Beffums

Our puppies spent yesterday trying to convince me to panic because the sky was falling. I haven't been doing much crawling around on the ground looking for caches lately -- let's just say I've finally found an appetite. As of 2 weeks ago, I had yet to get back up to my pre-preggers weight. But, I think I put on about 3-4 pounds in the past 7 days, ... oops.... speaking of food, I think it's time for a mid-afternoon snack! I'm definitely looking forward to the next ECO event cache, though the owners of hte buffet may regret letting the pregnant lady come in to eat all that she wants.

now why is there no camera around when these things happen???

I normally will leave a note in the paper log, just in case someone is trying to figure out (when they are at the cache without access to a computer) what happened to the TB they thought was there and when did this other TB show up? Sometimes the next cacher is just minutes behind you... Also, the online log helps with this, but sometimes TBs disappear. Having it in the online log as well as in the paper log just makes it easier to figure out when and where a TB might have left the cache.

Illinois is published! Illinois (if anyone can explain to me how to add links and/or pictures within my section of the text, and is willing to help me through the process, please e-mail me -- beffums@gmail.com -- we have decent pictures of the cave to upload, but I couldn't figure out how. The most basic pic we have...

After growing up in the northeeast (where the highest number of cases occur) and never once having even the slightest scare of Lyme's, I just finished spending the past 6 weeks recovering from a combo attack of Lyme disease and Rocky Mtn spotted fever. Probaby due to the combo effect, I had the rash ALL over me -- large splotches from head to toe, down both arms and both legs -- you get the picture. I have the bonus feature of always knowing when I get a tick bite, as I'm allerigic to fleas and ticks. This time I got bitten while out helping some friends find a cache that I'd already found!! But no, this time I had the joy of encountering the evil sickly tick with both diseases. Go Kentucky! Oh well. Luckily, the treatment for both diseases is the same -- potent antibiotics. Double lucky in my case - my allergic reaction had caused them to give me mega doses of steroids which likely made the rash show up more clearly. However, please don't disregard any signs or symptoms of Lyme disease. The test is notall that expensive (the RMSF test was about $200, but the Lyme's test was only about $30). And, the consequences of untreated Lyme's disease are. The disease will eventually cause chemical changes in your brain, and the neurological consequences are much more severe than the advanced arthritis that many fear. You can take meds to numb the joint pain. We have no treatments for the brain damage that this disease can cause. A simple extended round of antibiotics is almost always sufficient to stop the disease -- so long as you catch it in time. After prolonged exposure to the disease, the treatments become much more expensive and are much less likely to work. Oh, and to answer the original question (from a long time ago...): NO - the tick does not need to be attached for 48 hours to transmit the disease. That is a myth. And a dangerous one, since it leads many people to think that they can't possibly have a problem. I know roughly when I got bit (we were only in the woods for about 40 minutes), and exactly when we found the tick on me (about 5 hours later). I know of several others who also contracted Lyme's in much less than 48 hours.

Illinois is placed!! BIG thanks to ILReviewer who helped out with the topomap dilemma. Once we got the topomap, Mike instantly gave full permission, and the main IL DNR office concurred. So, with park and DNR permission, we were able to drive on down to the park and place it this afternoon. I'd already started working on the webpage for the cache (gcyrgy), so once we got home, it was just a matter of fine-tuning the details (and remembering to check the "this cache is now active" box!) and it was submitted. Now we just get to wait for it to be reviewed. I think that ILReviewer is on a short hiatus, so it might take a few extra days until another reviewer has a chance to read it. Just be patient, ok? Andrew or I will post as soon as it comes online. (keep your fingers crossed that the reviewer has no major problems with the cache!)

Ok, so that map that BPR posted made me feel really really behind! There was Illinois in the middle, the lone unplaced cache in the plains... BUT, I have good news! The park manager has given me conditional approval for the cache! yay! He knows exactly where I want to put it, and how, and he's completely fine with it, with the container, with the trade items, etc etc. The only reason it is conditional is that for his paperwork to be complete, I have to give the location marked off on a 7.5 USGS topo map, which is proving challenging to locate. I have about 5 phone messages waiting at the retailers in a 2+ hour radius - hopefully one of them can come through so that I don't have to wait the 6 weeks to get one in the mail. (no, topozone maps and the like don't count). Cross your fingers and hope that the forest service or the for profit retailers have one in stock. At this point, from when I get the topomap until when this one is in place and it goes to the GC.com reviewer should be less than 24 hours.

No comment I think it looks great! Excellent job Team Tecmage and Team Neos.

