CoyoteRed

I use "found in the last 7 days" option, but of course this just means found by anyone, not just me. Add "Found by me" and it will return only the caches that you've found and have been found in the last 7 days. Imperfect because I think it also goes by the log date not the date the log was written. If you back-date logs this would not be a solution. You would then need to use "changed in the last 7 days" which I believe include back-dated logs, no sure. You'll also get caches where attributes and descriptions have changed, but that's few. The next alternative it is add each cache to a bookmark list. It's extra work, but you will get the archived caches.

Yep, reviewers are the best ones to ask. There's one park in SC and at least one in GA that allow it. Probably many others.

$8,000 for a tiny car with no amenities? No thanks. Just bought a one year old Toyota Yaris for less than that. Plus, I'm sure a bumper, airbags, etc. don't cost $5,500 bucks. They're just pumping the price to what they think the market will bear. I'd rather go with a proven manufacture with plenty of dealers around.

I made comments on the lack of white space around the text of logs a long time ago. They had the text pretty much butted up right next to the edge of the box. White space is good. ...if you use it properly. It's not used properly in the present layout. White space is used to create rhythm and eye flow. It's used to easy the eye to where it needs to go and to separate elements from each other so when the eye is flowing it doesn't get confused as to where it needs to go next. The whole cache page is visual nightmare. It's is jumbled. Some of the least important things on the page jump out first. The most important things are buried in the jumble. It's total junk and if I had presented such to my employers at the time I'd get a look that was either "Okay, it's a joke. I get it. Now where's the real layout" or a look that said they were questioning their decision to hire me in the first place. I get that someone might have made some decisions high up to not change the layout. Been there. "Don't spend too much time on..." whatever. But this is ridiculous. You can completely change a code base without changing the layout. Basically code spits out what you need. Someone changed what is spit out. A conscience decision was made. It's hard to believe that someone looked at that layout and approved it. But then again, not so hard...

The best thing that Groundspeak can do with the concept is encourage open development and host the games. This would be much like the geocache concept itself. Be thankful they didn't "invent" GPS or any other host of other things that makes geocaching work and is only a hosting site for caches. Otherwise, the hobby would be as much in the toilet as Wherigo.

I notice that quite a few folks are using the "cache under a car" argument for saying the incident isn't true, yet a few sentences later, "In this case, the geocache some how rolled out from where it was stashed, and the state employee thought someone planted it under his car." "Joe Paranoid?" What about the cacher who doesn't bother to read?

Jumping on this bandwagon. Violations which I would deem minor won't get more than a cursory chuckle. Glaring violations will get a note to my local reviewer. Yep. I would add I only report guideline violations that I agree with. (Just being honest.) Caches that are "too close" to another cache get ignored unless they are pretty much right on top of the original cache. Illegal placements get reported. (Illegal as in vandalism, trespassing, etc.)

Two points: When you mark a container as a geocache, it does from an unidentified object to one that might be a geocache. Simple. Two, ignore requests from state officials and next thing you know you're fighting an up hill battle in state legislature with powerful lobbies against you. Been there, done that. Geocaching in general, and Groundspeak in particular, has been our worse enemy in terms of public policy. Sure, there is lip service to being the responsible ones, but growth has always been priority one. Small agency concerns seem to be ignored until they ban geocaching.

Yep, white space is good. Just taking any old layout and adding white space? Bad! Just my personal opinion, but most of the new pages are butt ugly. First, don't just add line space between all lines. Ah, forget it. Hire a real graphic artist to design the pages and then program to the design. The layout has sucked since day one and really hasn't gotten better. This is not a step up.

I don't get it. He's asking for a little help in maintaining his geocaches and he's threatened with archival of his caches. On the other hand, if you can't maintain your caches then they need to be archived and picked up. I must be missing something.

I think that is precisely the reason it's a good idea. The whole notion is to hide a spoiler or any information that shouldn't be public. (Remember, this could include detailing illegal or even undesirable activities like entry after hours.) Someone who might brag that he went in outside open hours to get that FTF is someone who wants public availability of logs. Getting into a delete/re-log war with someone is not pretty. Just hide the log and let the find stand. The ultimate point is who has more say? The cache owner or the person writing the log?

I heard in passing that a not-so-recent study showed that younger Americans have much higher dexterity in their thumbs and less so with their fingers than older Americans. This attributed to the newer style of game controller and texting. Every generation will have a slightly different skill set than any other. Also, the children will follow the parents lead and develop skills at a much earlier age than if they waited until adulthood. Children of dance and gymnastic teachers are probably more graceful. Children of avid hunters or gun enthusiasts probably will be better shots. Children of English teachers might the ones that you go to for correct spelling or grammar. (We have one on our team. A human dictionary.) So, will children of avid orienteers have a better since of direction and space than those of geocachers?

