Western Mass Clan

I would concur with what everybody else is saying. The new maps are a significant downgrade in my ability to use GC.com. I do perhaps 90% of my cache browsing in the maps area. The inability to quickly and effectively browse using the maps is causing me significant frustration with the hobby right now. I wish to see GC.com quickly revert back to Google maps. WMC

Furthermore, Groundspeak refers to these as "Geocaching Challenges" However, most of the challenges I've seen so far have absolutely nothing to do with Geocaching and only a few I've seen require that you actually even leave your house. While I have enough foresight to recognize that there is some merit to the idea of "Geocaching Challenges" this implementation of it by Groundspeak was poorly thought out and needs A LOT of work. As implemented, it has the potential to take Geocaching in a direction that does not fit Groundspeak's mission of getting people active and outdoors. Challenges need to have standards to really benefit the hobby ... just like any "real" geocache. Western Mass Clan

It's been a long time since I've posted to these forums, but since receiving the notification about Challenge caches, I feel obliged to put in my 2 cents. My Thoughts on Challenges: Action Challenge - Have some merit, but should be specific to some kind of outdoor activity and involve a GPS. Bad Example of an Action Challenge: Play a game of checkers with your kids. Good Example of an Action Challenge: Find 50 multicaches with your kids ... or ... Find a cache in all 50 U.S. states. Photo Challenge - Mostly ridiculous and have little merit. Again, photo challenges should be limited to geocaching related activities or activities that require you to hike, get outdoors and/or visit someplace spectacular where caches would otherwise not be allowed. And, to make it so people can't simply go through their photo folder on their computer to find pictures that meet the criterion, I would propose they should be holding a geocaching logo to make it count. I mean, come on, "Kiss a Frog?" ... Really? How is that related to geocaching?? So far I've seen kiss a frog & take a photo of your dog. Silly and stupid. Bad Example of a Photo Challenge: Take a photo of yourself kissing a frog (or some equally ridiculous thing that you can find in your house or go to a store and purchase). Take a photo of your dog. Take a photo of anything that requires minimal effort and can be done just to pad your numbers. Good Example of a Photo Challenge: Take a photo of yourself holding a geocaching logo at the summit of a mountain ... or ... take a photo of yourself with a geocaching logo and GPS on the Great Wall of China / in Big Ben / at the edge of the Grand Canyon / near Old Faithful (you get the idea). Challenges should be reviewed and have some kind of standards just like hiding a cache. Challenges that receive a high percentage of 'thumbs down' votes should be removed from the site or at a minimum archived. And finally CHALLENGES SHOULD NOT COUNT TOWARD YOUR FIND TOTAL!

How about instead of something serious, we go with something more ominous ... like "THEM". Example: Cacher 1: Act natural, here come some muggles. Cacher 2: No ... Oh my God ... It's one of ... THEM! Cacher 1: Who? Cacher 2: THEM! You know, they're like the Men in Black and Freemasons ... COMBINED!! Cacher 1: You're completely nutters, you know?

Misson #1 - Kid Mission - Western Mass Clan "Big Brother" (7 y/o) 1. Participating: SENT EMAIL Oct. 09, 2008 2. Received Name: Oct. 27, 2008 3. Mission Sent: Dec. 4, 2008 4. Package Received!: YES! Nov. 22, 2008 Misson #2 - Kid Mission - Western Mass Clan "Little Sis" (3 y/o) 1. Participating: SENT EMAIL Oct. 09, 2008 2. Received Name: Oct. 27, 2008 3. Mission Sent: Dec. 4, 2008 4. Package Received!: Not yet. Mission #3 - Adult Mission - Western Mass Clan Dad (me) 1. Participating: SENT EMAIL Oct. 09, 2008 2. Received Name: Oct. 29, 2008 3. Mission Sent: Dec. 4, 2008 4. Package Received!: YES! Nov. 25, 2008 Our missions went out yesterday. Again, my sincere apologies for not being able to get these put together and out the door sooner. Nonetheless, I think the recipients will be pleased. The kids and I had a lot of fun shopping for the swag! The post office assures me they should get across the pond to their respective addressees within 10 days. As I posted a few days ago, we have also received two of our missions and opened them today (now that we've sent ours). I will post pictures as soon as I can! Thank you! Matt

