Goldenwattle

I wish people would come and take some of the TBs in my TB Hotel cache. Almost none of the visitors take one with them, and I have a bag of TBs to replace them, gathered up at the end of a MEGA off the table.

I have also done that, especially if I can complete the TB's goal in a few months time. My most recent success there, which involved holding onto a TB for many months, which had a goal of visiting the Antarctic, was that I managed to get it a trip to the Antarctic (although not by me ). Initially I hung onto it because I was planning to visit Tasmania, and I thought that would not be a bad place to drop it off. Meanwhile, the TB visited the centre of Australia and many other places, including three overseas countries, and got a lot of photographs. Then when I was in Tasmania with the TB I found out I could get the TB to someone else who was visiting the Antarctic, so the TB went home with me rather than be dropped off in Tasmania, my initial plan. Then I handed it over and it went to Antarctica, got lots of photographs and visited a cache, so it could be logged there. It came back and was dropped off back in Australia. If I had followed some people's suggestions of never hanging onto a tractable for long and dropped it off, chances are it would still be in the same area, maybe languishing in a cache. Instead, it visited, as well as the ACT and NSW, it visited, Victoria, SA, NT and Tasmania in Australia, and New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and Antarctica. Which is better, travelling, or being dropped off soon after finding into another cache, where chances are it could still be in the general area? Another, I picked up in the UK; it's stated goal to come to Australia, so I held off dropping it off and brought it back to Australia, where I was able to make an extra journey and take it to the exact part of Australia it wanted to go to. Another TB, which wanted to visit every state of Australia. I found picking that up amazing, because I was setting off to visit every state and territory of Australia to fulfil a challenge cache, so it travelled with me for months and we both fulfilled our challenges. With lots of photographs of course, and a photograph of the TB at each border crossing. Then I dropped the TB off in the exact hotel cache its owner wanted me too; a lovely hotel cache with individual rooms on the owner's front porch. Rather than be annoyed with me for holding onto their cache for months, they came outside when I rang the doorbell, and when I told them who I was and that Ernie (the TB) was now snug in their TB hotel, I was excitedly hugged, invited in for afternoon tea, then taken on a caching trip to find some of the CO's caches and told I shouldn't have been staying in a motel, but I should have stayed with them. Not everyone gets upset with someone holding onto their TB for months. Ernie wrote home regularly . "Dear Grannie...(letter).....Earnestly Ernie." An example of some of the photographs I add to TBs logs when travelling. https://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=5339812&page=596 I would hate to have a limit on number of TB logs a day. How boring!

This made me go check on the progress of my trackables. Nothing new has happened since last visit. But worth a check. If someone was adding nice photographs I should thank them, but only one new photograph, when one trackable was dropped off at a new cache in Japan. I only have eight TBs. One in my possession, two missing, two maybe missing, and only three still travelling, one in Australia, one in Germany and one in Japan (I thought this one might be missing, but it sprang back to life).

I doubt many people use GSAK. A few yes; maybe those who are keen enough to come to this forum, but the average geocacher (who would not even know about this forum), no. I would guess they use an app on their phone, and the app on my phone does not visit TBs automatically to caches. Hence I log on the computer, because I want them to visit caches, especially if I have photographs to add.

Your cache is missing your OM, which you did. If I check a cache, I do an OM after my visit and give an update on the cache. Pleased your cache is okay.

Yes it is, that's why I just go select all at the bottom of the page, or I don't, rather then go through the list and click individually on TBs. But it's actually easier not to log TBs as visiting a cache, because for that nothing need be clicked. To log a TB into a cache I actually need to click a button on the computer. The rare time I have logged a cache on the phone, the TB's were not logged as visiting. In fact, I didn't know how to do this, which is the main reason I don't log on the phone. It's too clunky and not as user friendly as the computer. Besides, I can't photoshop my photographs first to get them looking as I want, before uploading them.

People already don't have to visit a TB to every cache. I don't for long power trails. But sometimes I want to add photographs to every visit and needing to go through another stage would be a pest. If this really worries a TB owner they can put it on their page...and then if I pick up that TB and read it, I will dump their TB in the next cache that I can and they can miss out on all the photographs. Someone did request this once; they sent me an email after I had only visited the TB to a whole two caches ?. asking when I was going to release their TB. I also think I had only had this TB for a few days; maybe four from memory. I showed them some photographs they wouldn't get if I didn't visit their TB to caches, and suddenly that was okay; they liked the photographs, but their rude email had annoyed me, so I dumped the TB in the next cache that it fitted in and they didn't get photographs of their TBs travels. If this idea were implemented, I might stop picking up trackables. And their are too many people at present who don't pick up trackables and leave them to linger in caches.

