Ralfcoder

You could have a great TB hotel here. But I agree with HH242's comment. Cache containers that look like electrical cabinets always make me cringe a bit. I'd hate to lose my telephone or internet service because someone started poking around in a real junction box down the road, thinking there was a cache inside. Worse yet would be if someone opened a live transformer or some such for the same reason, and was severely hurt or killed. I know of a cache thats hidden in one of these. only thing inside other than the cache is a electric meter. nothing to open or get shocked by. My point was that if someone finds a cache in something like this, they may look in other similar cabinets that DO have the potential to shock them, or they may disrupt someone else's utilities. Either would give caching and cachers a black eye.

You could have a great TB hotel here. But I agree with HH242's comment. Cache containers that look like electrical cabinets always make me cringe a bit. I'd hate to lose my telephone or internet service because someone started poking around in a real junction box down the road, thinking there was a cache inside. Worse yet would be if someone opened a live transformer or some such for the same reason, and was severely hurt or killed. I'd consider repainting it to make it clear it's not really some sort utility company's installation. I'd also think about putting a combination lock on it, with the combination published in the online listing, or in a previous stage. One other suggestion - around here (Michigan), a cabinet like that would almost certainly start growing bees or hornet's nest, unless it's sealed watertight. If that applies to your area, think about including a box of moth balls in there to discourage this.

It's just a game. My opinion is that you need to just get over it, and save your ire and fury for something more important, like global warming, nuclear terrorism, or the quality of World Cup referees. I've had a situation like one you posed. I found a micro cache that was a small container tucked into a knothole in a tree. I found it in January, and it was frozen in solid. I wouldn't have got it out without sawing it free, or using a torch to melt it out. I claimed the find, but noted the circumstances in the log, and said I couldn't sign. The cache owner deleted the find on the grounds that I didn't sign. This was his right, so I didn't challenge it. It seems nit-picking to me, however. If I put out a cache with additional logging requirements, and someone doesn't follow them, I'd probably let the log stand. I can't know if the person didn't dive down in the water to retrieve the cache because it would short out their wheelchair, or soak the bandage covering the sutures on that cut on their arm, or something as far-fetched as that. Different people have different abilities, and get their enjoyment in different ways. I'm not going to stand up and say, "You MUST have fun in only the manner that I as cache owner specify". Why not let them enjoy the game as works best for them? And if it's obvious to me that the person is just padding their count with bogus finds, then I would expect that it's pretty obvious to others as well. The caching community will have a good idea about that "finder" in due course.

I've seen people use the spray-in foam insulation that comes in a can. In one case, I only found it because people had been standing on the fake rock to look up into a tree for the cache, and had damaged the coating. I can think of 2 possible ways to make one like this. 1) Make a cardboard shell a bit larger than the ammo can, and spray the foam around that to form a shell to hide the can. When done, the shell can be lifted off the ammo can. 2) turn the ammo can upside down, and spray the foam directly on to the side of the can. You'll need to mask the ammo can lid so that you don't seal it shut permanently. Alternatively, you can seal it up for now, but after the foam sets and is fully dry, cut your way into it so that you can use the can as a cache. You can smooth and shape the foam as it swells before it sets in its final shape. Maybe use latex gloves and work with your hands, or have some scrap plastic or cardboard to use as a trowel or tool to smooth and shape the foam. When it looks like what you want, sprinkle with sand, dirt, etc as a camo coating. Or else, let it dry, and then carve it into shape, and use a spray adhesive to stick on some sand or dirt to make it look more like a rock.

It depends on what I'm doing at the time. If I'm traveling somewhere, I'll scan the map and pick caches along the way to break up the trip. I may try to space them out an hour or 2 apart, for example, or look for a cluster of caches located fairly close together. If I'm just out to burn a few hours on a Saturday morning, I'll look for clusters of those I haven't found yet, and print the listing sheet and load 'em by hand into the Garmin. No, I haven't gone paperless yet. I do like finding the older caches, so I occasionally make a pilgrimage to find some of the oldest ones in the state. On those occasions, I'll look for some along the way and back. I might do this to find a newer cache, if the listings and reports make it sound like it's something unique and different and interesting. I combined this with one above, and spent 3 hours detouring off the New York Throughway to find The Spot. It was worth every minute of the extra time it took. I have been riding my 10-speed a lot this spring, and will be through the summer. I'm training for a long ride in the fall, so I've combined the rides and caching, and I start planning rides to take me by caches I haven't found yet. I got 2 yesterday this way. On most of these, I'll check the listing, the online maps, etc before I go. If I suspect it's a LPC, yet another nano like a bison tube, or something hidden on a busy street corner, I'll usually skip it entirely. I'm tired of getting to GZ and having to dig around forever for those thumb-nail-sized magnetic nanos, only to have to cramp my hands up trying to write on a sliver of paper. I'd much rather tromp off through the woods for an ammo can, thank you!

