GMartinTX

Congratulations to GMartinTX on accomplishing this goal. Welcome to the club, sir. Thanks TV! Just waiting to sign the log and make it official...

Finishing the Texas County Challenge. I currently have 236 of 254 counties done. The final 18 will be tackled Sunday & Monday (my birthday). Approximately 1100 more miles to have it done. After that, I anticipate the thrill of no longer assembling routes, itineraries and gpx's for road trips for a few months.

In January 2009 during an episode of The History Channels 'Modern Marvels' I saw this end-of-segment blurb and my life was drastically altered! I'm not sure when the original air date of the episode was, but there were only 400,000 listed caches at the time.

Last summer while planning a trip to Austin/central Texas, I filtered a PQ of all the traditional caches in the area by favorite points. Ended up with a short list of highly favorite caches, and incorporated some of them into our planned route. It still took some investigation of the pages/logs to decide which ones to hunt, but in the end it took us to some interesting areas and some cool hides. FP can be a handy tool to help guide you through unfamiliar areas.

Let's be clear what we're talking about here. A skirt hide in a parking lot? A stop along the Oklahoma Land Run where the hanger/holder is there but the container is MIA? You bet I'll put in a replacement log and/or cache, it's no sweat off my brow and virtually no investment from me. A tricky/elaborate hide that I can't find? An ammo can in the woods? Don't be absurd, that's not what I said. And yes, if I put a replacement container out so the site is viable again - I'll log it. Kind of pointless not to...

Empty glucometer tube from work: free Log, baggie: pennies A smiley where there was only harsh feelings over a missing cache: priceless. A strip of paper here, a little duct tape there... it's not a big deal to me and my friends. It just keeps the game moving. If it's a missing elaborate hide - sure, DNF, NM and move on. NA a cache over a wet log? It's easier and less angst involved just to do a little first aid and help the community...

Yeah, I know about the inexact nature of satellite/street view imagery. I just thought it was humorous to see - with a tiny bit of imagination - what appears to be a guy following his phone/GPS to the coordinates in the middle of the street... I didn't go after the cache (too close to my bedtime, work night, etc) I just looked to see where it was.

A new cache published tonight, and this is what I saw when I checked the street view...

Cool beans. If you look at them via your public profile, the ones you choose are hidden. Looking at them through your Quick View, they are still visible. Great job Lilly Pad...

I just noticed the addition of the 'Hide This' button underneath each souvenir. I clicked on a few (the August Challenge, ugh...) and they lightened. Didn't go away, just lightened. And once the page was refreshed... Ta Da! they were back full force. Any idea if they will let us make them go away, all the way, for good?

On one of my puzzle pages: A link on another puzzle page: Yeah, I like red herrings...

I've hidden several 'Welcome To The 1K Club' caches for local cachers. Before I ever hit 'submit'.... the person who is being congratulated for the milestone already has the coordinates in hand. As soon as the publication notification hits, they are free to log their find, be it minutes (the most common) or whenever they choose. It's never a FTF race, that is already determined.

On the way to San Diego, from DFW... /3b3f8b4e-7dd0-4572-b234-

If it were only one souvenir, in a calendar configuration, with the days you logged a cache filled in with that days artwork.... I'd like that. Well, like is a bit strong. I'd wouldn't dislike it as much as I do the spectre of 31 individual whoopty-doos...

Calibrate the phone GPS... mine involves turning the phone on all three axis for a period of time. Almost as good as my handheld for finding caches, wouldn't suggest it for hiding them though.

Comminuted distal radius fracture of my left arm (multiple fractures of the large bone in the forearm). Surgery to place a plate and a bunch of screws to hold the bone together. Several weeks of a soft cast, splints and rehab. And of course, I'm left handed... A big fat DNF on the date it happened cuz it was missing, but Shelle518 and I went back several months later and scored the smiley. Grandma's First Cache

My map, in Wichita Falls TX. I've switched my OCD to the FEDY grid is the only reason there is any green...

