Astro_D
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Posts posted by Astro_D
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There is a virtual that was just published not too many feet from our traditional cache that has been in place for the last 11+ years..*sigh* Feeling very frustrated right now and thinking of archiving ours. There is no point in having two caches so close together to highlight the same thing. Wish there would be more review process before hitting the submit button on these new virtuals. After all the work we went through to secure permission for an actual cache at the location, to come back from vacation to find this. Yeah.......very frustrated and not happy right now. This is my introduction to this new virtual thing, and unfortunately, it's been cast as something negative. Will let the emotions calm down and then re-evaluate the situation. Thanks for letting me vent.
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As benchmark hunters, we definitely need one of these! They are awesome!
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We have the livestock attribute on our cache that's located outside at a football stadium. Quite fitting on game days.
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I came across a cache where the log was a rolled up window shade placed amongst branches. You unrolled it to sign. It was pretty cool.
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I go group caching usually once a week with 3-4 other cachers. When it comes to signing the logbook - we simply put the first initial of each of our cache names on the log sheet. It takes up one line so it saves space and no need to come up with a group name for the day. Haven't had any complaints so far. As far as honoring the OP request - chances are we wouldn't see it as we tend not to read the cache page unless were really stuck.
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I had to get my iPhone replaced with a new one due to a hardware issue and lost the app. Now I can't get/download it on my new phone. ☹ What a bummer!
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I could access caches on the 60 as geocaches and waypoints. Depending on how I loaded them from GSAK. But I used waypoints more as I could delete them individually. Geocaches could just be marked found (just like the 64) to get them off the list. Forgot about that.
How do you get that pop up on the 64s? Been trying to figure that out without luck.....
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I went from a 60CSx to a 64s. I found the transition to be very smooth as they are both quite similar. There are a few things I wish they would have rolled over from the 60, (deleting individual caches, the little pop up window asking to follow road or not). But overall quite happy.
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Broke down and bought City Nav. A week of headaches trying to get maps without success was too much. Thanks for trying to help though!
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Ok, went to the link and apparently, I have to do this state by state as the entire US is too big for a file. *sigh*. Anyways, I created a map for my state and got an email with four different links. I tried taking the one link and uploading right to the SD card, but I still don't have maps on my GPSr. What am I missing/doing wrong? I apologize, but I said I was clueless to this. Any additional help is most appreciated. Thanks!
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Sorry if this has been brought up before ....
I just bought a Garmin 64s. As the unit is, I cannot navigate to caches nor do I have any POIs. My pirated copy of maps from my 60CSx will not work in the 64s. I admit, I am too cheap to pay $80 bucks for city navigator. I keep hearing about OSM. Is this something I can install on my GPS for maps and navigation? I am computer illiterate when it comes to stuff like this. Any walk through and links would be most helpful. I am looking for a map of the US. I have a windows PC and a new 8 gb micro sd card. If I can't get usable maps, I'm thinknig of returning the unit. I really don't want to use two GPS devices - one to navigate, one to find caches. Thank you!!
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I don't own any virtuals or eathcaches. But I would be inclined not to help them. if they can't be bothered to read the cache page, I don't think they're going to care to receive any 'help' that may come their way anyways. Of course, that means one may miss the odd duck who would appreciate the heads up. I would like to think if they cared, they'd at least read the cache page and realize more is required than just showing up/driving by GZ.
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I don't know how it is today, but in 2011, according to the CDC guidelines, I could not be reported as having Lyme disease as I never has a positive test result despite having the clinical symptoms (minus the rash). Back then, it was all about the test to confirm a diagnosis.
Finally found a Lyme literate doctor, who after reviewing my symptoms, timeline, and previous Lyme tests, diagnosed me with late stage Lyme. He started me on a many month antibiotic regime.
It took over a year to get my life back. To this day, I have arthritis in my hips and knees, and I'll always live with the spirochete in my body. Not only does one need to battle Lyme (and many of the co-infections that come along with it), one needs to battle the medical community (the CDC and their stupid guidelines) to even get proper diagnosis and treatment. You can bet that if I know I'm going to be anywhere the potential that ticks exist, I'll be donning my permathrin clothing. While deet isn't as effective, I still use that in addition to the permathrin. I'm not taking any chances of contracting this life altering disease again.
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For me it depends on the difficulty and if I'm with other people. If I'm by myself, I have no problems giving it the time it deserves. I've spent three hours one afternoon looking for one stage of a multi. It wasn't that difficult, just well concealed. To me, the search is part of the fun of caching. It's about the only time I actually show any amount of patience. I'll invest quite a bit of time before giving up. But when I start getting frustrated searching, then I quit.
