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Squirrel Nut & Beersnob

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Posts posted by Squirrel Nut & Beersnob

    Can I do this?

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    IMHO, I think that should be fine as long as you loosen it every year or so, so that it dosen't start girding the tree.

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    Free Geo-Hiking Staff!!!

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    Tossing my avitar in the ring.... icon_smile.gif

     

    Thanks for the free walkingstick offer, I'm sure you'll make a couple of cachers happy!

     

    PS-Want something more complex? Here's a more detailed version:

    67612_1700.jpg

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

     

    [This message was edited by Squirrel Nut on July 21, 2003 at 12:15 PM.]

    Really Strange Anomalies in the Backcountry?

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    ok, this isn't a 'backcountry' experience, but this weekend Beersnob and I tried the Tamarack Cache in Dundee, MI. Basically, it's in a swath of trees near Cabela's. You can park just over 500' from the cache.

     

    No previous finders mentioned any GPS glitches, so I don't think it would be anything like power lines or such (I don't recall seeing any, though they're probably underground somewhere). We headed towards the cache, and were still on the well-exposed grassy area before the woods, when suddenly our GPS thought we were 60+ miles to the south. Checked reception, we were getting strong signals from several sattelites, but no little '3D' or even '2D' note in the corner of the sattelite display to indicate it knew where it was. When we walked back towards our car, it picked up the correct location again. After several attempts, anytime we got closer than 500' (and we never went under tree canopy) it would think we were anywhere from 60+ miles South to 30+ miles east of where we actually were.

     

    Gave up trying to find the cache (since there were no obvious trails), and the GPS was working fine after we left the area, and hasn't had a glitch since.

     

    Anyone know what this could've been, or is it truly a 'Really Strange Anomaly in the not-really-Backcountry?'

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    Wheel chair accessible cache list

    in Midwest

    Posted

    The MiGowebsite has a list of accessible caches in Michigan.

     

    My cache Boardwalk Stash is wheelchair accessable. If a person utilizing a wheelchair is the only person hunting this one, retrieval will require a little ingenuity, but should be feasible.

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    Alternate Mosquito Repellents - Backpacker Mag. Article

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    Re: Skin so soft:

    yes, the effictiveness (or lack thereof) has been measured. See Snope's article regarding mosquito repellents. Here's an extract of the page:

    ******************

    According to the first study to scientifically compare a wide range of products for their effectiveness in repelling mosquitoes, most insect repellents containing herbal oils proved far less effective than those containing DEET. This study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in July 2002.

     

    Mark Fradin and Jonathan Day of the University of Florida tested 17 nationally marketed mosquito repelling products under laboratory conditions. They asked 15 volunteers to stick a forearm coated with repellent into a cage containing 10 mosquitoes and observed how much time elapsed before the first bite. Products containing DEET repelled best, and the more DEET they contained, the better they worked. Off! Deep Woods, which contains 23.8 percent DEET, provided the longest-lasting protection: 302 minutes on average. By contrast, Avon Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil failed after 9.6 minutes, on average.

     

    For decades rumor has held that Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil is an effective counter to mosquitoes, yet a 1993 Consumer Reports analysis found it ineffective for that purpose. Because so many people were buying the product for its purported mosquito combating properties, in 1994 Avon added a non-DEET repellent and a sunscreen to the popular bath oil and began marketing the new concoction as Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Repellent. Avon disputes the 2002 results posted in the New England Journal of Medicine study, claiming its Bug Guard Repellent works for three hours, not the 10.3 minutes for its Bug Guard Repellent and the 22.9 minutes for its Bug Guard Repellent Plus the study found, but a 2003 Consumer Reports analysis found the Skin-So-Soft repellent deterred mosquitoes for only one hour.

    **************

     

    Hmm.. I wonder if there's a small percentage of the population where some stuff *does* actually work, due to specific body chemistry. You always hear of ppl (and I'm one of them) who are 'mosquito magnets', while others are hardly bugged at all.

     

    Plus, when you get into the use of essential oils, you're still playing with stuff that can be toxic/harmful in large enough quantities, or used in the wrong way, or ingested. Even some herbs/spices can melt plastic(though not nearly as quickly as deet)... I used to keep dried herbs and spices in plastic baggies in a plastic hardware orginization box... I think it was either star anice or cloves that started melting the plastic bin it was in!

     

    Me, I'm stickin' with my Deep Woods Off. None of the alternate remedies works for me.

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

     

    [This message was edited by Squirrel Nut on July 07, 2003 at 10:10 AM.]

    Vacation Planning (out west)

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    I'll second Grand Canyon. If you have backpacking equipment, and are in good shape, an overnight stay at Indian Gardens would be a nice trip. Personally, I'd recommend you stay the whole time at the Canyon icon_biggrin.gif

     

    If you're visiting the South side, see if you can get to Shishone Point (East of the Village) to watch sunrise/sunset. Or just to enjoy the view without dozens of other ppl. A nice little spot most don't know about, though it can be reserved for weddings and park staff parties. I plan to get the coords and make it a virtual when I'm there next year. Be careful thou, this is one spot they don't fence off.

     

    The North Rim is also worth a look-see.... less developed in general. Try Cape Final(nice little hike there- relatively flat, but a couple of miles I think) for a less-visited N. Rim spot. There's several virts on each rim and at least 1 physical just outside the park on each rim. You can do a drive-through of Zion NP if you plan to visit N Rim and Vegas. Warning, it's pretty much an all day trip from N Rim to Vegas, but the drive-through Zion is definately worth it.

