NW Stinkerbella
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Posts posted by NW Stinkerbella
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Thanks for the suggestion. I spent the time to look through they TB list and it happens they are doing the same thing to at least one other that is not their personal TB. That poor one has over 80 pages of Visit logs out of 85 pages of logs. Guess I'll have to mark the poor guy missing and wait.
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Someone picked up my TB over 2 years ago. They have been "visiting" it at caches during all this time. There have been no stories or pictures just a simple visited. I emailed them over 8 or 9 months ago asking to please place it in a cache if they had it or if it somehow has gone missing or is lost to let me know so I could mourn it's loss and then send out a proxy. No response but more visits logs. Tried again to send a message through the new messaging system asking to please release it or let me know it's lost. Again 10 days, no response but even more visits. I know the TB isn't so big it can't fit in any of the caches visited in over 2 years as it's nothing more then a laminated picture of the true coin... Learned NEVER to send out the real thing early on... But I do understand something that size could easily be lost. Of the 44 pages of logs on my TB 42 of them are visits by this cacher. With them holding my TB hostage I can't send out a proxy and while it it ringing up mileage it's pretty much stagnated in one part of one state.
What do I do now to rescue my TB? Suggestions?
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YIKS... JHolly's bookmark was our last hope as we'll start on the road on Wed with no access to a computer till Friday. This will make for one interesting CM not having the routing ahead of time.
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thanks.. Yea I was hoping when he mentioned he'd have it up on Friday that he would, oh well best laid plans of mice and cachers.
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shucks was hoping the final would be up by now, we'll be leaving on Wed in the hopes to do some of the Eastern Wash, St Pks... Really hate doing rushing around with last minute things.
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Spent the morning with my muggle son who happens to work at the local aerospace company as a computer geek. He currently is working on a new small version search engine for a single department that the company. Showed him the new search and he had some thoughts... First SHAME on GS for limiting some folks ability to find things. I was lead to believe caching was open to ALL to search and find a cache not just those who payed extra for the privileged to search, hense the not so secret backdoor to log PM caches. He added a Shame for not adding some type of instructions. He understands the it's not usually the developers fault for no instructions he'll tell his own TPTB to add instructions to the new stuff BUT they rarely do, it's like they know how it works 'nuff said. He went on to say he wonders if the person who developed the new search is even a cacher who used the old search in the same ways we all do. He speculated that the things we are missing in the new search are because the things we are searching for were written in a language the OLD search used and understood but the one the new search can recognize... example the old search is speaking english and the new one is looking for stuff in japanese and everything is lost in translation... it's problem he runs into all the time. He thinks that GS is worrying more about developing a smartphone search app then one that functions like our old search. He says more and more companies are gearing towards smartphone apps to the dismay of all else. THEY WANT THE YOUNG PEOPLE with smartphones... BUT look at any event... it's not the college age, 20 somethings holding or attending these events, it's families and older people.... He has been kind enough to help my caching partner and I to set up events and he'll be the ONLY person there in his age bracket in attendance. I don't facebook, tweet, own a smartphone or even text on my phone... I don't mind change but when something I use to be able to do in a click or 2 is changed to the point I can no longer do it and if I could it's NOW a 10 step process... that's not a change for the good.
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Spent my day attending 3 Pi Events. Spoke to a number of folks NOT a ONE likes the new search. At least 3 told me they were testers, ALL made comments to GS about the very issues being mentioned here... so clearly whomever wrote this new search program was well aware before they embarrassingly snuck this new search onto the web site there were numerous problems. I say that because in the past whenever GS did something major they crowed it to the roof tops so everyone even me a basic member knew about it... except for the few beta testers no one I spoke to knew this was coming down the line. Back to those testers... one says they'd never use this search again and a number of folks they know wouldn't as they do everything via GSAK. The others were not thrilled with the product we now have and had hope their comments would have been addressed before launching. All were unaware how handicapped this new search would be to basic membership. Nearly all I spoke with agree handicapping the basic membership is going to hurt caching in the long run. With less no new blood less chance to turn that basic member into a PM, less money generated from merchandise and tracking numbers, few caches as I'm sure basic members place a LOT of caches... maybe not the best quality ones but then I can name a number of PM caches that are nothing more wet log in torn ziplock tossed is a GRC or LPC where the CO hasn't maintained in any way shape or form. I really hope that TPTB address this handicapping... I bet no one here started their Caching life as a PM we all started as a basic lets NOT forget our roots.
