fm2f90x

I really, really like having a carrying case (with the clear window and spaces to use the GPSr buttons) with a lanyard attachment for my Venture CX. It's one of those excellent yet unsung accessories. You won't have to set the GPSr down and risk misplacing it, you don't have to carry it in your hand all day yet it's right there when you need to look at it real quick, and a couple of times I've had it in hand and tripped or slipped and it was OK to let go of it to save my balance while the lanyard kept it from falling. I don't hit the trails without my carrying case. Tom

For my first cache hidden I put a battery charger and battery set in for the FTF prize. The finders said that they were probably going to buy a charger soon, so that worked out great for them. You can find the battery charger kits at a reasonable price. Tom

Call it XBox, or whatever the hot new gaming platform is today. That's all it seems to take to get the kids drooling these days. Of course the shock to their system from actually being outside might kill them, unless you reframe the outdoors as a "totally immersive, 3-D, surround sound gaming world".

I've looked at the Find A Benchmark thing on geocaching.com and was disappointed that it was only for the US. I would look for benchmarks if I knew where to find the co-ords. Tom

I've just started leaving guitar picks. I've bought a bunch of the kind I actually use, ( 'cause I practice lots Ya right.) then write fm2f90x on the blank side, with a Sharpie.

Ordered my two coins on Oct 10th and received them today, Oct 17th. They're my first trackables that I've owned. I'll keep one as a personal distance tracker, and the second one will probably be a FTF prize (unactivated) in a future cache hide. Tom

Do you know if this story is on a website or somewhere we could all download or print it out. Could be a little ammunition for when people are asking some sort of park if they allow Geocaches on their property. Thanks, Tom Forget it. Simply go to Austinchronicle.com, click on the Best Of Austin 2006, then do a search for Geocaching on the right side of the page. Looks like we also want to head to Hippie Hollow Point as well

Do you know if this story is on a website or somewhere we could all download or print it out. Could be a little ammunition for when people are asking some sort of park if they allow Geocaches on their property. Thanks, Tom

Who's in for a 703.4km drive? I'm lucky I figured it out right away otherwise it would've distracted me from the NASCAR race tonight.

OK, I figured it out, but there's not enough room to type what I need so I'll forget it for now. Thanks anyway.

still getting Premium Member. How do I change that? Anyone?? I wrote a caption under the avatar when I uploaded it, but it doesn't show up here.

testing to see if I get text below the avatar pic.

I bought a book so I could I could learn HTML coding to do my first cache page, and my profile page. I like to read peoples profile pages to see what they're all about. Oh, and their gallery pics too.

I've just placed my first cache and that was the hardest part for me. Pulling that trigger. I don't want to look like a fool, so I took what felt like forever to hit that Enable button to send it for publishing. It's a 3 stage multi, with some math based on some numbers found at the first stage, so I checked co-ords on several different days, had friends do the math to make sure it works out, did the whole walk-through to check everything.... After all that is was still agonizing to send it for review. So of course it gets rejected because there's a final stage of another multi, which I haven't been able to find because the first stage of that one is very difficult, about 100 meters from where mine was. I moved my final in the direction the reviewer suggested, then had to go back and change the first stage co-ords and the math and go through everything again. Tonight is the night that caches usually get published here, so I'm hoping this one is OK now. Like Hedge777 said, you hope the cache will be around for years so whats a few extra days of preparation and checking. I'd rather have a cache that the local cachers say good things about than have one that is merely OK at best. TTYL, Tom

I wonder how a Geodivorce would go? "She got the house, the good car, the dog. I got my GPSr and an ammo box. It turns out she doesn't like Geocaching anyway." With that ammo box the "I Can Do Maintenance Checks All The Time Because I Now Live In A Tent 100 Yards Away From This Cache" cache could be placed. The FTF package? "The other half of my stuff!!"

I'm waiting for my first cache to get published. I spent about $50CDN on the box and FTF prize (a home/auto battery charger) alone. Add in a bunch of regular swag and it's probably up to about $75. Then add the stuff I used to camo it, but that can also be used on other hides.... I don't mind spending money on making a good hide, though. I kind of figured it would cost a few $$ from the get go. Here's what I didn't realize what I would put into this undertaking. The time and effort. We can't really put a price on it, because we do it for fun, but I took me forever to camo it up, research sites and co-ords (it's a multi) and visit these places several times to double or triple check the co-ords. Then it didn't get published the first time because there's a final stage of another multi nearby so I had to re-hide it, then readjust the starting co-ords because there's math involved using the posted co-ords to get to the final. A lot of driving was involved. So, for me what I will always remember is not so much the amount of money I spent, but how much time and effort I had to put in to create, what I hope will be seen as, a quality cache by the cachers that find it. Tom

