2022_Fall_Picnic_Group SLAGA_Christmas_Party_2022 SLAGA_Bellefontaine_CITO_Fall_2022 Cachemas_2022_Final SLAGA_at_GeoWoodstock_2023 Spring_Picnic_2024 NYD_20250101_205921271_iOS Cachetur_101 20250126_212826230_iOS Spring_Picnic_Group_Photo Spring_Picnic_Tables 20250524_190342547_iOS 20250526_233147230_iOS SLAGA_Ted_Drewes_2025 2025_Christmas_Event BF7HD2 BF7HD 20260131_185315201_crop
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2022 Fall Picnic

2022 SLAGA Christmas Party

Bellefontaine CITO November 2022

Cachemas 2022 Bonus Day

SLAGA at GeoWoodstock 2023

2024 SLAGA Spring Picnic

2025 New Year's Day Hike, Fort Bellefontaine

Cachetur 101 Class - March 2025

2025 Winter Potluck

2025 Spring Picnic

2025 Spring Picnic

2025 GigaStock in Morgantown WV

2025 GeoWoodstock, Morgantown, WV

SLAGA at Ted Drewes 2025

2025 Christmas Event

2026 NYD Hike

Crazy Beards!

2026 Winter Potluck

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Jul 25 GeoKid12 WBCB
The heat was on during the 'Red, White, Blue, Stars, Stripes and Flags' month of Adventure Awaits, and SLAGA's repeat winner was no stranger to conquering that heat and the challenge. Robert Klemme, aka GeoKid12, aka original FTF events and Family Game Night host, SLAGA board V.P., and current Father Cachemas is the July 2025 winner. His qualifying geocaches for his win include: 

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Cache 1: GCB7KX4 Starry Penguin Event

Cache 2: GCB9NH4 Red Stripe, Blue Flag, White Stars 

Cache 3: GCB7KXD Red, white, and blue Penguin event

Cache 4: GCB9V1N Tougher Kids Come in Many Stripes Too - Challenge

Event Cache: GCB99BC NoCo Game Night Pre-Summer Picnic Edition

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When he last won in December 2023, Robert had just over 10,800 geocache finds.  Currently he has nearly 14,400! That's due partially to his daily caching streak of 2121 consecutive days since 10/26/2019.  It is also due to his numerous caching trips to various events around the country, including this year's MOGA in Abilene, KS in March, where he placed in the individual and 2-person team competitions, and his first GIGA attendance at GeoWoodstock XXI in Morgantown, West Virgina in May.  Besides these two high cache-count events plus a county run in Mississippi ealier this year, where he completed the state, some of his recent and future plans are upping his finds numbers significantly as well.

Jul25 Geokid12 MOGAPIC   Jul 25 Geokid12 NA counties

From the last week in July continuing through September, Robert's calendar includes Geocaching trips every other week.

  • MWGB July 23rd - 27th
  • West Bend Cache Ba$h August 7th - 10th
  • New England County Run August 19th - 24th
  • Grand Canyon & 4 Corners August 30th - September 7th
As of this win, he has already succeeded in acquiring his first block party icon, and will continue to accomplish goals of obtaining caches in many new counties, new states, and one new province, as well as finding 18 Cache Odyssey Caches by the end of his travels this year. 
 
When Robert provided pictures for this article, during his interview for the July win, one particular one stood out with that OMG factor!  This journalist, knowing he enjoys camping during his geotravels, had to get this story. 
 
Jul 25 GeoKid12 WI camp flood
 
"It's Saturday night after everything has wound down from the West Bend $1000 Cache Ba$h 2025 event, and it's looking like rain is moving in, so I decide to turn in early. I'm hanging out in my tent and eventually the rain does start. No problem, I've been up here when it's rained before. With that I go to sleep. At some point overnight my camping fan, hanging overhead, ran out of power.  I moved it to my bucket seat and plugged it in to the electric box at the rear of the site with a green extension cord, so I could continue using it. Early in the morning I'm awoken by the fan tipping over. Curious as to why, I looked over and saw my bucket seat was at a slight angle, having been raised up on one side by a water bubble underneath the tent. Checking on the conditions of everything else, I discovered a few inches of water in the corner of my tent. Taking a peek out the window I was immediately alerted as to why! Turns out I was actually surrounded by water, since it had rained around 10" overnight. Fortunately I had packed up the majority of my stuff last night so there was nothing directly on the floor of my tent...except for the electrical power strip, yikes!  Glad I got that de-energized before it was submerged. Everything else I consolidated onto my cot as I threw on my shower shoes and began the process of packing up while slogging through over a foot of water. Oh and it's still raining. Some things ended up quite waterlogged by the end, but ultimately it was all in the car and I could begin my journey home where they could be set out to dry off later."
 
