Kite and Hawkeye
-
Posts
447 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Kite and Hawkeye
-
-
Since locationless/reverse caches aren't currently being approved, *and* this would be limited to one find, I don't think you'd be able to get an official cache page created for the search. It's possible that the item itself could somehow be made into a virtual after you know where it is, though, depending on the details (such as if the property owners are interested in allowing it). I'd say just post your description in the appropriate local forum and see if anyone can come up with it. Maybe offer some sort of geo-reward. I think the lack of responses is simply because the answer is "no, probably not," and because you haven't told us enough about the fabulous object to pique interest in searching for it.
-
The trend has been against any caches that aren't intended to be more or less permanent (with the understanding that some will inevitably be plundered, or need to be moved because of environmental impact, etc). It's just as much time/effort to approve a temporary cache as a permanent one. If the cache location's a good spot, why limit it to eight finders? And what's to make the 'last' finder actually recycle the cache -- why wouldn't he just trade an item, sign the logbook and leave? If it's not a good long-term spot, can't be maintained, etc... it's really not a good idea to put a cache there. If you've got a really fantastic place in mind, why not contact a local, who presumably knows the local rules, and ask if they'd like to team up with you for a hide and keep the maintenance responsibility?
You can also 'give back' to the locals by leaving good swag in their caches, if your main motivation is to say thank you. If you're just dying to hide caches in general... there's probably a few square feet back home that haven't been taken yet.
-
We use the Garmin branded data/power cable. If you're patient, Amazon sometimes offers it cheaply; at the very least, shop around, because list price is a ripoff. The cable's performance is just fine, though we've taken twist-ties and tied the two cords together so the data part doesn't flop around in the car when we're using the power cable.
Also, if you're clumsy, you might trip over the cable on your way out of the car and jerk it out of its socket and then the cigarette lighter adapter plug might start to pull apart a little. (I mean, you might, I never would. Nope, not me.) But don't worry, it'll keep working.
I'd be leery of buying a used cable, but if you can find a new one cheap on Ebay, go for it.
-
I was staying logged in for a couple of week there, but suddenly it seems like all the old issues are back. If I switch computers or browsers, I have to log in again. Almost every time I do this, I'm immediately redirected back to the login screen, where I'm obliged to log in a second time. When I do, I get the "this is an error but don't worry about it" page, but at least by then I'm logged in and can putter around for a while. Until I go home/go to work/open my other browser/Hawkeye logs in, at least. w
-
The problem is that it's gross, and it looks like garbage. If I'm caching, and I see a plastic bag under a bush, am I really going to want to look inside? It's probably wet and dirty, and I've got no guarantee that it's the cache rather than the infamous bag of doots or something. If a given tupperware container can't withstand the elements for long, will a garbage bag hold up significantly longer? (Name-brand Tupperware is significantly more durable; in any case, a lid with a very definite and firm lock is essential.) Really, you can't beat an ammo box for durability, but if the size or nature of the hiding spot dictates something less durable, I guess the owner should resign him/herself to swapping it out every few months. Exposure to rain/heat/cold etc will do in most plastic relatively quickly.
I'm glad that sticking caches in a bag isn't common in our neck of the woods. Yuk.
-
Get the eTrex. Other units may have more bells and whistles, but this one does the basic job just as well.
When/if you really get hooked on caching, you'll probably want the cable. Nudging that little button a hundred times to input coordinates will make your fingers sore. But I strongly suggest buying the cable that includes a car power adapter. That way, you can use the GPS in the car without sucking battery power. It'll pay for itself, eventually. No, the yellow doesn't have street maps, but it's still a useful navigational tool in the car. Moreso than you would think.
There are arguments for buying a slightly more advanced unit that comes bundled with a data cable, but I'm so enamored of the power cable that I'd say you're just as well off skipping that and buying the cable later so you can get the dual model (on amazon, a plain etrex data cable is $29, a car power adapter cable is $30, and the combo cable is $39. We got ours for less than that -- sometimes it goes on sale cheaply).
