richfng

To clarify: Is it a problem of them just taking the contents? Taking the whole cahe, contents included? Or a mix of both? Easiest if they take the cahce and all is to anchor it onto a car sized rock and hook up a stun gun type device to the cache (obviously stating in the cache listing and on & in the cache NOT TO REMOVE CACHE>>>>>> OR ELSE!). Make sure you sand off the paint on the inside top of the ammo can to bare metal and put di-electric grease on it to better ZAP the bad guy. The cache will be 100% safe for the good guys, ladies and kids who exchange treasure. Here in NYC we've had problems with people breaking into our toolboxes. After a few shocks they get the hint. If they are taking just the contents, and if you are putting high dollar items like DVD's in it, have cachers email you and meet them someplace public near the cache to give them the coordinates and take their photo. You'll know who and when they went to the cache, making it easier to track down the Plunderer when it comes up empty. It may be an inconvienience but it will help the cache from walking. Most geocachers would not mind the slight delay to protect our fun from knuckleheads who have no life and plunder caches. Email me and we can discuss how to do it.

Thinking about changing things up a little this year for my kids. Instead of scattering little bright colored plastic easter eggs with candy & toys around the yard for the kids to find.. Boring... I'm thinking about several large containers with the coordinates enterted into my GPS for the kids to use to find the prizes. I know we have many others out there with more creative minds than I who will have some greater ideas with this topic............. I look forward to your ideas and comments.

Living in CT and commuting into NYC everyday, so there are scores of caches to find within a 1-2 hour drive. Opting NOT to keep up with the Jones and their SUV's I went with a VW Jetta TDI.... diesel. 50 miles per gallon and diesel is cheaper than gasoline, so fuel consumption is not a concern, 1 tank a week at 700+ miles a tank. I do find it odd people buying vehicles specifically for the few days a year they might need the SUV and/or 4WD (or think they need it....... we still got around fine everyday in the decades before SUV's), while not considering the majority of the time they spend in the vehicle........ commuting to work. We are VERY fortunate to have fuel prices so cheap and stable here in the US. Go to Europe, Canada or Asia averaging $5 a gallon and you'll realize how cheap it is here. How much were we paying 5 years ago? 10 or 15 years ago? Like any other hobby, if you enjoy it enough you come up with the extra money from somewhere........... Is it morally wrong to have my 3 year old daughter get a paper route just so I can go caching????

Many commercial buildings use a fiberglass mesh material over the foam then a layer of stucco then paint it. Foam is a wonderful home for insects to easily burro into--- warm, dark and dry, especially termites, which is why some local building codes do not allow you to use it below grade (Underground). Another thing to conside is the UV from the sun beating down on this and eventually causing it to fall apart. What effect or look are you trying for? Or are you just trying to make your cache weather proof? If you are trying to camouflage the cache, so Muggles can't accidentally find it or to make the cache more of a challenge, I'd leave the meteor look to break up the box outline. If you want to keep the box shape try using an exterior rated latex house paint.

Geocaching as a way to meet "Someone" would be much better than the dreaded bar scene, but in the impersonal world of the internet I'd certainly be VERY cautious. The idea of meeting someone, that you only know from a computer screen, in a remote area looking for a cache is scary...... who'd hear you scream? Perhaps an organized Geocache get-together would be a safer alternative. There are many family oriented ones.... maybe someone should set up one for Singles, the first anual New England Regional Dating Social?????