tneigel
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Posts posted by tneigel
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Hi,
ED634.
There are two new night caches out there for you that you will like. Going to stuff the cache containers for friday & saturday nights. Hey (I got spot 3 neighbor.)
All of us adults have to wait at the starting gate on this one... But we all will get a kick out of watching them. Into the forest they go..... (no secrets revealed here....)
Tom
Kids Deep-Forest Night Cache
IM a big kid,can I play?
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Kids Deep-Forest Night Cache at Byrne-Out
1 Coupon Per Finder=1-Prize Per Young Adult
Starting Location:
39.52.
074.31.
Take a trip deeeeep into the cedar forests of Byrne State Park. Enter this journey at your own risk, as no adults are allowed to enter.
You will be completely on your own.
You’ll have to determine your way in and then how to get out!
-We will wait for you at the starting location for one hour, then we must leave you.
-If you get lost, just keep going straight and in 2 hours you will come out on the highway.
-Not everyone will make it – Will You!
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List of Events and Time Schedule
12-5pm
12 Noon - Start to Gather, plan geo trips, meet friends
-Food of various sorts
-50/50 raffles ongoing
1PM:
- Door prizes (stove, buttons, more)
2pm Sharp - The Lava Challenge
(lavarock hunts for 6 custom LavaRock buttons in 1 hour)
-The Urine Challenge (on-going)
(6-part challenge to find the shortest route - involving 100's of leaking ?urine? containers)
7PM -Campfire (and Campover of course Fri-Sun)
7:30PM - 2 nearby night caches (2 new)
- NEW: 'Kids only' Teeeriifying Night Cache (kids only from the starting point)
Cool prizes
-And a smily for attending
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Status of the:
The Urine Challenge - A one time, 3 day adventure.
Status, Description, and 'Pre-hints' (buried in the text).
Well, I got my share of the containers filled. Been working hard and drinking alot along the way. Ditsby, you and LuckyBobb having a good time filling up your bag full of containers. Karen filled up hers already and dropped them off. The individual containers are almost ready.
Just finished 'camo-painting' the Stage Containers. They came out pretty good. My leg sort of got camo'ed in the process and it's simply amazing how well it works. I could litterally stand in the woods with my pants down and you wouldn't be able to see me... Ok, ok, maybe, just maybe - you wouldn't Want To!
This is a 'numbered' six-part multi where each stage gives you 2 destinations '?', towards your end goal of stage #6 (and who even knows what is at Stage 6). Is it an immediate prize?
Would the first finders take all the goodies? Will there be multiple prizes?
I recommend:
Instructions -
Obtain the instruction sheet upon starting. I made some as handouts. I sort of made corrections and printed some more. I may have gotten them mixed together. I hope you get the 'better ones'.
Map -
Draw a map on a + grid as you go (like a simple street intersection). It will help you 'understand the layout' and avoid ...... (can't tell ya!)
Coords -
Definitely record the coors given at each stage, and to 'where they point'.
Teams -
More minds help and more fun. One person can draw the map, the others can input the sets of coordinates. One member can dig in and dig-in for the correct containers. Pee-u!
Single -
You can certainly do this singly. You may be less distracted and have just as much chance of finding the shortest route. Or even the longest route and get to Stage #6 faster and easier.
Handy Wipes -
Its dirty out in them woods. I think for some reason, you may just need a handy wipe or two!
Refreshements -
Hey, it could be a little hot and dry, or you could be a little parched. So, mixed in with the Urine containers are some treats and water bottles and 'other things'. Feel free to use and consume them if you wish!
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Hi,
Well, there should be a lot of fun and challenging caches at this event. Cache and door prizes, eats, fun, and the entire Byrne State Park group campsites to ourselves (accommodates 90+ campers). You miss it, and all you'll hear about is the fun "everyone else had."
In addition to the door prizes, 50/50's, give aways, campfire, there are several new caches in the area, including now 5 night caches (3 new) and a few other caches about. Plenty of new Paddle-too caches out on the Mullica and Batsto rivers with more to come. Many schedule events. Rain or shine.
$9 per person pre reg - $10 at the event - Includes a custom "SJG Byrne-Out 06" one of a kind Button.
Sign up at the gc page: GCTXVQ
The big fun will be the 2 Challenge Caches. One designed specifically for one of South Jerseys most famous cachers, "LavaRock", and another for everyone.
Names:
1 The "Lava Challange": we will watch lava test his endurance in this 1 hour endurance 6 parter to obtain his "One of a kind - 6 button - LAVAROCK buttons"
2 The "URINE CHALLENGE": Multipe stage, multiple specimen container challenge for one and all. what else would I do with 470! urine containers.
