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OwenfromKC

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Everything posted by OwenfromKC

  1. There are 107 geocaches in this series. Some are easy and some are difficult. Some are simple and some are creative. You will definitely get a tour of the greater metro KC area. https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC34YT4_kc-battleship-final
  2. Here are 3 vehicles turned into geocaches but none of them move. https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5RMA6_mrs-geocats-trackamobile https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3PMCM_boondocks-usa-travel-bug-motel https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5Q8N5_gigantesque-the-big-one
  3. https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC7E2GG_ramblin-man?guid=45340fe5-bbc9-451f-966f-45f8fd0568fd Here is one in KC area.
  4. This. ^ I have logged details in English and added 'Thanks for the cache' in the native language also. Being in the midwest, It would be cool to get a log from an international traveler in their native language on one of my caches.
  5. Quite possibly. I don't even remember exactly what it does. I think it automatically records your location at intervals so you could find your way back. I am sure it has been rolled into a regular feature. I loaded it about 5 years ago. Yes, Locus is a very robust app with screens and abilities, I still haven't fully explored. I kept the Note4 for the swappable batteries. I prefer that to having a brick tethered to it. That's why I haven't had to reload the apps.
  6. It looks like you are on your way. I just want to vouch for Locus Map, Geocaching4Locus and GPStrace4Locus. I have them all loaded on my Note4. A relatively large screen. I have cached all over the Arizona desert, Mexico desert, Yucatan, Puerto Rico and Cuba with it and no phone signal. There are OSM maps for all these places all the way down to street names and popular POIs already labeled. Best thing is you can also load other POIs such as restaurants, hotels, and tourist spots all on one map all with definitive icons of your choosing. This helps with always having the nearest cache to your places especially if your with others. You can also load info such as hours, address, and phone #s that pop up. You only have one map to reference for the entire trip which makes it so awesome. Many times we would get to a tourist spot and had to wait for our turn or a restaurant and I would order then take off around the corner, returning before the food arrived. That way the family wouldn't have to be held up for the addiction.
  7. Everything The Leprechauns said + Then you can also find yourself waiting until 11:15pm to go out for the day's cache and then sitting in a parking lot for 20 minutes at 11:40 pm waiting for midnight to get a second one so you don't have to go out the next day. Strategies and technicalities. You could plan it closer but if you have complications or are not an experienced night cacher, you run the risk. Like others have suggested, while you are sitting there by yourself in the dark listening to the radio, all you do is think to yourself, does it really matter or who would know if I just went ahead and signed it so I can go home to sleep because I need to get up early for work. Waiting that extra 5-10 minutes starts to sound silly, especially if you have people at home waiting for you. I had a trail about 7 miles away but it was the opposite direction of everything in the city. I made it 137 days before I felt it was a chore and wasn't fun anymore. It took me over 2 months to start again.
  8. Maybe the CO suddenly became physically incapacitated or suffering depression or other mental illness or incarcerated but does not wish to disclose such information and so handled the situation as best as possible. We can play 'What ifs' and 'What should' but no one knows. This may have been the best solution the CO chose.
  9. I also thought of the NK side of JSA as a possible new location when new virtuals were awarded. I was just imagining unique places around the world. According to the rules, since you have to have recently visited the location and photos are difficult to get and only allowed from certain points of view, wouldn't one be able to possibly locate a sign or object in the room that had to be told to the CO as proof? You mention landowner permission. True, but does it always happen? (rhetorical). Me just brainstorming also, since it is a JSA and IF a CO was somebody who knew somebody, couldn't the UNCSB-JSA Commander give permission even though it is located on the NK side? With full disclosure it most likely would cause an international incident. Imagine trying to explain a virtual object that 'westerners' locate, record, and disseminate online. NK would probably think it was some secret CIA operation in order to gather information.
  10. There are 2 round about ways to do this that I have used when making a list for caches to find away from home and taking the opportunity to qualify for more challenges. 1- Using the map or PQ, find an alphanumeric challenge cache in the area and then looking at the lists posted of the people who qualify for the challenge. Then search the specific geocacher that others have qualified with to find the hides by that person. Typically all the challenge caches for an area are clustered or by the same CO. So on the map just look for a bunch of mysteries together that are not geo art. 2A- Look at geocacher's profile page of geocachers that have very high find counts. Often they have there alphanumeric lists in their profile. 2B- If not listed then Click on their finds, click on mystery finds only, scroll until you find an alphanumeric challenge cache they have found and then use option 1. With high find numbers, they most likely have done a lot of challenge caches along the way. This can be tedious but not as time consuming as you think in order to get to what you are looking for. I have found an 'X', '0', 'Z' and the highly coveted '8' cacher this way.
  11. I did think of that too because I have been in a group log as well. I think a search function could be easily implemented for your name in messages to a CO as part of the algorithm. Most, I am sure not all, but most messages likely have the cacher names of people listed with the submission of the information. It would introduce error because of manually entered spelling. I don't think many messages say, "Here is the info for a whole group of people I was with today!" .....or even x people today. I don't think any CO checking answers would let that fly. That being said, if a Mega is being held in the area, I could see even a responsible CO just letting logs stand instead of checking every email for every cacher logging. This is all highly speculative but I guess that is what this thread is for. Congrats on your Virtual!
