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RockyRaab

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Everything posted by RockyRaab

  1. Well, today I went out and picked up an ammo can that had been my Czech's Cache #6. I retrieved and archived it because I wanted the ammo can back. In hindsight, I could have just left it there and adopted it out, as I did with all my others in the Czech's Cache series. Oh, well; too late now. I'm done with geocaching for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that despite all the work I put into designing and creating really original containers and hides, they kept getting vandalized. Replacing them became useless because once the site was known, the new container wouldn't last long -- learned the hard way. Placing them turned out to be a whale of a lot more fun than finding them. I got quickly sick of insipid, stupid and half-azzed caches apparently flung out by lazy half-wits. I thought the first lampost skirt cache I found was both clever and uniquely accessible to disabled cachers. Liked it so much I made one and maintained it until the end. It still got appreciative reviews. But a baggie (torn) thrown into a bush next to McBurger? No, THAT is lame beyond my toleration. So are caches whose original nice swag had been replaced with bottle caps, dirty stuffed animals and broken give-away toys. Ditto caches made from cardboard snack cans and hidden in snowbanks. I found more than one of those, to my disgust. I found a candy tin submerged in the green dreck inside a junked car tire - in a dump. THAT's somebody's idea of a fun search or an interesting location? Sorry, folks. What was a fun and intriguing game four years ago is now the polar opposite - at least for me. There's no need to berate or chastise me for these comments; I won't be checking back here to read any of it. But I needed to say it. In closing would like to thank and congratulate those cachers who DID take the time to create, place and maintain the few good caches I found. You provided the smiles, the appreciative head nods and the inspiration for the hides I made. Good on ya. To the cacher who adopted my entire series, I apologize for not including CC#6. I probably should have just bought a new ammo can.
  2. [snide mode]While I deeply regret not meeting your full expectations, Calvin, I must note that you posted nothing until after I did. So perhaps your efforts fail to meet your own expectations, as well. [/snide mode]
  3. A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 2 rocket will haul the global positioning satellite GPS 2R-18 into orbit on Dec. 20 for the U.S. Air Force. Set to launch between 2:59-3:13 p.m. EST (1959-2013 GMT), the rocket will launch the 4,540-pound (2,059 kilogram) satellite from Launch Complex 17A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Mission overview from United Launch Alliance: GPS IIR-18 (M) is the fifth of the modernized GPS satellites, incorporating various improvements to provide greater accuracy, increased resistance to interference and enhanced performance for users. It will be launched aboard a Delta II 7925-9.5 vehicle in December 2007 from Space Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. There may be video of the launch available online. check at www.space.com about an hour before launch.
  4. Read what alienbogey said, then read it again. They call them "Captains" because they are exactly the same as the Captain of a ship: the absolute and final authority for everything that happens on board. If a given Captain is nervous about a GPS (you can bet money his imagination is running along the lines of "Look, Achmed, we are nearing the Trade Center!") then he is going to prohibit the use of a GPSr aboard his ship. Period. If you and Achmed persist in trying to use it, you will soon learn from a crew member, Air Marshall or even a travelling Marine that you and your little toy are not welcome. You will not enjoy the lesson. And when you land, you will be met by Mr Handcuffs, who will take you to your longterm reservation at the Graybar Hotel. Reason enough to avoid an inflight tantrum? I hope so.
  5. To the original topic: for me it's boredom. I found 200 caches the first year, 50 the second and so far this year, perhaps 10. I'm simply tired of finding garbage caches tossed out with no imagination and less thought. I went out a while back to one that's near my house, mostly because I needed a good walk. It turned out to be a magnetic key box under a park bench. The couple I surprised having "fun" on a nearby picnic table weren't the only ones disappointed that afternoon. My only caching activity has been in crafting what I hope are memorably creative cache hides - as examples of what CAN be done. My enjoyment comes from reading the online logs from finders who agree. I have one and only one LPC, which I maintain because I insist on having at least one that's truly handicap/wheelchair friendly. Completely off topic and probably unwanted advice follows: Tracy, with a fiance like that, you are headed for a battered wife shelter or worse. I know of which I speak here. Think hard, and then run fast. Please.
