Team Neos

Well if he actually read my message he would have. And likwise for you also it would appear. "...but feel free to tell anybody interested...". Team Cotati, I think you misunderstood Reveritt. Reveritt isn't questioning the fact that you emailed someone else, he is concerned because you posted what is obviously supposed to be a private response in a public forum.

I do use the rating system when I place caches, but it doesn't help that much when trying to decide if the cache is accessible. I have had enough friends who use wheelchairs to know that wheelchair accessible isn't as simple as being able to get the wheelchair to within one foot of the cache. At one of my caches, someone who couldn't stand at all might be able to reach the cache from the wheelchair --if they had longer arms than I do and situated the chair just right. (Note: Lots of people have longer arms than I do, since I am only 5'3"). At another, you can get a wheelchair right next to the cache...but you could only retrieve the cache if you could stand and if you aren't shorter than I am. A third cache is about 10 feet off a paved parking lot in a flat grassy area that gets really mushy in wet weather. It's also in a tree about 4 feet off the ground, so it depends on the wheelchair and the weather and the cacher's ability to reach up to 4 feet. The OP's mother could certainly do these caches, but someone truely wheechair bound might not be able to do some of them. I feel less than comfortable saying "wheelchair accessible" on any of these caches, and rated them at least 1.5 for that reason...but I feel sure that a lot of cachers who use wheelchairs would feel that I overrated the cache. My suggestion is to look at some of the caches rated 1.5 in your area also. I am willing to bet that some of them are just like mine--accessible for most folks with mild mobility restrictions. A quick note to the owner, as someone else suggested, would give you the info you need to make your decision.

I really like the idea of having some indication that the tb is no longer in the cache. I do not like the x number of logs and its automatically gone part. There may be many reasons that the tb is not in the cache but not logged elsewhere. (new cacher logged it wrong, experienced cacher was in an accident and hasn't been caching or even online in a while, someone was called out of the country without warning etc etc etc). I can't tell you how many times I have written down the tb number wrong (dyslexia) and when I write the owner they tell me that they don't have the copy tag any longer and so we just have to wait for the next person who picks up the tb to log it in again. If the tb is in a cache that only gets visited every few months...we wait a long while. Automatic actions have this nasty tendency to cause more problems than they solve. But did I say that I really like the part about knowing that the tb isn't in the cache it's listed in any longer? I really do like that part. Maybe after the first person reports that it's not there the tb link can turn red. It wouldn't even need to filter out of pocket queries to make me happy.

I don't care one way or the other about having my face in the picture, but if I happen to be caching alone it is a real pain to try to do the stretched out arm shot and get a good shot. With the digital camera, I can keep taking pictures until I get a good one (or get tired of trying and give up!)--but what about the folks that use a regular camera and get the film developed to find out that they have one good shot of their forehead with a blurry thing behind it, and a second shot that has the mailbox halfway in view and focus and a great shot of their left shoulder? It is possible to take a great shot of my hand holding the GPS with a lovely view in the background however. That also appeases the folks that don't want their face in the shot, and proves that it wasn't a vacation shot as well.

In my area, the general feeling is that as soon as the previous cache is archived the general area is fair game for a new cache. Since you surely won't be putting yours in exactly the same spot, and it certainly won't be the same kind of cache, I feel sure that folks in your area would appreciate something new there.

You are very welcome. Congratulations on having your own account. Don't wear out your fingers trying to catch up ALL the logs at once!

Have you already posted a log to the cache? If so, there should be a link that says "upload an image" If you are posting a new log, as soon as you finish the log a preview page pops up with a button that says "upload and image"

The one thing that I can control that seems to make the most difference in the accuracy of my GPS is to have it turned on well before I want to try to find a cache--fifteen minutes before at a minimum, if not a half an hour. Does that make it more accurate? I dunno, but I know that my unit shows a smaller degree of accuracy (usually about 15 feet) after it is on for at least a half an hour, compared to about 30 feet ten minutes after it is turned on. When I locate caches, the coords showing on my unit are usually within 8-10 feet of the posted coords.

Sure. Lots of people do just that! Make sure that you change the date to show when you and your father originally did the cache, and explain in the log that now that you have your own account, you are just making your own entry. It may cause a sigh or two from a cache owner who had lots of caches that you visited(because they will get lots of notifications that you just logged the caches), but everyone understands this kind of situation. If you remember something about a cache that you really want to add then do it, but you don't have to give every detail of each cache.

That was a nice thing that you did. Perhaps you could ask if you might adopt the cache and then you could make those changes. Putting a SBA note on the cache with a note asking to adopt would probably get the approver's attention to start that process. Of course, it may be on National Forest land and required to have permission to place, in which case you will have to take care of that also. I would drop a note to the owner also, even though it appears that they no longer cache, the email might still be good. Some maps make it look like it is in NP lands and some look like it isn't. You would know best, of course, living near there. But for what its worth, here is one map: Sequoia National Forest/Park map

I would like to apologize for not having a picture of a llama with a GPS. Thank you for understanding.