There are lots of great caches in Nashville - especially a lot of their virtuals (unless you don't like those kind of caches). many of them are easily accessible from the interstates too. A groups of us just went, and I haven't found any caches since then, so if you want to see which Nashville caches I'd recommend, just look at my profile, and search for the virtuals near the top of most recent. Oh, or "Going Gibson" (should also be near the top of the list since it was on the same day of caching in Nashville). It was a traditional that we just loved. Of course, there's also a ton here in E-ville on your way out of town as well.

Hey - you're actually coming during our fall break, so I'm really free right then. (ahhhh - two blissful days with no college students to deal with). Andrew and I could meet up with you (& Jim if he's free) wherever and show you around if you'd like. Beth/beffums

If it's extra time between memphis and louisville, you might seriously want to focus on the area around Team Neos. It's right across the river from Louisville and it would take way more than a few days to clear out all of the traditional caches and virts in that area (that's without doing the multis and puzzles and ...). If you want to hit more of the area, head up into IL, then cut across on I-64. It will run you right by Evansville (JAPTKD and I'd happily show you around, so would Solarwib, or any of the other ECO members) and from E-ville to Louisville is about 90 minutes on I-64. We don't have nearly the cache numbers in our corner of the state as there are in the Jeffersonville area, but we could easily fill up several hours to a day. (About 100 or so caches within a 10 mile radius; 200 within a 20 mile radius of downtown). Bloomington is a great place to check out, but can be hard to get to on highways, depending on where you are coming from. If you have the time, I highly recommend trying to cache up there though. Andrew and I haven't done much there, but what we've heard about sounds worth a detour (if there's time in your schedule for detours). Vincennes and Terre Haute are due north of Evansville (ok, close to due north), and both have lots of caches, and decent highways to get there. An alternate route from E-ville to Louisville would take you through Owensboro Kentucky, which has 80-100 caches, again, all within the city limits. Just in case - I think the drive from Memphis to Chicago would basically fill up all your free time - nothing left for caching! but, if you hit southern IL, you could easily get caches in all three states. There are a lot along the Ohio where you can take a bridge from one side to the other to get caches in both states (KY and IL, or KY and IN).

Sorry to all for the extended delay on placing the Illinois cache. I'd kept BPR up to date, but to give a short explanation... First cache option was wayyy too bogged down in red tape and looked unlikely. So, started to search for a secondary area. Then, back in August, went caching in Kentucky with some friends, and went back to a cache that JAPTKD and I'd already found, just to watch them find it. several deer ticks later, I ended up with both Lyme disease and Rocky Mtn spotted fever. ugh. Quite honestly, going out to the woods to place a new cache was the LAST thing on my mind! Good news - the place I have in mind seems like a go this time. Have been talking with the DNR folks, and so far as they know, there's no reason why it would be a problem. I'm to talk with the park manager for the specific park tomorrow, and, as hubby mentioned a few logs back, it's likely that this one will be placed within 10-14 days. Then it's all up to ILAdmin/ILReviewer. It won't be an ammocan in the woods, because IL DNR forbids those, so it will have to be a large lock-n-lock in the woods. Figured you'd forgive me for that one. Again - sorry about the long dealay, but hopefully you'll be seeing IL within 2 weeks.

I know it's about average for TB losses - that's why I'm not too concerned, just wondering if she stopped caching. I have e-mailed her, once in June and once in August. But, as I get no response, the harrassing her with repeatd e-mails seems pointless. If no one in Oregon knows her, then I'll just assume that she still has it and will eventually place it. (the e-mail in June just asked if she still had it, since it hadn't been too long back then. The one in August offered to pay postage to have it sent back to me, or to just wait if she planned on going back caching in the future). I know that there is likely a good reason why it hasn't moved. She might never want to cache again. Or, maybe she's been sick. Or, it could be lost. I just like to check becasue of the first or the last options. I don't mind her having it for a long time. I just want to make sure it is with someone who is still interested in caching someday in the future. If it's mia or if she's done with caching, then I can respond accordingly. And, actually, I have 3 that are logged to unknown. There are 4 more that are likely MIA, not couunting this one. (i.e., where they are in a cache and at least one person has written there's no TBs in the cache, etc.) I know TB's disappear, one that's marked as unknown was placed in a cache I own that got muggled. oh well - c'est la vie. I just also know that this is a rather small TB, and is more likely than most to get lost in the bottom of a bag. Sorry if my request above came off as pushy - I'm not trying to be. I just feel that if 2 e-mails widely spaced both resulted in zero response, that continuing to e-mail is pointless harrassment. So, I was trying for the second option that is recommended - to find another local cacher who knows the person and see if they can give me any more info. Since I live 1000's of miles away, this was my means of doing that.

