M3J

Thanks for the replies gang. I had been considering the RAM mount but I see four models... Flex Mount Grip Lock Locking Pivot Locking Considering I will likely never need to attach it to my windshield (it will be dash mounted unless in a rental car) and I want it to mount as my Garmin 60 series Auto Kit, which would be the better of the 4? Thanks

They had a bad rep because what Bill did was hire a few guys in the first few years who didn't know geocaching well and were basically just marketers for the companies that paid for the caches. This is where the bad tastes started with cachers. For the last 2 years, they had a fellow named Rob who was putting the caches out up north (not sure if he did the ones around Thornbury or the ones near Ottawa) and his are much more challenging. They usually involved much longer hikes in more remote areas. You probably did one of his. Maybe in the Huntsville to New Liskard corridor??

We won a one night's stay at a hotel in North Bay one year and a free night at the Canadian Ecology Center (where they are based) at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park (they have a bunch of nice cabins there) which we did not get a chance to use. I do know of a cacher who won a quality canie one year and another who won a weekend package at a resort up in Thunder Bay.

I hve an F150 and currently have the auto mount kit from Garmin for my 60csx. I am certainly upset that Garmin did not make the bracket to fit their old mounts for the Clorados. What would be the best recommendations for a mount for the dash of my truck? I currently have the mount in the top storage area on the dash. Thanks

Whether their caches have a place in the geocaching world is a matter of personal opinion. I do know Bill Steer and can assure you that their training is top notch. If you want to learn about your GPS, map, and compass (other than finding tupperware), these guys are top notch. The course is far more about map and compass and how to tie these in with your GPS than just geocaching (in fact, geocaching hadrdly came up in the course at all).

Welcome to the club Ted! Looks the same as the one I had...yup, dog tick.

The American chain of Cracker Barrel restaurants, known for the "Off Yer Rocker" caches, has officially told Groundspeak that they do not allow caching on their property. Even if the local store allows it, the answer from corporate is still NO. I'm not sure what will happen to existing caches at these locations. Truth be told, geocaching has become much more mainstream in the past two years and it may be that Cracker Barrel is the first in a line of chain stores that might contact Groundspeak about caching on their property or in their parking lots. We can only hope, CD. Just kidding. No Cracker Barrel's in Canada, eh? You don't know what you're missing. It looks like the decision was made in mid-September 2007, but nothing is being done to the existing caches, as you can see from The Off your rocker bookmark list. It sounds like nearly half of the 575 Cracker Barrel's have caches. I know...we always hit a Cracker Barrel when we are down in the US. Other favorites down there are Waffle House (best pecan waffles anywhere) and Boston Market. But hey, we have a Timies on every street corner!!

My doctor told me to keep an eye on the area where the tick bit. She sad the first sign of Lyme Disease is a bullseye shaped rash radiating out from the bite spot. As a side note, my Permethrine arrived today. I'll let you all know how it works out.

I think the stat I read was something like an average of 15 - 20 cases of Lyme Disease in Ontario in a year but half or more of those are from folks who travelled to the US and brought it back with them. In other words, you likely have a greater chance of being hit by lightning than getting Lyme Disease. In answer to Dano's question, I did not feel it bite at all. I have a feeling that it came home on my clothes on the saturday, jumped off me and onto the couch, then jumped back on monday night when I sat down in my shorts. I did not find it till tuesday morning but I never felt it, even as I took it off.

I don't think its an issue up where you are. Its mostly along Lake Erie shoreline. There will always be the occasional tick no matter where you go. We were in the Niagara/St Catherines area.

I loved caching out there last summer...beautiful locations. Here are my favorites... GCKDDP ...quaint village, beautiful view from atop the hill GCXDZ8 ... on Signall Hill...there are others up here as well. GCXJZ3 ... the hide is so so but the location is incredible...the farthest east cache in North America...there is another nearby I think I really enjoyed caching in the St John's area...the scenery was so nice that I actually spent more time taking pictures than caching!!

As the others in our "BT Bunch" already know,I was bit two weeks ago as well after our first hike on the Niagara section of the Bruce Trail. I know one other cacher found one on him as well. From what I understand (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), it is mostly the black-legged tick that carries Lyme Disease in Ontario and they are mostly found in the Long Point/Turkey Point and along the lake Erie part of southern ontario. The other ticks that you find are mostly dog ticks...they are a little larger and have a brown patch on their backs. This is what I gather from what I have read. The one that bit me was one of the later and is the most common. While we were hiking that weekend, we happened to be chatting about ticks coincedentally and Rovers3 mentioned Permethrine. I did a little digging in the forums as well as researching on the net and this stuff definately sounds like the best stuff to use. You put it on your clothes, not your skin, and it is completely safe for humans. They tell you not to put it on your skin as your skin oils break it down and it is no longer effective. They claim that Permethrine bonds to the fibers in your clothing and will survive up to 6 weeks of washing as well. I had a hard time finding it in Canada and since I was placing an order from REI in the states anyway, I ordered a bottle. I will post back what I discover. I know one couple somewhere (maybe in these forums) talked about one of them wearing DEET and the other Permethrine as they went into the tall grasses near where they live. She had something like 4 or 5 on her when they came out, he had none. i will still use DEET on my skin as well. Here are some links: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public...se/lyme_mn.html http://www.gvta.on.ca/ticks.html http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/tickinfo-eng.php

The less the number of mailbox micros in the world, the better IMO. Any chance there is some sort of law about tampering with lamp posts as well???

