TroutGuy78

Of the 11 TBs I've launched since 2004, only two survive, and one of those two I just launched this weekend. I must say that TBs aren't very cost-effective. ;-) Here's the roll-call for my departed TBs: Chester It's Magic Mara the Hippo Pedal Power Jersey REI Flyer Round and Round Rubber Lips The Griz The Wishing Well

I had a TB (Chester) disappear for 14 1/2 months, only to turn up over 2,000 miles away in a cache in Vermont--that was nine months ago and it seems to again have gone missing. That cache has been found several times, and other TBs have come and gone, but my TB is still logged as being in there. I have another TB (The Griz) that's been missing for just over three years now. That would be something if it came back to life.

When I first got into geocaching in late 2004, I picked up my first travel bug Althea (TBA6) from a remote Montana setting near Glacier National Park and a couple weeks later picked up Frenzy Freddy (TBG0MK) from a Cache event about four hours south of where I picked up Althea. I moved Frenzy Freddy about fifty miles before dropping in one of my caches in Missoula, Montana and moved Althea many miles, dropping it into a cache in a remote Colorado cache kind of near Rocky Mountain National Park. I watched them both for a long while, but finally took them off my watchlist. When I checked up on them about a week ago, I noticed that they were in the very same cache two years later in California (Pilot Knob), and now they've been moving together through a series of caches in Michigan, and they are still together and currently in Jackson Bug Spa. Reading over some of the logs for the TBs, I see that other cachers have had "strange" repeat occurences with these TBs, seeing them in different caches 3x in one year, and so on. Has anyone else had strange TB tales like this one where two or more Bugs you've had in your possession at the same time end up together again down the road, from very unlikely places? I can't help but think of all the thousands and thousands of caches out there, how weird this story seems to me. -TroutGuy78

Okay, I believe there should be a clear difference between labeling something a mult-cache and a puzzle cache. It's a bummer to run a pocket query for multi-caches and get back a handful that start their descriptions with "CACHE IS NOT AT THESE COORDS" and then proceed how you have to "solve" for the coords by either doing some math or going to point A, reading a sign, plug in numbers for letters, and then set off to find the FIRST cache--all of which to me means solving a puzzle. I think a multi-cache should start where the coords bring someone and go from there--fine if you have to solve reasonable clues to find the next cache, but I should at least be able to start where my GPS takes me. With a puzzle cache, I'll know that I need to solve something first and can plan to do so. Anybody think the moderators should set clearer guidelines between multi and puzzle by reading through the descriptions and posting accordingly? -TroutGuy78

Hi, It has been a long while since I've hidden a cache (2+ years). I'm curious if there is a way to include a .gif or .jpg file in my cache description without it being a link to another page. I want to put it on the main cache page as part of my description. I'm asking because I want to post some number puzzles for use in some new puzzle caches. Thanks. -TroutGuy78

Eureka! The renaming trick worked. I don't know why the downloads were adding .prl to everything. It even did it with the files I downloaded from NGS from the yearly archives. Anyway, everything has worked for me and I've opened the gpx files into GSAK, and there they are. Thanks to everyone who helped me on this one. -TroutGuy78

For some strange reason I'm still getting a .prl file. I'm running Windows XP. Clicking the link provided automatically brings up the download process. I've tried manipulating the name to ONLY be a zip, but no luck. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks for all your help. -TroutGuy78

Hey Muzikman, I'm still getting the bmgpx.zip.prl file. It's not downloading as a zip file that lets me unzip the program as bmgpx.exe Any suggestions? Thanks. -TroutGuy78

So I downloaded what I thought was the BMGPX program, but it only downloaded a bmgpx.zip.prl file, and I can't unzip it (it was only 12 KB anyway). Where can I get the BMGPX.exe file to convert the .prl files I downloaded from NGS so I can use GSAK?

Let me be the 9th person to vote for the REI Half Dome. I work for REI, and if someone like you came in to my store with all the research that you have done and with the precise "want list" you have made for the tent you want, I wouldn't have to "sell" you on the Half Dome at all. But this is why I would really suggest buying any tent (Half Dome or not) at REI--simply because of their no-hassle return policy. It's our mission to find you what you're looking for, but if you need to return a product to REI that you bought at REI, especially if it's on your membership, you will have ZERO problems. See if you find that return policy ANYWHERE else! Buying at REI has zero risk! You can have even used the tent, quite extensively too, and then find out it doesn't work for you and return it. If you have a membership, you won't even need a receipt! I hope you do find what you're looking for, and I hope I've helped a little. Good luck! -TroutGuy78

