Fuzzywhip

Just fixed up a cache container I built last fall and thought I would take a couple pictures before hiding. The container is a 'bento' box for Japanese lunch. The magnets on the bottom are from old computer hard drives. I have placed the cache upside down under a bridge out of sight. When someone feels around under the area where the cache is hidden, if they don't feel upward, they won't find it. I've had several cachers comment that they really like the container and the added difficulty. Enjoy!

I've done a few caching holidays in the Seattle area and loved every one! Talk about a high-saturation area. I've stayed at several of the Motel 6 locations and found them to be clean and affordable (I'm always on a tight budget while traveling). As for suggested caches, it depends where in the Puget Sound area you are staying and where you want to go. For a nice hike through the forest, the Lime Kiln series ( http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...44-7664721ccc14 ) was very enjoyable. This starts near Granite Falls, and I was able to do 4 of the caches in the time available. Another spot I worked was on Vashon Island. Requires a ferry ride (in 2006 it cost $18 one-way to get to the island and free to return to the mainland). While on the island, I enjoyed Upcountry Vashon ( http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...19-69e7be290a85 ) and Vashon-???? ( http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...dd-ae24fc7df63a ). Yes, there is a legal way to get to Upcountry Vashon. It took me awhile to figure it out. And while Vashon-??? is an easy location to find, what you find there is very different (sorry, can't give that part away :-) While in the Granite Falls area, Frank Mason Park ( http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...c4-d8e4b15256da ) was an easy cache and is really close to a Japanese Shrine. Hope this helps :-)

I have a Radio Shack RF Frequency Counter (#22-305) which I bought new and is in mint condition. Comes in original box complete with external antenna and instruction book. I would consider trading for either a Magellan 210 with USB cable or a Garmin eTrex with USB cable. Interested?

While on a caching holiday in Seattle, I came across this strange concrete thing under the Grady Way Hwy / Hwy 405 freeways. What is this thing? The bowl-looking thing does not appear to be hollow, and the whole thing is on huge wooden beams. I found this while hunting for cache GCM6PX

I've been down that road when I bought my GPS 2000 cheap on eBay. Check the thread about my tests http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...=126183&hl= Unless the GPSr is REALLY cheap, I would say save your money and buy a new GPSr

I have been using an eXplorist 100 for over a year and have been very happy with the performance and accuracy. I made a screen protector from a generic Palm screen protector (at a fraction of the price) and have had no problems. I am concerned about Magellan's reputation with customer service, but from what I have read lately, they have improved (while still not up to what Garmin provides). I actually bought and tried a eTrex Legend around Christmas. A nice unit with good accuracy, but I found it hard to read the small numbers :-) Still like the large numbers on the eXplorist. Right now I am struggling with either keeping my 100 (simple to use with good accuracy), upgrade to a 210 (although C$188 is a bit much just to get PC connectivity) or upgrade to a 500LE (love the color screen, similar price to the 210, but hate to change to AAA batteries). Comments?

There is a BIG difference between charging an entrance fee to enter a park where a cache is located -and- charging a fee to enter just to get to a cache. In the first instance, it would be OK but it MUST be indicated on the cache page that the fee is required. In the second, this is WRONG as it starts a bad precident of commercializing caching. An example is a cache I searched for while on holidays. On the cache page, nothing was mentioned that a parking fee would be charged at a park. So I spent time, gas, and energy to find the location only to be disappointed by a large parking fee for only a few minutes need. A real bummer! On the other hand, I worked a number of caches on Vashon Island, Washington, which required paying a ferry fee to get to the island. As I knew the fee would be charged, I accepted this as the cost of working the collection of caches on the island. Is it commercializing caching? -No- As the ferry would change you a fee regardless of your purpose to traveling to the island. PS: In the summer of 2006, the fee was $18 one-way to the island, and free to get back to the mainland - Found 8 caches and enjoyed exploring the island.

