Zilvervloot

Either the lack of response is due to the controversial idea that geocaching is not only for children, or this tread might be not so interesting by the majority of the geocaching community. Anyhow, to my opinion, to prevent unwanted attention by minors, there are several ways to make an adult cache. Just pondering, as far as I can see, to exclude minors, can either be done by placing it at a special location, or by making special age/maturity verification questions/answers. You could put the cache on a place restricted to adults, on a place out of reach of children (Amsterdam Urban 2 - Under the bridge) or put the cache in a childproof canister (like a childproof bottle). The special questions/answers to verify if a potential cacher is of legal age, could be made into a puzzle-cache, where each correct answer gives a part of the coordinate. I can think of historical, mathematical, common knowledge, questions. You might even think of something like a blunt adult verification statement: “I hereby declare I am of legal age.” Yes; A = 1 No; A = 2 Where A is an essential digit in the ultimate calculation for the end coordinate. This ensures you the cachers have read the statement and filled it in and were fully aware of the consequences. Perhaps making a proper adult cache will be a statement in the caching community. It might even become famous and lure foreign geocachers. I would be most pleased if I came to visit one. But, please be aware of cultural differences, as a foreigner some obvious verification questions can be impossible to answer. Zilvervloot.

What an extreme cool idea. Since continental Europe has rarely seen a Jeep, it would be lots of fun to release a couple of FEEPS. When I can be of any assistance, please let me know. As you can see I am from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Zilvervloot.

For me, it would be a relieve to find an adult cache. I am a bit fed up with the forced “you have to educate our children” regulations. To me, it is strange everyone has to obey the regulations set by some parents. Sometimes I feel I have to filter my log as well in the logbook as on the cache page, to make it suitable for children. I am a big boy, do not patronize me. I like life in all its niches, live and let live, I will not be offended easily. For example: I would not mind to find: Bottle-openers; Sci-fi books; CD’s from Mozart/the Carpenters; Calculators; Telephone cards; Cocktail recipes; Foreign coins like £¥$; Hammers; Bibles; Bow ties; Unworn panty hoses or Caviar cans. Neither would it bother me to find a cache in a supposed to be non-child friendly areas like, Hanging under a bridge; In a red light district; Next to a highway; On a nudist beach; In a cruising zone; as long as it is stated in the description of the cache page. When parents find it appropriate to cache with their children, then it is their decision. In the real world, only restricted areas are child frendly, the rest is not. They must be aware of that. I see geocaching as an adult game. Zilvervloot.

Thanks for the reactions on my proposal. Personally, it made clear, the majority of the geocaching community sees the “discovered it” option as a positive addition in logging travel bugs and coins. I was not aware of this. It would be vain to assume that only a few single negative opinions would lead to a change in the “discovered it” option. That is not what we (and I) want. Let’s hope my rattle on the chains , did not initialte that change. As for me, dear moderator, this thread can be closed. Zilvervloot.

Since the beginning of May, the geocaching world has a new option to log travel bugs and geocoins. With this “discovered it” option it is possible to log a coin/bug without a physical movement. Reading trough several threads and logs, being a user I can see two big advantages: - When sharing coins/bugs at an event, the confusing hassle to drop/grab/retrieve a coin or bug became a lot easier. Additional, the long list of meaningless notes on the event-page “drop coin/retrieved coin” has/is disappeared. - People who do not want their coin/bug in the possession of someone else, can use this option to share their coin or bug. This is usefull for rare geocoins (The first Dutch geocoin) and travelbugs attached to something really valuable (cars, pets Marwin, children Niels etc) However, to my opinion, there is unfortunately also a big disadvantage in having the “discovered it” option. - For a normal travel bug / geocoin (the ones who travel from cache to cache) the encouragement to move it, became smaller. Since nowadays it is possible to score the (icon of) a coin or travel bug without the physical movement. As far as I can see, this undermines the idea of a travelling bug or geocoin. In order to have the advantages but in the same time to exclude the disadvantage, would it be a solution if: - It could be possible to put-on/shut off on the “discovered it” option on certain caches. Like only allow the “discovered it” option at events. Or at a cache where the reward is “discovering” a special coin. - It could be possible to put-on/switch off the discovered option on a travel bug or geocoin. What do you think would this proposal work, and if it can, is it technical possible? Zilvervloot.