  12. From the other thread and this one, I have noticed every argument about criteria has been focused on hides. Per haps some criteria also to consider is: * How many Virtuals have you found (possibly as a percentage of your total finds) - correlation being your interest in virtuals. * Length of your logs on all or or just virtuals - correlation being your investment in the experience of virtuals. * Area you have cached, do you travel and find virtuals far from home coordinates - correlation being you may relate what makes a virtual attractive to people not from your area. *Do you actually provide the ALRs or just log the caches. Determined by your record of email or messaging the COs - correlation being real interest and not just a number/icon collector. *Depending on the algorithm if discernible, number of virtuals with different types of ALRs. Require just a pic or information - correlation being experience with different ALRs in order to most likely create an interesting destination and cache. These are just suggestions that could be viewed as a 'more well rounded cacher' or a 'more virtual centric cacher' depending on point of view. These points are also not to be turned into an argument over numbers or stats or even long c&p logs. Please don't. The correlations may not be perfect but they need to be defined for the algorithm to work. The staff at Geocaching can not possibly manually vet some 5 million geocachers, hence the algorithm. I would assume that many geocachers are highly "qualified" to hide a virtual. Based on the sheer numbers of geocachers, I would assume some lottery system was implemented. For a given region say 100 geocachers are chosen by algorithm but only 5 (non volunteer) virtual caches are to be awarded in that area. I would think a random selection or lottery of those 100 would be "fair" to be given the opportunity. (I apologize for the over use of parentheses and quotation marks.)
  13. I once did a genius multicache. The container was a case for eye contacts, one side white, the other blue. The white lid had 'clue' written on the outside. You opened it and it said stage two was very near under the blue lid. It was a good laugh.
  14. Lots of reasons as speculated by others. I have looked at lot of caches around Rio and where the soccer stadiums are in Brazil lately for some reason. Don't know if I will ever make it there. Of course it can be inferred I like soccer and the Olympics.
  15. We've gotten emails from some saying they'd do that, but I never ask. Certainly wouldn't suck up, feigning excitement just to do their cache. Sheesh... I feel if their hide is somehow okay at this time to do without that pmo, what made it so special to do it in the first place. The intent of my wording was to be an example of how to show genuine interest if you are and ask nicely. Not to demand someone change their caches which can be off putting. When corresponding through email it can be difficult to convey tone and a simple request can come across as snarky or as an order. Snarky comments deter people from wanting to offer advice and help when others are being hyper critical.
  16. I have known some premium cache owners to change their caches to basic caches temporarily if you just ask. Email them that you are excited to do their interesting highly favorited caches with your kids and give them the dates. They can change them back to premium aftetwards.
  17. You can do this really quick by using two different browsers on the same computer. You can have both accounts open at the same time. Log into the premium account in chrome and go to the log cache page. Copy the url. Minimize. Login to the basic member account in firefox (or ie). Paste the url. Log it. I do this all the time with my kids. I log mine in the field to keep the order and theirs when I get home. Busy days, I open each premium cache in a different tab and it goes real quick. Back and forth copy and paste. I have had all 3 accounts open at once on the same computer.
  18. You can do this really quick by using two different browsers on the same computer. You can have both accounts open at the same time. Log into the premium account in chrome and go to the log cache page. Copy the url. Minimize. Login to the basic member account in firefox (or ie). Paste the url. Log it. I do this all the time with my kids. I log mine in the field to keep the order and theirs when I get home. Busy days, I open each premium cache in a different tab and it goes real quick. Back and forth copy and paste. I have had all 3 accounts open at once on the same computer.
  19. Cacherstats.com lists 393,792 cachers but that is only people with more than 200 finds. That number may tend to be currently more active. Active is a relative term.