Read the 2 descriptions below:
1 ====="The Lava Challenge" for the Byrne-Out 06"======
Lava, a challenge has been set forth for you at the campout on Saturday. This is one worthy of your skills (FTF, accelerated method of getting to the cache, and extreme determination). The Lava Challenge will be one to show your stuff, and challenge you as well. Its a race, a race designed specifically for you, to do on your own. You have to beat the clock, and beat your self on this one. Your potential prize "6 custom -one of a kind -SJG Byrne-Out 06 - LAVAROCK" 2.5" sig button set, designed specifially for you!
If that is, you ARE up to THE CHALLENGE!!!
!!!!!!THE LAVA CHALLENGE!!!!!!!!!!!
There are 6 buttons, and 6 hidden tags. The first 5 are all in the surrounding area. You must go on foot and find these yourself. Each one in turn, 1 through 5. When you have found all five tags, bring them back to the campground and claim the 5 custom LAVA buttons. Its that easy. They are all close, in resonably plain site, and can be grabbed and taken with. IF YOU ARE UP TO IT, you must get all 5 buttons and be back at the campground in 1 hour absolutely. If you think you cannot make all 5 in time, you must still get back to the campground within one hour to claim your buttons. When you get back, you can take a break. 'While' on your trek, the gang at the campground shall hide your 6th button! They can hide it how they like and its up to you to find it.
rules:
anyone can tag along, and most of us will, but 'YOU ALONE' must find all 5 tags to get your buttons. If you don't get them all, the coordinates will be released to the group after the hour, and they can claim any unfound tags for the buttons that remain. It took me 40-50 minutes to make the loop, hide each one tag, take cords, and get back to the campground. Most can be seen from 20 feet away, so the numbers are general and all they need be, to get you there. One is tricky and hidden but still in plain site. YOU MUST get back to the campsite A in one HOUR.
So, I ask you LAVAROCK......
Can you make it within the hour and get all 5 buttons? (Will you lose a button to another?)
Can you find button number 6 - hidden by the group specifically to stump you!
Are you! up to the LAVA CHALLENGE and can you do it?
LAVA,, Again I ask you?
DEAL,.........
or
NO DEAL?....................
2 ======The URINE CHALLENGE"==============
The general concept of this is borrowed from a famous cacher ?, or two... Joel, or three ... wheelin, or 5 dbnb...
Multi-stage:Non-Linear:Each stage contains multiple containers, containing a strange liquid.
Within each container is a peice of Rite in the Rain waterproof paper. One container (out of many in that location) contains the correct hint or purhaps the coords to the next stage. You have to examine each item and read the paper inside. Luckily you don't have to open it. The paper floats inside.
There may be nothing on the paper, a valid hint, a misdirection, or coords. You should probably look at all
the containers to ensure you got all the clues. There could be coords or hints to 2 or more other stages.
With the full info to the next stage in hand, you are off. Maybe you don't need to go to each stage in turn, maybe one way to the end is quicker then the next. Should you do it along. Should you split into teams. Who knows.Fun, engaging for a group, and nothing entirely new of course.
One stage may be a big bucket full of containers. Another may be containers dispersed around (labeled for example 2 of 5, 4 of 5, etc.)
One small tiny thing to note. Even though the containers are, well, urine containers, they are supposed to be sealed tightly. Sometimes, just sometimes, they may leak, thus making the entire batch a bit sticky, smelly, and may xxxx you off. Oh, some containers could have "other kinds of specimens" in them as well - DOAH!
That my friends, is the
"URINE CHALLENGE"
Deal,
Or ....
NO DEAL.............
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Look for a quote from this in the Gloucester County Times on Thursday 3/23.
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It’s not that difficult to envision it, and understand it really. It’s more a level of degree, of understanding. You go through a basic understanding, and then add on more and more levels of understanding until to come to the full realization, and then it hits you, - and you understand. You understand with clarity of knowning that you’ve really understood all along. And that’s ok.
You think back at the first time exposed to GPS units, tracking, orienteering, letterboxing, and geocaching, whatever. What was that like, when was it? Can you even remember? I mean it’s not like there was no world before all of this. We went outside before. We played with gadgets. We wondered and investigated things. We looked at maps, hadn’t we?
And what came first - Geocaching or a gps unit? Was it perhaps letterboxing or some orienteering thing, being your first exposure? Maybe you heard about geocaching somewhere, but didn’t put your full attention to it immediately.
