bwmick

Swizzle, I feel your pain. I have waymarked 10 Ontario Historic Plaques, (there are other websites that tell all about them but Waymarking actually encourages me to visit them.) of the 10 only 2 were approved without changes being required. The group approvers still have the final say in the way they want their group presented. before you submit be sure to read the requirements and check out a few that are already listed so you know what they are looking for. It frustrated me to no end but it is satisfying when they get approved. bwmick

I think there are lots of caches out there that require speciallized equipment to complete, your rquirements would just be a little different. Give it a five star terrain so people know they will need the special stuff and list requirements in the description (I know I have seen a cache that said a rigged out 4x4 was required somewhere so you won't be first. Bwmick

it's official, I am backwords. I read the logs while searching before I go to the hint as the logs usually offer much more subtle clues than the hint does. Fer instance, one cache I found recently had devoured 1/2 an hour or so of my life so I read some of the logs. on specifically said that their three year old found it right away. I am about 6 feet tall or so, after reading the log I got on my hands and knees to get to 3 year old height and voila within minutes looked up to spot the cache. without the change of perspective it would have been a dnf, the clue was no use and a past log that really gave no clue as to location was a great resource on how to hunt. bwmick

Congradulations on the marker. According to cahestats it only took me 666 days to reach 100, perhaps I need a diable moniker too! hope you like the b-day gift. bwmick

the problem with your question here is that it implies that the muggles who found it, or the authorities who are called in to investigate it would say to themselves "Hey, I wonder if this is a geocache? and then go check the website and contact the permission giver to see if it really was. the real question to ask with the assumption by gaining permission you are catagorically making sure that the cache is safe. A smart terrorist (and there must be some or they would have been caught by now) could say to themselves hey This cache is placed with so and so's permission what if I ..... (can you fill in the scarey blank?) Having a cache site that lists its permission links only helps if a) the authorities check the website and call the number and the authorities believe the side of the box that says "official geocahe" otherwise it is still likely to go kaboom! again, I am not that clever so I am probably saying something dumb. Bwmick (but officer my GPSr told me to look under your squad car honest!)

okay before you press the print link press the print screen button on your keyboard. Then paste into your favourite image editing progam and print from there. bwmick

I know what I am about to say will be scoffed at and nay sayed by those of you smarter than I am, however I feel it needs to be said. By posting the contact information for the person who gave permission you are adding a lot of problems for all concerned. 1. disgrundled cacher, past cacher, cache maggot now knows exactly who to complain to in order to mess up the game for others in the area. And as we have seen in Canada If you can mess it up in one area it often trickles down (Parks Canada, Onatrio Parks) I have no first hand knowledge of vengeful environmentalists, and or vendetta driven cachers but have to expect that there is never a 100% of anything even a less than 1% of all people involved being so inclined could make a big problem very fast. 2. Lots of you have alluded to TPTB staying out of the liability loop with the check box "I promise to be a good cacher and follow all the rules, wink, wink." If they don't want to accept liability what makes you think an individual who gave permision in a public way wants to accept that liability. 3. phone numbers - I love the Well your listed in the phone book arguement. I may be listed in the phone book but I am not affiliated with anything there. You may be able to navigate through all the channels to get permission in that nice little spot you have found but If that person was flooded with calls about a specific geocache that he already knew about. will it make him more or less likely to say okay give out my information some more? I don't know about the permission area so much. I live in a part of Canada that is surrounded by crown land (read open access) permission isn't so big a deal here. If I were in a major centre maybe I would worry about it more. I have done one cache that made me nervous for about 5 minutes. I have also walked away from caches that make me nervous. If you don't like how or where it's placed maybe walk away, contact the hider and ask a few questions. If you don't get an answer or don't like the answers you do get. Couldn't the reviewer help you sort it out (I realize that the OP said they aren't allowed to pass judgement but really if a concern is brought to their attention does't that implecate them anyway?) Wow am I longwinded today. enough of my carp. tell me how I am caching 1-555-fast-gps bwmick

I was thinking about this and in the case of the cache that I stumbled upon it was less than 20 metres from a very well hidden cache. If I wasn't familiar with the series I might have assumed that it was the cache I was looking for. In this instance it was not loggable on CG.com, IMO it was piggybacked onto an existing cache at a spot that was easy to get to so that people could spontaniously find it. Again it was bungied to a tree for all and sundry to see, and because of it's proximity to a registered cache caused some confusion (see logs towards middle) GCGP5W. I don't think they had a bad idea I do think that their execution was weak. they do have an understanding of how the rules at Groundspeak work though. they have listed this years crop of caches at CG.com but their "community Caches" are only on their site. (http://www.geocachingontario.com/live_caches/Comm_caches_index.htm) makes for interesting reading, especially the mention of sponsered caches hidden in the wild. Bwmick

Can't tell you much about easygps or expert gps I qut playng with them when I found GSAK. GSAK is a vey strong database program, as such it has a learning curve (In computing for dummies 101 way back in university dbase was the one aspect of the curiculum I disliked) however once you use the built in functionality and use the very well laid out help screens you will find yourself building your own seach filters and manipulating them to get only the data you want. I use it do search for caches along a route ( I know its a new PM feature but I like to do it my way.) As well as the power of its export to anywhere it also allows programmers to built macros, you never know what good things you will find on clyde's page. I'll stop gushing now. Try them out, learn the advanced functions that you want see which one best fits your need and use it. bwmick