When I'm caching with others, the search is usually much less time. Maybe 15 minutes at most for the difficult ones and no more than five minutes for the easy ones. I get nagged because I continue to search when they're already back to the car. That frustrates me more than not finding the cache. If I'm there, I want to give it a good search, not a half arsed one.
I guess how long is enough before calling it quits, is something different for everyone. But I think when it stops being fun, it's time to quit and move on.
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What do you like most about challenge caches?
I don't dislike them, but I don't like many of them. I do understand and accept that challenge caches can and do provide a motivational need for some cachers, allows some to push their comfort zone by trying new things, as well as keep cachers engaged in this hobby. Therefore, they fill a niche in the caching world just like puzzles, earthcaches or multis.
What do you not like about challenge caches?
It's not that I don't like them. I just don't like that in order to complete many of them, it would cause me to change my caching style/habit:
In order to log a challenge cache, I need to see if I qualify first. That usually means spending too much time data-mining my stats. To me geocaching is about spending my free time getting outdoors and caching, not spending the free time I have data-mining my stats, creating bookmarks or whatnot, in order to log a cache.
Some caches are just crazy - almost to the point of stroking the ego of the CO that put it out. Ok, maybe an exaggeration, but really, finding 50 caches with an periodic element in the title? Now I need to target and find specific caches. It's made worse if they are caches I don't like to find (lamppost hides, residential street hides) in order to complete a challenge of this type.
Then there are the caches that require me to find X amount of caches in X amount of time frame (ex. 100/day). I'm a casual cacher. Sometimes I only pick up a handful in a day, sometimes a few more. I get out and find the amount of caches I want to find - which is usually not a lot as I'm combining caching with other activities (ex. bird watching) or I just don't have hours upon hours to cache. Now in order to log a find on this type of challenge cache, I need to cache on the COs terms, not my own.
Find a cache every day for X amount of days (streaks). Once again, I cache when I have the time - and that's not everyday or even every month. In order to log the challenge cache, I need to cache on the COs terms, not my own.
I also don't like the date restrictions on challenges - can only count caches found on/after publication date (grandfathered or not). What difference does it make if a cacher had an opportunity to complete a challenge prior to or after a publication date? The challenge was completed, and a publication date shouldn't diminish that fact.
What would you like to see changed about challenge caches?
I would like to see challenges have their own icon or some other way to distinguish them. It would make it far easier to see them to put them on my ignore list. As they are lumped under the catch all question mark, I have to read each cache page to find out if it's actually a puzzle or a challenge.
You could have an attribute, but I don't pay attention to them. Unless it's made as a mandatory attribute (and locked), I don't see how well it would work - some cachers just don't use attributes or they don't accurately use them now.
I would like to see challenge cache requirements clearly defined so there is little confusion of what needs to be completed in order to log it. Sometimes simpler is much better.
If you could describe your favorite challenge cache type, what would it be?
Not completing any challenges intentially (yet), I do have to say, I enjoy working on the classics - fizzy, delorme, jasmer, for example. Why? Because they are, to me, first and foremost geocaching oriented. There are no time/date limits, or crazy restrictions on completion. I can just go out and find caches - whenever and where ever I choose, slowly filling in a grid, or I can plan a major trip to bag it all in one day, week or whatever. There's no extraneous hoops to jump through, and no altering of my caching styles. Many of these types of challenges are in some form already tracked with GS stats so there is little of my time wasted on data-mining my stats. Any challenge that allows me to choose how, when, where I choose to geocache are my cup of tea.
What type of challenges do you avoid?
Any challenge that alters my caching style. All streaks (X amount of days in row), any that require X amount of finds in a specified period (ex. 100 in 24 hours), any that require me to data-mine or target specific names of caches (ex. 50 elements or 100 zoo animals). As a cacher, I cache the way I want/able to, when I want too, and as far or close to home as I want/able too. Any challenge that violates that, goes on my ignore list. Which sad to say, is many of them out there. I'm not interested in changing the way I cache just to log a find.
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We started out with a borrowed Garmin Etrex and printing out cache pages (virtuals, multis mostly). Eventually we moved up to the Garmin Legend and cache info was just quick notes jotted down on paper. I even remember buying the paper city maps and during the week, painstakingly plotting out all the caches on the map in prep for a cache outing the coming weekend. The paper map was how we navigated from cache to cache easily. I had one shelf in the bookcase with labeled binders - one for for each city we cached in the most, along with the road maps, cache pages and scribbled paper notes. I still have one binder containing the print out of the first cache we ever found (and our notes on it) and a few other memorable caches throughout the years.
