private bones

I have used village photos to design the cache pages which include photos. You set up a free account, then upload the images you want. There is also a feature that allows you select the fonts and background color of your pages, drop the photos in, then copy the html and paste it into your cache listing. Just remember to check the box on the cache page that says html. It takes a bit of playing around to get it all right but after that it is quite easy.

Thanks!

Hello, I haven't been in the forums for a while so I would greatly appreciate some history on what has happened with this subject. Specifically: 1. Are these caches now formally / officially banned from Geocaching.com, or is it up to the reviewer to make the call? 2. If they are now banned, is there anything in the Guidelines that addresses this, or is it forthcoming? Thanks for your input. I've been trying to search for a thread (it must be out there as I know this subject has generated some heat over the years ) but have not been able to find one. pb

I've been thinking about this lately... I live in an area where several cache owners are also avid road or mtn bikers. Right now I drive or hike but there are so many caches that are placed along bike routes. Very tempting...

Yeah! Good fake rock advice on this thread. I have a cache called Boulder Houlder (hidden in a large boulder field) and it would have been great to get a big fake boulder and hide the container in the boulder. But, all the fake boulders I found were really pricey.

I don't see the difference. If I intentionally create a challenging cache it's irrelevant to me whether the searchers obtained their spoiler info from a log, or by calling a previous finder. I couldn't agree more. Cachers should ask the cache owner for hints, not previous finders. People are really bold about it in my area - "couldn't find it so I called a friend and they told me where it was". That's a spoiler! I agree. I was recently at a group event and I mentioned that I was going for try # 3 on a difficult cache. Several of the other cachers had made the find but everyone was careful to speak in very generic terms when discussing this cache in front of me. I really appreciated that. Another time I was with a cache owner and I was led to the cache. I appreciated the good intentions of the owner but it just didn't feel as good as making the find on my own. But, as always... different strokes...

I think you may have misunderstood the question. I agree, as stated in the original post, that a FTF prize is placed without any expectation of a trade. It is my gift to the FTF, or to the STF if FTF passes on the gift. What I experienced was a FTF cacher who took a new swag item, left nothing,, and logged it as such. Although I often leave FTF gifts on more difficult caches, in this case I did not. So, I wondered if perhaps this was acceptable etiquette? But, it seems from reading the responses that if that cacher was following etiquette, it should have been a trade. Thanks to all for your responses.

Oops...Let me modify that to say: most cachers I have dealt with in my personal and limited experience seem to either TNSL or do a regular swag trade.

NICE! Thanks for the added bonus advice! BTW, I'm afraid that I really wasn't wondering. I just figure that any time a post compels a response (from someone other than a moderator) with instruction on behavior modification that either an apology or a "get off my keister" retort would be in order. Thought you might prefer the apology

Whether or not there is an FTF prize, this is what 2nd place gets when I get there first.

I was searching for something on ebay - I think it had to do with water sprinkler systems and an auction came up for fake sprinkler micro caches. At the time I thought huh? What is this crazy scam? But of course the curiosity was killing me so I pressed on and found all kinds of bizarre cache container auctions. That led to searching for other geocaching items which led to looking at GPS stuff which led to geocaching.com. Two days later I did the rookie thing and set out to do some in store "research" and "price comparison" and two hours later returned home with a full price etrex (I may have even paid more than retail I was so rollin with this new game)...And, of course the same day I acquired the esteemed literature that every green and impatient cacher simply must have...Geocaching for Idiots. That just about sums up my elegant entrance into this worldly game

Perhaps he can't write, and the period is his "X". Lots of things annoy me, few are worth griping about when all it will accomplish is to anger or upset someone else. Happy New Years to all, and lets resolve to be even nicer to others than we currently are. My apologies if that post angered or upset you. Now, don't take offense at this but I swear (sorry, not swear) that I've seen that reply in these forums before. C'mon now - did you cut and paste that spank? Now about your X theory, perhaps. But let me say this as nicely as possible...I think it's a bit of a stretch.

Am I missing something here? Are the "copy" coins mentioned in this thread the same thing as a Geocoin Proxy? If no, disregard the next comment. If yes, they are listed under cache inventory as "Proxy Geocoins". So, if you see this you would know that you are going after a copy. Example: GC46EO http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...7d-7cfee184149b Again, my apologies if the "copies" are a different item than a proxy. Well, I guess I'm just dumb or something. I wouldn't have known that a "Proxy" was something other than the coin itself. I have seen them listed in Caches before, but didn't really put any thought into the meaning. Thanks for the tip, I'll not be searching any Caches just to find a "Proxy". Without putting the proper amount of thought into the reading of the coin page, I would have expected to find a real coin. Is a "proxy" any different than a copy, I guess it's a "stunt double" It looks to me like someone wants to have their cake and eat it too? The coin has travels logged and grab/drops, but still stays in the collection of the owner? Is that right? I'm still not sure that proxy is the same thing being discussed here. Can anyone out there clarify? I seem to remember finding a proxy (and being really bummed) but it wasn't a photocopy with marker description, it was wood...I think... Anyway, whatever the terminology I share your feelings about finding a copy

Just curious Seems like most FTF cachers will take a specified FTF gift (as intended) and may or may not leave swag. That's fine with me if I mention in the description that there is a specified gift for FTF. However, if I don't specify a FTF gift, most cachers seem to either TNSL or do a regular swag trade. Yesterday I had a FTF cacher that logged that they took a nice swag item and left nothing. This cache was pretty easy and I did not leave a FTF gift. So, would taking a nice swag item and leaving nothing be considered a "right" of FTF? Thanks for your input. pb

Am I missing something here? Are the "copy" coins mentioned in this thread the same thing as a Geocoin Proxy? If no, disregard the next comment. If yes, they are listed under cache inventory as "Proxy Geocoins". So, if you see this you would know that you are going after a copy. Example: GC46EO http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...7d-7cfee184149b Again, my apologies if the "copies" are a different item than a proxy.