I am embarrassed and disappointed in myself for not being able to fulfill my end of the mission so far. I could give a litany of excuses ... but the bottom line is, between my post-doc contract not coming through (still caught up in bureaucracy hell with the state of Massachusetts apparently) and thus no pay, an unplanned but necessary family trip to Indiana and the entire family trading the flu back and forth the last three weeks ... this mission has, by necessity, temporarily dropped off my radar. And I apologize. I have received two of my missions but haven't opened them yet - mostly out of guilt for not having sent mine out yet. I will get pictures up as soon I can. I now have collected everything I need to send my Santa mission, but they are overseas missions so my apologies if they don't get there in time for Christmas. Now that the dust has settled (cross my fingers), the kids and I will be working together to package everything this evening and mailed tomorrow. Again, my sincere apologies for dropping the ball on my end. Being this tardy on fulfilling a promise is out of character for me. Matt

Misson #1 - Kid Mission - Western Mass Clan "Big Brother" (7 y/o) 1. Participating: SENT EMAIL Oct. 09, 2008 2. Received Name: Oct. 27, 2008 3. Mission Sent: (researching) 4. Package Received!: Misson #2 - Kid Mission - Western Mass Clan "Little Sis" (3 y/o) 1. Participating: SENT EMAIL Oct. 09, 2008 2. Received Name: Oct. 27, 2008 3. Mission Sent: (researching) 4. Package Received!: Mission #3 - Adult Mission - Western Mass Clan Dad (me) 1. Participating: SENT EMAIL Oct. 09, 2008 2. Received Name: Oct. 29, 2008 3. Mission Sent: (researching) 4. Package Received!:

Might it be the landlocked Mt. Greylock lighthouse in WESTERN Massachusetts? This lighthouse was originally to be placed in Boston Harbor but instead it was assembled on Mount Greylock, the highest point in the state at 3491 feet above sea level. BTW ... I realize there was already a winner. I just thought I'd share this oddity among lighthouses with everybody.

The color coding of sent and received missions??? BRILLIANT!!

Oh dear. Whoops ... I didn't mean to cause such a stir by posting that image. I should have known better knowing how rabid some people here are about coins. I'm afraid it is NOT my coin ... I simply did a google image search for "Santa Coin" to have something fun to post. But after a little investigating, I discovered that you can in fact buy it - though not from me. The image is hosted at mil-mall.com, which appears to do its trade in selling gifts for military families - including military challenge coins and other fun coins. I don't know if they offer geocoins. Here is the link if you're interested: mil-mall.com santa coin ... Do a search for "Santa Coin" and you'll find it. Matt This is a very neat looking coin, is this a geocoin? Would you be so kind is emailing us and letting us know even if it isnt a coin and how we could get one? This one would be so much fun to give our little neice for X-Mas. Thank You! NO, PLEASE just tellus here and now PLEASE LOL, Your so funny, yes please tell us and here so fairyhoney knows also

Terrific. I had fun in the last mission I participated in. This year I'd like to include the kids. Misson #1 - Kid Mission - Western Mass Clan "Big Brother" (7 y/o) 1. Participating: SENT EMAIL Oct. 09, 2008 2. Received Name: 3. Mission Complete: 4. Package Received!: Misson #2 - Kid Mission - Western Mass Clan "Little Sis" (3 y/o) 1. Participating: SENT EMAIL Oct. 09, 2008 2. Received Name: 3. Mission Complete: 4. Package Received!: Mission #3 - Adult Mission - Western Mass Clan Dad (me) 1. Participating: SENT EMAIL Oct. 09, 2008 2. Received Name: 3. Mission Complete: 4. Package Received!: Thanks for the fun! International missions welcomed!

