DragonflyTotem
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Posts posted by DragonflyTotem
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If anyone is willing to sponsor an exploratory trip for me to go find this cache, I'll get back to you about the correct D/T rating.
Unfortunately, even though the cache is listed as active, nobody can log the cache: "The listing has been locked and is not accepting new log entries."
I believe if you can prove to Groundspeak that you actually made it to the cache and logged it, they will unlock it for you to log your find. C'mon, let me prove it to you. What's $25 million between friends total strangers?
But wait a second, does GS require or even ask for proof of a find for any other cache? Aside from that, isn't there something about being placed in a building that the general public doesn't have access to? Or what about placing a cache where you'd most likely need to first pass a security clearance. I'm just saying...(not really debating the point, just having fun).
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That makes me wonder if there's a cache there at all. I mean, it's not like anyone will be going up there to check. It's easy for someone to have gotten bored and decided to contact a few friends at Groundspeak and list a cache like that.
Or more frightening -- perhaps it was muggled and it's a giant conspiracy to keep us from finding out that there is an inter-galactic muggling group working their way through the universe!
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I was just wondering why caches go stale after FTF? Everyone and their dog will scramble to be the first one there to find it but once they are found it seems like noone else cares about them. I love finding caches regaurdless how many times they have been found. Do any of you notice this too?
We have folks here who not only rush out for the FTF, but then they don't log it online for days, simply because they say that doing so discourages someone else from looking for it (meaning that they believe that if others believe that the FTF is still in play, others will be more interested in looking for it). So you have lots of caches around here where although someone has in the log claimed the FTF, it won't show on the cache listing itself for days.
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If anyone is willing to sponsor an exploratory trip for me to go find this cache, I'll get back to you about the correct D/T rating.
Unfortunately, even though the cache is listed as active, nobody can log the cache:
"The listing has been locked and is not accepting new log entries."
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I trolled through the forum for ideas and suggestions before putting my bag of tricks together and here are some of the things that I carry in my Tamrac bag (camera type bag that I can sling or carry):
- Leatherman 831104
- grabbing thing (3' long, small grab claw at the end) (ebay)
- magnetic TOTT (extendable to 36") (ebay)
- 20" American Science & Surplus telescoping mini-rake (amazon)
- GearWrench double-x 45 degree 10" hemostat (amazon)
- GearWrench double-x straight 10" hemostat (amazon)
- Tweezerman 4" stainless steel splinter remover (amazon)
- Sheffield 14-1 hammer multi tool (home depot)
- hiking stick (3 pieces, screws together) (ebay)
- gloves (1 set generic heavy leather, 1 set "Firm Grip" water resistant, 1 set "Performance Select" with rough fingers for wet grabbing)
- Ullman 2.25x3.5 LED Lighted Telescoping 6-30" Inspection Mirror HTK2LT (ebay)
Other misc. stuff includes a lot of what everyone else would mention -- nylon braided line, magnets, bandaids, deet spray, maglight, log rolling tools, spare logs, zip lock bags.
Edited to add one I forgot
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running from the cops under any circumstance is a horrible idea.
from my experiences dumpster diving, speeding, and spray painting run ins with the cops are easily handled if you follow these simple steps.
1) Never ever run, cops LOVE to pretend to be real cops, they get lame calls all the time, and any chance they have to run down a suspect is their bread and butter. If they catch you they will throw you on the ground, and heavily restrain you, and talking your way out of anything after running is extremely tough. when you run from cops you are immediately looking guilty of something. why risk it?
2) as soon as you see or hear a cop approaching you place your hands in full view, you dont need ot hold them above your head, that makes you look rediculous, and potentially guilty of something. just have them out, and drop anything you have in them, or explain to the cops that you are holding a very expensive gps, or phone, and show it to them open handed, if cops see you with your hands in your clothes, or on an object of any kind they cant make out they are taught to automatically assume its a weapon of some sort you have, and they will and are legally allowed to shoot you if they feel they are in danger, so NEVER stick your hands in your pockets, or clothes once confronted...
