name will be in the drawing as many times as you entered. In the end it's the 'Luck of the Draw' that will determine the Grand Prize winner!. And that lucky geocacher will be awarded a $50 gift card!
A Sizzling Summer's 'Adventure Awaits' Win
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- Written by Terri Nealon
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During the month of endless sizzling summer days, Su&Sco/Susan Bevis, with the help of her husband Scott, geocached her way to the August Adventure Awaits monthly challenge win! With the interesting challenge of finding an event cache plus five caches, one each starting with a letter in our group's acronym, she had her work cut out for her. But Susan made it look easy and qualified for her win with the following geocaches:
Some of Susan and her husband's favorite geocaches are: state oldest, FTFs, geoart, state stars, and puzzle caches. As with many cachers, Susan mentioned that geocaching has taken them to so many places they would never have visited if not for the game. In response to whether there was a memorable geocaching experience, Susan shared this story. "On a canoe caching trip at Lynnville Lake in Indiana, we pulled over to sit by a waterfall at the far end of the lake and take a break. Before getting back into the canoe, we walked over the falls to take a selfie. I slipped and fell breaking my right hip. The resulting evacuation by emergency boat and ambulance ride resulted in a partial hip replacement. This has slowed my pace, but not my enthusiasm." Sadly however, Susan did comment, "I can't count the number of broken bones that I have incurred" anymore.
Other interests of Susan's are photographing nature and grandchildren and spending time with her sidekick Scott, whom she takes geo-vacations with across America. She also enjoys reading, watching crime shows, and "even at my age, I still like to color with Crayolas, chalk or pen." She and Scott serve as greeters in church weekly. They also participate in several other Geocaching organizations and "enjoy meeting, talking, and geocaching with geocaching friends."
It was a wise decision to complete the August challenge, and enter qualifying caches, that led this duo to their sizzling win. Now the SLAGA community gets to extend a huge CONGRATULATIONS TO SUSAN AND SCOTT!
2024 SLAGA Travel Bug Race August Update
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- Written by Robert Klemme
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Some position shuffling this past month, here are the current standings of the 2024 SLAGA Travel Bug Race!
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