hoys

In case anyone wants to see them, we have a few pictures (including a group shot) from the cleanup out on the GEOCKY website. www.geocky.org

GEOCKY (GeoCachers of Central Kentucky) had a great cleanup day today. We filled a dumptruck with garbage from Veterans Park in Lexington, Kentucky. We had an excellent turnout and everyone worked hard. Everyone had a great time and we enjoyed a nice barbecue afterward at the park. It was a beautiful day for a cleanup. A few folks from out of town enjoyed all of the new caches that have cropped up in Lexington in the last few months. A few pictures and details will be available in a few days on our web page (www.geocky.org) - as soon as I have a chance to publish them and wrap a page around it.

and YES, please do it! It sounds really cool! This is the kind of thing that virtuals were meant for.

My opinion: Don't assume NASA found it. Contact them *immediately* and describe your find and give the coordinates. Columbia Accident Investigation Board 16850 Saturn Lane Houston, Texas 77058 http://www.caib.us Toll-free phone number: 1-888-703-CAIB (2242) Maybe they HAVE found it, but they need all the help they can get. PS: GREAT JOB!

When you go to your cache page, there should be a link right on the top of the page that says [CLICK TO TEMPORARILY DISABLE]. Click that and it will mark the cache as unavailable.

It depends. If you identify them as such to wheresgeorge.com, they basically mark the bills as GeoCache bills and the data is therefore excluded from their analysis, so no harm done.

Thanks for the feedback, both on the site and the rules. I have sent you a private email to help debug the site, but wanted to respond to your concerns about the rules in a more public forum. The various land management groups have not worked up their rules as of yet (except for the current ban in place in the Kentucky State Nature Preserves), but they are using our input in working on their guidelines. The group that we met with is a bunch of really nice people, and they seem very willing to work with us in working up simple rules that we can all live with. Obviously, guidelines for the State Nature Preserves are going to be different (and more restrictive) than those at a city park or even National Forest area - the priorities of each land management group are simply different. Some of the groups are looking into encouraging GeoCaching on their lands. They are trying to involve us in an ongoing dialogue about ALL of the uses of the land, and how GeoCaching fits in to those uses. We will be posting updates as they happen, here in the Groundspeak forums and on the Web site as I have time to put notices up. This same issue is going on all around the country, as land managers who do not understand what Caching is all about classify caches as "abandoned property" and pull them, or respond to threats to the resources they are there to protect. Other groups in other states have been instrumental in getting caching reinstated in areas where outright bans have been put in place, or getting difficult rules made more workable. We hope to be as successful in Kentucky, and we have a great group of land managers working with us with the same goals in mind, so we are better off than some states already! Our current goal is to not only educate the land management groups about what GeoCaching is and what it means to us, but also to work with them in developing their rules AND to serve as a channel of communication back to GeoCachers to make the rules clear and easy to follow. Geocky is not, and will not be an enforcement body. We want to be a channel of communication. We cannot set the rules, and we cannot enforce them, nor do we desire to be in the business of doing so. We formed to try and give GeoCachers as a group some input into those rules, and to help land managers communicate those rules in a clear and easy form. We can use all of the support AND differing opinions we can get. Anyone in Kentucky is urged to please consider joining up and giving their input into this process. Even if you would prefer not to join, PLEASE keep the feedback coming. We need to know what we are doing right, and more importantly what we are doing wrong.

Side note: To get rid of your AOL disks, ship them to NoMoreAOLCD's. They are planning on collecting a million of them and shipping them back to AOL in a truck... www.nomoreaolcds.com

Which one was the ON button again? --- You know, if we stopped spending so much on stuff like this, maybe we could go out on dates. --- Ready... Aim... (aim for the tires). --- Yeah, my wife tells me to put this on when they're calling for thunderstorms, too. Isn't that a coincidence. --- Ah! My "dweeb detector" has found its first target!

Sounds cool. There are a number of ways of concealing a container like that - be creative. Think of things that are also shaped like it and place it in an area full of similarly-shaped items, or find something it fits into. If you find something it fits into, be sure to mention that it is bright orange. That way, people will know that it is easy to spot, right? heh heh heh...

I would volunteer to adopt it, or to find someone in the area to adopt it. Alternatively, I would offer to collect the remains so he can archive it. Caches require ongoing maintenance, and placing a regular cache in an area that you don't intend to return and haven't prearranged a maintenance agreement with someone just seems a bit shortsighted to me. If something goes wrong with it in the future, this poor guy is going to have to keep digging for more volunteers, put me on speed dial, or archive the cache (which means we now have a box of trinkets littering the area with no chance that it will be hunted ever again). Virtuals? Cool - place all you want anywhere you want, as long as there is something worth the journey. But a regular cache needs a visit at least every few months, if not more often, and will likely require replacement at least every couple of years due to wear and tear. An alternative suggestion to those who find a place that they feel NEEDS a cache: Post the coordinates and a description on these forums and find a local who finds the place interesting, or place a virtual there.

I know you asked for what I HAVE done, but I doubt many people have run into this. What I would do is take him to see your family doctor and get his advice. You insurance company may also have a 24-hour hotline where nurses are on call. Ask a professional. They will know what to do.

