deb3day

I just had an AHA moment. Logged a cache a few days ago that had been chewed up, I assumed from an external creature. I bet it was a micro hamster and it chewed it's way OUT!!!

That darn bomb squad hogs all the FTF's lately. Nothing worse than showing up for an FTF and finding charred ruins instead!!!

I'm wondering if someone could breed some hamsters that would fit into bison tubes. That would really be cool! Then again, drilling air holes into bison tubes might be a problem.

I was recently at a site of a potential FTF with a cacher I met at the site. I found it, but stepped away from the spot before announcing I knew where it was. That gave him the opportunity to find it as well. Turns out someone had already gotten FTF so we were STF and TTF. But we both signed.

Since I love to go to yard sales, I get a lot of my swag there. I pick up anything small and cheap. Toys, little trinkets, sometimes pins. I've purchased bags full at sales where they had toys. Sometimes to get rid of stuff people will prepack it into large ziplocks and sell for a buck or two. Fun to find stuff to use. I have a fanny pack in my car filled with the stuff. Just strap on the fanny pack when heading to a cache and you're ready. I also keep any TB's or geocoins in that fanny pack.

I have never used a PDA so I'm rather clueless about these units. I'd like to go paperless but my GPS cannot hold other than the coords. Will any PDA do? I can download the info from pocket queries to any PDA? I'm hoping to get something cheap on eBay because I'm on a limited budget. Any help would be appreciated.

Satellite view? Did I miss something; I don't recall seeing a satellite view in the cache infos I was looking at... Is it a feature available to Premium Members only? When you are on the cache page, use the View Map function. On the top of the map, one of the options is Satellite view. I don't think it's a premium function. I cached for a while before noticing it myself. Only way I found it was seeing logs mentioning it.

I bought a compass at a sporting goods store for only $10.99. I actually purchased it because of a cache that had been placed nearby that required use of a compass. I have found it useful for other caches so I'm glad I got it.

Great pics, thanks for sharing!

I had one that I tried to FTF. Visited 3 times before anyone else had found it. After it had been logged a few times I went back. Still couldn't find it. Finally gave up. Then the cache had to be moved and the CO placed another nearby and hid it the same way. When I went to find that, my son and I found it almost right away. Maybe the lighting was different, I don't know. At least I felt better that I wasn't stumped again.

Don't forget to check the satellite view on the website before trying the cache. Often it will be able to show you exactly where the cache is. There are folks that cache based on that alone without using a GPS.

Some of the puzzles that I've read make absolutely no sense so I can sympathize with you. A puzzle was posted recently and I have no clue where to begin. When I put a note on the log that I didn't understand what they were even looking for, a few other cachers said that I must have never seen any of the CO's caches and that all the clues I need are there. The hint that showed up didn't make any sense either. I've given up even looking at it. As another cacher in my area says, "If you're not having fun, find another hobby." The frustrating puzzles are not fun for me, so I'll place them on ignore. There are plenty of other caches I haven't found yet.

I found over 150 caches with just my TomTom before getting a handheld. It is possible. You need to learn to read your location based strictly on the coords. You don't have a nice arrow pointing your way like with a handheld. You must learn to watch the movement of the coords and determine which direction to head. It's hard to find ones where you need to bushwhack in the woods. You will also have to limit yourself to ones that can be found rather quickly because your batteries won't last more than 45 minutes to an hour. But don't let anyone tell you it can't be done. I found my first 100 caches in just 3 months, all with the TomTom. I still use it on occasion with I'm having difficulties with my handheld jumping around. Have fun!

