travisl

tl;dr: Lots of changes made. Thanks. Draft 2 is here. Done. Thanks for letting me know. Notes in-line for these: To make up for the several caches I've removed, I've added several parking lot caches in West Lake Stevens. (umm, yay?) With so many changes, I'm posting a second draft early. Take a look at it here.

Rambudo: Thanks for the feedback. For the next draft: 1-6, 15, 22, 67, 70-73, 91, 101: Fixed 28: It looks from Street View like there's a chain link fence ending at the parking coordinates, near a Bike Route sign. Is that where to enter to be on the correct side? 42-43, 91: Removing 27, 83, 87: Hours & parking noted 113: Yup, it's disabled, but FluteFace is a very active cacher, and I'm sure I'll know soon whether this is live or dead. JHolly: my notes are inline: Keep the feedback coming!

Nope -- you're too quick. Because of way I set these up, the event page needs a link to this discussion, and this discussion needs a link to the event page. To get the links, I need to post them nearly simultaneously. It'll take the lackeys a few hours or even a day to get the event approved, especially if I've goofed on something. But that never happens. (Edit: Aaaand it's live!)

I've posted the first draft of the route. If you're familiar with the area, I'd love to get feedback about things I've done wrong or weird. It's pretty straightforward this time, but I'm sure I've got some parking coordinates wrong, particularly in the area of Forest Park.

Note: circumstances may change after this initial posting. Look for my posts (with the icon) in this thread for all the important details and changes. (Link to dinner event cache.) When you think of Everett, do you think big? It's got the largest building in the world. It's got the largest public marina on the west coast. And it's got a large number of caches in the surrounding area. Let's get a hundred or so. So fill up the tank, grab your gear, toss down some breakfast at way-too-early o'clock, and start on the route at Spencer Island: GC2DXBY, Porter Put It There. Sunrise on Saturday, June 20, is around 5:00 a.m., so we'll start then. From there, move at your own pace and get as many as you can. Dinner's at 7:30 p.m. at Alfy’s Pizza, 2317 Broadway, Everett (47° 59.174', -122° 12.056'). It’s listed as an event cache, GC5V133. See its event page for details. Please log your "will attends" on the event page. Note that several caches on the route map are marked with a "do not enter" icon . Those cache owners have justifiably asked for their cache to not be on the route, and for the cache to not be sought during the cache machine. The cache is, in the owner's opinion, in a sensitive area, whether it's environmentally unwise, socially sensitive, or physically fragile. Just don't get it. It's not like there's a shortage of caches in the area. You may find this bookmark list of do-not-hunt caches useful. Rules: 1) Follow all traffic laws, and drive safely. This is not a race; there are no winners. The only loser will be someone who gets hurt. When someone asks what you're doing, the right answer is honesty: "geocaching". 2) Respect private property, even if the cache owner didn't. Post your DNFs proudly. 3) One logbook entry for "ECM2" is fine for most small and micros. Don't go filling up the logbook just because you want to mark your territory. 100 people's names and dates will fill up most one-sheets. Be kind and bring extra paper to add to caches with full logbooks. 4) As with all cache machines, if you find the cache, you'll be the one who has to re-hide it. Hide it as well as you found it. Handing it off to someone else and pointing down saying "it goes there" isn't good enough. Don't be a jerk. The extra 45 seconds isn't going to ruin your day. If you’ve already found a couple of these caches, that’s fine - give us a chance to find the cache, and then we may turn to you for a hint. Suggestions and ''Count me ins'' are welcome on the event page. ---- The Everett Cache Machine II FAQ: When is it? When is the start time? Saturday, June 20, 2015. Start time is 5:00 a.m. at GC2DXBY, Porter Put It There. Will it be one large group, will we be split into teams, or what? We'll start as one large group, but after a dozen caches or so, the large groups will likely fragment, and on a long day like this, you'll probably be on your own by the time most people in town are waking up. Is anything going on before, during, or after? Friday, June 19, at 7:00 PM: An informal pre-event dinner will be at Scuttlebutt Brewing (kids welcome), 1205 Craftsman Way, very close to GC2WVA2, Sirens’ Perch. Last-minute changes will be announced here and in the Groundspeak forum. Saturday, June 20, at 5:00 AM: Cache machine begins! Saturday, June 20, at 7:30 AM: It's not part of the cache machine, but FYI, the Mt. Vernon Parks 2015 Geocoin Challenge event is taking place about 25 miles north of here. Saturday, June 20, at 7:30 PM: Dinner will be at Alfy’s Pizza, 2317 Broadway, Everett (47° 59.174', -122° 12.056'). It’s listed as an event cache, stop number 123, GC5V133. Sunday, June 21: Nothing's planned. A cache on your map shows the wrong place to park. Hey, that road doesn't exist! What's with making us ford the Snohomish River? Thanks for catching that! Let me know, and I'll incorporate it into the route. If dinner's at 7:30 p.m., why does the route go to 11? Is this a two-day event? The extra time is a buffer, in case you're so good that you'd run out of caches before you run out of daylight. I don't expect anyone would be able to hit all of them between sunrise and sunset. Of course, if you wanted to hit them after dinner, or on Sunday, I'm sure you'll be able to find folks to join you. *NEW* The last two caches on the route require a 1.5 mile round-trip hike, so if you find yourself with extra time, that should eat up the clock. It sounds fun, but I've already found some of them. Then come laugh at us, try to remember where they were, look at the old logbook signatures, or guess when we'll be at the caches you haven't hit yet. Maybe pass your phone number around for us to call when we get stumped. You don't have X cache on the route. Why aren't we getting that one? I try to avoid most multicaches, most puzzle caches, caches that appear to be overly time consuming, and caches that the owner has asked us to avoid. I'm also skipping caches that just seem at first glance to be a little lame, because there's so many caches and so little time. Don't worry, though, I've still got some parking lot caches for you. You have X cache on the route, but it's disabled/archived/a long hike. Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route (if archived) or will check with the owner (if disabled). X cache is in an environmentally sensitive area. My cache is physically fragile and I don't want it broken. By all means, let me know. I don't want to send 100 people there to stomp all over it. I disagree with the whole idea of cache machines. I don't want you finding my cache. Sorry to hear that. It's too bad you've got a neat place to show us that we won't be able to see. Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route. What's this gonna cost me? Nothing for the caching. Or, at least, nothing more than it would cost than if you did the trip solo (e.g., paying for your own gas, hotel, and dinner). I'm not collecting any money for this. Lunch? Breaks? Bathrooms? There's no breaks in cache machines! Just hold it. :-P Or find something on the way. Rain? Snow? Landslides? Flooding? Tides? Probably, yes. Do what you safely can, and skip ahead when reality or your capabilities don't match the plan. Be prepared and flexible. What do the map symbols mean? Turquoise lines show my suggested route, but if there's a brown trail or grey road that I've drawn in, ignore the turquoise. Red car icons show places to leave a car for a short time.

