mchaos
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Posts posted by mchaos
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I have been caching over a year and I have to admit that Earth and Virtual Caches are my favorite. I have tried Way Marking but it does not seem to be as involved as the Virtual Caches I have found.
Look at these for example:
Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Museum by Cybercat & Eddie (GCB6A8):
* Featured in FTF Geocacher Magazine as well as seen on 'The View' and Montel Williams.
Works of Dionicio Rodriguez by Cybercat & Eddie (GCC0E0):
* This took me around the NE side of San Antonio looking at amazing art work.
Boot Scootin' Cache by Cybercat & Eddie (GCDF8B):
* Texas' first dancehall
Lady of the Rivers by Island-Dave (GC356F):
* Beautiful statue of Mary along the mississippi river protecting the city of Port Des Sioux and the boats passing through the river.
These are just a few examples of the great virtual caches I have found and truly believe a return to virtuals could work if we made criteria like Earthcaches to preclude the Jack in the Box and local hardware store like I found on way marking this weekend.
Is it ever going to be possible to see a return?
I heard it from a guy, who learned from a man, who knew a monk who was told by a goat that was explained to him by a monkey who when wondering in the jungle over heard a zebra telling an elephant what was heard from a tiny field mouse who was way way way way too excited to keep it a secret that what he was told one day by a wolf in sheep's clothing, in the middle of the afternoon sun after being told by this person named Bob......... No they will not, that's why they created the Waymarking site. So that geocaching would remain more about physical caches in the true spirit of it, and there is now a site just for it.
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"Go that way REALLY fast. If something gets in your way, TURN!"
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I don't want some one to get tipped off, get all defensive and take this all the wrong way. This was not my intent.
Its just killing it for me. I go paperless. I have all the caches on my unit. I don't filter out the micro's as some are very fun. I will be out caching, or just about with my gps, and decide to hit up some caches in the area. Then seeing its another, and a micro. Giving a benefit of the doubt and give it a shot only to find a film can and cache soup. Then again i suppose I could filter the specific CO out with gsak. I may have to do this. If I do I will only be filtering out the micro's, and maybe small because all of the small ones seem to be bad gladware.
I could go out and hide a bunch of caches and put thought into it, but I don't want to have so many I cannot take care of. I would much rather take time spent thinking about how to do it well.
I have a few that are in the works. one is the "choose your own adventure cache" which is almost ready to be put into action. Another is a puzzle cache which I think will be really nice when complete, and another that is on the back burner until I find the right spot for it. I am going to place a cache at a nice scenic place, inside i am going to put a disposable camera. I am going to ask that each finder take a pic with the camera. Of them self, or of some scenery, or what every they want.( I know I may be asking for it with that) but then when the camera is full, I want to get the film developed and upload the pics to the cache page, where I will then put a new camera in it. I want to see what ends up on that film. Hopefully it will be nothing naughty.
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Guess I'm having some problems with your complaint. I think I know of whom you speak. Are soggy film canisters any worse than electrical cover plates on air conditioners, or lamp posts (without baggy)? Or a coffee can in a weep hole in a wall?
I've just returned from Florida. There seem to be a lot of soggy film canisters there... And Premium Member ones!
If you don't like someone's hides, ignore them. (The ones I've found by that hider don't seem much wors than many others.) There is certainly enough virgin territory around here that you should be able to hide a good cache without complaining about other hiders' caches. I've never had a problem finding good places to hide caches, Yes, I have some nanos, and magnetic key holders, but most of them are in interesting places. And I have quite a number of lock and lock type containers, and even a few ammo cans!
My suggestion is to find a nice place and hide a nice hide, and stop complaining about other hiders.
1) This sounds like a personal attack, and I did not get specific about who it was.
2) All of my hides have baggies. I have replaced the one you speak of, on an AC unit 2 times already. I cannot help it if people keep tearing the bag.
3) You should go check out the other one you speak about the weep wall, which BTW was not a coffee can. I have since upgraded the container and recently replaced the last one which as gone missing. As I recall you were the FTF, and I asked that one piece of swag stay in the cache, and you took it and left a dollar....
