Dread_Pirate_Bruce

St. Martin is a Caribbean Island half of which is a Dutch territory and half of which is a French territory. I recently found caches on both halves. Now, I need to know where these should go on my list of places where I've cached. I don't think I should list St. Martin as a country in which I've cached because it is not a separate country. (I listed, caches that I found in Hawaii as caches in the U.S. because Hawaii is a state. And, I listed caches that I found in Barbados, St. Kitts and Jamaica as finds in separate countries because each is an independent country.) But, it seems wrong to treat finds in French St. Martin as finds in France and finds in Dutch St. Martin as finds in Holland. On the other hand, I have finds in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and list them separately rather than as "North America." So, I'm seeing what others think. (Imperialism sure makes things difficult.)

I'm in Marina Del Rey, but cache in OC pretty regularly. I'll be unavailable through most of April, but am interested in caching in or about OC after April. FWIW, I am particularly fond of bike-caching (using a bike to get from one cache to another).

II have found more than 1,000 caches while bike-caching on my mountain bike. While many of these are on trails, they are not give-me hides like E.T. You actually have to look for most of them, even if not too terribly hard. My bike-caching is about evenly split between on-road and off-road. I like the bike for off-road because it (1) is fun to ride off-road, and (2) it gets me from cache to cache faster. I like caching while riding because here in Southern California a lot of the trails entail brutal climbs and looking for a cache gives me a rest. I like the bike for urban caching because (1) it minimizes parking problems and (2) the bike provides a "prop" to disguise the fact I'm looking for a cache; I can mess with the tires or the chain and I can always lock it to a post or newspaper machine. Anyone who wants to go bike-caching in SoCal, let me know.

When I drove from Los Angeles through Texas on Route 66, one of the "must finds" for me was GC30FGP. I did find it, but it was so easy that I overlooked it. Also, try to get there around dinner time and do so on an empty stomach. I did not realize where it was and made the mistake of arriving in the morning.

My basic rule is to use the largest cache that won’t be muggled. The first corollary to this is to hide the cache only well enough that it won’t get muggled. The second corollary to this is you may need to use a smaller cache so that it does not need to be hidden quite so well as a larger one might. The third corollary is that most adult cachers don’t bother with trades after they have found more than a few dozen caches. A cache that is in an obvious spot may not be an easy one to find if there are lots of places you might need to look to find it. For example, a cache hidden under a newspaper machine is an “easy” one to find, unless (1) there are a dozen such machines in a line, or (2) there is no way to inconspicuously look under the machine. The act of looking at, in or under a lot of things tends to attract attention. When it is likely that most cachers who come to a cache are going to a lot of trouble to get there, consider finding a way to make it easier for them to find that it might otherwise be. There is little that is more frustrating than hiking 10 miles to get a particular cache and then not being able to find it. Likewise, when a cache is one of only a few in a vacation destination, try not to make a tourist go home without having found a cache. Of course, the basic rule and corollaries must be considered. (I have exactly one find in Haiti. It was the only one in the area where cruise ships go. I would have hated to go to Haiti and then been unable to find a cache.) Hints should not require internet access or “local knowledge.” Locals may know what a “Typical Hossenpfeffer hide is,” but cachers from out of the area may not. I know that a hint saying “No hint needed.” means “It is an easy cache to find.” But, if it was so easy, I would not need to look at the hint. And, if I’m looking at the hint, hen a hint sure is needed.

I was riding my mountain bike on a narrow trail on the side of a mountain. I had my GPS and the intention of grabbing any nearby caches. I fell off the mountain. I slid about 100 feet and tore up my let pretty well. Fortunately, we were not too far from civilization and another rider's cell phone had good reception. It took about 15 minutes for a search and rescue helicopter to arrive and lift me out on a harness. I spent some quality time getting to know the trauma surgeon. I've got photos, but the really good ones will be violative of the TOS.

My experience has been the exact opposite. Full suspension bike, lots of upgrades, quality parts, regular tune-ups. Never made a peep. Just a thrill to ride. That said, if you are going to put your bike through some paces, best to get a stout frame and spring for higher level components. (Except hydraulic brakes. Stab a hydraulic line with a stump or rock, and field repair isn't so easy. Standard wire-actuated systems are far more simple to deal with in the field) Until I got my most recent bike, I have always had wire-actuated brakes for exactly that reason. It turns out I have NEVER, had to deal with them in the field. And, the hydraulic brakes on my new bike area delight to use. Also, the disc brakes do not tend to rub as do v-brakes if you tweak the wheel a bit.

