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Moore9KSUcats

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Everything posted by Moore9KSUcats

  1. Several years ago, my son and I were looking for a new cache.... after searching everywhere (we thought), we spotted a birdhouse in a tree... Knowing that birdhouses are sometimes used as cache containers, my son reached up to dislodge the birdhouse, when out flew.... not a bird, but WASPS!!!! We were both stung a couple of times.... mine weren't bad, but his swelled up to about 4" across... You might want to block the opening so that wasps don't take it over. I know insect stings are a risk in a sport like this, but paper wasps like places like birdhouses.
  2. Typical cache guardians in Central Texas include huge masses of daddy long-legs. Sorry I don't have a picture. I hope you don't have a fear of arachnids?
  3. There are several along a nearby trail that are really tough... the owner doesn't really monitor them that much, either. After we found one of them, on our frequent walks along that trail, we noticed a lot of "damage" to a stone wall below the trail. In this case, the owner said something like "you have to move a rock"... Since satellite coverage was really tough there (the side of a cliff, plus heavy tree coverage), and the arrow tended to send you onto some rather delicate travertine terraces about 50 feet away from the cache, several of us left hints in the logs for that particular cache. We also left what we considered to be much better coordinates. We didn't want the wall below the trail to be damaged, when the cache was actually on the other side of the trail. After there have been several DNF's, I usually walk the trail to see if the caches are still there, and report that they are, in fact, still there. There have been a LOT of DNF's on those hides.. all three of them. The difficulty rating is lower than it should be, in our opinion. It took us several trips for each cache to find them, originally, with several people hunting for the caches.
  4. We once removed a cache (temporarily, for about an hour) because some kids were watching us. We didn't want the cache compromised, so we just tucked it in our backpack and wandered around the park. The kids had apparently watched us do some of the cache hunt, because they kept watching us... so... we just got out some trash bags, and started CITO'ing! We even invited them to join us in picking up trash.... they quickly lost interest, and left the area. After another 15 minutes or so, we returned the cache to its original spot, trying to hide it well. We then wrote to the CO saying that it might have been compromised... but apparently it was ok, because it lasted for a while after that. Malia
  5. We set a cache a year or so ago and had a similar problem. Typically, hubby lets the GPSr average a while, then walks away to see if the arrow (using those coordinates) points him in the same direction. He typically comes at the cache from a couple of different directions. On one cache, one day, it was a tree in the middle of a field... yes, there was another tree about 50' away, but there was really nothing to block the reception. Nice clear sky.. I have no idea how many satellites we had.. We went home, published the cache, and waited for the FTF... Well, a couple of days later, we got this really cute log.. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...38-36b8ca694408 Well, we doubled checked the listing, and we had not fat-fingered the coordinates.. what was in the GPSr was what was on the cache page. We went out to the cache site, and sure enough... it led us about 150' away in the field! Hubby took new coordinates, and checked them, and re-checked them.. so we went home and corrected the cache page. We still have no idea why the coordinates were so far off! Datum was set correctly... everything was correct. Anyone have any ideas? Malia
  6. We found a gift card to GAP with $100 on it once.. my daughters were sure thrilled with that one! It wasn't even a FTF prize.. a cacher put that in there, and there were several finders between when it was left and when we found it. The cacher never logged online, but I do hope he was watching the cache and saw our log of appreciation. My son picked up a nice (used) Gerber multi-tool in a cache a few years ago.. that was a really spiffy prize for a (then) 12-13 year old. He still uses it today!
  7. We've had a 76 Cx for 2 years now, and really like it for geocaching, and it is also great for car navigation. We used it on a trip from central Texas to Baltimore in 2006, and it worked really well for the navigation. We just made an impulse buy and bought a Nuvi 260w in June... it is fun for the car trips! We have tried it on a quick urban cache, and can see its benefits for geocaching, but our BIGGEST concern is durability. I would be fine for quick urban caches. We prefer hiking to our caches, and some of the hikes can get rugged (not compared to the real mountain caching, though). We've also slipped on slopes, and dropped our 76 down slopes, in the water, etc. I sincerely doubt that the Nuvi would last through a few falls like we've taken. One fall on a flat rock riverbed resulted in killing the $400 digital camera (in a camera bag), while the GPSr survived just fine. The 76 is rugged, durable, and waterproof. The Nuvi is not. Even with the latest map set (claims to be the 2009 map set), there are still limitations on roads. It doesn't have roads and housing areas that have been in Georgetown for several years! I had hoped it would be more update than that. (I realize some of that is the fault of the city not updating its plat maps and sending them to the mapping companies... typical.)