***If you are in your car, or being pulled over, always keep your hands up on the steering wheel, and free of anything at all, when they ask for your liscence and registration, tell them breifly where it is and ask permission to get it, "officer, its in my glove box, can i get it?" this makes the officer aware you are going to grab something out of your glove box, or from under the seat, and they will know where to watch you, this is great for them because it prevents you from making any sudden movements that may make the cop feel in danger. people do some really stupid crap to cops, so cops are just as much on edge when they pull people over and investigate suspicious people as you are to be hassled by them, dont give them any reason to be suspicious of you
3) Always be polite, and calm, and refer to them as "officer" yes officer, no officer, suck up to cops, sure you want to firebomb every last bloodsucking one of them for busting you and not the real criminals, like politicians, or insurance companies, but in the event you are detained by them be polite, it will get you a long way, and generally even in the case of traffic stops can get you off with just a warning.
4) be honest but be brief, even when i was doing illegal stuff like graffiti, I would tell the cops i had intended to, but didnt get a chance to spray anything, they would dismiss the cans of paint in my bag, and let me go after a warning. if you are geocaching, tell them "hey look, i was out looking for this geocache, which is a treasure box hidden by people all over the world, as part of an online game, and i guess i just chose the wrong time of day to go looking for it." thats all you need to say.
if you really want to get on the cops good side, ask them for directions, they have a quota little known to most people of # of helping people do things they have to fill once a month, changing someones tire, helping them with directions, helping old ladys cross the street, this is a sort of public service quota they have to fill, and if you ask them for directions to say near another cache, they can write it off as one of these community service quotas, they love that crap they eat it up.
any other good tips?
All good advice but it undermines the concept of "innocent until proven guilty", the spirit of the US constitution, and reinforces the degradation of the concept that the police are our servants and not our gatekeepers.
The important thing to consider is that if you aren't doing anything illegal then the police are YOUR servant. Bowing down to an overzealous cop might be the "right" thing to do in the moment but it's also the wrong thing to do in the grand scheme of things.
Wow. Getting a bit OT I think, but you'd be hard pressed to find the definition of "police" to include being "YOUR servant" as at least in the U.S. the role of the police is to enforce the law, protect property and prevent civil disorder. I can recall pretty clearly from classes taken that the police don't serve anyone.
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My signature item(s) are hand-made chainmail things:
It takes less than a minute to make one, and the rings are cheap (cheaper still if you just buy a spool of wire and coil/cut it yourself). As well, they're interesting enough that people actively trade for them. I think there's one cacher who's said they have over 100 of them collected by now
If you can't already tell, the big one is for regular caches, the smaller one is for micros, and the tiny guy is for nanos. I have yet to see a cache that I can't fit one of those into 
You're not suggesting that you have fit one of these into a nano blinkie are you??? Or a mini bison??? Trying to imagine any nano that I've seen fitting one as they pretty much are filled to the max with the log alone.
Not only has the tiny chainmail ball fit into those blinkies or mini bison tubes, but I've even gotten one into a hollowed-out bolt, and had one sitting sandwiched inbetween several sheets of log-paper behind a magnet. In each of those that I've seen (except the magnet), on either the cap or at the bottom of the container there's usually an 'indent' as the inside of the container tapers down to nothing. That, which the log scroll will not fit into, this ball will. It's maybe a millimeter thick at its thickest where the rings overlap.
For the blinkies for example, I'd typically sign the logscroll, roll it up, balance the nano ball on top of the log scroll and then screw it shut.
And technically, I have a few 'limited edition' titanium mobius balls that make the nano one here look big, just in case
. The rings are about 1/3rd the size in the titanium one. When I say I've never NOT left a signature item in a cache container, I mean it. Of course, this doesn't include virtuals or earthcaches since neither of those actually have a container or log to sign. If it has a log book/paper/something-to-sign, a chainmail ball has accompanied it. Also, I leave them at events for whoever is there to take Still find it hard to imagine that there is that kind of space in the blinkie that I've got sitting in front of me as I just put a tiny slip of paper on top of the log, screwed the top on, unscrewed it and can clearly see the pressure markings on it from the lid. But I have to say honestly, that if I'd found one of these stuffed down into one of those taper tubes or such of mine...that I'd be ticked about it. I mean, clearly nanos weren't intended to have other stuff stuck in there! (yikes, one more thing to have to add to the cache description -- to not put anything else into the container!).