4) the LPH did have a baggy, and I archived it because it was muggled. That cache was more about testing the camo method, and it failed.
Big differences... I maintain my caches, or make them better if they are lacking. I have never hid a film can, nor will I hide one. I have not hid a mag key box, nor will I ever. Every film can I have found of the said cacher has not had a ziplock bag for the log at all. Nor has any of the pill containers of his that i have found.
You may also want to look at some of my cache pages as I have also upgraded them as well making them look better, and have more thought into them.
Lets look at the differences between a 35mm film can hidden in the woods, with an electrical plate hide on an AC unit that is well blended in.
35mm film can zip tied to a bush, with no zip log, and log soup.... Not so creative, or fun, especially since there are a dozen more in a row along the trail like that.
electrical plate hide, In an area with no caches within a few thousand feet, let alone another one of mine. Skill is required not only in spotting it, but to get to it in a high muggle area. Its a fun find, and interesting, and a bit more thought into it.
As for it not having a baggy for the log. Obviously you are some what soft on the details. Not once have I gone to fix the baggy, has the baggy not been there. Ripped, and log stuffed in it, but baggy still there none the less. I am going back for my 3rd fix again as a few have recently commented on wet log, and I will again let the log dry again, place it a new baggy, and replace cache. As a matter of fact, on of the comments that is on the front page says, "Baggy needs a bit of maintenance." Which implies there being a baggy.
Now as for the "paint ball loader tube" you thought was a coffee can,(again soggy with the details), I will admit that the choice for that container was poor, but it was my first hide, and I had not had many finds yet. I was a noobie. Since then I have made good on that one. It is now a regular sized lock&lock with camo tape hidden in a new spot.
The person of whom I speak has near 170 or so hides, and nearing 1000 finds. That's a well seasoned cacher. Surpassing me.
That being said, since it was my first cache, and I have made it better since, that your initial comments are null, especially since the person in comparison has many many hides of poor quality, and he is experienced.
I think if you are going to put out a cache, you should put a little thought into it. Not just walk along a trail and drop a film can or pill container every 600 to 1000 feet or so just to monopolize a trail.
I have nothing in general against Micro's, as I have said the person of whom I speak has some really good ones. I really like them. Just wish the rest of the mass of caches were as thought out.
I was not naming names. I left some error into the description of the person I speak, I have said he has some really great hides. He is very experienced. Has a lot of hides and I admire that. I do not wish any ill toward him. I encourage cache on. Accept him out in the world of geocaching and do hold some respect for him.
I just wish he didn't saturate the area with so many poorly thought out hides, in so many poor containers.
I had 1 poor container when I was a noob.
I don't appreciate the personal attack against me. This was a thread I was posting to express my unhappiness about this saturation by 1 person. I can understand many people. But this is one. It was not to be mean.
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I do it for the thrill of the hunt doesn't matter what i find. Whats cool to me is that tons of other people have been to the exact same spot and everybody else has no clue. I feel your frustration for wanting to hide cahes, but I think your missing the over all point. be glad you have so many in your area, others aren't so lucky.
You know, I love to find them, but how many soggy film cans can you find from the same person along the same trail before you just feel like packing it in?
As for ignoring micros, There are some that are really good. I do not want to count them out. I suppose I could filter with gsak.
If I weren't a better man, I would just make some of them go missing. He would never maintain them. He doesn't But I can't do that.
and then there is always this feeling that I have to find them all... LoL. Can't help it.
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Its no big deal. If you own a cache you need to be ready to maintain it. Unless the CO is a jerk, there should be no problem.
I have a fence post hide, and it was 2 weeks old and some one lost the cache down the pipe. Part of it was carelessness but the other part was that I could have made the cache container a little more fool proof.
It didn't bother me too much, I enjoyed improving the container.
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Now, I can see dropping "guardian caches to hold some spots for better hides, but these have been around. I don't really care for film cans but they are okay when done with taste. As a matter of fact he has one that does!
There is one he placed in a parking lot where he has a fake candy cane vent near a lamp post. Looks like this only black.
I can see this throwing off people who would automatically go for the LPH. It pulls up out of a sleeve, and you have to turn it up side down is, and out slides a film can.