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As a Basic member sorry the new search is terrible. I'm never going to become a PM, geocaching isn't that important and all encompassing to me. I'm not a computer geek I just want to log in search my state or for that matter whatever state I plan on traveling to and find caches along the route I'll be taking hoping to find an interesting place down a road I've not travel in the past. I have many interests, caching is just one of them. I like Caching for the social part, read that as going to and holding events. This weekend there are nearly 10 Pi events in my area I can't find any easily now with the dang new search, which it looks like TPTB KNEW searching for events was nearly impossible when they launched this mess. A number of CITO are coming up can't find them.
I'm into caching to find those little back roads to places I go over and over to see something new. When others ask about caches in my area I have to shrug and say no clue I'm a tourist cacher, I rarely cache within 20 miles of my home. Can't do that anymore.
Over the years I told many people about Geocaching.com and the joy it had brought me and HOW EASY it was to use... not any more. A hobby like this relies on NEW people coming in to keep it afloat. This new search is a BIG put off to anyone new looking for a new hobby, it's NOT user friendly, it does NOT allow for growth, if new cachers can't figure out how to use the search in one or two tries they will move on to other activities not giving caching a second thought. If they do figure it out and what they find is next to nothing worthwhile they will never think about becoming a PM, buying a TB or prompting caching. By changing the search into what it is today right now you've turned Geocaching.com into a mostly exclusive PM club, told your basic membership sorry you don't mean much.
So sad maybe someday Groundspeak will have this in a user friendly mode that even basic members can use but it's NOT today. I don't think this was as well thought out as implied... I'm going to equate this to the well thought out Challenge Cachse of few years ago... I can only hope that TPTB rethink this and like the challenge caches it to goes into the circular file.
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Oh I get that there are many ways to track whatever I may have purchased, looked at, searched for or sent. The ease for me to find a recipe for leftover mash potatoes makes it just as easy for anyone interested to track my interest in leftover mash potatoes. To me that's kinda scary... to be looking for a recipe and to have the recipe site not just give me the recipe but which local stores have the ingredients on sale... there is no privacy left to us... Someone somewhere wants to suck every little tidbit of info on me and mine for there own uses. So yes I get that it is happening, I don't have like it or be ok with it nor do I have to make it easier by pinning, facebooking, tweeting or whatever.
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I have a close friend down in California. He has several computer patents and is very savvy about computers while mostly retired now he still does some web pages and trouble shooting. He made me swear NEVER NEVER join a social media group. The evils of social media he lists are nearly endless and after his son became employed at one of those social media companies he became more adamant don't join social media. The amount of information these companies track and save about you is endless and there is no way to stop them.
While I do my best to never say anything in an email or post I wouldn't shout from the roof tops I do have a problem with a company tracking every thing about me... but then I hate those dang store loyalty cards... All they are good for is tracking how many bags of chips and boxes of ice cream bars my now deceased dog has bought.
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Heck the photo does not need to be here. Someone at Geowoodstock 8 in Carnation WA took a photo of our decorated minivan with it's trackable clearly showing. Fast forward a couple of years. Someone overseas happens to "find" this photo in the aforementioned someone's family blog. Suddenly our minivan is being discovered world wide, cause whomever found the photo told others where to find the photo and the TB number was eventually placed on a list of discoverable trackables and passed around.
We finally were able to track down the photo after being given many false leads on where it was. Got the person who posted it to blur out the number... in fact I think they removed the photo altogether. They were quite upset that "strangers" were searching for her semi private family blog for reasons she never intended. We then posted a BIG note on the TB page virtual discoveries would be deleted and proceed to delete any log with the hint of being a virtual. Apparently the message got out not to log our TB if you did actually see it as we've not had a virtual log in nearly a year.
I will tell you some of these virtual discoverers will complain about their logs being deleted... had one guy in Florida swear he saw out TB at an event there... Strange being the we live in Washington state, haven't be to Florida since we started caching and on the day of said event it as sitting in the driveway. After a couple of back and forths he admitted he got our number off a list being handed out at the event.