I am not sure that premium membership is the complete answer here anyway. I just used my premium account and a non-premium account to look at these earthcaches. The result: the earthcaches did not show up on ANY of the maps. Clicking the link on the first cache that allows a search for "nearest caches of this type" got me the same 14 earthcaches on both accounts. Is it possible that folks are not visiting every earthcache in the area because they are saving it for another visit, or only interested in certain parts of the park for that day, or just interested in certain types of experiences? Have you communicated with any of the cachers to ask them why they did some, but not all of the earthcaches?

If you have your heart set on ammo containers and don't want to use the email order route, check the stores around you that sell ammunition and hunting supplies. My local gun supply store (the one the police all frequent) sells them for about the same price as cheaper than dirt. Flea markets and the like can also be a source. And do get in touch with other local cachers, too. You can pool your money to buy flats of ammo cans at a great price at military auctions.

No need to panic about snakes when traveling ---After all, you obviously have been cautious but not terrified about the venomous snakes in MO: Osage Copperhead Western Cottonmouth Timber Rattlesnake Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Western Pygmy Rattlesnake The best advice has already been given--Avoid the snake (and most of them will avoid you too!) by not poking your hands into places you can't see --that's good advice for avoiding any wild creatures. More info in this primer on snakes, treatment options, and a avoiding being bitten. Most of the rattlers I saw out west were either sunning themselves on rocks on cool days, or cooling off in the shade on hot days.

I remember feeling that way when I first started, too! It would help if you said which caches you looked for (or at least which kinds of caches you looked for) that you didn't find. In general the regular sized caches rated with a difficulty of 1 or 2 are the easiest to find when you are new. Micros can be tricky when you are new, even if they are rated easy, just because they are so small, can be in so many places, and can be in almost any kind of container. Some hints only make sense after you find the cache, or after you have done so many caches like that one (or by that particular hider) that you understand what the hint might mean. Try reading too much into the hints, and try reading them very literally. You get better and it gets easier quickly. When we first started, if a cache was starting to frustrate us, we walked away from it, and tried it again after we found some others by the same hider.

I use an eTrex Legend, and I am not familiar with the Magellan explorist 200---but looking at the stats on the unit you are using, it looks like it should be plenty of GPS to do the job. What kinds of problems are you having when you say that it "gets pretty bad signals"? If signals are your problem, calculating Lat/Lon won't help you as much as using maps. Have you tried looking at the map links on the cache pages before you head out? Or copying and pasting the coords into google maps? Its also possible that you need some tips for using your particular unit a different way when you are getting close to the cache. With my unit, it helps to walk quickly toward the direction the GPS is pointing, but the natural tendency is to slow down when you get close--which results in the GPS flip-flopping around. I usually stop at a distance to get a bearing and then head there quickly, then let the unit settle while I start looking for a liely spot. Usually I am right in the area I need to be, but if not I repeat the process a time or two.

You will find that most folks are pretty relaxed about other people logging TBs in ways that do no harm to the bug and its mission, I think.

Idaho state map" 1) Look in the top left hand corner of this page you are on. See the guy? Click the link beneath him that says "Visit geocaching..." It take to to the geocaching home page. 2) Put the state you want in the drop down box (on the far right) and click "go" 3) See where it says "Geocaching in Idaho [map]"? Click on the map. The link here should take you there. State

Sure. It's fine to go back to a cache again to pick up a travelbug--even if it isn't some special reason but you just like he bug for some reason. Just log the cache with a "note" instead of "found it" after the first time.

I found a cache just this morning that has nothing in it except the log, and I left a bunch of stuff. I looked that one up...Looks like you did a really nice thing there. The next people will have a great time finding the cache, thanks to your effort. Good deed done. Way to go!

Looking at the previous logs, it looks like: If you just want the miles and location to be right ---DROP it into the cache where you found it--That should take it from Texas to Colorado--- then pick it up again as though you just found it there, and it should be business as usual. It will look like you took it from Texas to Colorado, but the miles will be right. If you want ALL of the details to be exact...you could contact the cacher who brought it from TX and see if they want to log it into the cache you found it in first (They may have mislaid the tracking number). It may take a few days to get that accomplished.

Thanks for the update, Team Tecmage. I suppose that the ETA is now some time around the middle of August?

Maxxy, I tried to email you, but the system says that you haven't validated your account yet, so the email would not go through. Just wanted to update you. Someone in Argentina helped me with my own caching name---but my husband still needs his coords photographed, (N 64° 07.1xx to go with his caching name Neos 1). I didn't want you to go through all of the trouble for both of us when we just need the one set now. Thanks again for the offer.

Right, that's fine. Tbs aren't trade items, they are just little travelers that you help along their way. All you need to do with the TBs is to make sure that you log them out of the cache they are in and log them into the cache you put them into. Some TBs have special goals (one that I picked up wanted its picture taken at concerts) but most that I have found just want to travel. The most important thing to know is that the TB has a private number and a public number. Make sure you write down the private number correctly before you drop it off so you can log it when you get home. Some people think that its confusing the first time they log a TB. Don't hesitate to go to the TB forum or to email someone to ask for help if you need it.

When I put the geocaching buttons from Bumble Buttons in caches, they don't stay there long. Nice assortment, and they are always changing. Bumble Buttons