worldtraveler

quote:Originally posted by GoaTSniFFer:Anyway to dump those queries then? I have resubmitted the queries using my personal e-mail address. Me too. Since I just found out about problems with hotmail, I have also changed my email address and revalidated my account. How about bumping the machine or jiggling the handle or something? I leave town in the morning to (hopefully) hunt some caches. Thanks. worldtraveler

quote:Originally posted by TMAN264:Shane, what mountain is that? Perhaps Mount Eolus? The photo is also on this log, and the cache map shows that mountain to the northwest. worldtraveler

Here's one from my most recent geocache outing. But it's not all bad. I saw this and this just a week earlier, and this just a few weeks before that. Sometimes you get the cherries; sometimes just the pits. worldtraveler [This message was edited by worldtraveler on October 17, 2003 at 06:02 AM.]

I hope your TBs achieve their goals, but I also hope you realize the liklihood of them doing so is practically nil. If you ever see them again, it will be noteworthy. If they make it around the world, it will be wonderful. If they visit the specified countries enroute, it will be amazing. And if either of them should do it within 80 days, it will border on miraculous. I've launched 10 travel bugs from various places around the world since March, 2002 with the goal of returning to a specific cache in the U.S. Not one of them has completed the mission yet, and three of them have gone missing. Launching travel bugs is in some ways similar to placing a message in a bottle and casting it into the ocean. One can hope to hear of its travels someday, but one should really not expect to ever see it again. To do so invites disappointment. worldtraveler [This message was edited by worldtraveler on October 15, 2003 at 04:14 PM.]

Perhaps "a nerd herd of cachers"? That must certainly be what a group of cachers would look like to geomuggles as we traipse about festooned with GPSr's, PDA's, compasses, maps, flashlights, hiking sticks, etc.. worldtraveler

Dare we add "a squelch of moderators" and "a denial of approvers"? worldtraveler

quote: QUESTION TO APPROVERS: Has abuse risen to such a level that it necessitated this action?... quote:Originally posted by BrianSnat:My guess is yes...I know of one cache...Other people were abusing the ability to change the coordinates to circumvent the approval process... Thanks, BrianSnat, for referencing these abuses. I think two things are significant here. The abuses came to light and were (I presume) corrected thanks to self-policing by the geocaching body and checks already in place.You, a "normal" geocacher, were the first and, so far, only person to respond to my question. I'm still waiting for an approver to answer. I know approvers are very busy volunteers; perhaps too busy to spend much time reading the forums. If so, is it wise increase the queue at the bottleneck by heaping upon that small group another responsibility that was previously and at least somewhat successfully born by the entire body? Oh, and one other thing: quote:Originally posted by MarkwellI e-mailed Jeremy when I heard this was going into effect... Seems like this would have been a good topic for discussion or at least for posting in the virtually unused "Geocaching Announcements" forum prior to implementation. There is apparently a grapevine that enabled some to receive advance notification and provide feedback. Now I'm wondering: Was my cache one that was grandfathered, or will I have to trouble an approver every time the coords need to be changed? worldtraveler [This message was edited by worldtraveler on October 14, 2003 at 07:02 AM.]

QUESTION TO APPROVERS: Has abuse risen to such a level that it necessitated this action? From it's inception, geocaching's existence and tremendous success has been possible ONLY BECAUSE OF the honesty, good will, and ethical behavior of the majority of its participants. Are the checks and balances already in place insufficient to identify and correct the occasional abuse? Are geocachers now ASSUMED to be untrustworthy? I too have a cache that tends to move at least a little (but sometimes a lot) with each new find. Hot Rox is a virtual cache in a national park that follows the location of active lava flows. I have always been quick to update the cache coords when new ones are posted by finders. Since you've taken the ability to update the coordinates out of my hands, are you also going to take the responsibility of ensuring the coords stay up to date? Perception is very important, and I'm concerned this and some other recent actions are creating a perception of alienation between admins/approvers and "the rest of us". worldtraveler

Since you've already logged it through, the owner will probably receive an automatic notification about the bug's travel. It wouldn't hurt to also drop him an email to let him know you won't be offended if he would rather not have the mileage logged in this way and chooses to delete the logs. I've logged several travel bugs through caches as you've done, but I think I've always obtained the TB owners' permission first. Oh, and I wouldn't call it "virtual" mileage if the travel bug actually visited the cache site; that's "actual" mileage in my book. worldtraveler

FACTS: You found an empty ammo can. It's not yours. SUGGESTIONS: Don't obsess about it. Don't mess with it. worldtraveler

From my June 18, 2003 answer on a related topic: quote:USA = 11 or 13 statesTN, HI, MO, IN, PA, VA, NJ, IL, MS, WA, OK, + a single cache at the OK/TX/NM border point. Other = 12 or 15, depending on whether you count provinces separately Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Alberta, & Ontario) Australia (New South Wales) Netherlands Sweden Denmark Thailand Hong Kong Taiwan China Fiji Puerto Rico Germany Also placed one in Turkey (does that count for another country?) In the process, I've accumulated 183,493.5 geocaching miles according to my personal travel bug... I've added Utah since then, but I don't think I've added any new countries. My personal travel bug's caching mileage is now up to 214,025.39 miles. I don't recall seeing any ammo box caches outside the U.S. (too bad, I really like them); but, thankfully, I haven't seen the accursed Gladware containers outside the U.S. either. I've never seen evidence of a vandalized cache outside the U.S., but I've searched for a few that have definitely gone completely missing. I've had three travel bugs disappear outside the U.S. along with the caches in which they were hidden.The Australian and European caches I've hunted have consistently been more challenging and well thought out than the vast majority of U.S. caches I've found. Same goes for most of the Canadian caches I've found. Fortunately, "park 'n grab" seems to be a blight confined mostly to the U.S. worldtraveler [This message was edited by worldtraveler on October 09, 2003 at 11:41 PM.]

