garyo1954
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Posts posted by garyo1954
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Welcome to Texas!
Yes you can use your phone with the Geocaching App from play store or whatever its called on your phone. In my part of East Texas, before the turn of the decade, we'd get dropouts standing in the driveway even though the tower is located about a mile and half away. Thankfully that is a resolved issue (we hope).
Didn't have the GPS the other night so Nicole grabbed the phone, and set out to find a nearby cache while I drove. We were within 13 feet when the message popped up "you have arrived." First for me to learn the app did that.So yes, the phone will work fine, depending on the area you are caching. I still find the GPS simpler (I'm not phone savvy). On that note you don't need a $500 handheld GPS to enjoy geocaching. Etrex20 or Etrex30 is about $150 on Amazon.
You got questions. We got answers (well, somebody here got answers).
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Our area had an wonderful little bed and breakfast......https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3ZBW5
As you see in the logs someone cut the lock.
As far as the setup, it was a 12" by 12" waterproof electrical box attached about 4' up a light post. So for all practical purposes it was hidden in plain sight.
A combination is not going to stop a person who can't stand not knowing what's behind that lock. You could attach box to a tree with 12 inch spikes, Gorilla glue, and a chain and some of the more curious would come along with a chainsaw and take the whole tree if necessary! For that reason, I would proffer your setup and camouflage is more important than the combination.
As far as a combination, you might consider using a combination lock with alpha characters (alphabet) to a spell word obtained by solving clues in the description?
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On 10/11/2019 at 11:34 AM, me N u said:
Bumping this thread as we have received this log on an EARTHCACHE - we've added the bold, just love attention to detail.
Found it
10/10/2019What a lovely day in and around Newquay, the weather forecast said it would rain this afternoon, but all we had all day was a bit of light drizzle which did not last long.
We parked up on the road (as it was allowed after 31 sept) and made our way down to the beach. Nice walk over to the cave and in we went. After discussing the questions, taken some photos it was time for us to move out to let others in.
Many thanks me N u for placing and maintaining this cache; We signed the log and replaced as found.
The finders knew it was an earthcache as they sent answers to the logging tasks.
Thankfully they replaced it for others to enjoy!
And you didn't get a NM note!
Win/Win right there! -
17 minutes ago, K13 said:
Good to see you are still with us. I was in Galveston last weekend, but not geocaching on the fishing trip.
Perhaps Snoogans will see this thread. He's from that general area, and quite knowledgeable.
You too K13!
I was born and raised on the coast, just haven't been back since 2005. There are plenty of caches there. The Brazoria County Historical Museum maintains several. And they have a 100 and 200 cache challenge. Can't find anything on a group in that area after 2010.......
Made a couple of contacts here so there is hope......
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Hello guys.......I'm back!
Don't know where to put this, but I'll throw it out there and let the mods decide.
I posted about geocaching on a Facebook page about things to do in Brazoria County Texas.
The local newspaper contact me wanting to do an article.
Problem: I don't live in Brazoria County Texas.
So, please, if any of you live in Brazoria County, and would be willing to do an interview, contact me and I'll give you the contact information.
It would be great if we could find a group in that are who would help as well!
Thanks! -
On 4/18/2018 at 9:01 AM, StumblinMonk said:
I just ordered a laser engraver, they are too cheap to not want to play with! I figured some custom wooden nickel swag would be a fun find, and I think I might have gotten the idea from you in a different thread.
If you like woodwork, they can be fun. Assuming its a K40 laser, there are a few groups on Facebook that will help get you set up and running. Bring a grain of salt. Most will offer advice on upgrades you should buy before you do any cutting.
I'm an oddball. I bought the laser after home building and running CNC router table (since 2011). I've seen people run their stock table for years without problems and people who buy a laser, spend $1500 on improvements and give it all away for $900.
They never get the idea its not what you have to work with, its the work you can do with what you have. For the fun of it, (and to keep this geocache related)...
Here's a 100mm, 8 ring cryptex, completely made with my laser with cedar and poplar.
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2 hours ago, Gabeman26 said:
Hi there, I'm Gabe, I'm a beginner geocacher I usually go by myself but I thought I'd invite some local cachers from my area to geocache with.
Do people use this site to do that? I've tried adding friends but it appears nobody has even logged in to see my request.
I'm trying on the Facebook Group as well but still no replies, oh well.
Man! You must have 9000 caches in NW Houston to choose from! Are there not any groups that have meetups in that area?
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22 minutes ago, noncentric said:
Was there a survey or census of some sort to show that most cachers lack integrity?