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i didnt see in the guidelines where we could not hide caches inside buildings....
anyone clarify? i want to hide some in my favorite public places
I haven't seen one inside myself, but a quick google brings up lots of sites (particularly governmental at some level) which discusses getting permissions and rules for placing them inside buildings. And there is the one cache inside the space station....technically a building I'd think?
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My signature item(s) are hand-made chainmail things:
It takes less than a minute to make one, and the rings are cheap (cheaper still if you just buy a spool of wire and coil/cut it yourself). As well, they're interesting enough that people actively trade for them. I think there's one cacher who's said they have over 100 of them collected by now
If you can't already tell, the big one is for regular caches, the smaller one is for micros, and the tiny guy is for nanos. I have yet to see a cache that I can't fit one of those into You're not suggesting that you have fit one of these into a nano blinkie are you??? Or a mini bison??? Trying to imagine any nano that I've seen fitting one as they pretty much are filled to the max with the log alone.
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Huh, learn something new everyday. I've seen pathtags but guess that I missed the class on signature items as it seems that these serve a different purpose? I'm not really clear on the reason for choosing to have one over the other -- how is a signature item used differently than a pathtag?
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So I wonder how many of us to carry our weapons when caching.
At the risk of NOT going off-topic, why not look at just the topic IN Off-Topic: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=246667
Yeah, had already seen that but it's not quite the same topic. Was about guns vs. anti-guns, and not centered around whether or not folks geocache with their weapon.
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Another "interesting" thing I learned...as we would drive along I'd point out areas that I knew had caches. The scary part was when they'd sometimes tell me that if they were me, they'd avoid some of those places as they are known drug drops, high crime areas with lots of assaults and such. And they even shared some things about pay phones that have had me put those on my lists of caches that I probably won't go after.
So LEO has lots on their mind when they see us all by ourselves, doing some things that look like they could be bad things (finding/re-hiding caches could sure look like you're looking for a drug drop).
At the risk of hijacking this thread all of this has had me thinking about whether or not I carry my own weapon when caching. I have a concealed weapons permit, and you can open carry in Virginia anyway. But on the one hand have been out by myself thinking that my gun would be welcome, but on the other hand thought that seeing that would simply heighten the tension. So I wonder how many of us to carry our weapons when caching.
Drug drop locations are such because people generally don't frequent the area. Adding geocaches would add traffic. Adding traffic makes them less desirable for nefarious purposes.
Geocachers shouldn't avoid those places but they should be careful.
You might think that but from what I've learned from the ride alongs, in addition to what was presented at the citizens police academy, is that they want areas that have enough traffic so that anyone coming by doesn't stick out the way they would if nobody was in the area. As I understand it, it's more about whether they're bothered by the police in an area than whether you or I come to it, and I doubt that they're going to cede an area just because some folks with GPS show up (and perhaps they might even consider you invading their turf). Personally, if a police officer tells me that he/she wouldn't themselves geocache in a particular area I think then that I'll avoid it myself.
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Serious this time....I hear what you're saying and not saying I disagree with you, but....every few months I spend a 10 hour shift riding with LEO here. One thing that really really hit home with me is that they are taught that when they stop a vehicle and are then walking up to it, they run their hand up the rear quarter-panel of the vehicle. I asked why. Was told that it was because if something very bad happens then at least they have left some of their DNA and prints on the vehicle. So, yes I have the right to be doing what I'm doing when caching....but every situation is a potentially dangerous one for the LEO...and I'd prefer to not be a part of that. Safer to just politely explain what I'm doing.
