infiniteMPG

They block sites here at work like where those images were hosted but we have our waysssss.... hehehe. Great stuff!!! Is the Alabama waterproof or do you buy the Thompson's Screen Protector? Wow.... for once I feel good I only went from my MAP60C to a MAP60CSx and not up to a Colorado like I was debating, just in case Garmin had something up their sleeve Whew!!!

There's been a few times the servers were down and it's always when trying to run a PQ on vacation in a neat spot on a limited schedule, but Murphy is in charge of that. And the occasional double post that can't be deleted. Every now and again the "an error has occurred" message on the site. And the occasional double post that can't be deleted. Waiting for the new website.... http://www.geocaching.google.com And how many people tried to click on that just to check..... hehehe

Part of it might be ease of access to airport property. It's definitely reviewer judgement but I have found that if there is a 10-foot fence topped with barbed wire coil between the cache and the airport it will be more easily published then if you can walk from the cache to the planes without even bushwhacking. If there is no barrier and the cache has nothing to do with the airport it might be best to find a similar place away from the big metal birds....

I thought they were cardboard cutouts????

That can also be spelled "Blutarsky" and I beleive he's genetically prone to food fights and toga parties....

Aha!!!! Freedom of Speech grants everyone the right to ask people how they run their business. BUT by the same right, those businesses have the right NOT to tell you if they so wish. Kind of the difference between the people that ask how a GPSr works and they get told "You turn it on and it receives several satellite signals that can figure out exactly where you are" or people that want to hear "You depress the momentary contact pushbutton switch for approximately 50ms, after timing out the circuit is made supplying power to the main GPSr processor, this initiates the start up routine that supplies power to the LCD screen which displays the customer programmed start up message..... blah-blah-blah". I just want the dang thing to work, could care less what's going on inside, and I think that's true with most people. Same goes for the inner workings of GC.com. I have a series of caches in a nearby provate nature park that charges almost $10 to visit. Full permission from the manager for the caches and have been told to come any time for FREE and check the caches. Every time I go I pay the fees because it goes to a good cause and I can cut out a few snacks that week to pay for it. You weigh out the cost vs. the benifit and if the shoe don't fit then don't wear it

Hmmm, seems to be back to that "Hey! I just hiked 10 miles so why isn't there a full sized cache I can trade my crayons for a new keychain?" log. The challenge should be the hike and/or the location and that should not be spoiled by complaints that the cache wasn't big enough for you to trade McCrap for once you got there..... We have a local preserve that's over 5,700 acres and there is a nice mix of full, small and micro caches and other then tricky camo jobs the challenge is different on each one not on the size of the container.... over 50 caches and a true mix.

Psssst.... wasn't supposed to say anything but I don't think anyone is listening. Hate to break this to ya but everyone involved in geocaching except you is getting paid a base salary of $75K which includes a good benifits package, a bonus of $250 for each cache hidden, $100 for each find on our caches and $50 for each cache we find. GC was granted $10.3B in 1997 on some government earmark funding accident. I retired from my CEO position a few years ago to do this but I was told not to tell you. So don't say I told you, okay?

>>I hid a cache but lost the coords Ummmm, isn't that the same as saying an ammo can fell out of my pack while I was hiking? If there are landmarks you could identify you can get pretty close with Google Earth. In fact I've checked on cache locational coords with GE when I couldn't get a good reading and found that the coords I got from my flaking out GPSr put me on the wrong side of a fence or something like that and then I tweaked the coords by marking a new spot with GE (and never got a complaint and got many finds).

