Maps-R-Us

I suppose tomorrow is your day off, right fractal? The rest of us will have to wait. By the way, I couldn't find them using the old method of looking for unapproved caches. What's up?

We plan on coming down the Friday night before, whatever date is chosen, and camping in the park. That could be lots of fun if others decide to do the same. Maybe grab one of those group camping areas!

Congratulations, DenaliNW! Definitely more fun to log diapers than caches when you think of how wonderful it is to have your own child. Even though geocaching is a fun new hobby, it pales in comparison to the joy of parenthood. We have made it through the diaper stage, terrible twos, soccer practice, teen years and now have college bills to pay. If you need help maintaining your Proposals or Attack of the Clone caches, just let us know. We are close by and would be glad to do maintenance checks.

So here is the cache log that TresOkies found so offensive. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=4973 Not a problem offending anyone since we posted the annoying code. We, of course don't agree. I am not a web/html elitist and feel folks should have some fun with the logs. We just wanted to draw a little more attention to the cache log because it was significant to us, our 100th find, and because of the great support from the federal park ranger helping maintain the cache. It is a very effective way to get attention. It got your attention didn't it? I suppose we could make some cute picture as our signature as others have, but we haven't. We could build a web page dedicated to ourselves and our geocaching experiences but who really cares? Or we could post questions on the forum to get attention through lots of responses. But in the end, it is a very small attention grabber that you would never have seen if it hadn't been posted on another thread because of the real reason we used it in the first place - to show that some rangers in the federal government are going out of there way to support geocaching. And that is worth some attention! We have also seen it used effectively for clone caches where the clone cache is not currently available and that is where I first saw it used. Another cacher in Washington also used it for their 100th find a few months ago and I actually borrowed the idea from her. When it comes to being annoying, their are a lot of other things, as others have mentioned, that are more annoying then a single marquee tag. So if you find one and don't like it, then scroll on down the page and it disappears pretty quick! If that doesn't work, just skip the cache altogether. A final suggestion - switch to Netscape since I believe the marquee tag only works in IE, right!? Now it's time to go figure out how to add some background music!

So here is the cache log that TresOkies found so offensive. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=4973 Not a problem offending anyone since we posted the annoying code. We, of course don't agree. I am not a web/html elitist and feel folks should have some fun with the logs. We just wanted to draw a little more attention to the cache log because it was significant to us, our 100th find, and because of the great support from the federal park ranger helping maintain the cache. It is a very effective way to get attention. It got your attention didn't it? I suppose we could make some cute picture as our signature as others have, but we haven't. We could build a web page dedicated to ourselves and our geocaching experiences but who really cares? Or we could post questions on the forum to get attention through lots of responses. But in the end, it is a very small attention grabber that you would never have seen if it hadn't been posted on another thread because of the real reason we used it in the first place - to show that some rangers in the federal government are going out of there way to support geocaching. And that is worth some attention! We have also seen it used effectively for clone caches where the clone cache is not currently available and that is where I first saw it used. Another cacher in Washington also used it for their 100th find a few months ago and I actually borrowed the idea from her. When it comes to being annoying, their are a lot of other things, as others have mentioned, that are more annoying then a single marquee tag. So if you find one and don't like it, then scroll on down the page and it disappears pretty quick! If that doesn't work, just skip the cache altogether. A final suggestion - switch to Netscape since I believe the marquee tag only works in IE, right!? Now it's time to go figure out how to add some background music!

Changed the poll slightly to accomodate the high number of magazines as "print media" - didn't know there had been so many articles! The poll results indicate on-line is the most common source but the posts make it sound like magazines are number one? Or are you reading the newspaper/magazine articles on-line?

After this comes out, I may have to modify the poll! Thanks for letting us know when it is coming, Explosis. Hopefully it will be on-line as well!

Reading through some recent posts I noticed some of you have given credit to either OPB's story or the Oregonian article for turning you on to geocaching. So we thought it would be interesting to find out how much impact the media coverage has had in turning out new geocachers in our area. If you heard from some other newspaper besides the Oregonian, be sure and post it. As for us, we heard from a co-worker while in Phoenix on a business trip. [This message was edited by Maps-R-Us on March 22, 2002 at 06:26 AM.]

We have a travel bug that wants to go to Sacramento. We could leave it in a cache in the Portland area for you to pick up. Any caches you are planning on hitting here as you pass through?

quote: 'No Thanks, I'm Just Browsing' Got plundered. That was a great cache and we are always thinking of how to do better urban caches. (We work downtown!) You should think about doing it again with a new hiding spot?

Ditto what Bodoni said - happened almost instantly for us. And we only got charged $30 - I think they charged Oregone extra for too many ex-girlfriends and extra long logs! Listserv idea sounds good but would that keep us from posting here? Isn't the real problem a matter of timing and just "getting on-line?"

quote:Maybe I'm not reading this thread right, but the concern was over misinformation (for the most part). Sorry, Jeremy, if I got off topic. I just think the underlying thoughts of the rangers who post those warnings, misinformation or not, is the real thing to be aware of. Sure, we should try to give the real information about caches being "buried" or not. But buried caches is not the real concern with the NPS. And I don't think we should take on the NPS policy from the top down but rather work up from the grass roots level, building trust with the other agencies first.