BTW....every time I'm riding with a LEO I take the time to explain geocaching to them. All officers have thought it was quite interesting (one even went with me to find a cache!), but not one of them had heard of it before and until I showed them they thought that perhaps I was yanking their chain. So they truly have no idea of what you are REALLY doing...just lots of ideas of what you MIGHT be doing (and many if not most of those would be bad things). And one thing that I've thought about...at night, holding the right kind of GPS in your hand, looks a little bit like a small gun (antenna looking like a barrel).
Note to self...
Wash rear quarter panel(s) of vehicle...
I've thought of this too so when the police show up I ALWAYS make sure the GPS is visible as a GPS. I hold it by the sides.
Another "interesting" thing I learned...as we would drive along I'd point out areas that I knew had caches. The scary part was when they'd sometimes tell me that if they were me, they'd avoid some of those places as they are known drug drops, high crime areas with lots of assaults and such. And they even shared some things about pay phones that have had me put those on my lists of caches that I probably won't go after.
So LEO has lots on their mind when they see us all by ourselves, doing some things that look like they could be bad things (finding/re-hiding caches could sure look like you're looking for a drug drop).
At the risk of hijacking this thread all of this has had me thinking about whether or not I carry my own weapon when caching. I have a concealed weapons permit, and you can open carry in Virginia anyway. But on the one hand have been out by myself thinking that my gun would be welcome, but on the other hand thought that seeing that would simply heighten the tension. So I wonder how many of us to carry our weapons when caching.
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No, you run towards GZ and when you get there pretend to toss something. Eventually the cops will find the cache, and as long as they don't sign the logbook, then you get to claim FTF!
Hey!! I LIKE that idea!!
No your Honor, I wasn't resisting arrest. I just didn't like that they were geocaching while on their shift, and using their squad car spot lights to light up GZ. Well yes, I did get a little suspicious when they put me in handcuffs in the back of the cruiser....but we all know that FTF hounds will go to almost any length. And so that's why I had to kick the window out. But really, it was just unfair to expect me cache after being 'tazed like that! And I sincerely hope that your Honor will take that into consideration in deciding who gets the FTF.
You know what's funny is that many people think that when the police arrive near you you are to stop what you are doing and stand at attention. The US isn't a military wstablishment and people are supposed to be free. Until the police have a valid reason to detain you, you are free to pursue your happiness.
Of course your life can become quite miserable while you are attempting to assert your freedom so keep that in mind.
Having said all that, I have run from the police before just to mess with them. I wasn't doing anything wrong but the cop saw me running so he took off after me. I don't know what he told everyone else but, at least, I know he never caught me so he will never know that I ran just to mess with him.
Of course there is the other time where everyone else ran and I didn't. The cop asked why I didn't run too and I just said "Cuz I didn't do anything illegal" and that was that.
Serious this time....I hear what you're saying and not saying I disagree with you, but....every few months I spend a 10 hour shift riding with LEO here. One thing that really really hit home with me is that they are taught that when they stop a vehicle and are then walking up to it, they run their hand up the rear quarter-panel of the vehicle. I asked why. Was told that it was because if something very bad happens then at least they have left some of their DNA and prints on the vehicle. So, yes I have the right to be doing what I'm doing when caching....but every situation is a potentially dangerous one for the LEO...and I'd prefer to not be a part of that. Safer to just politely explain what I'm doing.
BTW....every time I'm riding with a LEO I take the time to explain geocaching to them. All officers have thought it was quite interesting (one even went with me to find a cache!), but not one of them had heard of it before and until I showed them they thought that perhaps I was yanking their chain. So they truly have no idea of what you are REALLY doing...just lots of ideas of what you MIGHT be doing (and many if not most of those would be bad things). And one thing that I've thought about...at night, holding the right kind of GPS in your hand, looks a little bit like a small gun (antenna looking like a barrel).
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as some of you may be aware that when i was creating my personal coin i ran into a problem
my avatar was the same as AntiMonkeyButt.com
i was told that i could continue to use it as long as i made no profits from the image useage................
