BigHank

I retired from the Navy 14 years ago after a 30 year career. I am currently Chief of Operations for the state emergency management agency. I don't own any goats, but I've been referred to as an old one.

I drive a lot for my job, although not a truck driver. I didn't know about this group, but it looks like I may be able to use a lot of the info. Thanks.

I've been away from the forums for a while, but notice that not much has changed....which is probably not a bad thing, as it's somewhat comforting to return to the familiar. Anyway, just thought I would add my two cents to this topic. I see a really simple solution, and that would be to add an asterisk next to the find count for anyone who logged the same event more than once. That way those who like to compare themselves to either "type" of 'cacher can readily do so, and those that don't care, don't even have to look at the find count. (I personally don't think that events should even count as a "find," but that is a whole different discussion that has been beaten to death numerous times already).

It's all my son's fault. He bought a GPS and I was kind of kidding him about wasting the money. He didn't say much, but next time he came to visit, he asked my how I'd like to go to the site of the worst train wreck in Nashville's history....well, trains and history were the two key words it took. So we headed down to Nashville, and proceeded to clamber over an old railroad embankment, and I asked him where the site was. He said that in the 'cache' there was a newspaper article about the wreck, and some pictures....all we had to do was find this 'cache' thing.... that became more interesting than the wreck almost. We found it, I read about the wreck, was able to trace out and walk the old roadbed, and I was hooked. Bought my own GPS that night.

I would be a bit cautious on using someone's find count as an indicator of the credence of their opinion of a cache. If someone has 700 finds, and they are all "toss from the car as you go by micros," then I would only give credence to their opinion regarding those type of caches, and not "travel bug motels" for instance. Find counts have a limited utility, and are there mostly because, IMO, there are people to whom it is important, so why not accommodate them, just as the site accommodates people who "find" events, and "discover" travel bugs, and who collect coins and all the other stuff. If that's how someone wants to enjoy the game, then I applaud TPTB for making it possible for them to do so. As far as the "old school" stuff that this started out on, well, I will say I enjoyed caching a lot more when we were sort of "under the radar" and only a few of us knew about it. When there were only one or two new caches, if that many, a week hidden in Nashville. I can recall seeing three new ones pop up on my screen one day when I checked during lunch. "Boy," I thought, "JoGPS sure was busy last night hiding those caches." And how I stayed after work three nights in a row, hunting one cache each night. You knew then that if SBell or JoGPS or a few others put out a cache, it was going to be a good one and worth looking for, now, it's a crap shoot whether or not a cache is a good one or not.....of course, that is all subject to my subjective definition of what a good cache is.

I have both a Magellan (it was my first GPS) and a Garmin. I have not had any problems with either one. I use the Garmin now mostly because it has more features, plus I was given the map software as a gift. I think the Magellan is a bit more intuitive to use...when I got it, I just started using it without reading the manual. The Garmin required me to read the manual, and on some features, I had to get help in these forums. Now that I am used to it, I like it a lot, though.

I submitted two PQ's yesterday evening, to be run today. I have yet to get them. I have not changed any account info, either. I also have two that I run once a week, on Thursdays, only one of them came in, and that was this morning (Friday).

To me, as long as they signed the log at the cache, then they are entitled to log it online once they get an account, whenever that might be.

I, too, just carry an Amateur Radio. Better range, for one thing...plus, the few times I do cache with a group, they are all HAMS too, so we just naturally use Amateur Radios to keep in touch.

I have a Wooden Nickel with our team name and home town on it and have been leaving them in caches since just after I got started in this. What I try to do is leave one for the owner the first time I do a cache by that person, and also leave one for the next finder. I specify this in the log, and hope that people will respect that. I like to leave one for the owner as a "thank you" for placing the cache, and I still like the next finder to get one, too.

I spent close to three hours on a search one day.... just didn't want to give up. Finally found it, too. Another time I searched for a total of about six hours, spread out over 8 months and many trips, before finding the cache. They were both good caches, worth doing, and I enjoyed the searching, even with the frustrations...especially since on the one that took 8 months, others found it during that time. My general "rule" is that I will spend whatever time it takes if the cache seems interesting, if the area is great, if there is a good reason to be there. I won't spend more than ten minutes on a "generic" micro or a cache that is just "blah" to me. It has to have something that grabs my interest and enthusiasm to keep me looking.

Snoogans, normal? I don't buy it.. Normal is a relative term.

I like to leave Wooden Nickels with the team name and our hometown imprinted. I usually will leave one for the cache owner if it is the first time I have done one of his caches....and I leave one for another finder to take with them. I firmly believe, and am willing to guarantee in writing, that having one of my Lucky Wooden Nickels with you on your next cache hunt will insure you find the cache in the last place you look. As far as cache cards, if I find an interesting one, I may take it and trade it out later or keep it, depending. I do not consider them proof of having been to a cache. Only signing the log is. A sticker on the log is okay, too, as long as it has your 'caching name on it so I can match it with your online log.

