TheMcQuades

We're using a Garmin 60 CSx with caches loaded and a Palm Treo to manage logs and read the descriptions, hints, etc. On the Palm we have CacheMate (it's awesome, well worth the $8 or whatever he charges). I have also loaded Google Earth / Maps (Free) so that if the Garmin starts acting up I can copy / paste the coordinates and see them on a detailed map. Sometimes that helps you figure out if you're in the right area.

One day we were getting ready to go Geocaching and my wife took on the responsibility of selecting the days caches. We had hit about 5 caches and were headed to our sixth. "Wow, this is my uncles neighborhood." Closer "Uhh, this is my uncle's street." <Turn right and arrive at your destination> "This is my uncle's house ... and that's my uncle." Turned out the cache was in a creek behind his house. We stopped in and chatted for about 2 hours before we went off into the woods. They were actually aware of the cache because my aunt had seen someone out in the woods about a month earlier. She said that she stopped and looked at him and he said, "Sorry, I'm playing a GPS game called Geocaching. I'm just looking for a hidden container and I'll be on my way." Anyhow, just a good example of how Geocaching brings families together. Cheers! DJ

By the way, we picked up the Garmin 60CSx from Amazon for around $285 and $7 S/H.

We just received our 60CSx and we love it. I know you've already purchased yours, but I wanted to add our two cents in here. We previously used a car navigator (Mio) for Geocaching. It worked great, but it wasn't sensitive enough for caches in the woods. It has taken some getting used to using the 60CSx. Compared to the Mio the CSx is "jumpy" and is sensitive to how you hold it as it uses the electronic compass. My advice is to be patient and before very long it will be second nature. The only complaint I would have is that the Geocaching feature is very simple. Right now we are officially paperless, but we're using three pieces of electronics. 1) Mio for road navigation until we get the maps for the Garmin. 2) Garmin 60CSx for finding the cache. 3) CacheMate on Palm for writing / transferring logs to the computer. Cheers! DJ

I've thought about carrying a camera around my neck to keep people away. I just say hello. People usually assume that if you're doing something bad then you won't initiate a conversation. If someone passes by I will just say "Hi! Awesome day isn't it?" And they keep going. This weekend we will probably take a clipboard with us and try to look like we're doing some study. I've thought about getting some t-shirts that make me look geeky and indrectly explain my presence. A "Geology Rocks!" t-shirt would explain why I'm off in the woods staring at the ground. I've also thought about putting on some kind of arm band so that it looks like me and my wife are part of a team of some kind. I've considered buying a yellow vest and using my toolbelt to make it look like I'm doing some surveying, but I've decided against it because I'm pretty sure I could be arrested for impersonating someone. Besides, my car isn't exactly what one would immediately deduce as a "city vehicle." The only time when I really feel uncomfortable is when I'm forced to look around "high target areas." I never feel comfortable lurking around a large power facility or other sensitive areas. I also don't like it when people hide things on school property. Nothing makes you feel more like you belong on "to catch a pretator" than being 32 and hanging out behind a school trying not to get noticed.

Hey everyone, We have a creek near our house and I was thining about making it a CITO. In order to encourage people to actually help clean up I was thinking about putting a bin with trash bags and trash removal equipment (those sticks with nails) on my property. I was also thinking about letting people use my trash / recycling to discard what they collect. My concern with this is that I don't want to cause myself more trouble than this is worth. For example, I don't want people bringing trash from their home or overachieving and leaving 15 trash bags stacked in my driveway. Thoughts? DJ

I'm fairly new to geocaching and pretty dadgum pleased with myself for our ~30 finds. From my perspective the worst part about false logs is that a cache owner may not know that there is a problem with a particular cache. Anyone who logs a false log is a pretty sad individual. Cheating at an activity like this for bigger numbers won't make you rich, it just makes you lazy (IMHO). So I guess there are two types of cache owners ... the type who doesn't care about the logs and the type that does. For those who do, have you considered creating a paper log with codes? Perhaps it would look like this: HASOIMC GeoHunder 12/2/2007 LWEJCILJ TheDirtyFaceGang 12/6/2007 VEWRUIN RedRider 12/10/2007 KCUWNE GeoHunder2007 12/20/2007 When users do enter their logs they would be required to enter a code. You could validate the logs by checking to make sure the code matches one that you have created. It might be a little bit of work, but it would discourage people from making false entries. Just a thought ... personally I think it's sad that people cheat at a "game" like this ... but then again I'm proud of my 30 finds. DJ