  6. I'll cop to the cheesy plea. I have two caches that I duplicated (sounds better than "stole") from other places. Neither original is closer than 150 miles from here, so I don't think there's any danger of creating anything like lamp post syndrome with them. Besides, both of the ideas require more labor than throwing a film can under a bush, so few cachers will go to the trouble to re-stea...I mean, re-duplicate them.
  7. I have a cache where a road passes an unfenced public golf course. If I fade my tee shot a bit left, I can do cache maintenance while pretending to look for the ball.
  8. Amazing the thread took so long to devolve into "why-why not" from the original question of "If you do, how?" I do. No explanation needed. What is a Charter Bulldog .44 Special. How is an original Roy Jinks Pancake, right hip. Open or under a vest, as the surroundings dictate. I am a CCW licensee.
  9. WG, from many years in retail, I developed "Rocky's Rule for Staying Sane:" Remember that half of everybody you deal with is below average. It's certainly true here.
  10. I agree. It's something I always do. When I consider looking for a cache and see a recent owner note, I'm not only reassured that the cache is there, but that it's in decent shape. Warm fuzzy feeling.
  11. That's an excellent point. Kids will often return to see if the "treasure" has magically reappeared. If it doesn't come back after they've checked a few times, they'll give up. I had one of mine temporarily disabled for several months. It was a specialty container and I had to make a new one. Took longer than even I would have wanted, but I had also to redesign it a bit as well. No problems with my reviewer.
  12. To tell you the truth, I've sort of morphed into a placer rather than a finder. I logged 200 finds my first year, 50 the second and only about six so far this year. But I delight in constructing one-of-a-kind cache containers. My Czech's Cache series has no two alike, and I have several more in construction - all different. Only a few are traditional containers (the multi in discussion is the only ammo box) and there are no film container micros or other too-common ones. I try to match the container to the hide spot. I can't give descriptive examples here, but those who have found them are almost universally thrilled. Brag mode off. Thanks for the compliment.
  13. Thanks to all of you for confirming my own inclinations. It stays. It really is a good cache, great view, full of nice goodies, a tricky first stage and a rewarding second. (Besides, who could bear to lose an identifier as cool as RZGZ?) Yup, to good to die. I think I just might plant a second one nearby as a lure to this one. I have yet another unique container to add to my Czech's Cache series anyway...
  14. I have a very nice two-stop multi-stage GCRZGZ that hasn't been found, logged or even looked for in seven months. It isn't a drive-by, and does require a short but vigorous climb to reach the second/final stage. I suppose a little exercise is too much for some, but I'm 60 and I not only placed it, but check on it regularly. So it's not TOO daunting. Anyway, would any of you remove it due to lack of interest, or not? There's no effort to leaving it there, and the view really is worth it for anyone who likes to search more than ten feet from their car. Or does that sentence provide my own answer? What say y'all?
  15. I hear ya about the one being nearest to your home coords being a constant thorn because you've DNF'ed it. Mine is/was only 0.6 mile from my house. Went out confidently the first time, knowing in my heart (from the description) that it'd probably be one of those nano-size magnetic bumps just slightly larger than an aspirin. Except that I couldn't find it. Hmmm... Three other DNF-logging cachers later, the owner posts a "guess it disappeared" log and replaced the container. So I looked again - and AGAIN couldn't find it. Mumble, mumble, grumble... Months go by with a long string of DNFs and no finds. FINALLY the owner posts, "Well, it's gone again, guess I'll quit trying and archive it." I won't post the cache ID here because I've sort of badmouthed its owner. But I'm delighted that the dadblame thing no longer shows up at the very top of my weekly pocket query!
