So Much Geocaching Talk!

First off, let me be clear I'm not complaining!

That out of the way, I'm in fact sincerely thankful to have had the rare opportunity this week to appear on four different geocaching podcasts in one week. 

For those interested, here's the quick recap and links to each show.

Day	Podcast	Topic	Link!
Monday	Podcacher	Upvoting Logs	http://www.podcacher.com/show-651-0-geocaching-log-upvotes/
Wednesday	Geocaching Podcast	Favourite Caching Apps	http://geocachingpodcast.com/gcpc-episode-534-useful-apps-for-geocaching/
Thursday	GeoGearheads	Earthcaching	http://cacheamaniacs.com/ggh-356-earthcaches-iii
Thursday	Caching in the Northwest	Geocaching in Utah	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zy_nrVm2sg

If you'd like a little more insight into the process and contents before you click through to the links, here's the brief synopsis for each podcast appearance.

Podcacher:

I was contacted by my friends at Podcacher and asked, as a Canadian Geocacher, if I had any thoughts on the new upvoting innovation on geocaching logs. Of course I do! 

I offered to record some content for them and they graciously accepted and played it in show 651 (can you believe they have recorded over 650 episodes!!!). 

This episode contains some interesting and diverse opinions and feedback on upvoting from geocachers in Canada and Norway, the two countries where upvoting is currently enabled.

Take a listen to Podcacher episode 651, and check out log upvoting. Share YOUR thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and please tag @LANMonkeyGC so I can hear what you think!

Geocaching Podcast:

In case you hadn't heard, the Gecoaching Podcast is back from the summer hiatus with a new format and (almost) the same hosts. Andy has retired from the show after contributing to it's success for several years, and Scott Berks and Taz427 are now joined by ShortyKnits.

The new format is a call in show - each week the hosts pick a different topic and encourage listeners to call in and share their thoughts, live on the air!

This week the topic was "Useful Apps for Geocaching" and there were some great ones shared. Check it out; if you didn't hear your favourite, or want to weigh in on that conversation, share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter, and again, please tag me so I can hear what you have to say.

GeoGearheads:

Chris of the Northwest and DarrylW4 contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I could fill in for Darryl (can anyone really ever fill in for Darryl?!) and talk about Earthcaches. 

Of course I can! And since GeoGearheads tends to be technology and innovation focused, I thought it would be fun to throw in a news story about China creating artificial moons to orbit the earth, and then dig into the numbers and stats about the 2018 International Earthcache Weekend.

This led to Chris and I each sharing some interesting stories about our adventures finding our Earthcaches for the souvenir that weekend.

I also answered a listener's question and gave some top tips about my own process/workflow for creating new Earthcaches. We then provided an update on the status of the GSA's Earthcache Academy.

Did you get your souvenir? Do you have questions about creating Earthcaches? I'd love to hear about your adventures, or your thoughts about Earthcaches. Again, please share those thoughts on Facebook or Twitter and don't forget to tag me in your post so I can make sure I read it!

Caching in the Northwest:

Last, but surely not least (?), is the podcast closest to my heart, the one I spend every Thursday night with my close and awesome friends WitzEnd and Chris of the Northwest.

This week on CachingNW we had show Patrons CampClan join us to talk about their recent adventure of going Geocaching in the amazing state of Utah. Having completed the Visit Utah Geotour myself, I had lots to share and discuss with them.

The timing couldn't be better as I had just received my official Utah GeoAmbassador jacket that very night and was able to wear it proudly during the podcast!

They shared their adventure of finding Potter's Pond on the cusp of winter, and some of the places they explored on their adventures. We then "shifted gears" to chat a bit about bike share services available in several cities, and how those can be used for Geocaching.

Have you visited Utah and have thoughts or pictures to share? Have you tried Geocaching using a bike or scooter share service? We're really curious to hear more about your experiences and opinions; share them on Twitter and Facebook, and remember to tag me @LANMonkeyGC so I can read all about it!

The Week of the Monkey

So in summary, a very busy but fun week in podcasting for me, and I am so thankful to each of the hosts/producers for making time to include me and my thoughts on their podcasts. 



I hope you enjoy listening to each, and make sure that you let the podcast hosts know what you think about their episodes.

And until we chat next, cache safely and cache often!

