Andbabymakesthree

How do you think GPS receivers work? You mean there's NOT a little man inside my Garmin Geko pointing me in the direction I need to go? AB3

How do you think GPS receivers work? You mean there's NOT a little man inside my Garmin Geko pointing me in the direction I need to go? AB3

Next time I decide to go out, if I look for some caches and come upon one that says "rock pile" I'm going to avoid it. Ugh. AB3

The Squirt is out of the house and DH is at work so I decided to head to a local park where I'd found some GCs. One DNF, one find and one Didn't Even Attempt it. The first one (GC1KAH5) I got to easily enough. Poked around in this rock pile, then in that one then in another one. Even though it's a coffee can cache, I still didn't find it. Oh well. Moved on to #2 on my list (GC1KEDW) which I did find. This one had me a bit worried. The clue says it is in a burrow on the ground. I didn't know how far into the ground it would be, so I grabbed a stick so I could poke around. Fortunately, it was pretty obvious as the previous finder didn't hide it too well when they were done. Logged my visit, left my swag and took a small bat. I did my best to rehide it and moved on to #3GC1MJ93). I got a wee bit worried when the GPS started pointing across a very busy road, so I gave that one up for later. Even though I only found one out of the three I'd been looking for, it was still worth it for the exercise. AB3

I can't decide which version I like better..the original or the re-make by Tesla. AB3

I don't know so much about a hand..how about a foot? AB3

I've actually managed to find several near where I was hunting this morning, larger caches that I might actually be able to find. The thing that really bugged me about this morning though was the one near the fence with the dogs. It made me wonder if the homeowner was onto the deal. Also, I think if you have large dogs (these were both German Shepard-sized), having a fence that is not large enough to contain them should they decide to be stupid and try to jump over is just..well..foolish. If the dogs escaped their fence and bit somebody or worse, it would be on the homeowner's head I would think. AB3

It's been a bit discouraging. Only 2 finds and now a total of FOUR DNFs..including two I went back to try and find. Late yesterday afternoon, DH, the kidlet and I went out looking for two (GC1KAHT and GC1KAHF). DH was incredibly frustrated that we didn't find either one of them. I decided to go back this morning, by myself and look again. I spent..oh..I dunno..maybe 20 min poking around for GC1KAHT where the clue said it would be but I didn't find it. Found a lot of leaf clutter and some sticks and a few bugs. But no cache. The second one (GC1KAHF) was supposed to be near a tree next to a fence. Unfortunately, behind that fence were some rather large, rather unhappy dogs and I doubted the fence could contain them, should they get mad enough. It looked like they could jump over if they'd wanted to (it only came up to about my chest, so it wasn't but maybe 4 ft high???). I looked visually, but I didn't go poking around the way I probably should have because of the dogs. I'm getting discouraged..FOUR DNFs now. I don't know if I should just keep plugging along, hoping to find one eventually or if I should just give up. AB3

You're not the only one, Mystic. I don't have a cellphone either. On my second DNF, there was a likely spot and when I got about 100 ft away from where the GPS said the coordinates were, I thought "Oh THIS is the spot." but it kept pointing me off to the left, off the path. So I thought, "Well it says it's over here, so that MUST be right." Maybe sometime next week, if it's nice out, I'll go back and check where my first instinct led me. AB3

All of the points you made are good. Mostly because they remind me why I'll probably steer clear of bushwhacking and forest/woodsy caches or anything that's really 'in the wild'. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a nature girl. I am a city girl. I like buildings. I concrete and cars and traffic and people. I like nature in VERY small doses. I like the fact that if I'm citycaching and I get lost, it probably won't take me that long to find out where I am or at the very least, be able to ask somebody "Hey how do you get to....?". AB3

What's a hamster cache?

