ZachNLiam

<<<<<>>>> I would bet they don't have a one year old infant that has the effect of adding about 2 stars to the difficulty of every cache!!! We're going to have to go after these again. When we were at Dragonfly it was just WAY too hot for the kids to spend any time looking around, and at Kassie's it was just getting a little too dark. Enough excuses?!? We're going to Yosemite this weekend and will plan to get the one pretty easy one by Happy Isles. Pat, do you want your travel bug to go there? I know it's not an airport, but it would get it to move quite a bit - let me know!!!

<<<<<>>>> I would bet they don't have a one year old infant that has the effect of adding about 2 stars to the difficulty of every cache!!! We're going to have to go after these again. When we were at Dragonfly it was just WAY too hot for the kids to spend any time looking around, and at Kassie's it was just getting a little too dark. Enough excuses?!? We're going to Yosemite this weekend and will plan to get the one pretty easy one by Happy Isles. Pat, do you want your travel bug to go there? I know it's not an airport, but it would get it to move quite a bit - let me know!!!

Right now our find-hid ratio is 10%. We have 60 finds and 6 hides. Does this seem about right? I don't want to hide a cache just to do it - I'd like for it to be interesting in some way. Just curious what everyone thinks. Ron and George are around 25%, and their hidden caches are great. What would this area be like without them? Maybe we'll go though a hiding phase and do some interesting ones and get our ratio up!

Right now our find-hid ratio is 10%. We have 60 finds and 6 hides. Does this seem about right? I don't want to hide a cache just to do it - I'd like for it to be interesting in some way. Just curious what everyone thinks. Ron and George are around 25%, and their hidden caches are great. What would this area be like without them? Maybe we'll go though a hiding phase and do some interesting ones and get our ratio up!

400. Wow. Crazy. My measley 60 just doesn't compare! Keep it up - it's inspiring!!!

400. Wow. Crazy. My measley 60 just doesn't compare! Keep it up - it's inspiring!!!

I checked on a couple of my caches last night. Grapes Of Path is definitely gone. I'll archive it if I can't find a suitable hiding place REALLY near the original one and then create a Grapes of Path II or something. If I can hide it just a few feet from the original spot I'll just un-disable it. Ace O Sob is definitely there. It wasn't in exactly it's original spot but I put it back there. I think the 3 difficulty rating is pretty accurate judging by the Did Not Finds posted on it.

I checked on a couple of my caches last night. Grapes Of Path is definitely gone. I'll archive it if I can't find a suitable hiding place REALLY near the original one and then create a Grapes of Path II or something. If I can hide it just a few feet from the original spot I'll just un-disable it. Ace O Sob is definitely there. It wasn't in exactly it's original spot but I put it back there. I think the 3 difficulty rating is pretty accurate judging by the Did Not Finds posted on it.

Gimpy, The SPIII is really better in almost every way for road navigation. The voice prompts seemed a little cheesy to me until I actually used it; they're really nice for not having to look at the 'next turn' page as often. The double beep of the V just doesn't tell you which way to turn. Also, being able to download the 32MB card (I'm going to get a bigger one soon) in about 2 minutes is REALLY cool. It takes longer for MapSource to build the map sets than it does to download them. I noticed that I could fit the ENTIRE State of California on a 128MB card (where I live)!!!! My ONLY complaint is that I like the nav info on the map page better on the V. More specifically I liked seeing the ETA to FINAL on the V. The SPIII doesn't have that; just an arrow to next turn, ETA to NEXT and TIME to NEXT. Of course I can see the ETA to FINAL by just hitting the page button once for the turns page, but I really liked seeing that. Garmin emailed me that they would consider changing that in a future update. Speaking of updates, the SPIII will now do VIA routes. In other words, you can give it a destination, and then a point to get to as a VIA point. So you can force it into different routes. VERY cool! And recalculation takes the VIA point into account. Just wanted you to know that when you get your SPIII you'll be VERY happy! Randy

How can you compare ANY non-autorouting gps with the V? I only sold my V to get a SPIII (which is the ONLY other autorouting gps) so I could get the color screen. I would be STUPID to sell a V to get a 176c (unless I use it on my boat of course). I now use a combination of SPIII to autoroute near a cache and then fire up my GPSMAP76 to get there on foot (think of me switching units as a Recalculate-Off Road procedure - lol). The SPIII addresses the only complaints about the V in the car - bigger (and faster to download) memory and big color screen, but it would SUCK handheld. Just my thoughts....

