A & J Tooling

You can hit a lot with just google maps. That'll get you in the general vicinity and a little looking will net you the cache. I think it is more fun that way but I've never tried the gpsr yet so I only know this way of doing things.

I assumed it meant it was hidden behind a tye-dyed peace sign....

Heck, I still don't know how to look up my own # on my cell phone...

Here's an idea.... to place whatever kind of cache you want to, you have to 1st of found five of that kind. So, if you want to place a small with a 1.5/1.5 D/T, then you have to find 5 that fit that criteria. That way, you know what is allowed and you see other ideas already used for that sort of thing. Plus, people would think twice before rating something as hard when it really isn't. Just a thought.....

Unless there are pictures, isn't this all heresay? Just sayin' is all....

Experience dose not always equal smarter or wiser. It boils down to what you learn from the experience.

Works fine for me. Oh! I know the problem. It doesn't post micro or smaller finds any more. Didn't you get the memo?

I wanted to write it in Russian but I had no idea where to find the stencils for it. The way it's hidden you don't see it anyways. On the top it says CCCP. The antennas aren't on it now either. I took this picture before it was a cache. We had used it on April Fools day in my neighbor's back yard. We had the parachute draped over her shed. She came home from work and when she saw it she said she was going to call NASA. Mind if I borrow from the idea? I think I could build a pretty nice sized one.

I just wish ya'll would agree on something. Anyho, while you discuss the why's & whats, I'm slowly building my original caches. Can't wait for ya' to come to a conclusion so I can start hauling them out. They are really starting to clutter up my yard.

For plastics, it depends on what was added to the original misture to make it. I know of stuff that has been exposed to the elements for quite a long time and it is still watertight. Heck, you do know they make fuel tanks out of plastic now, right? As for wood, I will bet that ipe holds up pretty long to constant exposure to water. That's what they build piers out of. Some of that wood has been exposed to the worst conditions known to man for quite some time. It all depends on how the item is used and where it is placed. I'm pretty sure you can take any non-water tight container, place it in the middle of Death Valley and it'll never leak.

I take a picture of my kids finding their treasure at each site. I haven't posted them yet but if I do, it's no ones business but mine, as long as I don't reveal the cache's location.

I take the extra steps just as the OP does. I make it a big exciting adventure. The more paperwork and 'hard' stuff involved, the more the kids think it is something important/grown-up. My kids are 10 and 8. I've been planning a geo-adventure for every day of the summer around here for a quick grab or 3. We're setting up a large wall map in the basement with push pins for all the places we've been. My son is the offical 'Land Navigation Expert'. He has the compass and 'leads' us. My daughter is the 'Operations Liason Specialist'. Her mission is to engage anyone we cross paths with and not let on our true intentions unless they're LEO's or Staff at whatever atraction we happen to be at, then it is her responsibility to gain their trust.

My son was recently suspended from a day of school due to this exact issue. I told him the same thing. Ignoring a bully does nothing but enpower the bully. My son finally stood his ground and the bully ain't a bully any more.

That's how I do it. I don't bother with the micro's unless they state that they have swag (which seems to me it shouldn't be a micro). As for the kids not wanting to walk, that is what the whole trip is about (to me). Interact with the kids, let them lead, you just basically point a route and let them take over. Listen to them. Enjoy their perspective. Enjoy your time together. It's quite an experience. Now, every day, its: "When can we go again" over and over and over...

I found my first cache where I had to insert my hand into a spot that I could not see into. Luckily I have tools for just such a situation. Needless to say, I found the cache but the cache suffered some slight damage due to my extraction process.

Your photoshop skillz leave something to be desired. There, now I've posted an opinion about you. Hows it feel?

I had to help my kids pick out a gps for me (them). They (BB) had 3-4 handheld for this type of activity, 2-3 marine ones and the rest were for driving. Not big selection by any means but a seperate section is still a step up. It was fun listening to the sales geek talk a bunch of crap that he had no clue what he was talking about.

I think it's a great idea.

Should of written it in Russian. That is an awesome idea btw. I have that exact filter and it ain't small.

Mine go to the highest bidder.

I do. If there is nothing to swap, I dip into my bag so the next kid doesn't feel the dissappointment my kids did. But if there is a lot of stuff, both my kids can swap if they so desire. They ALWAYS do even if they have to swap for less. I think, that even if they only own the item for a few minutes, they get a thrill out of it.

So true.

Even the good bison tubes take a beating in a WNY winter. I replaced one yesterday that had surface rust on the stainless steel and the O rings worn out. At least you can fix and reuse the good ones. A little mineral oil on the O rings could extend their life. Mineral oil will cause an o-ring to fail if used too often.

Try taking an image editor like inkscape and play with the colors, hue, etc. A clue could of been written with a vector imaging software in a certain color and then covered up in the rest of the colors.

I know people who ride bikes everywhere they vacation.