TwistedCube
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Posts posted by TwistedCube
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29 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:
We know a lot of people who split from their family account, and after creating their own, back-dated caches they did (with mom and dad mostly).
Some of the long-archived caches were the best we've done (and still have our FPs to show it).
- Why would you want to keep others from logging caches they've done simply because they split from an account ?
What I meant there was that "locking" archived caches would deter armchair loggers and the like. It was relating to what niraD had mentioned earlier:
1 hour ago, niraD said:Groundspeak doesn't want to encourage people to find archived caches, or to go to the locations of archived caches.
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I do agree with you though Cerberus, Logging archived caches is a useful tool I have used several times after I split off and created my solo account back in 2016.
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18 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:
We know a lot of people who split from their family account, and after creating their own, back-dated caches they did (with mom and dad mostly).
Some of the long-archived caches were the best we've done (and still have our FPs to show it).
- Why would you want to keep others from logging caches they've done simply because they split from an account ?
We've yet to hear of someone archiving a cache "just for fun". Does that happen often near you ?
I realized my sentence structure error now that I have read my original post. What I meant was that I wanted to read cache pages of archived caches for my own enjoyment. Not because they were "archived just for fun".
50 minutes ago, TwistedCube said:I have always wanted to see popular, favorited caches that were archived just for fun.
Revised sentence: "Just for fun, I have always wanted to see popular, favorited caches that were archived."
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I think a map would be an excellent idea, coordinates and all. However, I think GC should "lock" archived caches, meaning you cannot post a "Found It" log.
I have always wanted to see popular, favorited caches that were archived just for fun. Maybe I can get some hiding inspiration from the cache page or redo the cache itself. If such a map would come about, I think they should make it a premium feature and show archived caches as a different color.
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Seeing that Geocaching HQ has introduced Adventure Lab Caches, I decided to make thread to discuss them. I am not entirely sure what they are other than that they are similar to lab caches and are available for a limited time.
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On 1/27/2019 at 5:14 AM, Mausebiber said:
A word to the TO about the bottle and the bolt.
Find a location near a hut or something where cachers can sit and get bad weather protection. If it is cold and/or rainy it is no fun at all working with shivering hands on a small bolt and nut. All other participants just standing around for a considerable amount of time doing nothing (but giving good advice). In a hut, they all can sit down taking a break while the bottle is going around
If you want to give some advice, a magnet sometimes helps a lot, keeping the bolt in place.
I was thinking along the lines of a gazebo when I hide this. I'll probably place it underneath the steps or something.
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23 minutes ago, MtnGoat50 said:
If I was considering something like this I'd make it a mystery cache. I'd create a short video showing how to retrieve and replace the container and at the end provide the coordinates to the cache location, along with a personal plea not to break things. That way you're guaranteed seekers know exactly what they're getting into, how much time they need to allow and what tool to bring. Of course everyone will use the tool needed to set the puzzle also to open it but so what...
I'm probably the only one that feels this way but I think cache owners make a huge mistake by listing these as trads (with the field puzzle attribute). Sooner or later someone who's, short of time, angry, already having a bad day, maybe trying to keep their streak going (and this is their only chance) will show up expecting to be able to open the container and sign the log in a minute or two. Even if they try to be responsible, anger and frustration, make accidents more likely.
I'm also concerned about the glass container. Most of the one's I've found are already broken and the ones that aren't, usually soon are. I'd definitely have a backup or two already made and ready to go.
I am intending on making this a mystery with a field puzzle attribute, however, I don't really want to show cachers how to take it apart, but rather, show them how to put it back.
I am going to use a sturdy plastic bottle though, but not the cheap drinking water kinds that break easily.
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What should the D rating be???
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48 minutes ago, baer2006 said:
I have found several (must have been at least five) of these "dowel with bolt in a bottle" caches, so let me share my experiences...
- None of the listings offered any help for the cacher. You just find the device, and have to work out for yourself how to get the logbook out.
- Getting the logbook out is almost trivial, once you have the basic idea how to do it. BUT: It's much more difficult to reassemble the bolt inside the bottle! This will inevitably lead to maintenance issues, because cachers sign the log (and claim a find) but fail to properly reset the puzzle. More often than not, the owner will not be notified. Whenever I find one of these puzzles, I look into its log history. The maintenance problems are always visible!
- You should make it very clear in the listing, that the hardest part is resetting the puzzle to its original state. Also, it's a good idea to appeal to cachers' honor, and at least ask for a notification of someone fails to properly reset it.
- I suggest to let the bison tube with the logbook move around in the bottle. Depending on the exact geometry (bottle diameter, length of bolt), another rigid object in the bottle can make it easier to screw/unscrew the nut (hard to describe ... the nut can be "rolled" on an edge of the object).