I saw an incident in which a cacher just happened to work in the county tax assessor's office was upset about a property owner damaging a cache (it was near, but not on the owner's property). The property owner's property was re-assessed. I understand it took several years to figure out why. When you do something spiteful, do it in a way in which you and your friends are anonymous. Otherwise, someone may deliver karma right to your doorstep.

If you are going to do GeoArt in the desert, where cachers will have to walk, try to make the pattern one where the cacher will not have to retrace steps or walk long distances over which there are no caches. For example, a circle brings you back to where you started. a straight line means walking back over an area where you already have found all the caches.

I have seen where someone put a small 4-color geocaching sticker on the boarding ramp of a ship at about eye-level. Most people won't even notice it. Most of those who do, will ignore it. But, a geocacher will very likely spot it. That, in turn, triggered a quick search for a note on the bulletin board.

I do a lot of recreational riding, both for the fun of riding and for caching. I went with a MTB rather than a road bike. I can ride the MTB on the road, in the Southern California mountains and in the desert. However, I cannot ride a road bike in the mountains or desert. I elected against either full suspension or 29 inch wheels because I'm not going to do hardcore downhill riding and the 26 is better uphill and is more nimble on tight single track. Buy from a bike shop or at least a sporting goods store with a dedicated bike department. Big box stores may have bikes that fit your specifications, and look pretty. However, they are unlikely to withstand hard riding. When I am caching from my bike, I am always fearful that while I am looking for a cache, someone will hop on my bike and ride off. Since it is not practical to lock the bike when I'm just looking for a cache that is 20 or 30 feet away (which is enough for someone to hop on and ride off), I have a clip that I simply clip onto one of the spokes. The clip is tied on a short string to the seat post. If someone hops on, the wheel will stop turning in about 3 feet and they will fall. That is enough time for me to rescue my bike. BTW: Any MTBers in SoCal who want to go caching?

I'm the OP. None of the replies were particularly helpful. In 3 years, I've never before had this happen. I should be able to start walking in the direction of the pointer and, if I'm walking in a strength line, come somewhat close to GZ. It has alawys been like this in the desert. Here the straight line would have put me 100 to 150 feet off. I'm ok with the idea that when I get close, the arrow does not help much. But, I should not have been walking giant "J" shapes in the open desert. Now, any good explanations?

Don't bother with California. It is not worth the headache of trying to decide which caches to seek. The Route 66 (GC2J17A) can take up a whole day or two, depending on whether you sleep at night. The geo-art for Route 66 (look near GC3NR7Z) can take several days depending on whether you split up into groups or an ATV. Caches along the Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains (look near GC1Y4NR) has breathtaking scenery but can take a few days if you are a strong mountain hiker. Of course, if you wanted an old, novel cache, you could spend a day going after PeeWee Desert Lawn Jockey (GC12F) and S.S. Minnow (GCP4AE) if you have a 4x4. If you want diabolically clever urban caches, Tropical Joe, HappyCrazyRobot and MonkeyDogFish have populated the area of Marina Del Rey and Santa Monica with those. ... Heck in Los Angeles, it is hard to go more than a few blocks without running into some sort of a urban cache or other. It is way too confusing.

The batteries were fine. We calibrated the two units out in the open, in the area where we were caching.

A strange thing happened while caching. My wife and I were doing geo-art caching in the Mojave Desert (the Route 66 logo - GC3NR77, etc.). We each had a Garmin 60CSX. After finding a cache, we'd head toward the next one using the compass arrow on the GPS. Most caches were about 600 feet apart across open desert. As we'd get to about 200 feet from the next cache, the arrow would start to veer as much as 45 degrees. We'd alter course and keep walking. The arrow would continue to veer and we'd continue to alter course. This would happen with cache after cache. Often, we'd actually pass the cache by 60 or 70 feet and have to swing back for it. We calibrated the compasses. (I finally gave up on the compass and walked a line based on the display in map view. That worked very well and got me within 50 feet, at which time, I'd rely on the compass.) Any ideas why the compass was doing this?