  20. Things can get confusing because technically, U.S. citizens are not allowed to travel to Cuba strictly as a tourist. Practically, Cuban immigration and the Cuban people don't care if a U.S. citizen travels to Cuba as a tourist and U.S. Immigration doesn't care either. Prior to the recent changes in policy, one had to petition the U.S. Treasury department to obtain a license to travel under one of the specific 12 OFAC categories mentioned below. Now, one can "obtain" a general license simply by self-declaring that one qualifies under one of the categories. There is no paperwork involved between the traveler and the U.S. government. A simple "yes, I qualify under one of these categories is sufficient." In order to enter Cuba you need a "tourist card" or tourist visa. There are several ways to obtain one. Currently there are two ways to get to Cuba (by air). You can fly direct from a U.S. city through a Charter company. In this case, the Charter company provides the tourist card (you just need to fill it out), often on the plane en-route to Cuba and the cost of the tourist card (~20$US) is bundled into the charter company fare. I chose not to use a Charter company as they often are more expensive and use charter carriers that have less than reliable records for on-time departures and restrictions on baggage weight (with exorbitant fees if you exceed it). The other option is to schedule a flight on your own from some other country. There are flights to Havana from Cancun, Mexico City, Panama City, Bahamas, Aruba and I even Toronto. You just need to book a separate flight to one of these cities then book a separate flight to Havana. A tourist visa can be obtained prior to checking in at the last airport before checking in. In fact, I was asked to show my tourist card by an airline representative at the beginning of the checkin line. I actually got my tourist card from a web site in the UK. It was a simple online form which included an affidavit ("yes, I qualify under one of the OFAC categories"). It as a bit more expensive than obtaining one at the airport but I liked having the piece of mind of having the tourist card prior to leaving the U.S. Where things can get complicated is if one needs to travel under one of the categories which requires a "sponsor". I'm going to write a second post about that and how being a geocacher actually became an issue. I didn't bring any rum back but I did bring back a box of Cuba cigars (you're allowed to bring back $100 worth of cigars). I only found one cache in Cuba and DNFd another. I used the new geocaching app with offline lists. That worked well except for one thing. The offline lists contain all the info you'll need except any photos the CO might have uploaded to help cachers find their geocache without a GPS. For the cache that I DNFd the photo the CO provided would have made the difference between a find and a DNF. All very good points. Thanks for sharing. I am curious of other's experiences. It is what ever you are comfortable with and willing to do. Not saying I didn't get nervous at times but it all worked out. I would never do a trip like this with my kids or my girlfriend but the opportunity happened for me when they couldn't so off I went solo. I planned on Cuba but could have stayed in Mexico if it didn't work out. My Aunt and Uncle are retired and have a winter home near Tulum so that was my back up plan. (The aforementioned opportunity for the trip is that they forgot a 3 month supply of medicine in the US and I was available.) I did my research but did not purchase anything until I was there. I didn't buy my Cuba ticket until I got to Mexico. When you try from the US there are legalities and it is much more expensive. If I remember correctly I found only 3 flights daily from Cancun to Havana. Air Mexico at 12p, Volaris(?) at 2p and Air Cubana at 4p. Air Mexico was the cheapest at the gate but I discovered it was also $100 cheaper online than what I was quoted in person. I bought it online but remember my IP address was in Mexico and everything was in Spanish. The website assumes you are Mexican so it is cheaper than if you checked from US IP. A Mexican VPN is hard to find for free. I had a list of casa particulars in the Vedado area I wanted and just walked up and knocked for availability and the third one I was in. (On the visa destination I just wrote 'casa maria'). It doesn't sound organized but I was...really. I thought I needed $25 CUCs for my visa fee to leave which I was warned about, however, it is included in your airline ticket cost now. So I ended up with some Cuban money for souvenirs also. Always better safe than sorry. I actually had the cab drop me at GC29YPG. See my pic on the cache page. I got my first Cuban cache before I had a place to stay. Ha! I used an android app that has : and 4 letters for caching in Cuba. It features static maps for offline caches that are increasingly zoomed in with the closest ones being satellite images. Very handy when not having a gps to your point of needing a pic. I hope some of this helps anyone else planning on going there. I do urge everyone to do as much research before hand if going it alone without a group and pre-planned itinerary that is done for you. I read and watched a lot of youtube. Like I said in the other post, I had my own POIs and things I wanted to do that I had researched. NYPaddleCacher - It looks like we both got the clock tower, GC55GVK. I look forward to your next posting and your geo-issue.
  21. .Apparently I don't know what I am doing and can't delete a post. Please move along nothing to see here.
  22. My international travels are leisure and not work related but I am happy to add at least one new country a year. I also went to Cuba this year in February in a tourist capacity and a US citizen. Cuba loves to have US visitors, it is the US government that has the problem. I went through Cancun also. The process is the same as flying to Mexico. You get on the plane, they hand you a temp visa, you fill it out, land, go through immigration and enjoy your trip. I did a lot of research before hand and the US allows 12 reasons for visiting Cuba. For the 'reason for your visit' section: reason # 8 (Support for Cuban people) and # 11 (Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials) are the only ones that do not require a third party facilitator/sponsor such as a humanitarian group. I have seen some people post a short video on youtube to show they are sharing of information for educational purposes. I talked to people and took pictures. I wrote #8 and everything I took with me I left. I also took fishing gear for adults, and bubbles and glow sticks for kids that I gave away while walking on the malecon. I also took clothes and shoes that were nice but I didn't use and left them at the casa. They are really happy to receive these instead of the typical afterthought toiletries. I left with only the clothes I was wearing, my underwear (which I didn't leave), one souvenir T and a bottle of rum. I feel I supported the Cuban people with the best of intentions. I found 10 caches without a gps using OSM maps and offline caches. I also had all my POIs loaded and traveled all over Havana using my phone without cell signal. The gps function still worked great. All in all a memorable trip.
  23. Here is a page that is a good resource. https://www.facebook.com/WiredGeocaching/
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