Apart from that, I can't really say that I enjoy these caches
. There is always the fear of not being able to put everything back, and having to confess to the owner that you messed up their cache. It actually happened to me on the very first cache of this kind, because I had never seen it before and ended up having no idea to reassemble it afterwards.
You make very good points. I don't know how these Houston cachers are going to react to the puzzle. I guess I'll see how it goes. I am planning to create 2 of them, when one isn't reset properly, I will swap out the bottle with the other one and reset the first one in the comfort of my own home : )
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1 minute ago, niraD said:
I think you'll have more success with a field puzzle that resets easily. If it takes as much work to reassemble as it did to solve, then I think you'll have a lot of finders who give up before they actually reassemble it.
I'm thinking of escape rooms, which can take about an hour to solve, but which the operators have to be able to reset within a few minutes.
Or some of the maze-style field puzzles I've done, where the piece that moves through the maze can easily drop into the start of the maze again, without retracing the whole maze backwards. The maze-style gift boxes available commercially (which I have also seen used for field puzzles) go a step further, and the ball that moves through the maze never leaves the maze at all. When the ball reaches the end, it enables the latch; when the latch operates, it automatically moves the ball to the start.
Yes, while I do agree with you, and all of my gadget caches and field puzzles currently in play are super easy to reset, this one does take a bit to do so. I think if someone has the initial knowledge to be able to accomplish this task, then it will be easier. After all, it only took 1-2 minutes for the guy in the video to reset the puzzle.
This brings me back to my original question: How could I tell/show them how to put it back correctly?
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Recently I have begun making field puzzle caches and placing them in my general area, and I seem to be having trouble with one in particular that I haven't starting building yet.
The puzzle is that the cacher will find an easy birdhouse cache with one simple move (like pulling out a nail, or using a magnet to unlock), after they unlock the birdhouse, they will find a plastic bottle with a dowel rod inside and exposing itself outside, like a handle almost. The dowel rod has a bolt through it near the bottom to prevent cachers from pulling it out. What they must do is to free one of the nuts from the bolt to allow for the dowel to be able to pass through the mouth of the bottle, thus freeing the bison tube inside (I will either glue it to the dowel rod or let it roll around the bottle freely).
I found a video on the internet showing how to disassemble and reassemble the puzzle and it is somewhat easy to do with the right tools:
My initial question is how am I going to provide cachers with the knowledge and tools of putting the puzzle back together in the correct orientation? One way I have considered is to somehow provide the link of the video in the container where they cannot reach it until they have completed the puzzle. I am prepared to make weekly maintenance runs just in case, but to minimize the hassle of going completely out of my way, I am going to place the cache in a park about half a mile from my house.
Thanks!
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On 10/5/2018 at 12:52 AM, The Jester said:
Prescott in Arizona has a number of nice cache by The Raven - The Raven's Labyrinth is best example example I know.
Goblindust puts our some great gadget caches, centered around Bremerton, WA (some are scattered across Western WA and as far south as Portland OR).
Mr. Gadget #2 does some nice gadget caches, centered around Wenatchee, WA (eastern side of state).
I also used to live in Phoenix, which is somewhat near Prescott, long before I was interested in caching. Kinda upset that I didn't start sooner ?.
I am am going to be traveling to Portland and Seattle in August for a couple of days and would like to know what caches are the best in terms of inginuity/cleverness (aside from HQ GeoTour caches). Ones worth flying cross-country for.
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Neat cache! The final of a night cache that I found was a bag full of pens. One of them had the log. Surprisingly, it was much easier than I thought it was going to be.
I would have a lot of trouble with this hide even if it was placed at least decently. Kudos to you for putting this one out!
What's the D rating going to be???
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1 minute ago, EmzyJanezy said:
They have messaged me to say they are going to return it tomorrow!
What should I do in these circumstances? Should I temporarily disable the geocache until I see the cache has returned?I'd disable it temporarily. If it doesn't show by tomorrow, then I would ask them when they could bring it back and wait until they do before you enable the cache.
Hope that helps!
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4 hours ago, The Whittles said:
To get to 50 different countries/principalities ,just got our 48th yesterday with San Marino
Just got 2018,s today with our 7000th cache in Ravenna Italy
Ha. My goal for 2018 was to get to 700 (seven hundred) caches.
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No serious injuries, but I have fallen into a freezing cold river while doing a 4.5 pipe walker cache. I had to wear the wet clothes for the rest of the day.
Thank goodness I didn't have the phone in my pocket : D
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2 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:
I didn't see that here (yet). Looked at a few caches in your state too, and the same. Something I'm missing ?
I don't feel it's a big deal. As a couple already said, things change, and "helpful" or similar may change with time.
When "helpful" no longer applies, is removal gonna be part of a CO's maintenance ?
I can't see that working well...
When "great story" is really just another cut n paste lengthy mash of bull for a third-party stat, can I have a "can't believe I waste the time..." option ?