I might be way off base here but it seems that most of the folks who post that they have been treated badly by someone from GS or a reviewer are posting a pretty bitter or harsh message to that effect. Not any kind of physiologist and I'm not even in the loop (unless I post a response) yet I often feel defensive by their presentation. I can only imagine what an overwhelmed volunteer reviewer must feel like, especially if it's not their first experience with that attitude. “Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.” ~ Otto von Bismarck If anyone is making money off this then kudo's to them and they get my nod of jealousy! We pay taxes that pay for the postal service who charge us a fortune to mail a letter, they mandate that they can't have any competition and yet spend millions of our dollars on TV and other advertising to try to get us to give them more business. I'm just glad we don't get charges 42-cents every time w log a find

There were five of us there and we all debated the issue. The basic conclusion was that these guys were nice elderly folks and we didn't think climbing to the top of a 15-foot chain link fence was on their dance card. I agree with the fact there is risk but I can also attest that I have had at least two dozen logs in the last six months on my caches state something like "Explained geocaching to a spectating fisherman and showed him what a geocache looked like. He seemed interested in the game." and I got nervous about it. But I have yet to have one of those caches muggled. If it would of been a bunch of teens goofing off then we'd of never done it. I think it's a judgement call and it wasn't made alone. I worry more about the legitimate cachers that leave the dang things sitting out in the open after digging it out of it's hiding place

Caching this past weekend there were 5 of us doing an urban run. We located GZ right beside the visitor's dugout at a softball field with warmups in progress. We read the hint and figured it was in the top cap of the fencepost of the field near 3rd base. After much debate we decided to throw in the towel until I had that urge to leave no cache unfound so I walked up to the dugout, asked if anyone ever heard of geocaching. When no one knew I said it was high tech treasure hunting with GPS's and sometimes you have to make a fool of yourself looking.... like now. And I immediately climbed the fence, tossed down the cache, signed, replaced, and told them if anyone else comes looking they'll know what's going on and can have fun with them. They laughed, we left. All is well. Sometimes the best stealth is no stealth at all

--> QUOTE(R.O.B @ Jul 8 2008, 01:39 PM) 3549473[/snapback] We had a problem like this in Fort Worth a few years back. Somebody was taking all the contents and Travel Bugs and leaving the containers. We had found a few caches around the Tampa area in Florida where we found the log and the contents of the cache scattered on the ground and the ammo can carted off to be used for a tackle box or something. Also had some pretty good camo jobs disappear which would be nice to have an amber alert thing somewhere to ID caches that mysteriously re-appear somewhere else as someone else's hide. Sounds to me like if this was a continual problem it could be seen as a chance to bait a trap and set up a cache too irressitable to stay away from for the criminal-wannabe. Then either lie in wait, place it where it can be monitored by someone at work or home or webcam it and deal with them accordingly. Note : "deal with it accordingly" in no way means to sit in the bushes with a baseball bat or bush axe and archive the cache as soon as things are "delt with" so that no other witnesses.... errr, I mean geocachers, visit that particular plot.... errrr... I mean spot of land again.

I have an old Konica Minolta Z3 that was great for many years and loved the super-macro mode to have a focal range down around 1/2" and 10X optical zoom (digital zoom blows). After it went 6-feet down in a river (dried out and managed to keep working), went down some rocks, got dropped (more then once) onto a concrete driveway and pretty much smashed up, after a little Superglue, JB Weld, and some cut pieces of inner tube holding the battery compartment shut, it still takes pictures good enough to get published a few places and win some state park photo contests. Decided to step up and invested in a Sony A-100 DSLR with a Tamron AF 18-250 lens and I really like the camera (wanted a Minolta 7D but this was the replacement) but all the features that let you take great pictures make it a little bit cumbersome to take pictures on the fly when hiking/biking/kayaking. It's too bulky to haul on long hikes and too sensitive to water to yak with but I like the shots when I occasionally figure out what I'm doing. I have yet to exhaust a battery charge (and have a spare just in case) even when taking 2Gb of pictures and every one used the built in flash. Still torn on swapping it out for a more portable, more durable camera, but after years with my Minolta Maxxum 9000 and before that my Minolta STR-201 I feel comfortable with it in my hands. Anyone use a camera with decent zoom and macro features that's durable and compact?

My only concern is that I'm not really concerned about it at all. Hide quality hides in good locations, or good challenges, or good camo, provide a mix of sizes and techniques and try to make each cache unique and it's own adventure. Then maintain them as well as possible and try to keep it fun for everyone as much as you can. If people want to hide all micros, or no micros, or mix 'em up, good for them! At least they're contributing to the game. And as soon as it gets too far regulated or too serious then it won't be fun anymore and I'll look into taking up bungi-jumping blindfolded speed knitting or something...

