The Foster Clan

This may be a dumb question but how do you know when the almanac has been download? Is there a way to check? Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

We might be in Davisburg this weekend picking up a trailer with our friends... I'll have to look-up some caches... Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

Colorado would be really nice. Forget what the weather people are saying. Pack your gear anyway. The weather may change for the better or it may still offer a few hunts at the very least. We did 4 hunts tonight after work but they were just benchmarks that were really close. Three of them don't exist any longer but it was fun looking for them! Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

I have my GPS set to magnetic. I assume it will make adjustments for me... My regular compass (actually most that we have) have an adjustment so I can set it for the dec. in the area I'm using them. Here in Michigan it's not that much but I think it's always worth checking just to be safe. My Orienteering compass has a declination chart on the outside cover covering the entire United States so I can go anywhere and make the adjustments with fairly accurate results quickly. Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

After doing several more hunts, we've decided to start carrying plenty of extra stuff with us when caching. Extra pens, pencils, lots of gallon sized baggies, big permanent markers and maybe even some tape (duct and electrical). A few of the cache containers could use a bit of work and it would only take a minute or two to perform... Do most people carry some extra's for repairs? Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

Wow, you guys must be in pretty good shape. I know my wife is hurting this morning and I'm still a bit tired myself... The kids slept pretty good last night too! Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

I just read a post in the forum that said something about booby trapped caches. Has anyone ever heard of this happening? I hadn't thought about that (I had my kids open 4 today) but if it's something I need to worry about, maybe Geocaching isn't our bag... Thanks, Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

Wow, after telling my wife about how much fun my son and I (and Shubbed) had on our first hunt earlier in the week, she decided we should do several (if possible) this afternoon. So, after our Boy Scout Boot Camp was over, we headed out to the woods and found 4 caches. The last one we found just before dark and walked out of the woods about an hour afterwards. She was tired and sore but loved the experience. Next time we're planning on taking two GPS's with us to share the fun even more. We'll update the cache logs tomorrow, she's already sleeping... Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

Yep, Turkey season is coming fast. We have our permits ready and waiting. Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

Home winemaking, mead making and beer brewing are another hobby our family enjoys... Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

Thanks for the tips gang. The Legend I bought the other day was the in store demo and had a few scratches on the display. I didn't think too much of it then (my wife knew I wouldn't be happy) but bought it any way. Now that I've used it for a few days, I'm getting annoyed. Like I said, I used some tooth paste but the grit is so fine in it, it will take too long to work. I'll swing by Walmart and see what I can pick up tonight after the Monster Truck Jam. Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

Don't get me wrong, I really like Orienteering. Even the competitive side of it. But these days I would rather spend as much time with my wife and kids as possible... I swear, the kids were born yesterday and today they seem like young adults. It's gonna suck when they leave home! I'll have to check into the permanent courses around here too. I'm always up for something fun. We like the harder courses as well. Last year when my son was 10, he did the red course at Pontiac lake. Let me tell you, I was dripping with sweat and could barely draw breath while he was walking around like he hadn't done anything all day. I guess time catches you and doesn't let go very easily. And I'm not that old yet! Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

I'm a really slow writer and an even worse speller so I guess I'll have to do it the same way from now on. My original find log did show up on it's own though. Thanks, Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

So, what's wrong with the cache hunters having to charge up the paint? They simply go to the cache location, find that there are several headstones and are required to use a flashlight to inspect each stone. The stone that glows afterwards is the cache stone... I just wonder how long the paint would last being outside. On a side note, you should see my bathroom. One of my girls (they won't fess up who did it) was doing her nails with glow in the dark nail polish one day and ever since then the entire counter, the old sink, the cabinet, the tile floor and the old bath rug glow like mad for about 15 minutes after the lights are turned off. Kind of messes with your head when you make one of those late night trips to the throne... Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

