fauxSteve

It's better to be first to find than last to find (or, like me, have a string of DNFs making it a never to find). It's just another part of the game: important to some, unimportant to others... For somebody who just doesn't "get it", then it's just not anything to worry about. Let others break in the cache first—hopefully it will still be there (and if it isn't, then it probably wasn't worth going after in the first place). People who are in to FTFing often have to put up with bad coordinates, live beta testing and other mishaps. Also, while some hiders believe in FTF prizes, I feel that bragging rights are all that are needed (and maybe the pick of the best swag). Cache owners would probably be better off going back and adding some cool stuff after all the locals who are going to grab everything have found the cache. That encourages the rest of the pack and people passing through to give it a try. That said, FTFs are a good opportunity to meet the real geocaching freaks of your area... if freaks are your thing (I know I've met a few who've met me at the FTF scene), then by all means join the craziness. By the way, this gets asked a lot: if someone does want to leave a n FTF prize, my faves are unactivated TBs or other travelers.

Congratulations to rodgowdy who found #800 at my Kaboutertuin cache today. And he hasn't even been caching a year yet...

I do wonder if the dealers will still be able to get illegal baggies to put their illegal drugs in? In the meantime it's a good thing that they still sell smack online. What's next, knitting needles? Plastic googly eyes? This war on baggettes is a waste of money! Soon our prisons wil be filled with fidgety addicts withdrawing from scrapbooking and decoupage, and all they'll have left is their legal glue to sniff. Decriminalize crafting now!

This program is brought to you by, and is filmed on location at, Mal*Wart...

GCG822 is quite remote, both in distance from other caches and depth.

I took a quick look at a map of the area and I'd say archive it since gardeners (or upkeepers) will constantly find it. If you really like this spot, though, is there street sign to which you could attach a micro right there? That's an appropriate hide for this location. However... is that a small park just to the west (or just a really big yard)... ???

I suspect the poster was too busy staying awake to learn about the Red River Rebellion or something. And are you saying that Texas is not sovereign anymore? When did that happen? As far as hunting the cache, I think some of the concerns of the land's current status is directly tied to whether people would hunt for it. If it is private land now (not tribal), explicate permission is granted and that permission has been conveyed the cache seekers this sound like it could be a fine series. I'd hunt it as a traditional, an offset, a multi or a puzzle; whichever method best provided a history lesson of the area, as long as I felt that I had clear permission to be searching there. Such concerns are very relevant to my deciding whether a cache idea is a good one or not. But generally, I like any cache with a good history lesson tied to it.

I don't know the whole story and I honestly don't care. I do think, however, that if the cache moved enough for people to even think a second log might even be warranted it should have been a new cache. I also recognize the tendency give absolute authority of cache owners. Given that, most cache owners who actually apply such powers should also be prepared for the villagers to make some noise... (Now that I think about it, this picture applies to just about every forum thread here!)

That used to be very much the case, and I expected that to be true for a long time. However, the rules for unknown/puzzle caches have been changed and now they include anything where there might be an additional logging requirement (ALR) and some other things. That is, if the coordinates are correct, but you need to... 1) Do something special to get the smile (write a lie in the "found it" log, write "micros are st00pid" in your log, or, 2) open a lock or need the combination, or, 3) other things I can't think of right now (etc) ... then it's now an unknown cache even if the posted coordinates are right on. If the OP wants to see a variety of puzzles, from simple to obscurely hard, they can look at my hidden caches.

So he's hidden the deepest cache, I wonder if he'll hide the highest cache on his visit into space next year? Talk about an expensive smiley!

Wow, I won something without even trying! I only wish I could have moved the coin along quicker. Unfortunately I had a string of DNFs and I wanted to drop the coin somewhere that fit two criteria: safe and interesting. I ended up dropping it on Monarch Pass in Colorado: Had I found a different cache (and if the coin fit), it might have been hanging out here: Cool contest!

20 feet (6 meters) is a reasonable discrepancy once you take into account the hider's accuracy and your own. I am personally ecstatic if my GPSr guesses that I've got 7 foot accuracy. 17 is far more common in the places I generally cache. Different areas around the globe, tree cover, valleys, buildings, and other factors will all have an influence on your accuracy. While some of the newer GPSrs seem to be doing a better job with pinpointing your position, once you get within 20 or 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) of the cache, you can often think about putting the unit away and start using your geosenses (the easier the cache, the more obvious the spot should be). Caches shouldn't be buried (but sometimes they are), and some caches are in lousy locations (so they might indeed be buried under trash). In the latter case, you might just want to find one in a better spot. Also, some GPSrs have an electronic compass, but many do not. If yours doesn't, once you get close to the cache the needle will usually just spin around since you are within the area of the GPSr's accuracy. It doesn't hurt to pack a good old-fashioned compass in your bag when out caching.

I say keep it based purely on looking at it from 1000 miles away, but expect some straight-forward logs of disapproval. You've given ample warning that it's a dumpy, possibly uncomfortable area, but I also think a cacher has the right to say something in their logs (there's another thread going on regarding that idea). However, go with your gut based on the responses of people more familiar with the area. I would add a proper hint though. Just because I went after a 1/1 that I knew was in a bad location, doesn't mean I want to return a second time after emailing you for help (full-disclosure: "email me for a hint" hints on "easy" caches are a pet-peave of mine... if it's so easy, just give a hint since I probably won't need it). Then again, I probably wouldn't look for this cache anyway since I don't like caches right next to homes.