  8. I had a letterbox on a nearby trail, that took a similar trip. I thought it was placed high enough to escape any water, but a year ago or so, we had a flood in that river area. I went to check on the letterbox, and sure enough... it was gone. It was hidden in a little hollow under some brush and brambles. Very disappointed, I stood up, turned around.... and spotted it about 10 feet away! It had landed on a pile of tiny wood chips, piled up by the flood waters. It was right behind a tree, and the camoflauge paint it had on (brown spray paints, and other natural colors), made it blend in well. It was in a Lock-n-lock container, and stayed nice and dry. I keep wondering if someone will find the ammo can we placed as a cache on about June 23, 2007.... just days before a massive flood event hit central Texas... it was placed out at Lake Georgetown, and we thought... high enough to avoid any rising water. Well, the flooding closed the lake for probably 4 months, or more.... when we went back a few days after the flood, we couldn't get anywhere NEAR the cache area... when we got back to search after the water receded, it was gone... we searched in a number of areas... but, being an ammo can, it could have floated across the lake, too... That poor cache didn't even get a chance to be found before it got washed away.. we hadn't finished the write-up before the flood.. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ae-4ed257409b30
  9. So... what does it say? I haven't tried to translate.. but I figure he 'borrowed' the image from another website.. and it replaced itself with that .gif
  10. We found a $100 gift card to the GAP in a cache one time.... it wasn't even a new cache! The person that left it never did log online, that I know of... and there was a group of cachers between when it was left and our finding it. That gift card sure did excite my 3 daughters... we put just about everything we had in the cache, went home, and went shopping!
  11. Speaking of rain, etc... I hope the CACHERS in Iowa, and those in places affected by the rains and tornadoes are doing fine! Once things dry out... and they get their property taken care of.... then they may go check on their caches... until then... I hope they take care of themselves first!
  12. Being female, I don't have the problem of appearing as a threat. I do explore off trail frequently, because I like to see what is there. A suggestion... start looking intently at the trees, flowers, or whatever... I like the idea of offering to show them the neat spider/snake/lizard you just found! Or... how about binoculars, and start peering up in a tree? Lots of people are birders.. they will likely just walk right past you. Even if someone official did stop you, if you had a bird book and binoculars (and know something about the local birds) that is a good cover story. (I know... just tell the officials that you are geocaching.. but sometimes that takes long as they run your id..) I was out hiking yesterday and saw a HUGE mass of daddy long-legs on a cliff wall... I showed them to a couple passing by, and also told another group about them so they could stop and see it as they went by. I'm frequently exploring off trail (not looking for geocaches) so I don't worry about what I look like to them.
  13. I realize they say not to put food items IN the cache........ maybe this was a new way of getting around that restriction?
  14. Good luck with your Tom-Tom.... I don't know how well they work for geocaching, but I do know (like the post above) that some people have used it successfully. My big concern is durability. I have no idea what kind of terrain or difficulty levels you may be dealing with, but I know we have fallen, or dropped the GPSr and have not had it damaged. (On the same note, one fall killed our nice new $400 digital camera.. both were in the camera bag, nicely padded. Hubby fell, and the camera never woke up. The Garmin rode it out just fine. BTW... he was walking on level ground... albeit a bit slippery.) As you delve more into the sport, you may find you want a more portable unit. There are a number to be found, especially on e-bay, or check the garage sale section of this forum. Good luck with this new-found obsession! You may want to tag along with some more experienced cachers for a bit to see how things are actually hidden, and what to expect when geocaching.
  15. Ok, here it is.... I looked at your list of caches, and found two by Bishop (or something like that...). Anyway, clicking on his screen name, I got to his profile... http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=21...41-308f4b37af72 and... sure enough, it is explained there! Yes, it does have to do with John Galt... (read it yourself at that link) Anytime you have a question, it is often best to ask the person that used it.