So glad Robert didn't heat up himself during that 'electrifying' experience. But congratulations from all of SLAGAland to GeoKid12 for his July 2025 win.  Adventure Awaits on every geotrip he plans.  
 

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June in Slaga-Land brought unseasonably warm weather especially during the second half of the month where temperatures were above 90*F nearly everyday.  But this did not deter Treasure Isle, Susan Adams, from getting outdoors and geocaching with friends. Her efforts won her the Adventure Awaits Challenge for the month! 

A A June 25 Treasure Isle 1

(Photo from a road trip last summer 2024 with JanS03 and jasjaq)

Susan has been participating in the Monthly Challenge incentive since it's inception in October 2023.  Since she enjoys and finds numerous 'challenge' caches, Susan considers Adventure Awaits another type of challenge. She mentioned her qualifying F-A-T-H-E-R geocaches in reply, when asked why she chose the particular caches this month. "I found two of the caches, Fire Truck (GCB0XDM) and Hope (GC3X36X), on a day trip with swelgus and JanS03 to initially find a cache there with a D/T rating that I needed to complete my second fizzy grid.  But these two caches were in the area and I knew they would help me qualify for Adventure Awaits.  I found the 'A' cache, Abandoned (GCAA35H), in Barnhart because it was celebrating its second birthday, and I've been doing birthday caches for several years now.  Trek to the Top of the Hill (GCB7QRN) cache was a new puzzle cache for which I was fortunate enough to be the first to find.  And I try to make the events at Bobby's Place, because it's fairly close to home and I can get there quickly, so my event cache was SW STL Happy Hour - Hello June Edition (GCB7CEB).  I usually only stay briefly, but it gives me the opportunity to catch up a bit with many caching friends."  

Susan began geocaching while on a family vacation in Berlin, Germany in 2012.  Her caching sister, kusunflower, invited her to join in a cache hunt near their hotel, then obviously had to explain the game of geocaching to Susan.  And guess who made the find?  As it often goes, the first-time cacher spotted the container. So now Susan was encouraged to sign up and choose a geocaching name.  That's when Treasure Isle was 'born.'  But Susan wasn't sold on the game yet and was a faily desultory cacher finding four or five caches a year, as she only cached when she was with her sister who lives in Virginia. But in 2019, after retiring from her pediatric practice, the HQ Mystery of the Museum game posted and it piqued her interest.  After that...she was hooked!

Since that transitional phase in her geocaching history, Susan has found over 7000 caches, has completed a double Fizzy grid and a triple 366-day Calendar grid, mostly because she enjoys finding 'birthday caches.' Currently she has found 1134 birthdays on 366 days of the year. Her Jasmer grid is well within reach too, as she only needs a September 2000 cache to qualify. (How's that for a suggested geotrip incentive, Susan?)  As mentioned, Susan also loves challenge caches and delights in working puzzles. She's cached in 37 United States already, as well as in 11 other countries.  And for those that enjoy caching streaks, Susan  accomplished an impressive 500-day find streak between May '23 and Sept. '24!

When asked about any memorable geocachng experience, Susan shared that, "Definitely the scariest experience while geocaching occurred last fall.  I was driving down IL-3 and slowing down to go into a nature area when a truck behind me plowed into the back of my car at full speed.  There were skid marks for about 10 feet, so I'm sure he was on his phone or paying no attention to the road for some other reason.  My car took out a guardrail and was totaled, but my passenger and I were able to walk away essentially unscathed."  The SLAGA family is awfully happy to hear that Susan and friend were unharmed.   

Some other interesting and fun information that Susan shared for this interview is that besides being a retired pediatrician, she is also a talented musician.  She plays the oboe and English horn in two performing groups - the St. Louis Wind Symphony and the University City Summer Band, as well as occasionally subbing in other bands. Besides performing herself, and because she very much enjoys the arts, she attends performances of the symphony, the Great Artist series at Washington University, and Opera Theater of St. Louis from time to time. Susan is also quite the Cardinals fan, and enjoys watching her team play but says, "some years are more "painful" than others."  While obvious from her Geo-stats, Susan confirmed her love for travel and commented that she has been fortunate enough to take one or two major trips each year since retirement.
 
A A June 25 Treasure Isle 2
 (Treasure Isle finding a cache at Ta Prohm in Siem Reap, Cambodia 2019)
 

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The 2025 TB Race is underway! It's very early on but here are the current standings on how things shake up.

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M-O-T-H-E-R, MAY I Win the Adventure Awaits Monthly Challenge? 

Yes, DrPengper, you may!

