Breaktrack

Hahahahaha, hey, I understand more than you know, lol. As well as serving in the military myself, my dad was a lifer himself. I grew up in it and lived all over. So I understand about having various documents of our lives be from scattered sources, lol. Mac This is funny to me, because I remember having moved so many times and being young and stupid, messing up my taxes and probably not filing state taxes correctly because I really didn't know WHICH STATE I was a resident of! I got out of the military and had applied to colleges in Michigan (where I graduated high school) and California and Texas, 2 states I served in... and NONE of them considered me a state resident. Obviously I messed something up somewhere.... Oops, sorry that was waaay too off-topic. LOL!

Wow, that's quite a combined number of years of service! Kudos to you both! Mac

Oh, for crying out loud, why do you care????? Go find geocaches!! Mac

An excellent discussion about military service! I joined in '58 because my mother said I HAD to go to college, and because I knew I would be drafted in two years. Joining the USAF was the best option in my opinion. It turned out to be the best decision of my life - I'll skip the long story here. Even today I feel that everyone should serve, including all of our congressmen/presidents. It gives one a different perspective on the value of life, of living in the US, and more. Oh yes, and getting $78/month plus room/board is a great experience! The most 'interesting' fact I have to report, that while I was a Captain in the USAF in New Mexico, I gave briefings on what the first GPS was to do. Being the lowest ranking member I was chosen to head up the development effort for the USAF in the middle of the California desert. Death valley, I think. Sounded good to me, a chance to get away from my wife for a while. However a comparable office in Ohio had the airplanes needed for the task and they were chosen. So my place in GPS history was lost. Oh well. In summary, I proudly served from '58--'78, both in the enlisted ranks and as an officer. A B-47 mechanic in Ark, whoops, then some college, a tour at Cape Kennedy on the Titan IIIC missile, whoops, some more college, and three tours in NM working on research balloons, high-speed test track, F-102 drones, and more. Hoped for some foreign service, and only got 1 month in Panama flying balloons. (I couldn't ride in them, they were @ 100,000 ft). The greatest job in the world. (If you don't mind a lot of hard work). Bo - Capt. USAF retired Actually, a lot of the oldtimers in the "sport" of Geocaching got their first taste of using a GPS in the military. Of course, many of the ones I used back then were like briefcase sized, LOL. My, how times have changed, lol. Mac

Wish I could help, but I don't make my own. All of my trade items are souveniers from the gift shop at the Battleship Texas, BB-35. Started doing that when we first started Geocaching, back when Geocaching first started. Have kept at it ever since. Whenever I run out, I just stop by the gift shop again and stock up. Mac

Chanceencounter is apparently not an old timer and he owns no caches. Sure you have the name right? It's Chance Encounter. My mistake. He stopped logging on in 2007 I think. He didn't stop logging. He GOT stopped....ummm Officially.... I won't put in print the things I know about this person. I won't even discuss them over a phone line unless I know you personally, but catch me at an event.... Steer clear. He moved to a different geocontinuum and warnings there were mostly unheeded before he was stopped. He's still out there under a different name. Let me say that I considered him a friend and I enjoyed his company. Some of his shenanigans are still fond memories. That makes the disappointment for his subsequent actions that much greater. I hope he has reformed. I'll stay twice shy. Deep breaths old friend, deep breaths....lol. I know some of what you speak. Er, don't speak, oh, never mind...hehehehe. Mac

Hahahaha, yeah, I'm still around, just don't do the forums much, just every once in a while. Really haven't done a lot of geocaching, as can be seen from my numbers, but I do maintain all my caches that haven't been destroyed beyond repair by hurricanes, and all my virtuals I had back when are still running hot. Mac

EL DIABLO!! To this day I still regret not getting one of your original hiking sticks! Mac

Hey Mudfrog! How's tricks? It does seem like we've been doing this for a while, doesn't it? Mac

HAHAHAHAHA, SHE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED!!!! Mac

Old Timers? What are those??? LOL. Mac

Thanks. Mac

Off topic. If you can't stay on topic, please do not post to this thread, as stated by the moderators mutiple times throughout the life of this thread. Definitely military. Military or not, it is off-topic in the thread. Geocaching moderators have repeatedly stated this thread is grandfathered, it will remain so, so post if you've served, or just read and move on. Posting off topic posts serves no purpose here. Please move on. but they dont allow us to make military caches. they say it is agenda. what is deiffernt with this thread? The difference is, I'm arguing with a sock puppet. My mistake everyone, you'd think I'd know better after all these years. This user name has now been reported as a sock puppet, hopefully, they'll deal with you soon enough. My apologies to everyone else. Mac

Doesn't matter, the decision has been made by the powers that be and people who keep bringing it up do nothing but muck up the thread. Read the thread if you choose, and welcome, but if you have nothing to contribute, please move on.

Off topic. If you can't stay on topic, please do not post to this thread, as stated by the moderators mutiple times throughout the life of this thread. Definitely military. Military or not, it is off-topic in the thread. Geocaching moderators have repeatedly stated this thread is grandfathered, it will remain so, so post if you've served, or just read and move on. Posting off topic posts serves no purpose here. Please move on.