Not a whole lot in Kentucky. In fact, you can tell yourself. When you do a Cache search, the members only ones show up, you just can't get into their detail descriptions. The fact that you are asking the question probably means you have no members-only caches in your area. I pay because I am a member of a local GeoCaching organization (www.geocky.org) and feel that I should support the site personally as well as a member of this group. The $30 is cheap, and if Jeremy is livin' large in a nice house because of it, well, COOL - this is a good idea, it's worth paying for, and certainly a far better bargain than buying two music albums and allowing J-Lo's latest incoherent screechings to get her that fourth gold-plated house!

quote:Originally posted by Tony Jago:Should (micro) caches be hidden without permission in areas where security guards, police or the FBI are payed to patrol. Examples being - Hospitals, Private residences of Prime Ministers, or Presidents, Power Plants etc. Areas where there is 24 hours video surveilance of the asset. My personal opinion after attempting a micro cache today is that geocaching has no place in these areas. I throw it open to the geocaching community to decide. In my opinion, it would only be OK if: It can be clearly documented that the permission to place the cache (and for hunters to access the area to find it) has been properly granted, by a recognized authority who has the right to grant such authority. The cache description describes the area clearly and correctly, and any special procedures for accessing the area (including any minor details like body cavity searches and high intensity X-Ray scans) are stated very prominently, along with contact information so a hunter can call and verify permission to hunt the cache if they feel the need based on the nature of the property.

quote:Originally posted by writer: quote:Instead, you could pay me a $100 fee, bring a tent and a sleeping bag and I'll go caching with you for the whole weekend - we're on our own for paying for http://www.koa.com/. And are you providing the hot rocks for my back? writer For $100? Yeah, if you're joining me on a hunt that I'm going on anyway, and you don't waste my daylight, I'll throw a couple of rocks from the fire on your back if you want at the end of the day. - Nate www.geocky.org

quote:Originally posted by MojoCacher:Please let me know if there is something I can do to help. I was unaware of the ban in preserves. Thnaks for that bit O info. MojoCacher Best thing you can do right now is join us as a group. You don't have to be from Lexington, just willing to participate in our discussions and help with ideas. Eventually, it is quite possible that we will expand to encompass the state, or provide assistance to other people that want to form their own group in their own region in a cooperative effort. For now, we are still trying to expand and figure out the different ways we can promote GeoCaching (and right now our big focus is - how do we convince the State Preserve people that GeoCaching can benefit them?). A larger and more diverse group means more voices, and it adds credibility to our group. C'mon board and have some fun. If you at any time disagree with what we are doing or what we are all about, then you can feel free to say so. If you decide we aren't your kind of group for some reason, you can always vote with your feet later.

quote:Originally posted by SpinnerB82002:In order to offset all of the negativity produced by the complaint dept, I decided to start an atta-boy dept. Feel free to pat someone on the back here. Great idea! Atta-Cacher to Sissy-n-CR for coming up with the "GeoCacher Card" to give to authorities. Nice Job!!!

It's a type of massage. The rocks are heated and placed in specific locations. Something about balancing the chi or something. Never tried it myself. This place sounds like a retreat for rich urban whiners, which is about the only group they're ever gonna get to pay $50 to learn how to use a GPS. quote:Originally posted by TeamJiffy:...is about the strangest thing I've seen in a long time. Why is this man having stones put on his back?!? http://www.redmountainspa.com/spa/massage.html -J

quote:Originally posted by Sissy-n-CR:Here is the finalized version in PDF... Great job! Do you mind if I (eventually) serve this file up on our web site for general consumption? How do you want to be given proper credit, since it is your work? Do you take special requests (like an editable version that can be re-rendered with our group logo, or a version with our logo already added)? This is such a great idea... Thanks!!! - Nate www.geocky.org

quote:Originally posted by Sissy-n-CR:The first scenario is kind of like caching in a group. What we do is if we find it, we keep "looking," move away from the cache, and then announce, "found it!" This way, you give the others a choice of keep looking or give up. That is a method we use when we are caching as a team, as well, unless we are "power caching" (teaming up and going to a different city), then the first one to find it just yells. I have never run into anyone near the actual cache, but if I did I would approach them and ask them if they wanted to team up, or do it separately. If they wanted to do it separately, then I would back off (or ask them to if I was there first) and we could get together and BS afterwards. Caching is a social event at its best. - Nate www.geocky.org

Update on GEOCKY (GEOcachers of Central KentuckY): We have formed as a group, starting in early January, and our web page is: www.geocky.org PS: I am placing a list of all of the sites mentioned here on GEOCKY. See the LINKS page (the page is not published yet, but should be up later this evening). [This message was edited by hoys on January 27, 2003 at 06:48 PM.]

Oh, My! I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream in primal rage... So that they sell these classes when there are so many local groups that want to give them for FREE. There's a sucker born every minute, I guess. And I am not sure if I'm more upset or more jealous. - Nate www.geocky.org

quote:...holding the GPSr to your ear pretending it's a mobile phone... Heh heh heh. Been there, done that. I love the fact that my Garmin looks like a cell phone. It allows me to be a lot more subtle in busy areas. I just wish it had a voice ("...12 feet Northeast. 5 feet Northeast...") so I didn't have to look at the screen while "stealth caching" in busy areas. Of course, I have to bunch the lanyard up and hold it in my hand behind the GPS, or the effect is lost. - Nate www.geocky.org

I'm into computers, I'm into gadgets, and I wear glasses (though I gave up the pocket protector after high school). I also love the outdoors. So GeoCaching fulfills all of my nerdy and outdoorsy compulsions at the same time. What could be better than that? PS: in regards to the lanyard thing - I usually wear it on my wrist, but I have also been known to wear it around my neck when I need both hands free. As to "what the heck are we doing" - think about this - we could be out hiking and hunting a cache in our spare time, or we could be spending it doing 16 ounce curls killing brain cells with mindless "must see TV". Remember this: Shaq makes something like $15 million a year or whatever. If he worked his entire life at that rate, he might be able to match Bill Gates' income for a year. Nerds Rule! Nurture your nerdy side. - Nate (www.geocky.org)

You might want to cross-post this on the Plains States board as well. Your coordinates actually intersect far more Plains states than South/Southwest states, so you have a better chance of a hit there. - Nate (www.geocky.org)