Sorry about the length of this post! First, I will state right up front that, I too, disagree with the categorical decision to not allow geocaches on NPS managed land. But you have to think about it from their perspective - not ours. Yes it's true, they manage our public lands. But, unlike the BLM and USFS, they THINK of the national parks first and foremost as special places to be protected for future generations. They have to! The other two agencies have a multiple-use policy that is much more open to various types of recreational use. That is where we should concentrate our efforts to have geocaching thought of in a receptive light and prove that geocaching is compatible with other uses. If the NPS starts letting geocaching take place in one or two parks in some inocuous, out of the way corner of a park, they have to then wonder how will they draw the line when the next person wants to hide a cache under Yosemite Falls, next to the General Sherman Tree, by a memorial in Gettysburg, etc.? The rangers that protect our unique places in this country are always dealing with idiots who steal the signs, deface the monuments, spraypaint grafitti on the rocks, steal petrified wood, steal saguaro cacti in the desert, carve their initials in the benches, dump their trash, poach the wildlife, walk off the trails, drive off the roads, etc., etc. If they have a distrustful attitude toward buried ammo cans, I can understand it! Lets learn to be good neighbors in all the city, county, and state parks and take advantage of all the other public lands managed by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, first. Lets prove we can geocache without impacting the resources we love, figure out how to police ourselves from thoughtless, indiscriminate geocachers and provide an opportunity for folks to get out and enjoy the rest of the outdoors. There is a lot of land out there and we can get by without the National Parks. The Rangers that patrol the public lands are all part of a network that work together and share information. They all train at the same academies and get together for conferences and to help each other out. If the NPS rangers start to really get upset and share their sentiments with the USFS and BLM rangers, it will only have a negative impact for everyone. So instead of fighting it, lets accept their position for now and go prove our good intentions elsewhere. And just so you all know, the Bureau of Land Management has an official policy allowing geocaching without a permit and considers it a legitimate recreational activity. This is significant out west where I live! What follows is an excerpt from there policy. Let's work hard to show it is a wise one! quote:Policy/Action: A special recreation permit (SRP) is not required if the geocaching activity is casual use and where it is not a specific event. The following conditions apply for casual use: it is not commercial, complies with land use decisions and designations, i.e., Special Area Designations and Wilderness Interim Management Policy and, does not award cash prizes, is not publicly advertised, poses minimal risk for damage to public land or related water resource values, and generally requires no monitoring. If you determine the use to be casual but have some concern about the use, such as, placing the caches in Congressionally designated Wilderness or Wilderness Study Areas, at cultural resource sites or other areas with threatened and endangered species or any other special fragile area, it would be appropriate to issue a letter of authorization with special stipulations attached that would address those concerns. If the geocaching activity or event does not meet the above conditions the event should be treated as any other organized recreational group or competitive activity or event for which BLM would require the event organizer to obtain an SRP. The BLM believes that geocaching is an appropriate casual use of the Public Lands. But, as use increases or becomes a management issue in a particular area the following minimum steps should be taken: 1) try to locate a person or group that is responsible and have them register the cache with the BLM, make sure the cache is safe and environmentally sound, 2) prepare an Environmental Assessment or other appropriate National Environmental Policy Act document, 3) issue a letter of authorization or SRP with special stipulations to mitigate concerns, 4) if sites are not registered within a reasonable amount of time after notification then the cache should be removed from the Public Lands, usually they are determined to be abandoned property after 72 hours unless they have the appropriate authorization, 5) monitor the use to assess public health and safety and environmental protection issues, 6) if the sport gets too large and begins to conflict with other authorized use appropriate steps should be taken to properly manage the activity. If anyone wants a copy of the whole policy, feel free to e-mail us.

Well, Oregone, you probably already know what we think of this one! We are close to finding our 100th cache and we noticed you are very close to your 200th. To commemorate the event, we have been trying to think of what cache would make a great century mark for our geocaching history. Port-a-potty won't be the one. Of course when you have as many as you do and have to drive 100 miles to get a new one, you might be tempted!

Well, Oregone, you probably already know what we think of this one! We are close to finding our 100th cache and we noticed you are very close to your 200th. To commemorate the event, we have been trying to think of what cache would make a great century mark for our geocaching history. Port-a-potty won't be the one. Of course when you have as many as you do and have to drive 100 miles to get a new one, you might be tempted!

Hey Exocet, Sorry you have had so many archived! How about your Henry, Virgil, Nelson, Gabriel, Tryon cache? We still think that cache should be resurrected but cut short by one park. If you want to set it up, we'll hide the cache in Gabriel park for you! It was a great cache but it would be fine without the Tryon part. And Makaio, you had the I Hate I-5 X archived but I noticed tonight it is back in action. Way to go! I know Fractal and Oregone have had some bad luck with some of their caches as well.

Hey Exocet, Sorry you have had so many archived! How about your Henry, Virgil, Nelson, Gabriel, Tryon cache? We still think that cache should be resurrected but cut short by one park. If you want to set it up, we'll hide the cache in Gabriel park for you! It was a great cache but it would be fine without the Tryon part. And Makaio, you had the I Hate I-5 X archived but I noticed tonight it is back in action. Way to go! I know Fractal and Oregone have had some bad luck with some of their caches as well.

The question really isn't which is best, since they all are equally good for the types of GPS receivers most of us use. The default setting is decimal minutes and that is what works on Geocaching.com so that is the best to use. But if you use other software to download coordinates to, then you might want to set your GPSr format to match. An example would be various mapping software only reading one format. MapQuest won't work with decimal minutes so you have to convert. A lot of GIS software only works with decimal degrees since it is easier to do math with a single number and easier to store in a database. I suppose DMS was the only way most people used before we had computers!

I believe most discussion boards have general categories that get to large over time and need to be broken out into more detail. I can certainly see a need for a specific forum about the charter membership and premium features! And with the new forum capabilities, it should be easy to track more forms/topics/threads.

Thought it was against the law to geocache in Oregon if it's NOT raining?!

Thought it was against the law to geocache in Oregon if it's NOT raining?!