DatCrazyMongoose

I hear that! It's a pity we're treated like children. They tell me I have to wear a collared shirt off-base so I blend in (HA!), but when I get off-base, the locals are wearing everything from robes to t-shirt and shorts. It's all about control. Groundspeak needs a bit of control as well, which is why I understand the no military base guideline. But in a deployed environment, throw us a bone.

cincol, As I mentioned before, I will not be able to get off-base in Qatar, just like thousands of others like me. That is why I think we should allow caches on deployed bases. Period. I am disappointed that a vet wouldn't get that. Sorry. 'Goose

cincol, let me clarify a few military things for you. First, the idea that we did not officially visit a country unless we get our passport stamped or go off-base it quite unfair. Most countries we visit do not require passports, as agreements have been pre-coordinated with the State Department. Most of our overseas bases are not considered U.S. soil. Again, via political agreements, we are allowed to stay for a set time, then a new agreement must be reached to extend our "lease". When I step off that plane onto the ground in a country I have never been in before, I get a rush. Whether I go off-base or get my passport stamped is irrelevant. Second, a lot of our travels involve the "hurry up and wait" principle. Any military person will know what this is. For example, on my way into UAE, a plane dropped me off at Al Udeid Air Base to wait for my next flight. I wasn't allowed to leave the base. I did have a few hours of free time, so I went and grabbed some caches on the base. It means the world to me to have that show up on my CacheStats map. Yes, there are a lot of military who will stay on that base for months and have a chance to go downtown Doha, but there are just as many that only stop there to wait for their next ride. The same is true for UAE (Al Dhafra Air Base). I'm lucky enough to be able to get off-base...many are not. I would like to place a cache here for those people to be able to say "I found a cache in the UAE!" Finally, I don't agree with your assumption that you are entitled to find every cache that is placed in your area. What if you can't find virtual caches because you don't have anyone to take a webcam screen shot of you? How about caches requiring SCUBA gear? Or a boat? Or rock-climbing gear? Not everyone will be able to find every cache. I feel for your situation, but us military folks feel the same way looking back at you through the fence. I hope I was able to give you a better sense of where we are coming from as a military community. It's exciting finding caches in a new country, even if it's in a restricted area. It's even more exciting to be able to travel off-base and find one in the local community...when and if we get the chance. 'Goose

Yep, we heard about the triathlon on the radio on our way into town. We ended up taking the southern route into town. Hit Zalamat Garden, then Marina Mall (couldn't go to Heritage Village due to triathlon), then we went to the gold souk where I got a beautiful Breitling-ish watch for pennies. Ate at the Lebanese Flower. All-in-all a really fun day!

I'm going out with a couple friends tomorrow afternoon/night to do some caching in Abu Dhabi. We're going to shop at the Purple Diamond first, then hit a couple caches along Corniche Rd, grab a couple at the Marina Mall, shop there, then hit a couple along the south side of the city on the way back. Wish me luck! 'Goose

One other thing...who is the local reviewer? I'd like to contact them about placing some caches on the USAF section of Al Dhafra. Hopefully they won't have a problem with it.

Thanks, all, for the information. I might just take you up on the offer of being my geobuddy. I will be setting up a trip in the next couple of weeks and will let you know. I checked out The Wreck and decided I won't be attempting that one! One of my dreams is to get SCUBA certified, and I might get to on this trip, but doing that cache would be out of the question. There are only a few places I can officially visit during my stay here, so I'll put together a list and map them out. Then I'll find the caches near the locations and plan a trip. Again, thanks for the help. 'Goose