WWFM hosts rec'd emails/updates from Podcacher, the latest being about souvenirs - "Per Groundspeak, the Souvenir must be awarded at ONE point in time. It doesn't happen immediately when you log your "attended". Instead they are waiting a few days to make sure everyone has a chance to log the event. Once the souvenir is awarded, Groundspeak won't go back and award it to anyone who is late with their logging."

South of Bowie TX -

With the Texas Challenge happening nearby this weekend, drawing in lots of folks to a Mega event, this trail will be seeing a LOT of action in the next few days. My friends and I included...

Is there a script that will bring the list of caches on the right side of the map? The map that would allow you to add index numbers to all the caches on the screen? I really liked that view, allowed me to identify them quickly. I don't necessarily need the numbers, but I'd love to have a scrollable list on the side of all the cache names shown in the pane. Before the 'beta' maps made the scene...

FizzyCalc is by far my favorite tool for playng with coordinates, I sure wish a smart phone app was available for it.

Shelle and I were caching in Graham, TX, partway through a great autumn roadtrip. Had a bit of misfortune after looking for 'Grandma's First Cache' (GC2KZQR). I'll let the pics and the logs tell the story. Upon arrival at the ER. The bad news: comminuted distal radius fracture. After surgical repair of the fracture. Shelle's log for the cache: OMG!!!!! Where to begin on this one. GMartinTX and I have been eyeing this cache ever since it came out. Some friends had found it before and the cache stories that were told. We left Wichita Falls this cold morning to get your Dads cache and this one. There were a few other caches on the list but..... Getting to GZ is a gymnastic feat but we made it without anything other than a few briar sticks. The GPS's were all over the place but they finally settled in one area. We thought we knew where to look but kept coming up empty. We did see an empty budlight can near where we thought the cache would be. We used the PAF option and called Papa. Our fears that the cache was gone was confirmed. Darn,,, bummer what can be worse than a hiked in DNF???? I will soon tell and post pic.lol Since the area was a good place for a photo opt. I took a picture of G searching the area for the cache. We headed back to the cachemobile. I took one way and he headed back another. I had just reached the cachemobile when I heard a yell. Not the kind you like to hear when caching as in "I found it". It was one of those yells that you have to decide do I call 9-1-1 now or do I wait to get to cacher. It is in that instant that you know someone is going to the hospital. I made my way back to G and yep you don't need to be a doctor to know that his arm was broke. We slowly made our way back to the cachemoble. I searched the nuvi for the nearest hospital while he smoked a much needed cigarette. As luck would have it, it was only 0.3 miles away. The nice lady checked him in and off into the ER we went. The x-ray confirmed what we already knew. After some meds and an arm brace complete with sling, we were off to one last cache before heading home to find a local doctor to cast his arm. To say the least we had an adventure that we will never forget. Mine: This is by far the most painful DNF I have ever experienced. Literally. After scouring the area for about 30 minutes, Shelle and I finally broke down and used a lifeline, enlisting a phone-a-friend hint to help get this bugger found. Finally came to accept that this one is MIA. An empty beer can stuck on a limb very near to GZ led us think a muggle may have stumbled across it. That was disappointing, yes. But not painful. That occured on the way back to the Dingo. Took a tumble into a gulley, amongst the rocks, resulting in a fractured left arm. Happy to report the Graham ER staff are very courteous, speedy and professional. Unhappy to report I am now on a caching hiatus for a few weeks. This is a DNF I certainly hope to avenge... Yeah, we hunted a nearby cache after leaving the ER. It was the last one in Graham that was on our list, a simple PnG, so why not? LOL, there's always gotta be 'just one more'... As far as 'Grandma's First Cache' - you can bet the farm we'll be back for the smiley when I heal. Shelle and I both love avenging DNF's, so this one will be particularily sweet

That's an awesome idea. I love it. Can you do some more pics of how you created that one? Sorry, that's the only 2 pics I took. It was for a Halloween event, and ended up going home with another cacher. Still waiting for it to be planted so I can log a find on it!

4" PVC end cap, coupler with a test cap for the bottom - TX sized nano