DudleyGrunt

Sure, let me know what you have in mind. On a side note, Troop 424 is going to do an unofficial "CITO" event in Savage Park next weekend and we plan on doing some of the local caches afterward. DG

But mine wouldn't fit any of these. It won't fit in a cahce. It can be and has been discovered "in the wild" (well, Colonial Williamsburg). These are my favorite kinds of discoveries and can't wait to get more. It's not alive - last time I checked. I definitely don't intend for it to change hands.

Umm...does anyone else have thoughts specific to the subject at hand? Assuming you can have a link to a geocaching organization in these forums - like there are many, many of currently.

A few in Maryland that are not yet on emb021's list... Den Seven's Cub Scout Cache - near Dunkirk Junior "All About" Cache - at Sugarloaf Mountain Pack 456 - Patapsico Valley SP the Thin Mint Mine - near Rockville Wickford Park Eagle Project - Huntley Meadows Park - Hybla Valley, VA OK, so I lied about them all being in Maryland, that last one is close.

Yeah, I was going to ask about that. I know MAGC had some issues with one version of our logo members had on some of their cache pages. One of the original explanations had to do with a Google ad on our site for some charity (later removed), but it was later clarified that the major issue was just with the phrase "Support the Troops". I'd think that any organization would need to have a "means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization." Otherwise, it wouldn't last long.

I'm only looking for a better way to promote these groups, not to create actual discussion areas here. I guess I wasn't clear on that. So, it would only really be one topic area, but a central place to promote the groups. I still don't think OG is the right place. First of all, it is part of the "Geocaching Adventures" area and it's not really relevant to that. Secondly, the subtitle of OG still implies that is about "next level of Geocaching - League games and other organized sports." Interest based groups don't really fit that description. I think that even if a pinned topic under OG were set up, it would at least help direct people more. If that were the solution, though, I'd definitely suggest the subtitle of the OG forum be changed. DG

I would like to suggest that the current "Geocaching Groups by Region / State" and "Geocaching Groups by Country" be reorganized / expanded to allow for a "Geocaching Groups by Interest" or "Geocaching Groups - Non-Geographic". There seems to have been an increase in groups without borders that generally cater to people that share a common interest or profession. Currently, the mods seem to want topics on these types of groups posted in the "Organized Geocaching" forum, but I don't think that is really true fit. The subtitle of the OG forum is "Here you can share ideas on the next level of Geocaching - League games and other organized sports using GPS units." That is not typically what these groups are focused on. I understand that there are two redundant (IMO) pinned threads in the OG forum about geocaching groups, but in addition to being redundant to each other, they seem to be duplicative of the similar pinned topics in most of the Region / State and Country forums. Therefore, I don't think most people end up looking there for groups and may not even be aware that there are interest based groups to supplement their experience with their local organizations. Examples: C4C - Cachers 4 Christ (German language forum) GC4C - GeoCachers 4 Christ GPA - Geocaching Pilots Assoc. GT - GeoTruckers MAGC - The Military Association of GeoCachers There may be more, but if we had a central place for them to be promoted, it would be helpful to those that might interested in them. What do folks think? I know some will say that these types of groups are a waste of time, but they ARE out there and do offer something that certain folks are looking for. Also, I think that the more of a tie people have to other cachers, the more likely they are to continue in the hobby / sport / game (that's another debate). Please limit your comments on the topic at hand - how to best promote these types of groups her in the Groundspeak forums. Also, if you belong to or know about other similar groups, please post about them. Thanks, DG

Drat. Team Sagefox beat me to the punch, but I was going to post that my team is 52 and a full time working middle schooler. That is I'm 41 and work full time, looking forward to my retirement years when I can travel and cache more. My son is 11 and is, in theory, a full time middle schooler. Sometimes I wonder, though.