Even though this thread seems mostly about the changes to the maps, I was wondering if another change causes all cache pages to display a default "User's Web Page" at the top. Before the link only showed up if the cache hider put a link on the listing. Now every page has it and I don't like it because if the hider hasn't defined a link it just reopens the page I'm looking at in a another window. When I see a link at the top of the listing I usually expect something like the city's page about the park where the cache is hidden, a puzzle hint, or something else that might be useful for the hunt. It's far less useful now for those purposes.

I prefer to see pictures of dogs than most cachers. They're generally better looking. I even know a dog that caches. Woof! Something tells me (your avatar, perhaps), that you like cats, however. What about worms and whatever this is?

I am sometimes frank about how I feel about a cache. And while I might say something less-than-stellar about a parking lot cache (it's not LPCs that bother me, just parking lots), I recognize that I'm taking the smile at the same time. But there are times I want to really complain, and it's usually not because of the cache being a micro, but something larger that is poorly placed. Here's a log I always wanted to write for a cache that I walked past every day on my way to work. I never logged it because I couldn't be bothered to grab the box out of the ivy: "I found the cache. I couldn't decide whether I liked the view of the busy intersection, the gas station, or the apartment complex's trash cans the most. You mention this is a good place for CITO. I am wondering, if this is your own apartment window that looks right at the cache, could you please clean up your own yard instead of placing a cache to get others to come over and clean it up for you. If it's not your apartment, I have to wonder why you placed a cache right outside of somebody else's window. I also didn't like sticking my hands blindly into the ivy for this one, since there's a good chance that some of the trash includes spent hypodermic needles from the junkies that hang out a block from here. A micro on the stop-sign would have been a better use of this uninteresting location. I'm surprised someone left a TB here in the first place, so I grabbed it and will put it in a better cache soon. Thanks for hiding it and quitting the game soon afterwards..." Its good to get that off of my chest.

Looks good. But you might want to repost the image with the travel bug with the tracking number obscured. Will it be in Topanga Canyon?

Being in Cle Elum, I would think there would be some good opportunities not too far from you. You should ask in the Northwest forums and I bet you'll get some answers. Yesterday I walked past a cache (actually a waypoint of a multi) in Colorado that doesn't need to involve more than a rock scramble, but a rock climbing class was using a different face (the vertical one) to get up to the top. I guess you could always just increase the terrain difficulty to fit your needs...

I'm still certain that the first time that I'll be questioned by police while geocaching will involve lifting skirts in a parking lot. I actually really don't mind the basic idea of the LPC; it's a perfectly acceptable way to obscure a container. What I don't like is looking for a cache in a crowded parking lot. Therefore, almost all of my finds on this type occur well before or after opening hours. I also still haven't found a way to log my find without sounding snotty or mean. Even when I try to write something light (no pun intended) or funny, I resort to some reference to lameness. I'm trying, though. I think a LPC in the middle of a forest would be kitschy, while in a Home Depot parking lot it's just expected... My real question, however, is: what percentage of LPCs have the hint "You light up my life"? You light up my life You give me hope To carry on You light up my days and fill my nights with song (and get another smiley) Now 1977 Debbie Boone in 2007 is kitschy.

I've found fake poop that was a cache and real poop that wasn't. In some areas I've cached, fake human poop would be better camo than fake dog poop. I've also found a small tupperware geo-container wrapped up tightly in a black plastic bag tossed in the shrubbery. I assumed it was dog poop until I finally got the nerve up to open the bag. Finally, while I've found a few fake sprinkler heads, most were the real thing.

I don't give FTF awards, and would rather congratulate the 23rd, 54th, or some later finder of my cache. Now that doesn't mean I don't mind being FTF myself... But I don't expect a prize other than being first. However, to answer the question my favorite prizes have been unactivated TB tags and coins.

This might not convince the wife, but the kids will have a good time: take them to your local Home Depot and tell them to lift every single light-pole skirt in the parking lot until they find a film canister. Chances are they'll find a cache... maybe even two if the parking lot is big enough. It might not be the best introduction to caching, but it's representative of one popular aspect. More seriously, there's probably a small or regular one with some trade items in a local park that can be found with Google Earth and a decent hint. Just type in your zip-code and look at the ones that are difficulty and terrain 1 or 1 1/2.

If I log a DNF your cache you are more than welcome to send me a nudge, hint or full spoiler. I guess I still consider the hiding caches from cachers (rather than from non-cachers) to be one of the side-games that grew out of geocaching a bit after I started. I like 'em found, personally. Occasionally there's a super-crafty hide that deserves more sensitivity and "evil-ness", but they're in the minority. Myself, I often send hints to people who DNF my caches (especially if they write in their log that they'd like some help), but I usually ROT-13 the hints so its up to them to decrypt if they want them. "To my fellow cachers: Please do NOT ruin my enjoyment of this fun and potentially satisfying cache by keeping it hidden from me indefinitely. Feel free to send me nudges, hints and spoilers if I log a DNF. Thanks!"

The Legend C (at least the later versions) were USB, and I've never had a problem connecting mine directly to my Mac. I've also owned an older B&W Legend and have a Garmin Foretrex 101 that works well with a good Serial-USB connector (I have a Keyspan one). Mac users unfortunately don't have a good database-style program like GSAK as far as I know, so I use a combination of MacGPSPro (for talking to my GPS) and MacCMConvert (to talk to my Palm) with CacheMate. I haven't followed the Garmin MapSource options for OS X lately for uploading maps, but I remember Gamin announcing that they were starting to support Mac (maybe somebody else knows). I'm sure other people can also suggest a favorite set-up as well. I have never used a Magellen, and don't know about compatibility.

There's a good travel bug hotel right in the center of old Vienna - TB Hotel Vienna City (GC11XNX) if you need a convenient place to drop even larger TBs.