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Smaug1

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Everything posted by Smaug1

  1. For me, it is the micro caches in the leaves of the forest floor. Just not worth the trouble. Sometimes, I do find them, and the log sheet is wet. Thanks for wasting my time, you lazy !#$%. Wanted to place cache, but not put any effort into it.
  2. Well, I guess I am not cool enough, but I think 'muggle' is hilarious. It suggests that we have some sort of magic power and they don't!
  3. To me, lame is: Not maintained in one way or another Not well sealed Not well thought-out with regards to placement A small to medium sized cache with nothing but McToys; this goes right back to lack of maintenance. Many of you think that lame is in the eye of the beholder, citing that as a first find, even a 'lame' cache is interesting. But think of how much more interesting a good, well-maintained cache would be? I forget who told me this when I asked for advice about placing my first cache, but he said: "Think of how you would want YOUR first found cache to be" and "What is the placer trying to show me?"
  4. All of the above would make an exceptional cache. IMHO, even one element of the above would make a good-great cache.
  5. RenegadeKnight's post about having fun while caching got me thinking: "Woudn't it be fun to start a thread with geocaching trash-talking? Since RK got me thinking about it, I'll start the thread by plagiarizing a gem from his thread:
  6. CoyoteRed, I think there is only one flaw in your reasoning: If a cache doesn't show you something, does that automatically make it lame? Showing the cacher something isn't 100% of the fun for all of us. The HUNT is a big part of it. GETTING there is a big part of it. (but I guess that is really showing the cacher something...) For the more experienced cachers who know the tricks, there is no hunt either, so it is lame. For the less-experienced cachers, it really IS a hunt. I think you have the right idea though. I don't think it is acceptable to accept defeat and lower our standards. If every one of us had the passion that you do about it, we could dramatically lessen the amount of lame caches. It would simply be socially unacceptable. Kind of like littering, jay-walking, and gun violence are socially unacceptable in Switzerland; so people don't do it. Now let me ask you something else: When you DO find a lame cache (on accident of course ) what do you do about it? Do you loudly proclaim in that person's log that it is lame? Or do you just post a one-liner that says: "TFTC" and covertly send an email to the person telling them that they have in fact hidden a lame cache in the most gentle and fatherly manner possible? If you really want to make an impact and go on a crusade, that is what you should do. SEEK your local lames. Log them politely, then break the news to the owner that the cache is in fact lame. Give them constructive criticism and be as classy and compassionate as possible. Offer to mentor them even. If you get flak from them in return, throw in the towel and move onto the next one. I agree though. With the minimum amount of consideration and research, one can place a cache that is above the lame threshhold. It may not be great or even fair, but it doesn't have to be lame. Being loud and vociferous isn't going to win your crusade. You may NEVER win it. But if you're classy, tactful, and tenacious, you will have a good effect. You probably already have made more of a difference than you even know... I'm still in the phase where lames don't get me bent out of shape. One last thought: The people hiding the lames are probably not here, or they wouldn't do it, so this probably isn't the place. I don't know about everyone else, but after I read up here for about two days, I was prevented from planting a lame. I was saved from planting a wet-log cache too. OK, this one really IS the last thought: Maybe we could have Jeremy post a sticky thread in the 'Getting Started' forum entitled: "How to place a cache which isn't lame". Many of the noobs would see it there. Maybe even put it on the front page of geocaching.com...?
  7. I think even if you didn't look long & hard enough, you should log it. I think my stats now are four found and one not found find. I'm convinced that the one that I didn't find, I would have found if everything hadn't just been buried in a foot of snow. I logged it as a DNF anyhow, even though I searched for it for about two hours. The one I found on Sunday was also under a foot of snow and took me an hour and a half to find once I was in the area. Needless to say, the victory was a sweet one; maybe even a bit sweeter because of my earlier defeat. My log history is 100% honest and that gives me a warm fuzzy. I would have to wonder about someone's logs with an extraordinary low number of DNFs (especially early in their career). They're either God's Gift to Geocaching or they're full of !@$%^. YMMV
  8. First off, good for you, as a woman getting into this hobby! Second, that guy doesn't deserve your business. Even if he is the only act in town, he shouldn't act like it. He is in the land of capitalism and competetive marketplaces. Whether he is right or wrong is irrelevant in my opinion. He doesn't deserve one penny of yours. I'd probably buy elsewhere even if it cost more. (provided their attitude was better) Are you young? Maybe he thought you are a high school punk trying to seem tough by buying military merchandise... I think they are used more than once. They are awfully expensive to only be used once. I think if they were only used once, they would be made of some sort of plastic or something. Maybe check your local gun stores, and if you have no luck (or the wrong attitude) there, go online. Wear your prettiest pink dress, just to test them out.
  9. Brian, thanks for that potentially life-saving post. I never would have thought about the kicking part either. I'll keep it in mind as it is definitely applicable up here.
  10. FWIW, I bought a cheapie dash mount from ebay. It was intended to mount to the dash with double-sided adhesive, but I wanted to use this both in my car and on the motorcycle, so I attached 3M DuoLock to the double-stick stuff. It works great and was only $13 shipped or so. The rubber-bottomed beanbag sounds like a great idea. If I have problems with adhesives getting gummy in the summer, I may look into that.
  11. Interesting idea, but it might be more work than you bargained for to do the upkeep. Maybe place it somewhere where people are honest as a rule, instead of in a city or something...