Hello all! I just arrived in the UAE a week ago (Al Dhafra AB). I'm stuck on the base for a while, but was planning some caching while here. However, I was briefed that GPSrs are illegal here. Is this the case? I don't have one, save my iPhone, but it seems odd to see all the caches in Abu Dhabi and the surrounding area if they are illegal. I would really like to do some local caching when I get an opportunity to leave the base, but unfamiliarity with the land and this being my first time in an Arab culture, I'm not sure if I want to risk it. Also, there are no caches on the USAF portion of Al Dhafra AB, which I found odd. There are plenty on Al Udeid, Qatar (which I just found while there). I was wondering if any locals had heard why that was. Perhaps a reviewer could chime in. I understand that Al Dhafra Air Base as a whole is Emirate controlled, but surely we could hook up US military personnel with a couple caches to keep them busy while here. Like I said, I'm looking forward to getting out and caching in Abu Dhabi (maybe even Dubai if I get a chance). Any tips/advice would be more than welcome. Also, if you have any "must find" caches, I would like that as well. Thanks! 'Goose

You two are the nicest people I've ever met in the caching community. Heck, even our dog got along with yours. Hunting for and finding caches is fun and exciting, but the moments I enjoy most are right after I sign the log. I take a deep breath of fresh air, look around at the beauty of Earth that surrounds me, and feel thankful for the opportunity to do so. People like you help provide that opportunity and it would be a shame if anyone were to miss out on one of those moments because of a tragedy like this. Don't get bogged down in grief. Keep your head up and know that what you do touches the lives of so many people and we are grateful for it. ~~The Mongoose Clan~~

Renegade Knight: I don't get all the tip-toeing around the subject. Do you want to know what cache it was or not? You seem upset that some are holding important (to you) information hostage, but you never come out and ask for the information. If you want to know, just ask. edited to add that the quote was from Renegade Knight

When I got the archive notice yesterday, I didn't think anything of it until I saw the news later. It all feels very surreal. I'll have to keep a better eye on my kids (and myself) in the future. From my family to the Andersons', our heartfelt sympathies. Clan Mongoose

What makes geocaching so special that it deserves/needs a different rating system than 99% of all other rating systems that use the 5-star method? Do all these other entities have it wrong? Someone earlier mentioned that all of those who have been around a while keep saying "no" to the idea. The only reason I can think of for this is that they don't want to go back and rate the thousands of finds they already have. Either that or they would get their feeling hurt if someone rated one of their caches low. I don't think anyone should voice their opinion unless they've tried the closest thing to a rating system we have (GCvote). I've tried it, and although I'm the only one who has rated any of the 160+ caches I've found, I can say from experience that all of the objections have been proven unmerited. I ranked friends' caches low if I think they deserved it. I've ranked park and grab micros 5-stars. Like I said, unless geocaching itself is SO special that it deserves a custom rating system, just implement the 5-star system that everyone else uses. If you don't like it, don't use it. Simple. Sgt Klaos is right. This topic keeps coming up because it has real merit.

I've rated 162 of them in WA, ID, and OR. It gives you an option of putting a link to the site in each of your find logs. That's what I do. Maybe more people will pick up on it. Give it a try and some time. Who knows.

Without getting into discussing the merits of it (dead horse), give this link a try. I use it and love it. www.gcvote.com

I agree with gof1. Put it as high as you want. Just make sure your D/T ratings are appropriate. I would personally LOVE to do a tree climbing cache. Hmm. Perhaps my next hide will be one.

I did this one a couple weeks ago. I did not exaggerate at all. Cache Logs July 23 by DatCrazyMongoose (161 found) No offense to the CO, but this was the most disgusting cache I've ever been to. I always have a trash bag with me and CITO almost every cache I go to, but this one was in a class all its own. This abandoned fast-food joint has become the local trash dumping area for everything from piles of dirty diapers to trash bags full of dead fish and dead pets. I almost threw up a few times, but found the cache before giving up. It's a good thing, too, or the next cacher could have added "pile of vomit" to the list of nasties at this location. "Thanks for the smiley" is about all I can say for this one. Sorry. 'Goose GC Vote - Cache rating plug-in! June 27 by mooseandsquirrel (1315 found) Gave it the old college try. The rotten fish and rotten animal parts were getting past their prime and we were able to search until we were on top of them before the old gag reflexes kicked in. We sure couldn't come up with the goods, though. Thanx for the frustration. Moose and Squirrel, Spirit Lake, Idaho. June 21 by traaveler (215 found) Dead fish still there so is the smell, might want to think about moving this cache to a more friendly place, didn't even look for it, the smell drove me away. June 13 by WCalhounW (773 found) Pile of dead fish at the site. Thought I could hold back the bile and hold my breath. No could do. Almost tossed my breakfast and made a hasty retreat. Talk about CITO needed!

