Louise_Gerhard

Above the 10 clue mark. gerhardoosMPsa – 14, RedGlobe – 13 (31.2 days & 25 days one tonteldoos must be found) 6 Clues (Every 10.4 days one tonteldoos must be found) DiePienaars, Wazat. 5 clues (Every 9.6 days one tonteldoos must be found) Antron, Strider_SA, Tricky Vicky & Mickey,. 4 clues (Every 8.9 days one tonteldoos must be found) CrystalFairy, Carbon Hunter, cincol, Team Ginger, iPajero, Brick, Wessies 3 clues (Every 8.3 days one tonteldoos must be found), Arwen_SA, foraginghedgehogs, KeithWood, Wildbirds, Nish4, cache-fan, besem, geocacher_coza, LeonW, Urban Hunters, RRoode81,. 2 clues (Every 7.8 days one tonteldoos must be found) cslyoda, Brahman, Cabey, Geo-Croc, warthog, keithlan, GEO936, Kwenda Tafuta, Noddy, The Gold Diggers, Henzz, Wormgeocash, , Megaben, Slangvz, dakardrix, Sh0w me the Cache, cownchicken, GlobalRat, I&J, Team_Olo, tommyjav, adysally, krieksvh 1 clue (Every 7.3 days one tonteldoos must be found) Maverick & Goose, River God, KarlduP, Chessmate, Robin Hills, Mandrak3, GreenJaM, iNokia, Zantus, ravenmeistre, Jokers Guild, Quantam Leap, ShambleRamble, jjtoymachine, bassdrone, tolbos, Rhino and Hedgehog, Littleclan, Whostops, Ducky and Mucky, steve&sav, nuvidan2, boris, Blackjack Bailey, groovy2, Far-Jar-Hug, pelican's briefs, BruceTP, Alien3Inc, , Jors, Urban Campers, Krazong, Mocco1301, snoopy12, Donderbos, battlerat and pussycat, mdsmith, tomtwogates, kettie, Boff, Een Bez, eragonSaphira, RobSA, Shaka & Shakespeare, Bouts777, LuckyEd, Cape_Guy, amaSoekSoek, DamhuisClan, Tusk O'2, Ysbeer, 4x4Maniac, Danie Viljoen, ddpisani, dupmarco, Fish Eagle, Loopylynes, Maverick & Goose, Oz_za, sailingkatryn, Larks, stormxjhb. 125 Days left.

I received the following e-mail. Now this is a real GPS with 1 cm accuracy - if you buy one you can donate one to me - I will not refuse to accept it. We had a surveyor out there on Tuesday to measure out this fence. The surveyor used two instruments…the main one, a GPS costing R500 000.00 consisting of two parts. He sets up the base somewhere on a pre-determined point on the farm and with the mobile unit and computer in a backpack, he pegs out the line, accurate to one cm. The other instrument…a laser unit, costing R150 000.00 he only uses when trees and bush is too dense, obscuring a true measurement from the satellites. Gerhard

The only thing left is the how and when to award. Luckily all cache logs are dated and in sequence. Our problem in the beginning was the following. • Set a target for example 6 months. Only 1 cacher could arrive and I now have to award him for the one story. So a fixed time period is not the one to use. • Due to this problem we decided to use a limit of 15 to 10 cachers. The only other problem is – what happens if 60 cachers arrive in one month? This could be a technical problem. But luckily we are watching the progress and it seems like the award is not generating any additional visits above the normal. If this cache was in Gauteng then I had some serious issues to consider. That could generate a coin every month. • The other problem is that you need to be consistent and fair. At present we are monitoring this cache to determine the boundaries. We will soon be in the position to issue the coin. I ordered two. We will order a different coin every time. In the beginning we were thinking of having our own coin minted but that will be boring to see and to find these in caches all over South Africa. The last story from Bouts was a factual one and it is clear that he have done a bit of research and hard work on this one. All over MP this ruins are found and I agree very little research is done. The one person I am waiting for is Carbon Hunter. The knowledge of this man is vast. I know that he loves history as well and he probably have a complete thesis on this. If he arrives and he logs his story we will award before his arrival and leave him for the second group. It is quite fascinating to read the other stories. I also noticed that about 6 users are watching this cache so they also enjoy the stories. Yes, if you see a cacher jumping up and down somewhere in the field it could be me. If a person bitches somewhere – yes it could be me. But this is my way to say thanks and my way to give something back. Both sides win at the end of the day. For those cachers that do not want to write a story they also win with a find. At present I can not wait to issue the coin. Gerhard

