Table of Contents

Cover Page

The World of Geocoins

Confessions of an Addict

"Yes, Officer, ..."

An Interview with Baad Daata

Regular Features

Chuckles

Credits

Back Issues of the UTAG Magazine

Baad Daata, with Izzy and Elle

Baad Daata's name in real life is Penelope Stirling, though judging by her email address, she sometimes goes by Penny. She lives in New Harmony, Utah which is west of I-15, between Cedar City and St. George. She has only been geocaching since January 2005 but has already amassed over 3000 cache finds, second only to Shaker_slc among Utah cachers. In addition, she has hidden over 200 caches for others to find.

UM: To start off with, please tell us a little about yourself.
I am a volunteer firefighter in New Harmony. My motivation for doing this was to find a way to meet people in a small, predominantly LDS, community. I grew up in Los Angeles and lived 25 years in Las Vegas.

I was in the USArmy for two and a half years, attended Clark County Community College, Whittier College, UNLV and Baylor University. I have two-year degrees in electronics technology and business management. I have a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and another in Special Ed, a Master's in Education and one in Physical Therapy. I am presently working about twenty hours a week for Clark County Schools working with the Special Ed population as a physical therapist and I cache like crazy the rest of the time...unless my elderly parents, 92 and 87 need something. They live in Washington, UT.

UM: How did you select your caching name and how do you pronounce it?
Ask my accountant, my banker, my geocaching friends and anyone that I give directions to. (Editor's Note: Her profile page says, "Precision record keeping has never been one of my skills so my name is most appropriate."

UM: What do/did you do for a living?
I am a physical therapist trying to wind down my working days. I used to have my own private practice in Physical Therapy in Boulder City and am now working in pediatrics for Clark County School District (Nevada) three days a week.

UM: Are co-workers aware that you geocache?
I tell everyone about geocaching.

UM: How and when did you get started geocaching?
A friend of a friend said, "I think you would like this" and it was all over.

UM: What do you like best, and least, about geocaching?
The thrill of success and the camaraderie. I enjoy the camaraderie and the banter but I get the most out of the intrinsic joy of the hide and the hunt. I love the thoughtful comments that people write in their logs and realize that those are not always practical when you find a bunch in a day. I get 50-60 e-mails a day concerning geocaching and it is worth it to me.

The things that annoy me the most in the game are stickers on nano logs and meaningless statements in the hints section, but...it is just a game. I don't understand why anyone would purposely log a find fraudulently and I refuse to police anyone that does it. I don't check logs against claims for a find. Leave fingerprints if you want; it is no skin off my nose.

UM: How often do you get out searching for new geocaches?
New to me, daily. First-to-find, seldom.

UM: Who usually goes geocaching with you, or do you often go alone?
I probably have found 80% of my caches alone. I have enjoyed the company of cachers that are driven but casual cachers make me antsy.

UM: Do you have a personalized signature item that you leave in caches? Have you had others?
No signature items.

UM: Do you have a "most memorable geocaching experience"? What was it?
"Driving Miss Daisy". I love taking a "driven" cacher, away from home, to find some local caches even if I find none. "Cause I Can" and I decided that facilitaing another cachers caching adventure should be called "Driving Miss Daisy."

UM: Could you explain a little more about what "Driving Miss Daisy" means?
"Driving Miss Daisy" was born out of a comment a friend of mine made when I visited her in Detroit. She is not a geocacher but I was bent on finding some caches. She drove me wherever I requested for four days. She said I could come back and visit anytime if I left my GPSr home. She said it was like ...."driving Miss Daisy." Now anytime one cacher leads another one around to the site of caches that she has already visited we use that term for the adventure. Mom the Cook came to St. George about six weeks ago and didn't have access to a car during the day. I thought that was a shame so I volunteered to pick her up and drive her around town. I took her to the cache location and let her look. She found fifteen caches in about three hours. I had been to all of them before. It took the navigation out of her hands and all she had to do was search. I had never met her before that morning.

UM: What types of caches do you prefer to go for?
I do my queries for traditional, virtual and letter box.

UM: What makes a cache a "good" cache?
WYSIWYG (Editor's Note: What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get). I like knowing that what I have decided to pursue is described accurately.

UM: Do you have any special purpose/theme to caches you've placed?
I have placed some "brain dead" caches that embarrass me and I have some that I am very proud of. I try to keep my caches diverse. I do, however, get in a rut on occasion.

UM: Do you own any travel bugs?
I have five and hear about two of them on a regular basis. They are not very interesting to me.

UM: Have you done much caching outside of Utah? How is caching different in other areas?
I have cached in a few different areas and really enjoy the "personality" of a geological area. There is an epedemic of nanos in SLC and I haven't seen the term used in Las Vegas. I am excited about visiting some other areas because of the diversity I have seen so far. I do believe that there is no original "thought."

UM: What is the farthest you've traveled strictly to find a cache or travel bug?
10 miles.