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I was not making a factual statement. I was asking someone, not you, to expand on how they describe the hobby to others. " Do you even concede to them that most cachers are fine, upstanding citizens of the game, or do you just paint the vast majority of cachers as unscrupulous? "
My question was whether a concession was made about a belief by the person making the statements. If someone believes that most cachers are fine, upstanding citizens of the game, then they might say something like "There are some cachers that lack integrity, but most cachers are good/honest/etc people and try to keep geocaching fun" vs Someone that believes most cachers lack integrity, then they might say something like "There isn't any integrity in geocaching. Most of the cachers are bad/dishonest/etc people that make geocaching un-fun."
The majority of the cachers I've met and/or know about are fine geocachers that are out to have fun, share the fun with others with their hides, and are not trying to 'cheat' their way through the hobby. I believe that "most" cachers are like this. Since that's what I believe, then I would not tell people that geocaching lacks integrity.
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Guess I just don't understand why people would bother to regularly participate in a forum about an activity that they don't enjoy, or that they think is so lacking in integrity that it's not worth participating in. If I felt that way about an activity, then I wouldn't spend my time regularly discussing it. But that's just me. If others feel differently, then bully for them.
I'll agree with you.
In some areas caches is in good health with few problems, floating right along. In other areas, it is pretty much hitting the rocks, taking on water, and may well sink, if it hasn't already. And there is the Sargasso sea where nothing is happening.
The local area is our first exposure to caching and often paints our picture of overall game. With a bad experience the picture is just a bad doodle; a good experience leaves an awesome doodle (a Picasso doodle).
I pray that people aren't inherently bad, but only circumstances and misinterpretation make it seem so.
Unfortunately, we have to accept there are a share who cheat because, "Everyone else is doing it....."
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25 minutes ago, noncentric said:
So, instead of promoting the game, you're bashing it - telling people that the hobby lacks integrity? Do you even concede to them that most cachers are fine, upstanding citizens of the game, or do you just paint the vast majority of cachers as unscrupulous?
Just wanted to mention, in regards to keeping track of finds/dnfs for caching days. Many cachers use "Drafts" (formerly known as "Field Notes") to keep track of the caches they attempt. The functionality is included on GPSr's and most geocaching phone apps and allows a cacher to hit a few buttons after navigating to a cache to record whether they found/dnf it. They can even include text notes about that cache if they want. Then later, they upload those records to the website and/or a 3rd party application to flesh out the notes and post their finds.
Of course, there are still some cachers that use memory or pen/paper to keep track of their caching activity. Logging errors would be more likely using such methods.
We're on the same page. I suspect that what happened was...
He pulls up, sees the monument, base and the only thing sitting on it and hits the FOUND button. Maybe he did look and didn't find it and forgot to change it.
I confess to doing the same without intent, being new to using a GPSr. And I don't even know of you can change a Found to a DNF in a GPSr??? But I hand log everything in any event which is much easier on me since I'm just out for the exercise and fresh air forgetting all about numbers.
I dare say, after three trips, I could take Inspector Gadget out with no result. I say that with some confidence after picking up every nail, screw and bit of material, kicking and moving rocks, running my hand over, under, around, and in every crevice and crack that might hide a log. I say that after trying to contact the owner and getting no response. And a followup with the last person to have located another of his caches revealed the owner had allowed that a certain cache was muggled and he would not be replacing it (although that cache is listed as active as of this posting).
On the local level, one missing cache seems like nothing, but being conservative if there is 1 missing in every county in the US it comes to 3007.What if it's 1 of 100 missing? That's 25,000 missing.
It might be the area I live in, but sadly, I just don't see this rosy picture of a fun outdoor activity happening here. What I see is people abandoning their caches, leaving the game, and expecting the community to continue to oversee their living legacy. Or they could care less if the cache is there tomorrow.-
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9 hours ago, EmzyJanezy said:
The only reason it frustrates me is because they have found some of the caches I couldn't find that had a long string of DNFs. I was watching these caches to see if anybody found the cache so I could go and have another look with the belief it was still live. Logs such as the one this geocacher left could make us believe the cache is still waiting to be found when it has in fact gone.
I just took the "yes please" in response to me asking if I should mind my own business to be a little bit curt and therefore concerned people were going to be offended by my question and so decided it was best to leave it.
You're doing fine. Exactly what I did when I started a month ago.
I don't remember the post or article, but there is one that suggests you put a watch on a cache you didn't find and see what happens. I did.
