Dread_Pirate_Bruce

This just took a lot of the fun out of my upcoming trip to St. Louis. I guess I'd better stop at REI first.

Twice in the last week, I was somewhere, and just for the fun of it called up the geocaching application on my iPhone, just to see what caches were nearby and had it tell me I was just about standing on the cache. Last week at a Mother's Day celebration at my sister's house, I discovered a cache just outside her fence. Today, I went for dinner at a restaurant around 40 miles from home. As we parked, I called up the app. It said the closest cache was 0.0 miles away. I switched to the "navigate" mode and it said it was 37 feet away. It was under a lamp post skirt less than 10 feet from the car. It is an odd coincidence. It would not be so bad if I was out looking for caches. But, this was just a random "let's see what's nearby."

Now I feel better about the whole thing.

I've been heading for a milestone, my 2900th cache. Today, I got number 2899. It was a nano just stuck on a sign. It took longer to park than to make the grab. Later, I sat down at the computer to look for something special for #2900. However, as I started to look, I saw one lone cache on an otherwise clear area of the map on GC.com. So, I looked at it ... and realized I'd already found it, but had failed to log it. Which means that the crummy little #2899 was really #2900. Some milestone.

One man's treasure ... When I was recently in Nevada, I found some caches hidden in the Yuccas. I thought they were real cool and creative.

Geocachers often joke about wearing an orange vest as a means of keeping people from noticing us. This might just be the place to test the theory. If nothing else, no one could accuse you of trying to hide.

When I read the OP, I had thoughts about suggesting a rather aggressive and strictly legal approach to deterring local laws against geocaching. However, after reading the whole thread, I decided I'm best not to do so.

Although I've never met Sheriff Joe in person, if he cared to show up at my door, I'd gladly have him to dinner at my table.

I'll second View Carre'. Just look at all the finds.

Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou for putting that so well. Every time I hear "they thought it was a 'drug drop'" my brain hurts just a little more. A "what"? "I'll just leave your $400 worth of cocaine here in the woods, OK. When you pick it up, please leave the $400 in small bills in the same stump. OKThx." Wow!!! Is that what TFTC really stands for?

I usually don't tell people that I'm looking for geocaches. That is partly because I feel that part of the game is not letting people know you are looking for geocaches and partly because if I can't find it, I look real stupid. However, if caught red-handed, I explain. I much prefer a good yarn and I go prepared. I carry "exemplar" subpoenas in my bag. If the situation supports it, e.g. a neighborhood or near businesses, I explain I'm looking for "Red Harris" so I can serve him with a subpoena. I often ask if the muggle knows of him. Sometimes, while going through my stack of subpoenas, I ask their name and look for one for them. I carry some empty shell casings. As I "find" one, I ask if the person heard gunshots about 2 hours ago. I then take out my notepad and ask for their names, phone numbers and drivers' licenses. Note: I never say I am a LEO. I carry around a woman's ring. I explain that my friend's fiance got pissed at him, and threw her engagement ring back at him and that I'm looking for it. I always find it within 2 or 3 seconds so that they do not have any reason to look for the ring ... I don't want them to find the cache while looking for the ring. I have explained that I am looking for evidence relative to either a car crash, slip-and-fall, or some other accident. I will then take photos and make notes. Once, when I spotted a LEO watching me, I went up to him, explained I was looking for evidence and asked if he had taken a report on the incident. He said "no" but radioed his office to find out who did. He then set up some yellow tape so I would not be disturbed. Note: I never said there *was* an accident, only that I was looking for evidence of one. I once had to explain I was checking on the condition of a sick tree and was trying to determine what damage termites was doing to it. Despite knowing nothing at all about termites, I gave the muggle quite a lecture about them. I deserved an award.

I've just got to know, what was causing the stray cache? BTW: Please, please save the .loc files!!!

