Geoboss

I know how to add color, bold, italic, etc. What other secrets do you know? Is there a way to add links using certain words, GC codes?

I DO NOT post regularly on these forums, however I do read them occasionally. I agree that some play the game differently than ourselves and those on opposing sides think the other is wrong. Some will log a single cache "many" times for temp caches they found at an event for example. I DO NOT, a temp cache is simply that "temporary". Some will spend MANY hours on a difficult cache knowing they put in the work needed to log the cache. Others will do "anything" just to log the find, even if they didn't actually put in the time or effort needed to log it. Is this fair to those who actually put the time in? Every cache is not for everyone, yet some feel they need to log every cache. How would someone prevent a "group" from finding their difficult caches? If someone were to state on a cache page that GROUP CACHING is not allowed, they simply would not mention a "group" in their logs. If everyone in the "group" signs the cache log can you delete their logs anyway? Would deleting logs of those who found the cache with a "group" be acceptable? I like to hide tough caches, both in difficulty and terrain. I would much rather give hints to someone who CAN NOT find one of my caches rather than have them go with a group and not put in any effort. Most cachers will put in some effort on a cache before asking for a hint, while others just want the smilie. Geoboss

I apologize if I offended those who collect geocoins, that was not my intent. I was simply trying to say, some of us like to spend more time out on the trails, not that those who collect do not. Everyone has their own preferances as to how they spend their time and money. I love to see Geocoins and discover them, however I choose not to "collect" them. I do have several coins and if I see one, or several I want to buy, I may or may not. I'm sure that is how most Geocoin collectors got started also, one here, two there and so on. Ok, so what would make a coin "Official"? I have seen many different Minnesota coins, but are they "Official"? I agree that a "state coin" should have input from active cachers across the state. The problem, is that there are only a small number of people from the state who are interested in having a coin made. There are several good ideas floating around and financing is the biggest obsticle at this point. Anyone can have a "coin" made with anything on it. I have seen some VERY COOL coins and some coins that are not so much. All personal preference. Geocoin collecting is no different than collecting anything else (stamps, rocks, dolls, etc.). The amount of money spent on such things is totally up to the person(s) doing the collecting. If at some time a collection is sold, it is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it, whether it be the entire collection or each piece individually. This could be substantially less that the "cost" of the collection. -Geoboss

Michele, Just because everyone does not agree with your ideas, now we're going against the community. The meeting last fall was, in my opinion along with others, was to set out plans for what you wanted. Those of us who disagreed had our own ideas and went forward with them. I personally don't think this area is ready for an "Official Orginazation", if that means we need to have elections, officers, bylaws and a website. This would also mean "dues" would need to be collected and I believe that alone would scare people off. Why should someone have to pay to be a member of a group doing something they can do for free. Maybe some day that will happen. This has nothing to do with "Not understanding Geocoin collectors" , and no one is laughing at those who choose to collect Geocoins. For those who choose to collect Geocoins, that is great. As, for the majority of us who choose to find Geocaches, that is what it is about for us. Geocoins are great, but not our main focus. Geocaching is the main focus of most, Geocoins, like Travel Bugs are a VERY SMALL part of of the game. For someone who considers herself "an avid cacher" I would disagree. Being in the same area, I have found more than your total number of finds for two years in each of the last two years. For those of you who choose to collect Geocoins, that is great if that is what you choose to do. However, I believe I am in the majority when I say I would rather go out and Find geocaches. I will discover Travel Bugs and Geocoins at events and if I find them in a cache, but DO NOT choose to collect them.

I just found my 99th FTF tonight in 20 minutes. My phone went off at 8:02pm, I checked my email and went to the cache page to download the coordinates. I had to get my winter gear, as the temp was about 0°F. I found the cache and signed the log at 8:22pm in the dark, 1.4 miles from home. The next cacher showed up about two minutes later. I have found several caches within 20 minutes, but there are a couple cachers here who are usually there before that. It depends mostly on where the cache is and where you and the other FTF hunters are when the cache is published. My longest time from publication to FTF was 25 days on a 5/5 cache. The second to find on that cache was just short of nine months from publication, and the cache has been found only four times in a year and 21 days. Another cacher and I hid a cache in a town nearby which has not yet been found and was published on November 6, 2007. We think it will be quite some time before it is found.

That is the trick in the snow, make lots of extra tracks. Some caches are actually easier in winter, such as those magnetic caches under bridges. If the water is frozen, you can just walk out on it to spot the cache.

As stated in the cache page, _____Cache (name the cache) may or may not be a 5/5. Ask anyone who has searched for this cache and they will tell you it is a 5/?. There are many who have looked for this cache many times without finding it. I also like reading DNFs which is why this cache is and will remain on my watch list. As I am the one who was FTF on it I can honestly say it took me five or six visits with lots of searching to find it. As only two others have found the cache, we are the only ones who know if it is really a 5/5. I also know the others who have found it and am sure like myself, they won't be giving any hints.

Sorry, your right. That was a Premium Member feature. Thanks.

Thanks, Stunod and Keystone. That is the page I was looking for.

Ya, I know that, but I want to search for caches NOT FOUND for my daughter who is not a Premium Member. No PQs for standard members.

What happened to this feature? I'm not sure how many people knew about this, or used it. It came in handy for me since my daughter has her own account, but is not a premium member. I use to be able to put in a zip code and hit ENTER, it would then take me to another page where I could check a box for only caches "not found". It would then show a list of caches similar to that of doing a regular zip code search, only it would be only not found caches. I liked this feature, so I could search for caches under my daughters account and see which caches I have found that she has not. I use GSAK, and am sure I could do the same thing there, but it was easy to do on the site. Any coments or tips for the best way to do this with GSAK would be great.

How do I use the new map to search for only caches I haven't found? With the old map, I could view only caches not found. This feature was nice, as I could zoom out and see where the areas with the most caches not found were at. This raelly helped to plan my geocaching trips. I would most likely pick the area with the most not found caches for my next trip Will this feature be added to the new maps?

One reason not to make it a multi is that most cachers, myself included will skip over a multi-cache. Multi-caches take alot more time to complete than do Traditional caches and still only count as ONE find. Cachers traveling through an area will simply skip over a multi-cache because of the time involved. Plus, making a Power Trail (treasure trail) would bring up the cache count in an area and potentially bring more cachers to the area.

This would not be done all at one time. Placing caches of all shapes and sizes about .25 mile apart, then filling in the areas in between over time.

I am thinking of making a Treasure Trail of caches. A "treasure trail" is a road or trail along which caches are placed every .10 to .15 mile apart for several miles. I have a couple of good areas in mind. Is this a good idea or not? Have you found any of these, and if so what did you think?