Funny as I just resolved this question recently. I have been using a Magellan eXplorist 100 for the last year and have been very happy with the performance and accuracy. Just before Christmas, Wal-Mart had a package deal of a Garmin Legend and map software as a bundle for just under C$200. I bought the package and tried the Legend. Don't get me wrong. I really liked the Legend and respect the reputation of Garmin (reading the good reviews of customer service really pushed me to buy this package). But I found the Legend display too small to read! Hey, I'm not that old (though I do remember Disco :-) but I found the lettering very small to read. My caching partner also found the lettering too small to ready without removing her glasses everytime to read the display. Even though the package contained map software that was worth almost as much as the entire package, I return the Garmin and have continued using my 100. PS: A local drug store has the 500LE on sale for $C199 and I am tempted to upgrade my Magellan.

I have found a good source of containers to make micro caches with. A friend of mine is a diabetic and has to check his blood glucose several times a day. The little testing machine that he uses has diagnostics strips that are stored in a nifty little container (in the photos, it's on the left). The container is a little bigger than a 35mm film canister (about 7cm high) and has silica gel crystals built into the lid. My friend just switched to a new machine, and the diagnostics strips come in a different container (in the photos, it's on the right). This container is smaller and doesn't have the silica gel crystals, but it has an easier to open lid. As he tests several times a day, he had a box full of empty containers and was quite happy to find someone who could use the containers. See the photos below both closed and open. I have used the older style container with the silica gel crystals for a micro with a magnet attached. Roughened the surface and epoxied a hard drive magnet to it. It's been out for almost 2 months with no problems!

I took my eXplorist 100 in my carryon luggage to Japan last November and had no problem thru Canadian, American or Japanese customs control. I packed the GPSr inside a Tupperware container with a few washcloths to protect it. When leaving USA to Japan, the security took one look inside the container and closed it with no questions asked. No problem.

Being the organized-type, I have kept a logbook since my first cache found. Each entry is rather brief, with cache name, GC number, lat/long coords Diff/Terr rating and date found. As the entries are chronological, I find it easy to look up a cache if I know when I found it (usually when I'm researching a caching holiday I will check previous caching holidays in the same area). Sometimes it's handy to find a set of coords to do a search on gc rather than trying GoogleEarth (sometimes :-) I also sign my logs of found caches with something like "Find#xxx". I have also numbered my found caches in found order!

It all depends on the cache, what the theme is (if any) and where I am planning to go after the current cache. If the cache is heavy with items, I will trade (I carry a small collection of brand new Japanese toys) plus other usual trade items. If the cache gets a lot of traffic, or if I don't have anything that fits the theme, I will TNLNSL. As a side note: at one of the caches that I own, I am thankful that most people TNLNSL as the container is small and cannot hold too many items.

Well, so far, my favorite cache is Vashon-???? (GCCCFF). Located on Vashon Island, WA. You have to pay and take a ferry to get to the island and there are only a few caches, but this one is the most interesting.

I have been caching for about a year, but there is a question that has been bothering me. I live in the Rockies (British Columbia) so many caches are located at a different elevation than when I start hunting for a cache. As I approach a cache, the accuracy of the distance calculated should get better as differences in lat/long and elevation are starting to approach zero. My question: If a cache is at the top of a mountain, and I am at the bottom (say 1000' below in elevation) but very near to the right lat/long coords (according to a map - assume a sheer cliff looking up), will my GPSr indicate that I am at the correct distance using just the lat/long, or is the elevation factored into the calculation?

I have planned several trips to Washington State (I'm from British Columbia). I have found GoogleEarth a great help initially when planning my route and looking for possible caches. Although not as handy as "cache along a route", GoogleEarth will work for a basic member. The hardest problem is picking the caches to research, as GoogleEarth doesn't display very much information without opening a browser window to get the GCxxxx code or see what type of cache is shown. However, the problems are minor. I make a list of the cache name and/or approx coords (see the bottom bar on GoogleEarth). Using this information, I reseach each cache thru www.geocaching.com Sounds a bit difficult but it really isn't. Sometimes you can tell things about the cache just by its' name or where it is located on the map. As I research each cache, I would print the log-free version (uses less paper). The other advantage of having a printout is that you can write notes when you are at the cache (location, comments, in, out, etc). I haven't used a laptop while caching, but I have dropped into a local library to use their Internet computer to log my caches and check the status on the upcoming caches I want to hunt. Good Hunting []-)

I use Google Earth a lot to research caches before leaving on holidays. It would be nice for Google Earth (thru the KML) to show the "GC" waypoint with the cache name. This would make it so much easier to find the actual cache pages after noting all the cache location I have found. I know "Caching along a route" is available, but not for regular members.

