Bluespreacher

quote:Originally posted by majicman: Oh dear, Please - whatever you do, don't get the "Yellow" ETrex. If you wear a red skirt, it will clash! Oh, the drama! Trust me, Mag 315 - basic black; goes with anything and will match your high heels beautifully. I bought a pair of Nazi style high heels that have the same shape as that sweet little antenna nub on the Maggie... oh - heaven! I get really hot reception if I gently rub that little nub of an antenna it has... Wait, I feel light headed and think I may faint... oooooohhhhhhhh....(plop) --majicman (Always trade UP in both quantity and quality and Geocaches will be both self-sustaining and self-improving!) Oh, sure, bring fashion sense into it! My Legend matches my eyes (Blue not 16 shades of gray). The antenna thing sounds like an incentive, though! Who knew? Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by mrplug: Ok, now that I've started the gps wars, let me explain my experience with the Etrex. I bought a Garmin Etrex and soon discovered that they are an ergonomic disaster. The click stick is on the upper-left side of the unit. Which means if you're right-handed like most people, you have to reach across the unit with your thumb to move the click-stick. If your thumb is long enough and you're able to do this, you subsequently block out about 20% of your screen. wtf? Now, if you're left-handed, you might still have issues with the etrex because there are buttons located on both sides of the unit. Zoom on the left and power, light, and menu (i think) on the right. The locations of these buttons make it very ackward to operate. Sometimes I had to use two hands to get to the functions I wanted conveniently. It's like some engineers at etrex began the design, then they fired the whole unit and brought in new people to take over. Also, I have been reading the 'Units and Software' forum and some people have been having problems with the durability of the etrex. In the first week that I had my Legend I dropped it less than 3 feet and one of the screens went haywire. Ok, so for a starter unit, I would recommend a magellan 330 or 310. Much more durable and much easier to operate with one hand and you don't block any of the screen in doing so. First, the Yellow Etrex doesn't have a click-stick, could you have intended to say "Etrex Legend"? Second, the basic Yellow Etex is designed to be held in the left hand. I'm a righty, so I find it a little odd to use my left hand. But it works very well and is very easy to use. Try it! Last © , I don't think a new user on a budget could do better than the Yellow One. There may be others that would be just as good a fit, but I don't know about them. Keep on Caching Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by mrplug: Ok, now that I've started the gps wars, let me explain my experience with the Etrex. I bought a Garmin Etrex and soon discovered that they are an ergonomic disaster. The click stick is on the upper-left side of the unit. Which means if you're right-handed like most people, you have to reach across the unit with your thumb to move the click-stick. If your thumb is long enough and you're able to do this, you subsequently block out about 20% of your screen. wtf? Now, if you're left-handed, you might still have issues with the etrex because there are buttons located on both sides of the unit. Zoom on the left and power, light, and menu (i think) on the right. The locations of these buttons make it very ackward to operate. Sometimes I had to use two hands to get to the functions I wanted conveniently. It's like some engineers at etrex began the design, then they fired the whole unit and brought in new people to take over. Also, I have been reading the 'Units and Software' forum and some people have been having problems with the durability of the etrex. In the first week that I had my Legend I dropped it less than 3 feet and one of the screens went haywire. Ok, so for a starter unit, I would recommend a magellan 330 or 310. Much more durable and much easier to operate with one hand and you don't block any of the screen in doing so. First, the Yellow Etrex doesn't have a click-stick, could you have intended to say "Etrex Legend"? Second, the basic Yellow Etex is designed to be held in the left hand. I'm a righty, so I find it a little odd to use my left hand. But it works very well and is very easy to use. Try it! Last © , I don't think a new user on a budget could do better than the Yellow One. There may be others that would be just as good a fit, but I don't know about them. Keep on Caching Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by ClayJar: Okay, I was just wondering, what do people think about caches (usually either virtual or micro, usually as a leg of a multi) in cemetaries? Today I went out to look for two multi-caches (because they were right near me). I found the first leg of one of them, and on the way to the second leg, I passed the start point of the other. It was in a cemetary, so I decided that I'd have to scratch it off my list. Anyway, I made it to the second leg of the other cache, and what did I find? It was also in a cemetary. I decided