Table of Contents

Cover Page

Vacations, Kids and Caching

Finding "Magna's Masked Midday Marauders"

Caching Along a Route

An Interview with SirGerald

Regular Features

Chuckles

Credits

Feedback

Back Issues of the UTAG Magazine

After the interviews I've included in the last couple of issues, Damenace insisted that I submit to and interview, too. He supplied the questions and I've supplied my answers, such as they are.

UM: What do you do for a living?
I’m employed as a developer for a company called Thomson Prometric. The company that hired me, Galton Technologies, was purchased by Prometric which in turn was acquired by the Thomson Corporation. Galton Technologies created a product named BenchMark for developing computer-based exams and another called CertManager which manages online tracking of an individual’s certification progress for a variety of clients. I’ve been working exclusively on the CertManager product and our client’s certification program data for the last 7 years.

UM: Did you have any formal schooling, if so where?
I graduated from American Fork High School in 1969. Then, after serving an LDS mission in Peru, I earned and received a Bachelor-of-Science degree in Computer Science from BYU in 1977, almost 30 years ago.

UM: Where/how did you learn all your programming skills?
Since graduating from college, I’ve worked for a number different companies. I’ve worked for a highway construction firm, a life insurance software company, an herbal supplement production company, a telephone switch manufacturer, and a few companies involved in education and testing. Each one of these companies allowed me to learn a different set of skills.

I first started web development while helping maintain content on Novell’s internal intranet. Then I learned a lot while creating and maintaining web sites for CertManager clients.

UM: How long have you been caching?
I started geocaching in May 2002, so that’s nearly 5 years, now.

UM: How did you learn about geocaching?
I read a newspaper article in Provo’s Daily Herald about geocaching which I found to be very interesting. I went to geocaching.com and learned a lot more. Then I immediately went out and bought a low-end yellow Garmin Etrex GPS. The rest, as they say, is history.

UM: Do you have a favorite cache?
Not really. I used to like JeeperDad’s Travel Bug Hotel a lot because it was close to my work and allowed me to log a lot of different travel bugs. After it had to be archived, I converted one of my caches to the NUTCO TB B&B cache. Other than that, I’ve always enjoyed the local moving caches, Ut.V.R?T. and the The Ornament (moving) because they are always moving and are usually not too difficult to find.

UM: What is your oldest active cache?
The first cache I ever placed, The Bookworm Cache, is still active and going strong. It was placed in June 2002.

UM: How many different states have you cached in?
I’ve found caches in seven different states: Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, California, Idaho, and Oregon. This summer, I plan to add Washington state to that list.

UM: Other than Utah what is your favorite place to cache?
I guess the more interesting caches I’ve found in other states were in California. It’s interesting to see other styles of caches that you find in other areas.

UM: Why the fascination with owls?
Well, it’s really hard to say. I’m just drawn to them. It could partly be because they are perceived as being intelligent and wise; two qualities to which I’ve always aspired.

UM: If you where forced to give up Geocoins or Signature items you have collected which one would you give up and why? (This decision cannot be based on value or cost of coins.)
Do you mean if I was forced to give up either ALL my geocoins, or ALL my signature items? Geez, why would you want me to do that? That would be cruel. No, seriously, there are some specific geocoins and some specific signature items that hold special sentimental value for me and I wouldn’t willing give them up for anything. But, to answer your question, in general I’d have to give up the geocoins. With a few exceptions, most of them were too easily obtained and don’t have as much personal investment value as many of my signature items have. One signature item I have is a simple wooden owl that was hand carved by a cacher in California named Gallahad. Others, are simply irreplaceable. Besides, many of the signature items I have are from geocachers I actually know and admire.

UM: What is your favorite signature item (non geocoin) you have collected and why?
There are several which I particularly enjoy: UtahJean’s Ringy Thingys; Kimbest’s Origamis; the hand-carved wooden owl I just mentioned; and a few others. If asked that question at different times, I might pick a different one, but the evidence would still point to JeeperDad’s signature jeep. I currently own more than 30 of them. Back when he was still placing them, I would watch where he had been caching and purposely follow behind and collect all the jeeps he’d left. I don’t know why.

UM: Whose signature item (non geocoin) do you wish you had and why?
I really don’t have one in mind. With a few past exceptions, I don’t usually seek after specific ones. There isn’t one I’m currently looking for.

UM: What is your favorite coin you own in your collection and why (cannot be based on rarity)?
Well for sentimental reasons, I especially treasure the silver UTAG 2005 coin and the copper Utah 2006 coins I received as "Thank You" gifts for working on their design and production. I’ve received other coins as personal gifts that I treasure, too. And then there’s the one I just found that The Geocoin Fairy left in one of my caches. That was a special treat, too.

UM: What is your favorite story about Burma Shave signs?
I don’t have any specific recollections about the Burma Shave signs themselves. But I was honored last year at my "Last Minute Backyard BBQ" event when Scubadog gave me a book they had found that contains ALL of the Burma Shave signs ever produced by the company. That was an unexpected and thoughtful gift.

UM: What is your favorite rhyme?
Believe it or not, my favorite rhyme is a limerick that breaks the limerick rules. It goes like this:
There once was a man from Spokane,
Whose verses never would scan.
When told it was so,
He said, "Yes, I know,
But I always try to get as many words in the last line as I possibly can."

UM: What is the best "Event" cache you have attended and why?
I’d have to say that was the August 2002 Summer Games event hosted by the Cach-U-Nuts because of all of the Summer Games they had leading up to it. As you completed different geocaching tasks or found different caches, you earned raffle tickets for the drawing to be held during the event. I was just new to geocaching but our family was able to earn quite a few raffle tickets. LadyLeAnn and LordSteven earned some by winning some of the top prizes in Cach-U-Nuts’ Bingo game that summer. Then at the drawing at the event, I won the Magellan SportTrak Pro GPS that they gave away. I’m still using it, though it’s on it’s last legs.

UM: Where do you see the sport of Geocaching in 5 years?
Who could say? Geocaching itself probably won’t have changed much. It’s still essentially the same as when it was first started, six years ago. I don’t foresee any great changes. However, I AM afraid that due to the public’s increased awareness and worry about terrorist activities that the government and law enforcement may decide to make it too difficult to continue as we have done so far. All it will take to destroy the game completely is for a few "bad guys" to place a few really malicious containers purporting to be geocaches where innocent people are hurt. If that ever happens, it won’t be long before geocaching will have a bad name and will be made illegal. Or, we’ll be too afraid of what we might find to do it anyway.

UM: How long have you been writing for?
I’ve been writing ever since, as a child, I learned to write. But seriously, I’ve always been rather quiet…a man of few words…you might say. I’ve always enjoyed expressing myself through the written word much more than through the spoken word.

UM: Other than the UTAG Magazine you publish have you ever had any of your writings get published in any magazines or books?
When I was in grade school, I sent in a joke to the local newspaper and it was published as their Joke of the Day on the Comics page. In Junior High I had a little poem published in the school yearbook. Other than that, I don’t remember having anything published…probably because I haven’t submitted anything anywhere.

UM: Your final words.
I’m honored that Damenace would think me worthy of an interview. Perhaps, after reading this, he’ll see what a dull fellow I actually am. I do what I do for UTAG because I enjoy doing it. The programming I’ve done on the UTAG website and for my games is just fun stuff for me. I’ve enjoyed the writing I’ve done for the UTAG Magazine, too. However, I don’t enjoy having to supply so many of the articles myself just to get another issue published. I’d really like to see more people submit articles about their geocaching experiences, and indeed, lately I have received more new material than I have in the past. Keep ‘em coming everyone.