LANMonkey's Geocaching Adventures are written by Jay Kennedy, outdoor adventurer and photo-journalist. All content is affiliated with the Wander Network. Experience his adventures on Twitter and Instagram by following @LANMonkeyGC, and subscribing to LANMonkey on YouTube. He is also a regular co-host of the Caching in the Northwest geocaching podcast.

Geocaching #GeekoftheWeek - DarrylW4

Welcome to our very first Geocaching #GeekoftheWeek feature!

Today's #GeekoftheWeek is darrylW4, host of the GeoGeardHeads podcast.

Darryl is acknowledged as an authority on Geocaching and geo-location technologies, and shares his insights on these topics weekly on the Thursday evening GeoGearHeads podcast with his co-host Chris of the Northwest and various guests.

What may be lesser known is that Darryl also loves cycling, and started in the podcasting world talking about cycling. His love of photography has also brought him to be at the leading edge of 360 video and photography, as well as real-time video social media technologies like Periscope for sharing his geocaching adventures.

Through the GeoGearHeads podcast listeners are introduced to great ideas in the geekier side of Geocaching including 3D printing, caching in education, puzzle caching, and many other topics.

In 2016, Darryl & Chris interviewed the hosts of several other Geocaching related podcasts to provide a "behind the scenes" look at how the podcasts came to be, and are made. You can check out the Geocaching Podcast Profiles at this link.  


Perhaps lesser known outside of the geocaching podcaster community is how much Darryl has helped other podcasters get started and tune their shows through his own knowlege and experience. 

Check out GeoGearHeads live every Thursday at 9:10pm Eastern or 6:10pm Pacific on YouTube. You can subscribe to the audio version of the podcast through iTunes, Play, RSS, or Stitcher, watch the shows on YouTube, and check them out on FaceBook, Google+, and Twitter.

Do you know someone who deserves being recognized as a Geocaching #GeekoftheWeek? Let us know by commenting on this post or tweeting your nominee to @LANMonkeyGC #GeekoftheWeek

The GPSr versus Smartphone Geocaching Debate

Have you ever wondered:

• Are GPSrs or Smartphones the better tool for Geocaching?
• Do Geocaching podcasters know anything about the technology they use?
• Are Canadians better debaters than Americans?

Well wonder no longer!

Last week Scott Berks of the "What's Up Internet" and "Geocaching Podcast" shows battled it out with yours truly (so for the record, that's LANMonkey of "Caching in the Northwest" and I'm always right) to debate which device is superior for the purposes of Geocaching.

We had the debate live on the Geogearheads podcast. If you don't regularly listen to that podcast you probably should - it's on my "must listen" rotation. 

And yeah, (spoiler alert) I won the debate. But in the end, the reality and main point is that both devices have their important uses and your best case scenario is to go geocaching with a GPSr AND a Smartphone.

So tell us what YOU think  - tweet or FB your opinion with #GPSvsPhone

But if you are curious what our key arguments were, and how Canada once again triumphed in the international forum, take a listen to the whole podcast!




4 Podcast Giveaway - WitzEnd's Favourite Freemont Spot

You've waited so patiently, it's time you were rewarded!

In order to be entered into the drawing for the 2015 Block Party "4 Podcast Giveaway" contest you'll need to listen to four different podcasts and hear the favourite Freemont spot from the four hosts who met up at The 2015 Block Party.

Well, here's the answer from Caching in the Northwest host, WitzEnd!



Now remember, to be entered into the contest, Listen to this week's episodes (starting Aug 30) of
PodCacher, GeoGearHeads, LANMonkey's Geocaching Adventures and Caching in the NorthWest

to find out which iconic Fremont, Washington landmark each host found to be the most interesting.

Yes, you must listen to all 4 shows!
Title an email "Fremont Landmarks" and in the body of the email, write all four landmarks and who chose it.
Address your email to feedback@cachingnw.com
Deadline: September 6th, 2015 at midnight (PST)
Winners to be chosen at random from all correct entries.

Mrs. LANMonkey on GeoGearHeads

Last night BOTH LANMonkeys were guests on the GeoGearHeads podcast with DarrylW4 and TheBadCop, to talk about caching by kayak. It was fantastic to have Mrs. LANMonkey come onto a podcast with me, and we had way too much fun.

Darryl & Chris make it easy and enjoyable to visit them on their podcast and the live viewers in the Google HangOut Q&A were awesome! We couldn't believe how many great questions and ideas they brought up to make your kayak geocaching experience better.

If you have the time to watch the live video feed you can check it our here


or better yet, subscribe to the GeoGearHeads podcast by going their website and hear every episode of this fun and informative podcast on tech, geo-location gaming, and enjoying the outdoors.