Yes, the cache owner can delete the logs if you don't meet the requirements and is within his rights to do so. I don't care for caches that have requirements other than that I find the cache and sign the log, so if I see requirements that I don't think I feel like doing, then I do what I do with any other cache that doesn't appeal to me: I skip it and go on to another one. If the requirements are such that a lot of people don't want to do them, and the cache doesn't get a lot of "finds"...then maybe the cache owner will get the idea and drop the silly requirements.

I don't do anything. Not to turn this into a numbers haters vs number ho's thing, but numbers don't matter to me, so I do whatever cache I am going to do, and then go on to the next one and could care less about the numbers.

I write in both the logbook and the online log about what I traded, if anything, as it is part of the history of the cache and also part of my caching history. It was how I was taught that it was done when I started, so I have just continued doing it as it makes sense to me and I enjoy doing it that way. I intensly dislike "TNLNSL" or "TFTC," etc., in logs.

I agree with that 100%.....and even though I never met SBell, I did his caches back then. And there were few of us cachers in the Nashville area, and though most of us had never met, we "knew" each other, and would cache exactly as Criminal layed it out, rather than risk losing face with the few other cachers in the community. As caching grew, or rather exploded, that "peer pressure" that kept everyone pretty much on the same track, dissipated, and we are now all over the map on this and many other topics, and I am not sure that is all to the betterment of 'caching.

Why would you delete the log? They found the cache. Do you also delete negative logs to all your caches? Nope, don't delete negative logs to all my caches...in fact, I have taken a few of what might be considered negative logs as constructive criticism and made changes/done it differently next time. In any event, this has nothing to do with negative logs. This has to do with defacing an owner's cache. I would consider someone spray painting my cache in the same category as I consider those who "signed" caches on the outside during a numbers run, i.e. tantamount to vandals, and therefore would delete the log.

I wanted badly to find that cache bad, but never got around to it. edited for readability. Thanks...that is a real compliment coming from you. I really enjoyed and appreciated your series of "Caeser" caches, and I think "Caeser's Greetings" was a very thoughtful and generous way to help celebrate Christmas season that year. I can remember being at work when I saw it show up as a new cache. Couldn't wait to go look for it. Next day at lunch time, I was out there...missed lunch, but found the cache. And had fun! Speaking of fun, I probably had as much or more fun finding the place to hide the train tunnel cache, then "making" the cache, then actually hiding it, than I did finding a lot of the caches I have found since. "Deliverance Train" almost got resurrected two years ago close to the original spot, but the railroad fixed up the right of way, laid down some new tracks, and now run one train a week through the tunnel....bummer.

Spray painting or putting tape or a decal or sticker on someone else's cache is not good form at all. If someone did that to one of mine, at the least I would email them to tell them why I am deleting their log, and at the most they would get a heated email from me discussing their probably parentage and upbringing, and then I would delete their log. I have always put "Geocache" on my caches, albeit in small letters, from a home made stencil, and always in a color that is different from the color of the cache. On ammo boxes, I also put, on the bottom, contact info. As far as muggles and 'back in the day'....my first cache I hid, in late 2001, was a quarter of a mile hike through an old abandonded railroad tunnel, then you had to climb half way up the fallen down retaining wall where it was hidden in a crevice. It was an ammo box, painted shades of gray to blend in with the rocks, with "geocache" in small letters on the bottom right hand sides, and with contact info on the bottom. It was muggled within a month.

I don't get the whole "coin" thing anyway, and I don't bother with them... but to answer your question, like many other things in life, if doesn't feel right doing it, then it probably isn't right for you to do.

I would just post a note if it's the same GCxxx.

Yes I am though I am TDY to Okinawa right now, and thank you for the information. Another cacher (peerice) suggested I find the Lat and Long coordinates of the base. In a flash of cognizant thought I called our Government Flight Rep and got them: N35 27.66 and E139 27.19. I dialled them right in and now have coordinates to about 12 caches. Can't wait to get back and start on them. I found five here on Okinawa yesterday. Thanks again. Did you notice if any were over in the area of the old base at Kami Seya?

Last week I attempted a cache and got stung by a wasp when I reached for it, and a whole squadron of them quickly joined up in formation and proceeded to lock on target. I prudently decided to depart the area in some haste as a result. I opted to leave a note with a warning about the wasps, rather than claim a "found it"...but I didn't quite think if fit a DNF, either. To me, a DNF is when I look, and look, and make a real effort to look, and can't find it. In this case, I found it, but couldn't log it, so I think a note was more appropriate. The cache owners, btw, temporarly disabled the cache as a result and said they will re-enable it once they can check it and make sure the wasp problem is solved. I sent them an email thanking them for being responsive and responsible cache owners. Hank

I agree..as long as your description doesn't sound like you are promoting your business. If you don't mention your B&B, and if there is no requirement or connection to the B&B as part of doing the cache, I would think it would probably get approved. I like the idea of discount coupons in caches...I have found a few and left a few...I don't see them as any different than phone cards...and we've been leaving them in caches since I first started. Hank