That's exactly what it is. Great eye!! I dyed the burlap with that Rit fabric dye, then cut it into 1inch strips about a foot or so long, depending on how far down you want the ends to hang. Use a short length of jute (string) to tie the middle of each burlap strip to a point in the netting. Repeat that step until you have nice full coverage. After I tied all the burlap on, I pulled out the width-wise pieces of burlap, leaving only the lengthwise strands hanging down. The next time I make one of these I'll not pull out the width pieces because it really thins out the camo. I'll tie the burlap on and then leave it as is. On this one I tied in a bunch of strands of un-dyed burlap (the light brown colour). It resembles dead, brown long grass strands, and it breaks up the mass of green to futher add to the camo effect. You can also dye some burlap dark brown and add some strips of that as well. You have to know what the area is like before you build one, then choose colours that'll work the best. I have to go back to this one before it gets published and add even more of the un-dyed burlap strips to fit the hide a little better. Oh ya, to attach the netting to the box I used some of that Goop glue. This one happens to be a plastic ammo box, made by Plano, and the glue bonded quite well. I haven't tried this on a metal box yet, so I have no recommendation on what glue to use. I'm going to try the Goop, though, because it worked so well on the plastic box. Take care to make sure the box opens OK with the netting attached. This box was just put out and hasn't even been published yet, so I can't say how it'll look after getting rained or snowed on. I'm guessing it'll need some fluffing up when I do maintenance checks on it. I wouldn't be surprised if I had to replace the camo once a year or so, but that wouldn't be too big a deal. I could make the camo here then take it out, cut off the old netting and glue the new stuff on.

I made a ghillie suit for my first cache box.

I have the Venture CX. It's worked quite well for me so far. I was having trouble with XP not seeing it automatically. Every time I plugged it in I would have to re-install it for XP to see it. I can't remember exactly what I did to fix it, but go to the Garmin website, then to the Venture CX page and click on the Updates and Downloads on the left. Download the Unit Software (ver 2.50) and the USB Driver (ver 2.1). Update both of these on your Venture CX and see if that gets it going for you. Mine started working properly, and I think one of those was the fix. TTYL, Tom

The squirrels like knawing on them. I had two in operation for a couple of years. One had knaw marks on it making a small hole. Thanks for the info. My cache is away from the kind of trees the squirrels hang out in, but I'll keep this in mind for future caches. I wonder if there's a perfect cache container. One that won't leak, rust, get eaten, is a good colour or easily painted, won't freeze shut in winter, doesn't look like a bomb.... L8R, Tom

I've seen ammo cans in plastic lately. Not military. I got one from Bass Pro Shops, here in Canada, and I saw other ones at Canadian Tire. They're about the same size, maybe a bit bigger, than the standard ammo can, they're made of olive green plastic, and they open the same way. They have a rubber gasket in them as well, just like the military ones. The ones I've seen are made by Plano, and by Flambeau. The one I picked up had a Plano catalogue inside. It looks like they have them in several different sizes. They call them either Ammo Boxes or Field Boxes, depending on the model. I put the one I picked up out as a cache the other day so how it performs is still to be seen. I don't see why it wouldn't work as well as or better than the metal military ones. L8R, Tom

I've seen ammo cans in plastic lately. Not military. I got one from Bass Pro Shops, here in Canada, and I saw other ones at Canadian Tire. They're about the same size, maybe a bit bigger, than the standard ammo can, they're made of olive green plastic, and they open the same way. They have a rubber gasket in them as well, just like the military ones. The ones I've seen are made by Plano, and by Flambeau. The one I picked up had a Plano catalogue inside. It looks like they have them in several different sizes. They call them either Ammo Boxes or Field Boxes, depending on the model. I put the one I picked up out as a cache the other day so how it performs is still to be seen. I don't see why it wouldn't work as well as or better than the metal military ones. L8R, Tom

I just posted a DNF on a reststop cache. I'm the second of 108 cachers who has been honest enough to log it as such, and I mentioned just that in the log. People just don't get it. If they don't post DNFs, a cache owner will never know if their cache has gone missing. L8R

I wonder how a Geodivorce would go? "She got the house, the good car, the dog. I got my GPSrs and an ammo box, because it turns out she doesn't like Geocaching anyway." With that ammo box the "I Can Do Maintenance Checks All The Time Because I Now Live In A Tent 100 Yards Away From This Cache" cache could be placed. The FTF package? "The other half of my stuff!!"

Must... fight urge... to... be rude....... Gotta laugh. Mushtang is using an avatar from my favourite CANADIAN!!!!! band Rush. Gotta be careful, we Canadians are everywhere, we're just unobtrusive about it. Excellent avatar, man.