Thanks Darryl and Chris for letting us spend the evening with you, it was a blast!

2,000 Reasons We Love Travel-Caching

In case you hadn't heard yet, the LANMonkeys have passed geocaching find #2,000 in October. We had a trip planned in late October and were starting to get close to 2,000 finds, so we decided that it would be fun to make our 2,000th a special one. We also thought we'd see how many states/provinces we could find a cache in on one day.

 It started very early in the morning with a quick grab in BC before we crossed the US border on our way to catch a flight out of the Bellingham Airport. That was find #1,998. Once we were across the border we grabbed a cache near to the airport, and then waited for our traveling companions - CatapultJeff & IronMaiden to join us for the flight to Las Vegas.

And then we were in Las Vegas! Our first stop was the virtual cache at the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, GC729A.

We took our photo, and just as we were about to head off to our next destination, Mrs. LANMonkey dropped to one knee & we had an impromptu "renewing of our vows" as she replaced my wedding band that no longer fit my finger after 19 years of wedded bliss with a brand new one she had purchased a while ago and snuck down for just this moment.

What a special moment! After that, we were off for more travel caching adventures, including a visit to Hoover Dam, and geocache finds in California and Arizona, to give us geocache finds in five different states/provinces in one day! Later that day we reminisced about some of our favourite cache finds over that past year and half, our 2,000 reasons we love geocaching.

Travel-Caching
We sure do enjoy our travel-caching, and it's nice when we can do that together, and even nicer when we can travel-cache with friends. Often though, I do find myself travel-caching when on work trips, and it is a different approach than when caching at home or doing "destination" travel-caching trips.  On episode 96 of the Geo Gear Heads they talked about business trip travel-caching and it's well worth a listen. I found myself nodding my head in agreement with many of the tips and tricks, but even learned a few new ideas on how to make travel-caching light effective - most of what I learned was the advice with specifics around pocket queries.

Additionally, as you've probably already heard, DarrylW4 & TheBadCop are about to hit episode 100 of the Geo Gear Heads, so a big congrats to them both for that milestone.

Caching in the NorthWest
 Speaking of things you've probably heard, I've been making a big deal about my podcast debut on the podcast "Caching in the NorthWest" with TheBadCop and WitzEnd. We had an absolute blast recording the episode about travel caching,  and ended up chatting together for almost another 2 hours after we finished recording. If you're interested in catching their podcast about caches and cachers in the Pacific NorthWest, check them out on their website or via iTunes.

Thanks for stopping by and reading our little geocaching blog once more - we sure hope you enjoy following us and really encourage you to comment or email us with your ideas, input, and advice.

Until next time, remember to cache safely and cache often!
The LANMonkeys.

LANMonkey Down Under?

Recently, the GeoGearHead's podcast (episode GGH093 - The History of Podcasting) featured a list of active podcasts about geocaching.  This prompted me to check out some of these podcasts I'd not listened to before, and I found some real gems in that list.

I thought it would be cool to hear what cachers in Australia & New Zealand talk about, so I downloaded an episode of the GeoTalk podcast. As it turns out, it happened to be the 100th podcast for that show - that's pretty impressive to get to 100 shows. Congrats Darren on 100 episodes!

In listening to the podcast on my drive home from work, I had a huge surprise when the host, Darren Osborne, started talking about lab caches.  The first blog he referenced in his show was LANMonkey's Geocaching Adventures - you know, this one? That was so amazing and appreciated!  Darren was referencing our "Lab Caches - FYI" episode, as well as bringing in some likely more authoritative sources such as NotAboutTheNumbers and the GroundSpeak forums.

So that's about as close as we'll get to traveling to Australia or New Zealand in the next year or so, but it was awesome to get the reference. So in return, I would encourage any & all of my readers to check out Darren's podcast. It's well put together, and gives a great insight into caching activities down-under. Darren clearly has been caching for a very long time and seems to be a pretty active cacher under the handle "The Spindoctors."

I've also added GeoTalk to my list of "Recommended Reading" over there on the right-hand panel.

If you have any geocaching or outdoor technology related podcasts and/or blogs you'd recommend, please comment or email the LANMonkeys with your suggestions. (PS: remove "NOSPAM" before clicking send on your email.) We look forward to hearing from you on what you read & listen to.

Thanks for reading, and remember to cache safely, and cache often!