Man, I loved Fort Knox, great place, very interesting in so many ways. I still go back to see the Patton Museum when I get a chance. Mac

HA! Think about how I feel!! LOL. Mac

Here's the bottom line: Virtual Caches should be returned pretty much as they were at the very last. No sneakers in the woods, no rotting corpse caches, etc. The "Wow" factor should be maintained. I think the idea of a panel of cachers who must vote on a virtual making it or not, is a good one. Grandfathered virtuals from days gone by should be maintained as they are, no change, all requirements in place and adhered to. I also think there should be requirements about who can, and can't, submit virtuals in the fist place. I think the Premium member requirement to submit one is valid. They should all be viewed and available to log by everyone however. I think you should have to have been Geocaching for more than 15 minutes to submit ANY kind of cache, but virtuals scream for this kind of limit. Let's say you have to be actively Geocaching for a year or more in order to submit a virtual cache, AND, you have to have logged a minimum number of virtuals to show you've looked at what's out there and some idea of how to meet the requirements. I know, those won't be popular, but how else do you keep hoards of virtuals being submitted that have NO possible chance of being approved? Waymarking? Please, don't get me started. I went to the site way back when, and was so discouraged with what I saw, I never went back. Why one site can be submitted multiple, multiple times is beyond me. If I had my way there would be a definite requirement keeping that from happening. Virtuals, same thing. Maintain the distance requirements just as we do now for other types of caches. For those who don't like virtuals, that's fine by me. DON'T look for them! I do NOT look for tiny little caches in Walmart parking lots, but I don't go on the site and forums complaining about them on a daily basis, even though, as far as I'm concerned, they are not "real" geocaches because they do not comply with the "SPIRIT" of geocaching. That is MY opinion, it does not mean squat to anyone that loves those types of caches, and it shouldn't! Play the game the way YOU like to, and allow others to play it they way THEY like to. For cryin' out loud, it's a game people, enjoy it, or quit it! Feel free to find the trash caches (altoid tins under a rock), or anything you like! I'm an ammo can kind of guy, I love hiding ammo cans, and finding ammo cans, maybe just because it takes me back to the begining, I don't know. But that's ME, not YOU. Play the game folks, play the game. Mac

Hahahaha, I like you already!!!! Mac

If you were to look at my profile you would see that I own several virtual caches from back in the day. All still active, grandfathered in when they did away with the category. I would challenge anyone to claim that any of them were "lame" virtuals. Most, if not all, are in locations where, at least at that time, would not allow any kind of physical cache whatsoever. virtuals were all that were allowed. I do not know if the status of any of those loacations has changed since creation of mine. To me, and in my own opinion, virtuals served a very good purpose. First of all, it allowed us to draw people to places of interest where we weren't allowed to put a physical cache. This was good. Second of all, it allowed for very interesting and informative locations to be brought to the attention of those who would not have even known about the area but for Geocaching. This was good. On the other hand, it could be abused, and was to a great extent. They brought in the "Wow" factor to try and weed out the so called "lame" virtual. I could understand this perfectly after visiting a few that squeaked through, only to find myself standing in front of something that only made me think: "WTF". There were more than a few that I could not understand the thinking that led to anyone deciding it was worth being a virtual cache. So they attempted to clamp down on what could, and certainly what could not, be submitted as a virtual cache. And, as with any cache that is submitted for approval, it did come down to what the approval authority thought of the location and the "Wow" factor, and few, if any, agreed with the calls that were being made. All kinds of uproar and gnashing of teeth ensued. I understand why the PTB decided it was not worth the time and trouble to administer them. If it were up to me, yes, we'd have virtuals again, but the requirements would be very strict, and your grandmothers apple tree that's been there for a century, while of infinite interest to you, would not make the cut, lol. The Washington Monument though, oh yeah, there ya go. Civil War battlefields, historic places that mean a great deal to Americans and world citizens alike, Revolutionary War sites, sites where significant events took place that make us who we are, or teach us about history, and sacrifice, can be listed to enhance the Geocaching experience, not take the place of it. I still take summer trips that take me back to the places I have Virtuals at, as you must keep current on what's going on, signs change, information changes, and you have to adapt. After a while it became where you couldn't put up a virtual cache far away, much like physical caches, and couldn't adopt those abandoned by others, so many, many great virtuals were lost. But when we first started you could still place a cache anywhere you were willing to maintain it, so mine are spread very nearly from coast to coast, and border to border. I love making my cache maintenance trips as the places where they exist are just as interesting to me today, as they were when I first submitted them for approval. That could be the test of a great virtual, would you go back to see it again year after year your own self? If not, then perhaps it is not that great after all? But, anyway, I'm glad to see them coming back and getting some deserved credit for being a much loved category of cache for many, many people. I get tremendous satisfaction out of the many logs on mine that express great pleasure from their visits. It is what makes it worth it to me to maintain them and keep answering the emails when people sent in the answers. Thans to Geocaching and TPTB for bringing them back, I'll be anxiously awaiting their rebirth. Mac McKinney aka Breaktrack Houston, Texas

I love how you guys spell "Armoured", just seems classier somehow, lol. It's good to see our Canadian Brothers and Sisters posting their service as well, good job. Mac

Get real people...regardless of how I feel about where you spent your weekend, let's not abuse the game here by using it as a soapbox. I would disagree with you if they had not listed, and mentioned, the link. Otherwise there'd have been no harm, nor foul. Including the link made it into more than just a post saying where they'd just come from, such as in the IHOP reference in an earlier reply. It is STILL much ado about nothing. Mac

While attending a school at Fort Lee, Virginia, in 1990, I had the good fortune to find out the USS George Washington was being Christened at New Port News by First Lady Barbara Bush. I got a few of my classmates to attend with me, in uniform, so I'm sure there were more than a few Navy guys wondering why all these Army 2nd Lieutenants were there dockside for the ceremony that day, lol. Mac

How nice for you. Now, what does this have to do with geocaching? This has already been addressed by the moderators. Please let it be. Mac

I am certainly very sorry for your loss. There are no words that can ever do justice nor take away that pain, but please accept our condolences. Mac