Today i receven an email informing me that i am no lopnger allowed to use the image, and that thwy will check my profile regualy to see if i have fraudulently used the image and they will press charges against me.
i have therfor change the image to that which you now see,
as they have stated they will check my profile................. i have requested fro the account to be deleted and a new one created under a new name and transfer of my stats......
therfore goodbuy from D.I.D
the monkey has had fun while he has been around, keep smiling and find thoes caches
I think that it is telling that they say that they will press charges against you. I'm pretty sure that in a case like this that copyright infringement is a civil matter. So they can sue you, but don't think that they can "press charges" against you. Regardless why go through the hassle...just come up with something else.
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Actually, I think that if you wait for you to be discovered while caching, its too late. I suggest walking in to your nearest police precinct and plunk down a nice big 50 cal. ammo can on the counter. And ask to speak with someone because you think that you need to tell them about these things that you've been hiding all around the area. Someone will certainly be more than happy to help you out.
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So there I am, late at night, searching for a cache that had about 10 DNFs and no FTFs, when a car parks in behind mine. Mmmm thinks I, some late night cachers as well, maybe we can join in a combined search?
Of cause they turned out to be the cops, and they were interested to know what I was up to.
Having been one of the 10 previous DNFers, I had no GPS, or paperwork etc, to back up my lame story, as I already knew where GZ was, just not where the cache was. So I gave them the speil about geocaching, and suggested that maybe they could help me find the cache...Strangely enough they declined, gave me some weird looks and left me to it. Just no sense of adventure in our local law enforcers...
If that ever happens again, immediately take off running towards GZ. That way the cop will have a reason to get out and run, thus working off some of the extra Krispy Kremes he had for breakfast. Of course you could have a lot of fun talking witht the other hostages in the cell at the station and the lawyer might be expensive but if you win the lawsuit you might just come out ahead.
Remember, as your defense, tell the authorities that there are quite a few cops who are geocachers and you were just trying to beat him to the FTF.
No your Honor, I wasn't resisting arrest. I just didn't like that they were geocaching while on their shift, and using their squad car spot lights to light up GZ. Well yes, I did get a little suspicious when they put me in handcuffs in the back of the cruiser....but we all know that FTF hounds will go to almost any length. And so that's why I had to kick the window out. But really, it was just unfair to expect me cache after being 'tazed like that! And I sincerely hope that your Honor will take that into consideration in deciding who gets the FTF.
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The ability to hide micros and nanos in places you otherwise could not hide another size makes them more of a challenge to find. This adds to the difficult of the find. I thought that is what made the game fun, trying to find something that others wouldnt normally be able to find.
While I agree with this in theory, I take it to task as many decent locations for larger caches are taken up by nanos and micros.
I'm getting tired of good spots for micros getting taken up by those giant trash collectors known as ammo cans.
Well said.......I actually have no size preference but if you can conceal an ammo can its obviously a great spot to hide a challanging micro.
As has been said, due to downtrading an ammo can has become an easier to find, harder to hide, container full of trash...ther're still fun though and can move TB's.
Yup, agree and pretty much what I'd said in the other/most recent/latest anti-micro thread.
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I tell them that there is a WHOLE WORLD out there that they don't know about! There are people that are trying to control our minds, but we just have to be strong and control them back!
The GPSr is a device that shows us where the mind control is strong.
We can funnel our thoughts together and then, by the time we think it over 10 times, the channeling leads to an energy surge that creates absolute power. If the cops will just concentrate they can feel it too...
They pretty much leave me alone after that.
And what has the bail usually been set at in the morning after the hearing?
No bail will get you out when they lock you in the psyc ward until the experts can determine you are not a danger to yourself or others.
Not really, thats only in Florida where they "Baker Act" you for 72 hours or so. Everywhere else they just search your car, and let ya go.
And here, crazy takes more paperwork. Easier to say disturbing the peace and/or resisting.