I've had a similar situation but at the US/Canada border. I was going South for a day of caching in Washington State and had to explain the DHS officer what geocaching was and why I was doing it. After trying to explain "it's treasure hunting but there is no 'treasure' ", I handed several of my printouts from the Geocaching site. He read them, looked at me kind-a funny and let me in!

Depending on the situation, you should be able to solder leads to the battery contacts and have an external battery pack (perhaps a battery pack from Radio Shack - The Source). Some creative engineering should get this unit back in operation.

While I was in Japan several weeks ago, I found this benchmark on the side of the road in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture (near Tsubaki Grand Shrine). Suzuka is just north of Ise and west of Nagoya across the bay. Coords are: N 34 - 57.264 E 136 - 27.140 Thought everyone would like to see something different. PS: I saw a brass benchmark in Kyoto near Kiyomizu-Dera, but unfortunately it was getting dark and my camera wasn't available. Fuzzywhip

Good choice in the eXplorist 100. I have been using my 100 for almost a year with over 130 caches found. I find the unit very accurate and easy to use. Plus the large lettering is easy to read (I'm not that old, but I find the lettering and screen on my eTrex Legend a bit small). Good price. Wish I had found that price when I bought mine! Fuzzywhip

Great that you found your first caches! Check to make sure both are set to Datum WGS84. I had a similar problem when I first started. My first GPSr was set at NAV27 so I wasn't finding any caches. Could be that the Microsoft product is not as accurate as your GPS12. My first GPSr was a Magellan GPS 2000. I found a couple caches with it, but I was struggling. When I bought my Magellan eXplorist 100, my accuracy was FAR BETTER. Strange thing was that I could set the two units side-by-side, and they would give slightly different coords. Check that the antenna orientation is correct. Some GPSr units are sensitive to how you hold them in reference to the satellites. Hope this helps! Fuzzywhip

I have been using a eXplorist 100 for almost a year without a problem. I like the sensitivity and the ease-of-use. Maps are not important to me as I use a Delorme Gazette for WA, and a Mussio Ventures Backroad Mapbook for BC. I recently both a eTrex Legend (part of a bundle with map software). I like the PC connectivity and the onboard map capability), but I found the display very hard to read (screen is smaller than the 100 and the lettering is smaller). I do worry about support and service problems I have read about Magellan, but so far, I haven't needed the services. I would prefer the Garmin due the support and service, but I do like my Magellan. For the time being, I'm sticking with my Magellan eXplorist 100.

While I was in Japan several weeks ago, I found this benchmark on the side of the road in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture (near Tsubaki Grand Shrine). Suzuka is just north of Ise and west of Nagoya across the bay. Coords are: N 34 - 57.264 E 136 - 27.140 Thought everyone would like to see something different. PS: I saw a brass benchmark in Kyoto near Kiyomizu-Dera, but unfortunately it was getting dark and my camera wasn't available. Fuzzywhip

I just came back from a trip to Japan, but was unable to do any caching while I was there If anyone is heading to Japan from the Seattle,WA area, please visit "In SEATAC Plane Exchange - GCQK8N" and pick up my travel bug "Tabi TB - TBYRF4". Please drop the travel bug into any cache in Japan Thanks in advance Fuzzywhip

I have been thinking about a night cache for some time, and have a creative way to do it without using a flashing LED or batteries. While in a US Wal-Mart, I found packages of retro-reflectors (in the hunting section). They are REALLY SMALL (approx 1/4 inch square) but reflect a flashlight beam very bright! They appear to be meant to be used as trail markers by hunters. You drop one every some many paces, then use your flashlight to find them on the return trip. I hope this helps as an alternative.