The Aljos

Thanks ................ Logged out / logged in again and Bingo just as you said.

Does anyone know how to re-display hidden souvenirs? For a while all hidden souvenirs still appeared but were greyed out ............... now they have completely vanished.

We don't have any of the 'follow the arrow' jobs but we do get on very well with our TomTom One satnav and a good compass. Unfortunately, the TomTom is static and can only tell us exactly where we are. We then have to use the compass to progress in a particular direction until we reach the given coordinates. We have already sussed the area on Anquet O.S. mapping so that we do not walk into a river or over a cliff. We have found our TomTom to be very accurate and we see no real need to purchase another more expensive system.

We feel that the most important quality of a cache is the feelgood factor level that can be induced by the find. If a search involves too much stealth and personal embarassment then this factor is greatly reduced. Being furtive and trying to avoid the gaze of muggles becomes all too much like actions we commonly read about in spy thrillers. As geocachers, we do not see any point or enjoyment in this sort of activity. Cache owners should be bringing the hunters to new, different and exciting environments that have a local history or a natural beauty. If these sites involve a good walk or hike, then to us, it becomes even more enjoyable than the 'cache and dash' scenarios that are becoming all too common. The size of the cache container is obviously limited by the dimensions of the selected concealment area but it is preferable to have a container that is big enough to contain coins and TBs. Lastly, the provision of a good but subtle hint is essential, as this will also add to the memorable experience of a successful find.

Thanks to all who responded to our thread. It would appear that posting or non-posting of DNFs is entirely personal and is obviously not governed by any rules. However, having read through the responses, we still feel that following a reasonable but unfruitful search, a failure to find should be definitely be logged.

We are a pair of rookies at geocaching that have just reached our first 100 (no applause needed, just send champagne), but on our learning curve we have been noticing with regularity that when we arrive at numerous GZ areas, they are looking like they have just been turned over by a herd of stampeding elephants, yet ZERO visits to the cache have been logged within the previous 10/12 weeks. Is it possible, that some folks simply refuse to register their DNFs, and if so, why? Surely, it is in the interests of all geocachers and cache owners to recognise the degree of difficulty of every cache by its 'Found' success or failure rate. We always post our DNFs, but we do find it extremely unhelpful when other cachers refuse to do same. Failure to post DNFs allows the cache to assume a false degree of difficulty. Can that be helpful? I think not. C,mon folks, an admission of failure is not exactly a blot in the exercise book. Are there others that feel like us?

Many thanks for your offer of taking this TB but I have now been informed that there is an easily found cache in Alice Springs. I think now, that I would prefer to personally complete the mission and leave this well travelled TB in the very heart of Australia. Kind regards Aljomorton

Thank you BlueDeuce for pointing us in a more appropriate direction. We have now posted in the Australian forum so will be keeping our fingers crossed for a favourable reply. Kind regards Aljomorton

Hi folks We have just come across a Travel Bug in Scotland that has a mission to reach Australia. Perhaps it was a fortuitous find for this Bug as we are doing a 30 day whistlestop tour of NZ and OZ in October this year and it would be nice to see a mission being fulfilled. Unfortunately, we only have 2 days in each place of our itinerary and it would seem more prudent if we were to pass on the Travel Bug to a reliable Geocacher who could have it placed safely in an OZ cache as an act of 'mission accomplished'. We will be visiting Melbourne, Alice Springs, Uluru, Cairns and Sydney. If Anyone is interested in taking possession of this TB and introducing it to its new home, please contact us at.... aljomorton@msn.com .... We can have it posted to an interested party when we arrive in OZ.

I would dearly love to place it in a cache by myself but as I am on a 30 day non stop tour of OZ and NZ I will not have enough available time. I will only be a maximum of 2 days in any one place. I was therefore hoping that I could mail it on to a reliable geocacher when I arrived in OZ and thus complete the mission for this little travel bug. Just supply me with a name and address of a reliable geocacher and I will get it mailed when I arrive in OZ.

Hi there I have just lifted a TB that has a mission of getting from Scotland to Australia. As I will be in OZ in October 2009, it seems appropriate that I should bring it with me and pass it on to someone who will deposit it in an OZ cache site and thus complete its earthly mission. I am therefore looking to contact an OZ geocacher who is willing to accept this task and drop it into an Australian cache. I will be in Melbourne, Sydney, Alice Springs and Cairns before I return to Bonny Scotland in November. Please drop me an email if you are interested in fulfilling this mission.