I am temporarily disabling this cache because I'm pretty sure it's gone. I'll put a new one here if I can't find it, because I like the area. I'm going to try to get out there this week, by the weekend at the latest, so check back! I might change it to a micro, which hopefully won't disappear as easily!

I am temporarily disabling this cache because I'm pretty sure it's gone. I'll put a new one here if I can't find it, because I like the area. I'm going to try to get out there this week, by the weekend at the latest, so check back! I might change it to a micro, which hopefully won't disappear as easily!

I'm very bummed about this cache. I thought it was so cool. We checked geocaching apparently JUST in time to get the FTF on this one. Just good timing. Maybe because it had JUST been approved it didn't print correctly. The hint and description didn't print, but we went after it anyway with just the coordinates. When we found it we removed the 'main' bag and thought that was it. After looking through for a logbook to sign, and not finding one, we decided to walk back to the car for a pen to sign the back of the geonote, and I replaced the main bag. That's when I noticed the second compartment, removed it, signed the log, and went on our way. There was a bunch of people at a BBQ nearby, but with my two kids (9 and 6) it didn't seem odd at all that we'd be over there. No one seemed to pay any attention, and I also made sure the boyz were quiet about it. No talking about what we were doing. We took the bug and the coin, which I kinda figured was an FTF prize, since we'd never found one before. We didn't take or leave anything else. Sorry if that was meant to be traded for! We'll make it up on Fattuhr's next cache!!! Again, sorry about that Pat. It was a very cool cache container, and I hope to come across it in the future somewhere! Thanks for your hard work and hopefully you and Jaimee won't become too discouraged - as geocaching catches on more and more we're due for some irresponsible cachers and with the increased traffic, non-cachers realizing what's going on and pilfering them.

I'm very bummed about this cache. I thought it was so cool. We checked geocaching apparently JUST in time to get the FTF on this one. Just good timing. Maybe because it had JUST been approved it didn't print correctly. The hint and description didn't print, but we went after it anyway with just the coordinates. When we found it we removed the 'main' bag and thought that was it. After looking through for a logbook to sign, and not finding one, we decided to walk back to the car for a pen to sign the back of the geonote, and I replaced the main bag. That's when I noticed the second compartment, removed it, signed the log, and went on our way. There was a bunch of people at a BBQ nearby, but with my two kids (9 and 6) it didn't seem odd at all that we'd be over there. No one seemed to pay any attention, and I also made sure the boyz were quiet about it. No talking about what we were doing. We took the bug and the coin, which I kinda figured was an FTF prize, since we'd never found one before. We didn't take or leave anything else. Sorry if that was meant to be traded for! We'll make it up on Fattuhr's next cache!!! Again, sorry about that Pat. It was a very cool cache container, and I hope to come across it in the future somewhere! Thanks for your hard work and hopefully you and Jaimee won't become too discouraged - as geocaching catches on more and more we're due for some irresponsible cachers and with the increased traffic, non-cachers realizing what's going on and pilfering them.

This has been mentioned many times, but it still drives me crazy a little. The eTrex line is DESIGNED to be SMALL. That means it has to have a smaller and less sensitive antenna. Garmin has other lines of GPS units. The 76 series uses a quad-helix antenna also. THAT would be a more fair comparison. I have a GPSMAP76 that I LOVE. It works amazingly well. Also: The 'accuracy' or EPE rating is an estimation of what the gps unit thinks it's accuracy is based only on satellite geometry. It doesn't mean you're that close (or far). AND Magellan units are known for fooling you into thinking they're getting signal when they've actually lost it (for up to 30 seconds if I remember correctly). Walk into a cave with one and stop. It will keep moving for a while. The eTrex line is a GREAT SMALL gps line. And that's it. If you don't mind a bigger footprint, look at a different line. Plus, if you ever want to get autorouting Magellan has nothing. If you get any Garmin now and mapping software, that software will work with a V or Street Pilot III later.... Just my $0.02.