I have bugs that aren't moving. I'd love to see someone pick them up and dip them in several caches before moving them on so they could get some miles. I've seen people doing that and I think I might start dipping bugs until I find a place for them. I have a personal coin that I dip in all caches I visit. It shows me the miles that I've traveled caching. I'd lilke my "racers" to actually "race"! I released a Mickey Mouse and a Donald Duck on my birthday in July of 2008 with the mission to race each other to Disneyland in California. Mickey now has 8 miles and Donald has 107. Both have traveled EAST from the original cache, when Disneyland is WEST! I've send emails to both cachers who have these TB's. One is someone I've met at caching events. He emailed back apologizing that the TB hasn't moved, but still hasn't moved it. He's had it since September. The other one is in the hands of someone since October and I get no response when emailing them. I've got another TB that's been in a TB Hotel since the beginning of September. I even posted a note on the hotel to please free my bug. Last time it was discovered was Sept 21 so who knows if it's still there. I'd like my TB's to move. I don't care how.

Are they member's only caches and are you a premium member?

I've seen a few caches that mentioned right in their description that a letterbox is nearby. This would be a good idea for your cache so that cachers will know that what they find may not be your cache.

The reviewers are just normal people like us and have other lives. So they'll publish when they get the chance. You'll probably be able to establish a pattern to when your local reviewer posts them. I know the one in our area often posts early in the morning (7:30 to 8:00) and also in the evening at 8:30pm and later. But listings can show up any time of day. Good luck on your FTF's. We have several local folks who are FTF seekers (I'm one when I can), and the competition is a lot of fun. It adds a new new dimension to the fun of a find when you open that cache and see if you have a clean sheet to sign!

There are several cachers in my area that will PAF (phone a friend) and I have a few that I've given my cell number to so that they can call me if they want to. I have 2 cachers logged into my cell phone, but I haven't used the PAF yet. I have on occasion emailed someone when I got home and asked if they could give me a hint. I've had some emails like that sent to me as well. Sometimes when you log a DNF the CO will send you a hint. I have had that happen a few times.

Geocoins and/or TB tags

I agree that Babelfish is a good translator. I use it at work when I sometimes get foreign emails from customers. Not everything comes out, but you can usually get the gist of what is being said.

If you believe that looking for a cleverly hidden and well cammoed cache is spending "mindless hours" then perhaps you've taken up the wrong hobby. I thoroughly enjoy a difficult hide and think they are the most fun. So to hide one of my own that people find challenging, makes my hide a source of pride. Lifting up light pole skirts might up my totals quickly, but they are not challenging. My cache that has been DNF'd the most is a cammoed micro hidden in plain sight. I can actually see it from my car, but when walking around it, it is nearly impossible to spot. I love the fact that others walk right by and can't find it. I suspect a lot more have DNF'd than admit it. In my area there are several cachers known for their clever and often hard to find caches. I jump at the opportunity to go after these caches. To me they are what caching is about, finding something hidden well. Yes, I'm sure the cache owners want people to find them, but there is also a satisfaction of knowing you challenged someone and they had to come back 2 or 3 times to find it. That's what the DNF's are for, to show that you had to spend the effort to earn the find of a challenging cache. I've personally called one of the local cachers "evil", and I'm not the only one. But I love his caches and never regret DNF's on them. I go back til I find them.

As a cache owner, I see a DNF logged on my cache as a badge of honor because I outfoxed someone. If no one ever posted a DNF, then I'd feel like my cache was too easy. My best moment was an email received recently from an experienced cacher in the area who admitted to me that he DNF'd one of my caches 3 times and now was begging for a hint. I was ecstatic! I had just done an 8 stage cache of his a week before and I've done several other of his. Some of them are tough! For him to admit that he needed a hint and was DNF'ing my cache, made me proud. If you enjoy the search, then please let the cache owner enjoy the fruits of their labor and admit that they hid it well and you couldn't find it! You'll make some CO's day!

We were there in June. No I didn't put in the Bible My son thinks we put the Potato Head in there too. We think the Pokemon is a Metapod. Looking forward to seeing the Brandywine View.

Maybe your cat is pissed cause you don't take him caching?

How often do you read the log book in your cache? I only have one cache with an actual log "book" since my others are smaller containers. When I check the caches, I usually just make sure they are safe and peek inside, but don't often read them. Do you?