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My problem is with the other CO who deleted logs then archived the caches. I've written Groundspeak 3 times about getting them reinstated since Sept 26 and still nothing. Sigh....
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I had 3 deleted log messages awaiting me in my email. Came here to see what's up then emailed Groundspeak to get them reinstated. Had to check out the CO profile page... HQ has temp disabled ALL his active caches and reviewers have archived a bunch that had needed TLC and have never gotten any. I just don't get it, so concerned over integrity of loggers BUT apparently doesn't have any when it comes to regular maintenance on is own.
Then that drama with the pilot butte virtual. I liked that one's last second ALR mentioned in the CO's running commentary of logs, saying to confirm in the email that you WALKED up. A quick look at his profile shows he haven't found a cache, under that name at least, since 2007. Shaking my head again
These 2 COs really are poor sports But I Will Not Allow Them to take away from the hard work of Travis and JHolly to make this CM happen and the fun we had doing it. Mom always says what comes around goes around and Karma is a (female dog. I see the geoknievel got his - caches all gone... I'm sure the other guy will get his too.
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Did I miss the pre- dinner site for Friday? Been trying my best to keep up but I think I missed something.
OOPS found the info.. duh it's on the routing map.
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Just our 2 cents. When new to caching we attended the Carnation Geo-woodstock VIII event. We proudly displayed our Car's TB number in the front, back, and side windows at all the events that weekend. Apparently at some point locals took pictures of their kids near the code and posted them in their family blog. At the time we got maybe 2 "virtual" discovery logs because of that photo. At first I though kinda cool someone saw us on the web, felt a little like wow I'm on TV. Didn't think anything more about it as that was so many years ago who's going to be web searching for some old Geo-woodstock photos in someone's family blog.
Fast forward to this past Spring. Nearly every discovery was a virtual. We were being found in Belgium, France, Italy, South America just to name a few. Flak just from 2 cachers. One emailed they didn't understand the deletion, it wasn't a cut and paste log, they wrote something "unique". I replied that wasn't the problem that as the TB was never in a foreign country and by viewing their caching finds they never were in the US they could not have SEEN our TB. That virtual discoveries were against Groundspeak rules. Never heard from them again. But the guy emailing us in Florida swearing our deletion was wrong several times because he really saw our TB's number at an event there. Asked how that was possible if he was seeing it at an event in FL when the car was here in the driveway in the backwoods of Washington State? But it was on his paperwork as having seen it. Again it was in the driveway.. did he walk down the 100' curved driveway, passed a gate and 2 great danes to see it? He had to finally admit it was on a list being passed around at the event of TB numbers to log virtually. He never did see our TB and it's code.
I've figured out I WANT to know where you have seen my actual TB not where you saw a piece of paper or some online photo that happens to have my TB number on it.
In the end we deleted somewhere near 35 to 40 virtual logs nearly all were from this spring. Contacted the person who posted the photo in their blog to request blurring out the TB number, they did but were now concerned over folks searching the family blog for reasons other then what they had intended. Then had to post boldly on our TB's page we would delete all virtual logs. It wasn't too hard to figure out the virtuals...it's just really time consuming to go into everyone's profile and see where they were caching when they "discovered" Tiny. If you've never left Germany or South America then chances are you never saw Tiny, delete. If you claim to have seen it at a GW8 event BUT you've never been in the US, nope you didn't see it, delete. If you don't recall where you saw my TB it's was written on some piece of paper in the bottom of your sock drawer... well if it's not important enough for you to know where you saw it it's not important enough for me to keep your log.... Delete. Ok off my soapbox...
As an observation, we had our Car and it's TB number displayed at Geo Woodstock, the Ape Event, The Block Party and a 2 Pre -events (a Meet and Greet at the XXX and the Luau) that weekend and guess what, 5 Mega Events and we got just a hair over 100 discovers logged. So if a TB was getting 100, 200, 300 discover logs from 1 mega event I'd be wondering what made that one so popular over the other TB's at the event.
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Thanks to everyone... my TB's code is once again safe. Happy and safe 4th to all
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UPDATE - I guess my email to the CO was of some help they encrypted one of the 2 logs with the code, not that is a very good solution. One encrypted log and one still log boldly proclaiming my TB's code. I'll drop a line to Groundspeak and see what comes of that. Thanks everyone.