I use it and it's really easy to install and use. I'm the only one doing it in my area (for now). Hopefully more people will use it and the ratings will get more accurate (averaged). Even if only one more person rates local caches, I would appreciate their input. If we didn't have the same tastes, it would be apparent after a couple caches. No harm, no foul.

I'm curious about this issue, as well. I just picked up my reflectors from Cabela's this morning and am getting ready to set up my trail soon. Entering a waypoint for each reflector would be a PITA! I'd do it if it was required, but I think common sense should prevail here. I agree with Wrastro that they should be considered "virtual" waypoints.

You are quite right. I have been misquoting this whole time. My apologies. My basic premise is that we have let the Federal government make laws they are not allowed to make under the Constitution. The States have made laws that THEY are not allowed to make under State Constitutions. It goes on down the chain to local governments. There is absolutely no way that a person can know all the laws that apply to them. Therefore, I believe they are unjust and go against the principle that this country was founded on....freedom.

Let's make a law banning being elderly!!! Once you reach 65 you are to be put down!! (Comments are totally tongue in cheek. Please do not send AARP after me) I know you're being sarcastic, but in reality we're not far off from there. Read up on eugenics.

One would argue that the people, NOT the government, pay for the roads to be created on PUBLIC, not government lands. The government owns nothing. The government is owned by the people....or at least that is how it was intended from the moment the declaration of independence was signed. We have a government just like the one our forefathers fought against. Yeah. And? Nothing. That was about it. Bittsen, I'm with you. I think you said it pretty clearly and in the process made a great point. I don't know why CR didn't get it. I think we will see in our lifetime another revolution to get rid of the tyrants and get back to the Constitution our founders intended. We have let Benjamin Franklin and the rest of the founders down. "We have given you a Republic, if you can keep it." We certainly have not. It's time to take it back.

I think I mentioned something about circular references earlier. Your post is a perfect example. Once again, it's very simple. If it doesn't violate someone else's constitutional rights, it should be legal. That is my stance, and you haven't yet given any reason why that stance is wrong.

I'm still not sure why you're not getting my point. I'm not saying yours isn't valid, just that you are misinterpreting mine. Running over someone on your horse (or car) is and always has been illegal. It violates a basic fundamental of life. How would I get off scott free for killing someone under that circumstance? Regardless of how fast I was travelling, the end result is the same. Using that logic, it doesn't matter what the speed limit is. If I am going 200 mph down the freeway and zip past you without incident, effectively, NOTHING HAPPENED. How can I be punished for something that didn't happen? If, on the other hand, I am travelling 200 mph down the freeway and crash into you, I have violated your Constitutional rights and will be punished accordingly. Simple. Edited to add that, for me, the consequences of this are enough to keep me from going 200 mph on the freeway. That is how it should work.

You should really pay attention. I have stated previously that all the situations you and others have brought up are already covered under the basic assumption that all humans have the right to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. Violate those basic rights, and you have a crime. Stealing someone's stuff (let alone trespassing on their property) is a violation of those rights, therefore a crime. It can't be much simpler than that.

The "entitlement" thing got me thinking. When I hear the word entitlement, I think of entitlements like welfare, unemployment pay, etc. I don't think I'm entitled to anything. I just want to be left alone. I actually believe there is way too much entitlement these days. In fact, most of these types of laws are created because people think they are entitled to "feel" safe (regardless of whether they are or not). Which brings me back to the whole emotional -vs- logical thought process. It is not logical to think that someone who would violate your rights by crashing into you on the road would care about the manner in which they did it....i.e. drunk driving, distracted by phone or GPS, recklessness, etc. If they do it, they should be punished. If they do not, leave them alone.