I used to be a programmer. (I could even write in Assembly.) I have a theory about the "cache in the middle of nowhere" problem. If, as everyone seems to indicate, it is a very old one, then my guess is that someone put a line or two of code into the soup to test things and forgot to take it out. I've done it and I've seen other good programmers do it. It was basically put there to prove that a particular subroutine is being executed. But, this is just a guess. BTW: let me again beg that .loc files be kept as an option.

If you have electricity nearby, an angle grinder with a metal cutting wheel works much better than bolt cutters, is only $19 at Harbor Freight, and has many other uses. (I especially like it for cutting rebar into short lengths to use in hiding caches in concrete tire blocks in parking lots.)

I have not yet been bitten. However, on Saturday, one gave me a very stern warning about where not to go.

The software on my Mac requires .loc files to be able to send the correct data to my GPS. Please keep them.

I'm finding that I really enjoy caching from a bike. However, it is not best for all urban caching. I find it very good when the cache density is high. Driving just 1,000 feet is hardly worth it and biking is much faster than walking. I also like a bike when parking may be a problem. I'm finding I prefer a mountain bike or hybrid to a road bike. It may not be as easy to make it go, but it is much more durable. I also find that the bike gives me "cover" while searching. I can lean it against something and then paw through that something without attracting attention. I can also place it so as to interfere with peoples' view of me when I'm looking low. It beats the heck out of tying my shoes.

1. I will not run out and check on a cache if one person cannot find it, especially if it is a tricky hide. I'll wait until there are several DNFs or until it is convenient for me to check. 2. If I get a request from a new cacher to help them find it, by giving constructive criticism, not a spoiler, and it is convenient, I'll drive over and help (or at least talk them through it on the phone). 3. As far as someone thanking me ... I assume they are appreciative and would rather not get an e-mail saying thanks. Reading the thanks interrupts what I'm doing, and I don't know it is just "thanks" until I read it. I'd rather just read the important ones. ... Call me a curmudgeon.

The question is not how to grab it, but rather whether to log it. The answer is to play the game however you like. The find count is for you, and you alone. There is no prize. If you feel you deserve to log a find, then go ahead. For me, seeing it isn't enough. If the log on a nano is full, I'll put just a dot somewhere as my signature and log it. If the log is too wet to sign, I'll add paper and sign that. If there is no room for additional paper or the whole thing is just too wet, I'll log a find, figuring that messing with the soggy mess is a signature. If I can't get to the cache, I won't log a find. There was one that was supposed to be hanging inside a fence post, but had fallen to the bottom. I could see it. I could even get a part of a finger on it through a hole at the bottom of the sign. I did not, however, log it as a find. I've found velcro stuck to a post, but without a cache. I did not log a find. But, that's just me.

And, the guy you heard it from must know because his sister's hairdresser's friend's bartender told his sister's hairdresser's friend, who told his sister's hairdresser, who told his sister, who told him. And, that proves it.

When I have free time and am not out geocaching, I like drilling holes in wood. Now, that is boring.

Three of the rules by which I try to live my life are: 1. I will not lay hands on you and I expect the same of you. 2. Just because you can hide a cache there does not mean you should. 3. Just because they make it in your size does not mean you should wear it. I think #2 applies to many, if not most bus stop hides.

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" A brilliant observation for the 1700s, but respectfully, I'm not sure about the 2000s. The world has changed a lot since then.

Depending on what software you are using and on your GPS, you should be able to load them individually if you want to. I personally put a different prefix before the GC number of the caches in each PQ to distinguish the caches in one PQ from those in another and then upload them separately.

Unfortunately, there is no real good way to let the police know that a cache is just a cache and that the only way to be sure it is a cache is to open it. Labeling it as a cache may be a clue, but anyone can label anything a with a "geocache" sticker and can list its coords on gc.com. And, someone wanting to do harm could replace a real cache with something else. I suppose it is best to use enough stealth that no one notices you and therefore doesn't bother the police.