Yeay! I just noticed that the site is now using the icon for multiple TB's that I created! I'm not sure why it took me this long to notice it. I've had other things on my plate lately I suppose. Nevertheless, THANKS TPTB!!! I feel honored to have contributed ... albeit in a small way ... to the site. Matt

0001

1507

1507

<<Chief20R2 Gold $8.00>> I hear those Chief20r2 coins should be going for at least $80.00 ... not $8.00 Real collector's items!!!! P.S. Please don't think that, just because I'm friends with and have cached with the Chief, I'm biased or anything ...

If the offending cacher is not responding, I think you'd be perfectly justified in deleting the log (or in your case "logs"). If nothing else will get her attention, that will. If I had a hide that I spent a lot of time putting together to make it challenging and somebody posted a blatant spoiler picture, I would have deleted it the moment I saw it regardless of how much of a newbie the cacher was - but that's me. Sometimes the stick is the better choice than carrot (or saying Pretty Please). Matt

double post. deleting the non-modified one.

Be forewarned. Don't get your expectations too high. As with any form of caching, you should expect the quality of the SWAG in any hamster cache to degrade with time.

I like it! If only you could post an audio clip of an angelic choir striking a harmonious chord to go along with it!

Hi all! I occasionally enjoy creating a fun Photoshopped pic for a cache I particularly enjoyed. It is especially fun to do it when the cache has some kind of theme. I'm creating this thread as a place for people to post their fun photoshop chops that have made their way onto cache logs or cache pages. Here are a few of mine: "Yep ... this must be the one I'm looking for" Posted for THIS CACHE "The Hint" Posted as a hint for THIS PUZZLE CACHE OF MINE " It's always nice to run into other geocachers!" Posted in my log for THIS LORD OF THE RINGS THEMED SERIES IN INDIANA "The truth comes out." Posted as a tongue-in-cheek note in my CHECK & MATE! PUZZLE CACHE "Scary. Really scary." Me poking fun at one of our local FTF hounds. This was after the FTF on Check & Mate! (three months after it was published). Will he stop at NOTHING TO SIGN THE LOG??? "Sing it again, Jim!" A tongue-in-cheek posted note for my puzzle cache BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA. Jim Nabors traditionally sing's "Back Home Again in Indiana" before the Indy 500 (for those who don't get the reference). Finally ... one of my favorites. This is a part the cache page image for my puzzle cache Cache Bot™. (Notice that it's the same background as the Nazgul pic above.) Looking forward to seeing other cacher's submissions! To keep this thread on topic, please limit your chops to those you've posted in logs or on cache pages. Thanks! Matt

Those are awesome! I like the process you took to make them! I did a little bit of mold work during High School in Machine shop. The whole process must take quite awhile, especially since you gotta cover the numbers and start over... Id say you need a stamp set http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...?Itemnumber=800 How much time do they take ya??? Each coin takes about an hour or so to make. Of course, that hour is spread out over two or three days. I usually cast 3 or 4 coins and wait for them to cool before breaking off the sprue and filing the rough edges off. I then put the translucent enamel on one side at a time since flipping over a coin with wet enamel would be a disaster. The numbers are actually easier than you'd think. It's hard to see in the picture, but the part on the wooden blank that says "002" is clay. When I made the blank, I simply carved out a shallow rectangle. Then, when I want to make the number, I put some red clay in the rectangle, smooth it out, and then stamp the numbers in with a rubber stamp. Doing so raises the clay a little, so the numbers stand out. I then wait a few minutes for the clay to dry and then it's ready for casting with a unique serial number. Matt

These geocaching angels have earned their wings ... ... now if they could only earn their geocoin. Their Latest Hide