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We have a local cacher who has logged a find on every single one of his caches. The logs all read "My Cache." His defence is that it costs him money to put the caches out...up to $40 CDN. Many of his caches are nanos - and I didn't realise they were gold-plated!
Each to their own, I guess...but it is considered "bad form." I logged a find on a cache that has both our names attached to it, but I didn't know it's location until I hunted it down. Even so, that still rankled/felt odd so the others will remain unfound by me.
Okay, I'm clearly confused. I understand that the caches cost money. But I thought that the unspoken and unwritten rule on the guidance of the concept was that for every dollar you have in a cache, you are allowed an equivalent number of "found it" logs. Or did I get that vague rumor wrong from my dog?
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I tell them that there is a WHOLE WORLD out there that they don't know about! There are people that are trying to control our minds, but we just have to be strong and control them back!
The GPSr is a device that shows us where the mind control is strong.
We can funnel our thoughts together and then, by the time we think it over 10 times, the channeling leads to an energy surge that creates absolute power. If the cops will just concentrate they can feel it too...
They pretty much leave me alone after that.
And what has the bail usually been set at in the morning after the hearing?
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The first sentence of the Knowledge Book article on Needs Maintenance begins, "If you find a geocache that is in need of some help..."
bold on find added by me.
I'm not a fan of this log, I see it misused tons.
It's amazing how often people will log a NM instead of a DNF, or as others have referenced here, for a "full log". I go check it, and the is completely blank on the back, or after a NM log that's really a DNF I go find it right where it belongs.
But it also does go on to say: "(e.g. container is cracked, logbook is full or wet), please post a "Needs Maintenance" log on the cache page so the cache owner and the community is notified."
Specifically saying to log a NM if the logbook is full.
Devil's Advocate: I've only been caching for eight months but how I figured out that you can use both sides was seeing signatures on both sides. I don't mean to sound like I'm dense or such, but until I saw my first log that had blank back sides (meaning no lines) all I'd seen were logs with lines on the front and back and signatures on the front and back. For all I knew perhaps the CO didn't want signatures on the backside of a log that lacked lines. That was long before I found caches where others had added pieces of "emergency logs" for when they'd found it full. So perhaps some cachers simply don't know that they are "allowed" to log on the back.
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I think that it can be perfectly appropriate for anyone to log a NM if the cache isn't found -- newbie or not. Providing that they actually believe that a cache is missing. And that of course is the rub isn't it? That someone/anyone would assume that a newbie wouldn't have enough experience to determine that the cache is missing vs. a veteran cacher with thousands of finds.
I'm NOT suggesting that simply because a cache isn't found that a NM should be posted. I am trying to suggest that even a newbie **could** get to the cache site, see the obvious geotrail to the hide spot, find no cache and draw a logical conclusion that the cache is not there. AND I'm saying that even experienced cachers have posted NM based on their DNF, and that the assumption is (often) that because they are experienced that the cache must of course be gone....and when that has happened to me I found that the cache was in fact still there.
Frankly as a CO I'd rather have a NM than not know. And I think that at least some CO's pay attention to a NM but might not read a simple "found it" log emailed to them.
But I think that if someone posts a NM based on not finding the cache then additional information should be given - e.g., "Found the likely spot where the cache seemed to have been located and it wasn't there." or "Found a pencil and what might be swag remnants so you might need to check this one."
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im sure this has been covered, but has anyone ever had a run in with the law while geocaching?
what did you tell the cops?
You tell them the truth. Show them your GPS, explain what geocaching is, and tell them that you're looking for it. Assuming that you're not trespassing or otherwise breaking a law they most likely simply want to make sure that you're not doing something you shouldn't be doing.
. The rings are about 1/3rd the size in the titanium one. When I say I've never NOT left a signature item in a cache container, I mean it. Of course, this doesn't include virtuals or earthcaches since neither of those actually have a container or log to sign. If it has a log book/paper/something-to-sign, a chainmail ball has accompanied it. Also, I leave them at events for whoever is there to take 
there used to be no trail no theres......
in General geocaching topics
Posted
Oh that is absolutely hysterical!