I’ve done just about all I can do for you now. It’s time to put your own skills to work. You need to figure out how to get to the general cache area. The first satellite image along with road maps or local knowledge should get you close. As you approach the cache site switch to the second satellite image to get right on the spot. I usually try to get myself positioned EXACTLY where the satellite shows the cache to be. If you’ve selected a cache that is near easily identifiable objects visible in the satellite view this shouldn’t be difficult. In this example we can see the cache is located in a small bump out on the side of a bridge. Once on the spot the hint frequently comes useful. “Center yourself above the waters and kneel before the setting sun” contains some valuable clues. Center yourself seems likely to refer to the bump out, so center yourself on the bump out. Above the waters indicates that it may perhaps be close to the edge of the bridge. Kneel indicates it’s likely to be lower, rather than higher and setting sun suggests you should be facing west.
While searching for the cache try to consider where you would hide it if you were the one placing the cache.
This cache turned out to be a magnetic key holder placed under the lower rail of the guard rail dead center on the bump out visible on the satellite image.
Caches can be hidden in a variety of places. They are frequently very well hidden. I’ve found caches that were metal boxes attached to steel utility cabinets on sidewalks with magnets and painted to match. The left two pictures show a stump that had been hollowed out to hold a cache made from a coffee can. My favorite was a cache made up of several pieces of pipe shaped in a “u”, complete with red shut off vavle and laid on the ground next to a building right where real pipes left the building and entered the ground. (see third picture from the right, above). I was able to pick up the pipe/cache and unscrew the end to reveal the usual sorts goodies inside. The smallest cache I found was about the size of a watch battery and was attached to the underside of a fence gate pole with a magnet. (right hand picture) People who place caches can be very, very sneaky, so be prepared to be creative. If you’d like to see just how creative try searching for geocaching items on eBay. Some of the cache containers sold there are downright evil.
Copyright © 2009, Ian A. Duncan
Revised - - 6/24/2009
URL http://www.flyian.net/geocach/geo13.htm