Here is the federal site... http://www.geod.nrcan.gc.ca/online_data_e.php (sorry, the insert link isn't working for me tonight) You have to register and serach their various databases plus convert to the different datum and mapset but you'll get the data you need.

Don't forget that next sunday (8th) is the free conservation area day. Almost all conservation areas in ontario are included. All RBC branches in Ontario have info on the day but just going here has the list of areas and the flyer for the event... Ontario Conservation Areas

Looked through my cache logs...looks like the Easy Sheets series is archived.

How is that working now? I tried a PQ along a route last year and the list was aweful and made no sense.

We did quite a few last summer out in NS, PEI, and NF. While Canada's oldest cache is not a spectacular find (we did do it for a milestone), there is a route to get there that is. If its a long hike you want, then I can't really reply with a great answer but for a beautiful drive, head from Halifax to Peggy's Cove (and do the Easy Sheets series...something like 40 caches on a 23km stretch of the highway...extrememly lame but great for the numbers). There are a couple at Peggy's Cover which are cool. Most people turn around there. Instead of heading back, keep going along that highway, now heading northwest from Peggy's Cove. There are two Swiss Air memorials on the way towards to Trans Canada and I believe one has a virtual and the other has a traditional cache. These are very interesting locations with beautiful monuments and make you stop and think for a while. There are a few OK caches along the route north towards to TC but once you get there, head west and then south again down the next penninsula to the west. You will have just driven around St Margaret's Bay. When you head south again there, you will be on Hmy 329. This highway is not travelled much by tourists, very quite, has some easy roadside caches, but is spectacularly beautiful. As you follw it and round the tip, you will head north again and eventually wind up near Chester and Canada's first cache. We just head back to halifax from there. This was the day we managed 57 caches in 11 hours BTW. Our first cache ever was on Cape Breton and if you want to see some real beauty, plan a trip on the Cabot Trail and do some of those caches. PEI has a ton of caches...none that really stick out for me but the whole island is beautiful so you can't go wrong. Don't forget to grab the Great White North Geotour caches out there. One in each of the capitols (hey, you could even fly to St Johns, NF for the day like I did just to grab that one too....now there is the best caching I have ever done!!!). I know Geocite is heading out east this summer too. Maybe you guys will be there at the same time for some caching. Brendan of Eelow and Beelow and I met up in PEI to do a few. Let me know if you need anymore info on out east caches Ralph. We have done about 250-300 caches out there now.

We cache a ton while driving all over North America and I always plan the caches I am going to do by creating a bookmark, finding one cache I want to do along the route, then scrolling down on that cache's page and clicking the Geocaching Google Maps link. Once that comes up, just click and drag the map in the direction you are going to be headed and find other caches on your route to click on and save to your bookmark list. Once you have a complete list, create a pocket query from that list and email it to yourself. You can then upload it to your GPS through either your Mapsource (or other mapping) software or load it into GSAK and then upload to your GPS as well as Cachemate.

Hmmm, banning my wife from being in the car with me....dialing Mr McGuinty now to voice my approval...

We are down to the last couple of dozen coins from our initial order. If you are interested, they are $10 each plus shipping. They are quite beautiful coins with that classic stout shape. Ask any of thoe who bought from my first posting a few weeks back and they will tell you how attractive these coins are. Here's the pic once again: If you are interested, please email me your paypal address through my profile and I will contact with a total including shipping. FYI, while I cannot do trades with the coins that the CREW has paid for and is selling, I do have 2 of my own personalized ones which are basically the same but have M3J added on the back. I would be willing to part with them for the right coins.

Thank you. I had forgotten where I got my camo hockey tape before. Now I remember. Yeah, not sure why you would need camo hockey tape but hey, I guess someone wanted it or they wouldn't make it. Now, if they would also make camp hockey pucks, no one would know who has the puck at any given time...could bring a whole new twist to hockey.

ctually just found some camp hockey tape at Canadian Tire and it was cheaper and there is more on the roll I think. Check it out with the other hockey tapes.

Anything further on your plans for the 24th? I may be able to join you. Start time? The terrain in the area is not too bad so you should be able to do the planned length with little problem. Do you have a list of the caches that you plan to get? What about start and finish points and where to park cars for shuttle service? Parking at the BT Cairn would be good for one end fairly large Parking lot. What about the other? Yes, there arer 4 of us heading out Saturday morning. We will have one car at the planned end point just outside of Woodend Conservation Area, one car halfway with the lunches in a cooler, and one at the cairn. I do have a bookmark list of the caches if you are joining us and want it. I am picking up the first team at the end point at 9am then the other at midway and parking at the cairn. We hope to get on the trail by 9:15 or so. Total distance for day 1 should only be about 16km, though we have talked about going another 3-5 depending on how we are doing after the 16. Email me through my profile if you want to join us and I'll give you more details.

That's all I was trying to figure out, thanks Ralph. I just want to create a multi that uses digits on benchmarks for redirects. There is one like this up in Timmins. I just wasn't sure if what I was being told was that if I were to gather the info on the locations of the benchmarks from this website that I couldn't use those benchmarks. Kinda ought that couldn't be the case but thought I should ask. Cheers