Well I figure if nothing else, I'm getting some exercise which I need anyway. AB3

I've gone ahead and signed up with the official TX Geocaching site and hopefully, I'll be able to find a geocaching guru to help me out. Like a Yoda to my Luke Skywalker. AB3

Another day, another DNF. Looked up a cache about a half mile from my house and decided that even though it was kind of chilly out this morning (mid-upper 30s), I'd go ahead and see if I could find this particular cache anyway. I followed part of the same route I used to get home yesterday and the cache was actually supposed to be in a wooded area between a bank and a pond. Once my GPS started hopping about 5 ft..10 ft..2 ft..I knew I was in the right general area. The clue said someething about a fallen tree, so I backed up to look at the place better. I chose the most likely candidate and grabbed a stick, which I used to poke around in various places on/in/under the log. After 20 min or so (and a cop driving by, which scared the heck out of me) I figured I wasn't going to find it and went to walk back. It was a nice walk and even if I didn't find anything (AGAIN!) at least I got some exercise out of it. AB3

Yeah I wasn't too worried about not finding it..esp when the Geko pointed in the direction of a fence marked "Private Property". I logged it as a DNF and somebody dropped me an email saying it wasn't behind the fence. One day, when I'm feeling the need for a long hike, I'll try it again. My legs are SO effing sore..I didn't know they could be this sore. AB3

I looked up some local caches and picked one that was about a 2/2 or so three miles or so from my house. I decided that since the day was nice and it wasn't THAT far, I'd just walk. I walked through several neighborhoods and got odd looks from fellow joggers/walkers when I pulled out my little Geko to check my heading. I finally got to where the cache was supposed to be, poked around for fifteen minutes or so and couldn't find it. Oh well..maybe next time right? I had already dropped a waypoint at my house, so I could find my way back because I get lost rather easily. It had taken me close to an hour to walk to where the cache was supposed to be and it took me nearly an hour to get back through a bit of uncertain territory. The way it directed me back was NOT the way I'd come so I had to walk along side a major road, through a bit of brush (yuck!) and over a..I'm not even sure what to call it. It was kind of like a little concrete dam across a very small stream, but the water was running over the top and there were large, white stones on either side of the bank. Crossed that, even though the water STANK to high heaven. Phew! Bleh. I was so afraid I was going to slip in the water and break my ankle or a wrist or god only knows what. But eventually I did get home safe and sound. My legs are KILLING ME. I've never walked so far in one shot (unless you count Disneyworld). So I didn't find the cache..oh well. Maybe next time I'll have better luck. AB3

So I recieved (thanks to the generosity of my fellow geocachers) a Geko 201(??) GPS unit. However, I've read the book but I cannot seem to figure out the best way to navigate with it. Any tips? Suggestions? AB3

Thank you, Lil Devil. That is awfully kind of you. PM is on it's way. DS is still sick. I hope he'll be better by Weds or Thurs. Don't want him to miss the class Valentine's party on Friday. And I want him to STAY well for at least a month..he's going to his first rock concert the first weekend in March and I do NOT want him to be sick for that. Babythree

I THOUGHT I HEARD SOMETHING FAMILIAR! I've only seen one or two eps of Crusoe but I do remember going, "God what is that SOUND? It sounds familiar but I can't place it." We have red-tailed hawks that fly over here constantly and I've seen redwinged blackbirds (or at least I think that's what they were) around here as well. Actually, aside from that first disasterous attempt I haven't been able to use it at all. It's been in DH's car unfortunately. I've been using Google Maps which is probably not the best either, but you gotta make do with what ya got. Hopefully I'll be able to get out a nd do at least one more cache next week. I'm starting to get over being sick but my DS is sick now. So no going out this weekend. Ah well..they'll still be there when I find the time. Babythree

IIRC, it was over the fact that Spot changes gender as well as breed. The first time he is ever mentioned/seen, Spot is male and a shorthaired Abyssian-type. But later on in the series, Spot becomes female and has kittens. In yet another episode (I can't remember if it's befeore the kittens or after, but I"m thinking after) he changes back to a male. At various points, Spot is an Abyssian type, a short haired tabby and a longhaired tabby. The producers must've thought nobody would notice. But I did! Babythree