Adv Aw DrPengper May 25
SLAGA extends congratulations to Sara Christy on her May win and gift card award.  She spelled 'Mother' with the allowance of a wildcard entry with these qualifying caches:  

 M: GCAQ3PA “Make Art Not War” 5/4/25

 O: GC5EBJ4 “On the Way Out” 5/4/25

 T: GC4T2YK “Trolling Around St. Vincent” 5/4/25

 H: GC3YZM5 “Heckel” 5/5/25

 E: GCB6EGF E-vent!! "FTF XXII: Catch 22" (wildcard letter) 5/30/25

 R: GC4OJ2D “Ronald’s Cache” 5/7/2025 

Sara commented that, "This month's challenge was not difficult, as we were able to get out and about quite a bit this month, with the help of some nice weather and some vacation time, that my husband, Ricky, (geoname Her Assistant) had.  This was my first Adventure Awaits challenge.  I participated because Michael yelled at us, haha, just kidding.  I am always up for a challenge."   
 
The three caches on May 4th were for the specific reason to spell MOTHER, and then "Trolling..." was a redemption find for Sara. The 'H' and 'R' caches were found at her husband's hometown.  Ironically, "Ronald's Cache" was located at a local McDonalds where her mother-in-law worked post-retirement for many years. 
 Adv Aw DrPengper and Her Assistant May 26

Sara found out about this fun hobby on International Geocaching Day, August 20, 2022, and started caching shortly thereafter. She said, "I was intrigued, so I looked into it, and geocaching sounded like so much fun...I love looking for treasures!"  She shared, however, that her caching journey had been on a slower track, as she was caring for her ill mother for many years.  Sadly her mother passed away a few days after Mother's Day this year. Our condolences Sara. But as she puts it, "I do believe I won this month for a reason."
 
As with so many cachers, spending time outdoors for this recreational activity has therapeutic value and brings joy.  And sure enough, Sara is now more actively pursuing her geocaching adventures and attending more events.  Currently she has cached in four US states, and recieved her 500th find recognition and coin at the SLAGA spring picnic in April.
 
When asked, Sara related her worst geocaching experience so far. "When I sat down in the woods to sign a cache in the summer (not recommended), I was bitten by what must have been a million chiggers!  I am now quite diligent about bug spray and not sitting in any vegetation."  
 
A fun fact about Sara is that she likes to bowl, but says she is not great at it.  Also, she not only enjoys finding geocaching treasures, but searches out interesting rocks, artifacts, plants and animals.  Being an animal lover, Sara often brings along her four-legged muggles, Feona (white) and Aine (brown), to assist with her geocaching fun.  Sara mentioned also that she, "loves transportion-related things, like trains, planes and automobiles.  I especially enjoy caching near airports. That being said, I don't drive and I've only flown twice."  
Adv Aw DrPengper dogs May 25
It's wonderful to get to know DrPengper a little bit better. SLAGA is thrilled and congratulates her again on her May 2025 Adventure Awaits Win!  Everyone remember that June is all about F-A-T-H-E-R, and everyday is a good day to get outdoors and smile(y).   

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The Adventure Awaits challenge for tax month was to find four geocaches whose titles began with the letters C-A-S -H plus one event cache. This was not a very taxing challenge for Alexis and Rich Wilson, better known in SLAGA-land as 2roadtrippers, who were the lucky qualifying and gift card winners for April 2025.

SPRING 25 picnic milestone 5000 2RoadT

When asked why they chose to participate in the monthly challenge and what caches they chose, they commented:

"We chose to participate in the monthly adventure awaits after listening to SLAGA President Mike talk about it at the spring picnic, and knew we didn’t have much time to enter. This is our first time entering the monthly challenge, so we looked through our cache history.  We chose: 

C - Cliff Cave expansion (GC8VGHY) because this was the last one left to get in this park.

A  - A Special Memory (GCQ596) which was a really great find on our first time to Las  Vegas. It was at a drive-through wedding chapel and another slaga member had signed the log (stevendede)!   It was also highly favorited  with 1900+ points.  

S - Sign of Las Vegas (GC3178Z) was chosen because everyone has to get their picture at the iconic sign with the added bonus that there was a cache there, so of course we had to find it 🤩.   
 
H - High pointer (/GC3AJGT) was a cache in Missouri. We found it while taking a weekend roadtrip, haha . There is a high pointer club and a highest point in each state (not sure if there are caches at each one) but we’ve found two (other one In Indiana)!  One man in 1936 successfully climbed each highest point in each state! That is quite the feat.
 