If you're rich, of course, get a fancy GPS with maps. Maps never hurt anybody, and I'm sure they're useful -- we just get on fine without them, only occasionally saying, "Wouldn't it be neat if the GPS could do that?".
-
In one episode -- I forget which, since I don't watch often -- one of the good guys was using a techie device that was obviously a yellow eTrex.
-
There used to be a micro very near the Cancer Survivors Park in San Diego. No reason it couldn't be replaced or a new cache placed nearby -- I suppose there are elements of the park that could be used for a virtual, but I'm fond of finding the container. Maybe we'll give it a shot next time we're down there.
-
quote:
Originally posted by cameltrekor:Originally posted by cameltrekor:to add to the problem, I also don't see the newly-acclaimed cache icons.
Any ideas, help?
Reload. I was seeing a combination of new and old icons for a while, depending on what I had cached.
-
Magellan seems more interested than Garmin in these sorts of events -- it's their logo on the CITO shirts, this contest is theirs, and the Sea to Sea Geocaching Challenge in the San Diego area recently was also Magellan-sponsored (and had three new color GPS vouchers involved). Don't see Garmin sponsoring anything geocaching-related. Makes me feel a bit left out, I'm a yellow eTrexer all the way... though I wouldn't say *no* to one of those new color Magellans if one fell in my lap...
-
Personally, I dislike Rite in the Rain books, because often my pen won't write on the slick paper. My Rite in the Rain logs tend to be brief and full of scribbles from trying to get the pen going again. I've never actually written a log in the rain, so don't much care if the paper is waterproof. Then again, we live in southern california.
I like little wirebound notebooks just fine. Notepads without spiral wires -- ones just held together by a little rubbery bit on the edge -- will quickly fall apart.
And definitely encase it in a ziploc -- one large enough to hold the writing implement you provide, and not such a tight fit that the pen(or pencil) will puncture the bag. We've found plenty of disgusting, moldy log sheets when the log wasn't bagged or the bag tore.
If you're somewhere that gets cold in winter, include a pencil -- ink can freeze. Otherwise, I much prefer writing in pen (doesn't smear off or get dull). A cap to prevent leakage and the aforementioned bag punctures would be great.
I agree that finding a few caches to get experience is good, but don't just emulate what you find. Just because some people in your area chucked some tupperware under a bush doesn't mean that's what a cache has to be. I think the main thing you learn from doing a few caches is what constitutes a good hide. Once you have some experience and know which caches were fun for you and which ones were frustrating or boring, you'll know how to make yours one of the good ones. It also helps to have a familiarity with your GPS, GPS accuracy, good/bad hints, etc. Personally, I'd *recommend* writing down ideas now, but holding off on implementing them until you've found a few caches, just so you can refine some aspects. Assuming there are a few caches already in your area, finding them is just fun GPS practice anyway.
-
It looks like this person hasn't logged a cache, or indeed even logged into the site, since she picked up the tbug. Your chances of a response don't look great. Sometimes it happens.
-
... but smiley faces mean 'found'! all the smiley faces all over the unfound cache icons are wigging me out a bit.
Definitely like the checkmarks and the art in general, though.
-
quote:
Originally posted by RobertM:I hid a cache (Just Find It!) and all I did was spray the container a different colour and people can't find. It's basically in plane sight behind a thin-stemmed tree. I've been told the coords are spot on by those that have found it. It's easier and less headache to just place a plane old cache that easy for people to find else you get all these negative logs and e-mails from everyone whining.
I love a challenge, but I would also be irked if I went to a difficulty 1 cache that took an hour of searching. I'd suggest rating it higher and just saying it's challenging -- people may complain anyway, but they won't really have a leg to stand on.
-
There was a cache where the container was a tennis shoe, once. I assume the contents were ziplocked.