UM: What features would your "perfect" caching vehicle have?
Short wheel-base, narrow, high clearance, 4x4 and room for my dogs and my junk.

UM: Have you had any animal encounters in your geocaching?
Snakes, mosquitos and bees make me want to leave with a DNF.

UM: Have you met many other cachers while hunting for a cache?
That is my greatest treat. When I see someone in the area I am always certain she is caching. I am usually wrong.

UM: Have you ever had to explain what you were doing to a member of law enforcement? Or to vigilant neighbors? Or to inquisitive muggles?
I end up explaining myself about 20% of the time.

UM: Really? That seems like a lot.
Well, maybe 20% is an error in regards to "explaining myself". I have probably been questioned by authorities 20 times and had to explain myself to muggles 50 times.

UM: How do you prepare for a day of geocaching? Are you paperless?
I am way behind in the technology. I have been paperless and using maps for about 2 months. I work way too hard for my cache finds.

UM: Do you have any geocaching tips/tricks that help you be more effective?
My favorite trick is the one that rolls up those nano logs tight as a ........., painlessly. Ask me next time you see me.

UM: Tell us about your family. Do you have any pets?
My parents live in Washington, Utah, and are 92 and 87 years old. I have four siblings that are spread across the US. I have three cats that barely know me since I started caching and two dogs, Izzy and Elle, that go most of the time. The dogs hate urbans because they cannot get out of the car.

UM: What is your favorite food and your favorite dessert?
Dessert is not my favorite but I like ethnic foods, spicy and any food that feels like an adventure. I don't like to come to SLC and eat something I can get in St. George. I like sushi, Mexican, Italian, Middle Eastern, Far Eastern. Don't take me to a hamburger, chicken, fish, and potatoes All-U-Can-Eat place with a thousand screaming children unless the company is very good.

UM: What is your most favorite and least favorite days of the year?
My favorite day of the year is Halloween because it brings out the child in me and my least favorite is whatever day we have with less daylight than the day before.

UM: What foreign country you would most like to visit, and why?
I have done some traveling and the only destination that I am really driven to visit is Australia, (and New Zealand). I love the Caribbean and all its destinations because you don't need a wetsuit for scuba diving. I took up scuba diving about three years ago and have about twenty dives under my belt. I get a bit claustrophobic in the wetsuit when it is dry and restricts my movement. Once it is wet I relax. There is a new cache out at Quail Creek Reservoir that requires scuba gear and I am looking for a scuba buddy to go with me to get that one. That will be a story to tell. It is in the glove compartment of a wrecked Cessna.

UM: What is your favorite sports, TV shows, or movies?
I love the Far Side cartoons, Harry Potter, Jimmy Buffet, Katherine Hepburn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bulloch, Tiger Woods, John Stockton and Shaq. I like to get my news from NPR rather than Fox. On TV I enjoy "House", CSI, Desparate Housewives and Meet the Press.

UM: What is your favorite book or author? And why?
I enjoy mysteries but most of all I like fantasy. JRR Tolkein, JK Rawlins.

UM: Have you ever driven a motorcycle, moped, or ridden a unicycle?
I own a motorcycle, a little Yamaha 125, on/off road. I don't ride it much anymore because I got old enough to realize my own mortality. I have had a motorcycle endorsement for 35 years.

UM: Have you ever dyed your hair, got a tattoo or a body piercing?
I grew up blond and at puberty my hair started to darken. I spent about 15 years trying to keep the blond and then I gave it up.

UM: What sorts of things are you scared of?
I am afraid of mean people; folks that hate themselves enough to have no positive regard for others.

UM: Do you have a favorite quote or pearl of wisdom?
My pearls of wisdom: 1) "I have spent a good deal of my life searching for the truth, now I am just looking for a good fantasy" 2) The closest distance between two people is laughter.

UM: Do you have any other hobbies or interests that compete with your time spent geocaching?
I am truly an obsessive/compulsive person. (probably pathological). I used to fish at least one third of the days in a year. Since I started caching I spent about 45 minutes fishing last summer and don't even have a license this year. On the days I didn't fish I adapted electronic toys for handicapped children, wiring them to large switches so a severly disabled student could activate the toy or change the channel on the TV. That was a lot of fun.

UM: Is there anything else about geocaching that you would like to share?
My dogs go with me caching most of the time but my cat hardly knows who I am anymore. I chipped a tooth in February and haven't been to the dentist because it will probably take three or four appointments to resolve the problem and I don't want to waste the time. My dryer stopped working about six months ago but I don't want to sit around waiting for the repairman. My house is one big geocache workshop; you can't sit in the living room because of my geocaching projects. I live alone so I don't have to worry about any of these things until I very well feel like it.

The caching name I like the very best is "Hairy Plotter." (never met him)

I think that we take ourselves way too seriously sometimes and that really gets in the way of enjoying geocaching. I appreciate the fact that there are only a few rules in this game and hope that abuse and pure numbers of people playing don't force changes in that.