Travel bug hotels, a lot is written about them. Some see a hotel as a prison; some see it as a useful portal for bugs to travel over long distances. I see them like an animal asylum. Every time when a cacher visits the hotel all the bugs try to look as good they can. Since they were set in the wide world to travel, they all want to be taken out, to travel again. Only the one who looks the best is rewarded and is swopped with a new victim. Ultimate this leads to a hotel populated with boring, uninteresting travelbugs. And there is the fun/challenge for the “owner” of a new travelbug. When you want your travelbug to be uneffected by the hurdle of a travelbug hotel, you have to make your bug as interesting as possible. When you can make your bug appealing to everyone, it will leave a hotel the next time someone visits it. Unfortunately my bugs are not that good; one is now in the airport lounge of the airport of Rotterdam (Holland). A couple of cachers have found it the cache, but no one took “my” bug. A pity, but I guess I should have made my bug more likable. Zilvervloot.

Losing a travel bug is hard but its part of real life. Whenever I set a travelbug free, I consider them as already lost. It’s only a matter of time. Sooner or later it will happen to every bug and to every coin. Hopefully it will take a long time, so a many geocachers can enjoy them. But the life of a travel bug is full of adventures and filled with treats. Travelbug hotels, ignorant newbie’s, ripped caches, thieves/admirers, etc. That’s why it’s never wise to make a (to you) valuable travel bug. I will always get lost. Zilvervloot.

No sign = did not find = delete. That’s the rule of the geocaching game There are exceptions, of course. The log could explain why there is no sign (pen forgotten, but here is a photo of the logbook). Or it is such a great story/an eloquent masterpiece/a funny anecdote/a flattering compliment, that it contributes to the cache page. Zilvervloot.

I can see the benefits in reducing the information flow on the servers; I can also see that this feature is effective at a (coin) event. But isn’t there the disadvantage for “normal” cache-based TB/coins? I am an “owner” of a couple of travel bugs. To me, it gives me great pleasure to see what they are supposed to do. I love it when I see that they travel. If someone mentions he/she saw “my” bug in a particular cache is not interesting. I knew that already. Why should this cacher even have the opportunity to discover “my” bug? To me this will be very frustrating. This cacher, who was at the cache, held the bug in is/her hand, wrote the tracking number down and logged it on the TB-site, did not take the effort to do what the TB/coin’s is supposed to do. I guess the discovery function is supposed for “virtual” travels of a TB/coin. If it is possible, would it be better to limit the discovery option only to (coin) events where these “look at my tracking number and score an icon” actions take place? Zilvervloot.

Let’s introduce myself, I’m an ordinary, relative new, Dutch geocacher and, in the way it is now set up, I will never be interested in the whole Waymarking thing. First of all, there are too many uninteresting categories that I do not even bother to look further. It’s not exciting to look at an other bridge, an other street corner or a henhouse. Possibly heaven on earth to an enthusiast, but to me, it is not interesting. It might be; I can not see trough all the rubbish to find the supposed gems. But, what’s really wrong with Waymarking? It has nothing to do with geocaching. And that is what is binding us here in this forum. Geocaching means physically going to a location and be surprised. It can be by finding the cache; it can also be that you visit an extraordinary place. You go to a place where you would never have gone if you did not have a GPSr. Waymarking can be done from your desk, you just Google a picture, put it on the site and that's it. Zilvervloot. Sorry for any errors in my grammar/spelling, English is not my native language.

See my avatar. Mostly I use my Smart fortwo. Size does not matter, smart does.

Does anyone know the cacher spire3660? He claims to have one of "my" travel bugs, called Stuiver [TBJZCP]. On the page of my TB he/she retrieved it from P in San Diego [GCHJHW] I have send spire3660 an email with no reply. His/her statistics are also very strange he logged only 5 caches all in 2004. He/she owned two caches, but both of them are disabled, and both with an angry note from the SoCalAdmin. What do you think, is my TB lost? It would be a pity, it's not for the value (1 stuiver is approx $0,03) but it's for the effort other cachers made in shipping it over the ocean. Zilvervloot. (From the Netherlands)

It's now in the Netherland in Europe. Zilvervloot