Colonial Cats

I was about to recommend that book also. It's a great way to get started when you don't know what questions to ask.. I third that. The Idiot's Guide is about as close to a Geocaching Bible as you can get.

I am a fan of the Go (and Go2), but will qualify it. I used a Go for almost 2 years, awesome satellite reception, decent (but not as good as thought once I got another unit) accuracy, and as cheap as Briansnat says. I used to do nothing bit sing it's praises to everyone on forums, but a couple of catches: 1) You can't (easily) download waypoints. There's supposedly a hack (that can be found somewhere on these forums) using NMEA commands and an adapter you can buy from Lowrance. 2) I have started to question the durability of this unit. After about a year, the contrast would be different every time I turned the unit on. I lived with it for about another year, then I saw a "barely used" Go2 (slightly more detail on the map, but just slightly) for just $35 on eBay. But that unit completely died after only one month of use. Now whether it's these units or I was suckered on eBay I'll never know. You got suckered on eBay. The Go2 is an excellant starter unit. Once a newbie gets some experience, you can't go wrong with a higher priced garmin or my own personal favorite; a Lowrance H2O C.

We provide a FTF prize along with our own Colonial Cats FTF Business Card. Cachers seem to enjoy them.

Wouldn't that be a Lock n' Lock n' Lock n' Lock?

Oops. Double Post.

Congrats on your first find! I would recommend that you and all other newbies check out Geocaching University. You can also get there through the Resourses link on the geocaching.com main page. There's a lot of good info there. Also, I found the "Idiot's Guide to Geocaching" a very good source. Welcome to the insanity!

No signy, no findy!

When we started geocaching last September, we went with a Lowrance Expedition C with topo mapping for $360. Easy to use, big color screen, and great reception. It did have extras such as an altimeter and mp3 player (played through headphones) that I found I was not using. So when we got our 2nd unit, we went with a Lowrance H2O C. Same great GPSr without the extras we se not using anyway.

99.9% of the time we do all get along. The discussions may get spirited but are friendly. For my part, I have used the forums not to just interject my views, but to listen to other viewpoints. I have even been persuaded to change my mind. I believe that this has made me a better geocacher. Now let's all join hands and sing Kum-Bah-Yah!

I would hope our fellow geocachers would be honest and not claim any FTFs that were not theirs. First to log online has nothing to do with FTF. This website lists finds in order they are logged, not found. Just because you logged it first doesn't mean you are FTF. By logging first you aren't "claiming" anything but a find. It has nothing to do with honesty. It just means you got to your PC first to log it. Sorry, I misunderstood. You are right.

[ I would hope our fellow geocachers would be honest and not claim any FTFs that were not theirs.

YIPPEE! A FTF! FTFs should be embraced and highly celebrated. I think that a big fuss should be made over FTFs and that other cachers should be in awe to those who made the find. Those who show distain over FTFs are not being totally honest. It is one of the many enjoyable facets of the hunt. I like the prizes given for the FTF and I enjoy placing a FTF prize in my new caches. --- Seriously, I do believe in most of what I just said. It is different strokes for different folks. Although I find FTFs very enjoyable, I realize that it means nothing to other folks. Just like everybody has their own opinion on micro and nano caches, there is no set consensus on FTFs. There is more than enough variety in Geocaching to satisfy us all.

O.C.B. Here is the O.C.B. from the original stash.

Oops, see below!

Let's make Poutine the Official Food for Geocaching, eh!

Our usual FTF prize is our signature non-tractable Colonial Cats coin.

Williamsburg, VA 5 Miles - 45 10 Miles - 86 25 Miles - 383 50 Miles - 1484

double post!

We had adopted 6 cats from the local shelter so we went with the cat theme. We also live near Colonial Williamsburg so we became the Colonial Cats.

We can't beat that. However, under the same circumstances, we found a FTF in 35 minutes.

It sounds like you just need to get use to your GPSr which will come with experience. Asking questions in this forum is a good start. Partnering up with an experienced cacher would help. The proper way to ask for help from the cache owner is to first log in a "Did Not Find" (DNF) entry on the cache's web page. Then you would e-mail the cache owner to ask for a clue. It will help your case if you give a thorough search of the area before you ask for help. Remember that due to many variables, a cache may be located up to 30 to 40 feet from ground zero. Also structures and overhead trees may cause signal bounce that will require patience in finding good readings. Again, experience will help. When you approach a cache and are 40 to 50 feet away, start looking at your surroundings. Remember to look behind you too. Many times you will be able to see the hides from a distance. Look for what doesn't look right. A pile of sticks, loose bark at the base of a tree, stumps or logs, some clue from the cache description, etc. will tell you where hides may be located. After awhile, you may develop the ability to use "The Force" (the instinct of knowing where hides are from past experiences). Good luck and happy caching.

I've found this website usefull. Cheers! http://www.sitekreator.com/geo-lowrance/index.html Excellant web site for Lowrance users. I have 2 Lowrance GPSrs and love them. I think that the problem lies in software incompatibility. The lowrance GPSrs use .urs files which are incompatible with Garmin files. You can get conversion software from the link above or at www.lowrance.com. It works very well.

If the current paint coverage is good, I just thoroughly wash/rinse/dry the containers before repainting. I paint over the markings. Obliterating the ammo markings is extremely important so that your cache is not confused as being a Hazardous Material. I'm an Ammunition Inspector and write up this type of ammo can misuse by the military all the time. I use Krylon Camo Spray Paint. Most Wal-Marts have this. It's flat and comes in all of the camo colors. Use 2 or 3 colors for good camo. Several light coats will work better than one heavy coat. Try to start out with ammo cans in good shape so maintainance will be easier later.

Yes, I use the Krylon Camo line. It's flat spray paint and comes in Black, Green, Brown, and Tan. I would get a can of each and and use two or more colors on each container. Wal-mart usually has these in stock.