I don't mind the sponsership, or the locations of the caches that I have hunted. My only problem is that the containers are all the same, hidden in the same way and it appears the hide is not thought through very well. I appreceate the history lessons that are almost always in the cache. If you take the time to read them you almost always learn something new about the area. but I know everytime I go out to find one of their caches what the container will be and how it will be hidden, I would like some variety in their hides as I am seriously considering putting them on my ignore list. bwmick

I didn't find an adult cache but right beside a cache (2 feet or so) I found an adult stash. someone had left a bag full of pornography (after looking at the title I didn't want to sample it.) It was at a fairly busy spot to it found its way into the dumpster. I am sure someone is mad that their collection went missing but I can't imagine what a child would have said if they had found and viewed it. There are enough adult only store's, street corners and clubs without needing any in geocaching. my pennies worth Bwmick

quick question. who exactly will go to the cache to measure its lameness after it recieves it's gongs. because as you said earlier 5 people gong it and than someone goes to see if its really as bad as all that. you state that he will check it out or ask a helper, but know you have one person making the call again. five recommended it but only one is making the decision and to tell the truth I would rather the reviewers spend their time accepting new caches than looking for lame ones. I wouldn't want to find a cache in a location filled with human waste either, but I would probably notice how nasty it was and walk away long before I was close enough to hunt it. I like the sentiment but am not sure of the practicality (btw who pays the gas for the trips that the volunteers waste go to do a physical check of the lame cache?) bwmick

you are of course right, as I have said earlier I have a much smaller number of caches to hunt in a 50 mile radius than many others. I have found some caches to be less exciting than others but have never been turned away from a cache because it was too nasty. In your above description would you continue in even aftter you saw where it was and the state of evrything around the site or would you back out and write a note warning other cachers away? If you write a note guess what you just gonged the cache. I believe most people read the logs. If they don't they are missing an important aspect of the game. bwmick one the other hand you could search for it and then cito

but, but, but the button wasn't red so i thought it would be safe Bwmick

I find that reading the cache pages is part of the fun, If you don't want to read them you get what you get. I don't understand how you can assume that every cache will be a wonderful experience. I realize that we cache more often than we do a lot of other things but really... people read the TV quide so they know what shows they want to watch and which ones to avoid. Book reviews so they can find books that might be of interest to them. The cache pages serve the same function. If ya'll don't read them you get what you get and in places with lots of "lame" caches i guess you just play a game of geocachers roulette. bwmick

1.4 km but it's a webcam and I am not likely to get it any time soon

like a small market sports team We take whatever caches we can get here. I think that when it's a cacher's market there must be more to fuss about. Our one micro was recently archived, gladware gets wet but it still takes me places I haven't been before. While puzzles puzzle me I have still managed to, with a little prodding figure out a few. I tend to look at my maps before I go out. If I don't like where it seems to be I don't go. And we already have a gong, past logs. lots of people say things that would make simon blush in their logs. bwmick

I used to have two languages but I couldn't afford to keep them both so I had to give one away to a good home bwmick

Post Office? Town Gossip!!!

After reading another thread about how the mean old reviewers don't work fast enough, hard enough, or answer emails soon enough, it occured to me if a reviewer is going to be away for a bit could there not be an option for them to check off somewhere that adds a line to the auto reply. something to the effect that reviewer jones will be away for a bit please be patient while they get their yard time ( ). when they get back another reply could go out to the que list stating that the reviewer has been tied to their desk again and will do their best to get caught up. (all replies were feeble attempts at humour) Bwmick

No, I check to see if the cache tech had left a note. I guess he/she is too busy to get to it. did you see his response immediately above your reply. I think his reasons are quite valid. And Cache tech, leave your laptop at home when you go camping... what were you thinking? bwmick

I do not think that finding 100 caches will make some a good cache placer. That are some very creative people out there who knew how to use the GPSr before they ever heard of geocaching. There are people who were active outdoor enthusiests before they ever heard of a GPSr. and there are people who have hundreds of finds that do not see their environment in a creative way when it comes time to hide. I have almost 100 finds, and have placed one cache so far. I decided that I would place it in a little used park less than 1 km from my house so I could check on it if I needed to. (first placement jitters.) I have had several comments about the memories my placement has brought back for people who played in the park years ago, good enough for me. I don't like painting broad strokes, when I do it usually means I painted over something important. No new rules, If someone new places a bunch of caches you don't like why not meet them and take them out when you hide one of your good caches? bwmick

I fall on the side of the icon, (although if the History channel wants to sponser some caches I'm all for that too.) Really doesn't matter what the icon is people will mouse over it find out what it is and go from there. My initial impression with the column is that it is more architectual history, I wondered briefly about using a shilouette of the North American style historic markers but a quick search for british markers shows that that shape is not universal either. What about an open book graphic that would stand for something like educational? bwmick

couple of questions. palm or windows os okay one question. I run a palm os sony clie and use cachemate on it. It is nice to have all the info you need at your fingertips (as long as you remember to sync... man am I dumb sometimes.) bwmick