Come to find out, I was looking at Canadian caches when I saw the new feature. I think it may not have come out in America yet.
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Today, I discovered that now online logs have a "Great Story" button, and a "Helpful" button. I guess it's a way to "Like" a post.
Any thoughts on the new feature???
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2 minutes ago, palmetto said:
Thanks, the created cache page is the right way to go.
When I read Twisted Cube's response, " The first thing you need to do is tell your reviewer that you want to reserve that location by giving him/her the coordinates. After they confirm that they did indeed reserve that spot ..", I logged in under my reviewer account to respond.
Yes, you can send coords to a reviewer, but that will NOT reserve a location. A cache page with a cache owner note outlining the plan for the spot reserves a location, not coords in a reviewer's memory.
My preference is NOT be "sent coords", but for the cacher to create a Coords Checking cache. That said, I will respond to sent coords, but nothing is reserved. And the only thing I'm reviewing is whether the coords meet the saturation guideline, and any known land manager policy - that I happen to notice.
Thanks palmetto. You are right, I think I may have switched the order while I was writing this. Oh well. : )
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The first thing you need to do is tell your reviewer that you want to reserve that location by giving him/her the coordinates. After they confirm that they did indeed reserve that spot, then, make the page like you normally would, and click save. Don't click the button that says "Submit for Review". Next, go to your profile and click "Unpublished Hides" and you should see your cache. After you place the cache, go back to your draft page under "Unpublished Hides" submit it for review and adjust the coordinates as necessary. In my experience, reviewers tend to keep the spot for you for up to 30 days.
Hope that helps!
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On 12/13/2018 at 6:56 PM, TheLimeCat said:
I'm sorry I neglected to read this before typing my own comment. I was about to mention the same thing. To build on this, if you could obtain permission to place the cache container undercover, you could circumvent this size restriction by hiding a key in a matchstick case in the phone which is required to unlock the nearby cache. If you could get permission to create a rather large cache and then hang the phone on the outside, this would tie together nicely. Not to overstep, but if you could use a more traditional English style booth, you could work all of this into the same covered area.
That would be cool!
My uncle (who is also a cacher) was walking around in the woods last week and found a large solid steel safe. Everything works, except you can't close it. Maybe if we are able to fix it up then we can use that for Stage 2.
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On 11/27/2018 at 11:22 AM, wmpastor said:
Is Geocaching dead? No, Pokemon Go is dead!
I saw some lady in her 50's playing Pokemon Go at the park a few months ago, I thought it was weird that she had her phone out and was pacing back and forth, so we were about to ask if she was a cacher until she asked us if we were looking for Pikachu.
Subcultures...
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It's funny to think that even people caching 16 years ago thought there was at least a decline in interest.
3 million caches later...
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I have been caching occasionally since 2013, but got into the sport about two years ago. Loving every minute of it. Since I am not a painter, musician, or good at any form of art, hiding caches is a way that I can express my puzzle-minded/artistic/engineering side. I live in Houston, Texas but started caching often when I lived in Indiana, and now that I am back in my native Texas, I am placing caches in areas I have been going to for years.
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13 hours ago, The Leprechauns said:
Here are my long term goals. I will not achieve all of them next year, but it will be fun to return to this thread in a year and see which ones I met or made progress on.
1. To find at least 250 "Challenge Caches" (212 so far).
2. Complete the Ohio History Challenge (28 old school caches down, 14 to go).3. Complete the Ohio 360 Degree Challenge (245 degrees cached, 115 to go).
4. To find caches in contiguous counties from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast (8 counties to go).
5. To find caches in contiguous counties from the US northern border to southern border (13 counties to go).
6. To log at least 2 finds on each of the 81 Terrain & Difficulty Star combinations ("Double Fizzy" - 5 grids left).
7. To find at least two caches hidden in each month since May 2000 ("Double Jasmer" - 4 months left).
8. To find caches in all 50 US states and DC (46 down, 5 to go).
9. To find 360 virtual caches (266 down, 94 to go).
10. To find 150 letterbox hybrid caches (110 down, 40 to go).Wow
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. There is always the fear of not being able to put everything back, and having to confess to the owner that you messed up their cache. It actually happened to me on the very first cache of this kind, because I had never seen it before and ended up having no idea to reassemble it afterwards.
Come to find out, I was looking at Canadian caches when I saw the new feature. I think it may not have come out in America yet.
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What's your favorite geocache you've been to?
in General geocaching topics
Posted · Edited by TwistedCube
Hands down GC7F0RP is the best cache I have ever found. It is so elaborate and well made that I could give every favorite point I have ever earned to this cache alone.
A close second is the now archived GC21WEJ. As a newer cacher, this was a one of a kind experience. I will never forget the amazement when I activated the mechanism.
These two caches are what turned me into the hider that I am today.
Location wise, this was my favorite cache - GC16165. A tucked away little gem in the heart of Madison, Indiana.