I visited a cache twice and found nothing. Two days after my visit a guy crisscrossing Texas found 307 caches, including that one. 307 logs all the same, "Parked in a convenient location, made the short walk over and found it quickly."
The burnt part is that "short walk." It's 12 foot from the parking spot to the base of the monument. That's less of a walk than most people make from their bedroom to the kitchen! Yeah, that raised my suspicions and I checked his log and his route. That he logged 1340 miles in 4 days driving is totally believable except, that 1340 miles is as the crow flies. This person is taking detours, retracing their route, crossing over highways, traveling state roads, and backroads, with means the actual mileage would be closer to 1700. Logging 75 caches a day and stopping to sleep each night. I didn't find a single DNF log even though he would be within a mile (or less) of caches I know are in play. Neither did he log the two most popular caches in this area.
I got the impression that he pulled up, made the decision, "Yeah, that will be easy to find" and logged it found.
To give him credit, I concluded it was a mislog. With everything happening, it would be virtually impossible to remember every cache you find and did not find in that short, hurried time frame. So I went back the third time and located small smashed bit of black plastic that might have been a nano at one time but today is nothing more than bits and pieces of days gone by. The owner of this particular cache is no longer active and doesn't respond.
So it is what it is. Some people set lofty goals and the achievement of that goal is Job #1. Quantity comes before quality. And as long as the goal is achieved they are happy.
But don't be afraid to speak out on it. Databases don't get updated, necessary changes don't get made, and things continue to fall apart unless you, or I, or someone, does. -
Never be the first one there.....maybe?
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23 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:
"Bridge" hides depends on the area. Many countries/states policies can be found in the Regional Geocaching Policies Wiki.
We've found many on/under/in bridges.
If you're not sure of, or have questions about placement, an email to your local Reviewer's a good bet as well.
This^^^^^
Too many unknowns to draw any conclusions. Is the cache under the bridge, at the foot of the bridge? Is there a walkway/bicycle path on the bridge? -
16 hours ago, Khudsontn said:
So, I was geocaching today and a muggle came up upon me. Asked what I was doing. Explained I was geocaching and he was still confused and then proceeded to tell me I was in a private neighborhood and was trespassing. Explained to him that the person who created and left a hidden container explained this was a private neighborhood and that he gave geocachers permission to enter it and look for them. Guy demanded to know name of person. Informed him that I was not sure and could only provide username. Then proceeded to ask me if he could take a picture of the info on my phone so he could report the game to the members at the board meeting that evening. He also told me that I was parked alongside an airplane runway. (Mind you this is in a private neighborhood and the runway was a marked street with NO signage saying do not park in area for it’s a runway).
I apologized and left immediately. Guy was borderline rude despite calling me a nice lady. He was still friendly but I doubt he believed me when I tried to explain the game concept behind geocaching. Was surprised he didn’t call the police on me.
Just my two cents......
I'd never allow anyone any information from my phone, even if all they ask is a picture. That sounds suspiciously like they were hoping you would add 2+2 and offer to send it to them, giving them your phone number in the process.
I'd offer to write down all the information they wanted and give them the address for Geocaching.com, allowing them to obtain whatever they desired. Somewhere in that process I'd mention, "Give me a few minutes and I'll show you what I'm looking for."
At which point if he chooses to bring in a homeowners representative or the police, I'd welcome a third party for my own safety.
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1 hour ago, justintim1999 said:
Gps devices can be fickle. Sometimes you need to stop and let them settle for a minute or two. Other times it will continue to bounce and you'll have to rely on your Geo-sense to find the cache.
I'm not muggle friendly which means I'm not the most stealthiest person in the world and I tend to stick out like a sore thumb. Normally stay away from caches in high muggle areas. Believe it or not I've used a clipboard and some paper when looking for caches like these. It's amazing how people will notice the clip board and think I'm on some official business or something and not give me a second look.
Clipboard and tape measure. I take a lot of pictures so........crime scene tape?
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Okay, okay, I'll get one more cache tomorrow and pick up Saturn. But I'm not getting anywhere near Uranus!
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Death by drowning might be considered a liability.
Visibility would always be a problem."Here’s the straight scoop folks:
First of all, when you place objects on the bottom of the ocean, rivers or lakes, you run the very real risk that currents and turbidity will deposit debris and sediments over the top of the object. Of course this is in addition to the host of marine organisms that will grow on any underwater surface, thereby camouflaging the object further and making it very difficult to re-locate even when there is good underwater visibility. What is ‘good’ visibility? Well, in open water that is away from the shore (where turbidity is always higher due to the action of the water near shore) good visibility might be about 50 feet in places offshore around Florida, etc. That’s not to say that I haven’t had better; I have had visibility on dives well in excess of that. However, when it comes to visibility near shore in the ocean, lakes or rivers, ‘good’ visibility may only be 12-20 feet, and average visibility would be less.