Happy New Year! My latest resolution is to write logs with the exactly correct (politically that is) amount of characters, humor, and whatever. I will keep an antidiarrheal nearby at all times in case something starts to get out of control. And, I will never ever cut and paste or paste and cut. In all seriousness, sorry to hear about both sides of this story. I would hate to squish the enthusiasm of anyone who writes long and creative logs, but I would love to squish anyone who is cutting and pasting logs. Last, I had to smile a bit at the timing of this topic. About two minutes before I read the OP's post I was fuming over a brand spankin new cacher who appears to being driving the CA coast and logging his coastal finds using simply a . Yep, simply a period. That's it - no TFTC, no TNLNSL. Just a . At first I thought he thought my cache was really LAME, but then I noticed all his logs are the same. Cutting and pasting a period. How's that for a brief log? No verbal diarrhea there. Just a really bad case of verbal constipation

Poison oak, poison oak and more poison oak. Yep, I use Tecnu. Still get it. Also stinging nettles. Ouch, those are the almost the worst. The worst: One really BAD hot day caching in the mountains without enough water. (Once you experience that little error you become obsessed about not making THAT mistake again) Major dehydration, became disoriented on the descent, and two days of cramping, soreness and fatigue. Ah... but other than that... it was a great day of hiking / caching

Long ago in a previous life I searched for people instead of tupperware I was involved in several high altitude canine SAR trainings designed to take new searchers (who lived at sea level but might join High Sierra searches 3 hours away) from sea level to 10,000 feet in a day. It was a very good exercise to help searchers understand their altitude tolerance levels. Although most people who were affected by altitude experienced problems at 9 or 10,000 feet, there were always a few people who had minor issues at 6,000 or 7,000 feet (headaches, shortness of breath, etc) I have cached at several Sierra locations that were in the 6-8,000 (maybe 9,000) elevation and I've never seen any cache owners mention anything about altitude sickness. But, maybe there was more discussion about that topic when this post first came out. Come to think of it, I think I was involved in those trainings the same year this post came out

This is a bit of an unconventional approach but it was a blast! We found a back country lodge near Lake Tahoe, CA that had really good off season rates in late fall. So we gathered up a bunch of friends who have never heard of geocaching and rented the whole lodge for a weekend. The rates were so good that everyone pitched in, split the costs of food and lodging, and made it really affordable. We got there a day early and hid a bunch of temporary caches (just for our private event). Some were micros at the lodge, some were ammo boxes that involved long hikes. One was a multi that had a Hitchcock theme. The group of 10 shared 3 GPS units and everyone had a great time. It was a treat to share our passion with our friends and now several of them have become involved in geocaching.

It's about the same here in Central CA for the above listed sizes. BTW, I saw one of these French boxes while out caching yesterday. Nice size 9 1/4 x 4 3/4 x 2 7/8". Price is 5.99.

Go for it, just use a PO Box. I had a fun cache like this where cachers brought a postcard, took a postcard, and then used markers (provided in the cache) to create a quick note or drawing. I also provided a roll of postcard stamps. The cache was next to a bench and a mailbox, so it was very easy to swap, jot, and post. When I picked up my mail at the POB, in between the bills and junk mail I would find funny, thoughtful postcards from geocachers. My approach with this cache was that it was all optional (NOT required to get a smiley), so I would say about 50% did the whole postcard deal and the rest were TNSL. Sadly, the cache was muggled when the bushes were trimmed back. I replaced it with a smaller cache and changed the theme to a stamp swap using a much smaller cache container shaped like a mini mailbox. Not as "interactive", not as well received. In retrospect, I shouldn't have changed it. But the smaller, less conspicuous cache couldn't fit the markers and postcards. I may have to restore it to the original idea cause I sure miss the funny postcards! Have fun with this and kudos for thinking outside the box (ammo that is)

CG10JV7 The Cone of Silence (also by Touchstone) references one of my favorite childhood TV memories...here is an excerpt from the cache description page... "The Cone of Silence is one of many recurring joke devices from Get Smart, an American comedy television series of the 1960s. In the series, whenever Maxwell Smart ("Agent 86") wanted to speak to his boss ("Chief") about a top secret matter, he would insist on the use of a comically defective technology called "the Cone of Silence." The Chief, usually with annoyed skepticism, would press a switch, causing the device to descend from above the Chief's desk, surrounding the heads of the two would-be conversers. The awkwardly impractical device was clear plastic in the shape of two interconnected inverted bowls. Part of the humor was in the irony that Agent 86 and Chief could never hear each other clearly, while bystanders in the room could hear everything they said. Often at the end of the labored conversation, the Chief would be terribly frustrated and upset. " Reading this instantly took me back in time and brought out a big

Yeah, I also know they shouldn't be there but I found a nice one in a cache last week and I'm not complaining

A really good exercise / jogging stroller with shocks has been great for us since our little guy was about 2. We have taken it on all kinds of terrain including beach (packed sand) and all types of hiking trails. Make sure it has the knubby mountain bike tires (your local bike shop can switch them out for you). We have also used a backpack carrier for trails that couldn't accomodate the stroller, but if there was a choice, our son always preferred the stroller. Have fun!

I thought this was my real life? Otherwise why I am I sitting here typing this at 10:44 on a Tuesday morning? Hmm, no wonder sales are down, my husband thinks I'm having an internet affair, my dog needs a bath and my child's first words were MAMA CMPUTR