However you found out about it, you know now. So, what is this erge that drives you? Drives you to the stangest places, sometimes do the strangest things. You find yourself crawling under city benches, bushwacking to the point of blood in the woods, water up past your knees. Money seems to go out the door on meaningless things. Your bag of Swag and Stuff gets so full, you need another, and another. One gps unit isn’t enough, maybe 2 or 3 isn’t enough.
You stay up late downloading waypoints, just to upload them again. You squint at small numbers and letters and curse when you press the wrong key. You print out loads of paper logs, until your printer says, feed me, feed me…
You may be thinking about your next cache adventure in the middle of the night, or who will beat you there first. Travel bugs and geocoins float in your mind as counting sheep turns into counting numbers and the 'do not finds' only you know about, keep you restless.
Seeking the solitude or seeking the crowds of friendly caching co-members, you are beside yourself. What is the next event, who will be going out this weekend? Should I try this one again, or try another, or another. Swag, coins, travel bugs, containers of every degree and form add up in your memory.
Events and gatherings - who will be there, when is it, when is the next, and the next and the next. How far will you travel today, tomorrow, and the next time? How much time will you spend on a cache – how much is this one find worth it. Is it making you late, making you frustrated, and making you angry. Is it even there? Why oh why does the little arrow move this way and that….
Should I buy a tent, a boat, a strong light, or perhaps a new vehicle? Do you really need that 4-wheel drive for anything else and how will you trick yourself into its justification, when you really know its for geocaching and hardly anything else.
Why do I do this? I have done enough of them already. Do I really need to find them all? I thought I was going to stop. I have other interests. Really, I do. You’ll take a break and do something else, yet find yourself going on one more trip. One more geocache, if not for anything, other than its where you were going anyway. Or because its only right over there.
You can’t wait to find it. You are utterly beside yourself seaching, circling, scanning up, then down, then up again, kicking everything in site - long since used to people looking at you, giving you that look. Or that, umm-hmm, as you realize you’ve been telling somebody about geocaching and they’ve lost interest 10 minutes ago, but you have at least 10 minutes of telling left to your story – and you’ve just got to get it out.
What is this common malidy that affects us all in such similar ways? Is this a disease, a virus, a fixation, or fix, or even a drug? It makes you gittery, the find makes you calm, the excitement winds you up, and you’ll drop everything else in the world to get to that one last cache before the end of the day.
It’s not that difficult to envision it and understand it really. It’s more a level of degree, of understanding. You go through a basic understanding, and then add on more and more levels of understanding until to come to the full realization, and then it hits you, - and you understand.
You’re a Geocacher. It’s what you do….
Simply the answer - and that’s ok.
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Hello, my old and new friends.
I will be personally expecting every one of you - from everywhere!
It doesn't matter how you get there. It doesn't matter if you
travel far. It doesn't matter if you come from the south, or the north,
or the west. It doesn't matter if you come from states away. The only
thing that matters is that you come join me. For this is the:
---"Festivus for The Rest of Us"------
:D "SJG Byrne-Out 06" Now's the time. This is the place.
Its simply where you need to be....
Our Campsite holds 90. Campground holds hundreds.
"SJG Byrne-Out 06 Event" - Click Here
GCTXVQ
Don't make me repeat myself. Don't make me wonder if
you're coming. Click the link, sign the log. Do it! DO IT!
I put out over 180 caches over the years for you and I plan
to put out another 180 before I'm done. Now, its your turn
to say hello. I want to meet you all in person. Come
join me and South Jersey Geocaching and enjoy.
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I like nature categories. They are important. This is a good one.
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Wow, Pages and Page of opinions, thoughts, comments, and excellent ideas.
Jeremy has a big job trying to make a great site and keep everyone happy. Not always possible to do both. Its good the doors are closed for a bit to maintain control. Geocaching started small, but now that there is a large base of users. Great care and control is needed to keep such new concepts from quickly going out of control.
From going through the categories and seeing the comments, it appears flexibility is in itself both the advantage, and the big disadvantage.
I want a group for New Jersey Historical Markers and it seems to fit in logically. But that is my opinon. There may (and will) be unending amounts of opinions about categories and groupings, and they will change daily. What is logical or valid, is hard to control or define in a totally open environment.
Generally, committees make suggestions and leaders must make decisions for overall good.
Please consider only defined categories and subs be pre-defined for now. Controlling the growth is mandatory. Use 'opinions and suggestions' to form the ideas and concepts of the structure, and when sure of the best path, in a pre-defined plan for growth, implement those structures. Gradually, and slowly allow the flexibility and the creativity, as members do have wonderful ideas.
