You know MtnMutt I agree with the gist of your argument, but you will have to forgive me that I do find your tone and supposed outrage amusing. You seem to forget that this is not an outdoor survival forum and a lot of paying premium members may do their geocaching almost exclusively in/close to cities. That is their choice, one you can mock but that will say a lot more about you, than them.
I have the skills that you describe, yet still use a GPSr or a smartphone with online maps to do the little caching I have the time to do. Especially for planning before I head out. And I too intensely dislike the new maps. I have no problem adapting to the new situation, I just don't see the point of adapting to map quality and loading speed that I would expect more than a decade ago. And I am immensely displeased by how Groundspeak handled this situation, mostly because a lot of premium members live outside of the US where even the slow loading outdated Mapquest maps may not be adequate to the point they are in the US. I am hoping it is a temporary solution, because this is a downgrade, not and upgrade by any stretch of the imagination.
This might be actually my first post in this forum and its sole purpose is to let Groundspeak know that they need to work with their paying customers to find the middle ground. By having premium members you have entered a two way street. Sure, nowhere did they promise google maps, but the customer base is dissatisfied. I understand Groundspeak is not in an easy position here but then again they must have foreseen the free google map party would come to an end, certainly for heavy users. I will not stoop to threats of not renewing my membership to force change, but it is a viable option come August. Let's see how the situation develops but while I enjoy geocaching, my life is not defined by it to any meaningful degree.
Good luck to you all.