  12. One tip which I learned today: Do it in the winter, after a heavy snowfall. My wife and I were looking for an easy cache today, but the sky has dropped over a foot of snow over the weekend. It took an hour and a half to find a 1.5 difficulty cache. After we found the cache, we had the option to go back (1/4 mi.) the way we came, head back to the car and head home, or venture onto the trail and finish the loop. We had no idea how long the loop was but figured it was pretty small. It turned out to be another 2.5 miles. Let me tell you something, 3 miles in knee-deep snow is no joke. We must've burned hundreds of calories. My wife is passed out behind me as I type this, hehehe. If you scrutinize the cache on geocaching.com a bit more, that could help too. There is usually a map you can link to. I see that you're a premium member and that will allow you to zoom and pan the map, which might give you some hints. Lastly, remember that finding the cache is only 1/2 your reason for being there. If you're after a good cache in forest preserve or something, by all means hike the rest of the trail/trails while you're there. Maybe even have your eye open for cache spots of your own if the place is up to your standards...
  13. I agree with some of the others; zero. If the person is in an area with a lot of crappy micros, we wouldn't want him/her learning lessons from that... If it is the type of person who puts some thought and care into things, he/she will not have too crappy of a first cache. What makes more sense to me is to have something like this set up: 1) If a person has no caches of their own yet, geocaching.com would automatically refer that person to the page where it explains how to set it up correctly and politely ask them to read it. 2) There would be a quick quiz. This is basic stuff so it shouldn't be too hard. 3) After the first cache is planted & approved, the user would only have to take another quiz; slightly different than the first to make sure he/she gets the idea. 4) After hiding his/her second cache, there would be no more quizzes. The thing I'm finding in my area is that people don't maintain their caches very well. The contents go to poop, freezer bags develop holes, log books get unbound... The cache I found today actually had a tarnished, nasty fork and spoon, and about 20 cracked McToys. I know I shouldn't be snobby, but jeez... The cache was planted in June of 2001 I think. I made good notes in the log, but I think it will fall on deaf ears. C'est la Vie
  14. We've had quite a snowstorm here since I placed the cache last night. It was part of the plan, as it covered my tracks from when I planted it. However, I think it has been more than a foot of snow, which has made people question geocaching until it melts. It adds another star to the difficulty I think.
  15. It sounds like you might be better-served by two GPSs. Get one that is purpose-built for car travel and that will serve you well. Use it to try out geocaching; 4 hours of away-from-car time will be enough to find your first bunch of caches. I think you will find that it is a lot more fun than you think it is now. Then, if you really like geocaching, buy a GPS more suitable for geocaching. It can be a real cheapie, in the area of $50-80 since you've already got the one for car travel with all the maps. Sorry I'm not familiar with the car models, so I'll defer to someone who knows better in that regard.
  16. As others have said, you should be good to go with the Gecko 201. Doesn't the Gecko 201 have a US basemap built-in? With all the major roads? Or was that the 301? That may be all you need for interstate travel. Don't discount the comment about getting Ni-MH rechargeables. I have a Garmin Legend which runs on AAs (twice the capacity) and I still find it handy to have a spare set at all times. I actually carry two spare sets: one set Ni-MH and one set AA alkaline. Lastly, do a lot of reading on these forums with your indoor time. If you go back through some of the past pages here, you will see that nearly all of your questions have already been answered.
  17. GCMJGK North suburbs of Chicago. Thanks for all your advice when I was asking a week or two ago. I decided to save the tackle box for another cache or another purpose and sacrificed my one and only ammo can to the cause.
  18. I like it and am liking it more daily. I just hid my first cache today and am waiting with bated breath for it to be approved. 8-12" of snow is due tonight, hehehe. I have to admit that it is going to be tough competition with my other three major hobbies: snowboarding, chess, and motorcycling. I guess I could combine it with motorcycling...
  19. 6 years in the US Army Reserves. Wire Systems Installer. 1994-2000. I managed not to be sent to war somehow...
  20. Blimey if there isn't a lot of truth in that statement! One of my non-career jobs back in '96 was as a camera salesman at Central Camera Co. in downtown Chicago. I was at the peak of my photography phase. I tell you what, I nearly starved. I was in heaven and hell at the same time. Be careful! Make up a budget for yourself before you get the job, hehehe.
  21. They seem like a good idea to me, even if they are only used to keep the dampness which is sealed in with the logbooks from seeping into the pages so that they're never quite dry... I'm saving mine from now on whenever I come across them. It can't hurt, right? But I'm not going out to buy any in the meantime either.
  22. Smaug1

    Garmin 60c

    There are some people who bought the 60c who will admit to wishing the 76c had been out. It has twice the memory and isn't too much more after the rebate, one person said. At least look into it before you commit to the 60c. FWIW, I'm happy with my Legend. It isn't a matter of getting bored with it, but wishing it had a bit better reception when there isn't a crystal-clear view of the sky. I don't mind the lack of the color screen, and I haven't used the mapping beyond the basemap that is built in. I will admit though that if I had the dough, I would have gotten the 60c or the 76c. People here love them, and that is saying a lot.
  23. fly, good luck! I don't know where you live or anything, but the Bass Pro Shops location nearest me has a GREAT indoor range, with motorized target returns... Shooting is a very expensive hobby compared to geocaching though.
  24. It is unbelievable how much stuff people carry. Of course I'm a noob, so it will be interesting to see where I stand in a year. swiss army knife Garmin Legend log printouts (optional) small backpack 1 L of water in a cheap-a** bottle pretzles swag bag (1 gal. Ziplic freezer bag) Cell phone Digital Camera ($130 cheapie from Olympus) pen My wife carries another small backpack with a folded up fleece blanket to keep Floyd warm. (Floyd is our Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher, and he gets COLD when it is 5 F outside!)
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