Kind of sounds like the "everyone's a winner and no one should feel like a failure" mentality to me. No, I don't think spoilers should be let stand. If you don't care about spoilers then you might as well change your cache to a 1/1 traditional. No, I don't think everyone should be able to post a find on every cache. If you're not smart enough or physically fit enough to actually complete a hunt then just face it and move on.

Okay, I can see "survival" as in "my plane went down in the wilderness and I need something to lash together some sticks." I don't see, "I'll use this to save my buddy from drowning."

I've been wanting this for a long time.

I feel your pain. My worse injury/scare was a slide down a steep hill. Footing gave way above a steep slope and then a 20' drop off into a rocky creek bed. As I went down I was able to twist so I landed on my butt. As I went down the slope my last opportunity to stop myself before the drop was a 3" or so sapling. I thought I would be able to use a foot to stop myself, but I was bouncing too much and missed. Then I thought I could bearhug it. I hit but bounced off. I attempted to keep one arm wrapped around the tree, but I was going to fast. The next thing I knew I was dangling over the edge with the sapling gripped in one hand and the remainder of that 20' drop off the other. I was still holding my hiking stick. There were no foot holds. I ended up jabbing my hiking stick into the cliff face and standing on it. I was able to work my way back up without further incident. During the slide I bounced on my butt several times and paid for it for the next few weeks with a bruised tailbone.

One feature I've thought about and have oft wondered why not offer is allowing non-PMs to download caches designated by PM owners. I own the cache. I've paid the membership. I maintain the cache page. Why not allow me to allow others the opportunity to download descriptions of my caches that I designate regardless of their pay status? You could limit it to only certain types and sizes even. Allow only traditionals, larger than micros, and less than 3 stars. As far as downloads, non-PMs can only download all those such designated caches, with a maximum of 100 caches, within 50 miles of their home zipcode. Once the zipcode is set, it can't be changed without a reviewer's assistance. No ability to filter out certain caches, no sending via email, etc. Once a new cacher gets a taste of caching…

I agree. I do, too. But when it comes time that the only thing original, as in part of the cache when the owner was active, is the cache page, then it's time for an archive, IMHO.

Then you did the right thing. You might want to send a private note to the reviewer from now on lest you be accused of being the local cache cop. The reviewer has a bit more weight in nudging a cache owner into checking on their hides.

As has been mentioned, if you hadn't searched for it yourself, then yes, your were wrong. Every time a cache gets a DNF the next person has that in the back of their mind. "It might be missing." This tends to make them not look as hard. (For some of us it has the opposite effect.) So, the first DNF is more likely to get another. Two in a row makes it even more likely to have the next seeker looking not as hard. So, this cache gathers DNFs until the cache owner checks up on it or it gets found. BTW, some caches move around. Cache owners and previous finders are the worse for looking for a cache has moved. They figure they know where it is and if it isn't in the spot they've last seen it, then it's missing. It's happened a couple of times to me. Conversely, the cache owner in your example was also wrong for archiving the cache without checking on it. DNFs and SBAs doesn't mean the cache is not there. (...or nearby.)

So, it's already no longer the original cache and the original cache owner in no longer active, then? I say archive that puppy. I feel your pain. Send a private SBA to the reviewer. Hope the reviewer has the discretion of not blabbing to his friends that it was you. (Something I think should get a reviewer sanctioned, IMHO.) Then they can do a tribute cache or whatever.

Looks like someone else found it first. Okay, here's the thing. Geocaching is just a tiny little hobby in a huge world of other activities that folks do. There is bound to be collisions. Don't worry about interfering with the activities of another person--in general. You mentioned your cache is about a foot from this other spot. What would you do if you weren't the interloper and that was "your" spot? What would you want to happen? Me, I'd move the cache a little ways away. If the purpose of the cache is to highlight the clearing, then post a spoiler picture to the cache page--either in the open or as link. I'd do it in the open so it shows up in the description. That way the finders get the benefit of seeing the clearing with a less of a chance of finding the other objects. You can move the cache less than 528' as part of your maintenance of the cache.

Thanks. And, sure. He could even send a private note to the reviewer to head off any hard feelings that might pop up from the cache owner. Believe me, I would have done that on a few caches if I had known then what I know now.

Well, no, we don't look for too many residential caches. The few we did hunt made me nervous. Unfortunately, this is likely to happen more and more to new cachers as they come into the hobby and with folks not thinking about their placements. You did the right thing in simply leaving. The old man was wrong in releasing the dog. That could be construed as assault. Alternatively, it wasn't a good idea on the old man's part as he doesn't know the type of person he is releasing his dog on. If it had been me and the dog had gotten in kicking range, the dog would have gotten the short end of the stick. Someone who thinks his pitbull will fair better will get his dog shot. One thing folks don't consider when placing residential caches is local crime. Almost everywhere, even in gated communities, there are both burglaries and auto break ins. Folks get wary of folks they don't know in their neighborhood. BTW, the main target--for whatever reason--of auto break ins? GPSs. Everyone has written down their serial numbers right? You won't get it back without knowing which GPS is yours.

Here ya go…