If you are someone that especially enjoys military and / or church related swag, you should check out one or both of the following organizations: The Military Association of GeoCachers GeoCachers 4 Christ

Guess I should add the following pics (courtesy of DragonsEar) of the old Savage Mill ruins from near my Only a Lad cache. DG

My uncle (Rookie49), who got me into this, told me about tomulus' Pre-Columbian Relic shortly after he'd started caching. He hadn't done it yet, but the cache description got me hooked. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was still cool. Photo along a former stretch of MD-175 on the way to the cache: Falcon Loader's AED Racing's Freestate 32.3 was another of my early favorites along these lines. Not much of a hike, but a significant MD ruin... Me and JuniorNimrod at mdpaul's Bush Forest Ruins: Ohters: JFigel's Riverside Ruins (still working on this one) and Riverside Ruins II. Crashmore & Zutaleau's Bunch of Savages in this Town.

I have never seen Christian cachers (or others) complain about non-Christian religious items in caches. Can anyone show me a post where some was ranting against the Star of David, Qur'an, or pentagram they found in a cache?

I assume you are actually replying to Firespinner's post? Firespinner, if you pass Team Cotati some swag, could you please include a shirt? Thanks!

Actually, there are rules as to what may not be placed in caches and "church swag" is not mentioned. I know how you feel. What you just said applies equally to Christians, as well. DG

Actually, there are rules as to what may not be placed in caches and "church swag" is not mentioned. I know how you feel. What you just said applies equally to Christians, as well. DG

Sorry, but I can't resist... The answer would seem to be "yes". Both questions posit that the container starts off waterproof and asks whether they will remain so under water. I'd say if they don't stay waterproof, they never were to start with. What good is a water tight container that is only in such a state when not submerged? At least that is what I thought of upon firt seeing the subject and initial post. Ask my friends, they'll tell you that I just can't help myself sometimes. DG

I find it interesting that the loudest proponents of the "fun and light hearted" nature of the game / sport / hobby (don't want to start a debate on that) are often the ones that want to expand the list of banned items to include the things they don't like.

flys low has decreed it, so the discussion is over and I guess we can close this thread! Unless anyone else wants to add to the list of crap so we can make sure that nothing is ever left in a cache that someone might not like.

Can I get a list of items you do like so I know what I may put in caches? Then I'll have to check with everyone until I have a list no one objects to. Pretty sure that will be a very short (or null) list.

Sacrilege! The candles and the chocolates featured on the linked page are prohibited under the Cache Contents Guideline. Except for the exceptions noted by The Leprechauns, I just wouldn't take most of them. If I did, I'd trade for them. I just can't abide with those that say they'd remove religious (usually Christian) items and treat them like trash, porn, or other banned items and toss them in the nearest trash can. Nice try, but I'm not hypocritical - in this regard anyway. Dave

For those interested, the coins can be purchased at Living Waters. 50 for $8.00. They also have bronze and gold editions for $5.00 a piece. Also, check my signature for a link to GeoCachers4Christ and come check us out. Happy trails, Dave

I have recently been leaving coins (up to 3 per cache) that have the Ten Commandments on one side and John 3:16 on the other. I leave them for whomever is interested in them, whether fellow Christians, seekers, coin/token collectors, or just someone looking for something different. So far, I am only aware of one cacher who seemed to have a strong reaction against them. We went out of his way to say he'd removed and trashed them from one cache. I attended a local event a few days later and there was much interest in them and I gave out about a dozen even though I'd posted that folks would have to ask me about them if they wanted one. Didn't want to be accused of evangelizing at an event. The offended one was even at this same event and asked to see one. Guess he didn't look past the cross before disposing of them the first time. They're inexpensive, but do have a perceived value that makes them attractive. I agree that tracts and other paper items are poor choices for most caches, though. Dave

I'm not sure. I don't have any blank lines. I seem to remember a post about that being an issue.

One of my most fun logs to write was a recent DNF... You have to see the cache page to see what this madness was about, though.

Thanks. I didn't know about that and I'm just three finds from being listed.