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Yes they did it on the cache page, or I would have deleted the log already, and emailed them with an explaination. I've emailed them once today and as I said my caching partner who caught it the day they did it emailed them back then. Guess I'll try the CO and see what they can do to help. I know the longer it's out there the better chance of getting on one of those virtual "discover" lists that are so popular these days.
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I'm sure this has been asked and answered but a quick search didn't give me any results. So I'll ask... What do I do about a cacher who used my Top Secret TB code in their logs... Dropped TB ****** in Chicago per her request, maybe someone can take her to Florida. and in a second log A little soggy but drooped TB ****** as she wanted to go to Chicago, now see if someone can get her to Florida : ) My caching partner caught this last week and emailed the logger of their error and asked them to edit their logs. I checked today and the logs as still there I've emailed them again asking them to edit their logs. What should I do next if they don't edit them?
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I do have to agree I was surprised to see the number of questionable cache placements. The first canal cache we stopped for we circled around it looking for better access because of the no trespassing signs only to come back to the same no trespassing sign in order to make the find and only because we saw locals up the canal walking dogs. I too thought the grease/food garbage one was not the smartest placement.. heck where else would the local rodents hang out but in hidey holes near the trash/food. Wondered about the cache near the feral cat food station for the same reasons... rodents or feral cats are not animals I want to tangle with. I really had to wonder about the cache that can only be reached on the wrong side of a fence that is the only protection from the steep downward embankment. Why place a cache so close to what I think would be a dangerous spot, after all the fence is there for a reason. We had to call it a night after my caching partner took a nasty slip thanks to the mud while trying to avoid tripping on all the busted up concrete on another of those steep embankments.
Sometimes just because one can place a cache there doesn't mean one should place a cache there. In reverse sometimes our OCD to find the cache at all costs will put us in places we would otherwise stay away from.
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This map, undated but official, doesn't show it.Not sure if this is what you are looking for or not. ... which then linked me to the map
Hope this helps.
It seems somewhat familiar
Ok gonna claim I did this after midnight when my brain was not fully engaged and my grasp of the situation was sleeping on the job
. Having a Duhhh moment and I get it now. When will I learn not to post late I night. -
The theory is the nefarious one takes a look at the cache page to see if there is anything to plunder. His look shows up in the cache audit log. If bugs/coins go missing shortly after that then one can perhaps draw a connection between the look and the missing travelers.
The only ones that can mark a traveler missing is the traveler owner or the cache owner it is in.
Just as I thought even if a cache is a premium only assumptions can be made about missing TBs. It would do nothing to truly prevent someone nefarious from taking them nor help in getting them put back into play.
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Gladstone is near Oregon City and they have an Oxford Suites there. Never stayed in this one but have used the one in Portland Jantzen Beach several times (our favorite) and stayed in the ones in Chico and Spokane too. If the Gladstone property is anything like these it should be what you are looking for. We love the Oxford and wish there were more of them out there.
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If you set your cache to premium then you can view the audit log to see who has looked at your cache. This seems to have protected travel bugs in my travel bug hotel.
OHHH NOO the dreaded Premium cache. As a non premium member I didn't know this was a possibility but I still have to question what stops the cacher in question from taking the bugs anyway? I think that would give a false sense of security just like Sir and I adding a padlock to our cache Twisted Jet Wing. The lock did not stop someone from taking the TBs in 2 different occasions. So just because we can prove someone looked at the cache page does not prove who took the bugs nor give us the ability to go to their house to get then back. I can only make the assumption he took them and mark them MIA and hope one day they may be allowed to return to their journey.
As a side note this cacher is no longer our dirty little secret out of towners are now questioning the lack of TBs in caches... this thread
. Having a Duhhh moment and I get it now. When will I learn not to post late I night.
suggestion on what to do now
in Trackables
Posted
update for anyone interested... I marked my TB missing and Tonight I got a message from the person who has had it for the past 2 plus years. They said they were sorry and that they have moved and my TB is in a box that was never unpacked. They didn't realize they had it for so long and promise to find it and get it moving within the next month. We'll see.