to just see if I could find it, but after a cursory inspection of the area, some other people drove up with flowers and such about 200 feet away, so I decided to just scrap it. I've basically decided that any cache involving a cemetary is not a geocache, at least for me. It just doesn't feel right, and frankly, it just seems downright uncreative. There are other places to get numbers for math-multi-caches, and for the microcache legs of multis, go find something neat to look at. Anyway, I know that just because I find something distasteful and disrespectful (of the people who may come to remember, not of the dead people -- they don't give a hoot) doesn't mean that anybody else does. So, what do the rest of you think about cemetary caching? ClayJar, I asked a similar question some time back and I was amazed by the range of the resopnse I got. Several expressed an awed reverence for the sacred ground of a cemetery. They thought it would be shocking and indecent to hide a cache in one. Many others said, "what the ****, go for it!" So I went and sat near the place I had been considering -- just to imagine cachers visiting. What I saw was amazing! There is all kind of activity in that cemetery! Skaters, photogs, nature-lovers, walkers, bicylers, and siteseers. Of course, there were mourners and rememberers, too. This is a cemetery that gives tours, and has many public activities during the year. So I sat and watched and decided that there was no way to hide a cache in such a busy place! So I made a virtual out of James Whitcomlm Riley's grave. It's a very cool place: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=13554. Since then I have visited many caches at, or near graves and I'm convinced that if done in a sensitive way, it's perfectly OK. I have had quite a few visit my cache, and they all express appreciation. I say, "go for it". Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by georgeandmary: quote:Originally posted by infosponge: I'd rather have some guy who was boffing an intern on the side than some guy who draws a blank when confronting any issue of substance. At least Clinton *wanted* the job...rather than having daddy and friends buy it for him because they thought he should have it. But this is wandering off topic. Sorry. Obligatory geocaching info: nope, no caches at the white house. don't forget gathering 1000 FBI files on political enimies bombing an asprin factory to cover up his boffing allowing drug dealers and weapons dealers in for coffee and money exchange groping women who come asking for jobs using irs to investigate political enemies selling secrets to the chicoms take bribes to pardon fellons sending out cabinet officials to lie in his defence encouraging interns to sign false affidavides in legal trials rape ransacking a govenment office knowing an investigation would take place after an staff memeber suicide. executing a mentally retarded man for political clout and now I get to listen to 13 year old girls (and younger) talk about blowing some guy they just met because, 'it's not really sex' (I teach high school, ask me how I know) it goes on and on and on and on george But Nixon is so long gone, why keep kicking him around? Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by georgeandmary: quote:Originally posted by infosponge: I'd rather have some guy who was boffing an intern on the side than some guy who draws a blank when confronting any issue of substance. At least Clinton *wanted* the job...rather than having daddy and friends buy it for him because they thought he should have it. But this is wandering off topic. Sorry. Obligatory geocaching info: nope, no caches at the white house. don't forget gathering 1000 FBI files on political enimies bombing an asprin factory to cover up his boffing allowing drug dealers and weapons dealers in for coffee and money exchange groping women who come asking for jobs using irs to investigate political enemies selling secrets to the chicoms take bribes to pardon fellons sending out cabinet officials to lie in his defence encouraging interns to sign false affidavides in legal trials rape ransacking a govenment office knowing an investigation would take place after an staff memeber suicide. executing a mentally retarded man for political clout and now I get to listen to 13 year old girls (and younger) talk about blowing some guy they just met because, 'it's not really sex' (I teach high school, ask me how I know) it goes on and on and on and on george But Nixon is so long gone, why keep kicking him around? Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by majicman: You can't wait for the web site to approve Yours and Others new cache sites, so you e-mail everyone who has more than 10 finds in your area and ask them to join a "Local Area Geocachers E-Mail List" so that all of you can e-mail each other new caches the microsecond that they are hidden (or even before they get hidden)! --majicman http://www.geocaching.com/subscribe/ majicman I mean, " You poor, sick thing". Help is on the way! What are the coordinates? Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by majicman: You can't wait for the web site to approve Yours and Others new cache sites, so you e-mail everyone who has more than 10 finds in your area and ask them to join a "Local Area Geocachers E-Mail List" so that all of you can e-mail each other new caches the microsecond that they are hidden (or even before they get hidden)! --majicman http://www.geocaching.com/subscribe/ majicman I mean, " You poor, sick thing". Help is on the way! What are the coordinates? Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by Eric O'Connor: quote:georgeandmary: Finding a cache is more than just finding something hidden in the bushes. It's figuring out the best route in, figuring out which trail leads there after taking 2 wrong turns, it's not being sure you're in right area since the tree cover is so thick and you're gettin really poor acuracy. If only because I'm ornary, I'll ask.... Cacher A (AKA - "The Hider") decides to hide a cache on a sunny Saturday. There is this wonderful park about an hours drive from where she lives, but it's remote and she doesn't feel safe going alone. She invites a buddy, Cacher B (AKA "The FTF") to tag along with her. The plan is that "A" will hide a cache while "B" seeks another cache hidden in a different part of the park. They agree to stay within radio contact throughout their visit to the park. What if the two geocachers are a mile apart and communicating on radios? That seems entirely reasonable to me and doesn't change anything I've said previously other than the distance apart. A mile is more than sufficient to be unsure of how to best get to a cache location. Another thing that bothers me about your definition is that it implies that prior knowledge is forbidden, that someone with a mapping GPSr loaded with topo maps hasn't _reaaaaly_ found the cache. I know this isn't what you're saying but it seems to hint in that direction. -- Hipsters, Flipsters, and Finger-Poppin' Daddies - Knock me your lobes! I came here to lay Caesar out, - Not to hip you to him. The bad jazz that a cat blows, - Wails long after he's cut out. The groovy, is often stashed with their frames, - So don't put Caesar down. - Lord Buckley What if there were no hypothetical questions? Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by Eric O'Connor: quote:georgeandmary: Finding a cache is more than just finding something hidden in the bushes. It's figuring out the best route in, figuring out which trail leads there after taking 2 wrong turns, it's not being sure you're in right area since the tree cover is so thick and you're gettin really poor acuracy. If only because I'm ornary, I'll ask.... Cacher A (AKA - "The Hider") decides to hide a cache on a sunny Saturday. There is this wonderful park about an hours drive from where she lives, but it's remote and she doesn't feel safe going alone. She invites a buddy, Cacher B (AKA "The FTF") to tag along with her. The plan is that "A" will hide a cache while "B" seeks another cache hidden in a different part of the park. They agree to stay within radio contact throughout their visit to the park. What if the two geocachers are a mile apart and communicating on radios? That seems entirely reasonable to me and doesn't change anything I've said previously other than the distance apart. A mile is more than sufficient to be unsure of how to best get to a cache location. Another thing that bothers me about your definition is that it implies that prior knowledge is forbidden, that someone with a mapping GPSr loaded with topo maps hasn't _reaaaaly_ found the cache. I know this isn't what you're saying but it seems to hint in that direction. -- Hipsters, Flipsters, and Finger-Poppin' Daddies - Knock me your lobes! I came here to lay Caesar out, - Not to hip you to him. The bad jazz that a cat blows, - Wails long after he's cut out. The groovy, is often stashed with their frames, - So don't put Caesar down. - Lord Buckley What if there were no hypothetical questions? Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by georgeandmary: quote:Originally posted by BassoonPilot: I don't know about your specific experience, but I have heard of many instances in which cache owners have e-mailed the coordinates to friends so they could do a "test run" prior to submitting the cache for approval. I don't see a problem with that; the "insiders" may discover problems that require remedy, thereby potentially saving everyone else a lot of time, trouble and disappointment. I don't see a problem with that at all. That is a legitimate find. george Remember: Half the people you meet are below average. I have to diverge here. When your friends help you verify your cache, it's just part of hiding the cache, kinda like averaging coordinates from your GPSr. This whole thing seems weird, like insider trading or something. It's just not right! ;-) Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by georgeandmary: quote:Originally posted by BassoonPilot: I don't know about your specific experience, but I have heard of many instances in which cache owners have e-mailed the coordinates to friends so they could do a "test run" prior to submitting the cache for approval. I don't see a problem with that; the "insiders" may discover problems that require remedy, thereby potentially saving everyone else a lot of time, trouble and disappointment. I don't see a problem with that at all. That is a legitimate find. george Remember: Half the people you meet are below average. I have to diverge here. When your friends help you verify your cache, it's just part of hiding the cache, kinda like averaging coordinates from your GPSr. This whole thing seems weird, like insider trading or something. It's just not right! ;-) Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

