Saw_Bones

Thanks for the info, though I am local (DeLand area) just not an Orlando local.

I'm planning on going to Megacon in Orlando, FL. Its a comic book convention but people come from all over the country to attend. I'm posting here to see if there is any interest in a meet and greet event during the convention. I haven't made a cache or event cache before and I would welcome any advice as well on doing an event.

I guess some places have less bugs then the US, that would never last in FL.

I haven't found a still, but I have found about four bikes, two mattresses, old furniture, and whatever else people decide to dump.

Open caching isn't that great, i've tried it. It's complicated and I find GC alot easier to use, just giving my two cents. And yeah if you think a certain multi million dollar company made such a site just for the good of the community and not to sell their products, which come preloaded with Opencaching software...who would guess..I have a beach front property to sell you in Nebraska.

I ended up spraying said cache with ant spray and banged it out before sticking it back, taking out the ruined items and the ruined label that it was a geochache. Its a cache who's owner hasn't been active since august. From what I heard from my local group they've had everything from unused tampons and diapers to matches and lighters. Only thing we can do is clean it up. Also thanks for the stories they made my day

I usually take money, toy cars, necklaces, little rubber wristbands, keychains, etc. Stuff thats in good shape that I have and place it in. I recently placed in a hand made chainlink bracelet. For adults I leave coffee coupons and free lunch coupons etc. I know I get hungry when out all day and I want to share what I have found with others. What I hate is: Food- it attracts ants and animals Batteries- they leak and ruin the cache Rocks- no its not fair trade..its a rock. Shells- When near a beach cache this is also not a fair trade, maybe in the midwest...not florida. Broken toys and just plain broken anything, I can understand if its used but try and think of who is picking things up

I visited Harris P&G in Deltona, Florida and plan on going back with bugspray and a grabber to do maintenance on the cache. I was pretty mad however as someone stuck candy in there..which attracted a hill of ants into the cache and the cache itself was in horrid shape. Have any of you came across someone leaving food in a cache? I know I've come across dog treats with the same consequences.

C:Geo..free and works with GC.com

I would appreciate it if people actually used the attributes or if we could have a feature that allowed the people who find the cache to add their own. The local cachers who hide usually do a good job of adding attributes but there's also a lot of ones that are blank and I know the area has dangerous plants and wildlife. One in New Symerna had syringes and other dangerous items near the cache, which probably shouldn't have been placed where it was just purely under the " Do not endanger yourself or others intentionally". It is now gone and soon to be archived hopefully due to it being gutted and the container missing. Also Don J that view is awesome.

It can happen to anyone. I was caching in a "upper middle class white neighborhood" and was approached by a very irate white guy. I was looking for a stop sign cache on a corner. He yelled at me and said he was going to call the cops if I didn’t leave “his neighborhood”. And I’m not black. +1,000. A stop sign in an "upper middle class neighborhood" is about the stupidest cache location I could possibly think of. I can think of one. I found one on a "Neighborhood Watch" sign in an upper middle class neighborhood. Sorry to double post, I just wanted to say I had this same issue with a guy, except he tailed me into a dead end cemetery and blocked the exit with his car. When I waited him out and went to leave he got out of his car and started yelling I was being erratic and that he lived there and I needed to get out and he was calling the cops. I wasn't being erratic and even after that the guy tried to follow me. I'm white but it was an upper middle class neighborhood near a poor one and the democratic stickers in a primarily republican neighborhood may not have helped. I learned my lesson..cache with pets and bring friends next time. He would have come up to the car had it not been for my dog growling and barking at him.

Its not an income issue per say, I know plenty of my minority friends who have I-phones and could afford a GPS. It's cultural and its also where you are and how you grew up. I know a few of my African American and Caribbean friends who go on hikes in the woods and would love geocaching but they are biology majors. The typical city person is not going to be going out bushwhacking through the woods to find an ammo box, no matter what race they are. I took my friend hispanic friend Ericka geocaching on a local trail, she loved it. I've gone on long hikes with friends of many races out in the woods but that's because we grew up doing that. If you didn't grow up where its fun to play in the dirt, build forts, and find treasure you probably aren't going to go looking for it. Also I agree with some people who've brought up the racism issue, its true. Especially where I live if you are in the wrong neighborhood caching alone there may be problems. That being said I think if it was publicized more it would get out more, I found out about geocaching when I recieved a GPS for my car and was looking up how to use it. I think I was looking in a metal detector magazine when I found out about caching, if it hadn't been for that I would have never started. I do agree if you cannot afford the a data plan on your phone that allows for you to use the software and GPS needed to find a cache you really can't cache. The GPS devices are way beyond my normal budget and i'm currently saving so that I can get one myself in case I cannot afford my plan someday. All in all I think its a money issue in some ways no matter what race you are but also its more targeted in the publicity towards whites.

