Smitherington

Sometimes life is just hard. And congrats on 500.

Doesn't get much better than that!!

On local area caches, I am content to pace myself. When I travell, I am more inclined to do some more serious hunting because some of the caches will not be there next time and more new ones will be added. So sometimes it is 8 to 10. Other times it takes only one to get my 'fix'.

1. How did you find out/start geocaching? About.com geography newsletter 2. Who/what got you started geocaching? The idea was intriguing, I had the GPSr. The right mix of hi-tech toys and outdoors. 3. How often you do it? At least once a week, weather permitting. Sometimes several days in a row. My vacations have changed because I want to geocache as I go, when I get there, and on the way home. 4. How long have you been doing it? 7 months 5. Spending amounts: a. Price of GPS 300 plus accessories, another 300 b. Placing a cache 20 to 30 including container and goodies c. other equipment and prices (lights, ropes, etc) PDA (400), backpacks (50), goodies to place in caches (150), Annual park passes (60), radios (75), clothing (150) I already had the laptop and digital camera so I can't include those items. Cheap for al the fun I am having!!

I tried but it didn't work. Just ignore it.

Here is another inside cache which I really enjoyed. The Envelope Please

There is no way a guy could wait til spring!!

And I always thought that Monte Carlo was a car!! One can learn hisself a durn lot of stuff here!

You can do it. Here is a bit of encouragement from a non smoker who appreciates the effort that ex-smokers have had to put in to quit. I appreciate it. Do it for yourself. Do it for your family.

"what is the longest any "active" cacher has gone without logging any finds" It seems that the answer would depend onthe definition of 'active'. When does a geocacher become an 'inactive' cacher? Depending on where one lives and the number of caches available, it seems like 3 mongths is a long time.

Is this some kind of a rotten joke? Someone mentioning that they have to mow the lawn? It was zero out this morning with quite a snow cover!! Tonight it is all the way up to 5 degrees!! Still no grass!!

Congrats. But be careful. This may be addictive.

Most of us have IQs that are off the scale. I refuse to tell which scale. I refuse to tell which end of the scale.

Sometimes I think I am gaining on the quest to find these caches. Then I realize that some people find so many that I am falling farther back. And the total of caches is rising much faster than my find total. But I sure am having fun anyway!!!

One good reason for having a log book is the cache is for identification purposes. Recently a mom found a log book in her son's possession and was able to connect to the owner and return the cache. Kids had taken it and split up the goodies. Her kid had the logbook. A happy ending for a missing cache.

The only case in my mind where multiple finds are appropriate are where you find a traveling cache more than once. With a traveling cache, the finder takes it and hides it in another location. Two examples are ABC's cache (GCCD54) and Oakland Transit III (GC4084). I have found ABC's twice and plan on finding Oakland Transit III again. If I return to a cache to place/retrieve a travel bug I post a note. If I go with a newbie to a cache I have visited before, they post a find, I just post a note.

When I find a bill in a cache I just put it with my other money and spend it. I may put another bill in a geocache but the idea is to see how money travels without forcing it to happen a certain way. It seems to me that the bills you get from the bank that are saved for you defeat the natural circulation patterns but it would certainly help out the percentages of hits.

Hey Data Lynx - It is already March first. It is Saturday. You live in Texas where it is always nice out. And I don't see a find yet! Come on. Go for it! You can do it!. Welcome to the fun.

Others have done it just to get it off the list. I prefer not to but that is my preference. I don't necessarily try to find every cache. Some are not the type I want to do so I don't care what is on my first page. Others want to find every one.

I agree.

As we all know, the numbers aren't why we do this. Oh, that is a different set of numbers. 55 Single again Toolmaker Lovin' it. Cache with the grandkids when I can get them to go along. Otherwise, by myself.

Or worse.

There are times that I would do a cache that included 100 miles between stages. But usually I would not. And to repeat, you should clearly include that information in the cache page. A cache hider can do just about anything with his hide. As long as it meets the guidelines and is clearly described, go for it. That does not mean that anyone would find it. But then again maybe someone would. Some people cache for the challenges. That would be a challenge. But you also invite colaboration on a cache that far apart. Call Joe, give him the info and have him do the second stage. Maybe that could be part of the challenge. Team effort. Enlist another cacher in another location. Let's see how it plays out.

I want to give trippy an attaboy for his work on our all new Michigan Geocachers Organization website. MIGO is going strong. Thanks trippy et al.

Doc Ott's cache with long distance/bearing calculations was the one I had most fun with yet. I was able to be the first finder. But I didn't do any calculations. I just used my map program and the distance/bearing feature. Thanks Doc for the great cache!!