Ever since we got the V we have enjoyed traveling so much more. It's so nice to not have the worry of where you're going. Our new thing is to purposely 'get lost' on vacation. We go wherever we want to, because we know the gps will route us right back to the Hotel. This is amazingly fun, and impossible (or nearly so) without a routing gps. When I sold my V to get the SPIII my wife was actually mad for the week or so until the SPIII arrived because she was so used to having it! We've gone on about a half dozen trips to places we've never been before over the last six months and it wouldn't have been nearly as fun or relaxing if we didn't have the V or SPIII. Don't leave home without one!

Ever since we got the V we have enjoyed traveling so much more. It's so nice to not have the worry of where you're going. Our new thing is to purposely 'get lost' on vacation. We go wherever we want to, because we know the gps will route us right back to the Hotel. This is amazingly fun, and impossible (or nearly so) without a routing gps. When I sold my V to get the SPIII my wife was actually mad for the week or so until the SPIII arrived because she was so used to having it! We've gone on about a half dozen trips to places we've never been before over the last six months and it wouldn't have been nearly as fun or relaxing if we didn't have the V or SPIII. Don't leave home without one!

Yes, I saw that "light" last night. The last time I saw something that looked just like that it was some kind of rocket testing over the ocean, but this was more South, so I don't know where it was. It's vapor trail was incredibly high in the sky though because it was still lit after the sun had gone down and the sky was relatively dark. Whatever it was blew up. I could see the distant "firework" display of it. Just a day before Dirt Hawker left for Arizona I had asked him about going down one of the rivers around here and he told me why he wouldn't be albe to... I wished him luck.

Yes, I saw that "light" last night. The last time I saw something that looked just like that it was some kind of rocket testing over the ocean, but this was more South, so I don't know where it was. It's vapor trail was incredibly high in the sky though because it was still lit after the sun had gone down and the sky was relatively dark. Whatever it was blew up. I could see the distant "firework" display of it. Just a day before Dirt Hawker left for Arizona I had asked him about going down one of the rivers around here and he told me why he wouldn't be albe to... I wished him luck.

On one of the recent software upgrades the max number of turns per route was increased from 30 to 254 I believe.

By toys you mean objects that are fun and enjoyable? Objects that give satisfaction and help in this hobby of geocaching? Then yes, they're toys. And so is my Leica camera, my Tag/Heuer watch, and the Hummer H2 I want so badly.

My favorite story about the "wrong side of the river" type cache is once when my GPSV took me to within 500 feet of the cache on the road (but the wrong side of the river). I simply panned the map to a road on the OTHER side of the river, and it took me 13 miles down roads I didn't know existed to the correct place. I wouldn't have even tried for it if it weren't for this feature. By the way, I've since replaced my V with a combination of Street Pilot III (what an amazing thing that is - a V with a bigger color screen, WAY more memory and faster routing - plus it talks!) and a GPSMAP76. I bought the 76 because it floated, and soon after stopped taking my V off the dashboard and carrying the 76 instead. I figured, if I'm going to leave the V in the car anyway, I might as well get the SPIII. But I'm still a die-hard V fan, even though I don't own one anymore!!!

My favorite story about the "wrong side of the river" type cache is once when my GPSV took me to within 500 feet of the cache on the road (but the wrong side of the river). I simply panned the map to a road on the OTHER side of the river, and it took me 13 miles down roads I didn't know existed to the correct place. I wouldn't have even tried for it if it weren't for this feature. By the way, I've since replaced my V with a combination of Street Pilot III (what an amazing thing that is - a V with a bigger color screen, WAY more memory and faster routing - plus it talks!) and a GPSMAP76. I bought the 76 because it floated, and soon after stopped taking my V off the dashboard and carrying the 76 instead. I figured, if I'm going to leave the V in the car anyway, I might as well get the SPIII. But I'm still a die-hard V fan, even though I don't own one anymore!!!

Looks like I need to check on a couple caches. A few people didn't find them over the weekend. Just a reminder about the BBQ. I hope everyone can be there. I just met a guy last night who did a little caching around Santa Cruz a while back and has moved here. He had no idea how "big" caching is here in the Central Valley, so hopefully we'll see him around! Just busy recruiting cachers... lol

Looks like I need to check on a couple caches. A few people didn't find them over the weekend. Just a reminder about the BBQ. I hope everyone can be there. I just met a guy last night who did a little caching around Santa Cruz a while back and has moved here. He had no idea how "big" caching is here in the Central Valley, so hopefully we'll see him around! Just busy recruiting cachers... lol