And people buy it..... and they make money off it.... ::sigh::

Hat tipped in thanks to all reviewers! Agree with that but those that are "willing" are not always knowledgable... had someone after their 2nd find (and the first was a 1/1 PAG) and can't find a well camoed difficult hide in 5 minutes, posted a "Needs Maintenance" and writes a "there were a lot of people around and the cache is gone" log... ::sigh::

You can archive a cache and create a new one with totally identical listing to the old one, including the name, but the GC code would be different so all new finds. After looking at the listing your best bet would be to email the owner and explain your situation and ask him if you can log a find onto the archived cache. Or you could just try to add the log for your find back yourself (with the right date, dates after archiving would be a tad suspicious) and note in the log that your log should not of been deleted as it was a valid find. The page let me go to the "log your visit" entry which had "found it" as a choice, but I didn't try logging a find. Never tried logging on an archived cache but don't see how it would hurt to try. Just be careful with your wording to try to avoid this one being deleted, too. Actually I take that back, we did find a cache while on vacation and when we got back it had been archived. We still logged our find because we found it prior to it being archived. You should be okay to just enter your find again but explain that it should not be deleted just because the cache was archived.

I don't know how many times I've had multiple DNF's on a cache only to hike, bike or kayak out to it and find out it's still there and hidden as originally hidden. I have had caches that had more DNF's then finds, I've checked it a dozen times because of what people post only to find out it's still there. I think maintenance notices should be for what they are, when a cache needs maintenance. If someone can't find a cache they can email the owner and ask them to check it, but since they don't KNOW the cache needs maintenance they should refrain from posting that it DEFINITELY DOES. That's right up there with the logs stating "We looked all around and couldn't find it, this one is probably gone". Yeah, right....

There's actually too many variables to even list. Unless we actually put some effort into it we don't log a DNF but will post a note. If we head to a cache but a thunderstorm rolls in fast and we head out quick, we didn't really look so don't feel just in posting a DNF. But it all depends on the location and the challenge (and who hid it as some of us locals put caches out to specifically challenge certain others). As far as previous DNF's, that kind of a personal passion of mine now. I really get a big smile when finding a cache that has several DNF's, especially from experienced cachers. We went to a preserve and found a cache on the ground far away from it's hiding spot that had several DNF's and for good reason. But soon after we spent almost an hour searching an ammo can that had a half dozen DNF's and hadn't been found in almost a year. Kept starting to leave but like I said, I like finding caches that have eluded others. We stuck with it and found it and that was the most rewarding find of the day. What's also fun is caches you 'find' but can't get to because of the muggles or some other reason, and you have to step back and plot your stealth moves to get it. Did a couple down in Key West like that which I even have pictures of me retrieving that were a total blast. 5 minutes to find the cache, 20 minutes figuring out how to get it and waiting for the opportunity. And the funniest part was in the toughest one I snagged a TB I saw on the listing but did it by feel. When we were away from the spot I looked at it and only part of the TB came out of the conatiner so we had to go back and do it again!

I very much appreciate a cacher who posts a normal log and then drops me an email explaining the cache situation. That gives me a chance to go resolve the problem before the next person seeks it or at the least post a note myself or temporarily disable it if I can't get to it right away. That way for the average cacher the maintenance was transparent, they never knew it needed maintenance and they never knew it got it. But this only works with a responsible cache owner who acts promptly. Posting a needs maintenance log and listing all the problems of the cache and container in the log can be negative and can disuade people from seeking the cache even if it's been repaired or replaced. Kind of like if the airplane you're getting ready to board had a notice at the doorway saying "Yesterday replaced right engine after fuel line leak". Might of been repaired and totally fixed but still doesn't leave you a warm fuzzy feeling when you take off Some things are best to be handled behind the scenes if possible and just let the regular folks enjoy things. "Ignore the man behind the curtain...."