Using a Category Outline, slowly add limited new categories to start. Use a parallel structure approach looking at the entire category outline. Being careful that sub areas are not growing out of control, minimizing questionable or less thought-out categories.
Offload the responsibilities slowly to management groups under a general plan of acceptance and growth.
Some minimum and uniform level of Proofs and validations could be required for logging to minimize free for all logging.
Just thinking out loud. Use what you think is useful. I can't wait to participate and use this site to learn about many new and exicting things and places - and already placed my first log. Wishing it great success and that it maintains professionalism.
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I was interested in starting this category to parallel the excellent one for PA, which is under Things:>Historic Markers
I like this new aspect of Groundspeak. Diving right in.
what do you think?
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Originally from Newark, South Jersey was the Shore at Asbury Park. Sandy Hook/Keansburg was a nebulous area, but below the Bridge did seem to make it South Jersey/The Shore from what people would say.
So that sort of separation from the the Shore and South Jersey.
I guess a physical line for North/South could be rt195.
Moving down to Howell/Lakewood area definitly put me into South Jersey and close to the Shore (from the previous northern point of view). Still, Cape May being a long way (100miles) away.
Now by Cherry hill area, I find I am in the "Philly Area." I didn't even know there was another Area....
So, Lakewood/Howell is definitely a bit north from here, and Sandy Hook sure seems like North Jersey to me now. Cape May is still 100 miles away, and some call it the shore, some call it South Jersey.
Then there's the Bayshore. Man.... I bet there's even a North Cape May and a South Cape May?
Wonder what South Jersey is, from High Point state park, Flemmington?
However, most still feel the farest one can go and still be in New Jersey is Fortescue.
Been to High Point, Waywayanda, Palisades, Atlantic City, Cape May, and now looking at the Philly skyline. Its all New Jersey and its all pretty great.
South.. Well that's Delaware. Or is that Florida.
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60cs nepre case..
I tried my neopream jacket from my sportrax and the 60 slid right in like it was made for it, except for the belt clip pivot at the back. I may just cut to fit if I start to use the case. But I found the extra layer of clear plastic hard to see through. I know it doesn't fit snugly against the glass.
Battery Case:
Big big impovement over the maggie battery design and stripped micro screws. Ya man. (What was Maggie thinking in that design....)
ps
Don't get me wrong. Still like the old maggie, but the 60 is the big brother now. The Garmin 12 is almost forgotten now. That was another world and another time.
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I looked at the 70 series but noted it used in water navigation, so I figured I didn't need those features and for primarily land use, and the 60 would be the correct choice, but I did like and notice the great features of the 70.
I just got mine so just not that experienced with it yet, but the electronic compass has interesting..... use. When navigating to a cache with the compass on, it only works well (in track up mode) when totally horizontal. Heck, one main reason for buying it was the D-helix antenna. If you tilt the unit up, the track up may be track down or any direction. I didn't know where I was going till I figured that out.
I do,,, I really do wish to use the electronic compass feature. Found a setting for where the compass takes over for the satilite navigation. The defaults were set for the compass to take over under 10mile/hour and stay on for more then 90seconds. A little confusing. I set it to 1 mile/hour and will have to see how it works. A bit confusing (ok, a lot confusing), but fun to be in the learning curve.
I found battery life to be half as stated, but we all knew that. Fresh alks, with compass off, during the day should yield easily 9 hours. Turn on that compass or use with the backlight, and it will suck your recharables dry, just as fast as in my old maggie.
Now trying to figure out how to get the Mapsource Software to read from the hard drive and not the cdrom drive. The install all on the hard disk didn't work, and I changed the registry default location, but didn't work yet. Still learning.. Still learning.
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I'll be bringing the hot dogs and rolls.
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Overlap or regions. In planning long trips, I sometimes make thin strip region areas of the area between home and the destination. If you swipe a large area with too much info (like a metro area), the file can easily be to large for the sportrax memory (13-14 megs???)
The problem is where the regions touch. When swiping a region next to another region I try to get close.
In using the unit for caching the other day. I had a flat spot right where the cache location was located. No minor street details. I assume it was because the region I selected was not right next to the other. Sometimes, I overlap the regions to be safe and will do that again from now on when using maggy.
The three region limit is a bummer on a long trip. Sometimes you don't need a lot of data, but wish you could put in many regions covering your trip. I was sort of limited on a trip to florida from New Jersey so decided to load it with as much Florida data as I could. I was a bit unhappy with the built in roads for the drive south. I ended up in Savana and wished I had more detail of the area.