-
I've seen people use the micro designation for anything smaller than, say, the average peanut butter jar. I saw a decon container (er, I think that's what it was) once, and I think it qualified as a micro. Couldn't fit much in it. Of course, rather than quibbling about the exact boundaries, I'd hope that someone who thinks their container is either/or would consider just divulging the dimensions on the cache page. I hate it when I show up with items that won't fit.
-
Well, it's amusing, but I don't think we'd be able to pull it off...
-
My login issues look solved, except that the forum tells me I'm logged in as Kite. (I had my own account before we decided to go with Kite and Hawkeye, so there are two accounts I could be using). If I'm logged in as Kite, fine, great... but when I post, it comes up as Kite and Hawkeye, while still saying "Hello, Kite!" at the top of the screen. I don't really care -- staying logged in when I go to nearest cache pages is FAR more important -- but if you're getting bored with the lack of issues with the new pages now that everyone's been mollified and/or made happy, there's one for you
. -
Okay, okay. I've gotta know, and I'm all the way down in San Diego, so... ME TOO!
-
Yeah, the pipe containers really aren't a great idea, especially in urban areas where they're more likely to be spotted. I can never get the !@#$ things open, anyway, so I dislike them from a practical standpoint as well. Not everyone has Hawkeye along to open stuck containers.
-
It's probably a simple corneal abrasion, but as everyone else said, please see a doctor. You may well need some antibiotic ointment to prevent infection. The cornea heals fast, so you will probably not be in pain long, but if it doesn't heal well or gets infected, you could be in trouble. I was given a steroid/antibiotic ointment to use for a few days. Better safe than sorry. I have corneal scarring from recurrent corneal erosions -- in my case, an inherited condition, but they can also occur if an abrasion doesn't heal well. It's not fun. See an ophthalmologist, not a general practitioner or an optometrist. The latter two are wonderful people in their fields, but I've never met one who knew much about corneas compared to an ophthalmologist.
-
Our FRS/GMRS radios have 'high power' and 'low power.' We stay on low power within the FRS range.
-
quote:
Originally posted by ajgray:On the "filter finds" link from My Cache Page, could this filter also filter unavailable caches? I use this filter most often to find a nearby cache to hunt, and the unavailable caches clutter up the list.
The reason they still show up is because they've been designated 'temporarily' unavailable. If they've been temporarily unavailable for many months, contact the owner and ask them if they intend to revive or archive the cache. As has been said in response to previous queries about this -- if they could be filtered out, nobody'd be bothered by them, and they'd just sit there 'temporarily' unavailable forever. This way, those bugged by them are goaded into action. Truly archived caches will not show up on searches.
-
Yikes! Check out the latest log on Oops I did it again. I did fear that that particular cache was a bit too public to last, but I didn't expect it to cruise along just fine for a whole year only to cause an enormous bomb scare in the end! And the much newer "Bugs on the Other End" has been disabled for fear the same thing will happen. I guess caches on Harbor Island aren't such a good idea these days.
I sympathize with people who get suspicious when they see a guy put a box in a bush in the middle of the street, and frankly I don't think it's entirely unreasonable to call the cops about it. This cache was REALLY exposed. But at the same time I'm so tired of this endless state of alert. Will it ever end?
I suppose Bugs is a goner too -- it was nice to have a bug hotel, but it was unfortunately hidden close enough to the road that I can imagine the same thing happening. We were highly visible while searching for it the other weekend. July 4th Cache, which was hidden nearby last year, was a bit more sheltered, but that obviously didn't save it (plundered and archived).
It's all very sad.
The San Diego Thread
in West and Southwest
Posted
Since traveling caches aren't being approved anymore, unfortunately they won't let you have a cache page for it. BUT, you can of course put a TB on a small container and simply have it be a travel bug... with contents. They can't deny you the travel bug, and people can log it as such. Go ahead with the idea! It'll be fun.
We logged "50 State Traveler," a bug that used the concept you describe (created before traveling caches were halted), and to be honest, the bug half of the concept worked WAY better than the cache half -- people logged the bug just fine, but could rarely be persuaded to log the cache page properly.
I hope you release the bug.