Got my vote on Invisible Shield from Zagg http://www.zagg.com/. Had one on my MAP60C and sent it in for replacement to Garmin (for $25 they sent me a refurbished one because buttons had worn down and were not legible) but forgot my protector. When I got my MAP60C back I bought some cheaper ones. The first one started peeling back on the corners within a couple weeks. Took that off and replaced it. Then my GPS when for a swim in salt water and the screen protector was falling off before the trip was done. Replaced it. Then the next one started peeling again and this is with cleaning the screen with alcohol and following exact directions when applying. So now I have Invisible Shield on everything. My GPS has been in salt water, direct sun, dropped, bumped, knocked around and the screen protector is great!!! Have it on my new 60CSx screen and love it, saved me plenty of times and they sell them pre-cut to the exact size for many things. I have the same thing on my Palm Tx screen, my LG VX8700 phone screen and even on the rear LCD display on my new Sony Alpha A-100 DSLR camera. I swear by them. And as far as the spray with Invisible Shield, I think you'll find it just wetting solution, the same thing you'd use if applying window tint in your car or home (wetting solution is available at Lowe's, Home Depot, Advance Auto, etc). And when it's all said and done I think it's just a couple drops of mild dish detergent or baby shampoo in water.

If an owner hides a regular cache large enough for TB's and coins in a place that has a high probability of muggles or where there is marginal cover or that requires maximum stealth then it is under the owner's control as they are putting TB's at risk. And other cachers have control as well as they all too often just toss the cache near where it was hidden without taking the time to rehide it properly. And realizing a cache is MIA, it's not fun looking up the TB's that were in there to read "This TB was made from our first born's first toy and we're hoping it can play with your baby's first toy, too" and you have to write them and say "Oh well, it's gone!". That's not real fun and it's also something someone hiding micros doesn't really have to deal with. Agreed 110%!!!! With caches like that the reward is the view and not the McToys that are inside. Even a DNF at a spot like that is still worth the search (not as much fun, but still enjoyable as the smilie is on the face rather then on the log sheet). Cuz in the long run it's cheaper than illicit drugs? You mean we had to pick one or the other?!?!?!?! I think what I've invested in GC (not counting labor) would be right up there with a major addict's expenses. Does methadone work for GC withdrawals???

Also, having had to re-stock regulars on many occasions, having to explain to TB owners that my cache got muggled with their precious and sentimental TB's inside (or having that explained to me), having found my (and many other) regular caches just tossed "near" where they were hidden with no cover, having had logs and contents ruined because of cachers not sealing full sized caches properly, makes you understand why a some people who just want to own a few caches may avoid the expense and maintenance of regular caches and opt for inexpensive micros. Many people probably also don't like the thought of making 2 or 3 cache maintenance runs a week, having open accounts at military surplus stores, having the back of their Jeep loaded with cache containers and repair gear and plan kayak and hiking trips around cache maintenance rather then recreation or finding caches, like some of us do.... Remind me again why I do this?

Was placing a cache in an almost 6,000 acre preserve that's a reclaimed cattle ranch and since I didn't have the used railroad car container which the site could support, I broke down and placed a decon high up in a tree hanging over a gulley instead Other then the fact that less creative people who want to place caches use micros because they are easy, I think size doesn't matter one spec. A cache that's meant to introduce someone to a totally cool spot doesn't need swag to make it fun. A cache that's meant to challenge someone to figure out how the hint "your mother's sister is a pyromanic" shows them where a micro is hidden doesn't need a big container to get pleasure at figuring it out. The solver of a difficulty 5 puzzle cache does not need a big container and swag to feel satisfaction for being dedicated enough to figure it out. We each take what we want from GC and if that's a McRusty 2-cent Chinese toy to someone then filter out the rest. Doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure that out. Agreed! The only swag I've laid my hands on in ages is the stuff I pre-stocked cache hides with (other then trade items which I do like doing and have found and placed small TB's and coins in micros). Most of what I've seen in ammo cans lately (other then beads and plastic critters) is decomposed, rusted, broken, semi-melted (ammo cans get to be about a bazillion degrees here), moldy, damp (humidty gets to everything here) dollar store grab junk that I doubt most parents would want their kids hauling back to the car with them, let alone even touching.