This was the only film can hide from him that was not wet at all, because the can was sheltered.
Other ones consist of a film can zip tied to a limb of a bush.
Another just under a piece of bark on the ground on the side of the trail.
then there was the glad ware filled with cache soup under a bridge that the trail runs over.
Nano in the woods, in a rotting piece off wood.
then a pill bottle almost looked tossed where it was. No tact.
Some of those are his in a row, but every once in a while is some one else, but just as bad. Key box in a guard rail, More crappy leaky glad ware.
Out of all of those in a row, there were 2 that were neat. One was a fake bird house, from the one who has like 170 hides, then a large bison tube, bout the size of a roll of nickles, JB welded to the head of a bolt with a washer, slipped into a bolt hole in a trail sign.
the one day I was going down the trail, I was going to keep going until I looked the ones ahead and saw all micros along a trail, with 4 out of 5 by this guy.
I just want a little bit of variety.
It makes me want to avoid all micros, but some people out there have some really cool ones. Its killing it for me lately.
I was thinking of asking him if I can take over some area's with a better cache. The only problem is, I don't want to end up having a heap load of caches I can't take care of, because he doesn't do anything about the caches he has if something goes wrong with them. Doesn't replace logs, if it goes missing, doesn't replace it.
I guess I can see what I can do...
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So around me there is one person with near 170 mark of hides. He is experienced, and is getting close to 1000 finds.
90% of his hides are micros. Many in the woods and along trails. On a trail near me, he has an insane amount, Its like a cache from him every 1000 ft or so. And almost all micros. And they are mostly nothing special. a 35mm film canister, and a few cheap glade ware. An I can't remember one of them that was not soggy and full of a paper soup log.
Now what kills me is he does have some hides that are really neat. Some of them micros. He has a fake bird house hid, a fake well vent hide etc. Some of them fun. Alas, most are just simple micros, saturating my area with oodles and oodles of 35mm film canisters.
now its clear he loves geocaching. He has 9 times more finds then I have. But I am getting really tired of finding his 35mm film canisters in the woods or along a local trail, which could have some really nice regular caches all along it, but this guy has a monopoly here, and I am sorry, and respectfully, most of them are really lame and boring.
I would expect much more creative and fun caches, and the annoying part is he is capable and creative enough, because some of the ones I have found were really great from him.
Its like he wants to hide them, but put almost no thought or time into them.
This is making me bored of caching, because there is so many micros, and a lot from him.
And I don't hate micros, just pointless ones. I love the kind of micro that make you really really think, "now that was really cool" But these are all film cans........
BAH! What to do, what to do.....
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Oh yeah, I didn't think of that either, but year, anything metal too close will mess it all up. When I was a scout, I was taught to hold the compass in the palm of your hand, away from your body and any jewelry or metal accessories you may be wearing.
That makes so much sense LoL.
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I heard it on the grape vine that it is a conspiracy hatch by Groundspeak to enlist reviewers who are actually not experienced for an objective view on the cache, and to make the hunt more challenging....
No not really
It makes sense to me that to become a reviewer you probably have to have quite a bit of experience first, which means caching for some time before becoming a reviewer.
Once you become a reviewer, you need a reviewer account. There for you will have 2 accounts.
I am sure that reviewers with a large amount of finds on there reviewer account probably stopped using their normal account after, and reviewers who have little finds on their name or none, wanted to keep going with their original name because of the find count already acquired.
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It definitely looks like a puzzle cache to me.
But if it weren't, which it really does look like a miss marked puzzle cache, things like this could mean he posted the cache using Google maps.
Although, If the CO doesn't have a GPS, suggested by 0 hides and hides a cache before he finds one as a new member, The CO could have wanted to place a cache. Not having a GPS, he used google maps to get coordinates that were close. Made the clue to find it because he knew he couldn't get right on the cache with google maps. And because he just doesn't know too much in general yet about geocaching, doesn't know this is pretty much a puzzle cache, he marks it as traditional.
I'd be willing to bet he doesn't own a GPS yet.