  16. Me? I like some rocks.... the really pretty ones, or something neat, like petrified wood or a cool fossil. My kids, when they were younger, always filled their pockets with crystals... even the chunks of limestone gravel that had bits of crystal in them! Some people have rock tumblers, and leave nicely polished rocks... a nice piece of agate is a thrilling find any day! What I would like, though, is if a card were attached telling me what the rock was, or why it was so special. Knowing that there are many geocaching families around, I like to leave things that I hope the kids would like to find.... small toys, etc. The useful items (like the OFF! wipes, for example) are always handy. Now that our kids are older, we rarely trade for something... but we almost always leave at least one item, even if we don't take something.
  17. Can you give us an example so we can see the context in which it is used?
  18. We became members long ago because we got so much out of the activity! I tend to be a cheap/frugal person, and typically don't like paying for something I could get free, but we realized that someone had to help pay for the system we enjoyed so much, so we pitched in and helped out. The pocket queries are really handy... member only caches? I don't know of any in my area, so that isn't a perk. Off topic forum? I rarely read it. I just felt it was time for us to help out.... at $30 a year, that is cheap enough entertainment! We don't go geocaching as often as we did back then, but we still pay the $30 a year, gladly.
  19. We tend to put a lot of thought into the containers and placement. Hubby has one that he spent probably 2 months creating.. and it has gotten many good reviews from the finders. We are currently working on a series that again, a lot goes into the story line, placement, and the container. We try to bring people to neat spots... just like we like to be showed neat spots, also! No, we don't have a lot of caches placed... but the ones that are out, are usually well-received. We really enjoy getting good comments on the cache page, also.. and that is why we take so much time!
  20. Interesting seeing this ancient thread pop up! For those interested in numbers, we now have 2456 caches within 50 miles of us... I don't know how to change the search parameter to bring up 100 miles, but that would be an interesting number!
  21. We temporarily disabled a cache recently because of an occupant... a dead raccoon! The cache is located under a large boulder in a small cave-like area...large enough to move around in. It is about 5 feet away from the dead raccoon. I didn't figure people would enjoy looking in and seeing it stare back at them!
  22. We've watched some of his "rants" for quite a while, now. We've also found a few of his caches. One of his caches (not "Old Army") came up missing, and he did his usual rant about maintenance stealing it.... he archived it. Sometime later, an Austin couple actually found the cache... how well did he go search for it? Apparently, not that well. Face it... that guy has a problem... maybe he is a bit paranoid? No telling. We usually just ignore his caches. He's not worth our time of day. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with him... he seems to be associated with the school, since he apparently has a webcam in a nearby office. When we found that cache, the coordinates took us very close, and we looked at the most obvious hiding spot. We found it with just a few minutes of searching. No, I don't feel it is a 4 star cache, either, but it isn't worth arguing with him about it. Heck, you could take a reasonable bearing from what you feel is north, and go 54 degrees from that. Really, a very easy cache. (We did that particular cache in our first 50 caches, probably... I don't remember.) Just ignore the guy... he still has a few caches in the CS area. There are others in CS that have done far more for the sport than he has.
  23. Just curious... when he is out finding caches, and he runs across a cache that needs maintenance, does he do that maintenance as a courtesy to the owner and subsequent cachers? I find his demands to be out of line. What can you do about it? I have no idea.
  24. We had major flooding this last summer in central Texas. The lake nearby was almost at spillway stage by the end of it. Several caches that were between the conservation pool level (791') and flood stage (835'?) were lost to the flooding, including one we had put out just days before the rain event. We hadn't even written it up and activated it yet! (Stash date... June 23, flood date June 27.) We had been in a drought situation and at that time, typical pool level was around 780' or less, I think. The entire lake (except for the trails) was closed until mid fall. We couldn't even check on it until several months later. Our ammo can that we stashed under a rock at about 805' disappeared. Several other caches around the lake also disappeared. That flooding also damaged/hid caches downstream, also. It did alot of damage along a riverside trail that had a few caches we put out. One of them was covered by flood debris and rocks (I'm not sure where all of the rocks came from... maybe shoved down the hillside from above? Possible construction area up there). One finder said something about having to dig for it. When that trail was opened (the previous finder went in through the construction area... not recommended), we found the landscape completely changed. I pulled the cache... just not a very pretty place to walk at this point... also, not safe clambering over the rocks to find the cache. Another cache was in what we thought was a park... but it was apparently private land bordering the park... and when they developed it, the tree it was in was bulldozed and a road was put right through there! We relocated it... thought we were far enough away... and now a house was built over that spot... Think it is time to give up on that area, and create a new cache.
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