Well! This has been some thread, hasn't it? I try to practice LNT when I'm out. I think the specifics vary from ecosystem to ecosystem. Here in the Midwest things may be dealt with differently than in an alpine setting. I should mention that I have a son that practices 'Leave No Evidence' when he's out, but that's another story! One thing for sure though. My wife and I went to Red River Gorge in KY last year. It is some of the most breath-takingly beautiful terrain you will ever see, but every where we walked there was toilet paper! On every trail, near every lookout, everywhere. In spite of the views, we will never go back. In fact, we ended up with a pretty low opinion of KY, and I'm sure that's not really fair. So give me Canada, or Michigan, or whatever, we've never seen anything like our neighbor to the South! Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

Well! This has been some thread, hasn't it? I try to practice LNT when I'm out. I think the specifics vary from ecosystem to ecosystem. Here in the Midwest things may be dealt with differently than in an alpine setting. I should mention that I have a son that practices 'Leave No Evidence' when he's out, but that's another story! One thing for sure though. My wife and I went to Red River Gorge in KY last year. It is some of the most breath-takingly beautiful terrain you will ever see, but every where we walked there was toilet paper! On every trail, near every lookout, everywhere. In spite of the views, we will never go back. In fact, we ended up with a pretty low opinion of KY, and I'm sure that's not really fair. So give me Canada, or Michigan, or whatever, we've never seen anything like our neighbor to the South! Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by LindaLu: Shouldn't destroyed benchmarks be archived on this site? I noticed that the option for logging "this cache should be archived" is not available on benchmark pages. I guess I don't understand why a benchmark still has a page (either here or on the official pages) if it was destroyed in 1958, which a number of the ones around here were. Can we clean up the gc.com pages at least by getting rid of the marks that are not there any more? Just wondering. LindaLu These things are not ours. We may find them (or not). We may observe their condition. We may make a report about them. I don't think they are ours to archive. Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by El Diablo: I think a little common sense goes a long ways. Don't take a ATV to the cache...or a HumV. Pick up trash on your way out. Don't squash the spider you see on the log.......and for Petes sake don't kill every snake you see! El Diablo Everything you do in life...will impact someone,for better or for worse. Let's hear it for common sense! Walk with your lover, walk with your family, walk with your friends. Walk to the cache. Just walk. We'll all feel better! Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by El Diablo: I think a little common sense goes a long ways. Don't take a ATV to the cache...or a HumV. Pick up trash on your way out. Don't squash the spider you see on the log.......and for Petes sake don't kill every snake you see! El Diablo Everything you do in life...will impact someone,for better or for worse. Let's hear it for common sense! Walk with your lover, walk with your family, walk with your friends. Walk to the cache. Just walk. We'll all feel better! Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by ACME geocachers: Not funny. Trust me! Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by Jeremy (Admin): quote:Originally posted by sbell111: The position of Geocaching.com is that religious tracts are verboten. Therefore, they should be removed from caches, if found. Organized religion is not on trial here, so don't divert the topic. If you want to put WWJD bracelets in caches, bibles, the Torah, a voodoo doll, feel free. But to create a box of tracts deviates from the light nature of the sport. Jeremy Irish Groundspeak - The Language of Location It would seem strange to find a cache that was nothing but literature. What would you trade? But it seems to be a distinctly different matter to leave an item of a religious nature in a cache, or in your own cache. Certainly, any 'themed' cache should be described as such. Of course, the cache owner should do as he sees fit in the course of normal cache maintenace, it is his cache, after all. Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by Jeremy Irish: Religious tracts and other ads are the same as brochures for a travel resort. Remove the tracts and any other items. Honestly, a bible in a cache is not a big deal but Jehovah's witness in a can is a bit much. Jeremy Irish Groundspeak - The Language of Location You might be surprised how many JW's are cachers -- I know several around here. I've been known to leave a few tracts in my own caches, along with regular cache stuff. Take it or leave it. I've seen several other caches with religious material in them. I don't see it as a problem. If you're disapointed with the contents of any cache, trade up! Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

