jaywc7

Sounds like fun!

I had an old Magellan Blazer 315 back in the day. I actually have no clue to this day what happened to that thing,,, but here's the story associated with it: In highschool, I was a little obsessed with my cars. I had a Merkur Scorpio, and it's little brother, a Merkur XR4Ti. For those who don't know, these are essentially German Fords. The XR4Ti is basically an 80's Mustang out of Germany. They even had the same 2.3L Turbo engine. The Scorpio on the other hand was similar to a Ford Taurus. There were many many upgrades, and much German engineering which made the Scorpio very different then a Taurus. The Scorpio had a 2.9 Liter engine and an automatic 4 speed transmission. For a little engine,,, this car was incredibly fast! One night, my friends were all having a party out in a field near Wyoming, MN. (this is probably around 1997 or 98) We ran out of supplies, and had to make a run into Wyoming. My friend and I decided to go, and took my Scorpio. On the way back, we were on County Road 36 traveling through the Carlos Avery Wildlife area. This is a really straight stretch of road, and has swamp on both sides, so you don't have to worry about deer jumping out. I flipped on my highs, and had my buddy hold and monitor my old Magellan. I held the pedal down as long as I could possible stand it. I still managed to hit the sharp corner at the end around 90-100 MPH, but survived... When we slowed down,,, I looked over at my friend, and his eyes were glazed over. He reported that our speed (and not just a hiccup, but continuous reading) had been 147.5 MPH!!! These days, I keep the speed in my Geo Tracker under 60 or so,,, but I am proud to have traveled that fast by land (and not in some racetrack either). I'm still not sure how I survived highschool,,, but here I am 5 years later, and slooooowing things down a bit...

(There MAY already be a thread on this, but I didn't see one. So if there is, please don't stone me as often happens around here.) So has anyone bought or read the new book? I bought it, and read it cover to cover in a few hours. I am quite impressed. My most favorite thing that is outlined, is that "geocaching" in the sense of the word, is the sport itself, and NOT neccesarily geocaching.com the mother of all websites. I appreciate that there can be geocachers who have nothing to do with geocaching.com. The only problem is that they get a lot of heat. It's really sad. You have people from central america comming to the US who are told they are not american! Sure they are! They are american without being from the US... Same with geocaching. People from geocaching.com like to put down others who are geocachers, but may not be affiliated with geocaching.com. This needs to stop. I've touched obviously on only one topic in the book. What a great book though! If anyone has thoughts on my topic, or others in the book to outline, please do so here so we can all share thoughts.

Basically, we know there will be thousands of non-supporters. However, things will spread like wildfire. Each of the supporters will in turn bring many many more. All we can do is laugh off the silly people who don't believe, and look to the future and what it holds. WE HAVE THE FIRE!!!

Smam? Sounds good fried on my campfire in the Apostle Islands while I'm camping on a trek in search of a Swiss Perpetual Geographical Cache! Thanks for the great idea!

www.swissperpetual.com

We're not opposing GC.com. Just offering an alternative! We here are avid geocachers as well. We just feel the need for quality vs. quantity. Begninning in never easy. There will be plenty who don't support. Unfortuanately for you people, it's the ones who do support that we really care about. So say all you will. Do all you can do. We'll survive WITHOUT YOU! Thanks though! A challenge will only strengthen us...

www.swissperpetual.com

Greetings from Swiss Perpetual! www.swissperpetual.com If you are ready to put your cache traking skills to the test. If you are ready to meet the ultimate geographical challenge. If you are seeking out new sites or ways to explore your world. You are seeking Swiss Perpetual. The Swiss Perpetual Geographical Cache is no ordinary cache. This is not a cache you locate on the side of a freeway at a rest stop. In pursuit of a Swiss Perpetual Cache, you will be required to carefully plan your way. Researching before you begin, to find any information which may aid your search. The Swiss Cache can be tricky. It can take much time and thought, but the reward is worth it. The Swiss Perpetual Cache is not the easy way out. If you are one who is simply looking for a quick log, then this is not for you. The Swiss Perpetual concept is based on the fire inside you to explore your world. It involves no one but you, and the terrain. Your final reward is sweat, frustration, perhapps wet shoes, scars, sunburn, etc. If you do it, you do it for yourself. Those who find a Swiss Perpetual Cache will be honored. Your name (real or username) will appear on the website. With future plans to involve a cash (yes money) pot for finding a swiss, we expect much interest. At this point, Swiss Perpetual is in the beggining phase. Searching for those willing to help build an infrastructure. What is small now will be big tomorrow. Are you in? Do you have the fire? ~ Josh Campbell The Serial Cacher

Well, this is certainly a great topic. Like Renegade Knight put it so perfectly. I believe really any GPS will do for GeoCaching. The only variable is of course the accuracy. One who is fairly new would benefit from accuracy, however accuracy increases $. I began my GPS experiences with an old-school Magellan Blazer 315. I think I bought it somewhere around 1997 or 8. I was doubtful that it would even make it past Y2K! (it did) I would suggest begining with a cheap GPS and upgrading when neccesary. I recently upgraded for the reason that I am a pilot, and flying with a 315 was just worthless (of course the aviation GPS's cost in the thousands!) I was debating over the Garmin Etrex Vista and the Magellan Sportrak Pro. There are simple little things which you want to be aware of, and really understand before you purchase. For instance, the Vista has buttons on the side! Whereas the Pro has them on the front. Little things like that prove to be important in the long run. Final Note: Be sure to thoroughly weigh all the pro's and con's before spending a cent... A Serial Cacher never stops...

Integrity? First of all, my whole point (which you missed) presented the idea that the find is self fulfilling. It is not always a contest to "find the most caches". Besides, if someone is "cheating" their only hurting themselves in the long run anyway. It takes a content individual to realize that. Second - suppose the chache has been eaten by a... Bear! "So it goes". That's like saying, you get to a gorge on K2 where you expect a bridge, and it's gone! You've just got to make the most of it at all times. The idea to me of a "well maintained cache" is not so interesting. I don't want to find a "well maintained cache". I want to find a hard to get to, filthy, torn, mauled, pile of mud - open it, and sign the log! I have no more to say at this point... Josh Campbell

Hello, I think the logbook is an excellent idea! It's a great way for people to see who has been there, when, and such. However, the idea that you need "proof" is silly to me. Are you out there to "prove" to someone else that you were there, or are you out there for YOU!!! The majesty of the scenery, a brook, the sunrise, seeing your breath, a good hike, a day with friends - that's what it's about to me. Suit yourself... Josh Campbell

Hello, I realize it may have the anwer to this question in the guidlines, but unfortunately, they are complicated and not so black and white. - Can you hide a cache which has coordinates to another cache in it? So in essence you have a series of caches, and it becomes an ongoing matter? By doing that, you could extend the "hunt" creating a more difficult goal for more experienced cache hunters. At times, it could even require multiple days to find the end result! (Ja, oder nein?) Josh Campbell