Secondly; speaking of visibility, it can vary greatly from day to day. Underwater visibility is a function of how much light is in the sky and the water turbidity (suspended particles). Things like rain and wind as well as plankton/algae blooms can quickly affect water clarity and the visibility. There are times when visibility can be as low as one-foot, and having low visibility is not an uncommon situation… Murphy’s Law comes to mind."
http://www.theprepperjournal.com/2013/11/04/underwater-caches-great-idea-prepping-disaster/ -
Or.....
It could be a local cache not listed/registered here. You might find it listed on another site. -
2 minutes ago, EmzyJanezy said:
I'm new to geocaching - just a few days old in fact - but I've noticed the same. I'm not in it for the "stuff" but I love the idea of leaving little trinkets for other geocachers to find and collecting a pot full of cute bits and pieces from various locations.
I go out with my two daughters - aged ten and six - and there's not even any plastic tat for them to get excited about.
We made some little glass nuggets to drop into the caches we find but since they are backed with paper I worry the moisture in most of the caches will destroy them. However, I've been dropping them into the dry caches I come across, even though there has been nothing to take. I just think its a nice way to spread a little cheer.
Same here. I was putting out little boxes with necklaces and whatnot, and posting on a rock painting group when someone pointed out geocaching. Its not adding up to what the perception conveyed. It may have been better back between 2010 - 2015, but sadly enough, it doesn't live up to its potential here.
Those are gorgeous! I'd love to find treasure like that! -
28 minutes ago, NYPaddleCacher said:
I wouldn't go that far. Even if a CO visits the location every two weeks there's always a chance that several geocachers may attempt to find it in between visits. The better the container (and how/where it's hidden) the better chance that those geocachers are going to find a dry cache and log sheet/book.
Okay along those lines, I'll go wayyyyyyyy out on the edge of the limb and let everybody with chain saw start cutting the tree down.
IMHO, there should be some, "When a NM is logged, CO visit is required (within this time frame) or it will be deleted/disabled/removed cutoff time frame. Any CO who can't make a visit should make contact with a reviewer to disable cache until maintenance is performed. There will be no exceptions."
That would clean up a lot of the abandoned waterlogged geo-garbage, with saturated logs, and rusting metal.
(I already hear the hum of the chainsaws.)-
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13 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:
I agree. I didn't look back thru the logs. Give that cache an NA!
At least look for the submarine first!
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3 minutes ago, icezebra11 said:
I had no experience with a Monterra so peace, out!
Not a problem. At least your response gave me the opportunity to explain my initial post.....LOL
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2 hours ago, icezebra11 said:
One reason is to transfer caches on a list using "Send to Garmin." Another is to get Garmin software updates.
I'll just be quiet from here on out and let yall bang your heads against whatever wall is available.
The reason I asked that question was to get StefandD to respond. Apparently they didn't look at the link I posted because the guys who wrote is say (quote), "One of the issues with the Monterra is you cannot mount it as a removable drive." (unquote).If you can mount it as a removable drive, then you don't Garmin Express to update the caches. (It takes less time to replace a PQ on an Etrex 10 than to open Garmin Express.)
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9 minutes ago, StefandD said:
Nope. Garmin Express detects the Monterra perfectly. The message appears before GE starts.
If you can see it as a removable drive than why do you need Garmin Express?
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Tick Box
in General geocaching topics
Posted
"Found it" and "I signed the log" have different meanings. Of course the rules clearly state part of finding is a requirement to sign the log.
I can also see losing your pen or pencil on some hunts; I can see a pen quit at the wrong time; so I keep one pocket in my backpack for pens and pencils. Nothing but pens and pencils. And I always take a picture of the signed log. The other day I picked up two nearby caches taking pictures as normal. But when I got home, they appeared to be identical.
I didn't upload either since I couldn't be sure which cache went to which picture. And wondered if I had taken pictures of both.
Nobody mentions it but pictures help COs see who is signing as well. So they serve a dual purpose.
This evening I signed a log 11-2-19 (realizing later it is the 3rd).
But check boxes would become a default option, where a picture will always be worth a thousand words (+/- a day).
Either way it doesn't matter to me. If I'm going to the trouble of finding it, I'm going to sign it one way or another.