Whew! After I read all the replies, I had a head ache! What's the difference between a large group and several smaller ones? The problem I see around here is that some caches are easy and in popular parks. I've met several teams of cachers on a nice afternoon, all of us seeking the same popular, easy caches. Isn't part of cache maintainance checking to see if there is too much use? Shouldn't the hider archive any cache that was causing a lot of wear? This is a very popular activity. The easy caches will be hit and hit and hit. There is bound to be some damage and wear. I don't know what the answer is. Shouldn't seekers be aware of the impact of their activity? Oh well, most of my caches are off the beaten path and don't see many visitors. One hasn't been visited for almost 2 months. Not much wear there, I guess! Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

Whew! After I read all the replies, I had a head ache! What's the difference between a large group and several smaller ones? The problem I see around here is that some caches are easy and in popular parks. I've met several teams of cachers on a nice afternoon, all of us seeking the same popular, easy caches. Isn't part of cache maintainance checking to see if there is too much use? Shouldn't the hider archive any cache that was causing a lot of wear? This is a very popular activity. The easy caches will be hit and hit and hit. There is bound to be some damage and wear. I don't know what the answer is. Shouldn't seekers be aware of the impact of their activity? Oh well, most of my caches are off the beaten path and don't see many visitors. One hasn't been visited for almost 2 months. Not much wear there, I guess! Bluespreacher "We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

quote:Originally posted by CYBret: A great number of the benchmarks in our area are supposedly along the old railroad. Unforunately the railroad is gone (it's now either farmland or a never-completed/illegal-to-access bikepath). If the benchmarks were actually ON the railroad, they have to be gone--removed or plowed under. But, if they're along the side closest to the road, there might be a few left out there. Has anyone else encountered this problem? Were they really there for you or not? Thanks! That is so similar to my experience the other day. I was looking for my first Benchmark and it was located relative to a now non-existing RR. The bed wasn't even there. Just fields. I checked around on the bridgework that the BM was supposed to be on, but nothing. Kind of a drag, but that just may be the way it works for more obscure BM's. BTW, this one had not been logged since 1947. Lots of changes since then! Bluespreacher

quote:Originally posted by CYBret: A great number of the benchmarks in our area are supposedly along the old railroad. Unforunately the railroad is gone (it's now either farmland or a never-completed/illegal-to-access bikepath). If the benchmarks were actually ON the railroad, they have to be gone--removed or plowed under. But, if they're along the side closest to the road, there might be a few left out there. Has anyone else encountered this problem? Were they really there for you or not? Thanks! That is so similar to my experience the other day. I was looking for my first Benchmark and it was located relative to a now non-existing RR. The bed wasn't even there. Just fields. I checked around on the bridgework that the BM was supposed to be on, but nothing. Kind of a drag, but that just may be the way it works for more obscure BM's. BTW, this one had not been logged since 1947. Lots of changes since then! Bluespreacher

quote:Originally posted by survey tech: Hello everyone, Im here to promote, and to thank you for, your interest in Land Surveying. The oldest brass cap markers were set nearly 100 years ago. They are now in varying states of disrepair. Please avoid cleaning them in any way that may damage the marker. If you find one in especially poor condition please make an affort to inform either the responsible agency, such as your state department of transportation, for example, depending on the markings on the cap. Alternatively, you may wish to notify your local Land Surveyor and ask him to forward the info for you. For further information about Land Surveying, please feel free to visit us at rpls.com and ask any questions you may have. Thanks for your informative posts on the subject of surveying and benchmarking. It's good to hear from somebody with experience in the field. I'm sure we'll all benefit from your observations and advice. Bluespreacher