denali7

keychains are always good items. they're cheap, small enough to fit in practically any cache container, and kids love to put neat or unique ones on their bookbags or use as zipper pulls (heck, i like to do that too!). there are endless possibilities to express yourself and sort of celebrate the things you're interested in, and they're easy to find. this year i'm using the iditarod '05 keychain, then i'll always know how they move around as i use a new edition each year. -denali i NEED a glass ladybug!! cool idea!

vista c...period. gpsnow.com you won't be sorry

i always load garmin's topo maps and the cityselect maps on my vista c for whatever area i'm headed. i have found that the road detail on the city maps is greater if i have the topo off and vice versa, so i simply toggle the topo maps off while en route to the cache location, navigating roads with the autorouting function. once i'm out of the truck and headed "cross country," i toggle the cityselect maps off and the topo maps back on. i usually hit "recalculate" at this point also, choosing "off road" this time. to see the greatest map detail, on either map, pan in to at least the 800-meter mark. when you want the unit to autoroute, you must have the cityselect maps toggled on or you won't always get the best or most logical directions. the reason for this is that your gps is trying to create directions without having smaller roads and highways in its memory. i can always tell when i've forgotten to do this, as the highlighted route will do funny things like shoot right across a body of water where no bridge exists, for example, or head billions of miles out of the way to find a bridge. although the topo maps have some roads, they can't compare to the street-by-street detail of the cityselect maps. play around with toggling back and forth between your topo and street maps around town and when you go to local state parks or other outdoor areas you're familiar with, and you'll see the advantages of using street maps for all "roadwork" and topo maps for all "off-roadwork" much easier than i can explain it. these two types of maps complement each other, but aren't really interchangable in their function. that's why i bit the bullet and bought both sets of software--pricey, but invaluable for the type of caching and other outdoor pursuits for which i bought the gps. i have found that just playing around with the functions on this gps has been time well-spent, as i automatically reset little things while out caching pretty much without missing a step. i'm basically technologically-challenged, so if i can be this comfy with this gps, believe me, so can you! good luck and enjoy!!

garmin vista c: city select maps with autorouting to get to the parking spot, then switch over to the detail on the topo maps to search out ground zero. i don't leave home without this slick little toy. for the price, and they've come down a bit since i bought mine in late december, you can't get another unit that does all the things this one does. i have no memory problem using city select and topo maps for areas i need, either. sure, more memory is always better, but i'm not traveling through all 50 states in one day!! p.s. the color screen is a must if you're over a certain magic age that will remain nameless. trust me one this one!

when you plug in to the usb and begin the download process, there is a pop up screen on which you have to identify your gps model. don't use vista c, it doesn't work for anyone. use the 60c setting, that's what everyone who has vista c does. i don't know why this is, but it works just fine on that setting. it's a frustrating problem i was going crazy with until someone here told me about what to do. otherwise, you will love your vista c more and more every day!!

thanks, ec, i may stop by the camp just to say hi. i'm actually looking at your new toy on ebay. i'm sooooo tired of wasting paper. i don't even print out findlogs, normally, just to cut the waste (and carrying) down to a minimum, but you know how THAT goes--sometimes you really wish you had those little hints in the logs!!

thanks, bc, i'm happy for any input on this topic. i don't really know anything about pda's, but i'm getting more interested in the idea of paperless caching every day. i don't need lots of bells and whistles, i'd probably use it mainly for caching, although a unit that allows me to write in "word" would be pretty useful for work purposes. i'd especially like something with as simple cache downloading as possible, as i only use "easygps" right now, and i am decidedly NOT the most tech savvy kid on this block!

hey, EC, i'm interested in that snazzy gizmo ya' got there. i like what you said about easy use with windows, and i looked around at it and saw that there's an interface cable right to garmin products available(allows both to run on car battery power too.) did you find a really great deal you'd like to tell the class about? -yes, it's me p.s. there are quite a few "factory refurbished" units out there. anyone have any experience with these?