This is just a wild attempt, but do any of the Oregon cachers happen to know gstrooper? She's only found 10 caches, so I know the odds are slim. I'm just searching for her since she had picked up one of my TBs back in March, and still has it. She hasn't responded to e-mail, but I don't know if she even got the e-mails (junk mail filters, etc). And, since I don't know if the e-mails are going through, it seems silly to send more e-mails. So, I wanted to check if anyone knew her and could ask her about it the next time you saw her. (note: I know it's a long shot, as she hasn't found a cache since April 1st, but she was just logged into gc.com last week, so hopefully she's still interested in geocaching, and has just been busy.) If you do know her, I just wanted to make sure if she still had the TB. If she does and plans on going caching again this fall or next spring or whenever, that's cool - I'm fine with it. No need to apologize, and no need to rush putting it out in a cache. It's just with 5 months of no movement, I wonder if the TB has gotten mis-placed..... If she has it and doesn't plan on caching, I'm willing to pay postage to have it shipped back to me (or you are welcome to snag it and drop it in a cache out there). Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to help.

based on logs of local caches, these ones look fairly easy. Riverside Passaic River Dead Center You also might want to try checking in the regional forums to see if the locals have any suggestions.

As the others have said, you are not alone. There have been a few days when I walked right up to the 4* and 5* difficulty caches, but could not find a 1/1 for the life of me. Around here, we're some of the unusual cachers who log their DNF's (I'm not saying I've never missed a DNF log, then again who knows, we might have missed a found it log too!). Not the only ones, but definitely in the minority. You'll find that many claim they will only log a DNF if they are 100% positive the cache is missing. Just keep in mind that that is not what a DNF means. A DNF means that you did not find the cache. Some of my DNF's read "it started pouring 5 minutes after we got to the coords, so we'll have to come back" some read "we searched for over an hour and failed to find it". It just depends on the day. Times when I won't log a DNF is if we never even got out of the car. If the reason we didn't get out of the car is irrelevant for the cache (ex., realized we were going to be late for something), then I won't always log it. If it had to do with the cache (ex., place was totally full of muggles) then I generally will. Don't let it get you down. I've watched a complete newbie walk right up to a 4* hide and find it in 30 seconds, and I've watched cachers with 100+ finds have problems with similar hides. Sometimes it' all a matter of what you are expecting. If you are unbiased (the newbie), sometimes that helps - you can think outside of the box, since you don't even know what the box is like yet. Othertimes, experience helps.

they will be able to read what you write as the log for the TB, but they won't be able to go to the cache page to see where it ended up. I personally like to watchlist every cache one of my TBs is in, just in case there start to be logs like "no TBs in the cache" or "___ TB seems to be missing". They won't have that option unless they pony up the $3. One thing I would think about before placing a cache in a MOC -- how many premium members are in your area, and how many have yet to find that cache? (i.e, is it a really new cache, or has everyone already been there, done that). MOCs around here get a lot less traffic than "regular" caches, so TBs in them tend to be stuck in them for months - until someone notices and rescues them. As a TB owner, having a TB put into a cache and then sit there for 10 weeks is fine if you can follow the logs and know that either a) no one has been to the cache in that time or people have been there and commented that the TB is still there. 10 weeks might be an eternity if you can't follow the logs.

Back OT, I don't think that the OP should feel like they cannot make an SBA log just because they were caching outside of their "normal" range. In theory, all caches follow the same guidelines. I know that some reviewers are more or less strict, but if a cache violates the rules then it violates the rules. Placing an SBA log does NOT archive the cache - it just raises a red flag to make sure that TPTB know something might be up with that cache. If I found a cache that I felt should be archived, I would probably first contact the owner (and likely note something in my online log, to warn future seekers). If they responded with "none of your business", I would a) keep that reply in case the reviewer questioned about it and post an SBA. Every cacher should have the right to ask about the caches they are seeking. If there are special circumstances that I do not know about, then tell me when I write. If there aren't, and if in my mind it's a clear violation of the rules, (and if the reply made it clear the owner saw no need for correcting said violation), then I would turn it over to the reviewer and let them sort it out. It's why they get paid the big bucks, right? Luckily, I have yet to find a cache that I felt needed an SBA - closest was one where it seemed there were just too many DNF's in a row. (didn't SBA or NM it, since my DNF is not, to me, sufficient cause. but since it's near my parents, I watchlisted it. a local has since SBA'd it, leading to a recovery of the cache... now I know what I'm doing on my next trip to PA)