I'm looking forward to following your adventure. Keep the details coming!

You can't get much more northwest in Oregon than Fort Stevens State Park. So many caches.

Thanks for coming, everyone! I talked to the manager of the restaurant, and he said we had 120 people at dinner. That makes it one of the biggest ever (Wenatchee II holds the record, with 142 "Attended" logs). As a reminder, Everett II comes up on June 20, and Quincy/Ephrata is October 3. The full list is always on my profile page. Any comments or suggestions for improvement? I'm seeing lots of logs on Smokey the Bear, which was a late Do Not Hunt, but I don't blame the finders for that -- that's what happens when the word only gets out the night before.

Last minute route updates: #17 GC2X4NB Edgecliff Park II reported missing #41 GCP720 Come to the Islands reported missing #61 GC1V9ET Smokey the Bear confirmed missing by previous finder, nearby fire chief asks us not to hunt for it.

That's because sharing the GPX file would be against the Groundspeak terms of service. Instead, go to jholly's bookmark list, and at the bottom of the page, "Create Pocket Query". That'll go through the process of creating a GPX file for you to use.

Better late than never: I carved out some time this afternoon and just posted the final route. (SirKarp, I wasn't sure I'd be able to when I posted my note at lunch today.) Changes from draft 2: Adding: None Removing: GC1V940 "Moab" and GC321MF "Troop 425". My specific notes from jholly's last watch list are inline below. His stop numbers refer to draft 2, which will be a few stops off on the final. I'll see some of you at the pre-event dinner on Friday night (Rancho Viejo, 14201 E Sprague Ave, 7 PM); many more of you at the start point (6:30 AM), on the trail, at lunch (noon to 2 PM), or at dinner (7:30 PM) on Saturday; and some of you at brunch on Sunday (8 AM to noon). The forecast is for light rain on Saturday morning, with clearing in the afternoon, mid 50s, so dress accordingly. Travel in the passes is looking good.

