bike&ski

Thank you very much kunarion. I converted tracks to .gpx via Basecamnp, then found a .gpx to .kml converter online. Probably more elegant ways to do it, but this approach did just fine. Working like a champ.

I'm sure this is already in the forums, so a gentle nudge will be appreciated. That said, we're taking a bike tour in a couple of weeks, so of course I'll want to cache along our routes. I got the tour tracks from the tour operator, and can convert them into .gpx or .kml files in Basecamp. When I try to upload either file type under the Upload a Route tab, I get a 500 Server Error message. Not sure where to turn next, or what to search under in the forums. Any direction will be appreciated.

I'm always amused by logs complaining about the lack of parking near caches along bike paths.

Just got the may 11 issue of Outside magazine (I don't subscribe. They send it and I don't complain) and saw a full page advert for opencaching.com. First time I ever saw any sort of advertising, print or otherwise, for caching. I'm sure we'll be seeing an online advertising campaign in the near future.

My turn. My turn. Looks like lots of bikes were cut loose and removed to make way for the President's trip to NYC. http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/ Not a commentary on bikes here. Just an observation on the overreaction to something that might possibly happen, regardless of how unlikely. Carrying to the extreme, you might as well ban all cars near people, because there might be bombs in 'em. E.

I need some GPS technical assistance. First, some background info- On large, organized bike rides, the event organizers hand out cue sheets describing the route turn by turn. Format is always text based, with point to point and culmulative distances. I've never seen any sort of map given out for the ride. Probably because a map covering the entire route would loose the turn by turn resolution needed. So, I'm doing a ride in western MD in September, and suggested that the route map be made available for download to GPS devices. Great idea, they replied, but how do you do it? Specifically- __________ "Eric - Thanks for your interest in the Civil War Century. Your question is very timely; we have been discussing this topic. I am personally unfamiliar with GPS devices so I have some questions: * Would cue sheets have to be put into a specific format for download (in other words would the existing format work or would it have to be changed)? * Are you aware of any bike events that do provide maps electronically for download to GOS (sic) devices." Thanks!" _______________ SO, my question is, what do I want to tell them? I have a feeling they think they can load a text file into the GPS. They (and I) probably need to know what sorts of route files can be used by what sorts of units, and how to develop these route files. Info and comments please- E.

Even worse when they brag about it in the cache log.

All of my (ten or so) non-US finds were on cycling tours. I do a lot of road riding in the summer, but its hard to stop for a cache in the middle of a century ride. And rooting around in the bushes by the side of the road wearing Lycra and cleated shoes tends to raise eyebrows. If the weather holds, I'll be mountain biking this weekend with some non-caching co-workers, and will make it a point look for a few caches along Forbidden Drive in Philly. Share the road---

35 mph on a bike is FUN. 40 is even better.

I used to live in Bawlmer. I remember The Admiral Fell Inn in Fell's Point, as a pretty good place to eat. Bertha's, also in Fells Point, is another winner. IMHO, the eateries at the Inner Harbor are not too memorable. Caches were after my time there, so no help from me.

I do equipment and process control validation (Chem E) in an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing plant.

Sad to hear about the potential loss of park areas, and heartening to know that geocaching is helping things. BUT If a park is closed, how does the state keep people out of it? Hire a person to keep people out of the park because nobody comes there any more?

Looks like a pretty cool ride. Good luck to anyone who does it. The biggest climbs we have here in South Jersey are turnpike overpasses.

If you haven't found many, its not hard to remember the first one. It was pretty throughly muggled (didn't know what that meant then), so I didn't know if I had found it, or what I had found, or what I should have done. But I found a log and some tupperware and some stuff all over the ground. SO I logged it as a find. Don't tell Criminal. Its since been archived. I'm trying to contact the owner to adopt it.

Do other's actions affect my own? I vote yes. I'm still annoyed over a log I stumbled on in which the finder bragged about clearing all the "unnecesary" brush from around a a cache (s)he was looking for. The phrase "...making swiss cheese of the area..." was used to describe what was done. Playing the game that way can only lead to more land managers, owners, etc. forbiding caching in their jurisdictions. And that ultimately affects all of us.

Thanks for the replies, both on the site and via email. Lots of good starting points, now I just need to find the time to follow through. And I'm still open for more free advice!! But what's the deal with adders? Lurking thru the UK forums, they sound common enough to be a tripping hazzard in the woods

Is Chem X a Dangerous Chemical Additive or an All Natural Ingredient?

Hello UK cachers- The boss and I will be crossing the pond for a bike trip thru Scotland in August. (Never too late to start planning!) We'll be biking inn to inn, staying in Auchterarder, Kinclaven, Tobermory and Strontian. We will also take side trips to the Isles of Mull and Staffa. Looking for recommendations on caches at and/or between these destinations, good starting points for searches of these areas, and bookmark lists. (I was in this forum on a similar topic a year or so ago, but that trip fell thru. The responses I got then would have been very helpful. ) I'm not a big micro fan, and a 30 mile per day distance will allow a good bit of time to be spent off the saddle. Also, I really enjoy mapping out routes, cache locations, etc. Any suggestions on appropriate Ordinance Survey maps of these locations will be appreciated. But I still won't be eating any haggis

Most of my road riding is with a group. The paceline never seems to want to stop while I look for a cache. I've thought about combining caching with a long ride, but mid way thru a century, I just wanna keep going and finish. And I can't imagine walking thru the woods in cleated road bike shoes. I have spent time on vacation (AZ, WV, CA) caching during mountain bike rides. We are planning on a bike touring trip to Scotland, and I plan on combining caching with the touring rides. That being said, my favorite caches were ones that took me to out of the way places that I came back to explore more fully on a hybrid bike.

Nothing is more obvious than a pile of parrellel sticks on top of a cache container. When I find something like that, I try to leave less camoflage (?) material, but arrange it more "au natural". Less is more. On the way out, I scatter leaves and such to cover footprints.

For some reason I wanted to create a geo-name ASAP when I found this site. What came to mind were my summer and winter pastimes. After seeing some of the really cool and creative names out there, I shulda or coulda put more time into thinking up something a bit more clever or spectacular. Oh well, just call me- bike&ski

One ping. One ping only. Test to see how post quote works. Thanks t8r.

I've seen welding rod containers mentioned in the forums in the past, but not here so far. Plastic (HDPE I suspect), threaded closure but fitted with a gasket, so you're not relying on the threads to seal. I just brought two from McMaster -Carr, and will try them out for my first caches. If they don't pan out, I'll spring for the ammo cans.

My personal preference is hot water and a little bit o' Listerine. Rinse well, because that minty taste can get annoying on the trail. And stay with just plain water. Forget the Gatorade et. al., Bugs love it better than we do.

"Into Thin Air" is a pretty good read when contemplating when to say no. I'm pretty sure I read the phrase "Getting up is optional, getting down isn't" there. Tooting my own horn, I biked (and pushed a bike) up Mt. Tamalpais on Tuesday. (I live in Jersey) Part of the goal was to get at GCA6D. It wasn't a desolate wilderness, just not familiar to me. I was where I wanted to be with water, no real leg cramps yet and I knew the downhill run was gonna need some concentration. Searched as long as I felt I had enough time to. DNF. No regrets. (Well, almost none.)