You could ask but I scarcely think such a situation required an SBA hit. Now, had there been an animal making a nest out of the site, which happened to me, then maybe so to expedite the process. But for a simple, yellow jacket sting ... no... just part of the hunt. On one of my caches, I had a finder find it - covered in bees. The tree it was in now has a rather impressive beehive inside it (of course, right in the hole I'd been using for the cache). So, he wasn't quite up for replacing it in that same hole. His solution was to place it in a nearby fallen log, to report that on the cache page, and to send me an apologetic e-mail that he was unable to replace it as originally hidden. Personally, I was just glad he didn't get stung! He didn't directly ask me to move it, but it's still in the same log he found (about 10 feet from the original hide, but on the other side of the tree), since when I went back, the beehive had grown. For one sting? I don't think that's SBA worthy. But, I think it would be fine to comment on the sting, and if the owner would like to move it, then that's up to them. At a minimum, you'd have warned future seekers that there might be yellow jackets nearby. We've been stung by yellow jackets several times while caching (once even while coated in DEET), and just figured it was part of the deal. You go hiking in the woods - you might find things that live outdoors.

My first notion for the Illinois cache ended up mired in approval red tape. So, at this point, I think I'm going to search out a new hiding spot instead. Sorry for the delay, but hopefully this weekend I'll be able to come up with a new notion for where to try.

as the TB owner, Groundspeak would have sent them an e-mail with your log in it. So, you could have sent a duplicate, or any note really letting them know, but unless you e-mailed them before logging the TB, they would have been notified just as quickly by Groundspeak. Like Blue Deuce said - it's more an issue of whether or not you like chatting to people you've never met over e-mail. I do - so I send notes. But, if it was my TB, I would have been chomping at the bit when I got the "owner" log on my e-mail if I wanted to see it again.

I agree completely. Around here, (as Doc & Doc's Wife likely know) there's a lot of "lemme see if you have stealth skills" caches. I hate them. argh. I know - there are people who love them. Notice, I did *not* say I wish they were outlawed, just that *I* don't like them. A well done cache in an out of the way spot in the city - perfect. Lemme see these neat and almost forgotten gems of the city. Or, if there's just a nice greenway for walking along, that too makes me happy. But, the ones where you have 15 muggles looking at you like they think you are breaking the aw - or worse - those make me frustrated, even if we do find the cache. My favorites are the ones where you haven't seen a house for 5 miles when you finally find parking, and there's a bit of a hike to go from there with cool scenery (not so often found in our corner of Indiana). Unfortunately, I'm in the exact opposite boat of the OP. I (the wife) LOVE the country caches. JAPTKD (hubby) loves the urban caches. And, since we live in a relatively urban setting, he gets his favorite caches a lot more often than I do. oh well - they're still caches!

I like the idea of a books only cache, but wanted to re-iterate the concerns above of "what will you do if someone trades against the theme"? I have a penguin-themed cache, and, well, even with loose rules (penguin "related" was ok, as long as it was ice age or arctic/antarctic in nature, and TB's were always welcome), many trades have gone against the theme. I also have a cat themed cache (almost all cat-related was ok, but no catnip or cat food/treats, and all tb's again are fine), again - lots of non-themed trades. Then again, I've been to an airplane themed cache, and when I was there, every item in the cache was a toy airplane (the cache was over a year old at the time). My solution to non-themed trades is: go out, take new cat or penguin swag, and trade out the non-themed stuff. Then, if it's ok stuff, I'll just use it at trades at other caches. If not, I decide if it's chuckable stuff, or some other purpose stuff. Just, be prepared to sometimes have to take out new (for the cache) books and replace the non-book items.

we definitely have a few FTF hounds in our area - enough so so that when one of them isn't the FTF, you start to worry that they're sick, or something. Occasionally, JAPTKD and I will try for the FTF, but we generally only go for a FTF on a cache that we'd want to find regardless. With the hounds in our area, the chances are that someone else will get there before you. Overall, I have no problem with FTF hounds -- I agree that it can be hilarious reading the logs when a FTF race is on. The only time it bothers me is if you read on the cache page something like "do NOT search for this cache after 11 pm..." (or the like), and then you read the FTF log and it says they found it at midnight or 2 am. That's when I think people are getting a bit overboard with the FTF attempts. (Then again, I also get irked at the 50th finder if they say that they found it at midnight or whenver if the cache page said not to).

oh, and grcarlson who helped me track down the person who had snagged my TB out of a cache (but forgotten to log it) around the time he'd been at the cache(many states from his home). He not only knew who had the TB, but even managed to get them to e-mail me and log it, and now she's round again.