Using the draft 2 bookmark list and route will be a very good alternative. I don't expect any major changes, and when I post the final, I'll make an extra effort to point out any changes that I do make.

Sorry for the delay, folks. Short story: it might be as late as Thursday before I post the final. I hope it's a lot sooner. Longer story and a little inside baseball: I generally put the route together on my computer at work on my lunch breaks, so all the data files live on that machine. I had aimed to post it last Friday, because I'm supposed to be at a conference in Burien today, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Unfortunately, system issues at work knocked me off the Friday plan, and some family medical issues arose this weekend that kept me off kilter and away from the conference today. I'm hoping to connect remotely and get it done tonight, tomorrow night, or Wednesday night, but worst case is that it won't get done until Thursday. Too many variables to promise anything before then.

Also, if you're still looking for a cheap room, I see that Hotwire.com is currently listing a mystery one-star room at $34 a night in the East Valley area. Everything I'm seeing about it matches the Crossland Economy Studios, which is ranked pretty low on TripAdvisor. For $87 total for two nights (including tax), if you don't mind dog hair and maybe a few roaches, it's a strong contender, four miles from the start and end points of the route. I locked down the Knights Inn near the airport, 10½ miles away. What's a few more miles when I'm driving clear across the state?

A little off topic, but a heads up to those of you who plan such things way in advance: I'm moving the Quincy Cache Machine date again, to October 3. The September 26 date conflicts with a big event being planned for Long Beach, probably 4 times the size of the QCM.

The second draft is up! I'll post the final on Friday the 13th, not because it's lucky, but because I'll be away from my mapping tools for most of the next week. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. Notes from JHolly's list of caches to monitor: GC45MJP - Eight months since someone confirmed it was missing. Reported it to be archived. Removed from route. GC58VPH - Was just found. Yay! GC2NZ7P - Six months since it was confirmed missing. Reported it to be archived. Removed from route. GC4MDVG - 39 finds with only one DNF day, and then 6 DNFs in a row. Tagged as "needs maintenance" and removed from the route. GC4ZW0N - Probably not there, but one DNF didn't search too hard, and previous finder said coordinates were off. It looks to be a quick one, if it's there, so I'm going to leave it on. GC1T7CM - Five DNFs after 221 consecutive finds, and "needs maintenance" logs unresolved for nearly three years. Reported it to be archived and removed from route. GC2PHND - The FTF cacher reported it missing nearly a year ago. Already reported as needing maintenance four months ago. Reported it to be archived and removed from route. GC2N5J1 - 128 consecutive finds followed by 2 DNFs, owner hasn't logged in since September 2013. It's gone. Reported it to be archived and removed from route. GC1V940 - It's had 2 DNFs before, and a 9-month find gap like this, so I'm going to leave it on for now, but yeah, I'll keep an eye on it. GC1ATZ0 - In addition to the homeless camp, there hasn't been a gap in finds this long since the cache was hidden. Marked "needs maintenance" and removed from route. GC1MVJM - Archived? Removed. Also, I've added a few caches, including the lunch stop (GC5NBA6). I've updated the event rules with references to the Sunday brunch. Another cache is on the do-not-hunt bookmark list. And a few other little tweaks. Have at it! And as for hotels, I've locked in the Knights Inn, because I'm cheap, and because a poker table is nearby.

Riverbend isn't a bad choice. It's perfectly average. Kinda old, kinda dull. Breakfast is dry bread and maybe a hard boiled egg. But for the price, it's good enough. I'm also considering the Knights Inn near the airport. No bad reviews, a little less driving coming from the west side, and it's close to the casino if I decide to go there on Friday night.

It's looking like half the hotels in town are sold out, and except for a couple of sketchy ones (the bottom 2 of 12 in TripAdvisor), they're pretty pricey. I'm strongly considering staying in Post Falls instead (at the Riverbend Inn, where I stayed for the Coeur d'Alene CM). Any idea what's else is going on this weekend or suggestions of hotels to avoid?

Thanks yet again, JHolly. Also, buried in my wall of text in my first post: the bookmark list of do-not-hunt caches, as discussed in the Gig Harbor Cache Machine debriefing. Let me know if you find it useful, or if I shouldn't bother doing it for the Everett CM in June.

If I were to see a bear I'd feel incredibly lucky. I've only ever seen bears once, 30 years ago, near Mt. St. Helens, and all I saw was his rear end retreating off of a dirt road into the brush.