Anyone had problems trying to log the find on a cache with a high number of finds? I found the Big Orange Travel Bug Convention Center (GZK8ZV) once. It has 756 logged visits showing on it at the moment. When I tried to log it, gc.com took forever to display anything.

I have placed a few caches in local parks, park-n-ride lots, etc, and they have had decent traffic over the years. Two were off the beaten track a bit, and the # of finds per month started falling off. These also got somewhat dilapidated, so I removed both of them. I'm thinking of putting something else in the same general area, but I want to try some sort of mechanical puzzle cache to make it a bit more challenging and hopefully interesting. Are there any guidelines or general consensus on how long to wait, if any, between archiving one cache and placing a new one? How about physical location? Should I put some separation between the old location and the new one? The two I mentioned above have been archived for months, but I've got one or two others that I might pull out of service if I come up with some good replacements. I don't want to be seen as thinking that I "own" that bit of geocaching territory, but I would like to see something other than just another bison tube on a nail go in there as a replacement. To me, part of the fun is finding something unique, or that makes me think, or that brings me to a place that has something special to offer, like a great view, a historical aspect, etc.

I've put a WheresGeorge dollar in once or twice. But I think the best FTF prize I used was a chance for more FTFs. I put out 4 caches, but only listed one online initially. It had 3 envelopes in it, one each for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd finders. The 1st one had coordinates for the 3 unregistered caches. The 2nd had 2 of the 3; the 3rd, only one. I figured some of the heavy-duty cachers around here would find the first one quick enough that there was a decent chance that all 4 FTFs wouldn't end up going to the same person. I registered the other 3 once the first one was found, I think.

There is a local cacher in my area who can be counted on to be one of the first 3 finders of a new cache. He's a nice guy, but he just HAS to find whatever pops up as soon as it becomes available. He's got a lot of FTFs - so much so that he apparently ticked off someone about it. He got an e-mail from someone who claimed to be a cacher moving into the area, and who was upset that my friend got a disproportional number of FTFs. The e-mail claimed the new guy would watch how many he got, and for every FTF from now on, one of my friend's caches would "disappear". My friend modified his cache listings to include a copy of the e-mail, complete with the sender's e-mail address. I suspect the cretin got an earful about his plan. Yeah, some people think FTFs are important.

I got this message from a kayaking/canoeing club I belong to. It seemed to me that the warning would be appropriate to cachers as well. It's a sad state of things, but better safe than sorry. FYI, Paw Paw is a town in southwestern Michigan, USA. Van Buren County is in that area as well. ---- begin forwarded message ---- River Clean Up - Beware of Discarded Meth Lab Equipment By Andrew Lersten - H-P South Haven Bureau Friday, March 26, 2010 Paw Paw - Ah, springtime. It's that time of year when the flowers pop up, the temperatures climb - and people find more dumped methamphetamine lab parts and ingredients outdoors. Van Buren County Sheriff Dale Gribler said this week his officers have fielded numerous reports from people who have found meth lab components and related dumped items. Typically, people have been finding the dumped lab parts along the sides of roads and in open fields and wooded areas. The most common meth lab components found are plastic, 2-liter soft drink containers, peeled batteries, Gatorade containers, used coffee filters, camp fuel cans, lye and used bottles of drain opener, the sheriff said. They can typically be found together in one garbage bag, he said. "No matter how long they have been there, these items pose a potential hazard," Gribler said. "If you see an item you believe is meth-related, do not touch it. If you see a trash bag along the road or even in a field, do not open the bag. Once these items are disturbed, the (chemical) reactions may begin again, giving off a hazardous gas. These items also pose additional hazards by being caustic and flammable." Anyone finding such items is urged to stay away and contact police. ---- end forwarded message ---- Has anyone come across something like this while out on the hunt?

I just did one tonight on my bike. I decided I wanted to ride the DALMAC this fall - a bicycle ride from Lansing, MI to Mackinaw City, MI on the week before Labor Day. The route I picked is 340 miles in 5 days, so I need to train and get a few miles in the saddle this summer. What better way than to ride after some caches? There are a few fairly close, and some more that are 5-10 miles from home. If I don't clean out too many in one ride, I can get maybe 10-20 training rides this way. And if I take the bike someplace and start riding from there, I can cache and ride all summer. Does anyone have a good way to secure a Garmin Etrex to the handlebars of a bike? I stopped at a Dick's Sporting Goods to look for a clip or mount of some sort, and they didn't have any. The clerk said he attached his carrying case to the bars with wire ties. That might work, but doesn't sound ideal. If anyone has a better solution, drop me a note through my profile, please.