Cacher with a very short life cycle. Gerhard

How about comparing the results to all other countries? Gerhard

I personally think that a cache must have an owner or someone that looks after it. We all know that baboons are active, veldt fires will happen, a cache can be muggled, it can get wet, etc. Someone must be able to correct these problems. It is really not fun to visit a cache, find a problem with it, keep it on your watch list and then noticed that the owner is gone. The next step will come when the “FishEagle” finds it and he swoop down it – cache container is still there but no active listing. Just recently I visited a cache in the western province to discover later that the cache is archived. I arrived at the spot and discover pieces of the cache all over the place. Some wild animal got to it. It took me a while to collect all the pieces and garbage. Later at home I discovered that the owner stopped geocaching about two years ago and left it on its own. Ok, Wazat I will visit Newcastle next weekend and I fix the one at Baboon rock. Is the tonteldoos cache on Amajuba still ok? When was your last maintenance check? Gerhard

Cincol, Thanks for clearing this issue. The cache owner must now decide what he wants to do. One question that remains in my mind is – Is it not better to archive the cache and then to replace it with a new one at the same spot. At least it is a clean start and it does offer a FTF for those that want to hunt them? To me it is easier then to adopt the cache. Just an innocent question. Thanks for your well wishes on the new ones. We are trying but “WOW” locations are really scares in this area. At least some guys are now active in Piet Retief again. Yes, they are robbing me of the FTF’s at a constant pace, but it keeps the competition level high and interesting. I am still planning to hunt them then someone is logging a find. From now on I will do the hits in the middle of the night. Gerhard

I was a little bit bored tonight – so I downloaded the caches from the earth cache website and I imported this to a database. While playing around with the figures and locations I found the following interesting person. TerryDad2 – 193 earth caches. You guess correctly. TerryDad2 is a geologist/database admin. Caches were planted in 6 states and in two countries. He is a platinum earth cache master. He has a total of 206 caches to his name. Guess what he likes to do best? All I can say is “WOW”. This man loves what he does best. Carbon Hunter you have a challenge!!!! Gerhard

Leon is your friends ready to go? Did they find any mentors or caching friends that will assist them? Did they find any caches yet? How much did they find? Did they like them? Do they want to find some more? Are they going to find the earth cache at the Cango caves? When is the first hide? Sorry I got carried away. But I would like to hear some good news. We sometimes forget that there new guys among us and that need a support system. On the other hand it is good to see that so many new cachers are doing what we like to do. Wazat, if you are there one day will you visit the mountain? Ok maybe this is a real dumb question for a mountain man. Like asking if you like to breathe air. I hope you are only visiting. Or are you also going away as in permanent moving? Gerhard

I had a look at your caches. I found 3 of the 4 that is still alive. The only one I still need to find is the one on top of Amajuba. Ok, this is not funny. If I adopt the caches will it be displayed as owner caches with finds on them, I would not like to see own cache finds. Most cachers will not be able to understand this one. If all agree then I will adopt the following. I am close by and can get to them quickly. NebrascaheZA, Amajuba Plateau, Baboon rock, Hildrop view. No Wazat, you can not have it all. You have plenty on your plate. I hope all is well. Are you leaving as in leaving for a different place in South Africa or are you going away outside this country? I am starting to feel very lonely with everybody leaving. Gerhard

I love a person that is passionate about what he is doing. Luckily we know each other and we can make a joke without crying. But at the end of the day maybe it will help someone to place an earth cache. Before I started with this type of cache I also had no idea of the rules and how to go about it. But luckily it is spelled out on the page. Forget about this now. I am still wondering about the dust storm from your side, could it be another tonteldoos? If you are not sure what it means check tonteldoos forum. Luckily no one else will understand this statement. gerhard