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Honestly It wouldn't bother me too much if some one logged one or some of my caches falsely. They are the ones not really having the real fun of finding it. If I noticed it, and was able to tell if it was arm chair caching I would delete it, but I wouldn't throw a hissy.
Some good points have been made in this thread,
Its true it could be a group find, where some one didn't feel the need to sign. Some people sign 1 name for the whole group.
There could have been muggles near by and they may not have signed the log in a rush to re hide the cache.
If its not the original log some one might have replaced a soggy log.
If it does bother you, just email him with this first. "Hello, I was wondering why you did not sign the log in my "_____" cache."
If he replies why, and it still does not convince you, ask him what color the cache container was painted. If his answer does not match, DELETE!
Then don't worry bout it.
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Err uh whoa.....
dadgum, I meant to post a rely hours ago, but I got stuck looking through bisontube.com......
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Seriously, just about all don't want to see them to come back and the subject comes up 3-4 times a month.
On the contrary, many of us DO want to see them return. But Groundspeak has made it clear over and over that it ain't happening. They even went so far as to build a completely different site call Waymarking.com in order to have a place to push people who want the virtual experience.
We can argue all day how much fun they are and how we want them, but it does not change the fact that Groundspeak is FIRM in their stance.
I came into geocaching after virtual cache was grandfathered, and even I figured out right away that Waymarking.com was a replacement for the virtual cache. I don't think a virtual cache is not in the same spirit of geocaching.
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What kind of materials and methods would you suggest for building a fake rock large enough to cover a .30 cal ammo can? I have a night cache which uses a black light, and the black light that I provide at the starting way point has been stolen three times. The previous times I've locked it up, and they still manage to steal it. The last time, they stole the whole ammo can. I think if I can cammo it so that the thief doesn't suspect that it's the black light, then I can protect it.
Its going to get muggled again, and again and again. Even if you make a fake rock cover. Honestly I would either rework the start point, some where a little more off trail, in another location where this particular muggle doesn't know about. If its not possible to rework, then I would archive it. Collect everything and set it up some where else.
Some times its better to archive and start over fresh.
Waste money on a fake rock, and the muggle who knows your putting it there invests some free time, and they will find it.
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well then there is no benchmark there any more.
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Well here is the thing. the scaled coords brought me up the road where that impression was. What was the impression from?
The road has been widened. The hydrant is there but 80 feet from where the original coords take me.
there is no way this rivet is here. I changed my log to did not find it.
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Well its not the benchmark I am guessing. I followed the original coordinates and found in the center of the road 11-13 feet from GZ an impression in the road from a round disk like object. Which has to be the benchmark.
Apparently a lot has changed like placement of power line poles.
So I am guessing I mark this one as destroyed??
Now, is there any way to contact the agency to replace this? the spot is still clearly there.
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Okay, so there is a benchmark that has not been found near my home. I decided to give it a shot and see if I can find it. Its benchmark KV1408.
I searched for it and didn't find anything set in the curb as it said it would be, but the curb is fairly new. Probably done over a few times in 70 or so years. I did however find near where it should be according to the survey, a concrete monument. No markings on it, looked fairly weathered as very old concrete does. I took some pics as well. I want opinions. Could this be a replacement benchmark monument placed when the road, sidewalk and area had construction being done that would need to move or replace the benchmark???
This first pic is of the power line pole BL 141 as described on the benchmark page.
Now here is the fire hydrant located more then the mere 5 feet that is suggested by information from the bench mark page. I guess that the pole had been moved during construction on road at some point in time because if the mark were in between them or near in between them, by measurements taken it would have to be in the ball park of 5 feet from each other.
Now here is a pic of how far they are now apart. As the hydrant is in a hedge, I placed a bright orange marker in front of where it is located. its all the way to the right of the pic on the side walk.
Now here is the pic of the concrete monument in front of the power line pole BL 141.
And another pic showing the monument and the power line pole and identifier number.
And last but not least another pic of the monument at another angle.
So what does everyone think? Can I mark this benchmark found???
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I am currently working on a "choose your own adventure multi cache"
I have developed the story line that will go along with each stage, I have to now go out and design the routes for each choice during the adventure. I would go into it with further detail, but there is already a thread with that.