I started Orienteering with my son and co-worker (Shubbed) who is also starting to Geocache (he's the one getting me going on all this stuff). I grew up in the Marine Corp. so using a map and compass has always be something I must do and know. After the service, that life style sort of left me for a time but I've been getting back into the swing of things now that I have a house full of my own kids. We try to keep everything family oriented so Orienteering hasn't been really high on the list. I'll agree with the others that it's more of a "one on one" sport. Keeping the kids busy is our primary concern so this kind of stuff is great. Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

You could try reloading the current version again but this time uncheck the box at the bottom of the window when you start uploading the software to the GPS. I did mine last night and used the slow method without any problems. Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

So what does everyone do to fix scratches on their displays? I used some toothpaste last night on mine and it helped a little but I wouldn't mind making it better if possible. Thanks, Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

Well get the ok today then run out to Sports Authority and pick one up while they are on sale for $219.00. Also find the adds from last weekends newspaper. They have a 30% coupon (expires on 3-15-03). I did this last night and with the mail in rebate the final cost is $96.00 with tax. I've only had the unit for one evening but I've used a co-workers to find our first hunt and a few other things and think it's a great unit. The mapping is a must have for me so that was also a factor in it's purchase. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

I work on these dadgum computers. I do hardware, software, NetWare, Mickeysoft, you name it... I do it all for my employer and our 3000+ customer accounts worldwide. If there's something wrong with a computer or network or software, I fix it. I also do IT security at all levels and anything else people can dream up... I'm also a certified master automotive technician, adult education instructor, handyman, hunter, a dad, a husband to the best woman in the world and all around professional hobbyist! (look at my sig) When people have questions, I have answers (most of the time) Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

You know what? I bought a Legend this evening... Earlier somebody posted a message saying Sports authority had them on sale for $219.00 plus more off if you had the coupon from this weekends flyer etc... Well, my wife had here friend dig through her trashcan and came up with a coupon for us. It was an additional 30% off. Once at the store we discovered that the only one left anywhere in our area was the demo unit for the store. So, they took another 10% off and we bought it. It has some scratches on the front at the top but seems to work just fine. The only loop hole seems to be with the $50.00 mail-in rebate. It requires the UPC from the box which the store didn't have any longer. I have everything else but no box. I sent an e-mail to Garmin tonight with the details of the purchase and will wait to hear what they say. If all goes well, the unit will have a cost of $96.00 including tax. I also downloaded the new software for it (v3.20) which looks like it came out yesterday. Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

I read the post, called the store, found a coupon and bought the unit... Basically the same deal except the coupon was for 30% off and the only unit left in stock was a demo. It has some scratching on the front at the top but seems to work just fine and they gave me an extra 10% off. It also came without the box so I might not be able to get the $50.00 mail-in rebate. I need the UPC from the box for the deal but I e-mailed Garmin with the details of the purchase and will wait to hear what they say... Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

It was a find and it was a long post too! Maybe I took to long to type it all out... dadgum... Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

I didn't post a price range because I'm not honestly sure how much I want to spend... I don't want to go broke but at the same time, I'm not about to buy something because it has the best price... We used a Legend last night and it worked perfectly in heavy overcast sky's. Actually, it was snowing off and on too but never missed a beat. On the other hand, I had a Garmin GPS 12 with us and we were about 200 feet from the cache before it got it's first lock... The external antenna connector is very appealing as well so that instantly puts us up into another price range too. Thanks, Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

How long does it take for a cache log to show up on the site? Are they instant or do they need to be approved first? Thanks, Jon. Come visit us on the web!! The JJ&C Railroad

Thanks for the quick reply. One night this week my friend from work and myself will be doing the Creature of the Night hunt. He will have his Legend and I'll have the Basic 12. I think I've already decided that the map abilities of the Legend are a must but I'm interested to learn more about the units with better antenna's. I'm sure I'll be using it in the summer and many area's we hike in are covered by dense canopies. I also forgot to mention the fact that I've been using Notebook PC's with GPS antenna's for a few years and find them great tools to have with the extensive maps available on CD-ROM and DVD. My real hope is to get a nice handheld PC someday with a good antenna and software, but I'll take it one step at a time just so I can learn the in's and out's... Thanks again, Jon.