The Event - Oops it’s April Already Happy Hour (GCB4HV9) was chosen actually for another challenge, the April Treasure collections, so we could get the treasure icon."
Adv Awaits 4 25 Rich 2roadtrippers  Adv Awaits 4 25 Vegas chapel  
 
The 2roadtrippers started caching in February 2020 as an outdoor diversion during Covid, since they would not be around many people.  But Rich actually discovered it while listening to a podcast that referenced 'geocaching'. Of course, Google was then his friend, and he told Alexis, who agreed it sounded fun.  That's where their addiction began. To date they have nearly 6200 finds and over 50 hides. Their longest caching streak is 368 consecutive days!  They've already cached in 22 states and four countries, and need only five more D/Ts to complete a Fizzy grid.  Now that's some active caching for the first five years! 
 
While out road tripping and geocaching, Alexis and Rich also use the "Roadside America" app to visit interesting and cool things in each state, such as art work, murals, statues, memorials, monuments, and other roadside oddities.  This caching couple truly enjoy discovering new things and new places.  "Geocaching does that for us, so we combine them both when we’re on our road trips," said Rich.
 
CONGRATULATIONS 2ROADTRIPPERS!
 

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The month of March unfurled record-breaking winds and tornadoes, as all of us in SLAGA-land are well aware. But it also brought us an awesome new Adventure Awaits Winner.  SWAseeker (Bill Schwend) qualified and won the month's challenge, and quite easily when one looks at his geo-record. 
 
 
To date, Bill has found 43,307 geocaches...WOW!  He started caching in 2003, and since that time has completed the Jasmer challenge, the Fizzy D/T grid challenge nearly 13 times, and has cached in 8 different countries. In the USA, he's not only found caches in every state, but has found a cache in 2367 of 3144 counties. That's 75% of the USA counties, which includes finding all the counties in 21 of the states plus DC!  Bill is also currently ranked 4th in the state of Missouri for the most finds. 
 
When asked about his favorite cache, it was hard for Bill to pick a 'favorite,' with so many finds and accolades.  But one geocache adventure stood out as a truly memorable and enjoyable adventure. This was GC1169 Mission 9: Tunnel of Light, when he traversed the dark, damp, 2-1/4 mile long Snoqualmie Tunnel to access the A.P.E. cache in July 2018.
 
 
As for the March challenge, which wasn't much of one for this prolific cacher, here are his four qualifying caches, published in the same year but in different months. and one event:
 

GCAT0V7 - Port Cargo - Hidden : 06/15/2024 Logged: 03-2025

GCAVHX0 - Big Creek Cache - Hidden : 07/22/2024 Logged: 03-2025

GCAXDEB - The Musical Fruit - Hidden : 09/01/2024 Logged: 03-2025

GCAZ4AQ - Booger Hook - Hidden : 10/12/2024 Logged: 03-2025

GCB2R89 - Pie on Pi Day? Sure Thing! - Event Date: 03/14/2025

 

Aside from geocaching, Bill discovered a new hobby back in 2022.  Apiculture or backyard beekeeping had always fascinated him, but he thought a large plot of farm or country land was necessary.  But when he discovered beekeeping could be down in town, in any backyard, he was hooked.  Thirteen beehives later, Bill happily manages his colonies year round, then strains, bottles, and sells the honey. In the photo below, Bill is grafting queens, which involves transferring young, developing worker larvae from their normal cells into special queen cell cups to encourage them to be raised as queens.  

 
Adv Aw March 25 Bill 
 
 
Bill oftens brings some honey to SLAGA events to sell to honey-loving geofriends, or will answer a GC message for anyone interested in purchasing some to arrange pick up/delivery.  This journalist will contest to it's sweet, sticky deliciousness and needs more, hint, hint.

Adv Aw March honey
 
"Winter's grip begins to fade, as March unfurls its gentle trade...
The world awakes, a hopeful sight, with promise of the coming light.
The bees, though still in slumber deep, begin a stirring, secrets keep.
Then a gentle breeze and warming sun, awakens what has been undone.
Bee hives begin to stir and hum wth buzzing sounds, a joyful drum.
And March's magic, soft and bright, inspires the bees to take flight."
 
(excerpts from poem, 'March's Awakening')
 
 
  1. TB RACE 2025!
  2. February’s Repeat Adventure Awaits Winner
  3. Check out the SLAGA Apparel Store!
  4. Cache Odyssey Coming Soon to a State Near You
  5. A Recipe for SLAGA Success
  6. 2024 SLAGA Travel Bug Race December Update
  7. SLAGA Logo: Add it to Your Cache Page Description
  8. 2024 SLAGA Travel Bug Race October Update
  9. Adventure Awaits HARVESTED a September Winner
  10. 2024 SLAGA Travel Bug Race September Update

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