Oh, yeah, several times. One memorable time was while driving from Michigan to New York. I cut across Canada, from Sarnia/port Huron to Niagara. I decided to get off the road a bit to stretch my legs. In a parking lot along the shore near the cache GC1PMEJ, there were 3-4 people on their hands and knees around the base of a bush growing out of a cluster of broken concrete, etc. It was pretty obvious what they were doing. I didn't look for the cache - there wasn't much room for another person looking, and I didn't want to horn in on their group. I checked the log later, though, and one of them mentioned meeting me there.

I think several people here have nailed the reasons: - the proliferation of micros and nanos - small log books --> short logs - the proliferation of urban caches - if you want to minimize muggle involvement, you need to write quickly and succinctly. - the "stop 'n grab" or "park 'n grab" mentality. If it's an easy cache, there's not much reason to write a book about the find. - "It's all about the numbers" - the cachers who want to run up their find count are already plotting their way to the next cache, and don't want to waste time writing a lot here. They want to do just enough to show they were here, and then get on their way. And I know I'm guilty of it as well. I've signed more than a few logbooks with "Ralfcoder, MM/DD/YY". I try to put at least a little more in the online posting, but don't always succeed. I know I tend to put more effort into my comments in the log books and online log when it's clear that the hider has put more effort into their cache. If it's a hand-made, well-camo'd container that's 5 miles down a jeep trail, I'll write a LOT more than just another ratty LPC. I've found a few that turn out to be LPCs that I don't even bother logging.

At a Meet-n-greet (GC1H75P) last year, someone brought copies of "The 12 days of geocaching", handed them out, and we performed it to a rousing round of applause. There's a picture of it at http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/044c89...2284d41ba4c.jpg I'll try to find the words, and post them here. Edit, 3 minutes later: HAH! Found it! The 12 Days of Caching By Climbingcachers On the first day of caching my partner said to me: 1 Just Follow the GPS 2 Where is the trail? 3 Who put this here? 4 I have to pee 5 I AM NOT LOST! 6 Who's going in? 7 I'm First to Find 8 Who's signed the log 9 Look at this coin 10 Gun it and we'll make it 11 I think it's poison ivy. 12 I'm going home The song was done in a call-and-response mode - the crowd sang the first line, and whoever was assigned line 1-12 would speak it. As we went through the list, the responders would start to adlib. I think on the last time through, #4 didn't say a thing, just turned and walked away with that pained step that told everyone what he was thinking....

I have just over 600 finds, and only 2 FTFs. Both came when the hider gave me a "heads up" just prior to registering the cache. I found one of them just this morning, but it turns out that the cache was too close to an intermediate stage in a multi-stage cache. So - the hider has to go move it. If I go out and find it right away again after he moves it, does that count as 2 FTFs on one cache?

You can ignore it, or you can add your name to the log, or you can sign on to the geocaching.com site and log it there, too. If you like the idea of doing a treasure hunt, or you like gadgetry, or you like the outdoors, think about it. If you sign on, you can probably look around and find someone local to you who would be glad to take you out to hunt for a few. That'll let you try it without buying a GPS first.

My milestones have been mostly either old caches, or ones that interested me, or ones that were somehow out of the ordinary. I just passed 600, and #500 and 600 were from the 25 oldest caches in the state of Michigan. If I was in the area, I'd look at Little Tube Torcher (GCTD33) or The Spot (GC39) or the BIG Orange Travel Bug Convention Center (GCK8ZV) or Beverly (GC28). All have something unique about them that interested me, and so I had them on my watch list until I found them. But pick something that sounds interesting, and is reachable, and go for it.

All the new caches that pop up in your area will be hidden under light pole covers. Coordinates entered by hand will have digits transposed - and not the very last 2, so you'll be hundreds or thousands of feet away. The hint will be useless. (I had one today that read, "Too easy to need a hint", or some such) The TB you've been searching for for 9 months will have been taken 30 minutes earlier.