(temporary threadjack) **waves** hi ladybug kids, hope you're getting a great spring out there!! it's been perfect here--great caching and fishing! (return to thread)

yes, somewhat is right... it's kinda egg-shaped

stand at or near your targeted spot, mark the coordinates with your gps, do a search using those coordinates rather than a zip code welcome and enjoy!

it's been said... mag north to match the compass

what joypa said is exactly how i do it with my daughter and her friends. it's so easy to extend the time kids will be interested if you let them feel like they're doing the work. i got a couple of el cheapo compasses for them to follow the numbers i give (from my handy dandy vista c). [there's even the opportunity for a mini-lesson on the difference between bearing and heading here--grab that teachable moment! ] keep them up to date on the amount of feet as you near the cache and they'll be racing to ground zero!! with my students, i divided them into teams, with each team using a borrowed gps, let them design team flags, then had them find their opponent's flags hidden in camo containers on school grounds. it was kind of a capture-the-flag race to see which team would get to their opponent's hidden flag first. i threw a handful of butterfingers mini's in the containers (they were only hidden for a short time--no critter problems!) and the kids were jumping around like preschoolers when they opened the lids. (..and these were high schoolers!!) -denali

yes, most gps brands only run their own maps. however, the mapsource maps are excellent. with the vista c, you can use the cityselect maps for perfect directions to anywhere and the topo maps for caching or any other outdoor activity. i absolutely love my vista c. check out the reviews for any gps out there at amazon.com. there are manufacturer details and customer reiews that i found very helpful when i was in the researching stage.

thanks, ju66l3r, my family will be glad to know that we're not the strangest ones in the woods!!

I am wondering if there was a spike of new cachers after the article came out in Parade magazine last November. I would imagine LOTS of people read that! **raises hand** i'm one of the "november spikes." i had heard of geocaching some time ago and then forgot about it before i had a chance to check it out. when i saw that parade article it was like one of those light bulb things, and i said "oh yeah, that's what that scavenger hunt game thingy was called..." it was a really positive article that stressed the family togetherness and educational aspects of the sport--that always appeals to us teacher thingies!! p.s. i'm glad someone explained "toothing," but what the heck is a furry??

the local cheese only has jurisdiction for the state of wisconsin...

here puppy, puppy, puppy....

i'm so sorry--i know that these losses are always so hard. open your heart as soon as your ready, and you'll find a new love. they never replace, but they always find their own way into your heart!! -denali and nugget

amazon.com has lots of reviews on products it sells. enter in any book title, and as you scroll down the page you'll find complete manufacturer descriptions and customer reviews. i found these reviews very helpful not only to buy my copy of "idiot's guide," but also when looking around for product reviews of various gps units. even when amazon doesn't have the best price on something i'm researching, i always check out their product pages anyway. -denali

"..for the ladies out there.." we do the same thing a man would do alone. as for me: i often cache alone i always fish alone, sometimes near home, sometimes on the outer banks, sometimes in maine, sometimes in alaska i almost always canoe and kayak alone, sometimes near home, sometimes along the outer banks i hike alone i camp alone i drive alone sometimes i have a big dog, other times i am alone being alone can't stop you from doing something, or we would never do anything. i don't know what the answer to this question is always expected to be, but we all have hobbies, and you either have someone to share them or you don't. women who are afraid to leave the house are probably not on this website. thank you, graymane, for being one of those (men?) who understand women! -denali

absolutely precious, markwell. i forgot about the baby fuzz, it's been quite a while since nug was that small (june 8, 2002)!! i, too, am absolutely biased--i've always wanted a velcro dog that would follow me everywhere, and all i can say is that i never stop short any more. p.s. oh yeah, i looked at 15 puppies from two seperate litters at the breeder's kennel, and nugget definitely picked me out. i have a shelter cat (also big, dense, sweet, and yellow) that picked me out, too.

yes, goldens rule. i luv caching and my mommy takes me all the time. she likes me 'cause i'm handsome, and i never forget how to get back to the truck. -nugget

(quietly lines up behind chemfed to go up the ladder...)