The first draft of the route is at SVCM_draft1.pdf. Thanks already to Night*Cacher and Trevor&Kate for their help in getting this going. I look forward to additional feedback from all y'all.

Note: circumstances may change after this initial posting. Look for my posts (with the icon) in this thread for all the important details and changes. (Link to dinner event cache.) The Spokane Valley Historical Museum tells remembers that the Spokane Valley was originally the ancestral homeland of the Coeur d Alenes and the Upper Band of the Spokane Tribe. Pow wows were held in the Valley along the Spokane River bringing the Palouse, Nez Perce and other tribes for annual games, trading, and storytelling. Games, trading, storytelling? In the Spokane Valley? Sounds like a Cache Machine. So fill up the tank, grab your gear, toss down some breakfast at way-too-early o'clock, and start on the route at Silly's Were Here. Sunrise on Saturday, March 21, is around 6:30 a.m., so we'll start then. From there, move at your own pace and get as many as you can. Dinner's at 7:30 p.m. at The Timber Creek Grill Buffet, 9211 E. Montgomery, N 47° 40.794, W 117° 16.848. See its event page for details. Please log your "will attends" on the event page. Note that several caches on the route map are marked with a "do not enter" icon . Those cache owners have justifiably asked for their cache to not be on the route, and for the cache to not be sought during the cache machine. The cache is, in the owner's opinion, in a sensitive area, whether it's environmentally unwise, socially sensitive, or physically fragile. Just don't get it. It's not like there's a shortage of caches in the area. NEW: You may find this bookmark list of do-not-hunt caches useful. Rules: 1) Follow all traffic laws, and drive safely. This is not a race; there are no winners. The only loser will be someone who gets hurt. When someone asks what you're doing, the right answer is honesty: "geocaching". 2) Respect private property, even if the cache owner didn't. Post your DNFs proudly. 3) One logbook entry for "SVCM" is fine for most small and micros. Don't go filling up the logbook just because you want to mark your territory. 100 people's names and dates will fill up most one-sheets. Be kind and bring extra paper to add to caches with full logbooks. 4) As with all cache machines, if you find the cache, you'll be the one who has to re-hide it. Hide it as well as you found it. Handing it off to someone else and pointing down saying "it goes there" isn't good enough. Don't be a jerk. The extra 45 seconds isn't going to ruin your day. If you’ve already found a couple of these caches, that’s fine - give us a chance to find the cache, and then we may turn to you for a hint. Suggestions and ''Count me ins'' are welcome on the event page. ---- The Spokane Valley Cache Machine FAQ: When is it? When is the start time? Saturday, March 21, 2015. Start time is 6:30 a.m. at Silly's Were Here. Will it be one large group, will we be split into teams, or what? We'll start as one large group, but after a dozen caches or so, the large groups will likely fragment, and on a long day like this, you'll probably be on your own by the time most people in town are waking up. Is anything going on before, during, or after? Friday, March 20, at 7:00 PM: An informal pre-event dinner will be at Rancho Viejo, 14201 E Sprague Ave. Last-minute changes will be announced at dinner and in this forum thread. Saturday, March 21, at 6:30 AM: Cache machine begins! Saturday, March 21, around noon: There are rumors of a lunch stop hosted by the Inland Empire chapter of the WSGA. Stay tuned. Saturday, March 21, at 7:30 PM: Dinner will be at The Timber Creek Grill Buffet, 9211 E. Montgomery, 47.6799, -117.2808, stop 123, event cache GC5MH9W. Saturday, March 21, after dinner: Nothing’s planned, but I see that there are lots of night caches in the area. Sunday, March 22: The Cache Cave Brunch: Coffee and pastries at the Cache Cave. Drop in between 8 AM and noon. A cache on your map shows the wrong place to park. Hey, that road doesn't exist! What's with making us ford the Spokane River? Thanks for catching that! Let me know, and I'll incorporate it into the route. If dinner's at 7:30 p.m., why does the route go to 11? Is this a two-day event? The extra time is a buffer, in case you're so good that you'd run out of caches before you run out of daylight. I don't expect anyone would be able to hit all of them between sunrise and sunset. Of course, if you wanted to hit them after dinner, or on Sunday, I'm sure you'll be able to find folks to join you. It sounds fun, but I've already found some of them. I would hope so -- this is the third cache machine in the Spokane area (see also, September 2003, April 2007) Come laugh at us, try to remember where they were, look at the old logbook signatures, or guess when we'll be at the caches you haven't hit yet. You don't have X cache on the route. Why aren't we getting that one? I try to avoid most multicaches, most puzzle caches, caches that appear to be overly time consuming, and caches that the owner has asked us to avoid. I'm also skipping caches that just seem at first glance to be a little lame, because there's so many caches and so little time. Don't worry, though, it's Spokane, so I still have some lamp post caches for you. You have X cache on the route, but it's disabled/archived/a two mile hike. Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route (if archived) or will check with the owner (if disabled). X cache is in an environmentally sensitive area. My cache is physically fragile and I don't want it broken. By all means, let me know. I don't want to send 100 people there to stomp all over it. I disagree with the whole idea of cache machines. I don't want you finding my cache. Sorry to hear that. It's too bad you've got a neat place to show us that we won't be able to see. Let me know, and I'll remove it from the route. What's this gonna cost me? Nothing for the caching. Or, at least, nothing more than it would cost than if you did the trip solo (e.g., paying for your own gas, hotel, and dinner). I'm not collecting any money for this. Nothing's been discussed yet, but I'm guessing donations at the lunch stop to offset the cost will be welcomed. Lunch? Breaks? Bathrooms? Lunch is in the works, and at this point, I'm guessing that donations to offset the cost will be welcomed. Otherwise, there's no breaks in cache machines! Just hold it. :-P Or find something on the way. Also, one of the first stops on the route is at a Starbucks, so you're welcome. Rain? Snow? Landslides? Flooding? Probably, yes. Do what you safely can, and skip ahead when reality or your capabilities don't match the plan. Be prepared and flexible. What do the map symbols mean? Turquoise lines show my suggested route, but if there's a brown trail or grey road that I've drawn in, ignore the turquoise. Red car icons show places to leave a car for a short time. And there's these symbols:

For those of you who keep track of these things far in advance, I'm moving the date of the Quincy/Ephrata Cache Machine to September 26. The previously listed date, September 19, conflicts with a training class that I'll be out of state for. Spokane Valley's still on March 21 (I need to get working on it!), and Everett's still tentatively scheduled for June 20. The full list is on my profile page.

You've all listed several good suggestions and examples, and I'll keep them in mind for upcoming cache machines. I've cautioned cache owners that a handful of people may still find their cache on the day of the CM, and for the most part, they've been OK with knowing that I'm minimizing traffic while unable to eliminate it. One or two cache owners have made an effort to remove and disable their caches that weekend, which I think is going above and beyond, and I commend them for their efforts. I need to do a bit better work on the map itself. On the GHCM2, I didn't try hard enough to figure out paths from parking to trails, as you can see in Rambudo's screen shot. Where the icon is hidden and near the route, I'll call it out on the map. I'll also put the "Do Not Find" caches in a bookmark list. I'll need to figure out the wording, so that someone looking for the cache the week before doesn't get deterred by a "AVOID THIS CACHE" bookmark entry. FYI, regarding trail mapping, I also messed up a little later in the route, marking the wrong trail altogether. My intent: go to the eastern cache. My route: go to the circled cache. The result: getting the circled and squared caches, and wondering why the squared one wasn't on the route:

Thanks for coming, everybody! You all certainly overwhelmed my expectations for dinner, and if "too many cachers" is a problem, that's a good problem to have. I've done 42 of these now, and while you'd think I'd have it down pat, I'm constantly looking for ways to improve the next one. If you've got any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. With the day's logs starting to roll in, I'm seeing one thing that's concerned me, and I'm seeking feedback on how to fix it. For the last several cache machines, including this one, I'd written in the first post: And, after getting feedback from local cachers, I mark them with on the map, and list something like the following, on the route "rules" PDF: But, inevitably, I still see logs like these: I don't blame these experienced finders -- it's obvious I haven't made it clear enough that there are sensitivities about these caches. Any suggestions for me to improve this communication? Or, perhaps my communications are sufficient, and the reduction (but not elimination) of cachers hunting sensitive caches is adequate. Suggestions that won't work: Have owners disable and remove their sensitive caches. It's a bad idea because this will result in more damage, as cachers will still look for them and spend more time looking for them. Archive them because they're in "bad spots". It's a bad idea because several "do not hunt" caches are great caches, perfectly suitable for small numbers of visitors over extended time; they're often either environmentally sensitive or the cache construction is considerably fragile. Thoughts?