hydeaway

I've learned that the cache is always in the last place I look.

I got back into caching after getting an iPhone. Geocaching apps for the iphone cost anywhere from free to $9.99. Pretty cheap.

Is there a good "off the shelf" solution? I was considering purchasing Garmin Mobile PC with 20X. Does anyone have this? Thoughts?

Hook up with a group of local cachers. There is an area here in the forums that shows groups by state or country. They are always ready and willing to help a newbie. Experience is the best teacher. Do a ride along or use them for hints.

Here's one that I am very familiar with: DNF - Did Not Find

I don't forget my DNFs. They haunt me in my dreams. I can't rest until I get the smiley. I'll teach that cache who's the boss. $%(#&) cache!!!!!!! You've got to be here somewhere. I'll be back, just you wait and see. I'll show you.

Got my worst injury this week. I combine my 2 favorite hobbies, geocaching and motorcycles. Was going after a cache, pulled off the road in an area that had lots of loose gravel. I was only going 5 MPH but did something very foolish. Used the front brake(that is a no no in loose gravel). Front wheel locked up and threw the bike down. Pinned me face down on the gravel. My foot went into the ground toe first and the bike landed on top. I literaly couldn't move my foot the way it was wedged in. So I'm laying on the ground flopping around trying to figure out how to get out. By this time the adrenaline was wearing off and it was starting to hurt like hell. Fortunately, a couple of good Samaritans came along. A guy with his arm in a cast lifted the bike enough that I could slide out. A lady called 911. Good thing I wasn't on a back road. I tried to stand up and couldn't so I knew it wasn't going to be good. I had the presence of mind to take my boot off before it started swelling. When I got the boot off, I saw that my toes where at all kinds of weird angles that they normally don't go to. Got my first ambulance ride at age 46. Turns out that I had just dislocated my big toe and strained some ligaments. Thank goodness for boots or my foot would have been crushed. I've got to wear one of those velcro boot thingies for the next couple of weeks, but should be okay. I'll definely be using my truck on the rural caches from now on.

I'd like to use my laptop to map out my route and get me close to the cache while I am driving. I'll take it from there with my Garmin Venture HC. Curious what combination of mapping software and laptop GPS receiver you guys are using. Recommendations and lessons learned. Thanks in advance.