What Mr. Snazz said, except I don't pretend my opinion is humble. The exception would be if the cache was moved significantly so that finding it a second time would be like finding an entirely different cache; and then only if the cache owner agrees that posting a double find is acceptable. worldtraveler

quote:Originally posted by Kealia:...I'm afraid the best I could do would be limericks so I'm going to pass on even trying. Ah, c'mon, Kealia. Limericks can be fun! A girl I once knew from Nantucket Took a trinket or two from a bucket, Then flew to an island In southernmost Thailand And cached them somewhere there on Phuket! * *Note to Hydee: Don't panic; It's actually pronounced pOO'kit. worldtraveler [This message was edited by worldtraveler on October 07, 2003 at 12:07 PM.]

quote:Originally posted by Team ATV Caching Crew:...I just thought that if the cache page states that spoilers may be with in the logs that you should be able to post what you want...If there is warning that there may be spoilers then you should be able to post them...If there is a statement saying reading further may have spoilers then please dont complain to me... The owner evidently views the warning that log entries may contain spoilers as a simple statement of fact. You evidently have interpreted it as granting permission to include spoilers. When opinions differ, the owner's is the one that counts. Though my opinion doesn't count, I think the majority of cachers share the owner's interpretation. quote: ...my descriptions was as follows... "The cache being a defferent species from the surrounding that tipped me off... thank you boyscout background!" Now from that statement would you call that a spoiler??...I hardly think this is a givaway. Species of what?? pine, dirt, ants, gopher, asphault... nope didnt make anything that specific of a statment... just the word "species" Given the context, I'd interpret "species" as meaning "plant" (please correct me if I'm wrong), and I'd look for a plant that did not appear to be native to the environment. That's a pretty specific spoiler, in my opinion. To think of "species" as any kind of animal in this context doesn't seem to make sense, and I don't know of anyone who uses the term in reference to minerals. worldtraveler

Joefrog & bigredmed, thanks for the info, but I guess what I really needed was a "tongue-in-cheek" emoticon for my first post. I already own a couple of telescoping trekking poles, and they work great; the problem is that ANYTHING of ANY length with ANY kind of pointed end is not going to be allowed in carry-on luggage unless/until the current rules are relaxed. Northwest Airlines just started providiing steel knives again for meals in business class on international flights, so maybe we're on our way back to REASONABLE precautions vs. kneejerk reactions. I hope so. worldtraveler

quote:Originally posted by Doc-Dean:Just check it through with the regular luggage... It stinks having to wait for it, but I have done it many times with no problems. No way. I have to fly >100K miles per year. If I can't carry it, I don't need it. I've even learned to live without my Swiss Army knife while in the field. THAT was a real stretch, but it beats checking luggage. worldtraveler

Still haven't gotten mine either. worldtraveler

What I need is a hiking staff that will telescope/disassemble down small enough to fit inside standard carry-on size luggage and still pass the "doesn't look like a weapon to TSA personnel" test. I won't hold my breath. worldtraveler

Well, you could get the address from Sheraton's website, look it up with some mapping software to get the coords, and then plug them in to the "find a cache" page to see what is nearby. worldtraveler

You don't have to "release" it or place it in another cache. The owner can "grab" it from you just by logging an "I have it!" on the travel bug's page. worldtraveler

I enjoyed your story, BrianSnat. Hagar the Horrible once said, "Ignorance is the mother of adventure." I think that explains why I'm able to find adventure so easily (or even unintentionally). worldtraveler

That's easy for me to answer. It would have to be this one. I've had several more "not founds" since then, but it remains my most memorable. worldtraveler [This message was edited by worldtraveler on September 29, 2003 at 04:32 PM.]

I was able to log my personal travel bug through a virtual cache a few hours ago, so it appears the "bug" has been fixed. edit: Oops, my bad. I misread The Alethiometrists' post the first time. It would seem an easy solution now would be to get the TB graveyard owner to change the cache type to virtual. worldtraveler

No; the caches are essential. A travel bug is intended to travel from cache to cache, and caches are the "waypoints" used to track cumulative mileage. If your wife is able to find a cache at each location she visits, she can log the travel bug into and back out of thoses caches in order to increment the travel bug's mileage and cause the travel to show on the TB's map. worldtraveler

quote:Originally posted by ju66l3r:...I'm trying to see if we can play a new variation on an old game...Thank you, The Management. Whoa, ju6613r, time for a reality check. First, how is this game OLD? The ones you used for comparison have been around for over 100 years. Geocaching is a little over 3. Second, there IS Management, and you are not it. Third, the REAL management has already spoken: Pirating in all its variations is NOT a legitimate twist on this game at this website. If you want to promote it, have the decency to get your own soapbox. worldtraveler [This message was edited by worldtraveler on September 24, 2003 at 04:52 AM.]