  16. What Ann said. If you need a PDA for lots of other things, you probably already HAVE one, and it will run Cachemate just fine. If you're getting it just for caching, then get the simplest, cheapest one you can find on eBay. I found the IBM brand-named version of the Palm 500 for peanuts, and it does more than I'll ever need. Plus you can download lots of freeware such as gas mileage logs, expense trackers, simple games and such also. One caveat: Some of the much older PDAs have connector cords that end in a 9-pin serial plug - and lots of modern computers don't those any more. Try to find one with a USB cable. There are serial-to-USB adapters, but they can be problematic. I bought two different ones and can't get either one to work flawlessly. Finally found a USB cable to fit my PDA. Problem solved. Get GSAK for your computer and Cachemate for your PDA. Seamless updates and lots more from pocket queries.
  17. Why not place EXACT directions inside the cache? As: "Please rehide this cache under the third rock north of the sign post." Nobody will read that unless and until they've found it.
  18. Don't know about y'all, but MY caches are male. Auntie Weasel's caches are female. And if Rosie O'Donnell, Michael Moore, Cindy Sheehan or Ellen Degeneris are geocachers, theirs are definitely neuter.
  19. Uh huh. The normal load of broken, expired junk isn't an insurmountable problem - it's the ungodly TBs that some people place. Found one once that used a full-size Teddy Bear as a traveler. Like a dummy, I took it along. Like to NEVER found a cache big enough and empty enough to hold that beast. I think I finally resorted to virtually emptying an ammo box of the legitimate trade items (luckily almost all of it fell into the "broken junk" category) and stuffed the bear inside. Resolved to never again use a TB traveler bigger than a matchbox for my own bugs.
  20. No disrespect to El Diablo's superlative work, but it seems that posting "alternative" sources is okay. I just got a scrumptious stick from a guy who has no idea what his products are worth - he charges about a third of what his stuff would get here in Utah, and Utah is populated with the world's skinniest flints. Just take a peek here... http://www.bluegrasswalkingsticks.com
  21. I recently went through a spate of missing or damaged cache containers that had me wondering if hiding any at all was worthwhile. Caches that go missing can be due to several causes, even natural. But caches that get terminally damaged by ham-fisted, uncaring or just stupid cachers really galls my hide. Especially when the cache is unique, clever and carefully crafted. I've replaced or repaired two in the past few weeks, one of which was just plain broken by some gorilla who resorted to prying the cache apart rather than simply removing the cover. Moron. Sure is disheartening that some people cannot treat stuff as if it were their own. That said, I have another unique one in works that I'll be placing as soon as I find the ideal spot. So I suppose the addiction is more powerful than the drawbacks. Rant mode off.
  22. There is no such common agreement. The find counts if they forgot to log it and have to go back. The find counts if they are not registered. The find counts if they have their couson log it because they forgot. The find counts if they logged second but found it first. The find counts if they found the cache and there is no log book. The find counts for situations that I can't even think up just now. So, it's a find if I see where I think the cache might be, but don't actually lay hands on it? Is it a find if I just claim I found it? Is a find if I just go to geocaching.com and fill in logs for every cache page I can scroll to? Don't think so. Search and you'll find bazillions of posts in this very forum where people have adamantly said, "No log entry - no find." I call that a common agreement, and rest my case on that point.
  23. I doubt that any real FTF addict would ever cache other than alone. If it matters to anyone on the team, then have an agreement that you won't search for new listings as a team. If it doesn't matter, well then, it doesn't matter. BTW, because by common agreement among cachers, a "find" only counts if there's a log entry; the FTF is therefore the registered cacher who makes the first log entry.
  24. Simpler is always better. When I open a cache page that is full of HTML tricks, bells and whistles, music or other drivel, I simply leave it. I'll put the worst "scrapbooky" ones on my Ignore list. The chances of me ever looking for that cache are minimal at best. I'll also pass on cache pages that feature bad grammar, horrible spelling or (worse!) any kind of juvenile "textspeak" crap. Call me anal if you will, but I believe that if you cannot write well, you cannot do anything well - including making a decent cache hide.
  25. USAF jet instructor, 300 combat missions...does that count?
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