Wdcarvr+1

Wdcarvr+1

Interviewed June 2007

This month our featured geocacher is again a team. Their geocaching name hints at this and the picture we're running with this article confirms it.

Dennis and Judith Lloyd, also known as Wdcarvr+1 have geocached in several states beyond Delaware and have placed several caches in Delaware. Anyone who has attempted to find a wdcarvr+1 cache knows that a feature of their caches is the use of "non-standard" containers. So, while the posted coordinates will get you to the vicinity of the hide, you'll need to use all you geocaching skills to actually make the find. And when you do you'll have a real feeling of accomplishment as well as a deeper appreciation for the thought and craftsmanship shown by wdcarvr+1 as they created these challenges. During the recent Cache Around the Colonial Hundreds Event wdcarvr+1 demonstrated another of their traits - having fun with geocaching. Check out the photos accompanying this article for a sample of some of the many, many hats they wore as they found those 24 caches.

This interview will help you get to know them a bit better.

How many caches have you found so far?
1093.

Which type of cache do you prefer seeking - traditional, multi, puzzle or virtual?
I guess we would say the traditional cache where you spend some time on a trail or in the woods, although we enjoy the challenge of each cache regardless of what type it is. The “cache and dash” ones sometimes give us the hardest time.

Which find was the most challenging?
We have different answers for this one. For Judith it was the Zero’s cache in Pax River Maryland. This is a cache that is made to look like a water gauge located in the wetlands. It took us quite a while to find a way just to get to GZ but we finally found the correct spit of land that went close to the cache. We were there just after a large storm so there was quite a bit of water but not over 8 inches deep. Once you located the cache you had to figure out the combination to the lock, which was well corroded from all of the water. I had given up but Judith kept working on it and got it open. Of course everything inside except the log book was soaked.

For me it was the Man in the Mountain cache in Fallon Nevada. It was in a cave at the 5800 foot level on the side of a mountain. You could drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle, rental of course; up fairly close to GZ that is if you knew where you were going. I followed my GPS and went up the wrong side of the mountain. That means that at the end of the road I had to climb down the other side to get to the cache site. The ammo box was back inside a cave but as I started into the cave I found lots of bones and hair so I had a hesitation about going any deeper! I threw a few rocks into the darkness and nothing came out so I crawled back to grab the cache, signed the log and left quickly.

Which was the easiest?
As with most cachers we would have to say the LPC’s. [Light Pole Caches]

Do you have a favorite or favorites from among the caches you have found?
None that really stands out.

What's the most unusual thing you've found in a cache?
We don’t recall anything that unusual but of course the “spring toys” get your attention when you open a cache.

Have you had any memorable experiences while seeking a cache?
Our most memorable experiences are just being out together, getting exercise and enjoying Nature.

What advice would you give to a beginning geocacher?
From our perspective, find some caches before you start hiding them, and even if you don’t think you need to mark the location of your car before you head into the woods, do it anyway. It may save you some grief later.

For the recent Cache Around The Colonial Hundreds challenge your team won an award for your "hat" photos. First, where did you get this idea? Second, do you really own this many hats?
Of course Judith came up with the idea for fun and to make each cache photo more interesting. Judith owns quite a few hats and the others we borrowed from our kids and grandkids.

Your geocaching.com profile indicates you have placed 7 caches one of which is named for your grandchild. Tell us a bit about this.
The McKenzie cache is named for our niece who lives in Blackfoot Idaho. She was here visiting during Thanksgiving and went out caching with us. She became really interested so we decided to place a cache for her. We have released Travel Bugs for our two grandkids and one of them has over 10,000 miles. It is our granddaughters and for some reason it keeps moving while we have had two “lost” that we released for our grandson.

Several of your caches feature what we will call "unique"containers. Without giving away any surprises tell us a bit about how you came to use this kind of hide.
For most of our cache hides we like to think outside of the box and to make it more interesting for cachers. The one in New Castle was Judith’s idea that she came up with and it seems that most cachers enjoy finding that cache. There are lots of interesting caches in Delaware and we just wanted to add a few more.

Your profile shows that you have done several virtual caches. Geocaching.com no longer supports the creation of virtual caches. What's your feeling on that?
We miss the virtual caches because quite often the virtual took you to something interesting such as a monument, historical marker or something else that you may just drive by daily and never stop to enjoy.

Have any of your cache hides proven to be more "popular" than you expected?
We would have to say that our “Waterside” cache in Newark proved to be quite popular in the beginning. After the Delaware Geocachers trail building event last year that several cachers got together descended on the cache to locate it. The original came apart so it has been replaced by one of the same type but a different opening. We still get emails and calls for hints on finding it.

Have geocachers found any of them more difficult to find than you expected?
Again we would have to say Waterside has been the toughest one.

Have any of them been muggled? If, so how did you handle this?
No, we have not lost any caches but our first cache came apart after the first few people found it so we replaced it with a different container.

What advice would you give to someone designing a cache placement?
Find a few caches first so that you have an idea of what the sport is about.
The main thing is to be sure that you have a container that will remain watertight. We run into quite a few caches that have been ruined because they are full of water or at least the log is to damp to sign. As for placement there are still lots of room in White Clay and the other parks in Delaware.

What's your best caching story - the one you tell others to let them know the kind of fun and adventures one can have while geocaching?
We just tell people how we enjoy being outdoors, getting exercise and meeting new people and making new friends. But then a lot of them think that we are just crazy.

Since you've chosen the geocaching name wdcarvr+1 is would seem you so some woodcarving.
Judith has been a Folk-art carver for a long time. She carves mostly Santas as well as lots of other items, not decoys. Since her license plate reads WDCARVR it seemed like a good idea for a caching name so we just added the +1 for me.

Beside wood carving and geocaching, what other things do you like to do?
It depends on the time of year. We spent over 20 years Scuba diving nearly every weekend and skiing during the winter. Now we bike; hike and spend lots of time in our gardens in the spring and summer. Then there are always the grandkids.

Beside geocaching, what other things do you like to do?
I like to cook, garden, knit/crochet, rubber stamp, and read. I also enjoy good food and beer.

Which Delaware cache site would you'd like to see featured on the web page and why?
Any of the caches by Delawhere, because she puts so much effort into her caches.

What question did you expect us to ask but we didn't? And, what's the answer?
We think that you covered pretty much everything.

Our thanks to Dennis and Judith (wdcarvr+1) for sharing these answers with us.