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This was good info as I have to buy my first garmin map cd. I am leaning towards the topo version. I hope that does have all regular street roads along with topo info, and not strictly a backwoods map.
So good to know about switching and storing diff maps. Thanks so much!
tom
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My sportrax eats up the recharables. I get little time compared to you guys. Like 2-3 hours. The true test will be when I use the same ones with the same charger in my new 60cs. I hope they last longer. Will see.
Also, a lot of batteries rate their rate as 1800, 2000,2300. However under use and a few uses, they don't hold onto that rate. Of course you can get the 2300's or the highest and if they don't hold it, you hope they do better then the competition. However some cheap batteries like radio shack won't hold their rating long. I use some (since I had to buy some on vacation in a pinch). I do by the new energizers, however don't buy the ones included with the charger combo because the include the lower rated batteries (even the 1800's) so look over the packaging carefully.
I did get some industrial unlabeled sonys (all green) and they were something like 2000, but that still outperform the 2300 energizers. They all seem to work ok in my dig camera so I am not sure why I get the low run time. And I do the deplete option often on the charger too.
Most chargers have that fold out ac plug which has been problematical at best. I mean junk... Still like the quickest charge since I use the converter in the car to charge them on trips (a moose gift).
stuff
tom
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In trying to decide on the next unit over my sportrax pro, I suffered trying to make the compromises, and choice. then I just started learning what I could about about them both. .... unbiased
I decided to read personal reviews and not look at the subject line until after I read about it. All units get good and bad reviews. Depends upon a lot of things I guess (weather, area, usage patterns, available sats, etc.)
Now I am hoping the 60cs I just paid so much for is an improvement. I know the color will be so in helping define objects and I like the mag compass and d-helix antenna. (the antenna can break off so be careful)
Now of course I have to spend hundreds more on mapping software. I sure hope the garmin topo software has enought street detail, and I don't have to buy something else later.. Gulp.
And it is all relative. The sportrax was my favorite because I owned it, and now will be my second choice. I am going to love the 60cs, whether I like it or not (because of the price)....
I am still waiting for the gps unit build like a gps unit with a pda built in, not the other way around.
tom
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I just purchased the 60cs and allmost fell off the chair. Gulp.
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Was thinking about the same thing for home. Same snap in principle as the car mount. Certainly less annoying then that screw. (It is much cheaper on ebay.)
The screw is the same screw and insert as in the battery case and a very poor design. Mine is long since stripped, and it happens to a lot of them, so at one point you may need it anyway.
When I buy a different unit, I am sending my maggy back to the factory and see if they make good on their poor screw design without charging me.
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Yes, very open ended question.
I already have the sportstrax pro with topo/street maps. It works ok, except for the 40-60ft loop back you have to do on final approach (maggy loopback).
But, the glass is broken, the battery screw is stripped, battery life abismisal, and
the processer is a bit slow on the refresh, esp with points and tracks loaded.
AND I WANT COLOR
So, do I switch brands (new CD's, cables, etc. etc.....) and say go with the
60cs. I really like what I've see. Also heard this sturdy unit antenna will break easily when dropped (WhAT!!!).
A buddy says moving from sportrax to meridian is no advantage because its the same processor. Is the processor any faster on the 60cs?
Is the screen bigger or more pixels on the 60cs then merid?
And, what about those tiny etrex. Will that small screen (in color of course) really do it for me. Its a big chance to take to get a small size unit.
I've put it off long enough. Its either spend the money on a new unit now or just buy beer instead! My wife won't mind, nor will my girlfriend, and the kids don't really have to eat every single day......
(I can always put the cost on my "Don't leave home without it" TB.)
Anybody have trouble with web (ebay) purchases.
tysm
"If ya can't find'em, hid'em."
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Nice to know you are still caching.
Just caching and enjoying the sport.
Hope to still see you at 4 and 5k and when geocaching evolves.
In a few days, I'll catch up with you. :-)
You're Not A Geocacher Unless...
in General geocaching topics
Posted
Not a geocacher until,
Until that first intrusion forces its way into your senses
Until that first effect, and that first affect
When the lure of the elusive beacons you
When the grasp of particial re-enforcement encases your will
As the ergency overcomes you
As the monitary becomes inconsequencial to logic
Not a geocacher until,
Eyes open wide with directed focus
Emotion overwhelms and witholds breath
Adrenalin flows as in the young
And defeat evolves determination
You are indeed not a geocacher until,
That first find
Then you are...
... forever