Yes, I am aware of the details. But I download caches so quickly to my database that I never noticed the change and I do not read all the new caches. On the other hand we are secretly busy compiling earth caches and we did go into the details. I have tried to publish about 5 earth caches in an area which offers a lot. But this area has now become commercialized and it is not worth doing it. It will never fly. If you have a 4x4 it will cost you about R350. If you do not have access to a 4x4 it will cost you R500. I can not expect a cacher to pay through his nose. On the other hand this is the amount I will have to pay for ordinary caches to maintain them. Not nice. There is thus no option left for an earth cache or an ordinary one. The door slamming in my face is not a nice feeling about the same when RedGlobe wants to fight me for his earth cache. But we have shifted to another location for the earth cache. The area is in open to public but I need to quote from the writer. We are busy with the negotiations with the Professor to use his work as reference material. I am now waiting for his permission. On the other hand I had a discussion with the legal experts at our company. The lawyers are of the following opinion. 1. He published his finding on the Net for all to see and it can be used by all. 2. I am not allowed to do any copy or pasting from his report. That will violate his intellectual rights. If I do a sketch it must be my own but based on his sketch with reference to where the info came from. 3. If I do quote from his report then it must be stated as such and reference must be made to his report. 4. I do not need his explicit permission as he did publish it for all to see, he already has given is permission or else he should have added “Copyright protected or no copies allowed or something in the lines that no one can use the information”. I still would like to have his permission as this is the only report available on the NET on this subject. If we can proceed with this then it will be good. At the moment it is the waiting that does kill it. Yes, I also would like to have the silver pin. I have one earth cache to go and one hide to do. Somehow I do not think that cachers are aware of these pins. Carbon Hunter will not have a problem with the platinum. It is a matter of finding a couple more which is available. Gerhard

Too late - I was first. Read above. Gerhard

Ok, that was a small mistake. The name geoaware appeared in the data on the database. This was later adopted by RedGlobe which is the owner of the Babsfontein Sinkhole. I just downloaded it before that stage and never renewed it again. Are you friendly again Mr. RedGlobe? It is good to see that cachers want to fight for their earthcaches. Gerhard

Eish, there I get a hiding again. Let me download the caches first and check if there is not someone else left out. I noticed that – I was busy with the numbers and when I downloaded the data I was reading that RedGlobe is going for the silver and I just know that there is a fault. Sorry friend, hit the other cheek this one hurts. Gerhard

Yes, I hope the song above will remind cachers of the danger. Sometimes a song is easier to remember. It is not a question if people will get injured – it is a question of when and who and how severe. An innocent gesture of good will of placing a lighter inside a cache could become a problem. Just recently I visited a cache called “Stairway to heaven”. The cache is completely destroyed during a veldtfire. I am still wondering if there was not a lighter inside this cache. I scratched around for some evidence but I could not find anything that could point to a lighter. One guy nailed me with a private e-mail. The three elements to an explosion is oxygen, something to burn under pressure and energy in the form of a spark, cigarette, etc. Maybe this is clearer. Also, I will not send the picture of the welder to any private e-mail. One guy received it and he was not happy. Sorry for the picture but this is the truth and this is want can happen. My brother and I during our young days can speak from first hand experience. My father always told us to respect aerosol spray cans and not to leave them in the sun. We then decided to test it. One day my father was burning some leaves on the farms and we just had to test the theory. We found an empty can and we decided this is the one to test. We dumped it in the fire and we ran away. For a while we thought this was nonsense. Nothing is happening. The next moment the leaves and branches become airborne and the fire was in many places with one hell of a bang. First my father brought the fire under control and then he brought us in control. Ok, for a week we could not sit properly but we learned the lesson well. Should we do the same with cachers that plants firelighters? gerhard

Yes, For those interesting in the data about earth caches. Please if I made a mistake and I left out someone please e-mail me so I can correct this. If someone was left out then it is innocent. Total number of earth caches is 38 which consist of the following owners. BjBez 1, Cache-fan 1 Carbon Hunter 24 Cincol 1 Cslyoda 1 FishEagle 1 RedGlobe 1 INokia 1 LittleClan 1 Rhino and Hedgehog 3 Spuzva 1 Tomtwogates 1 Warthog 1 Distribution in South Africa Free State 1 Gauteng 18 Kwazulu Natal 5 Limpopo 1 Mpmulanga 1 North West 3 Northen Cape 1 Western cape 8 Remove carbon hunter from this equation. Free State 1 Gauteng 3 Kwazulu Natal 3 Limpopo 1 North West 2 Northen Cape 1 Western cape 3 The final result above shows a tough picture when you want some of the geological pins. Carbon Hunter you played a pivotal role in these caches. I think we forgot how much you have done. Thanks for the work that you have done and to all the other cachers. I know this do take some time and they can keep some of us busy. Even to get it listed is not easy. In the beginning I did not like this type of caches. I had to sit down with myself to understand the reasons why I did not like them. I then realized that this is outside my comfort zone because of a lack of some knowledge. At the end of the day we all learn – the day you stop learning something new is the day you die. I had to force myself to learn a new topic. Yes, sometimes I was late with my logs but I still do them. It is now fun to discover something new and to say “I did not know this … but I understand something different now….” “Why are you waiting for ,,, go find some. Gerhard