But then they will miss out on photographs. I take photographs, if the places are interesting, and if really interesting or pretty, maybe photographs for every cache visited and maybe more than one photograph per cache. (I have had several emails from owners thanking me for doing this and telling me how much they are enjoying the photographs. So people appear to like me adding all these photographs.) I tend not usually to take photographs when doing power trails. In fact for very long power trails, I might not 'visit;' the TB to them all; just the occasional one; otherwise it gets tedious.

Not if along with taking the cache, it is explained that the cache was now just broken, wet junk; unusable and unsignable and needed to be cleared away. No cache there now. If anyone now logs they didn't find the cache. And contact the reviewer directly. I know the cache has had lots of ignored NMs and NAs, but surely you don't expect the reviewer to ignore it forever.

Then take the cache. That will stop the smilies.

When you visit the cache, if it's in the same condition (ie not replaced), take the container with you and say the container had deteriorated so much as to be unusable (supply photo) and as the CO has continued to leave the container there as rubbish, that you have taken the container with you to dispose of responsibly. Add, that unless the CO does maintenance and supplies a new container and log, there is no cache and log to be found there now.

Contact the reviewer directly and include that photograph.

How does this vary from a normal MEGA?

So, not in some outback, remote place with no other cache for over a hundred or more kms. Yes, should be archived. A remote cache in the outback would likely have been fixed by now too by a traveller.

Where is this cache?

Here's another story cache, with some of the story which can be read. GC55CV0

A Tasmanian Devil.

My latest cache. The TB Hotel is in the roof space of my LFL.

A couple more of mine. The trains funnel is a bison tube. Hidden near a real rail line. The tiny garbage bin was hidden is a waste area, near other (bigger) bins.

Following on with the spider theme, this is a road guard cache of mine. There are also spiders hanging and swinging on threads and glued to the internal sides.

This is one of my caches. Hidden under that boulder, attached to the 'roof'. The spider is not seen until your head is almost upon it.

Hopefully more time would be given here too. Mountains south of Canberra where I live. I include this here, because some people don't know it snows in some parts (although a relatively small area) of Australia. Also we have remote areas, that need time for people to get to caches. Under the snow at the top of that mountain, there is a cache. (Somewhere...I couldn't find it ?.) Great though to read that there is a fair amount of discretion given to Community Volunteer Reviewers.

I like GPSs that will fit in my back pocket. My Garmin etrex 30 will, while my phone won't fit. That's a consideration I make.

I did that once. Did I get told off by the owner for that. I'm a big girl and can take that though . I just thought they were stupid and a lazy CO. The supportive email from another cacher and the supportive log were appreciated though. (Oldest log is at bottom of page.) Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it Found it There is a lot we wanted to write to this cache and the recent logs, but we think this is not required as everyone can make up their own mind. Last time we spent 30 minutes searching for this well hidden cache with GPS putting us in a spot where there is nothing close to the hint. Some would call this lazy caching. Today with a fresh set of eyes and the GPS pointing to a different location we made the find within minutes. While it is understandble why the CO was sure that the cache was still in place the actions by other cachers still seem reasonable with a long list of DNFs and no action to a 'Needs Maintenance' log. TFTC (Another cacher; not me) Enable Listing It was there just like every time before. Not inactive just not found Owner Maintenance Golden wattle don't be an arsehole, you think I don't check my caches? So over lazy people looking for this THREE STAR cache as if it was a one star. There was also a good reason for my comment which I told the reviewer. Cache now has a new log. It was exactly where it should be. (Yes, I think they don't check their caches - see their OM log below) Reviewer Needs Maintenance Sounds like you are guessing, so best to check, so as to reassure searchers. It hasn't been found since October last year. If this were my cache I would have checked long before this. Finders need reassurance that there is a cache to find. Plus with so many DNFs, there might be a tendency for people to have quicker searchers than they might otherwise. (MY NM) Owner Maintenance I'm pretty sure this is still in place. (Seems the CO didn't check their cache and is guessing) Needs Archived (Another cacher; not me) Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it Needs Maintenance CO needs to check this one to either replace, or reassure people it is still here. Without reassurance and with DNFs this can stop many people from attempting this one. Has not been found since October last year. (My log) Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it Didn't find it

Like this one. Attached under a bridge that goes over salt water . At least they are biodegradable and in the long term likely better than plastic containers.