Thanks for catching that Forgot about OC's bear problems. I know Lake and Orange (some Volusia) seem to have problems with Coyotes as well, mostly in rural areas but I've heard on the news they've been seen in some neighborhoods.

You've come to the right place and have found...A BIOLOGIST!! I won't repeat the plant warnings but it is helpful to look at the web and state resources ( college and otherwise) for plant warnings and native bugs and animal warnings. For snakes you have 6 known species that are poisonous. Here's a link for UF's snake guide, its useful and printable I believe. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/herpetology/fl-guide/onlineguide.htm You have the Coral Snake ( Red touches yellow you're a dead fellow. Red touches black won't hurt jack),Pigmy Rattler, Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Eastern Diamondback, and Timber Rattlesnake. Most snakes you will come across in Central Florida are Black racers. They are harmless but don't touch as they will bite and it will hurt. Rat snakes are harmless. Again look at the guide. You have Wild Hogs, Black Bears, and Coyotes but they are usually not around populated areas and not around Disney. As for bugs...TICKS! Of all the things in the woods you are guaranteed to find and pick up its ticks. Florida has no tick season and they are here all year round. If you go into the woods anywhere you will get ticks, the best way to keep them off is to get OFF deep woods and spray it on your clothes. To keep them off your legs stick your pants into your socks, wear boots and tape the top of the boots with duck-tape or tape. Wear long sleeves if you can and spray your boots and clothes with the OFF!Deep woods or other repellent. Make sure it says DEET and tick repellant. You will come across giant roach looking things called palmetto bugs they are harmless but nasty. There's a good number of spiders but watch out for brown recluses as they cause a necrotic wound. We also have scorpions. Fire ants build big mounds that are easy to see, stay away from them and watch your feet. There is a geocaching store in Brevard County near the cape called the Space Coast Geocaching store Here's a link to their facebook https://www.facebook.com/scgastore?ref=ts&fref=ts As for alligators they are slow, you can outrun them easily as they can't run fast for miles and if you aren't in the water in the first place you shouldn't have a problem. Now one big thing, if you go into any area where there is hunting allowed ask the rangers what season it is and where there is hunting. Hunters can easily mistake someone for an animal. Hope I helped

Thanks for the quick replies, one of the other reasons I want to get one is to log who is around in my area. I always seem to be in the same area as other cachers (often getting the find right before or after them). I like the idea of the QR code as its easier to scan on a mobile. In regards to the discovery log, how is the bug trackable then? I'm new to the auto ones.

Has anyone seen any of these in person/logged them. I travel to orlando for charity and I am near a lot of tourist areas so I am thinking about getting one for my vehicle to see how many visiting geocachers notice and log. Have you logged an auto travel bug?

We have a local couple who pretty much grab them right up, why? Because they have skill, if you want to find it first find it faster. I always leave money in the caches when I have some spare change so people don't feel like they've been jipped.

I just wish they weren't in my local cache list, half the time i've found them by accident because I was looking in the right area. I agree its annoying but hey if we didn't have premium members we wouldn't have all the cool stuff on the site.

I got talked to today, cop spotted me after I ended up sticking the ammo box in my back seat ( I put it back when he left) but a lone young guy and his dog walking with an ammo box is kinda suspicious apparently. I told him the dog had to do its business. This cop was just being nice as it looked like I had car trouble I suppose and the person who hid the cache hid it in a known dumping area ( in a tree no less), most cops are understanding and If you explain nicely usually they will understand. HOWEVER..if you hide a cache at a state park or national one always inform the rangers, if not a lone ammo box looks really suspicious when they find it and they do controlled burns in some areas as well.

I cache with my dog, caching with others is fun but sometimes its nice to go alone. However you do have to make up some creative excuses as to why you are where you are sometimes ( thats where a dog and " doggy bags" comes in handy).

Thanks and I do have friends on the space coast ( that I need to get into caching), so I'll definitely check them out.

Does anyone know of area events or organizations/clubs. It seems all the events are either way south, way north, or on the west coast.