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I pay 5 dollars a month for the cach program on my phone why does this not entitle me to a prem member ship? I really think it should.
With most of these apps, (some are not legal apps for GS) they are capable of looking up info real time. You can bring up all the caches in the area, without loading any coords or caches by other means such as LOC and GPX etc.
In other words you just bring up the list of geocaches closest to you any time you want when you have cell service.
The best perk of being a PM is being able to have access to GPX files, and the ability to make pocket queries. A pocket query is a generated list of caches to your specifications, (Example, only caches that you have not found, 100 miles around (coords)). The GPX file contains all the information about the caches so you can load them on your gps with all the information you need from the cache page.
Since most of these apps can access the website directly, there is no need for a pocket query. No need to pay for PM to get the ability to look at all the cache info from your gps.
So you do not need that feature of being a PM. There for you do not need to be a PM, HOWEVER..
Besides the other features, like being able to get into the off topic forum, stats bar etc, the biggest reason you should pay for a PM is not to get these features, but to support the site, so that we continue to have it. The money we pay goes into site improvements, and new features. One of the newer features I like is the send to GPS for Magellan,(after the fix is applied), of which probably would have never been developed without the funding from users PM's.
When I signed up for a PM I didn't know what a pocket query was. I did pay for the extra benefits, which at the time, i wasn't sure what they were, but I love geocaching and it was an easy decision to pay for. It was all about supporting the game.
EDIT: I say if you want to pay less. Cancel your app. Save the money form that and buy a decent gps that supports paperless caching. Pay 30 a year which comes out to $2.50 a month, and make pocket queries and cache that way. That way you would be paying less a month and you would be supporting goecaching.
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Some caches require bushwacking, and if you never read the cache page, you will never know.
I would attribute this more to people who aren't reading the description before heading out. (In general, not just to your specific situation)
You can post "no need to leave the trail" as much as you want, but there are still going to be people who just load the co-ords and rush out the door without reading that.
I think dorgie is right. I too have found my self, Loading and running without reading descriptions. My unit supports paperless so I have like 800 or so caches on my unit right now. I am getting better at remembering to check the description before I start heading down a trail.
I wouldn't go so far as to go right to blame geocachers, because they may just be heading for a blip on a screen.
You can use multi-caches to take people to the cache in a route that you've planned for them.
Great idea, This is what I would do. I don't think you need to archive. Excellent excuse to do a multi. make the first stage have a note explaining not to go off trail.
Excellent suggestion. Another point that has been brought up a few times by someone here (sorry, I forget who) is that a cache that is close to the main trail is more likely to cause "social trails" than one that is a ways in, because the one that is farther off the trail will likely have people going off trail at many different spots.You can use multi-caches to take people to the cache in a route that you've planned for them.Drats, beat me too it....
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Feeling a little Testy today, are we mchaos?
Below find a picture of our moderators:
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg268/T...blefacepalm.jpg
Norm
Sorry LoL.
I work on and repair CB radios, and am quite into it my self. Its bad enough I have to hear wrong thinking about radio's on the radio. Don't need it here too lol.
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I bought a Silva Engineer Bearing compass recently to use the bearing given by my eXplorist GC to better guide me to the cache. Obviously the compass points to "magnetic" north, so that is the setting I selected for my GPS. However, driving down a straight road (as a test), my heading from the GPS was 0, so why when I stopped to use the compass was my bearing 346? When I set the GPS to use "true" north, both heading & bearing agree. Perhaps I've answered my question, I just thought they both should be on magnetic.
If your compass has an adjustable plate, it may have been adjusted for true north. Thus you GPS need be on true north.
What compass is it, can you provide a link to it? Most have this adjustment. Make sure the N on the adjustable ring is aligned with the arrow or hair of the compass and it will be giving you magnetic readings. It may have been possible that it was set to true at the factory.
EDIT: As well the amount of declination changes from area to area, and as well things such as iron deposits can effect the way a compass works in that area, which is some times noted on high quality maps.
It could be that in your area there is no declination to take in account, there for your GPS should be set for true north.
Have you ever smoked a muggle while caching?
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