TrueRed06

I was thrilled at the news that there would be 4000 new virtuals in the world, thanks to this new Virtual Rewards program (maybe a bad title, considering all the negative forum posts?). I love virtuals, and always seek them out when I travel, because they take me to (mostly) amazing locations. Anyway, I never considered that some of those "rewarded" might choose not to take advantage of this, and choose never to activate their virtual. What happens then? If only 500 virtuals are placed in the next year, is that it? Or will those unactivated VRs be given to the next folks on the list, until the geocaching community does indeed have 4000 new virtuals added to the game?

As we travel the back roads in search of geocaches, I keep an eye out for good photography locations. A scenic view, a perfect red barn against a hillside, and so forth. I note the nearest cache and brief directions, and later move that info to a list on the laptop. Navigating to the cache in the future is easy (as long as the cache stays active), then I go from there. When planning a route for a return visit, I start with the geocaching app.

"by hand" means "using an automated tool" in snark, of which I am fluent. At least it should be. Our records show that the user was throttled several times. This only happens if the user isn't looking at what they are doing, which generally means it is a bot. Regardless, read the message and slow down. Give me a break... I've had the same problem as lots of GC.com users the past couple of days, but tonight was by far the worst (so from my perspective, the problem isn't getting better). I'm using a laptop and a keyboard and my own brain. Yes, I type 130 words a minute, and maybe GC.com can't handle that. I'm using IE and am not using any automated tool to browse caches. I was doing what I've done hundreds of times before: simply using Google maps to search for caches, and got locked out for 12 minutes and 45 seconds. It's been interesting, reading the complete forum thread on this topic, and seeing how many Premium members like myself have been throttled to the point of not being able to plan the next caching trip, or log their finds. It's a pain in the... well, you know. Hope you can find a solution soon.

The first 100 was a thrill, because I was still so new to geocaching. But I get more enjoyment figuring out a tough hide or a clever challenge than I do by simply reaching a numerical goal. Probably the most exciting accomplishment was finishing both the WA state DeLorme & WA state county challenges in my first 6 months of caching. It'll be hard to top that!

Thank you for the congrats, PP! The past 22 months have been a blast and I'm pleased that thiis milestone was at one of your caches! On to the next 1000, and a find in every state!

I tried a Nuvi 750 for a weekend of geocaching, then returned it. I loved the big screen, but it's designed to get a car close to a destination, not a person close to a geocache. It won't locate closer than about 20 feet, and for a lot of caches, it's not close enough. I'll be getting a hand-held unit soon.

You guys are seriously organized! I carry a small daypack. Besides my ziplok of caching tokens, swag, and bag of TBs/coins to drop, I usually carry these: Hand sanitizer Hand lotion First aid kit (small, basic) Multi-tool Tweezers Small piece of wire Couple of pens Coin-size ziploks & sandwich size (to replace damaged bags I find in caches) Compass Small mirror (on a swiveling, extension handle) Water bottle & energy bar (never know when you'll be hiking & caching) Reading glasses Tissues Log book Ready-to-place caches with logs

I'm having the same problem. Bring the page up in print preview, and the left 1+ inch is cut off. Because it's the left side, it doesn't matter whether you print in portrait or landscape view, you can't recover the missing part of the page (which contains the coordinates and hints!)

Caching by Miata... the best way to double the fun of both activities! Lots of cachers at Club Miata, Matt... come join us sometime!

My husband and I are also new to Geocaching, and are trying to come up with good ideas for swag. I like the idea of foreign coins (but not Canadian). My husband travels a lot for work, and goes to conferences several times a year. He likes to pick up trinkets given out by vendors and software companies: things like mini carabiners, mini flashlights, key rings, pens, and so on. I think these will make good swag, along with items like dice, marbles, small balls or hackey sacks, and other toys.