I received my bronze pin and I am proud of it. Thanks to all for the chance to find this type of cache. Gerhard

Foodstuff you can remove without danger. Lighters are scary stuff. I have a video clip of a person that peeped into a petrol tanker and he wanted some light and guess what – yes you are correct. The explosion was enormous and we assume that he was killed. This was an empty tanker but it does give you the idea of the energy that is retained in a little bit of gas. I also have some gruesome and unedited pictures of a welder that had a fire lighter inside his top pocket. While he was welding a spark fell into the top pocket and the plastic was melted. It blew a hole in his chest and he died at the spot. If you look at the pictures it appears that the person was shot at close range with a shotgun. If you look at these pictures you will never place any lighters in caches again. I remove a lighter in George at Eagles view of Robinson pass that was so hot – that we had to cool it before removal. The logbook was immediately removed and the cache was drenched with water. The idea was two fold. First you cool and second you minimize shrapnel if exploding. We use the same military drill when handling explosives, setting them, a misfire or when counteracting them. First we had to stabilize the lighter, and then we had to wait for about 30 minutes as per procedure and only then we removed the lighter. Maybe I should publish the procedure in how to deal with stuff like this. If I read the comment on the forum then the military procedure was not followed and someone could have been injured severely. To cause a fire or explosion you need three elements – some energy such as a spark, something to maintain such as the gas, wood, paper, etc and heat to ignite. In this case there were two of the three present mainly heat and gas. Only the spark/energy was missing. People do not put empty lighters inside caches. They are full and inside a container that has no ventilation – heat will build up. If a lighter is exploding in the hands of a kid at all probability he/she will be killed. If he is still alive then his lungs will be damaged and soon complications will set in. The other risk is that most cachers will have nylon shirts, pants and underwear -this will burn into the skin. If the lighter does not kill you then the rest will do the damage. Most of the caches are not next or near hospitals and most cacher does not carry medical supplies with them that can deal with burn wounds. I really hope that this practise stops quickly. Gerhard

Eish, you would not like my brother to assist. He is finding them but has given up on logging. As a caching partner he is also not much help – he will not give any clues. At Vic bay I was swinging on trees and falling over rocks - he was just smiling and I was cursing all the way. At the end, about 45 minutes later, I discovered that he is sitting next to the cache. He has a farm near Groblershoop and most of the time he is there. In Groblershoop he has no internet and no cell phone reception. If he is in George he is too busy finding caches and busy with business. So he has given up, but he still finds them. He will not be a great mentor. I sometimes receive e-mails and an update if he can get me on a cell phone. I am now wondering – I received a photo taken at one of my caches in the Outeniqua Mountains. I can’t get hold of him but I assume that he visited them. But I refuse to give him any FTF. gerhard

Looks good – from now on we will have to keep the eyes on the vehicle in front of us. It does make sense to add this to a vehicle. The symbol can not be confused with anything else. I would recommend this TB to all cachers. It is so cool, better than a T shirt. Did anyone receive strange remarks or comments from the guys/girls at work or at the shopping centres? Just recently I was looking for a cache from Gigabyte on a bridge when a guy stopped a distance from me in a white bakkie. I had no idea what he was up to and afterwards I read that he was watching someone at this very bridge. He was watching me and I was watching him – the GPS was not in my hand, only a camera and he could not determine if a muggle or a cacher was running around the bridge. So he stayed in his vehicle. I would have love to meet this cacher – never met him before. If he had this symbol on his vehicle he could have shown it to me as a warning that he is a cacher. Easy does it, turn the vehicle around with the TB facing me and I would have joined him in this search. Easy to see why this guy is parked near the bridge with this TB. At the end of the day we were both watching each other and there is no way that one of us could see that the other one is a cacher. I even tried to see if there is a GPS on the window but there was nothing. Maybe the two of us could have found it together. Now we both have to claim a DNF. I had an incident at the Roodeplaat dam in Pretoria North. I was travelling down the dirt road when I noticed two bakkies coming towards me. I stopped and they stopped. I stopped first and there is enough place for them to pass. We then both waited for each other. At the end I decided to go forward and then the guy gave me the finger. @#!& I recognized his face and name and yes he is a cacher with some finds. Yes, he signed his name in the logbook as a visitor before me. I hope you read this – next time I will stop and break your finger up to your kneecap. But I will first check the back of your vehicle for this TB, if I am sure you are a cacher I will get back in the car and just drive on. Not fun to have problems with a fellow cacher. We will see each other somewhere at a cache or an event again. Or else please check the back of my vehicle before you give me the finger. Much easier and much less pain. Maybe this TB will stop this nonsense. Thanks Gerhard