We eventually got a pocket pc and upgraded our GPSr to a 60CSx and used that for while. Today, we have phones and tablets and iPads that can do all that super paperless caching and logging. When it's time to go caching though, we still print out the occasional virtual, earthcache or multi cache page (especially when traveling), rely solely on the 60 CSx GPSr for navigation on the roads and to the cache, and have scribbled cache notes on a piece of paper. The phone is there for additional cache info or a PAF if we really need it. But rarely use it.
One thing that hasn't changed for us - there is no logging from the field or uploading of field notes to other programs to log our caches. They're all logged from home sitting at our desktop computer at the end of the day or the next if we're too tired.
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I've been caching since November 2003. So going on 12 years now.
To keep it simple, I've only commented on the details I use. I deleted the details I don't use or care about.
Basic Details:
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Title Helpful to know which one I'm looking at. A bit annoying when many start with the same name (The trail that is super #1, The trail that is super #2 etc)
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Cache Type - I like the icon for the cache types. It's far easier for a quick view.
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Description helpful only if it contains relevant info on the cache and/or location. Three paragraphs of why you think your dog is the best in the world matters, for example, is of little use to me. Blank descriptions are just as bad.
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Coordinates/Location Coordinates are helpful for the game. I also like the state listed. County is of little use (unless it's in my state) as I don't know the counties of other states.
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Difficulty/Terrain only if it's accurately rated. Special equipment should be 5*, yet I see it listed as 4* or 4.5* too often. I also don't like "inflated" D/T. I rely on this to know which caches I can reasonably do, especially when I'm physically limited.
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Size Get rid of the "other". Caches are either large, medium, small, micro or nano. Tighten up on what this is based on. Are they rating the size on the film can itself (micro) or the film can in the custom made bird house (medium). Can mke a difference in how one approaches or carries out their search.
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Hint List one only if it helps to find the cache. "none needed" is useless. The hint is something to help in finding the cache or at least should be. Keep is short and useful.
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Map (larger, zoomed-in version) I use this ALL the time. Especially to see what other caches are in the area.
Additional Details:
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Cache Owner nice to have - if they actually use their real caching name and not something bogus.
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Corrected Coordinates - would like to see this more prominent when coords are changed.
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Print Friendly ( no logs) I still use this as I like a paper copy of the info for earthcaches, virtuals, multis, especially when I'm traveling away from home and won't be logging for a period of time. I use the paper copy to have the info at hand and write my notes/ answers on so I remember everything when it's time to log when I get home.
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Disclaimer I don't read it, but see the possible legal need for it on each cache page.
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Personal Cache Note (PM feature) Use this to record my the date I updated and/or verified coords for puzzle caches. Especially helpful if the puzzle changes and I need to know if I need to resolve it again.
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Find… (links to nearby caches, waymarks) I use the nearby caches links and benchmark links. Not sure what other links are even listed.
Existing Community Requests:
- Add event start and end time fields - I like this idea.
Thank you.
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Title Helpful to know which one I'm looking at. A bit annoying when many start with the same name (The trail that is super #1, The trail that is super #2 etc)
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So maybe Taco Bell blocking certain sites on their wifi is a limited in certain areas?
Maybe by page 2 of this thread there will be a nationwide chart or list of Taco Bells with Geocaching access. One can only hope!
LOL. I've now posted to this thread a second time.
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Was at my local Taco Bell for dinner and decided to see if I could access Geocaching webpage on my phone using thier wifi. I had no issues whatsoever accessing geocaching webpage, logging in, and searching for caches and reading the forums. I had hubby try and access the geocaching site on his iPad, and he didn't have any issues either. So maybe Taco Bell blocking certain sites on their wifi is a limited in certain areas?
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I got mine a couple of weeks ago as well (Shipped to the US). I'm thrilled to have it in my collection!
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I ordered the first day. When I submitted my order I got a message saying I would receive it in 5-7 days.
The crickets are getting louder with each passing day............................
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Sent email! I've been so wanting one of these! Thanks!
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I ordered one for my son to release. He just got it in yesterday's mail. Looking at the addressed to section, our city, state and zip code were blacked out with marker.
Introducing Virtual Rewards!
in General geocaching topics
Posted · Edited by Astro_D
Yes, but the statues are within 100 feet of my cache. The trophy (starting cords) are just around the corner of the parking lot.
Like I said, I just needed to vent and let the emotions calm down. It was just all a shock to see and learn about, and not in a good way for me. *Shrug*
ill get ove it (I am calming down) and can see the potential of having both. But I admit, it still stings and will for some time.