ScroogieII

Yes, I know, there are several categories into which many, possibly the majority, of wooden bridges may be accepted. That's not really the point, which is that a great many historic bridges in my corner of the world, and hopefully yours, have a supporting structure constituted primarily, or almost completely, of wood. Many old and historical wooden truss, girder and trestle road and railroad bridges still exist in North America and other lands, some of which may not exist decades from now. Waymarks of these symbols of our heritage may ultimately be the last surviving memorials to these iconic structures. I have, off and on, given consideration to this potential category for several years. What prompted my raising the issue at this time was the posting of a wooden truss bridge several minutes ago. It is a Howe Truss pedestrian bridge, a replica of an earlier bridge from 1931, destroyed by flooding and an ice jam in the winter of 2007-2008. Said bridge is, admittedly, quite contemporary, but it is of wood construction, and wonderfully well constructed, to boot (and comes with a dedication plaque ). Given my predilection for all things historical, I felt it my duty to at least spawn this proposal. Acknowledging that wooden bridges, though now primarily erected to accommodate only human traffic, continue to be built, I would not wish to limit said proposed category with regard to vintage, nor to style, nor to proposed use, in an effort to simplify requirements. It is proposed that all bridge styles of all vintages be acceptable, the single proviso that their supporting structure be wooden. Moreover, though I feel they may be scarce as hen's teeth, I would LOVE to see a myriad of European wooden bridges... ... ... ... ... ... After several moments of further consideration I have decided that both the proposal and the header should instead become Historical Wooden Bridges. That best befits my initial intention, that of recognizing wooden bridges of vintage, bridges which allowed the opening and settlement of new lands, bridges which created shorter travel routes, bridges which enabled more economical trade routes, bridges which brought communities together and bridges which brought friends, families and loved ones closer. It was, after all, primarily bridges and trestles built of wood which accomplished all these objectives in the new world and, to a much lesser extent, in the old world. Hence, age restrictions must be instituted. And now it's your turn. In what range do you feel these restrictions should fall? Something like 50 or 80 years? Longer? I gratefully await your input. Keith

Actually B&R, a closer reading of the requirements will reveal the fact that duplicates ARE allowed, since many of the Biospheres and Geoparks are quite large. "Other waymarkers can post the same Biosphere Reserve or Global Geopark." - From Instructions for Posting. Keith

BRILLIANT!!! The two are sufficiently similar in direction, ideology, philosophy, intention and scope that your proposal seems, to me at least, the most sensible direction to take. I hadn't thought to check out other previously created groups. Keith

Within the last hour I opened the third of the several Guinness World Records books I had requested through interlibrary loans, searching for a particular item. The book in question had been sent from the library at Tumbler Ridge, BC. Immediately upon opening the front cover a bookmark fell out onto my lap. It was basically a very well created and executed advertisement for the Tumbler Ridge UNESCO Global Geopark. I don't believe I had ever heard of UNESCO Global Geoparks, so I decided to investigate. Here's the informational header, from The Source: UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development. Their bottom-up approach of combining conservation with sustainable development while involving local communities is becoming increasingly popular. At present, there are 177 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 46 countries. A full list is available with more details on each geopark. UNESCO’s work with geoparks began in 2001. In 2004, 17 European and 8 Chinese geoparks came together at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to form the Global Geoparks Network (GGN)(link is external) where national geological heritage initiatives contribute to and benefit from their membership of a global network of exchange and cooperation. On 17 November 2015, the 195 Member States of UNESCO ratified the creation of a new label, the UNESCO Global Geoparks, during the 38th General Conference of the Organisation. This expresses governmental recognition of the importance of managing outstanding geological sites and landscapes in a holistic manner. The Organization supports Member States’ efforts to establish UNESCO Global Geoparks all around the world, in close collaboration with the Global Geoparks Network. Given that we already have World Heritage Sites and UNESCO Biosphere Reserves covered, it would seem to me an easy and obvious step to also include UNESCO Global Geoparks. Why not check the site out for yourself, poke into all the links, then come back here and tell us what you think of its viability as a Waymarking Category? Impatiently awaiting feedback - Keith

Please DO!!! Keith

Thanks for the reassurance, Wayfroggie. That may well prod me to float an idea that fell out of a book I opened just a few minutes ago. So, check for a new proposal/thought to soon appear under this heading! Keith

Tell you what, Ariberna. How about you re-ask your question in Spanish, and in more detail? We can always have it translated into our own languages, then possibly be able to help you out. As it is, I simply can't divine what it is you're asking. So, give it another shot, Ariberna, this time in Spanish. Keith

As for this part - "Not sure what we will do". I simply don't "Get" your dilemma, Perky. I have done a pisspot full of US benchmarks and never once, at least that I can remember, have I referred to the Geocaching benchmarks listings. That's what the NGS site is for. It has all the info one could possibly need, and more. Never give up hope. Mebbe they'll just be archived. (Possibly you could suggest that to TPTB?!?!?!) Hard drive space is so cheap now that archiving a terabyte or three of benchmarks would cost precious little. Keith

Well, 99, you've always got a cool mural.

Perky's missing of that particular prohibition can only lead me to believe that the sentence in question is in desperate need of movement to another section of the description, as well as bolding, highlighting and colouring: A specific flag can we (sic) posted only once. Keith

Perky, you need to read more carefully, to wit: "A specific flag can we (sic) posted only once". It's, admittedly, not placed where it should be, but it's there. Keith

Yes, I agree with the "Adventure" aspect of chasing Benchmarks, which, I guess, is why I continue to chase them. There's also the aspect of entering the territory of others, even non Waymarkers and non Geocachers, and being able to point out to the denizens interesting aspects of their environment of which they were unaware, though they'd lived there their entire lives. In truth, I prefer the USD$30 over the dreams, as the former I can actually conjure into realities, whereas the latter will always remain so. Keith

I note that Pappy is bashing off the New Categories by the dozens! Stay Tuned to find out how many he discovered while in the Wild Wild West! Could be HUNDREDS!!! A line of Pappy's that I just noticed again for the first time, which I really like: Waymarking still has that fantastic encounter possibility. Possibly that could be made into a Waymarking slogan of some sort. I think it's GREAT! Keith

PINGGG! I just dropped a pin on the floor and heard it easily. Sure is quiet in here! Keith

Neither would I, and ditto. Keith Hmmmm! Not really relevant for myself, but possibly so for other Benchmark hunters. Keith

What she said! Keith

Google the term Sports Museum? Actually, If I were doing it, it would be Duck Duck Go the term the term Sports Museum? Keith

At present there are no fewer than 12 museums categories, not counting History Museums. I see nothing wrong with the addition of a Sports Museum category, provided that there are sufficient to flesh out a category beyond a couple dozen entries. My only concern here is that, in this part of the world, at least, Sports Museums tend to be, instead, Sports Halls of Fame. To date, I simply can't recall having encountered an actual Sports Museum, except those within the confines of a traditional History Museum. Keith

Nope! Pretty dead, as a rule.

Thanks a lot, Andreas. Just what I needed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Looks kinda Second Empire to me.

OOPPSSS! Apparently rumours of your demise have been greatly exaggerated. Sorry about that, Pappy. Dunno how I managed to mess that up so badly! Now just keep 'em coming!!! Keith

So, where y'all been? We've missed you, too! Thanks for the kind words, as well!

Is that all you Austrians do is VACATION?!?!?! --

Fear not, Kai! Such things will appear in Finland in the not too distant future. After all, Finland is as progressive a country as any these days. As the Brits are wont to say "Don't get your knickers in a knot." Keith