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

     

    [This message was edited by Squirrel Nut on June 24, 2003 at 09:38 AM.]

    Vacation Planning (out west)

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    Do you have any specific destinations in mind? Try www.nps.gov to find out info on all the National Parks you might be goin' by.

    It really all depends what type of stuff you're looking for... historic, prehistoric, natural wonders, alien encounters (area 51)..... A fairly good place to start is to look up the state government websites under the travel categories.

     

    If you have some specific things you want to see, and are wondering about cool places to stop off in between, you might want to post in the SW states forum.

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    Geocaching.com logo on beer label ?

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    I can see the caching logo there, though I don't think it would've been intentional.

     

    mmmmmmmmmmmm.... sounds like a cool beer.... what style of ale is it supposed to be, or is it it's own style? If I remember my styles, 11% is a Strong Ale, or almost there if it isn't.

     

    Can someone ship some to us over here in Michigan?!? icon_biggrin.gif

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    male/female, the official poll!

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    Ok, where do I fit in?

     

    I'm Female, and the one who predominately goes caching. (If only 1 of the 'team' goes caching, it's me) When I cache as a team, it's usually with my husband, but we don't go on all-day cache outings. I sometimes (twice so far, and we have a weekend in July planned) go caching with my sister, and those tend to be cache-o-ramas. I also plan to do a caching weekend with my brother sometime this summer.

     

    I'm undefinable. icon_biggrin.gif

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    A Boy Scout Geocaching Merit Badge

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    Hope I'm not going too far off topic, but in the Girl Scouts, you can (or at least you used to be able to) *create* your own badge. When I was a Cadet (and this is over 15 years ago), I created a 'Great Lakes' badge. Basically, you design the badge and the requirements to earn it. I don't think they really open it up for more than the individual scout/troop (I've never seen scout-created badges listed anywhere), but if they still do that type of thing at least Girl Scouts may be able to have their own Geocaching badge!

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    New variation: Doot Hunting!

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    Desert_Warrior -

    I *know* it wouldn't work like that- E-mail Bob&Tom with complaints for the implausible idea icon_biggrin.gif

     

    TMAN264-

    Just check out their website for any upcomming appearances... if you're VIP I thought they'd e-mail you notices whenever anyone's appearring somewhere....

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    New variation: Doot Hunting!

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    Anyone else listening in to Bob and Tom this morning? I think it was Bob that said they should come out with a dog food that they put something in that would enable you to locate the 'end product' with a GPS....

     

    Hey, UMC! You could use that to fill up one of those empty buckets of yours! icon_biggrin.gif

     

    Now I'm wodering if anyone on the Bob and Tom Show are cachers... there's a load of caches right by their station!

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    Pipe Bomb Discovered by Hiker

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    I don't know too much about the weather over there, but if it's anything like it is here in Michigan, it's a miracle that thing survived for so long without going off on it's own... Between any ice storms, hail, hard rain, and wind storms.... after picking up branches in my yard blown off by a recent wind storm, I'm amazed nothing hit it accidentally.....

     

    ...IF it had truly been out there all winter...

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    Good Cache Items

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    ivoux - Hi! Feel free to join other Michiganders at the

    Michigan Geocaching Orginization!

     

    As far as good trade items go, just use common sence. Pick things that you would like to see in caches. Libaray booksales are great places to pick up paperbacks (for larger caches). Church rummage sales might be good places to look for interesting inexpensive stuff. I've gone through stuff I got at one point in time and will never really use again, and places it in cahces. Stuff like tiny beanie babies still in their bags, miniature baskets, packets/ strings of cool beads, etc. Just be sure what you leave is at least an even trade for what you take, and that it's in good condition.

     

    Signature items tend to come from someone's interests, hobbies, talents, or just something random that seems cool. I collect squirrel figurines, etc, so that's where I started. I eventually found that Belarus had currency with a squirrel on it, and a place to get 100 of said notes for about $9. Some people/teams use wooden nickles with their geocaching name. Check out aardvark-mi'swebsite for a few examples of other sig items in MI...

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    Visiting Ball State & Purdue

    in Midwest

    Posted

    There's plenty up in Ft. Wayne (if you're up to a well-placed multi, try Craftily Concealed Containers. If you head to Indy, there's several at Ft. Benjamin Harrison state park ($5 daily admission) The Fort is one, and you can do a 'nearest'search from there. There's several right in that area, but 465 is under construction, so bring plenty of area street maps......

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

    Posted pictures of camouflage and unusual cache containers.

    in General geocaching topics

    Posted

    quote:
    Waterproof alternatives to Altoids?

     

    I assume Altoids tins aren't waterproof. Anybody come up with a good alternative for micro caches?

    Try looking around the small tackle holder areas of your local sporting goods store- I've seen small ones (bigger than altoids, but not by too much) that are 'waterproof' and have o-rings. Some brands have dividers, but I've seen a 3-pack at Cabelas that has 1 that's 1 compartment, 1 that's 2-compartment and 1 that's 3-compartment. A little bit of (careful) time with an xacto, and all 3 could be useful icon_wink.gif

     

    Also, I recently picked up an 'airtight' 4x2x1 container at the cookware section of Galayan's for $5. I'll have to see how it holds up.

     

    I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is

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