It has been a long time since I have visited the forums. This thread was the first one I read upon my return. It reminded me why I've been away so long. Is it really worth so much discussion whether an event is counted as a find or not? Play the game the way you want. If you want an event you attend to count as a find, log it as attended. If not, don't log it. In fact, if you want to count only great hides that you find as finds, log only those. Some time ago, I suggested that there be an entry fee for caching. Whomever got the most finds in a given year would get the pot for the year. That would justify all of the worrying about what is or is not a find.

Now, I'm having trouble with my iPad when trying to log in.

1. I have not heard of a fake sprinkler head being blown up, either. 2. I carry parts and if I take apart a real sprinkler, I do a normal service on it. Its plenty easy. 3. Rather than taking a sprinkler apart, try pulling the pop-up. If it moves, its real, i.e. the insides and spring are intact.

I'll use the car when the caches I'm after are very far apart and there are roads. Otherwise, I'll use the bike, even if it means driving with the bike to the area in which I want to cache. With a bike, parking near a cache is rarely a problem. When you have a bike, no one pays much attention to unusual antics at or about a lamp post, a newspaper machine, a tree, a post, etc -- it looks like you are just trying to lock up the bike or to fix a tire. On most trails, a bike is much faster than on foot. I recently spent a week in the desert. I did a bunch of caching from the bike and got to places I could not have gone with a car or on foot, and did so without tearing up the terrain. I *really* want to do some of the big power trails by bike. Riding 500 feet on a bike is much better than driving a car 500 feet and then stopping, etc. The only problem is that if I get 20 miles away from the car, I have to ride 20 miles back to the car. Leap-frogging might help, in terms of having nothing to do on the way back, but 20 miles is still 20 miles.

You are using a far more powerful processing algorithm than anything available on any current computing device ... intuition.

1. I like the idea of using navigation on roads to get near the cache and then switching to navigate not on the roads to actually find it. Up to now, I've been using my iPhone map or a car mounted GPS 2. Just going to the next closest cache that is on the GPS may not be the most efficient route. The next closest may take you away from an area with a more density or from the route you wish to take. 3. I don't recall what I did to overcome the problem with the GPS taking me to the last point on a route. I seem to recall setting a point right near me and putting it as the first point in the route, with the first cache I want to go to as the second, etc.

A power trail will draw cachers, but a good one requires a lot of space. Cachers will come, but the trail is unlikely to generate other hides. GeoArt is popular, but somewhat rough on the terrain as people will follow a single route. An epic cache is a great idea. I would suggest a mystery cache based on a great theme. However, you should have a handful of traditional, not too tough, but creative caches around. That way, even if someone does not complete the mystery, they won't go home empty handed. As far as epic caches, I'm thinking of something in the realm of the Otis Pug caches or even Quantum Leap (in Texas). Note, that setting these up will take a lot of effort and it is unlikely anyone could duplicate Quantum Leap or even come close, but with some effort you could make a passable facsimile. Send me a message if you need some info on any of these.

I was forced to upgrade from version 3.1 and the new app is glacially slow by comparison.

Thanks for your explanation. I stand corrected. I am disappointed, but no longer unhappy. I withdraw any criticism and ill-thoughts. I will upgrade and get a magnifying glass.

Yes, but when older software is no longer supported, it usually still works. The old 4.2.2 Version of geocaching for iPhone does NOT. Technology changes, life moves on. I suspect that there are more apps on the iPhone that do not work with the older operating systems. You just happened to find one. I guess your faced with a choice, upgrade the OS or go find and old etrex. From what I can tell, there have been no changes to the operating system that would cause an older version of the app to stop working. Of course you have access to source code for both the OS and the app in order to make this statement. Or is this just idle chatter? That is a really hard to accept statement. For what purpose? Do they charge for an upgrade? No, then it is not money. Maybe it simply is that the old OS does not support the newer programming and your one of the few that don't upgrade. No, the logical conclusion is that your phone has ancient bits that no longer support the newer software. It is a failure on your part not to remain current, not GS malicious act to single you out. Could you possibly come up with a mildly plausible explanation why they disabled the old app? I've done programming for enough years that I'm pretty sure that it was not that support was dropped, but rather that something debilitating was expressly added. When my employer wanted everyone on its staff to switch to a new version of my program, I added something to the main database that checked version numbers and would not work with the old one. Based on my knowledge experience and training, my educated guess is that this is what happened here. (BTW: If it did, GS has likely run afoul of the ADA.)