ROTFLMAO Way to go granny. My MIL complained to me one day that her earring holes had closed up. She asked me if I thought going to Claire's was a good idea to get them re-done. I told her if she wanted them re-done and re-done PROPERLY she needed to go to a honest to goodness professional piercing parlor. Her face turned so white, it was almost funny. Then I told her "Do you REALLY want somebody who makes minimum wage, who probably has no training whatsoever, putting holes in your head?" That made me laugh so hard it brought on a coughing fit (I've been sick since Tues afternoon). I DO notice those little details that nobody notices, or at least I do when it comes to Star Trek. I once got into a lengthy and somewhat heated discussion over Data's pet cat Spot. I'm staying inside, trying to get well. But hopefully I'll be able to go out again soon. Have fun. Stay safe. Babythree

Anybody who wants to join my "fan club" feel free. I'd be honored. Daredevle--I love your siggie..esp the part about the tattoo. I've wanted to get one for awhile, but my husband would shoot my butt if I did. I know exactly what I want to get and where, but he said no freaking way is MY wife going to have a tattoo. *L*

I've got a nickname AND a fan club. Wow. Color me amazed. *LOL* About the pirate cache--I'd LOVE to find something like that around here. Our smallish town sits right on a lake and the next town over (with whom we share the shoreline) was the one having the pirate festival. And pirates with their muskets and cannonballs wouldn't scare me. I've got some..assets*LOL* that they would hate to see damaged. I'm lazy and I like things that are easy. Bad I know but I have enough challenges in my daily life to keep me busy. That's why my hobbies (reading, watching Star Trek and listening to music/ podcasts) tend to be something that's easy and relaxing (for me anyway). I thought this was going to be supereasy too. Didn't realize that sometimes there is a bit of a challenge involved. Yup. I don't like the things that tend to be 'normal' or 'popular' or 'trendy' or 'chic'. I tend to like things that are, for the most part, pretty geeky which is one thing that attracted me to geocaching. It's a geek sport. Thank you. I can be pretty stubborn..er..I mean DETERMINED when I want to be. I hope so..well..at least with everything but the sweat part. It gets SO danged hot here in the summer time. *L* I wish. I'm in North Texas and I would LOVE to one day drive up to OR to attend their Portland Pirate festival. I am an annual attender of Scarborough Faire (our local ren fest) and I loved the pirate festival, even though this was the first time we'd gone. Babythree

We..or rather I..got interested in it because we were going to be attending a local pirate festival (arrrr!) in October of 08. I knew from the festival's website that they were going to have a geocache treasure hunt and I tried to convince my husband to go for it. He wasn't terribly interested, so we didn't attend that portion of the festival. We did attend later in the day and recieved a geocoin stamped with the festival's name and date on it (long story there). Then I totally forgot about it until about a week and a half ago. Somebody (I forget who) mentioned it to me and I thought "OH! This will be SO much fun. It will be easy, no tramping through the briars and getting dirty and bugbit the way you would if you went camping." I was SO wrong. Dogs don't frighten me, even large ones, as long as they are leashed and their person seems to have reasonable control over them. Shotgun shells, however, do scare me as I might possibly get shot and it alerts me it MIGHT not be such a safe area to be in. If I hear what sounds like a gunshot going off (whether it's from a shotgun or a handgun), I hit the floor immediately. I grew up in a rather rough neighborhood where getting shot was something that could happen to anyone on a daily basis. Babythree

Well, I decided to try again. I don't usually give up so easily so I decided to look for stuff more local. Found my first one yesterday and another one this morning. I used Google Maps to direct me to where the caches would be. The first time Google Maps was spot on. The second time it directed me through somebody's backyard. Oops. But I was able to find another way that did not involve trespassing and found the cache within about 10 minutes. I ended up hiking the rest of the trail, which was eh. Not great but ok. It's kind of a woody area, but not nearly as woody as the place we went on Sunday. At least here there was a marked trail. Ran into a jogger and some people walking their large, enthusiastic dogs. So it wasn't too bad. I think for now, since I don't have a GPS and have no plans in the immediate future to buy one, I'm going to stick to urban caches that are are a 1 or 2 difficulty. Babytroll