Some stats. Above the 10 clue mark. gerhardoosMPsa – 14, RedGlobe - 13 6 Clues (Every 12.6 days one tonteldoos must be found) DiePienaars, Wazat. 5 clues (Every 11.6 days one tonteldoos must be found) Antron, Strider_SA. 4 clues (Every 10.8 days one tonteldoos must be found) CrystalFairy, Carbon Hunter, cincol, Team Ginger. 3 clues (Every 10 days one tonteldoos must be found) Wessies, Brick, Arwen_SA, foraginghedgehogs, iPajero, KeithWood, Wildbirds, Nish4, cache-fan, besem, geocacher_coza, LeonW, Tricky Vicky & Mickey, Urban Hunters. 2 clues (Every 9.4 days one tonteldoos must be found) cslyoda, Brahman, Cabey, Geo-Croc, warthog, keithlan, GEO936, Kwenda Tafuta, Noddy, The Gold Diggers, Henzz, Wormgeocash, , Megaben, Slangvz, dakardrix, Sh0w me the Cache, cownchicken, GlobalRat, I&J, RRoode81, Team_Olo, tommyjav, 1 clue (Every 9 days one tonteldoos must be found) Maverick & Goose, River God, KarlduP, Chessmate, Robin Hills, Mandrak3, GreenJaM, iNokia, Zantus, ravenmeistre, Jokers Guild, Quantam Leap, ShambleRamble, jjtoymachine, bassdrone, tolbos, Rhino and Hedgehog, Littleclan, Whostops, Ducky and Mucky, steve&sav, nuvidan2, boris, Blackjack Bailey, vzkoos, groovy2, Far-Jar-Hug, pelican's briefs, BruceTP, Alien3Inc, , Jors, Urban Campers, Krazong, Mocco1301, snoopy12, Donderbos, battlerat and pussycat, mdsmith, tomtwogates, kettie, Boff, Een Bez, eragonSaphira, RobSA, Shaka & Shakespeare, Bouts777, LuckyEd, Cape_Guy, amaSoekSoek, DamhuisClan, Tusk O'2, Ysbeer, 4x4Maniac, adysally, Danie Viljoen, ddpisani, dupmarco, Fish Eagle, KarlduP, Loopylynes, Maverick & Goose, Oz_za, sailingkatryn. 151 Days left. Gerhard

RedGlobe, We discussed this issue around the table as a family at a number of occasions. The question that keeps my family busy is “Why don’t we give the cacher the choice, you do not like descriptive caches why should they do it?” At the same time the stories do give me pleasure and it is nice to read them. Something different than “TNLN, SL, TFTC”. Ok, the requirement to log a story will stay but if a cacher refuses to log a story we will not delete his visit. I do not want to delete a log on any of my listing. Even if the guy wrote a negative log or he trashes my cache or me as a person – I think it must stay. If a cacher do sit down after visiting this cache and he do fulfill the requirement and he write a story then I should have some method to say thanks. If my name was Bill Gates it would be easy. Reward everyone with a geocoin and then is no problem. Unfortunately I can only award one coin at a time. If the hit rate goes above 15 per year then we will have to adapt our method to a shorter period of time. My family however is still discussing this one. I think this topic is now completed. There were no negative comments and it appears as if there are no objections to such a system. I only received positive feedback. Thanks for all the input – it is appreciated. Gerhard.

Cincol, you blow the whistle. Tonight about 20 cachers are going to wait outside the gates for this TB to arrive. Gerhard

I done a couple of earth cache and I am still the rookie with the white belt in class. However, with the earth caches that I have done it made me aware of my surroundings and forced me to look around for something different. I found two spots that could be described as an earth cache. I am busy researching these two finds and I do not want to give details of the location. One is still questionable and one is a go for sure. To me the location is very important but yet no earth caches exist in this area. But my knowledge is questionable and it is outside my comfort zone. I am prepared to do the research and all the interviews. I have access to a geologist and I get most of my answers to my questions. However, I would like to run this listing pass someone else before this is passed for approval. Is there anyone out there that would like to pre-approve the listings? Gerhard