I have a Garmin iQue 3600 and a Garmin eTrex Vista. Trust me, I've downloaded every possible geo-program available to do what you're wanting to do. And finally someone showed me the light! The ONLY two programs that I found that I needed are CacheMate (yes, it's worth the $8 to register, otherwise it's useless) and GSAK. After downloading and installing CacheMate into your iQue, open the folder in which you unzipped the program and go to the folder named "plugins." There you will see "iQue Mapping." Load that into your iQue w/ a Hotsync. Next run a pocket query in GPX format. You can send all the waypoints to your eTrex with GSAK. To get them on the iQue, you'll have to again open the Cachemate folder and find the CacheMate Converter program (it's in there). Open the Converter, select "Load," choose your P.Q. file (wherever you stored it), choose "Select all," and then "Convert." That file should say it will automatically upload on your next Hotsync. You will then have "paperless" cache information on your iQue when you open the CacheMate program in iQue. BUT HERE'S THE REAL KICKER!! After opening CacheMate on your iQue, choose "Ex" at the bottom next to the "New" button, and that will export all the waypoint locations into your Address Book (you might want to edit your Address Book files and name one "Cache Locations") After you do that, you will be able to "navigate" a route to the desired cache. If you have the iQue 3600, like I do, with the car kit, you will have voice navigation directions that will instruct on what roads to take to get to the cache. Then you'll have to use the eTrex to find the actual cache. I absolutely love the iQue for its geocaching abilities and other features. Yes, the drawback is the short battery life, but it's always charging in the car or at home, so it's never been an issue for me. Good luck and have fun! -TroutGuy78

And Presto! Thank you very much. It worked perfectly. I don't know what I'd do without these forums! -TroutGuy78

I'm not sure what you mean by the iQue plugin. I have CacheMate downloaded into my PDA. Is there a way to bring up the waypoints with CacheMate? Thanks.

I went to Garmin and downloaded their TransferWaypoints Version 2.2, and I followed the instructions in the last post, but no flag would ever pop up. I see where it should be, but it stays shadowed and doesn't give me the option to import the waypoints as a Mapsource file. Any suggestions? Thanks.

I just got a Garmin PDA/GPS iQue 3600. I've bought Cachemate and use it for my Pocket Queries. I'm wondering if anyone else uses the iQue and found a way to upload the waypoints to the map without having to enter each one separately. Since the iQue has navigation functions I'd like to use it sometimes. Thanks. -TroutGuy78

I've tried everything, downloaded every program. I have a Palm Zire21 PDA. I've downloaded GSAK, Easy GPS, MobiPocket, GPXSpinner, and Plucker. But for the life of me, I can't get my pocket query GPX files or ebook onto my PDA to view the descriptions and hints. WHAT IS THE EASIEST WAY--STEP BY STEP?? Am I just PDA illiterate? Thanks.

I just got a Palm Zire 21 PDA, and I pocket queried some caches. I have the MobiPocket reader for PDA and PC applications, but when I uploaded the file into my PDA I get a bunch of HTML tags that makes the file impossible to read on my PDA. Any suggestions? Thanks. -TroutGuy78

I've seen these Garmin iQue 3200 and 3600 that are both GPS units and a PDAs. It seems that it would be a dream for pocket queries. But I'm curious if it works that well in the "field," you know. Will it navigate well enough to locate a cache? Right now I'm using an eTrex Vista, and I like it, but I think I read that the iQue doesn't even have a compass. Does anyone have one of these hybrids or know enough about them to make a sound suggestion?

Great! I think I got it. Thank you very much!

Can someone let me know how to set up an image in these forums? I see everyone else with one. I have an image I'd like to use, but I can't figure how exactly to set it up. I've tried a few things but I still can't get it. Thanks. -TroutGuy78

Quick photo-chop just for fun Nice pic. Would it be possible to use this one or one like it? I need a fish one. -TroutGuy78

Thanks J&D. I do hope to try yours again. There are people who do such things out there. Yes, even geocachers. I will not let it deter me anymore. I look forward to hiding more caches, and perhaps we'll meet up out there one day when we're both TREADING LIGHTLY in order to search for caches. Thanks. -TroutGuy78

I just got my first cache approved two days ago. It was a micro cache in a very public spot--in a raised flower bed under an American flag to be precise. I hid the cache underneath a light that was on a hinge and could be lifted, and placed a piece of bark over the bison capsule for a little more camoflauge (since the spot was quite public). I checked on my cache today (no one has yet claimed a find), and to my horror, the flower bed had been demolished! An 8-inch hole was dug exactly where my cache was hidden (under the light so I know no animal could have done this), and the capsule was stolen! Many flowers were uprooted and left to die in the sun, dirt and bark was everywhere. What was done was no less than vandalism and stealing. I feel horrible because this is a spot I walk by many times a week and that many people enjoy because it's in front of several businesses. I wish someone would let me know who did this and return my bison capsule. I feel that people who do this ruin the sport for all of us and it makes me never want to hide a cache in a pretty place that can be destroyed by people who only care about their "find count". Are geocachers really like this? I'm curious to know if anyone else has had this kind of malicious vandalism occur with their caches.

I leave a hand-tied fishing fly. There are several caches where I'm from that are near where one can use them. -TroutGuy78

I see the light now. Thanks for all the input. It will be DNF for me from now on. It just makes sense. -TroutGuy78