I know of one similar to this in my area (Mid-Michigan, USA, near Lansing). It's TB Hotel Squidward, and it's mounted on a tree in front of the owner's home. It's not quite as elaborate as the one pictured above, but it's still a nicely built cache. Another one I've heard of, but not visited yet, is the BIG Orange Travel Bug Convention Center (GCK8ZV), created by MaxB on the River. From the pictures, it lives up to its name. I plan to go find this one next month, when I travel through that part of the state. http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/14e499...0d8a4b917ed.jpg

When you can play "connect the dots" with the mosquito bites on your body, and spell out your gc.com user name AND the name of your favorite cache. when all your pets have TB tags on their collars, and more than 20 of the local cachers have discovered them. When you have more than 3 TB t-shirts. When you have a TB sign for the back window of your cache-mobile, and a vanity plate # that matches the TB's number. When you look around for a newbie to recruit for the game, in part to carry your 2nd backpack of swag. When poison ivy plants recognize you, and either give up in disgust, or pull up their roots and walk over to greet you. OK, after that last one, I think I'm tapped out!

Lil Hobo, if you haven't kayaked or canoed much before, I have 2 recommendations. First - get a good quality PFD/life jacket that fits you well. Take your kayak with you to the store, pick out 3-4 PFDs that you like and that fit, and sit in the boat to see if they interfere with the seat, the coaming of the boat, your stroke, etc. You probably won't be able to do this at the local Meijer's, so you'll have to go to a decent sporting goods / outdoor store that will let you take the jackets out to your car or truck. But you're buying life support gear here, so in my view, it's worth a bit extra to take the time to get something that fits and is comfortable. If it's not both of those, you won't use it, and it won't do you much good when it's in the garage and you're upside down in the rapids. Second - consider joining a paddling club or kayaking club, and get some experience before you try anything more than a very easy cache. It's easy to just jump in and head downstream or across the lake, and you'll probably have no troubles. But you can always learn more about the sport, and just one of those things might save you in a tight spot, or keep you from getting into that spot in the first place. Now that the safety lecture is out of the way - take a look at this bookmark list. It's Michigan Canoe and Kayak caches. One of them should be near you. http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...47-863e92e3b5da And if you're interested, contact me offline - I'm considering going to GCF829 - Reeds Lake cache - this weekend, on the east side of Grand Rapids. I'd be glad to have someone go with me.

I wasn't hiking, but I found this one while caching. It's called "the indian tree", and it's located on the grounds of the Civic Center in Traverse City, MI. Local legend says it was made by the indians as a pointer or trail marker.

I've never had that many in my backlog to post. I usually am doing well to have 5-6 finds to post at the end of the day. When I'm out, I usually have the printed sheets for the cache with me, and I'll jot down notes for these when I'm at the cache, or walking back out. It might be anything from wildlife I saw on the way in, or cache maintenance, or what swag I traded, or the name and # of a TB or coin that I dropped, if I didn't have it in my inventory already. Maybe I grabbed it earlier today at another cache, for example. If I'm on the road, I will often look for a public library along the way, and stop in and post my finds there. It makes for a good way to break up the trip, and maybe look for a few caches in the area or ahead of me on my route, too. The last suggestion - which I haven't tried yet, BTW - is a laptop with wifi access. Some of the new notebook PCs are so small you could almost carry one in a pocket. You may not have access in the middle of the Great Swampy Swamp, but you can still log everything afterwards when you do get connected.

Here's another vote for larger caches. I sometimes make a point of adding something like "It's good to see a large cache like this!" to my online log when I find one of decent size. We have some cachers in my area who have so many micros out that it seems like they carry a dozen or two with them, on the off chance that they may find a place to drop one. If that's what they like to do, fine, but it's almost to the point that when I see the name of the hider, I just move on to the next cache on the list. I second the idea that ammo cans make ideal containers. They're durable, they are engineered to stay dry in tough conditions, and they come in a camo color already. The biggest I've seen was one that may have been a warhead container. It was 3-4 feet long, and maybe 6 by 9 inches in cross section? It's been awhile since I was there. It's kind of too bad that the rules no longer allow burying a cache. I found one in northern Michigan that was a 5 gallon insulated cooler - you know, the ones with the screw-on tops and pour spigot on the bottom. It was buried so that only the top was above ground. A scattering of leaves, and it was invisible. It wasn't 10 feet from the trail, and no hiker would ever notice it, and it was done in a way that wouldn't disturb the surrounding area.

Aw, come on, Snoogans - don't hold back. Tell us how you REALLY feel... I think most of the advice here is good. If you know the person personally, ask them to put them back into play. They're not collector's items, after all. If you don't know the person, a polite e-mail is appropriate in my view. Ask if they have it still, and can put it back into circulation.